tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763842749756125312024-03-04T12:21:07.697-08:00Memories are made of theseEvery day of my life, memories are created. And I treasure every single one of these, especially those shared amongst my loved ones and my good friends. One day when I grow old, I am going to come back and read 'em and weep.................. LimWeeHow伟豪Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-73180837160397181042023-06-15T16:00:00.003-07:002023-06-17T19:16:59.793-07:00WH-ing in JB with our 三美女<p> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4p7AtQAnQmnCUm3oT-WQ0ScdPFaKdQrLPbMVhXOSKPkJUpQ7JbWJEJlHkekA7IQZOgkAvtch6YC_tmFH_oacu5W5AY-_dFwjyCQFo-ivMnI-W62U-nF6LgD36cukhLZrFkw5adL8aOt9NyeAzNB1OA7yPzZTjsMf5hSEuyErk4U--xlVCTwyQXHf/w320-h240/FL_20230618_0780.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"Boss declared WH*, let's go JB!"</span></b> said Kat.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Luckily you all said earlier, I was able to book KTM train ticket for our trip back!"</b></span> said a relieved Gina. </p></blockquote><span><a name='more'></a></span><p> </p><p><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">*WH</span></b> is different from PH. PH is government 的 PH. <span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: medium;"><b>WH is Woods Holiday</b></span>. WH is declared by the Governor Sir Thuraisingam LWH, and these WH hor, got no fixed dates one. It's like Chinese New Year, like Hari Raya Aldifitri, like Vesak Day like that.. it depends on the moon, the sun, the wind direction and the level of the tides one. Sometimes WH can suddenly appear if suddenly all the elements become 天时地利人和. Sometimes have to keng-tao-nao very very hard then the next WH date will pop up in the brain.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">No Traffic Jam across the Causeway!</span></p><p>16 June 2023 Friday</p><p>We were very lucky today. Bus 168 took some of us to Woodlands Bus interchange. And the Green-Yellow-Brown line brought the rest of us to meet at Jolly Bee. A short walk and we were really among the earlier ones to enter the queue for bus 950 to take us right into JB Sentral.</p><p>The Singapore Customs was a breeze. And the Malaysian Customs was also a breese. We took our bus 950 at 7:15am, and by 8:15am we have cleared Malaysian Customs and were already walking around looking for Grab to take to Hiap Joo Banana cake liao.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="493" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JJRpClgv9YQ" width="594" youtube-src-id="JJRpClgv9YQ"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Unforgettably good, this WH. We must do this more. Really.</p><p><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>Till our next WH!</b></span></p><p><br /></p>Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-16374019505464341382023-05-11T03:46:00.292-07:002023-05-18T23:58:34.380-07:00Land of 微笑 ~ 吃喝按摩,远处观草<p> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9bnEkNMrYkhQnAikssQbJQppHLFEeMJRcSROJd1GtSn-X6qRYK5rWDOffq_0YOwLHtT1y-1ri5Bl0Cgnblgkjn5PJRO6A7pNEdWTBK9-k3j7tFRd91OwZe9xRzSX5IFY1fGp6iw6VQbyNNa52iOfsFVB5c_oxDudPWgoIDMCWRI9RmPN1NhPN_46/s320/FL_20230518_0708.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">真的是好一段日子没跟吾里猫大嫂和吴金鱼去街街了。而且,续去年7月后,也没回去过曼谷了。对我来说,应该是回去向四面佛还愿的时候了。自去年泰国将大麻草服用合法化后,我们一直都很关心,很担心,很关注这一来会对泰国社会产生什么负面的影响。大麻服用合法化,会照成什么样的滥用不在话下,对社会原本应该具有高度生产力的年轻一代,所带来精神颓靡的恶风,将是续美国11个州在同时也把大麻服用合法化后的世风日下另一个亚洲的雏形。</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">罢了。人家的事情我们管不得。咱们自己的事情已经够琐碎麻烦了。</span></p><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: medium;"><b><a name='more'></a></b></span><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>[Click on the 'Day' to go to the day] </b></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day1"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b> Day 1~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Wah, really can see 'Weed'signs, here and there...</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day2"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 2~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">拜拜四面佛</span>,</b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><b> suck the aircon in Terminal 21, Gentle-ing the Woman in Siam Square, and Jodd Fair...</b></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 3~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Escaping the heat in Platinum Mall and Big C, and Checking out Iconsiam</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day4"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 4~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>拜拜</b></span> <span style="font-family: Single Day;"><b>Bangkok!</b></span></span></span></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><a name="Day1"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>Day 1</b></span></a></p><span style="font-size: x-small;">11 May 2023</span><p>These girls hor, they are serious when it comes to work - Kat and Gina never have enough of scolding suppliers, laboratory service people, etc. etc.. but when it comes to play, wah, they are really see-beh 爱玩。Especially when I put Serene into their hands, they really all go cray together. Actually the moment they planted their butts on the plane, they already started playing!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiVluGnnt61CZW7WCrGxSYU8qDEiIvzvBQSHwsJ8w5kIKUZUVtuPGww7FelcXRLYRFls8ALSe2Z_sCnt1uvfwV45mqyxL8LS_nRRhZm8di5t1pPE-6SkpsuqOAUu_ejSv8fH3NSHA4CWoujwASRCGX1xtX3aHCbCSjSCrGtYxyYQ-0_lw4Rwujua1n/w640-h480/FL_20230516_0695.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Scoot was really quite something. Our flight departing Singapore was delayed for one hour. Why? Nnot because of any engine fault, but for some strange reasons: there were three passengers who boarded the flight, but that created a commotion at the back of the plane because apparently they weren't supposed to be on this flight. And because they were here, there were other passengers who didn't get to sit down. And the security officers had to come out several times and finally didn't know how they did it, but they escorted that three passengers down, and FINALLY we could fly, after a one hour delay that was not necessary.<div>Due to that, all the passenbers on board this flight had our dinner plans in Bangkok all messed up.<br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Sigh, we never were successful in trying to have dinner in Central World whenever we touched down,"</b></span> I shared with Kat and Gina, after we unsuccessfully tried to find restaurants and eateries in the mega-mall that would still take in diners.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-FAFat0lsPjpWthPsfahVwIPkaz38DMt0HiuofiT1jnt5jv6A3BHDBmAHCVqIaXcwwIEyoX2YD7T2bx4RFNVU8tsD-NqvHd4yj4Q4Hq9VB5Ch9m6juL30ooTgs4RbKRmBIp0RZIgsl4EyeH0VtUj_-M5gXi08LJnaQKuiNBRdfzPt4MDrn6ZALaf/w640-h480/FL_20230517_0696.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"Let's go eat at that Beer Cafe just next to Hotel Intercontinenal,"</span></b> insisted Serene, and rightfully so. Because not only were we able to get drinks, we could order steak, pork knuckles deep-fried, cabonara and Pad Thai, Gina style.</p></div></blockquote><div><p> </p><p><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Weed, anywhere?</span></p><p>Of course. Even while on the taxi from Suvarnabhumi airport, we already could see the huge advertisement board along the Highway advertising 'Dr. CBD', a cannabis 'healthcare' company. And Serene was quick to point out a cannabis neon sign on the wall of one of the shopping buildings just off the Sky Bridge on which we were walking to our hotel.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="495" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CUjhW3_Wqm8" width="595" youtube-src-id="CUjhW3_Wqm8"></iframe></div><span style="font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">V</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">i</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">d</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">e</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">o</span></div></span><p>First nights must always be like this one. Touch down blur blur, don't know what to do... then try to walk here and try to go there and then hit a few brick walls, then finally find somewhere to fill our stomachs...</p><p>And nothing beats finally being able to check in and to have slots for a one and a half hour Traditional Thai Massage next door at Ai Sa Wan massage...</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: right;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Single Day"; text-align: left;">[Click on the 'Day' to go to the day] </b></p><p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day1"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 1~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Wah, really can see 'Weed'signs, here and there...</b></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day2"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 2~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">拜拜四面佛</span>,</b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><b> suck the aircon in Terminal 21, Gentle-ing the Woman in Siam Square, and Jodd Fair...</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 3~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Escaping the heat in Platinum Mall and Big C, and Checking out Iconsiam</b></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day4"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 4~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>拜拜</b></span> <span style="font-family: Single Day;"><b>Bangkok!</b></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><a name="Day2"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>Day 2 </b></span></a></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">12 May 2023</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">"Wei, this trip you all zhar fit where to go shopping where to go eat, but I must go </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">拜拜四面佛</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> first then I will follow you all wherever you all decide..."</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p>So they guai guai followed me to Erawan Shrine on this morning of the second day. Despite my urging Gina to make her wish, she simply refused. Why? Because if her wishes come true, she needs to come back to<a href="https://youtu.be/wF1F3VfQ08Q"> </a><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">还愿</span> one, she said. So she would only <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">拜拜</span> but she will not <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">许愿</span>. Aiyah, she ah..<span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"> 笑的啦,她!</span></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZtv1mLruSj4pc9Qp7Vx4zvmN0mN9-nJp80hPs76FD6hvpSEKt9_H8crdePW3leFirvfZ-dBYjSfSco7pIzS_eysOsJfdQeuTAgSDsnG3GxtRG2Z2D6rESysPd6RZQqqpm_cSOEEH8ap33-If51yupBmfZ0OHSxGDtfjDd7av3ztf_8phTOnkQbxF/w640-h480/FL_20230517_0697.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">"哇佬,死伯热呀!"</span></b> kao-beh-ed Kat.</div></blockquote><div>It was true. Bangkok was really hot. I think Bangkok was hotter than Singapore. Actually on the third day of our trip, Bangkok registered a 40 degree Celsius on midday, when Singapore was registering at 25-year high of 37 degrees at the same time! No wonder we were all melting when we were walking on the streets.</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Wah lau.. your sweat is shiny shiny one layer on your skin, you see your arms!"</b></span> Ka<a href="https://youtu.be/wF1F3VfQ08Q">o</a>-beh-ed Serene.</div></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: x-large;">Terminal 21 </span></p><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>"We quickly get into Asok Station's Terminal 21,"</b></span> urged Gina. <span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Come, I bring you all there."</b></span></div></blockquote><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQ9Cl3OGijeyT_7DsF77kwH8EAaz2AsP2rwgNXgjzr8kuHmbxhMOlRtWnv1Sug5mlbq8FN4WB5sRQrlJIdu7mTG0p7ABeLZTlJZog9Qm5jMDA3tkcOJvvqmDHR6UEWFiBbfcyfDGnVnD2rIvG5481VyaBIy7nNBYNjcaOgd4uV3BbWwm9e39yXjQP/w640-h480/FL_20230517_0698.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Asok Station's Terminal 21 was such a welcoming breath of fresh cold aircon-air for us. And we really ended up being inside for a long few hours.</div><div>This time round only when I was able to spend a few hours in Terminal 21 did I realise that hey this Terminal 21 was full of Koreans! </div><div>Why?</div><div>Because there was a 'Korea Town' residential area just across the street opposite Terminal 21 where the Koreans who are working or living in Bangkok gather and congregate and live in the condos and apartments there. No wonder in Korea Town, there was also a shopping mall full of Korean restaurant and supermarkets.</div><div>So, it was no wonder that Terminal 21 had its fair share of Koreans roaming there. Even one of the shop bosses who was selling dresses was a Korean man, when we asked him.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: x-large;">Robinson buy bra...</span></p><p>These girls hor.. they were damn good. Even before setting foot on the Land of SMiles, Gina was already briefing them where to go to buy their favourite brand of brassieres at way cheaper price than Singapore. It was at Robinson, just next door to Terminal 21. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAApkMKTn9XakVfeokpxVr8wi8idVKfilWOzQU2S6x5MBS0xJ69pK-KWMYrd-RFm0IPBMUW4jO3R8c-1KEeDt5j2fteXU9DO1Ks_cho4TucPiHskdtVsHC1-pWrBDIuYqG7lr_Ak6oX-HXCfP6QiAv9r8XbQ18yJEHJBqnMtM8Gwe6wxriqHpSTLr/w640-h480/FL_20230517_0699.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: x-large;">GENTLE WOMAN at Siam Square</span></p><p>The ladies decided as the evening drew nearer, that they wanted to go to Siam Square's Home-grown local brand called 'GentleWoman' to see their merchandise. And a simple 4 stops BTS ride took us from Asok to CEN (Siam Square) Station to walk through Siam Square right to the steep steps of GentleWoman boutique. Wah, I was so impressed. Thailand was really good with home-grown boutiques and this GentleWoman was such a successful chain that women from all over the world came to flock this multi-storey shop just to grab their items.<br /><br />What was also impressive was how Siam Square has become the 'HongDae' of Bangkok, where young artistes-wannabes performed on the pavements to the enjoyment of equally young audiences. The vibes are in the right direction.<br /><br /><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="496" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U_eOYWu24yQ" width="597" youtube-src-id="U_eOYWu24yQ"></iframe></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large; text-align: center;">V</span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large; text-align: center;">i</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large; text-align: center;">d</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large; text-align: center;">e</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large; text-align: center;">o</span></p><p><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: x-large;">Jodd Fair Night Market</span></p><p>Jodd Fair night market was the nearer one to head towards on this evening. But it was really not as well-merchandised as we though. We were expecting 1000 stalls with plenty of stuff that we were expecting to grab off the stalls - like shirts and tumblers and such. But the dinner was disappointing, the merchandise were not cheap and hadn't the range that we were looking out for.</p><p>The snack stalls were great, though. And we really enjoyed ourselves.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEyTfce-UOMirQT5VFezI0LZRbGpmokmPbJV1lEVa7HUMf-5ay1Ndxvce2qRUQdmqR0NE6iZryaI6ErM3F39AJDwXyrwAPolZMgi8Ky0_y7gitFm3olbbpifzZxC01x331AXwtI3N1dhaWI6bc2J8L-h6R5UVLKQReU9u-33nmAAiopqh5AgZPOEh/w640-h480/FL_20230517_0700.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: right;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Single Day"; text-align: left;">[Click on the 'Day' to go to the day] </b></p><p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day1"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 1~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Wah, really can see 'Weed'signs, here and there...</b></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day2"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 2~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">拜拜四面佛</span>,</b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><b> suck the aircon in Terminal 21, Gentle-ing the Woman in Siam Square, and Jodd Fair...</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 3~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Escaping the heat in Platinum Mall and Big C, and Checking out Iconsiam</b></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day4"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 4~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>拜拜</b></span> <span style="font-family: Single Day;"><b>Bangkok!</b></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><a name="Day3"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>Day 3 </b></span></a></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">13 May 2023</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: x-large;">Platinum Mall</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>"不可以,一定得早集合,因为我们要去很多地方!“ </b></span>said Gina.</p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"Mai lah, mai lah... cannot. 10am! I don't want to wake up so early!"</span></b> insisted Serene.</p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">"Ok, </span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">9:30am.</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"> 九点半集合,然后我们走路去</span> </span></b><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Platinum Mall,"</span></b> </span>finally Kat made the decision.</p></div></blockquote><div><p>I was glad we got together and started walking along the Sky Bridge and R-Walk through Ratchaprasong, past Big C and finally to Zone 3 and subsequently Zone 2 of Platinum Mall. In the past our explorations of Platinum Mall were never successful, lasting the most 15 minutes. But this time around, with <b><span style="color: #fff2cc;">'6 eyes looking, instead of 2 eyes only,"</span></b> according to Kat, the expedition was a great success.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7B9S76O8-7z1BakQVj1nJwJWKI0pdgb_w3ZpZeLz4-PPB2Rl20QqnRdMeKAoOMNBFOHOOxtNNEQRC_vJgbWqXzgJwMC1eNaHKnMm3CFfpmxy26Of1W8sdNYCYKFO2jdZv5-L4dTw5CHyKdTtz2_wCJX-vjx5s-L5jPMLE6AvcoTWgDnh4_ilZ1r5/w640-h480/FL_20230517_0701.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>The ladies simply whacked every single floor from fifth floor downwards. Gina even complained when we missed certain sectors, certain alleys... so Kat had to bring her back up again. And we over-spent time on certain floor and Gina complained that we need to extend the time allocation for the lower floors.. that was so funny. I enjoyed seeing them shop and see things. How Gina kept walking in and out to look for her fighting-clothes - her combat-wear lingerie. And how Kat searched high and low for all the blink-blink logo T-shirts for her old boys at home. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jsDMj6npzywW3EWTcdap06rh9BT5-1eg56AvHXy4d5sDbQajy4C3ljJ00buSA9DpTvsuyEkjSNVxZvQ6IOXeuZtcbhHsU93kMj19LIy5y85z0G5cVe_Tq_F9cn3rGPG0zFG3skF-Z_NfntcRSUXvSoRHXbtzlgk3wD6i6ObecVpnpQOk7SVRhjIH/w640-h480/FL_20230517_0702.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>We spent didn't know how long in Platinum Mall. But we were glad because the aircon sheltered us from what was to be the hottest day in Bangkok at 40 degrees, midday. The ladies realised, as we had lunch, that the food in the Platinum 5th floor food court was much more expensive than the previous day's Asok Terminal 21 food court (Pier 21). But the KSB Bank on the fifth floor of Platinum Mall Zone 2 offered eres us a good rate for S$ (24.98 Baht, compared to some outside money changers) so we changed more money here.</div><div><br /></div><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: x-large;">Big C</span></div><div>Big C was as usual, a Big jam and a Big grab for all the Big Big packets of seaweeds and cuttlefish and what-nots. Plenty of Singaporeans, and PRC here. But not as many PRC as it used to see pre-Covid. However, whatever PRC young tall, slim girls who came were, according to Gina, very sexily-dressed with bare-backs and vacuum inside. Too bad, I didn't see any of these. I must have too busy doing my job as a security guard for the three girls.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: x-large;">Iconsiam</span></div><div><br /></div><div>I was glad we came to Iconsiam. </div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">" 我在 TikTok 里面看到那个泰吧的女孩子介绍这个 Iconsiam 晚上到屋顶的 Starbucks 可以望过去远远地看风景,景色很美丽的。"</span></b> said Kat.</div></blockquote><p>And she was right! Iconsiam was no disappointment when it came to the Food department. It was not far from Chit Lom, about 8.7km. But the traffic took us about 40-45 minutes to arrive there on Grab. Still, the floating market-style Food Court and buzzling vibes more than made up for that.</p><p>We could find quite a lot of types of food to eat. And we could also find exotic 野味 like deep-fried house lizards, scorpions, silkworm pupae, and all kinds of creepy crawlies and insects. </p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxwYlMvU9MxewjbnQq9gYYPg7jjZ9iof5yAFOwbLYBRz3g0Mo-CDt4rGWVcY1JxG353FdsXCDrQqVOW47TK3L8QRhglKSR9amlIimWkpG6MwV1CXNUpqiYgt8h3JTWOgL0DngsTMUyIIg0yaT0seP7fNGB_V4tKAQlWSIeTgDZvdn9mgr5PEt1FI4/w640-h480/FL_20230518_0703.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Of course we ended up eating more normal food. Coming to Iconsiam was more for viewing than for buying. The premium boutiques here were priced the usual steep prices, so there was really no impetus to procure. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="477" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lT7QgsvOPqk" width="575" youtube-src-id="lT7QgsvOPqk"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">i</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">d</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">e</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">o</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Our booking for the 45minutes Body Scrub + 45minutes Aromatherapy Oil massage was pushed back early in the morning in case we overspent time in Iconsiam. However, we decided to come back early, as the ladies found nothing much there. I was disappointed that Gina walked into a boutique but came out empty-handed.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>"她有一件她喜欢的..." </b></span>said Kat.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>"不过没有我的 size, "</b></span> said Gina. Again!</div></div></blockquote><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuxn4vyFeD1_O-N2wgagnHa8g0PoJZfi2tZSvhcLv5C0E5uuEoVipCU9UwITlC5ul1m-hl8nT2pRcI32aK0Ek0Po7Dv8Ava4Rv0ces5U9yfbxT0ES39AKzwCNujGVG1obEcuuPbUt0TRkK4oMFm13wkFZjVuhVyyr9__WRW4BY4z6c-cT7M8nTG7B/w640-h480/FL_20230518_0704.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: x-large;">Clubhouse 407</span></div><div><br /></div><div>The night before, Serene and I were too shagged after our massage that we flew Gina and Kat's aeroplane on the Clubhouse 407 thingy. But this night we just whacked whatever we could find at 7-Eleven and came back up to eat and drink. After working as a Security Guard for the whole day, I was so thrilled to have the luxury of enjoying my Security Guard food in our Clubhouse.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChvrcjgrvWkbCSAve-ayTZatcicPy9DkWVj9X5_203pnwmhcY5eidB1eg4T5uyr1utWIkf8jmkgcHFS-B7osGlXMJBEwA98OpmMV-8MxsvQtzNHIjmLli_jNcJh7eQv9_5nPaafPGEL7GB7uBG1xinuxRP04oXi09v6vLp7otLpuPfRBNJammAkqG/w640-h480/FL_20230518_0705.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: right;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Single Day"; text-align: left;">[Click on the 'Day' to go to the day] </b></p><p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day1"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 1~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Wah, really can see 'Weed'signs, here and there...</b></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day2"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 2~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">拜拜四面佛</span>,</b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><b> suck the aircon in Terminal 21, Gentle-ing the Woman in Siam Square, and Jodd Fair...</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 3~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Escaping the heat in Platinum Mall and Big C, and Checking out Iconsiam</b></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day4"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 4~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>拜拜</b></span> <span style="font-family: Single Day;"><b>Bangkok!</b></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><a name="Day4"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>Day 4 </b></span></a></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">14 May 2023</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: x-large;">General Election 2023</span></p><p>The morning as we were waiting for the Grab taxi to take us to the airport at 7:50am, the city of Bangkok rose from her slumber to a sleepy and quiet morning. Incidentally it was the day of the General Election </p><p>The night before, all the convenience shop, the bars, the clubs, had to stop selling alcoholic drinks from 6pm onwards as the government banned the sales and distribution of alcohol the night before the General Election.</p></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>"是不是怕他们的人民喝醉酒,无法醒来投票?" </b></span>asked Serene.</p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>"才不是呢。他们禁酒,应该是政府不怕人民没投票,只怕醉民投错票! "</b></span> I explained</p></div></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YPekWdb3T2wj16QIxGnejv1yKzBoSSIL5ZWYjyekOFN8Ngd4SgMacVB7toHU_4FRCzZNhKmzQPsX9VG3pUhuZvetvbBf_V45PM0zhKzvrh4j-cBeBNuLcDcFMHdS8bmbRpIeFuyW-bm1MNwB-8k6mnghN-Ozb7HVMWjWaplqxLzZkm-0ieWA7VzI/w640-h480/FL_20230518_0706.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br />So as the electorates went to the polls on discussions of Lese-majeste regulations, legalisation of cannabis, and all these very sensitive social issues, the military-backed political parties took a great hit as the two major opposition parties, Move Forward Party and Pheu Thai Party (with links to the twice ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Sinawatra, who is self-exiled overseas) won a massive victory over the incumbent. </div><div><br /></div><div>I look back at the road from where we came.</div><div>Thailand has come a long long way, from the days of the highly respected late King Bhumibol. The young generation has its aspiration, it has its own set of standards and likes, like the way the fashion chains carved out they own niches, and how the young performers did what their Korean counterparts did in street-performances.</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>" 泰国人他们很敢敢的。他们喜欢的话,他们会敢敢的去跟从,不像新加坡人这样,又要喜欢,又要自己的面子。摆大牌这样," </b></span>said Kat.</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>What she said was very true.</div><div>That's why I appreciate the young Thais for their enthusiasm. But I am of the strong opinion that legalising cannabis is not the way to go. It's a populist strategy. One that will weaken the mental strength and tenacity of the young Thai people, and there is no place of cannabis in society, for recreation.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="485" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mz7u9PRg8No" width="583" youtube-src-id="mz7u9PRg8No"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">i</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">d</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">e</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">o</span></div><p>It was a short short trip.</p><p>But because of the tenacity of Kat and Gina, and their enthusiasm couple with their physical and mental fitness, we managed to accomplish most of what we wanted to see and do on this trip. Most. Except for.... what ah?</p></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Soi Cowboy lor!" </b></span>complained Gina.<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b> "You all promised me to bring me see the naked go-go-bar dancers along Soi Cowboy. But ended up never bring me!"</b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p>Hahaha.. yah, yah, Gina. Sorry sorry. This time around we kinda had no time slot for that.</p><p>Promise promise you, Gina, next time we not only bring you to see the naked Go-Go-Bar dancers, we will find you the high-heels and the attire for you to dance on the tables too. LOL!!</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>Until our next Bangkok trip!!</b></span></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: right;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Single Day"; text-align: left;">[Click on the 'Day' to go to the day] </b></p><p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day1"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 1~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Wah, really can see 'Weed'signs, here and there...</b></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day2"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 2~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">拜拜四面佛</span>,</b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><b> suck the aircon in Terminal 21, Gentle-ing the Woman in Siam Square, and Jodd Fair...</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 3~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Escaping the heat in Platinum Mall and Big C, and Checking out Iconsiam</b></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/05/land-of.html#Day4"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Day 4~ </b></span></a><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>拜拜</b></span> <span style="font-family: Single Day;"><b>Bangkok!</b></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0Bangkok, Thailand13.7563309 100.5017651-14.553902936178845 65.3455151 42.066564736178847 135.6580151tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-77680261442058730922023-03-22T17:51:00.005-07:002023-05-19T00:41:44.108-07:00OriBori 하게 春天韩国看樱花呀!<blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">我对两个位老人家说:<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>”爸爸妈妈,你们从来未曾看过樱花,我们还是趁着你们两老现在这么有力的时候,快快去韩国看一看吧?”</b></span></span></p></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCbg1VGIsGa0o5bpAtqtTBmh0ruuaz6qFAF2YYOrlBIwfPfLOk6smYQCV8Oo31BAASsESt62fdJzDf5kU-0iKspjW_2jgoFQcHqJ_J3Effd6xOICV_H-j9RUzQYLq8XKe2-UJesQGY3Q1w6PZNLzdQEQRVHQFDMTkF_gWgqi9u0TGPJzeR31ceiY2/s480/FL_20230519_0709.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCbg1VGIsGa0o5bpAtqtTBmh0ruuaz6qFAF2YYOrlBIwfPfLOk6smYQCV8Oo31BAASsESt62fdJzDf5kU-0iKspjW_2jgoFQcHqJ_J3Effd6xOICV_H-j9RUzQYLq8XKe2-UJesQGY3Q1w6PZNLzdQEQRVHQFDMTkF_gWgqi9u0TGPJzeR31ceiY2/w320-h240/FL_20230519_0709.GIF" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">问题是,我跟淑华也没看过。所以在韩国春天樱花季节来临前半年就一直在做研究,到底樱花季节是那两个星期呢?据说樱花初开的日子,每一年不一样,完全是跟着天气的转暖而定的。韩国官方的预测也只会在二月中旬才会发表出来。</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">通常,根据每年的樱花季节历史,那两个星期是三月底到四月中旬。所以我就硬着心把飞机票给订了。没想到,买了飞机票后,我才在网上看到新加坡明星陈建彬主办首尔樱花观光团,四月7日才起飞。</span></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">我心想:<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“完蛋了,要是陈建彬看准韩国樱花是4月7日过后才是盛季,那么我们计划的日期应该是太早了。哎呀,算啦!”</b></span></span></div></blockquote><p><br /></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day]</span></b><br /><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day1" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 1 - </a> </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">Yay! </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">汉城啦!</span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!</span></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day1" style="font-family: "Single Day";"><br /></a><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day2" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 2 - </a> </b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="font-size: medium;">到庆州</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="font-size: large;">Gyeongju</span> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">睡...韩屋!</span></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day2" style="font-family: "Single Day";"><div> </div></a><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";"> Day 3 - </a> </b></span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="font-size: medium;">哇,樱花佛国</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?</span></b></span><div><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day4"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Day 4 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">黄龙院,良洞民俗村..</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> <span style="font-size: large;">cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!</span></span></b></span></div><div><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day5"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Day 5 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><b><span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="font-size: medium;">大陵苑,瞻星台 </span><span style="font-size: large;">-</span></span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="font-size: large;">just to get our TOTO numbers & off to </span><span style="font-size: medium;">全州 </span><span style="font-size: large;">Jeonju Hanok Village!</span></span></b></span></div><div><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day6"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Day 6 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">全州乡校街,太祖路...</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> <span style="font-size: large;">draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu</span></span></b></span></div><div><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day7"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Day 7- </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ea9999;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">镇安马耳山塔寺 </span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!</span></b></span></div><div><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day8"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Day 8 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #f9cb9c;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">Yay! </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">又回到汉城了</span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!</span></b></span></div><div><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day9"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Day 9 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ffe599;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">蚕室洞石村湖</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><span>Seokchun Lake </span><span>(and GOTO Mall)</span><span><span> </span>- Last few days this year for the blossoms </span></span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: medium;">吧</span></b></span></div><div><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day10"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Day 10 - </b></span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="font-size: medium;">G</span><span style="font-size: large;">wangjang </span></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">广长市场 </span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">shop like siao, Namdaemun</span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">南大门市场</span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">buy like crazy</span></b></span></div><div><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day11"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Day 11 - </b></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">Seodaemun Prison History Museum </span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: medium;">西大门刑务所历史馆..</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="font-size: large;"> a sobering memory... have to eat</span> </span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: medium;">猪血!</span></b></span></div><div><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day12"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Day 12 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">又广长吃猪脚,又明洞吃炸鸡..</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="font-size: medium;">.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> jiaklat!</span></span></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><a name="Day1">Day 1 - </a>Started with a cock up but finally </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">抵达汉城</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-small;">23 March 2023</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MiYNL2u7TvJfKEqk1r-PSwtw9hRj2wBF_k7HA-atMXTc9ses2Cu2Y6dxnHDcS8VtV0SJSYH5a5nohNovDc3voJXXNtK8NuhKHsAQwHRP39-8GPCGopSo9w6c_n6NnyNHlkgMvWX8oz4iYObkl1lzQULZX21P2QmivPmTN3ZuXltKO0R_601xzsL6/s480/FL_20230408_0589.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MiYNL2u7TvJfKEqk1r-PSwtw9hRj2wBF_k7HA-atMXTc9ses2Cu2Y6dxnHDcS8VtV0SJSYH5a5nohNovDc3voJXXNtK8NuhKHsAQwHRP39-8GPCGopSo9w6c_n6NnyNHlkgMvWX8oz4iYObkl1lzQULZX21P2QmivPmTN3ZuXltKO0R_601xzsL6/w640-h480/FL_20230408_0589.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Please </span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: small;">wait a few more seconds</span><span style="font-size: small;"> for the GIF photo to load.</span></div></span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">If link </span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: small;">shows 'broken</span><span style="font-size: small;">' </span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: small;">please just reload</span><span style="font-size: small;">.</span></div></span><div><br /></div><div>Sometimes life is like that, When you have done something too many times and have become so confident in it, you tend to be just that little complacent. And who could have guessed that since Serene's Korea-ETA (that online visa that needs to be approved before one can enter Korea) still has 6 more months before it expires, the fact that she recently changed her passport number totally slipped me, until the second when we tried to check in at Changi Aiport, the very nice Scoot counter staff told me this shocking news. </div><div>Hahaha, of course, one has to panic a little. But I was happy that modern technologies and all the cloud services worked well together and I managed to (get my nerves together and finally) get her K-ETA approved within half and hour and we were off - to Korea! See beh heng ah!</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">我们林大旅行队长这一回的韩国观樱旅,是有准备而来的。我们两夫妇老早在去年冬天来韩国旅行时,已经向本等地的韩国新朋友,以及从金万中的舅舅韩尚文与万中的父亲金勇明会长那里打听好了-要在三月低看樱花,一定得要由南部开始看起。所以我们的行程就是:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>• 南下到位于韩半岛东南部(差不多要到釜山了)的庆州三晚,周游庆州樱花名胜地,过后</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>• 横跨韩半岛到西南部的全州,应为全州的樱花通常比庆州迟几天开,在全州待三晚,过后</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>• 直驾车北上回到汉城,因为汉城的樱花是最迟才开的。</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>抵达汉城</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">首尔的天气是2度到16度左右。是真不错的春天天气。但是对我们热带人来说,还是冷的。当然,没有我跟淑华在几个月前冬天来到时的那种零下3-4度到零下15度那种寒冷,但还得穿</span> base layer 和 down jacket 或者 trench coat <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">这样的衣着才能抵挡晚上的冷。</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluFPWla7QKLaT8qxBqLm930khbeQ6cYoNLIYm4Y7nmfLkUXGZtjMCTK4xhedw6IMsK4x1LltOWjsf95W6HcxgxNvq8EiHIQQzbQW9qlIvKkoyvYLrcMNislKgqNhQoaos_FLCPPN43-_yuaDwwWLUEKFKcsQoFfgizjG80ONdN4y5kLcfqkSbzJhW/s480/FL_20230408_0603.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluFPWla7QKLaT8qxBqLm930khbeQ6cYoNLIYm4Y7nmfLkUXGZtjMCTK4xhedw6IMsK4x1LltOWjsf95W6HcxgxNvq8EiHIQQzbQW9qlIvKkoyvYLrcMNislKgqNhQoaos_FLCPPN43-_yuaDwwWLUEKFKcsQoFfgizjG80ONdN4y5kLcfqkSbzJhW/w640-h480/FL_20230408_0603.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></div><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; text-align: center; text-transform: capitalize;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">👇</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div></span></div></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="467" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QIfE_JOClhM" width="561" youtube-src-id="QIfE_JOClhM"></iframe></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-align: center; text-transform: capitalize;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">☝</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large;"><span><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">跟我们一家之主, 林老人家一起旅行,当然旅行步伐无条件得要以缓慢为主,步行是可以,但是爬上下楼梯级,或者长途跋涉就要他们的命。食物呢,得越不辣就越好。而且绝对不可以下大笔钱吃大餐的那一种。住宿呢倘若要迎合老人家的心,就非得一晚不可以超过$100, 最好是$40-50 随随便便就行了。但是我好像是都犯了老人家规矩,大多数都</span> break rule <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">了,哈哈哈……</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">所以第一晚,为了方便我们第二天一早要到</span> Lotte Car Rental <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">拿租车,我选了<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8CaJOQWow9-Nts9UwTYTQBRdo8ZcH0BsKLwiO5nvXcpY4APZfIlCYT2ChcPrsZzlS8k8lyth4WpkuTfXdfWYCs0PlNKOU0wDdxEjmUrV9NsyKU4SXOuztS3o1Ewwi0gIPzkJ1fWQ3Qp3ZTYX2Ysu8PrT4f18ebca28RXRllT7THFSKxchTvpCbWsMLtM4UfoMGuQ_0Yx3YkqTKUIFrmT6dbxiMWN-XU3Vf5X26VUvkjcK3So7Z3LIN5S5n0CKptPqgWt6l7FkFNzURzT4_8S3QY2V1f1fnSADglWDOjzX8Fa_89j0aG5W1z5_57iohZrCLxky9-e-LvWHQGSPtbxD6oA1bCdFwYhns-AQGBMDbzs_eh6XQcCjiiBwsVGUgt-Qz5tS00e5JDITMkYYhWWPNZcug0ReGp1qM6N6OuylWDZeDmnpxqZCiefj5fvQC9xHCIlyXCynOgFc-EhUjjzjDSGPTYDohpiDOUPqGWKjRcBIXZtimSPdIDK2qnD3JqRuIF3uJxzca7pdjdFDzpaqnGCvHGg3oyT8VZpNdkUZeRoPtDjWeJgP9uO-3FZZt_GavW1MrUvkmREs29ENChW71uXsD0kf0VFAC8cHACQyw6MX1NDu03bwHFJJk8v59NHFY1a2czLPNl7BZKs-btal5mgt7Xq9h8mCVRYUfWKUJPnSfijNR1j_A7Qwtq7KRDjUkkWKOLSx2eydO1PbwtiKcNgSI-M7IPpPeYr55ntCZE5idrEbAKFHMHZ6jVijEB0Tu9GeYoOZZVZixOiIngHgZpYEvdpWLTgO28Lg8V0mHyEuLmFADO2ZeqJk6sovxSdnf0ze5fygqZXOrKVGQoVl7A1riONFfW0Tb7vUeh6ZJiTn7XkDWBNyv4vJEQDZsbvVTIKwEB6i6QVvgooe_mhS0=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">一晚$53</a>, 离开租车公司两两条街的·</span> MK Liberty Hotel, <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">房间是典型的</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCv1QNSTsNNN3Od81Y9wqLnfIi0tkBjV6cSIWIt1b9cA4us9OWVHKXZJSFqgOWM3j2nC8Wi_mdYwZR_U0XzqLz96jguEmpL3h10SX70YrPmyY29IIq8rWTInQuNeWvMCFTd18wXm34k9U/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target=""><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">窄小</span>gueshouse </a><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">只不过是要爬楼梯,害我被给吾里颜书华 (老妈给她取的比较有书生味道的名字)骂得要死。不过社长还很不错,很有热心地教了我在庆州应该去什么地方看樱花,并且还让我看她的朋友们在当天发给她在庆州拍的樱花盛开照片,说:</span></div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: large;"><b>“在庆州已经开了60%了。”</b></span>,真是让我打下了很巩固的一支强心针。</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>GANA 配眼镜</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">老爸老妈最后一次来到明洞应该是2017 或 2018年吧。久违了的明洞,与好久没见面的丁大升先生和金万中的舅舅韩尚文先生再次见面,好是欢喜。这次老爸肯定是要配一副眼镜,应为他老人家的视力,近年来真的恶化了一些。书华和我自己也是一样,看电脑荧幕一直模糊。结果,这一回没想到我们把我们的问题一说给金万中听一听,这个聪明的小伙子立刻就知道怎么做了:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><br /></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">他说</span>:<b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">"Halabeoji (爷爷)는 as you grow older your reading power grows weaker, since we are continuing to use Hoya lenses and it's a progressive lens, I can easily help you adjust slightly upwards the transition point between the upper Myopia and lower Presbyopia (reading) part so that the half-moon is slightly larger, and to make it even clearer, I will slightly increase your power for the reading part. But even while doing this, I will not give you giddiness."</span></b></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">金万中继续说: <span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>“ 엄마는 also the same. You also need to adjust your half moon slightly upwards and I will increase your reading power by 0.5. But for yourself and for 아버지가 same thing, as you need to read the computer screen for more than 4-6 hours a day and the screen is usually higher up in front of you, I will adjust the reading part slighly higher and increase the power appropriately so that you can earily read the screen without having to tilt your head upwards."</b></span></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEina0lpR4y0BbXJsrhUaCCB3hkMXMDn8XC2WzcfvD6F2SPVHxfTrX7D7g18SwwLsS9MjC70VUChBgi5Qku6pdbXBtB57iEKcnDlt_qRtDdO3dpU9hUd9NA0yepVDz4gyK8C1hpMQos3bHZr4SDESjdo95p97ZZv8kDEztat4RCMa-hB3Y3bnddVoaJp/s4032/IMG_6797.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEina0lpR4y0BbXJsrhUaCCB3hkMXMDn8XC2WzcfvD6F2SPVHxfTrX7D7g18SwwLsS9MjC70VUChBgi5Qku6pdbXBtB57iEKcnDlt_qRtDdO3dpU9hUd9NA0yepVDz4gyK8C1hpMQos3bHZr4SDESjdo95p97ZZv8kDEztat4RCMa-hB3Y3bnddVoaJp/w640-h480/IMG_6797.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>"As for Haleomoni (奶奶) she just needs something that is as light as possible and with transition so that when she goes exercising outdoors she will get her eye protection."</b></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">说实在的,金万中和他们 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLao-OL-kV1cgJCJ-Qagy5UY1ffj9XMFL9CXEFB-yE_-f6MBVco7OedB2E2puLnpGnq2DK-J_beRcbJi7ZFp_fxipwApxklUxNrLeboGFAVJQTI5GTDkpa_GbkiRwgjaDl_cOi_dOSUR0/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">GANA Opticals </a>的一家人真的是有功夫,我们在新加坡不管怎么调都调不行的眼镜,来到这里他们<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCm1Ze3yLQ2d1CyZAuAmpe1c_zF8-OqmGYyQ4Ib7MrtorLy2pUzKsnCQpP7ZuVsfb4vxdbwhZAJbjKEs47HuDqIGu7WFb1EMRl-FtwPz1nizbp2lhqU3smmUqqYbmslAK74gYe1IR8hM/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">非常用心地慢慢检查</a>慢慢调,就行了。而且价钱比新加坡做得还来得便宜。</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">在明洞逛街</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">久违了的明洞,这一回哇!突然旅客爆炸,整个明洞顿然变得人山人海-菲利宾,印尼人,马来西亚人,泰国,越南,香港人,当然还有无数无数的新加坡人。红毛人和黑人也常看到,整个明洞夜市气氛都活起来了。</span><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8DuxN071hTBN6EkSyyI3Th5ARL-FrjLXvkV_m8iCmp-L_qV6_g756-YJr1aCWLyOIFyfe_loEd_RnaDErvYO3XF9Vu5gKtKLrBgiN0fK6NikrKELToMQofXZttLOlWiLBkz0KphrDjzMIVJKzZsvCmYhfAkdYsNuM3cIGKVZMuRl_NcvvV_rKc1Yx7U7Yp9DSX-OEoqF0iPQzVYubW8Ee2CzvKKJQq_2U7p66jw-RaU1co5m5-nWFMBK27duYGS2J_Qr8qpjhVjGbJ9ktu_dj4oxLhVzz_kfoYBxTo1W0yrbRQE7kbsdavYZ4Cttp5cs8RJJpYxpWKJyQunwJYePEnIG_hQ3KxCvkKwU6PKY5Ai2OsoO-EN3QQooci1KpvIP1j5sBjtHRGYpq0clPFfuXoh5bwaJOHsic1ThBPDorKqqf0_UxRBWfasbKLH0Cx-2eEVE260nuWns3niw2BSWHH632eUyAX9QG_z9iKTifgCM-Gwf60XhalfPWp1CCpms2cog-C7kjBu107ZVhCHSM7Zc0YYIAbxYAVjjpbyuyA3FbRhs-AKr3geAs3IT47mH-61cTqWPjn9UutW4O1fGlXZQye-C_B_A4AkJTyflx7xyDKNN9jbOwqAVpcx08d161E-yKetKzRonpyM22q_ZxrdyLWdXMCHOkBdoW8UAWv_469OvmF5vFr_eTDpo5U0Y1H4E702kdJunuVq_clqit5xR8jZlCRedyxKGrey57rINonUSU8IIj-Ef8F1KE_L8QyBCohDvQfy0Pluv9LLmt_uvVfrkX3s_Mo4bF9Mv4xP8aVaW6QROrE6M61q_eaw_ciqunB12kWtxQmzBXodNdslqPPouAxLWjdjC-uVIz5rvhYcIW4pcvVVu1uF3TPe4OwY_oEnOiFiyWKEbExb3UY=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target=""><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">老爸</span> buay tahan</a> <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">明洞街食就是整条明洞行人街从头就好是要吃到尾端似的- <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oDRkPSBvSw5zxgl9_sEM6dkGCCyDsF1JcmggdO677AreY-KzgQofs-fP88xvD7Q8stbhVP9Q5kB73crhNfuMz8bmv4UrqOY1xh_o-Nox1UqV1UKZA6NCtwvZKkc0lNSgt0yNB0hDiCk/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">软壳螃蟹,龙虾</a></span>,sotong 啦…… </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Xv6MayAASHoz25GThz45W-jxFf_yRUWjTVsqjx1r8PigBS3KHDnkLhWOTN7c6QX5UhgK_NTi3UmW02s8NdBbZgQZZ--EZwQL_nt5s1BXN-5LNOW0tzr0UJlT2rFJQGEsjHmU45pUdhzM__HsDyuRimzAQXZpCmVF3KJGQeU0B_f4t-r_957OCRZM/s4032/IMG_0243.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Xv6MayAASHoz25GThz45W-jxFf_yRUWjTVsqjx1r8PigBS3KHDnkLhWOTN7c6QX5UhgK_NTi3UmW02s8NdBbZgQZZ--EZwQL_nt5s1BXN-5LNOW0tzr0UJlT2rFJQGEsjHmU45pUdhzM__HsDyuRimzAQXZpCmVF3KJGQeU0B_f4t-r_957OCRZM/w640-h480/IMG_0243.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Come to Myeongdong buay tahan.. must eat liao.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></div><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span>[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day<span style="font-size: xx-small;">]</span></span></b></div><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day1" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 1 - </a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>Yay! 汉城啦!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day2" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 2 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 3 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>哇,樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?</b></span><b style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";"><div></div></a></b></span><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day4"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 4 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>黄龙院,良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day5"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 5 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>大陵苑,瞻星台 - </span>just to get our TOTO numbers & off to <span>全州 </span>Jeonju Hanok Village!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day6"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 6 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>全州乡校街,太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day7"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 7- </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day8"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 8 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Yay! 又回到汉城了!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day9"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 9 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>蚕室洞石村湖 </span><span>Seokchun Lake </span><span>(and GOTO Mall)</span><span><span> </span>- Last few days this year for the blossoms</span><span>吧</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day10"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 10 - </b></span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day11"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 11 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Seodaemun Prison History Museum <span>西大门刑务所历史馆..</span> a sobering memory... have to eat <span>猪血!</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day12"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 12 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>又广长吃猪脚,又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!</b></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><a name="Day2" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Single Day";">Day 2 - </a><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Yay! </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">去庆州看樱花咯</span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"> Driving to Gyeongju already lor!</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;">24 March 2023</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;"><a href="https://youtu.be/sEQbU8NjrW0"></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXjiTom9XnUVzA2MlUsiwDTXKd1WxY2dz7ZyHjtvKwxVby0JhucKBLASABUBkMkWn7H8R7wM9yv3q4FFKFiGNfh_IAEw2Yv0s74f87iETuBNbM_iBcGR7rs67wwROj0qYt0adSv1piXtlOnGzEOLN8Vq_CQcSRPYSucJFG-mDSNXeyqi1ZO-kbE7y/w640-h480/FL_20230408_0604.GIF" width="640" /></td></tr><tr style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></tr></tbody></table></span></div><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; text-align: center; text-transform: capitalize;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: none;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><br /></span></b></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: none;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">👇</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"> Below</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="474" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sEQbU8NjrW0" width="570" youtube-src-id="sEQbU8NjrW0"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">☝ </span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Above</span></b><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Driving down to Gyeongju from <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8DlK0s_XIqghk0uX0t0buRxBwpw1mcAwgTsjB5ggDpxK8qR0_l_AjXUtZMl9Q-Ch10GvIgG8JgGU13_3ZSzLLIax7ymwj5KrJ9ni2vrpuYwRdEDVdOJGOag5kODQuVH5oP8KHWbNoM9h14e8F6XDssoPPaeubJ9N13xxTVhN670rkkufSr3IheZU-ak1AT0cT6iLln1wQk0HyERBrvIlst9opyJ-QaNb78BjdKIurrDWXKXA7-DYMJKmIPEO3R_gxND52TopPoxDW-5NiT4NOIdXcrYJ7j-LA3___jOv1orAafiieSJO0GoeeMKaSeEyjqEGDXDQR-efp9pqqV9_zxUQAsbmqJrXvDpWk3ziwxMEol6Yho9qTpGQ5K4V06JSXfgzM80h1QHgZWGp78WufWoSF-CLM1nVVI7PN40ZbtZ7nfjP8zy5SYQ--bzIcWxoAmr_4Lnf0F0CG5bM4Ll4w1L99BXHxJOxI0sOJ2AeOHZtseYzhS9mjTJ3gRU2Wl3ULDiCS9YRg7Hw1Y4ea8BQNNdLG5Vn_XuKjXrBq-fmGB7nWSRAVlcTeSAOewn1GZTCKSVs47w6zpewXgcoVZnzObyMZb1C0MGV11aAOOjHbfhUB86DCGKTBmO0244nysLXqYcj1RTa8u7Op6ljMgUb5PdLmyV1SIvTpzYLYDiy4zMQk-9DjD7QgdDc8AEwESkrVGTcq-eH-hsH-rA00aQ8gZtGOPe-PVWvihL8FCT828QWKQTmIR8ThUDKjT5ruEvDJwINYq0Kij2IG7vQ_sH2pykKU88qmoDyYLKNX9IeMRoSoofBjjPfw4uF2prGPywicF71dxJG0SJvIa6JK1FHYxl7qxFpCVB0nAesPeQhvWMqXHSV9DDi-DCaUhfutR2Cl4q0X8vZbOjObvATuXc0MA=w789-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">Lotte Car Rental</a> just behind Seoul Station would take us through 330km, punching through the mountain ranges that run down south through the Korean peninsula. On paper, Kakao map said it would take slightly more than 4 hours but from experience, we knew with <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/hRKFDiKnutNPQz3Q7" rel="nofollow" target="">stopping for toilet breaks</a>, for lunch and <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8C3ZHs3i04FeKjJlJrsialyCIw1lnGG5RoyuhM0fJrjTn4CykRfRPG2PJL52Y4eFpQMZRvE-Kttkn_B26D_HAC3qNzNO6wq2SAOVPsuydaoFu0QXrGqhoCxBO7dHho0fVabGEGCrZuo_Yc-YMCZkjO7Lu5MoKKcZq_zM9EIhpAVso7Ys5OppUZ_YanhclBBbJkMYSXhb34wooZxjXSQs79GKiQcdajeOYj75go_BmDcb86B2DYAJ2Mdmk0lkT6KJnvT7ID-Z7R5GKMEqTfc2dMA7FqSLGdlHQON7zmIbIHZuyPxVyKRJEOEJkNDOay3rKAWy6dfQk0QoMMtjWaYSMHVQqD1BjEDP8EbJ35PZqBfZoW6BXNqZ4h2S4_IdCLkMNbQDjyH6TXr_qDHbkvZT7UISxtnzmFksvs96N0bYwIRqGk5a4h1ltrF-AW_LGQ7Y0EfWyjCbzHbHSb_nlM-d2dNLQoJ4prhNtRSqdJdkUhfY9LvvRPo-eURXbRcCUEswsrOlMd6dxAdNXrfvdWZTaqcXEivElxkx-fly-Sl1GrACuQ2qNp-ueFGs1A8Fa_6bSMuNost0YMF12vH7IEhNCTonrFaEZmSkVXXq2GOWmB9-u3AFDujIn_nvtKJlozCt4NExm4MHye4JigkULd8rFZbQeoXdAMogYjj3dwvZx2ViNEPbELW7OEvkoTNIXZz2MKiF-LclMP2XqxZe2qEBacyIU9HMfY1Uk4MNb2YZUdVn_WsE6evTo2PJilJrp2BAiHshBPDA5NrRAz8lWdRELtvmNDjUq11u5SUODdOc1emLK2cSFI5yI4vXR5wz6qRqDQXKrm9U-cDfNM3c4PzJk6G9KfiAl1HALhC37gIUcJveXTUptGuNx_P4k5IwZ6pjFwe3DknEYBoIsIBiKiZZxc=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">buying this and tha</a>t it would be a little bit more than that. But Kwenchana.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2RzH3FFmtQvP1T1RtBT6qk1s_VRKkCcKAJJUlJ2fTAEw4uQ91xoTWXlEUBELnAxw3xGYhicYEKFIyKc3OggeQnGE8FV7HBM1jbOA_idE82-VX4TxVJpv78mzf3nRuP0uWA2jjYu72kgfWX53hkn9PTMq0eCm4kDHsMqmMwM-gNhzA_q4N3O4fnBn/s4032/IMG_6893.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2RzH3FFmtQvP1T1RtBT6qk1s_VRKkCcKAJJUlJ2fTAEw4uQ91xoTWXlEUBELnAxw3xGYhicYEKFIyKc3OggeQnGE8FV7HBM1jbOA_idE82-VX4TxVJpv78mzf3nRuP0uWA2jjYu72kgfWX53hkn9PTMq0eCm4kDHsMqmMwM-gNhzA_q4N3O4fnBn/w480-h640/IMG_6893.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>庆州是一个历史悠久的古都市。根据我们的韩国朋友,差不多每一个韩国学生都会在中学时,随着学校给带来庆州游玩,让老师们带他们参观古高丽三国鼎立时期的新罗国的首都。由于庆州是统一古高丽三国的新罗过国首都,所以古迹很多-有王陵,古宫殿,古色古香的高丽建筑物,古时代皇帝用的瞻星台等等,所以庆州被美其名为 <span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b>“没有围墙的博物院”</b></span>。</div><div>我们从早上好啊点儿女分左右开始开车,抵达庆州徐罗伐韩屋馆已经是快四点了。徐罗伐韩屋馆真的是挺 cute 的,外观是木头搭建成的屋子,但由于应该是几年前刚刚翻新过,所以还很新颖。地板是典型韩国的暖地板 (온돌 温石 boiler), 所以虽然庆州晚上还是挺冷的,学韩国人一样睡在温暖的温石地板上,我觉得好是舒服。</div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">我解释给老爸老妈听:<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">“韩国人呢,他们相信人体必需保暖的部分就是足底和臀部,所以与其用温暖空气的 </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">heater </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">(好像红毛国家常用的)在韩国他们通常用地板的 </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">boiler</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> 温石来保持房间的温度。”</span></b></span></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>That is why for those of us who arrived in Korean during winter for the first time, we would struggle to look for heater, but there is no need to. Because all the Korean units have been comfortably heated on their floor using the 'boiler system' as the Koreans believe that warming the feet and the buttocks will keep the whole body warm.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://youtu.be/d-Kn6gcp_7k"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Go6xN2jLSqd5VPF6zisQ8J6sVkcibv-CIRd6IG4gQRsavciVtqlrNr8vXetkA61Mdpk5qsyx2ikSvBdw9xcyAu2VrLbDiA-Q9W2xQfA__n3XqQ755BT5Q0nXZRRj5pzQJp7kthKk7kzOAtarrHPADZ14TQN77WOYhRm0qIPqJ_mLgv5-falOscCf/w640-h480/FL_20230408_0590.GIF" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">👇</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"> Below</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d-Kn6gcp_7k" width="320" youtube-src-id="d-Kn6gcp_7k"></iframe></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">☝ </span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Above</span></b><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We had our first glimpse of a beautiful cherry blossom, called Beotkot (벚꽃) in Korean, as we <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8DNPVt1rLxGpt_8HSToxKj15fzVTl1xkwBwU_haN8yAtT3obSduRNf6VKb2-JWttCV39lgTYmOk2WZw6Cuz-l-19XWBh7YbQ3V_jlkTmcXiVuWDPAbcglX7Hwj8FjCnubJ-KZAFTmt_f_DYXU3qRy5wOJksVNf3EB2QyKVheKFE1ns_JoMHNTjC2FyoQqT7zfzDqCt5-c6SOxrZHNQkudD2JoP-ZCuGxhkVLLmK4SvXj962Fi0nd6UfzXjVsDQ-2hb7yj9dsueUze4VLBYL0Ez8PykW-PhisfJWJcahHjOUEDLFhxF29e5tEJ_u-lUZ4y_weMGpPDkW9eVv1vneaYMkUWIGKi16DoRFm2JFlCrI9Wb4XSFinLbZuJ2aT3Ls2wLLxadqssumKglv-7tStp9V0vSJ0PSVoufXUGySwm7Wnz1PXiarKQQ1jkESRfLHXVBbY71YiqNG-Nr2962uQ1LvRkT-XH4lOm3k_cb48lJzqipEfehsAFH95XCCWE7b2J5rHd72oYkhib-f5tkP7UfmHpUpdmXgd2V30eTReh3xFX2RNW2he0ueafeKEcm4UsNDaHY_EajRXUdrKkgwgCoCustntopUD73seBxv073zWeptmtQS8GVShUU74JKe1XeqavCjC40qOmDWdNbEZTPDI5ucdMxZp3pf8qVPkBGb2jFxIsq_wRdPSxfct4iZRmLlUr7j8BJ484c_YA7ynG1cY6wLRMHdUJoMjcTmaJKZu_FW4W_kh51dkNt6ih-GZv1BLmXOZZ7Urv2HwC53B8UM0I3KisVtI2A_e56SmaaD208g4sL0KnKkimy3zO-JUyiG4a0-vzjACUuSwSISwjEy8B551F2RdW1tYXHAjncM1QAwNVBsp49G-W7OePbX0megYqL607TEWlI2LU58Pts=w789-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">walked slowly</a> along the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQ7rZnoDG0dO57U3AfLKHypQ3rn6NlCFwfhcwPNAofAFEh40MP0Hj3kFfmsBRNqp848pc_ntUMbfcipkSkOmhAB-0Aoycovg26Da8zZ02qc3fv11IDiwY5DXgATUZomLYX8y4sr3_R-Y/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">streets next to our Seorabul Hanok</a>, after enjoying a <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8DNjcyLdam278PFLIBP7MwB5XQUxTm2jbJLJhFHdTyKzLK9lv-_snSzOmyUQEO0zkQ2CSK5-BKkAH_MZA2gH9OFLnx2UlAj8YUkGqhYJL99fjYtM25qloVSHxHQwIJbRnytrm_1jJmqdJDCsCXxml5lz8KWabhW0f-sSYUwKmgfRptxV0E4Ngy-CLJzOpx8ZN8oHB66D9qlrFS-b0Q6KT46_-SgDKej-NhyD9XvEejR2rEReTOAvMfPVAErpa4Aet0oqG6aPiGcOSfdF-eDh7WTPV5O2DF_PxTqJlV7nErVnwl9ZBmgYclj3pgPNjgqQx5rv4NOnztPyGaGPNeoHQkN3wiJyx6PuZqGxD5kR69Xl470rfvWJKDQN_mG0kz5HQ1hpgqvSHfNwq-drTga0ULzNNSITKDl7fHd5ItVlef1AjETkeMi0nE5wPwWw52f-g461SCR1N-M9WRZbMUE4UHKFqF5uL7C9lIobpobtsePVY2KFZqc-C5i2c8Jnz9ib3JVT4qriagSph0u3kIzRaz37xMim8y0vqU8US5HhGCH6jfRDDHu11VIaMllMUmjCKnfMqsTNN5kvsWAcLZoXlXFzz-noPoDL3kaytYJVQtM1JR72nZPtZ3oetBvMcCNvDelR15e0NnH7Wa9o36UAQzKm_F_gQlM5tEnDa3YlYBTmCNaM1NVIVvAAMRpk8C0rfh4wh9Ut3oydFaqMIFzEaVRXo3s13kh70Fv1irgrTYFESpd0i2nukVyWx-Ghyz2YEFB4ZQ5d1D5t97jFOGN5MKCVoRb1FLNX0uEUBF5OXDbKtBlMLjJx0byuuBy67YZWZlpACXddxLhIG8vQgJkpGa1N6SrskWr-rOQceEMXtc3tLh8lpf_Fx-k9Px1eh423PdSTRazlmDpP1vEShOmlos=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">delicious meal</a> of <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbL6Dij_l6Wyn4TwDxgXdoxZtRkXxfuVdvjcIRQ7pjzZ-YvfDS6T0h4qBCdmiEeX4BgvNe7O5D75cE8lYbb1DBPTbdNFxBvnLAeOWrgHBQ8RnpjwuNvP3Z65he9c_EzPAdnlBNy4Am09M/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">barbecued Hanwoo</a> (韩牛 한우).</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGV7m2Pc-Km7cAM6ki_h04AqI4nJewwLKdgFuXt5WF97i2fR3yp2wUadCGAwaM_MVqKcB1v9-52M_7ATGFgfib62RsJYodyqdTl6aJ0TRsVXKl71xsrBLQpWsmhdAG2OyZ9N424ZO1pcst0jG1XnfnUFQ6DKsJPBkE_qRvRS6n62ZPgp0Ii8O9o88/s4032/IMG_6903%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGV7m2Pc-Km7cAM6ki_h04AqI4nJewwLKdgFuXt5WF97i2fR3yp2wUadCGAwaM_MVqKcB1v9-52M_7ATGFgfib62RsJYodyqdTl6aJ0TRsVXKl71xsrBLQpWsmhdAG2OyZ9N424ZO1pcst0jG1XnfnUFQ6DKsJPBkE_qRvRS6n62ZPgp0Ii8O9o88/w640-h480/IMG_6903%20Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>这个韩牛嘛又是一个学问了。韩牛牛肉跟日本的和牛大同小异。牛只培养的过程也一样,牛肉的鲜美也有过之而无不及。但是在韩国本地呢,韩牛的需求量高得他们无法将韩牛运输出国,只供本地消费。所以日本的和牛由于大量输出国,变得又出名又贵。但是韩牛呢,一样好吃,可是价钱只有同等级的和牛一半一下。</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfsRdBytBblisEltL530GIIwr-8ok5k08QMWFAg4MAOI23LpdbwyGv5W_3JMaVXaQkuSX761NVSCY22wuaqXjg5XAlWi86KXqodh6oqcWYbAhncQ62Zh0jD9rAK7TqeAUwZnDkwIDfN7JSLc8JbANfTJFNTl1NTv34j_OpunOKowX-Zc_sNR2AZD-/s4032/IMG_6909.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfsRdBytBblisEltL530GIIwr-8ok5k08QMWFAg4MAOI23LpdbwyGv5W_3JMaVXaQkuSX761NVSCY22wuaqXjg5XAlWi86KXqodh6oqcWYbAhncQ62Zh0jD9rAK7TqeAUwZnDkwIDfN7JSLc8JbANfTJFNTl1NTv34j_OpunOKowX-Zc_sNR2AZD-/w640-h480/IMG_6909.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div>That was why when so many of our friends asked us to compare Hanwoo (Korean beef) to Japanese Wagyu, our answer is standard - Korean Hanwoo is no less delicious and no less marbled, and indeed are of a quality that is on par with Wagyu, but only at a fraction of the prices of Wagyu. Therefore whenever we go Korea,, we will always eat Hanwoo.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQX5KJRa3MfxgmlFTJ0eno8y6KCESib5h0Txu82lSEzCUacoLKi72v8_Oq_k5nwogc68S_rIAuctLQv2makc52JY4XEAHpgXHmpkWtIZ774pSwWQuRh275QSH40GnPFzGMPzhASC9YkJ2HIkFSovh6iKPaArt89qEPcEP0xaLlJY9wo2OnYpUwe4T/s4032/IMG_6933%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQX5KJRa3MfxgmlFTJ0eno8y6KCESib5h0Txu82lSEzCUacoLKi72v8_Oq_k5nwogc68S_rIAuctLQv2makc52JY4XEAHpgXHmpkWtIZ774pSwWQuRh275QSH40GnPFzGMPzhASC9YkJ2HIkFSovh6iKPaArt89qEPcEP0xaLlJY9wo2OnYpUwe4T/w480-h640/IMG_6933%20Copy.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></div><span><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span>[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day<span style="font-size: xx-small;">]</span></span></b></div><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day1" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 1 - </a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>Yay! 汉城啦!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day2" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 2 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 3 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>哇,樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?</b></span><b style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";"><div></div></a></b></span><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day4"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 4 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>黄龙院,良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day5"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 5 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>大陵苑,瞻星台 - </span>just to get our TOTO numbers & off to <span>全州 </span>Jeonju Hanok Village!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day6"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 6 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>全州乡校街,太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day7"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 7- </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day8"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 8 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Yay! 又回到汉城了!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day9"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 9 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>蚕室洞石村湖 </span><span>Seokchun Lake </span><span>(and GOTO Mall)</span><span><span> </span>- Last few days this year for the blossoms</span><span>吧</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day10"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 10 - </b></span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day11"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 11 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Seodaemun Prison History Museum <span>西大门刑务所历史馆..</span> a sobering memory... have to eat <span>猪血!</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day12"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 12 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>又广长吃猪脚,又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!</b></span></div></span></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b><a name="Day3"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Day 3 - </span></a><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">佛国寺</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> Bulguksa (Bulguk Temple) </span><span style="font-family: Poor Story;">불국사</span><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;"> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">和石窟庵</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> (Seokgulam) </span><span style="font-family: Poor Story;">석굴암</span></b></span></div><div><a name="Day3"><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;">25 March 2023</span></a></div><div><a name="Day3"><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;"><br /></span></a></div><div><a name="Day3"><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;"><br /></span></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://youtu.be/42rglN9IypI"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj43QHQjnNwdDtdHLYL9s4dzRaDU7yXoMqxk04bJeU3t6KU-sIJKzm29VY58abkEKunI7KEpCizjd1ebh54gPGbW531OrmKHCl2lOFB8hXigIR6iijWzVokLpXoejo_RTMBQgQDpnprdy12WCd-JEzLsF33RnAeJIV8mxhoUt-mEWNdrCM4ZLMTiF6b/w640-h480/FL_20230408_0591.GIF" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">👇</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"> Below</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="468" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/42rglN9IypI" width="563" youtube-src-id="42rglN9IypI"></iframe></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">☝ </span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Above</span></b><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span><br /><span><br /></span></div><div><span>During my research, I found that one of the highly recommended places to see Beotgot (樱花 벚꽃 cherry blossom) in Gyeongju was in Bulguksa (Bulguk Temple) and we only realised why when we arrived there because in the compound of Bulguksa there was a <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8AL0ncA7JvSKLjCK_c4vlydXOJ2kmBFRIdwtbrdm-y5iTLtFtpcMiohZlLUoBGUMT833T1qPOjwYXpEbj_42e925DSUGR-Ku8cSd-efa9Kwok33O2Hh_KcAAoILJnUlWkS3XbSXBTL6RSnrpKcI5rd3EukZiJIPTmBpy7tyskya9oysnfBzQuwBNjFnKMTHzYLMJ9zYubO-Dfm1yZxXnvt9Nqw3L2qaqb6L5c2dKY6wGC6PhTYG95KYP-LfhWhQQqrizzHcgF114podd38HlxqgmJMeOb6Izlp7IVv1iCciQGdR1jQeWgmqMhyS_f0NRC1eyfbUc0nmeqHGHHWSXbGdBkUm4E1SV4sbX0W_EuAX1Dp8KRuvOitAgSNYsKglB_IsVGjsKE_B9raVtICcrdOy-GAFwXyM5oq7opKWBAtxn-tLHIuiSM1yJFydvJYu_d0k1Od8S7bUah6QBq4dIFwPRpPOFkeuUokXPfXbCuhXpOnqRuqMK2sDITWCBhfoqLVw6CT5zrc4Gy_D026eavVr2vD2Nn5Gizhz7LmPmMQYGLFRv_YVq-nSQXXguOzodtbjAhxAx2Lp55AROqv6UnooKKxNX6KsPJVxUwCP-wbQ-Cwunv5JovUR7PBWfO2r9RS8qdMR1LEOMK-cpihRtQF4jKWFSir6X1WcvyipnYwm9DOxJc4ko0cDtZvLnBV4u7mQDtCR5GLA5jAvSGyULVNlnKUTbdqjLcAW7VqaAua_or7fpEWFb4G03JxmOZtxefsARKatOEAxop-mu4PKaLb41lIpZBPDKDi7xi0IHKGNqolYpK4lk28DqFjjlhsPz7aZeyietKzrRswvXEqkcXHxWlPitejPFpAzDxPMVCV1B7TpNkfruw0EnYmT6MLYDQdW72te359tjCQZ2f8VDy8=w2844-h657-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">huge garden full of Beotgot</a> and Kaenari (개나리 the beautiful yellow <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8ABh3JRtcId7ffAZmoC5vp30N2ePowy9ZhsqCL06uE4yLlqBTf05KceGcHi_oxdZ3JkwaH8t_G11DeJUMLDMxFl4E5f9KReM4xrs1BBEB4VnHwEJRR0TWV577eY_j0Msn-8mdtrC1kR_GZJHbA6ebJHrCV-PkTS5ePosDrLtZ5wFuKwSSJzwjOHmLEevS089ZSF6yS6oMvRxKAQ23GSJTtyefJznIMsGTwLH-jX2bIZw2vSaFh0SunEDvATMxRQLd4qft11gpvbzxEDdixK_CibLr0D0aNAI30DoI3YVMyN2xowCLvGz2rkFrSE9_ZtsU8sjMBpkakQKP4t6JbdsBgVUnOrQEw444464r_7eB6BQ2lG7Z7ry-WkXkWciI1HNprKYcQ87mhqQcpwqRyHwLdnMMFSeEU9LZeba3R9W1c8pKi1FQF-misLFcUJF4ykiUZBkrfR1a4GtdIMOHIxX0RX11nb8vhz016HpiUgG07-UauShNAyd_AjcnyXb0eNAU2RFuxBETI2sMiojHuxGvXMlV3M1kfghTfPkbKuK9M8rewAuR3-7KDSub37J1dsw-zaqAMxznrLw8hJdeYxTRH8Qz5y9WpegiQxdg_Rvp56ew-0wrLKeCUPWucOfQy03_0qdUXsK1YtNcjJvQo5JY9AsxSCE5rh83XsB3UKtVkRnopgaji5m15XYnK85miRXsExZA9NkNJ3_K7HtktRLbJQJX1UTsiG3ihs71Nil5J-tx4L8AeX8_-iIBxlgFhghQ0bxZMK6bheQAHlj4jdfvT5fz-U4rL7s2SCh8LNWu47tjgUcyzD95vpl6unXukykro-Q-cRxk6dlUXtrVinW0tzNio0IFktt0ctA3GK1eO_CRYRkH8myVCXosiK0_91Ipb3XVqO-R0VmJOUo9wgYzs=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">迎春花</a>). On this day, the Boetgots were truly in <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8B0F1ipHTRj6FPsEDcmEumlMprze80RiflhMyT24ldSE8UDVHMG6YwV0RkNTOlmAPWh0_6Jp90ALVwBlr9zP_QmjGc7Km6gbGQthCEaYtGIfuMe1-Qx9aD6S0jARug3U2IqJjkyxfy8EcfmeRmeWcDNavVtXeA-19B0W9sol3L4QW7GPK_scyGFITr_UlkLf506Yv3Xn3p9EI8tAKc0OoqQc8utLbrU7F5erAyX3n8pKGDkixB6OUv9eG0bdpJiW-HcQZYIZGM0-1frr9FTjL7_g6Cvu2-8hlZXJg_HFPVYVr1lb6BWiBfn5S3g1TnnB_nEfpw8Rgc7W4ywMfJBP-NAWlg-axdOhou7pwKi2WGP15zbrWAToOpzeq5in3LkpVVXyH6JaJxJdSnI3DdslqSyNjFIV9RriIJXVCnDXbLDAJIB38bndV74I1dxuUt9nK8qKVLX52T469zJHimPCUHTo_8J7e9raFXye-N-GniL4Umi3oF21QEvS4JapHhCztvkq22SevE_cDHjG-gmz2RoDKg7JxOCD3oMkcvFHNsRQbSk7GEUSx1JMBm23uET5MH7ss78CkPV55pDM0neumtwYzU_J50kFK_cJbmYzqGS3Oz3jF5YpWzieeujlP7aSpTgpmfNrzpuqMDGV2rjToKgU6eSnmTlzfAKe9jEx9gqpczG40NwYKKJnsEpSAfjfr7baTGwoOV6IV4a_lsd0N7UYf8Fk5C_ExaTx507iUsXSv9CqimNaOG_5S0M-kale5kH7WBElHGC_zrK-XyfsD-bMbV9igARluV7AJ4qPMsjx2NcArc1nX1nIght-l_JenauZhydgLbvvW8242Y3sKEn4-w3c_OUEhEhUxa23WHSUlKz77RK73h0QqQTT9Oc_C93T_3w8_jP87v7_4jgG-0=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">full peak bloom</a> here.</span></div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92MD7Lu09koG_LyUQnEuo_-_MHeT0z25FfHtWQOx1Jh0bBeRFERpPV2NjhAdm_MCSUc932wGJgxKE9j0UnXbF5jIY1QHdvqFddeLFji045E8LUN4rF1w2vtHwuOahvbp3Y9lbRihQALymLVZP3Qb1PHM6xyDOMfX4g8tdLT3y9YB-NxVe7F5TSVC0/w640-h480/IMG_7304.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscoGUjdrCIkIykOxR8IGRWnWP6vv0cs5NR7T7WGyhXvzRZG5XhComdVMPG_DJEHH7-shoZffAOCmtAzFZuXBnOc7-dU7emTFUuKM3MP7GM6xPw2TyFpn_91P67h1pdo4HAzP5kailgYRxj9RNeMl--hySzvxmIAguRr6ei5wm0sKaoNFgfYkxFROs/s4032/IMG_7002.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscoGUjdrCIkIykOxR8IGRWnWP6vv0cs5NR7T7WGyhXvzRZG5XhComdVMPG_DJEHH7-shoZffAOCmtAzFZuXBnOc7-dU7emTFUuKM3MP7GM6xPw2TyFpn_91P67h1pdo4HAzP5kailgYRxj9RNeMl--hySzvxmIAguRr6ei5wm0sKaoNFgfYkxFROs/w640-h480/IMG_7002.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>有时候不得不相信我么自己的运气是真的不错。一来到佛国寺,一停了车,只往上走一两楼梯级,哇…… 整个庞大的花园里都树立着满满是盛开的樱花树。连我这个不是很罗曼蒂克的人,都被吸引住了。樱花树枝上头交错,形成樱花覆盖的屋顶,<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8Dh-q9ldV14WfT7rdBjYRQuuOI_ys6D0qOiUNvtsjAzfvT05LeTWp558n4xfX1JdwVPWv8slaVU55saWe_29c4Y-EFByBkXEgIYMSu5qdFAh6U26BzkTAO11oSX0YzQudrR_o8Mhm2jIx00H_gGE86GfdnD1XF5Tafa4yg676DYta3bXMPgdn5ZyApH2jcsUt78yXR8-umCoLrnup0YNjuL3K2z-sCpUpIokeSW1zUERajtNtl5fHKHd13vWMp40fzMMkf6pvJjcBqX16DzSF__Hre0IfKE4jOiXqEERW7gefDPOSb4l_rAsCkM2ypk9wjKMvV3FY_gYFhHUYcb8_gzQNexQLPkYfdj5-LZF6L_EdnNvfIFK6sJE7Fukv2CYLFOwtBzM1nxD9EJyXLa-z0xWA8ZWbRiUhtNTPMX2F0hhesAVsh9I1EKFlI4wOuPwvaLC5yimsSP_s8hSRfEM7KBLH371AH8_oQmTA9iXvpVsQKz1oZWh5YRHzYtNHfVTT0Yip7DAL5Tlktd60OLAxYPDTlxi9uazcc76sWMArL2c_Xinbb5CdyIpWXeHqJuzmXp7WVQ0tlAadVhmxTX8TvpY6go3L2afQS_TkWtElRYdLmpfcolUA9Ip_boV0bY54J742cG3MwSyrGMkR26XZ3jHUZurXLOx7NKQPXefxS6y3cv4_rPnqFVbJJQsOTDucxeS8WBtvvt4SI9TZWqS_RY1TAPDRje8MpJs2BuPuyNKL-Ga0lhKNy59aADm3_T4uXpEoJG3tUU_a_AmWHzCnxI8QIFy7uNsItvApmPJeUk4iGIdNoEJM_BGuMpnjcv6_Al8L9oqSYLqQcQMKg2zaESTUawGHgKkcbOag_Ik4nPP4j1EURg8iyJiZbaHgc6vHlFmKAlT3WIdzdmyOwy11E=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">好是迷人</a>。我们四个 sua koo 第一次看到樱花,紧张到不知道从那里开始拍照,也忘了怎么取景,只会傻傻的走着走着,嘴巴张大大地看着看着。等到我们开始 warm up 了,书华开始用手机拍照,几大辆巴士旅行车的本地韩国人已经浩浩荡荡地来到这佛国寺公园了。但是,好在韩国人还挺守次序的。更加有趣的事是,两位老人家,以前跟学生们去旅行的时候,也不会拍照。不是怎么的,给啊书华教了一教就立刻中毒了=什么 <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8CNQsdlwi__mbHc3LCBAK8i0_zaYiAZGp3z7Wu1iQy5PxX6q7Pz6-BG-QLQAt5ggfZulXW-_3zEOlnSnpc9yVon8qldkfbHHkc1K3PGu7j4IRC57UiYMPDBGP72agcjO8_8kWasntFN7d-01Ys6n9gFNCoL8FOOvWIWyq2H9UJVHjlf6O686jnLRrajYyo3b7057M6remejqQa4-aPXWB9ggFAsZWUKNUejzR7eMujjUVZnFuSjDAEUtNfrMHONwXSlIJzXtVI-TaV_rqY7Ajc3yZVhJyGoa5Hh23IjJcBByiRaYJqYE6Fl4K_u9UOLFPmExnakBJY9LmBb2gjqiA5lSnFZpJj2jsRPUmRzeXujQ74kgiw3mGs9fsGVqIwSAnr5uFyibYpNb2hpPZzSQzYRwqABD2l2GKblqnuc6oG1P7b9o8PLHNWiy4fJpLt_hxW6ioQLaPZsIGJ_h4q6ENqsE6SKxTdpRUT6hZwz_OfLC6usXwQsFr0KP5BFdvLaCf4eF97LPaZq4d4a4A5mW3Qj5L5O-MPx4SJvdCDC5YUUEyB4Plm1T1c5YkFH404yTmlY2Ry1knSiJrEJL8zCnyCGFU9LkLaayYOa6Dz0CgSzwKgLp5Ut_z1cAM3pt5AOeOkwWIvIQy0ryTM91BKrqHTE49xSLr6UHjTIO3mGWqoHFUs43kvxLSmwmWrpT5EomfEyUWR9nSKUoKVxqs-viEsbIZE3PuP_J3JKfU3gpYVwD2JaGpG0BOrZt9q3afhN-CECzdqHcEvCXFXGE0OtbNyaJLoPX6BGRd09iorI_fF0_LA84UUOBnLKevmISyMBTBeS35z-Xdt191OpPG8kmwVWpRD3AZPb3aN31R-IVurTXAG0vgSJ0buoEVf-2Ljm6sZU62pSzGwfVwBo0xYvgsI=w2484-h776-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">Pano Mod</a>e (Panoramic), <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8B0uSVelvJqN5wbYpWpx1dYi0sf7hBetknT9pRA7mN1IvzytSqyUl_E5XGLPrajnbr5jzZwhRP-t_GdZaX6nKPv98CRGuhBXd9Typ3vqZgqQkYU0PCgmpBK5eJvEVjETIg28ketRGDBaNPRbeFNTVyksYV8wY6tjVF88NnSLclRCsN9mAyibZYU0VlUJOsmTwAC-wJ4whVfgJqN_a5gcVM0YTB51W-yfeEIW_H_uFrJAKyUnktOtohxLpqlWQxY81NyJEFmGpucUAfdFhuYxVW-xNlM6Bx3kj-tXJVaQGG8GGErO7an6tiIirREhP8kzxpmdjyRfM3XVljFMV0mPz_4zt8ve8SyWW_wJhfTLU88bW_iZp-QIoh0Gqe5W8CNHbkCNjfrEqi9WE3RGDD_Bq1WEGhfeEM5_7pkzg3irAznzi6XZZq2Z4IS41rics92SPwV8pnZfgEmkT3wUDNAKuJIBsQZDdNiMBz6SvbHn2gi3bu3RFvTVkjD8rQsdokeXHIevruqL4PFrr7gXxFjJ4xMLzAiRkQyRFPwT9VDbzR4OjLiVHKEh_WlZ7rA_8Cf_Teg8YwQqMB_jOEZSgpbj1DWax0mKRk15asih5DVO8BeZfCUCuTUPzAvtCHlPMJAxlZAu5gmNHnw2nk5nphGIpS3e-qb2CwR3NdtxGvbXi_0poG_QEGz3_pwaD32HvWABrg-4FWP3ng0Ua-ELrlY2UeUflniHh5nhJFUhQNMgl4PWJ2zFiRyoiOCBQdAhJr3NJZKT7OW2QBp-gshYo1tivX7tzRaLr2ccTQHMChjYwaMi1y3I3Ywd2ZXyI1gzCTYRhbCawgjmKImiTCwO1K4cw__FHxm8g54xe7IGvb8nD3wOMBWjWI92aU1iE3vkCQ04ZdnBfTdd4nvty_FGXyNX6Y=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">Portrait (特写镜头)mode</a> 啦,ham -ba-lang </div><div>都开始用了,老爸老妈两位都在<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8Brl6LUvyVQUJkvxSfkncRVMFGSVznVqa2XfT7sFqjgnsGLhRU1Uu7SAHOmFdxkM16OwBBrwrMVT3wvALvnBauzIhCreCKzyZHrk3keZYIHKqTa0z_rkcBrmc-DZ455OanSdIjU57ANk4815hxAj1SLLptnIO-Lwa1ayg8pOu4lstHcRbiYEN0sUMh20Xn90XYg8qY-iJz3hn7Q5j3D-Xgagfi4T8AUjFH-7bBK3QRF-Ac5iZO_Z2VlCYs_N24LFjwB_6k4AbVYdYJMAaUeLIRmP0xk5ClOAMrxAMvgpn4AD5cFITfQbQvgVEWEBHO3xj5HJnghfgnlKLtLeqg_j1r_KgP9yloqsVBalC1eVUYlpOpHZMr9qTDqPgtS63Amj4wCTpV80WqG8C499k5pp3FBzBDIEpaZV6OZR7gyLeGJZ2drZM1HaZpjQ_qt6oI44CzCvtkUdK95YysRWP06m6v7eyGhS6IO8ScR_iJZyroyQwjXP--wquNLkHZrF3-54l6hr94GbqbLCWrtDMfopSMeonkt8YB5Im9-_vIddCT_NGEDJKxigiOls9Zm5AiRgDrvjzyM-NM80tqH4wa1ahrb_oiAD0lk0dzbFroXTYI1aoZZQnHJp-x6zukDVVctrCuBOYyhicI74nip6NZIXpSy-bgOa7oULO8sHxiDBNW2LCVV37mfrgcwAK05JsAO4nqMpQAQQz3Y31JChT0AixWwgz7ITJcA4EGU212nTvpIDsGfitPUhCQUC3ffiR8BFygozrrMid5lYRZhCBTqEP-jUmm0S9JhaXyr6npwcfnXU8dMOFII-pfiSJxC6Js71ZdPimoa3_FpYarmCvLvb-CySz2EPgyqI9i-8X8eyDTE3w_px0iaWGWfBuLoCp5kS6YzU_JQHfBy-CBkXIjMzRU=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">疯狂地拍照</a>!哇,多亏了啊颜书华,我第一次看到两位老人家这么入神地拍照呀!连在佛寺外头吊挂这的五彩灯笼,都成为了 Pano 取景的好景物。我已经很久没有看到老人家,又一边兴奋地拍 Pano, 又一边采烈地给朋友们发送简讯!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xYWkWuMatH0O_pW2pGuXbO03XBTS_o66hJCcvOKeGX8lLaQ5nwvWloHK3ujIRhuDaVCJRYaacahKs-vJOWP4Y1Aui4nEJTq0toPrXpQiBC4sduZ9Ue5hQopwsdfdPQFxRx-btNiCPUjXAqPDFUNBpW8ohoaUr_jvrqhSPC896k_h9tiY9F9QYVMO/s4032/IMG_7074.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xYWkWuMatH0O_pW2pGuXbO03XBTS_o66hJCcvOKeGX8lLaQ5nwvWloHK3ujIRhuDaVCJRYaacahKs-vJOWP4Y1Aui4nEJTq0toPrXpQiBC4sduZ9Ue5hQopwsdfdPQFxRx-btNiCPUjXAqPDFUNBpW8ohoaUr_jvrqhSPC896k_h9tiY9F9QYVMO/w640-h480/IMG_7074.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div>我还记得,两个晚上前,在 MK Librty Hotel 住时,那位女社长跟我说过,来到<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8CR2hmPeXgvi6mZlx1NbI4hl6rmD5upXsgX5lIXcCX4p0euzbGD24q9W-dZeHRC9vHygmLTtB07JE6FkHq9v8yndEbCs-42dmFBRhaUQl4EbawnxaD8cONcopYFhJSLt2Pkfe1Fg9dbnniU9sFpGqBAwPoiCXqRGc0e1_NntsKiYfH8gFtiZ7C68gi6mvhxn5aW43OWVjXoUBMLaACG5YrfU0sxf2HOuTozGt6Vl-yHJaYk-fz0yfIt-ET21txGdCuOUNgYzYnZv8HzeIFdQRPZSlS32q5ockMDXyff349iMu1-ARJ5SDleBKfCcYTi7V5v6leZmSqKuhjRBQbBa0N0CWUUqF73y5-RZKFbnnNlEUpgjM7xT8TsIlYpAIpQrHGVOPDzjm1DbEViGBHr8Ja5X8AZEXlfuoOEn0PhHjHp694Q5lXvLOP8feviNmwY-KmOGJoeyuO3SrvRLoIPmRUh9wXDaduGkNb_D_NI3s-2GGDGAs4xnB_TKgDRqn4oyuIc1ImnnCMXd-x4VHtihjWUJrfYHZvlx3VtnW3N-CMMXG9ZGSyOO4OCrX4H1KVRRM1-nSRSR4k2kLNVQ5ffjZ9yuuKjvaqnVhkxBglllbNugKmIHHs6xnSwD41FNcNuugAYXFHIPkloyC78PErnvTQ-pzsbIKZXwQD3SkTrF2dpdjmm7PIE45doT7LP6nbkk-xF8tSrreCJCYRsY9muicK5PS2A-tcjYHlQSjlk7KbpgFFPZZoqPjSCc33a-hwt3Z4KaNUXlDIj7lL6DqKi98_Mcj5i6r7LfjUDbDKr0NSGL4cI_KblzH03P5u_MejxN9FCtPIxvcErkbK76IsNdeXJm9KVqawmvROFaMjNg5s1_zPQ2qVap6I5nCy-17iHZqkGBA6QPVx_LREIvotSaaU=w1056-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">佛国寺</a>,一定得上去参观石窟庵 (석굴암 Seokguram) 因为里边供奉着一副千年佛像,是 UNESCO World Culture 世界文化遗产的保护景点。</div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“但是,我听说要上到石窟庵得要很困难地爬山700米高的山路呀?”</span></b></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">“</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Aigoo</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">, 不用啦!慢慢开车上去就行了。从佛国寺的车场上,是条弯弯曲曲的山路,而且有一点窄,但是没问题的!”</span></b></span>这位女社长说。</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div>也真是托了她的福,我们才有这胆子开了15-20 分钟的车,上到<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8A_Ol2UpzYM5vn2L8gyJQfNjTpm5nH2PahCPvIJAYqdd192anEULUjc3IcjM8gA6BvCWm_l4YsswnVSzzFIeIBDqfreV9qS_snFHy_DbZaoXybymNHjp6uXpQSI2ltuBqqRdkOooFBVB-HMCwaK7Q3Bp4z9zn1G1q4cl4Kr4cyvSGxcelwN1_y2b9o6PQ9V-jsDBbXZ2BXEAQzJNY7tCGQaPLHq_qw1NfR8itmqP5970uBytLxqmXZrUYVtfJHBc_lYwZDJsTFiGo_eFh6eCHq8J5Pn8dO-b_fJB9ps7TacxuCva2tm9bkLLLRFVwYpkP9cFOtyVsX5JFSi9mSib48mAnTz9adjxq7ds_EvJ6bVzvduCUJgDUvOONWpx5kM33vWbmoX01mSU0-3fzl255M6LUF35rQozw_BqhrZe3EyzPn-4Jaszbcjk9SBJGB13Q8Q4pi8scjC_R5QrGOvrtzw5CnSpUkZ6KIKoNstzlOYICXQp2FVzzBQviw2ftnyHBYfTnpdh9ZHfm63dBkONZQ-whjtfaTL5NFP9ULU4ng5a_8U1X18KNNL_xSMI4ZATTb68Z-As4C5BeU9PqWyp_LuQUXZVTu97DGmhi1_k9XqUM8Ys3P9vHzuaeYTbTrBnuUj1C5pXH-1ZiKslEsfg9bgCxRHWl74T8VqedYhZ-CApMD56Rrvxp_ZS01kzTz4cpDZxxjpQCyI_4CrLXmyG8cg_XtBhVM8FKeMTGDLysGsW8CXt7GIOLpFbSV-AxzdbHMylVaa2ObAFFNHill3UEtidStosug4tcsR3102xYXWwDBP3EYLkhqfvqWux1EHBw8NMOSW_YFYU4E7TvgSR131K7Pm2bsYiKlh6Vis_yFELpoKMC5Vzj3YtfX5CeZ4YRsV-xCT5Wfh3__ioNREn-0=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">石窟庵</a>,有缘向前年佛像鼎立,有缘分来到五百罗汉堂将我们的名字写在名簿里,让僧人居士们日日夜夜念经回向,更重要的是,不知怎么的,有机会地谈到怎么安排将来,也有缘分各人敲以敲钟。</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfu1TJbX60sTS6dmhg_4Mcp2Vpg_723pL-oHd4TFR6ND1Dvsy0BD4pmaZExzDOfScmpGS_-K-YdzNQJysrskcHt4ri4Bf2U4kBQH_x4N-yT_BlbjM_I6ev0PdtFASHPZRDFBj2U0P691fpQgi8wB8aS4SCutKdPRWTVE04Pg_466cxPh_PgVm0_1VH/s4032/IMG_7112.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfu1TJbX60sTS6dmhg_4Mcp2Vpg_723pL-oHd4TFR6ND1Dvsy0BD4pmaZExzDOfScmpGS_-K-YdzNQJysrskcHt4ri4Bf2U4kBQH_x4N-yT_BlbjM_I6ev0PdtFASHPZRDFBj2U0P691fpQgi8wB8aS4SCutKdPRWTVE04Pg_466cxPh_PgVm0_1VH/w640-h480/IMG_7112.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div>唯有可怜的老妈,在佛国寺过了路<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDpwmBwxWxx0LRn6vhoX9XM7onjFLVYM4WtJ17iRWn-rmAhvyDRC2-VCdTxBAridy_hmjatbEwruaQ3ABXg8jX9eL3QgcScObrysPZsaS9k26_USfEYpx4idbxnUuwtzmFKTHbz4Rg5g/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">对面吃饭后</a>,不知怎么的脚踏到一个浅浅的洞,跌了一个四脚朝天,痛死了她老人家。从那刻开始,我跟颜·书华发现到了,吾里老妈很老了,不可以让她自己走了,一定得时时刻刻牵着她老人家的手了。</div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrHcQFLP-c2Iv8bhvjVMzU4EptSF6hXK-IWesYVoVBnMz9v_XDDU6Sn5EwHpx6IO0xwAGeoI1XlrB7GdQwrtcIXhxwzMXqP4ODRyzXcNvOFCXAzqFrv8miZmVUQ_lrBrU-gKp-sk92V7jQPJFixVew-9uK3niM3BKPM-dTjT1zdn5iFNEc92pWmYJ/s4032/IMG_7136.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrHcQFLP-c2Iv8bhvjVMzU4EptSF6hXK-IWesYVoVBnMz9v_XDDU6Sn5EwHpx6IO0xwAGeoI1XlrB7GdQwrtcIXhxwzMXqP4ODRyzXcNvOFCXAzqFrv8miZmVUQ_lrBrU-gKp-sk92V7jQPJFixVew-9uK3niM3BKPM-dTjT1zdn5iFNEc92pWmYJ/w480-h640/IMG_7136.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seokguram 石窟庵的入口</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></div><span><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span>[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day<span style="font-size: xx-small;">]</span></span></b></div><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day1" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 1 - </a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>Yay! 汉城啦!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day2" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 2 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 3 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>哇,樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?</b></span><b style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";"><div></div></a></b></span><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day4"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 4 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>黄龙院,良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day5"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 5 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>大陵苑,瞻星台 - </span>just to get our TOTO numbers & off to <span>全州 </span>Jeonju Hanok Village!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day6"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 6 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>全州乡校街,太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day7"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 7- </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day8"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 8 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Yay! 又回到汉城了!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day9"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 9 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>蚕室洞石村湖 </span><span>Seokchun Lake </span><span>(and GOTO Mall)</span><span><span> </span>- Last few days this year for the blossoms</span><span>吧</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day10"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 10 - </b></span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day11"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 11 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Seodaemun Prison History Museum <span>西大门刑务所历史馆..</span> a sobering memory... have to eat <span>猪血!</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day12"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 12 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>又广长吃猪脚,又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!</b></span></div></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><a name="Day4" style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Day 4 - </span></a><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">庆州黄龙院</span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Hwangnyongwon, Gyeongju Tower and</span> <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #ffe599;">良洞民俗村</span><span style="color: #f4cccc;"> </span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Yangdong Village</span></b></span></div><div><a name="Day4"><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;">26 March 2023</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdY_Z0VKXSjMu5BWpi_dehulZ6zh9kVFaZQvk3-HZd-fXhHCUaa6H8vPXJsjeGqFSZpDvs9vSRJcvv2XjvTs47Il5EKGHvWpcuTtTzYDU1nshW1G0xoRwDdwgZu2JEH-xH7CxRwpFCJCoXreoUV4ZvuyTEXTIkdwv4859KMgQZecZPBZpH6OzhhpwY/w640-h480/FL_20230408_0592.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">👇</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"> Below</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="473" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MblcgdXVRoE" width="569" youtube-src-id="MblcgdXVRoE"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">☝ </span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Above</span></b><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div>老妈真是可怜,原本两脚膝盖已经痛了,昨天跌了一跤,膝盖又更痛。早上要下楼真是哎哟哎哟地嚷着痛。真没想到,爸爸妈妈都老得这么老了,行动真的是不方便了。</div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">老妈说:<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“你们五十多岁现在,能够走的话,还是多走吧!”</span></b></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">而我说:<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>“我们现在五十多岁,还能够给的时候,就不要懒惰,应该继续运动!“</b></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div>庆州的天气凉凉爽爽 10度到15度左右,穿了外套就很舒服了。有车,到处去都容易。这一回我们除了用车里面本身的英文GPS, 也用了手机的 KakaoMap 来指导带领我们步行到目的地。</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikci0aI9yTZ9C2HU5W9A_DGwk1EcsxTSrhqOTt9o1elC0vrPtU5_6dL0EEtOkxrJiujDqnfp3NF_X8gi_T7sqobI2wx2VFGl7fOxloKmR7eufr8Ise8z7vhVQeee-nAefNf_bxOpZAsp-8YDUws2rbuYM06HLFN5sHrjf-KjZY8-qaw3iqcCdd7gSd/s4032/IMG_7238.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikci0aI9yTZ9C2HU5W9A_DGwk1EcsxTSrhqOTt9o1elC0vrPtU5_6dL0EEtOkxrJiujDqnfp3NF_X8gi_T7sqobI2wx2VFGl7fOxloKmR7eufr8Ise8z7vhVQeee-nAefNf_bxOpZAsp-8YDUws2rbuYM06HLFN5sHrjf-KjZY8-qaw3iqcCdd7gSd/w480-h640/IMG_7238.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>哇,黄龙院也确确实实正如我想象中的,塔本身正如其名,确实是古色古香,而大路上两旁的樱花树也是开了满满的樱花。对我们这些第一次到来的人来说,自己亲眼看到樱花已经是一种格外的经验了,目睹着本地人-俊男美女双双对对,甚至一家老幼,年轻父母亲携带者小孩子,年轻好友手牵着手来到这里,沿着路边的人行道自拍、互拍、用三脚架拍… 每一个人就是往上望着望着,找寻最漂亮的角度。年轻美女不间断地摆着各种 cute cute 的表情姿势自拍,这种观树摄影的情景好是新奇。再加上,早在去年年底,韩国已经解除户外需戴口罩的条例,也在今年2月解除了室内与大众交通工具内,必戴口罩的规矩,所以好多人拍照都可以终于以自然面目献给世人了。 回想,要是我国有四季之分的话,那么我们的生活该会多么多姿多彩!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwOUUmeyzOgAcnwhJ039TaoilaLQYblutgdVFpqWXhjOrGa9T1wZ8DOilYO3i7YBhsxPN7nxcomR47FZ7jo5oqQn2clIhzXAPJl6YMe4n-BHAb9orFwBCoc5GexclIZlBIh2Ru1Mr8k1FMQhl8XlcdX3El-yQJuMdo8fFvPkc_9XxrLEWiL6YujD-A/s4032/IMG_7282.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwOUUmeyzOgAcnwhJ039TaoilaLQYblutgdVFpqWXhjOrGa9T1wZ8DOilYO3i7YBhsxPN7nxcomR47FZ7jo5oqQn2clIhzXAPJl6YMe4n-BHAb9orFwBCoc5GexclIZlBIh2Ru1Mr8k1FMQhl8XlcdX3El-yQJuMdo8fFvPkc_9XxrLEWiL6YujD-A/w640-h480/IMG_7282.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>着庆州的大旅馆 The K Hotel 也真是奇怪的啦。我们将车停在它的大停车场里头, 最终一分钱都没收,不愧真如其实,韩国很多城市小镇,停车是免费的呀!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbIyzg1TWMgqg9XnUKclFNL-MCXVb0_6mJvgdK8CyezDXfPyisoc50TWb4lWqkdewjUhW7x-MQU9EAp1Y3ZQE5JHeUcMB_er6apMyoARRiGHLU2gU2OwzpxGZWJVe5lDYXdW2I9ewRpffQcKiSA64dP2qnWCaJrMmDSSaXSaaN-pBUm-pCpi9H5KaM/s4032/IMG_7274.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbIyzg1TWMgqg9XnUKclFNL-MCXVb0_6mJvgdK8CyezDXfPyisoc50TWb4lWqkdewjUhW7x-MQU9EAp1Y3ZQE5JHeUcMB_er6apMyoARRiGHLU2gU2OwzpxGZWJVe5lDYXdW2I9ewRpffQcKiSA64dP2qnWCaJrMmDSSaXSaaN-pBUm-pCpi9H5KaM/w480-h640/IMG_7274.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div>反观这个屹立在庆州 Expo 公园里的庆州 Tower。经常在社交网上看到,也经常感叹它的独特建筑风格。但是真正到了那里,看了一看,也不过如此。也没买入门票。也好,看过了,也满意了。</div><div>说实在的,我们也很少看到老爸老妈两位老人家 so excited… so excited by all the cherry blossoms and so excited about using their handphones to take photographs because they have always been very Bo-chap! Hahahaha.. </div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">他们整天说 <b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“哎呀我们都老了,还要做这么多东西,去这么多地方,做什么?”</span></b></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div>可是,学东西是一种很有趣的精神活动。任何有一点意识的人,一旦碰到、接触到自己多多少少有点兴趣的东西的时候,哇!突然间兴起,就好像是爸爸忽然发现: </div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">“咦,原来这用个 </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">iPhone</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">的 </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pano mode</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> 和 </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Portrait mode</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> 来拍旅行照,真的是可以拍得很美丽的呀!”</span></b></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div>那一刹那又有新的东西可以学可以玩了。</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HNYJC9Dl2OW9D5tEk_E0chiIV0Op3AIWfgv5cZtLIZLJ8AGlH1CCNqQDqJMTdqT4TGybH_mCRoJN1aRrbglAWI1rtBFOWqE0WOsKxiIkgTZLl-cNCZf0LbiC2ckG2Gs0TbRpekmOyOJoml88y0PtuOIRGdS0yKVovV0Sp79BJXobN-iCdhPrvE07/s4032/IMG_7355.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HNYJC9Dl2OW9D5tEk_E0chiIV0Op3AIWfgv5cZtLIZLJ8AGlH1CCNqQDqJMTdqT4TGybH_mCRoJN1aRrbglAWI1rtBFOWqE0WOsKxiIkgTZLl-cNCZf0LbiC2ckG2Gs0TbRpekmOyOJoml88y0PtuOIRGdS0yKVovV0Sp79BJXobN-iCdhPrvE07/w640-h480/IMG_7355.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div>这一天的下午呢,也就是我们缓缓开车到第一晚那一位MK Liberty 社长,吩咐一定得要去参观的良洞民俗村。大概20公里的车途,经过许许多多ulu ulu 的地方小路,弯弯曲曲的路线,以及小地方自然的缓慢驾驶速度 - 时速 30-50km/hr.. 是很悠哉,只是… 在这种 kampong road 开车,哎哟… 好慢呀!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAHxVvUWYuSxuWcQ3-P77jypBXirUhy4H9E3105mefMeC6RKDT3FJ6TACIzWl0AV__0jum4ikkN3izCT2lTsTF4-3rp4I7QRGfEFwS4-LLV4dvZLkb20mMncgpRZenK54LFPWUOkqbBIhVG3jsfFOlv1X_j9B_FNoehPFqgFzPFeyV-Ne6UUcXNbW/s4032/IMG_7379.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAHxVvUWYuSxuWcQ3-P77jypBXirUhy4H9E3105mefMeC6RKDT3FJ6TACIzWl0AV__0jum4ikkN3izCT2lTsTF4-3rp4I7QRGfEFwS4-LLV4dvZLkb20mMncgpRZenK54LFPWUOkqbBIhVG3jsfFOlv1X_j9B_FNoehPFqgFzPFeyV-Ne6UUcXNbW/w640-h480/IMG_7379.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>这良洞民俗村说嘛也真是有点来头,将近六百年的历史了。朝鲜时代15世纪,由当时以为名为孙昭的贵族,跟据风水而建成的。有超过160间房子,其中好多还继续有后裔住着的。这良洞民俗村在2010年被列为UNESCO 世界遗产遗址。</div><div>奇怪的是,这么偏僻的地方,还是有好对韩国内地游客来到这里游玩。好像是在佛国寺和石窟庵一样,一辆一辆从釜山来的旅游巴士,带着一批一批的 Ajumma ( 老 Aunty)和 Ajussi ( 老Uncle) 来到这里。 在这一天,我们发现到… 咦奇怪,这里良洞民俗村的樱花好像是都掉光了耶!</div><div>We were not really sure. But somehow looking at all the scattered cherry blossom petals on the ground and on the grass, coupled with a paucity of cherry blossoms on the branches, we kind of concluded that we were perhaps a couple of days late coming here because most likely the flowers have bloomed and dropped.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lfXZfMLa3TSmGDTUQyVVkyC-gp4_DUy7DsWXW-bCkfhKmEUxL7KMlcKIqNhsOrXFloqkNpKdslToR-hP0lk8CxHNOAAaBPiyBQx-3lq6e_8KhQeWd_AhOJdYoZkVpvL5rm-ZMZWVPvYjtTLKWxr9AVOHDTIVQHx75x97W_Yd7QRITaP22RNx-j7U/s4032/IMG_7402.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lfXZfMLa3TSmGDTUQyVVkyC-gp4_DUy7DsWXW-bCkfhKmEUxL7KMlcKIqNhsOrXFloqkNpKdslToR-hP0lk8CxHNOAAaBPiyBQx-3lq6e_8KhQeWd_AhOJdYoZkVpvL5rm-ZMZWVPvYjtTLKWxr9AVOHDTIVQHx75x97W_Yd7QRITaP22RNx-j7U/w640-h480/IMG_7402.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>One interesting experience I wanted all of us to have was to actually sit down in a <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8DOMobNiu01CZzFXvicfPy1GilJqrcGk7kUstTJ5pW0hpBtiB8fA9oUUVY6ahC5WwC5C3dNDDRpsHMOEO8rcTKPTgXLK6ANLkPakfys9StOnTNSH7C6Fm3-bgrTYGAwN1SBhIEzVuahtgvwcWVZ2ZIYiUEq8V24ElxGAc6pKLyZ-h7HGwPV7eWtRs7aPmI2Hg6cdyHfJSHvweBMDH4D8XK6-mcuQpJAgU2LQ6PRsAUS0dQVlJpQQ3L8ebKliAzZDOxz0rtgnHcidHIkj26uocmypVmfNnZGnClGJ2c7loMh0MgvRBZKThzK2vmOaPfL3er7RMWtbo9gIkS25Tvc4OXoJ-sdWwdgZAoXxerWelc6BU4sEKqtVuIhS1hkQHhyiFzXHPKZy9FAHNtGNXVDRYMQ0_2uIAiELOexKWXQ7Qlk253GZxw0qs3m-GuL_AyORKEUThNGaVXc69cw2Le0Uftd3QtvuO2T0WUIM2U6gOUj9GuTUK0l_pipzFDYRl96BATeB88MSpRZsYd5QsVhBH6makBYJ9yi5HW6qSLN9nvv60YGaSTh1Y9MDzWAhhb4Gnr1rh98xWuB19XHnekWtKmQsLiHzCxSsNZXDn5UUPiijmfQlexmLfwf3-4W0tZBN8oHUlVG9EWtj3wj4Qgr0FlRITeBrAaZKTWDjO2f_B0X4BNyWc7pso6b_TUTrGklYiaCbUlRFZWfFqNjVFnwdWevQsv4XbyGkq-6PcgRohdZtJ18Em1S08DEKxC_LQAz5UmbMEPrFglnDhAtJuhOusQzqAZmFTQ76HKOEKvnnlScxDB1m3HZMLz_8Jy2unsA3hazvbKtBP-vtB2CjCvKBkGk3QuhpMHJYXNyVcLm2WIWRi8wtE7lvt4-15edBzMiySiObTlLelmXRarIwDGS_hM=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">little Yangban's room</a> in a <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8BcHKrYnI2xuO034yvWUItZBCf_EZ4rfMwbCCLl_H14oRvqTOXdjy2XWDuAsoHIf0G6Qte8BEfWRLZJaE5Mftoq56TAVMIm13BaBHBtBBEwKata1mJHe0A8Nf173NSbR5qAhXabVRaoMnlZF3iYoC8xBI1dzJ6dbQoG34ibbrILwfvYmuTG-UavLA8W9hV06YAw7ZPwRFSymPaf-2V2G5xP5c4JbOR3u04JKSqiuafN8JmETG_q7BTgg_YxrSxGE3TOGrAqczaverz9i3p5k-SDhex3kyx0LLLoFNLJCDuEfYgQpT8YaB6-lc7mLULxdBudI7jrEpGCtwLEYkPad5o5vTjeo89NCdX65WGfRuSoxRULEn_c2iGHkqLdNFGkOftmZkphDUl79Ox28NhQlqsplOpPzG7XkWrD4ec7VBVskbCpTHeZlwD09hPFCLj6-uxZwCSVzwAhxoEVzGVpyCEOC5QeDIe6IomysxIkJXwK12CPlAoG80DuLjRwzS2N_ybMlNBjeT_aQWRIj4rl-Vv8qdTQZjxMyuB7LWGADmhZr9g2C0Wu96MB6DZxZCyu5P1MToKYZzEkls0P1CE5AEFrZMNBNPJJsx4xNPMQ6ZtsgkVKvH0Adlnqjxv4_n_QICXiGbxLOYCuA9wXHSlgPIDtthdJ2XMHFrWpr0nECZyorcwPZAyutY51Cp4TI6oZdpGB31Vno2zRMWhrr4Tw_K5UE1eAnIPD7j7tGlxt1daUUp7FPebqpR9ZLgDJiTwQozjiJO5CN7V1cB_NWUoZx8FTddU8Rr-C1J18ZPRidh8HR_4ThqQ7VPFUwOKdOy5jIiUrnmNfVtEJOGHaTtiwu1b85JO5FLtiEuxsRYX0GiB87mvAYZQi76t3NtuGcwxVos4eLzPNEMI5LHY49imeIoA=w2484-h1021-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">Yangban's house</a> (两班 양반 the noblemen during the Joseon period) and enjoy a traditional Korean-style full meal. And we did just that. But wah.. sit until Papa and Mama and Oori Ah Hwa’s knees all <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8DeGv922O0iEFE5lLxEtSh91evdKUH5bsz4OxTBTh9TDz7gvGSluX_56J0Hy3swgdDBVT7YF5rEtYv6WRyKTSFVmdim5HQfJyTIuOPpqXyTouF0mYdfh0BOWEqR7EwCx5WD001oY9cVsuwF1yHROb-nM7WWAJo0JNX-166ZjBcct3jRZVRqJHbnLbowYKUdWX9G9I_xjIfAp6kRaQeDzxKV8_VhKXobbYxkcPDuY0GBluukOUUKAZdve6p55ydRPWc1_pxKYToJG7sVtRMZCbj3YYDKtZaemeONac43Wib1gjgbhKUFvSrDpisNs1Mp6gIOTAtvwKlbna5iJdPI57vJUulBrPL21XlMTC8h9KPY1IWoCBDhqqJ0SQy2xMUObRGev3G-dscnVR4O9FhDifMFmcAtrGy_5I6Gg-lBkFZ_OhivknXXzy35HVeh4Lh1yMP6Q-uXvTdKpPdBDkgmgJ8LrJ3CQsfaljxWVqXlGgdAdEzNgd7PZCpG-vfjvbkn8mhuu_CICUlZXxTpiLjbQ3WLSigyuJAoCHEcWXHSu4mpUo0RFVFMUDE4P3fDWDuaxrNnDQBYphDeHcAHUwifc0pm5fok3XdR_T-X6sMif_IKv15V11tCb3uY5ox4BHE5wzcp5FozQLGYpN2kEAKDGaLuxns0GWLDLIQ0S-yb5_h8n7Y8EbvqX51qgcpWtOkGQbKJiINu-OfANxqAGPlXCHUSTGsZlzvu4EJdOIhFAYueXBuwAcaurYddIc4ze_urtxhI677doo3FAAxhS9w6eWsbv_VQWWVfdNFGxZH-TPhDEjr25Qc_3TSlwZhfH9cQiU3JpS8GVe9n3Wl023rdtjU5UIOPA-G27tTNLe6IDe9O8DXtGiaBsYeLK-fhvQz_cXHdN5ObBlL_8JtzVIlcz2M=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">stiff stiff sore sore </a>yah! That was so funny!</div><div>But what Papa was more impressed with was that the old man SaJangNim was so quick in preparing the dishes and presenting to us and laying the table and even after our meals, so quickly in clearing the table! 那位老阿伯真的是手脚好快呀!I really enjoyed this traditional Korean Hanjongsik _ meaning it's a set traditional meal with a whole visually appealing series of Bancan - Korean Side dishes and it even had fish, clams, and meat! 哇真的是<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8DJevFCbDa4RjaGpRW5JhExOJi9DcfC9CGL2xkEijmZjNzbiwhrnbsleNjXF8xowLbd43z4s4QNtDrfrt61_ObX573ktrmRY2JyixxjIXDMO0i5HCD52JDf-MsWuiZovj50sWyXv_d-ZfOrMLQwxsVU-KOO02iNEggWg2PSgB6FuQXJTGvfwaSWGwahDHAM19WzBdaZtQ7cfWnsCH5LclfCtCY-mmd8Modi1ewu0LwyIxMoRIC0yKUmGe4K8g1tcdLLcqUcDufWem-XTRgp3rly-z0TwmtyDvz0pNaHo-EhST0YjfJXYVbtFylXjgADbKGlAJTVsYTFTHh4j-1LnaCAhoYJ2iH90UVuHi-5fx93d__Yrwidm6Pn_fktmYmSnxaf0wmnVp8Pt_oIWcIOX55IIdMmd8cPLUXr8YUeWwVF1uBD4Cpv0Wuz16qA1Q4qxK9od7TALiBRQCbDLXoBlxmBbjnpcCXapx8M1KtoDLV9Lo0zfLah0cjHWsmXdKgZYcbVHL2xwf-RtuYSP8sC0eXJYL761uVY_YIQANsVAPmPhMyqgGd028UBCEsas-eNex4VWf_eESKlBYRyBUhSH9rNMZN6JeMjQs0D3qhgT-Zbos2GRJo1pJ2ECkfEcUFOAXLCcbrNmBpu3Qf7VPxyyhPWcZ_cMnyc9BP-BFKnPqvb4AF-R5kkt8gMF8Qb62qvx39vJiOX7NDuRKKwnyPOanNMDL9UvqTcFYDNEOuLARBMR0BDcmZLIw0tCwYdY_TAQ8lLRKT02s1xv4IozudlPXDjqiDyS6DVA_ndyoHlUHJVqMoY2K6UaS9kdiAR8ux-etHeuT0ptVr9hBF0uNDsx_dYySgwkRoXdrWnYmuHVfy3HuZY3czHbVvfTAUwOSqut48rOz7b4Xctjco68mUnijo=w789-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">吃到我們又辣又饱</a>。</div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">下午回到徐罗伐韩屋馆时,原本就打算说<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"> “Ok, that’s it for today. No more walking, just sit in the kitchen and drink tea!”</span></b></div></div></blockquote><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">但是徐罗伐韩屋馆的女社长非常地热情,一旦讲起韩语来,哇就真是没有 comma 没有 full stop的。我们再餐厅里用茶吃面包时,她就一而再再而三地吩咐,让我们当天傍晚我们一定得从徐罗伐韩屋馆这里步行30分钟到东宫去看<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8Ao_5Bz_blqbQe6rfr1U2bzxobZR-pCN4lVYGveFimNqfazyowsoEy-K4AwNc0BryI6FD3bjL3g9gYYxS9eTbKCN92FrjRa60B1cdfbQiReNw0CCIfjpElSQzYrIz8334qq8loAoloyjStlmb5deNGDtrj_OOS5b1bMzuAR8eupTiZ0gPd7bypCRK_ku1wGAKSIGO21z-c59R-XE0fPtCV77k27uPEPlY3mt69O9ZwsN1fUXoZOU0DrJq9mMqVloqp0cRu3xseKyDxGKGzD94QYedd-Mo69XjoyxxctfwC3nrMYnzyNRtFVeJRAtxxOdYhl1_Qc2Oh9Ek_O9zmeab1vUzI_kgPRXd0ZKgd7opFT5KQDYB2yPGsZeSG__4Eg21Sq_mYVqZ9yhhthKCgGPsf1NvAM95gao0utraHHv2yUS1y-HU4loRElPlj7gmOiVvUls0l8gek3QqU23RwdQNqE8idRxcTMfo2eeh9WP19gIZ0srMjpVOSvFsihDuKkwDhAGTpdfCnpjy3iHYs8UiWN61_QapjMIiFTnOkgrqTjr4cEBVSA9bfZSMuesLUBgfZFKx9BwlAf886RTsQISp-7pFrrS5XU4aaY33MSAXODG4FQpqCk6IzA3lMqTGaAP6850hhhEcMR0AfiUmvoXdyUGmAwBsjmJu20rRlPIwhg4Jox7VmMTtS77_ZfYqV4WlRifgxvYh0hSzK-Tyk2sgYSGZ8UrTTJMzSs5ZySK8e5DhnnadTPs8p04fFZdvcEC0-RIDLnGpQ4GSyPspCQjfVgWR0zJ4EFdy-7J3bzb-YAwXIiI0gP9CkeC3Hgv8j4ExmPlGB_4Pzh5qVl2Xvfqb52O0VccFnP_0GQcu6LLWaAv0DaXJXzNXchefQmPSfqgbaeOUl0bKGBZVbpZeTNfmg=w2844-h816-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">东宫的夜景</a>。</div></div><div><div><br />好咯,既然她说得这么好,我们老妈拼了老命也一定得步行过去吧。</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZv5TJzL_COBPSeRNZpLCi2498Nn7bZMGPXWJtXkYePJ2gj5ELyFqaWrEhxLLnmJ1CSfMpvGnQJGmmDpheEPI7HSK6XbMC7kBWO-OQ7_J6epAPljav_sa7bZnpTGfDtOOXTFerWjtAlNvWuYPKvTtI_tg2woyEDdHdxW3mOSOj7dY7SER-9Y0CjSs/w640-h480/FL_20230408_0593.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">👇</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"> Below</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="444" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8Q5V45jTwfQ" width="534" youtube-src-id="8Q5V45jTwfQ"></iframe></div></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">☝ </span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Above</span></b><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div>但哇!没想到<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8CySh-fI-UYKG0xteUuPZNCNhoBI1QgCH7ZhkwhUblF2nI7Aq1S2Am5oPJcJY_q9BfjtuyaYjL2xfR0QtQtYmUKnndvjfFCRLGHcjkdncXcOkk6OmY0xP5lx9qHGyqCnj8lMEb3oOCL_ZFEclzbzfQWuSZSmlT6vTBMy-LNYKClu97PB7fZDRldiiexfUnDgZljipFssz6aG5jg8WR6fxBQl2oEVwPom_4l8O2VZO7ZxIg-WKwXQ540LlbnMEog8hgCpimqEB0eMBcAPgSK54c-nqfEF5dD-Np5gu2UuJt45NSji4bNw_5NwytFaYJpnAyNxvfPk3KlX-pFsSogWOGVcgrE7_57BNoLUDafrhIhP38YfvC7sKhtfFSLq2c0HC14tZZZjsNYrKYb91sVFl64XF0jorSVFpMFC1mXrays8OmLPKAyG374LsscAeE5vakgwb-yft1DNkkBVGGBcWLeCiSKxtAkj8k_hQAmnZ0mXb7qfKhojl1bn9GpndoclpOA1AFyrq8nSB68duo32w6rryVU0_Rg6pBsuLbE0oaHcFGPxOhGUVzDZmOMjDmM5kCGUZK5pkxAsd2EWzZPQvWVJUhr6UXgHp73-YZzrPhTN4CbNhgEIro1HVI24GRM5vim1nr68uq5KT3w4zTKeFWpb2hET8QO3hAmJPySVnPM4c1bOFG03k9Wc563To8-VF888UYGBxp1ZLMD2TpfT6x9Gbj4-Szjnl1yePHiwVcDJYHzezLSOY8KuDL61t6aodmA9u-Ayd97jySIZsSUpcs0qQfvczYmN7jS7jjBzkvC6ednLxPM2CD6R_YxNSrQCMRJdY3TjsKbZEquXxLNRmNZY8FDABSnHYn7KXS6TPuk_oAIYRojUEoaU0dfbXDaBUMaVcBdwajoIxjNzGwLSO4=w789-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">这么一走</a>,就真的是给我们走出<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8DBgw2LxT8xml3682Oxk5Tqg_SRNx23ORTG31j7_Dr0Mh-0VOTvqQosazD73PO6HbqwCfiP7PPT06rxY46F1ZDSRh0yjYQUe7oxIbtuImbo290853l16YfaMzysojQdC0HNOAtdYBpNn6UuPK-a1O--8SpQLdtq84cU7JHsPo61fqUnztqMWfCIu5Ks8U6rERxOBzhgQ9FoxD53msl4UGMhO2mpALbf45Uik1pOldHtpfguP8QVRJWcu-NZrRVufu7MDaamfqYSGGItrD92lh0YBPrrGYDioTAAPo0J-DFhK6rrBXH-ff8oby1h4gdvWmjXIPPv1kj6nP5LJBAejcPPQigWEmuD4D9RM57WPV48JS83SnuU6MLlLs81uQ5FVtESb-QkRlZyUt_VmpoDPRzozaBHLtTWY8ms-_4UlOO9CtU0-DAMT1wYJHy4sODw2j-wel-1P0cBmbKVCe3KNDohF8sZD0g0KytZ1Uza5dCLT5-0apeDtBULzMz1r18u98P6Ycal4n0quJyAqn2f1ZgptVJuf7aK3-MJGUlBfsxv3A7J2mqjT1AHuoX23Bcs1QNzgKNEx_fQM21St0JsrdibTW1Vtq1Om5pv5aTyqHNvbYzEIvivcW0N18q4Zu5ENIOGwBxCSLihP11SVvtg_ryf-Lfpz_9hnOZ4ChRD203q5sSDzKEhiXwuGORCynXP5EBKX6H4uqTeV-E_0sqaAozSs1uuXC6DPmagkmiqzQsEz52J_tdnBSmo9-uMcooGRF2lztDWGvy1d828UsVBevIOJtZuur5VDExbGA5psS3xf6PIcFPImvLZscApFbCNKvFdfaqXRROFejUK4URBh1uQBlOiwdUiCBAuVmqZKBfjpU-zNO4ce34ezQcHC0-LFHfNrbrPiAUAUgX1QWC6xcg=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">一个春天来</a>。原来路经鸡林街和大陵路,这两条街道,<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjrrGQMLjbChDaDnk46tQJB77-a27alAH6hzxORR15jOIPUPv8JqulyULO_CbjbWobRGsVT28Rwog5Z_xezXqdV_oLjiM4zs_bj3rEJyKytx9LccntUMBAvDI5A23hcTvp0fxVj2nLerc/w2297-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">晚间的樱花景色</a>,真是迷人!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowVaoduZsZWOsYXWv_c7Azl580GuKNNs0kLbRE83rLxNYAZOChsvYOMP1sUmM9l-s1LKhMh6ASibGrqvGKCDLBPbcjs5grw3AzwWZS5kydnojzHtfVbC-w2h26D7SB8onP9kBnxekJ2KMIH63ZtpCcF8W7s4nFOo0xuAoKwbKDh2rwhHnB5XbQ-wF/s4032/IMG_7441.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowVaoduZsZWOsYXWv_c7Azl580GuKNNs0kLbRE83rLxNYAZOChsvYOMP1sUmM9l-s1LKhMh6ASibGrqvGKCDLBPbcjs5grw3AzwWZS5kydnojzHtfVbC-w2h26D7SB8onP9kBnxekJ2KMIH63ZtpCcF8W7s4nFOo0xuAoKwbKDh2rwhHnB5XbQ-wF/w480-h640/IMG_7441.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>当晚我们拖着疲惫的身子<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8AGwNkkXgqhz6JLmGSDpRa8s9w6TVM1lOosb0QdVRbThQu5m29NU32P2CujoQ3EkQFPsaEGvKD2wdTuCW700Avujb5WyqM95K-Q-81QepJjsFxesSpF6Auog10CH3gN9NXjIVsuZtwiO0WY7MArHZcnxtdqCYlsKyMV8A9f1i2IPQGPKCsjhu2toF45kv1eFdck2S9PTbK65RNimYC19HLngfpjM52WDwOzELApQ_m8TzxPrqhiot-EfCFnBG8-vY_qXuobRgYdbiM7mW4VAox9ClSTlZx1VRKt4AwaVdA-TCRc6i54NfqHHTCtggVkl3HeRGr6O0H1CVSzm_sqRPHVc3W2snfAZlKkiiDdle3jWzcrQ5179KT-OouiFD_MrTSyKlaAW9OZRppjAhpPff72Kj7KmtFp3sGJeyRCTceS0j_QrzAf5pYiVq4bInSaCXXZ0vvB5os5E59BP_-OE4bLNBaJqdMwRGkR-6KnzBZYKazPtF8YwXGjmai5SKl-HZphtcHYSYizh5BFIbPus21upoCr46ifJd-8BtDdKh7sHMTFzBxji1KSJSZZyeZsr6Wxj7_u_p9lqxEfPw_YcXd3hRVRZLsazDgITIP63qClefUIbyOwe5z5H8AY1kEToV1ewyq1n_bIjOj_XHQiMnKCPUXo9OFBCspJKI26TUEsotauSbty5Tgdfuyb9zmiQc-7JAga6C4yqWiI8v0rFWA5E8Qc9uTu2t5StUglot2GVCvAcHtVnDbrS6JDhIQ2hBzzTDOtO8VrBhk_b2B2Bp2ddfV6jGJfjIekx7hUgcefbEWivqWFePRAPi_5R34wftQ5RZ_rzV39iT27a9BWN_WxoSdeP4LUTW2RuBLwNmzvmBtR12WKibhTTxMPAI8ySzNzGOKPmBD7HFs6c8ah8VA=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">慢慢步行</a>回韩屋的路上去,没想到还有机会在<span style="color: #fcff01;"><b>布帐篷马车</b></span>(<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8Do18gXnVz_dYsoooZhmWHm5Eao8xPBq8ZWyLEYPbnQxbAPez9OoeXUvU1qctIvBqq0-lPetfOuxse0H7VYAzxgGn4ysbv8s0b6bJjyXClMNvsoBS7Tb77WVC92fPPaTaSVXwbP86pLkCpE504w07hlTotetwcmoyFb0omC7PajLA5HcSu-ZvbpaBRlkFHrC0R06EmcpxXIXdVcVp8cM34bqT4-n6Jff9qi2WAMkE4ZYiJr8L-1bSPBS0nn8JCSMX0g4Kl3z6jKsD-QXxvYeZj9wLTvV6nErva_0jg4uUeiBFuTAkOa4x03vrZ48UJETlf0pd95pzLOR2ujNLE2mqVSi6ZsWZ8AtfSBJMafrJg_qmYX4qsTwWrLOwUCO_Exbb_Fw1_WuNI5IcfgEg23NxOqk70tpkwyUSyv2FQrw8RIYKhhs_pw3n3W3-kdO0aI8fJGyIazQ0DnYvLRE_XH-y_idsLQlIMm5LSZT_kz2uITEHYvNQ-6tQ2grkqskjBw9esjYA_XI58yJa8S_jdaEgjLnQc0Fr7tDZTiApQ3beiZBaVwgYsfxhmDidICOn9QOWgdnEUwjk_U-0SaRmy4-O1TbaaZSRwHCYr2DkFQfpYxVrqrVIn8BPcVp3qqdgVxfFkV-nGDsKpl5A9d-Hpbe2OUX3UZcsTJE_WgWqs0EmUb8Z8Mqic3f2J2CTLL6e4DhFEcEive1mNFf8jNL3mG-y4NCsU3aIRYs3gHugr--QpL5C_7GOW0q5UGx1N1Qwc2gjW_YVfmXwVj-eUegOk1t0TQsZVNomsp8ptnb8Fokwq4c2lqA8YYBeK2es0w1raldAREQ8MK6TzeoRvRoLMvbQ2VGKKfTQUEujONNdprqt2RRQlIBmTVzfemVKy80OOltBAb2u8yA1VyqXjDfMH5J2o=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">보장마차</a> <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8AP94jS1wqN6CZvSPtC--ku9GOYsnoRLXKfO_T0It3Cg82sqJ6GfjtltG9js1mJo7wAh_KR3xZg9SfaA87sv_IIeHscOsMMkZy1DSbpOAygMDpOr-xpHYlMrL5NXqN8I3rOXoQ3_Pmsl-KCZtFb-_yFYAOd5DX3A_mY-nsmfBBHdKhm-O2Dx-JcJ-fDEf7CAwNCLQPCLJDQhtT23fJJe0fU-xQNnFyI03UDg7Q4_OaXmnECs03gny7NncC4M8gas9_i-2L8QsS_dTujXQXUNOfwUGQlAUTRo7hpw_mkYcyfhbZj1cr7qgOtPe22AgMvGSIdEwBnAOiEB0fpLLU3AWwENkhbCOn79beN052LhXYNo0lCw8FHI53l352hEFk45RPD0IRHfD04jfnFEa0hpbLDaEQ1zu1u63K1YUubC7_F5oUBtEC48HZE7s3Lw2Yw3_FwcYr2w7x53LjibkFCRuVn_8Y8oBBD8U2aJerE7jueO65aXWDme6dqaaIYUUUTVOJwO43kXFqeTCxB5ALdZRaStRzaNpMrN76V7xAjTYL7H664WrVpAmy70YrqXvXgI3HrTkfoVdDqPCTOkYGGWYIcGDKRstIRsFhv92g7lDoa5suglbgAvuonz1wmbmQIj7967eW7mytuhNffaL7JAz2VHiyy-bB2xogFLzPzjjTUzAunQ01cU6SBO97afpGJA5slyQ7pTcpkwUhACaH80g-kyQ1EFoCuKPuZBM87VwM7_XsgLuFE9EvJvocH_s8nghxfruukKunsHUYEPMfOuOrchMDyG8TTErOQMG11zE-SiicT50-p6qF125BcTq5pWP96aqWZNvtwlyBrggOz7UXIosK_heA2TV2usecvlRGr_H0UrUTF9QLBfDGqG9HDNEcXWGuJVzEULf-b5tiqlC0=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">pojang macha</a>)里面<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmkPDLrC2LqUQ-kSSsmCds_asS43ryp9AZdAv4-8hbaEIjdlROWhj44rYGjJUNbUGKnuu1cGhuDGCN48CW-6y8vdsOEs01SVmgYYy4-wZybDIDqBWz1OsnIbsfp7mL0AXgky6a7ockWn4/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">吃烤牛肉</a>呢!</div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></div><span><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span>[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day<span style="font-size: xx-small;">]</span></span></b></div><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day1" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 1 - </a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>Yay! 汉城啦!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day2" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 2 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 3 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>哇,樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?</b></span><b style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";"><div></div></a></b></span><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day4"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 4 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>黄龙院,良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day5"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 5 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>大陵苑,瞻星台 - </span>just to get our TOTO numbers & off to <span>全州 </span>Jeonju Hanok Village!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day6"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 6 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>全州乡校街,太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day7"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 7- </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day8"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 8 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Yay! 又回到汉城了!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day9"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 9 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>蚕室洞石村湖 </span><span>Seokchun Lake </span><span>(and GOTO Mall)</span><span><span> </span>- Last few days this year for the blossoms</span><span>吧</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day10"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 10 - </b></span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day11"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 11 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Seodaemun Prison History Museum <span>西大门刑务所历史馆..</span> a sobering memory... have to eat <span>猪血!</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day12"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 12 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>又广长吃猪脚,又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!</b></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="font-size: xx-large;"><a name="Day5" style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Day 5 - </span></a></b><b style="font-size: xx-large;"><a name="Day5" style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Bye-bye </span></a><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">庆州!</span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"> Yay... </span><span style="color: #ffe599;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">全州 </span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Jeonju, </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">我们来也!</span></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;">27 March 2023</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/5tEh6s0CIpo" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0WppNE-P7uLii3tE9DmLtnB9WE4RCN8VL-mCqwGzxtFZwKrbS2ludfJcu_7kYEBXZUs8_sISZZNzXWv1rvZRXJlrj8d2dp_Ijh1fmMlghJsAVTZ76_fSQAGIhEo5VcVXM-Sg-yytdOxoHNmhYkD7U1wA2lzlOyqVQttP_DshbDWWlsD6G5OggJkY/w640-h480/FL_20230408_0594.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><br /></span></b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">👇</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"> Below</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="435" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_dfyGeKoELg" width="523" youtube-src-id="_dfyGeKoELg"></iframe></div></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">☝ </span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Above</span></b><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>在庆州好快的过了三个晚上,第五天早上终于跟庆州说拜拜了。我本身感到很庆幸在这短短的三天内,我原本打算游的景点,除了一个没游到之外,非常幸运地我们全都走到了。真是奇迹 man,跟老人家慢慢这样走还可以走到,是件好事。当然,也真是多亏了 MK Liberty Hotel 和徐罗伐韩屋馆的两位社长的推荐。</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MjASsQY1gYSIq6s_k6AwfkcolkkVyZppPQiFJqs5LUFNRSeMBiDpNgij8MGSyDLH1dFZRaG0DpIqpmLpXOqNtFs71UQWYSCAzcQx0PLZnnRc41GC9lW2uYA0RgUW9jPo1VJMY89SggpgGXjH6ZmYG-uzsIuljuO0yRXLQY1K5o5wtAq5CCWUDG7O/s14548/IMG_7616.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3760" data-original-width="14548" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MjASsQY1gYSIq6s_k6AwfkcolkkVyZppPQiFJqs5LUFNRSeMBiDpNgij8MGSyDLH1dFZRaG0DpIqpmLpXOqNtFs71UQWYSCAzcQx0PLZnnRc41GC9lW2uYA0RgUW9jPo1VJMY89SggpgGXjH6ZmYG-uzsIuljuO0yRXLQY1K5o5wtAq5CCWUDG7O/w640-h166/IMG_7616.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daeneungwon 大陵苑</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJv0jKG5QXMECcLrRULc5C4Nqn43FCtixlCB7L6xRDNJJ8kpiI857Ab0Gkb1TttT4luyn85DJAZ55IFBe_ZM7N5Zp-GWQ7G6aBdKoWpQ9V_wV9rv6jfwVdFjUjq3W4eLEOXl4VM1kjjEw/w835-h216-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">大陵苑</a>也是一个<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8AMjtnHYDj8HXUphYq4dmGyCNpbbZ2GSW_LrXD7RYKr-kJvsJAQARBKV8d_sgnMldPAKiQXTohXHKwhmQacoo_TxZIakyyN3L982bRrqpsURzoZKx3mCxO6GNEGhWx0RJDzCcubMHzh2At-wdXtpUVp94I_ULpnOF-JwDz1zQnFbYMNsgvYpZZ_fuJXCGmZEpjg2BWaoyKxui5iSTPDU3PCNUAWRI1ZLN6Wams793vHLN6RgkUYKpo2YSRADU2WNuu1i4C2W80YyuiexGd49_VV1h9UiG-2lqKwWsQ1Vh3OHVO-ER-59_v50323s7QhsFvJynWnskLG7AMZnk4qIERYQLzhZ68uRD9NoNdax6M9FmYNekndEQoDG6yGQ8TZbTl8DAeR-_Qj9Vt3diuP5CAJBgT4Yyq5inV84VFX52ZhaQnIQXZ0qZdVzarbABz9H-I-TxjRJFtLNdvsOmUdOlRB7Iy2mleDf_c1iHtF8vZzsTK0PJev7WW9ah3p8ASYBdMJ2XHgu0XD7UnnZCQZPoveT_4LkjuCkuCkATrEanZRIcz6uyrSgf2YYhydpyUIFPNlbRLQDAZF4pY-14xjJ_vCR98SH7YAjDt9zIu4mQCIUa1BxtFjuypsRNs7xXoyRrq0qirqSGOsvARD6xFk-gDkxxlHlCyTqCiR41m6H1pLfG9202jS-M0UwxrJneNf6W3ESg2Aj2-bE9dAhvx3MBU47F8OcLsH6eWpICMDXv92PkcKzrS-X9oBvMJeTiCHPndegIIPN1aWZEsQMjSXzCFM7WXt7QOB0QJoVvTxLQhK2QkB7QY2eHVvvU2bKgBJzR6UaVhUmRDD4cRpMjlsTeF03pwvukrSyc73RaJyZbUKDHw7TdRLuhFbSchYpOrJIMcnDxTJ8T_tzk4r3lb-n5w=w1016-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">古迹景点</a>。<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8A9TD6GzgMLNnHzDZfEhN6rY6XmkQmqV-BjR4Wpl4NZZ3LvXmT2CigU8VOYEmjYxieQDRgSiFyggQ30RX2t-ckfnMWi3xW2bWkj_6j1mQa2XWNjntzB9Dz6Pws3fMCAZCmzkUGp9XtmlSJX2TdB-MtQoHyaEopy2EUHPfeCaLONtZ8IYDDklg3D2b-9qHuOE6IQD0wIgnYdU6hDzZNh_-TccluJw_zgwULNv5ckhXalCAVHbni1FyNwryU_x7MbNSVaxVDGXe4Fg6Xg9WLFg0tEU9DwMQgXulF0v5uE4w3xZWDlxf7eEBVaEzB25eGmIEnpyhGMncT-rz0zLwzC6C8vMsA_y8iOEP_IcYmLz6NKiN7ymszzHlgUaBYZaW_f7owZlOgzVp8DC8T3d7pSRj3tlR0SC_ev0m_s12490P-1L1vNj8bGVxYnQ1YIOpVKmEoPK2gmua2rhuFTg-Fx-T8kTP2GaJ90qv28PD2VuPa50p8NM3mubQN4LbQep-s-aEM1dk61tDURKi62O9Djmj3QXlaDZ3yw0oVYa_WC9qeeblETb1yNliIvZ0Cc5rm6IWCsvvTkjGwci8qEfE8-TS5MBRxjbmtgO1p2hf4k8zeaRSrmEW54FIVCbZze7l6_95-eMka3sA_Ta8weMpUGaGcOrbfZ3SlYmepzPglZfI1_AjEEYtH213HJ2bbMkHjmo5eznf3Ki8PPdVHSEjFWuSNqt1LHv44NNb7ApjDH0WXgro97K_wMN9bOBJLqITE9lf8s5wVHFmx127EIdWBC7X2oOt61JHlJg4JKkle006QEPCr6xsEyPcOOMhYbZJmPK6miTQ-ckmcepm0ZB-J4Vllvni4jJ1LNPW7hn3tFsVvxK-Fe3iRBrG1bhfBuWFK4zi6z8W423eADUMt4xTfZEIw=w789-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">地方</a>不是很大,但是本地旅客倒很多。</div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">我跟老妈说:<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>“我经常这样认为,如果一个景点靠本地人多过靠外来的旅客,那么这个景点就绝对可以长长久久地维持下去。“</b></span></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBqTHSHR-YgfQ0vjnnPqO7Z0n8Sc7TMq4O3F_oILfQfp6kJ4Cjk4lSVdseWi8QBoXi8xI6j6f4utbqGrp0C_eB4WQiHEjRiUavCsRIvTjm05UQNQPWe5hzrQVgysAWtFoH0t2RxE29yYVL3NegXKIvuv7B9jDPSF0jpaUdtZrxdRARtL-eyoQHh1g/s8184/IMG_7638.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3243" data-original-width="8184" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBqTHSHR-YgfQ0vjnnPqO7Z0n8Sc7TMq4O3F_oILfQfp6kJ4Cjk4lSVdseWi8QBoXi8xI6j6f4utbqGrp0C_eB4WQiHEjRiUavCsRIvTjm05UQNQPWe5hzrQVgysAWtFoH0t2RxE29yYVL3NegXKIvuv7B9jDPSF0jpaUdtZrxdRARtL-eyoQHh1g/w640-h254/IMG_7638.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheomseongdae 瞻星台</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>到目前为止,庆州的所有景点都是如此-本地人秉着对国家历史文化的热心,扶老携幼来观赏,这就没问题了。反观好多在新加坡的所谓“景点“,好多都九成以上靠外国旅客,结果不是倒台就是再三地来回转手拍卖。</div><div><br /></div><div>The 267km almost horizontally cutting across the Korean Peninsula was a pleasant drive. The highways and the tunnels were not difficult. Again, the tunnels came in rapid succession because we were once again punching through the mountain ranges that flow longitudinally down the peninsula.</div><div>Serene and I were familiar with Jeonju thus we were not apprehensive about getting around. </div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">The only thing that was in my mind was: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Now that we have seen plenty of cherry blossom in Gyeongju, would we make it in time to see those in Jeonju?”</span></b></div></blockquote><div>Well, I really was not sure. Only time could tell - were we too early for the cherry blossoms in Jeonju, or were we too late...</div><div><br /></div><div>Jeonju Hanok Village wouldn’t change in that almost one year since we last visited it, just as it hadn’t changed over hundreds of years. For dinner, we found the famous <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8D22vbyl0j0fNmRHZ49nuTDVV2sJ96-xgvK23Pe9px2-a0P3beQ98SqCPK-VKGuAMo5nkibnkBud2bi54EBQBjztMx0PpltEn3WA6vF4CKFPw8pGH9jgo8QyquVk9JhvqWma3ZvJMW-yYEjbJt6R-XcwyAfT9mGOYr8OiOCTylPagMTLFe3O_wiF0FQR74uAETYwrw5GwMATjIYy-Eu6gjGU7V3is34zGaS8pN64JVsRTxKUvVO1Du9Qh3bK9QkQ3rDLOON8gu_0yy7o4r5H3CrQJTOGstznepEQzOATUdl_morMh3iqLGdC_iMRJZvvhwH1N6V1CoY5GPbfoAqK8UPpwruX7-vPw8Peiov-8pO93eSU06h1Sr8ktmOb8QvXRo_DGWOdhVWXNvEkKFztTju-BLpUC5AaytZ0m8mp2jbpkjkEO8xsyjMvWJInp-I1i-wZUifqG0jbUOd8OqTMfODE5MQrfqIINqNm1MgnMzacpOSTOycsY1doFRKpjxrvtwRleNnmzOIu2TEv6_lg1cu9XMAyYIfiZ5wCH24jP80euElqYBrOAsSY0KC_eOwTTnPmUF5IVebp5aHRQIgpo1svZ8qiQr8P-yRoYibpUtFhMIiIZB2zQvjPhOR9tbVL-8MusjW-wwaF3TL46P5A1TU9yVaTMBJjOP2noIjnnkfWTf7I0ZkR-9aYdEZrsomCfQoHfEqp_VxaStoFQ80bexMXI39pT2_mpDHP5_10I0oTWI9c8n_Sou61wTaj4mZgHx9aJDNv0Mxr8UvR9w7p9_xsA--NeGFguJGaq53Q5ZhKceAXrT82YCYDPJj8chwKIAuT2PhcLMdtzE1h5KKuy0ZiEu1IEJs3C7kbaMZiSv0G9R2a0LDidvtWZLw6Lkqpo-m7ts_qJRx0UmOn4r9pzs=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">Soondae</a> and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqXAVtofLsEAQlJs56dOvTizoRGZ_y7JpEVBoPgURe1ZnAUtclKKXqe6L9FmJpV2IC3zJGCoh_8ZLmGqA7OXX9yw7bE0BJ1QCXQbKt9W95gabUGBw26bjMcdTWJMhRHXiucfaSlneVmI/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">Intestine</a> restaurant in Nambu market <span style="color: #fcff01;"><b>赵占利南门血肠</b></span> (<span style="font-family: Poor Story;"><b><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8AQf0VY0l9M6NZ_llEuq5decRq0uPc6e7LRxJzCDPUI_CSVKTMhZ32hSUZsfraKaOkW2EAsABcONfJQw-CnBfX-Fv6-Bub8GssaTD2n2ifyP8R7501qUHtedxVMUUdS3eb-dEcEEEEYXwbkxyEg389vBfcjuAoQ_VSp_N1ywmhFdSlSu_ikDm3jJnP2Bjtf3-m9JmZ991U-FVd7Y3eXJLEBbIJwYXa0xI7EFIUmlD_q1tsIDHqosXgHSOjineed5oDl4_Cn8UN19ubbsK3AsNsPGB3IGurFaALiW4MsYpoPfDmSCYrLD5Cm7bJLgrmlyE9VyA4Jt_Zzmk3mcZQVShKUUsEueWo4_k688tMd5dJau0WJmCSsyD1goM7ujyx_ePHO8j08-pkPuGFzh5Z6Jdj_g7iHJXw2rKDRIVxEqPZpTBZ3T_RY3Il8mz6wTeUSnVy4yus2d061Cp-7vAd92rBZ2W0_bXIxSGSmRq5jhFT6iju9ZLvcgs1MhYOdSSQShz5iht70ncsdtINh8pz4SXZ2c3WUo9UCiG7h-6MKX_HEe4Mw273I1HJL0bNICK4P_mEJ0dh7R0RT951LGgpCeDWf9wnoa7u_vbjTIVbI22Mhd-fPz8HwWyWt2RjdcjvKdj89NM_1YAfIxs888xRyPUxVdQVV-HBg3VfEfbfcfMjpudZ8yVuzT6eQjK3NfoZYLSThxRHpYFWOM0WDLtx138Aoe4KGFLJfm63-hPZrp8BhKet8Lqp01U9If8U_W0rurQ3Vdkh2-Bgi0FJTXs6cWVw1eT1qpk2qAi-qXX4qeyNH7lGJ4Xn1bujLouIQZDckGmJu8ypwwCktLbk9GNV-H_xJkwz8g1Nd0JvxPHpEYn7LWoRuLCjGhcWwTJ-tLFV2a50L9Ns7D7CEqqRVxVRZmyk=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">조점례남문 피순대</a></b></span> Chocheomrye Nambu Pisundae) that was super super rated and it did not disappoint. Papa was soooo taken in by the pig intestine soups that when we asked for <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJvZVMQX7V3avzopNSrJlc1mN0gwdUU0xVziu7yCA59t_Txzj8-IppqtJy58pYnpzH8PTK6oJpgcRZAzMzw3YxNL98eiOwM7UrsAwZFnz0fk5g8Srpifd0FCzhHKz5XD8Tq4TBpIAgcM/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">more soup</a> and the waitress added <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><i><b>soup with red spicy chilly</b></i></span> he was so angry and disappointed! Hahahaha…</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyy8JS07Szrk18WaadJWe8W2oKSqumGaCLKyC-xUdp-YcwbPwvQQaSoain5fr5RBs-RFmjLFTtv-TkksS1UyT3u5F1GHIA_FYLzLznvd2HrdTTRDpupK5hDPCbADE8J3_mVdZtWKkrN0RgDGa3O6G5rA8q5b6LHeqD1eukSZeoLWVE2PCZ0J4zhy9L/s4032/IMG_7639.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyy8JS07Szrk18WaadJWe8W2oKSqumGaCLKyC-xUdp-YcwbPwvQQaSoain5fr5RBs-RFmjLFTtv-TkksS1UyT3u5F1GHIA_FYLzLznvd2HrdTTRDpupK5hDPCbADE8J3_mVdZtWKkrN0RgDGa3O6G5rA8q5b6LHeqD1eukSZeoLWVE2PCZ0J4zhy9L/w640-h480/IMG_7639.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Luckily both Serene and I left the old folks to shower and rest back in the Hanok, and later in the evening we both slowly walked back to Nambu Market and da-baoed - mandu, and also one of my all-time favourite, <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8AWAzgW_9lYCN4pGH9-AHBJlBG_S-hLvnjan5Y6XBtn6tJfdBn2oQxPrgQVz4tduCdCuUBn0kl7qDci8y5NDMUyh6s6YVeyOAEowwnJmVbMYxQgKV-iMrFkcpOuiLmCYNMh7-7qpWznhBkV1OSJwnP9v3KLOANYu-72Ib-7Rg_TNNlBx07fbIxq1Ld8h74UIgvkuCv0EZIv-4MQj-gHjJw5ugfEGsZjMG3pWHVQCscxqdbMge2FijsK4WgHWEZd9W-bpK2UetgE6H4MZuxv6kO8LSH-eI-GZp7meTQAgFbsTDxqZZsq9MqreS7ZJdDWRrlUQnorANDIoE5UTtZSaHlGGsI7VzsnOudeAlMo8w4J0cNmVx7caxeDeEnur3qTKwuluK4xsL6QsGC3whZQHo3J8tcKGev_wp9BwmSUvzCB1lN-sWrJOeMyOtaRzAV5ip6vqU7LdUMngPfuZ4ZhyuUAwQ4dKPbgwBH-ljHo7JhW5Jl0Wlef-OFENaaCs_AUHXZJkOwZJUbz3BYqtiU8q9yKRSvb5EWg5CRJHFIf829F4cJhcIl6t80yjPiFy_CxMgxlEpdDEyGz_MgCCK9FuFrR437GdCu5MxpkEozTzy3dPntWBPp1vQwYIE8hSjbjNKR5ExXhWoHJrd4RETxKJ0vhZJulB88-7n4nt9mmIeglfq4-l6RWWrKIXQd_htMjXLq451at4l2Z1D21DYXHbzI0CYjBq8pXK3tHlCLruC_Jftmq-6NVNyjb8-d9dPwSRXarfaOkkLP8lfRSqRUCXTLRcK-7tTH62PQWxOQNAk-IT0pbM312B6NB3Ovb1LIO0arqI2lXSK6kpLKa9XflAJBkUSKprVZpd3aoizVC7C1YkRRPcKBn8x8QAZatneoDg9C1bAIHFQrDuKArEmY0iOY=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow">Geomtang</a>, to bring back to have<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8CvCbiR2j5LhWYpVcTmDHZsgkL-60K-CaC0LNxXdlgOyh5_kZLONye0V6lfSEadmdxgXdK_V1isPpUGlEhKVThynoTl7Nu6lm7hlu9abAYDrEsEUY2x0fRAua8pOt8h883MdsT9YCUYcYsfPUWRBhIB-kmjSr0B-CHUio3qZ3wgUH0CxYPP5AeSfWvHRf30SwLNaV_N77ACjYH3JI1DbAHyceI1oHMfM8ivohNKOMajtJO0xbn7coEcPJnSi8GHLWA8fNdtBqO2Oeq2Fitnjxugd3VCNnxnLGV_-RemL_rudVFTx8TiU9ZHzXgOCFHMZNLY79gjsCKSwe95lbf5BE99uPgkjQogBbJxPN9LzG5Rm22ZDrMzbLadrQ4Kt3nR5aY7OBaOD4MJ_DsJCpnkApz0NifY6LSHwTwBIDCzq1IC_A7pYv7A7iqWTrm4lC7md1jafrNIVwgOmsLA3n-GhnXpb-3RXjPk1AQHM9XE4AerlBtw2ScSJ0LS0T5xk3OWmD7Jgio3AMUG5W9yb5sVSgqEvIVxVfCw5f38LgZUbqrIbanFd7OEWG3pJ3XnHZ05Z_OSbxSudIB163KCxJCXaTt5HAPNvxWAgYMnEMYgySlrGnfsH1P9t48MLnOrxbtEx2H4CCLUzvx-JC3SKDKXeiSPxyunOKpBJHdEeygnGLP3ESCmERVjHHpxUutbxMQ8mvlqrnuZ8Vc9-K6McmwjXb5VQvqA6IcE_HwEACp4nv8nl5aKoJED0X6Elr4TckD_GCN6krQBtlgtlge5uh0wu09cQtqYeAbPmx5hRcpfRVxeTlBbKktbSRkFYkbwtFLinoFku8q9GRHjV0IoYrG6ZGNUwvUCt42PtLbVhpBdLJEPcdpy2ioc3vS4PPPcvYC11FY1jHbI4Nf54kSBpxFYNnM=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow"> supper</a> with the old folks!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSLjv3ElPmn5EkNPQ_8wHDhipOLCPyRuOgIULTWYmLueP-CJ_fWLh4pwrUFnFdTVFvaXMH03UF1h3KPeFmd0kji-fzVNSHktKy3uksIXu-Z05GE8Y-AbBwDGbDj5TxHG3KZ9VKyKtTZTCjqZ6mzBPxPEnXv6IeNbYoUKVvLoeTiNzRuRJyIwQAsyM/w640-h480/FL_20230408_0596.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><br /></span></b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">👇</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"> Below</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="457" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pwLs46lhaEc" width="550" youtube-src-id="pwLs46lhaEc"></iframe></div></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">☝ </span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Above</span></b><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></div><span><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span>[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day<span style="font-size: xx-small;">]</span></span></b></div><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day1" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 1 - </a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>Yay! 汉城啦!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day2" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 2 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 3 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>哇,樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?</b></span><b style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";"><div></div></a></b></span><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day4"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 4 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>黄龙院,良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day5"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 5 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>大陵苑,瞻星台 - </span>just to get our TOTO numbers & off to <span>全州 </span>Jeonju Hanok Village!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day6"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 6 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>全州乡校街,太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day7"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 7- </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day8"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 8 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Yay! 又回到汉城了!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day9"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 9 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>蚕室洞石村湖 </span><span>Seokchun Lake </span><span>(and GOTO Mall)</span><span><span> </span>- Last few days this year for the blossoms</span><span>吧</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day10"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 10 - </b></span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day11"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 11 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Seodaemun Prison History Museum <span>西大门刑务所历史馆..</span> a sobering memory... have to eat <span>猪血!</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day12"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 12 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>又广长吃猪脚,又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!</b></span></div></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="font-size: xx-large;"><a name="Day6"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Day 6 - Gai-gai-ing in </span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">全州韩屋村</span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> </span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">a very relaxing day in Jeonju Hanok Village,</span><i><span style="color: #fce5cd;"> as what the Joseon physician prescribed.</span></i></span></a></b></div><div><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;">28 March 2023</span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>全州的这一间 <span style="color: #fcff01;"><b>“充满幸福的韩屋馆“</b></span> Hengbok Kadeuk Hanok, 跟庆州的那间徐罗伐韩屋馆比起来,相对的是<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCdhfI19OueMi_pPr1FIFyctVEVsu9QdoAsxBglwqPDh3NmvtC15SWwcvhTgN7KYXwVjxWp0GsB8fJDWAn1fCJLkDPD2HFJChEhmVJJBtNoM-YlqM8boEeRWFBQOCvXUKww7EH6WgX3E/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">稍微旧了一点</a>。但是这间<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1b3sPuTUlqRqUu80CKSAP7sGVXmMzmnhZO30Iq5zy0R_IpsCq6cawcJ1yLWfbmCWDvrGHvAplzR3ZsnH0GMsQgVtXmG-eZK9w_wJmJ0sVbTf02rtsaRssLk0zhjr4ONryOz4LHb-06X8/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">稍微小</a>一点的<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7WRcSj5T4Oydver1Al_4qVBqehn8mR2kATseeVPnmVPVKvZ7NqzzMhyF1pSLbN0HtO-t9KymKf55qzKTWCYfuLN5jLBbSi8xhEqxEhFmfoQ3EaAPhzwevchcw-r4yvTWosc-hwLbSZtk/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">L-形韩屋</a>,还甚是有韵味的呢。社长是一位笑脸但略寡言的男社长。或许是他的英文不太好吧。但后来开始用韩语交谈后,哇,也变得好多话说了!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUPA_3CJZSfaNGcnR4K7IqL7anQ08DFjY6zMEah2LS3zAOZBXyXGap_sFObzc_klJCnIBfwnlsDoKJCPAYcrxRF3OqHYxED3HwBc2RPllCVPSMzdhae8fOPPjOhXKCTbFgbMyPaJDzI3-UluIhRSOdVLlmgKfKeVa30SfaaQ_0TX7lumXBcnJqU9T/w640-h480/IMG_7665.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">我跟老人家说: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">“今天我们的行程很简单,也就是慢慢地走在全州韩屋村的乡校街和太祖路,慢慢品尝全州的拌饭,在找一找 </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">caricature </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">素描的画家帮我们四人画一张。 “</span></b></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div><div><br /></div><div>Serene and I loved staying in Jeonju Hanok Village as it is the olden, flavourful section of Jeonju that sees many old Hanok lining the streets and pavement and where the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNmk3zXxgFtv-Djb06BNwflBUGl4OizjZ4LHpxvw9UtpfaGDhaf8CsViVeUc1MjUHqlNU7dyTY2jm5JcIGkyG5bFR9dFvz8WaXr7_WlkX5yO1YGYJ5wW9ySrrbRYGpXqw8a8zaexXgUGg/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">local architecture</a> is aggressively conserved. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5CbEhOTDwWKJOMehVWSC6VdbqjPkBBeN79QmVuXk33JiJvZHQ-QPIc-pg0zWItei9w59YU_TptdgUfM54Dn-qjQ_vcLWay4ihqP4nEksGh2mHgr04Evjp2Ktyx6ATiD1LdJJ5Mi8oOQ/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">Hyanggyo-Gil</a> and Taejo-to were our usual favourite walking places</div></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJh6K_oPG-pYZ8PpnJILYdIdafx4xeBPm36j5-79gl4-7QElx305C9ykrHBr0vVL84MTnVG78k5wab93ORMA3_dc3iaZj1pu3V_FpUgJs0nMAyB1FwEBFKq6naBI7AkNXUYQXlWVAWro6FA7ZiGG5LCnMka5gwk7BgTvzCpT5UKZqxJdjtj-PSuTb/s480/FL_20230408_0595.GIF"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJh6K_oPG-pYZ8PpnJILYdIdafx4xeBPm36j5-79gl4-7QElx305C9ykrHBr0vVL84MTnVG78k5wab93ORMA3_dc3iaZj1pu3V_FpUgJs0nMAyB1FwEBFKq6naBI7AkNXUYQXlWVAWro6FA7ZiGG5LCnMka5gwk7BgTvzCpT5UKZqxJdjtj-PSuTb/w640-h480/FL_20230408_0595.GIF" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large;"><span><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">👇</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"> Below</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="471" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cbhpwtUJrEg" width="567" youtube-src-id="cbhpwtUJrEg"></iframe></div></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">☝ </span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Above</span></b><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jeonju is not just only about Jeonju Hanok Village, although Jeonju Hanok Village is the more traditional section of Jeonju that is tourist-attractive. Walking along the streets is always a unique experience. But in my heart, it would be eventually important to see the other more modern parts of Jeonju city, now that this was the second time we were here. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDCLBOevj4eFe9PZLFpIyu_XtpcE0YFqyKiYSgHnVXnrIM_C6ZuMwl7aAWsmCEfD3jfJWvIICqaIfyUVwmAMIg7w9_O6YgEwniRM7RNwwd9rFaSB81GKhp6uznhW1Xmy9g-9jgyfRCDbK3l9tYezj3UWiOWhXx9PxVcJzqHZp630wIGqg26AY-l8N/s4032/IMG_7670.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDCLBOevj4eFe9PZLFpIyu_XtpcE0YFqyKiYSgHnVXnrIM_C6ZuMwl7aAWsmCEfD3jfJWvIICqaIfyUVwmAMIg7w9_O6YgEwniRM7RNwwd9rFaSB81GKhp6uznhW1Xmy9g-9jgyfRCDbK3l9tYezj3UWiOWhXx9PxVcJzqHZp630wIGqg26AY-l8N/w640-h480/IMG_7670.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hyanggyo-gil was very very quiet. Surprisingly quieter than when we were there in May 2022. Hyanggyo (the <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8D-oqeMwvk1gU6U9EeF_hEFOm-XqknGYgRuXDen2Fsn0yzx2BXQWNoXYx3YljIb2UHXNPADu5DLpfcPn_K6nOqF-9NMNwzsdr--kTh3TMob7m5da_iQATI2kkNWVo-P7-YsY9cDlYIwyKY6Hfev3nRulpUru-QN9l099gA0v7UgguMjFgw_vMfUfibfMKVjUtOjxPYUAApUNzFoiA1kB89onShdrLq7ipIK680YtzNhDwpbZqMNF9VgXUoPw4-8zSB1VJSX3Ih0u5czXFA_sx5Otw150vgD9t6RQvdwbGz3vMadZBAMkT3B1kfFPz7A3YTXt8Vv8aLFm_4_uMO39tjjTfAdaJGkBKF0_lM-LU3rXsaZ3mVA9rKTWqFxk-zOAf-R3lYCLLklLnwB7m8HPCq0uC4OEqmtDZOn-oNXqxY-WDqQi8jpqoCU0NrGsp4j6CV01biiqlTSkvGUTk7TAzBDZoS18YQhtMV1VqzBF55zmCPzKK7z0OqydlO9-LUovWpC4mJCJwuSBdN3MCqf_9TRDNOOqp0Rs_AniX0UWL2wcX0hvQ5QQ__4Qm96nM2bSaYW298xve6tYENyWiCsHGSrIMAne2LCXj4BRZ9HbStCyvgmLetdzRFX8mjwy2wlXeBU9ZEztyj-xZUlG5-b8otB1elEveXRLXAWUub64eCNaDB4OR4wtuJVmRh6Qgo1klhYVQWuhsqJBybeZUMQ3-n896o5cQUM5NJwQF7-3OOLZ5DonJpYIDSYx6o3BmQ3MydzJZqs-AzegLsLC7txMBJLCE4YbTLqiQGF0bvjlv9WyPytomMhvVpuUMZj0fPWF9oaFnWh6hh218e3IQ1UOlcZLxoe6-eZgqnGSuNE6SLyEGKgG0RdfBkscx21T-od7V_u0LOjLge-amtzBNdW9wk=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow">Jeonju Kampong School 全州乡校</a>) that was the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2TzCWobPhUfaPIlsLPACLvRqRRj0AGIxY1P-4QuIG4vQXRjqBpHNKC-_KOGrr33I1J-82CMezq2e6l3oSLPyKiUgWpcA-eBX3Xw7eODmuJuDJGFSCPDe5e3T5gRT_m5LeayEJtyZggI/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow">centrepiece </a>of the local education for hundreds of years, was still a fantastic visit, espeically so that this time round we went with the two old folks who were so scholarly that they could appreciate literally <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8DpFT02O2tg0nHqWXC2K8qRYuV7M4sP1hMUaZIex-IRP73zz-197x-MOQBlyb6P1LhdvKJOqo4eUVcrfe2gh4LXa6MN8IBO8cpw7Se44noEcaNLGV6osZgRTwbqXClzOeCubWgpHFYnElTTZP47XS3Um9OLCaTjYBmw2lXdNzcE39EjpfSQ3EoLXvfk6ZQYpgYYP9sOgpXtwyOG4SRa9j6y-S8HRqUV-gPJ6N4WOcNOWLMOTCDKu5cgW3Ky5CszYZPc8m0qYKi89CNjaHjaviMdzYH-emfAQVJO3AxSNWLCAa-TLRyG9gVi7KqhSyikyX-bXL36hRh2-XPs-zAW15lelrx-oDkD0rYpL11nLOgbiNa-BVi7gA7DqNffvjmLxKtMlfqP3fkAkqcsRCIWYCUvJd5GgBstKzurFZ1EZ10M3OgJRIahFAbY_AAjeWSxH3Ea9og7614Ne8OBEKvChKmK5PJiuhAiOMO6AG7jyIGPVds9bYoogchb58ajapWZscgQDTG5GuNY3cDRoiykHrYEPlYZeoZszEAJNWUDAJYK-8ZBCjHnx8F8fU5TIZSQpUfg9lh7yeP_OoQ-ii6DTU6ywkCg9HlfPCRiNQOgnEnJFz3JD3OK-T3wTuxVGNbPpeiDecshDVJj4j_Jz6U_iNesQzmq3bmAvgvu64vzSLpFV0wfc3JtcU08ntF78JNq-tJ14Q6QExjwm4MLHKX3KE2MWe6WO8uzsC9nnYXMOZ9SqCfxcJ_BHGGgUR8ytkfOlxZW0BIrPUyxNqT5eVBWw-AxFYgyArFBETYWCopfxnf997POLIb6lQ0kpoywGMoZ5_SAgw3ttiCYWizQ4pVY-3f9dJQyG52jGIZXyvFLcA-ggqmyIUybzMILiyekwyz5GeETj1rXEv6WDMeAsHmecd4=w789-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow">every cornerstone</a> of the Kampong school, even Papa went to give the <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8BTDl3lPSWiLIQPYma3Nj2u1k5KI47gDCLYBm2FTIttJbhL-vZf-Lsdxqq5_-whioHJgMJJpY5GTLl4QGkLRIPSymGLCCgKDiPuVBPZhKiHS_FOAKJHn3kFnPpMmx9vPq-Gn0UGjmcQ0L3JMEkXAKtdJ695oPnQxLwG8TP_-Eijuo2iqPfDBUJmFD9e8ch6OJilI8tIBJRe8QKsGnWXsE48z8amF_2QaSTw50UZ9gb3eOI_O6H3-g9u_Wej000ZiyaoGUea_IS-XDzaunpNtxMR3BbzPzBH1lMEllxEJw_I2mFCrniNoj0fi6aaep7fgkft96FnZpc08dD6qHMjZkU0AGecAR9ZT2VZiS1OYGzHmaqA8xrdTJzU6f9gR7GYvmf8rfXZH5aQPbgtqvIClFhaDTHxrSohoi8rCCPwT22xyilsupwIOGZstostkv15WPx8hhXrH1OfW9IJ88Nk-iuyhCnou_O-M91ql3Sj74PH4UGDN1ofqVzb-amrMETqdw-sMdqSbAKaeCaCWbXQPYJ2i7cnn3zfxphc-9qZVm457tZuIFNocXw0btxkoqOxxYklh8mMG50A3M4v6EjAWaEzAEO4Qt1zllAj1kNeVvjU2LH7r-xxdivo_iJTDXkiz1B-VqQUsKJXz0C6SiXVnnjvb72MCSHUyrqIggZus1hgsSRM3rUsxHiglCisNS8pYrZUalF4mHFoPRiXWzm1XVyBeUoRLz9Dbf5zh77RsTfdhJSC314MtTi4sxq1MQ4y5XLb3aI1oTxriQz27Y3pTkxggMCr4XHZJjFMzEUTdekHudc20tLOwyukXe4oVI9OqHqdPuC34LBEak8lflMoA4MWlsQ-A-4xOKoHGcg21aa1x_qYTJYE__tqJT56V2eiqEdQ3KjpUj_YR_U1hejKpqM=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow">old Joseon toilet</a> a long-overdued, Singapore-standard inspection. Serene and I were a little disappointed with Hyanggyo Street's quietness, until we made the turn into Taejo-ro, when suddenly we were blasted by an explosion of people. Not only were there many locals but also foreigners- westerners, southeast Asians.. and Taejo-ro was once again familiar.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ROMBxrWblOBIcU1AK5dI70lX_0kHI1kPYqye-LroTiZxYoFlt1lyRvn3N0iB4i4cFPWANE6oyUU4w7WUeukOQrOPNLYwidshjXie-EdqA__N2dgng-ghYWiVgJT-BBjfgtJNAaKIrTHP8U64mDgKKL0IBSCzyx-93Z6f9AW0YC81km44LIX0J9Y0/s4032/IMG_7690.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ROMBxrWblOBIcU1AK5dI70lX_0kHI1kPYqye-LroTiZxYoFlt1lyRvn3N0iB4i4cFPWANE6oyUU4w7WUeukOQrOPNLYwidshjXie-EdqA__N2dgng-ghYWiVgJT-BBjfgtJNAaKIrTHP8U64mDgKKL0IBSCzyx-93Z6f9AW0YC81km44LIX0J9Y0/w640-h480/IMG_7690.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The streets and roads of Jeonju Hanok Village were short, and very easy to finish walking within a short period of time. After that, it was just looking for a restaurant for a local meal and some desserts, and coffee. And of course, my one main important objective coming into Jeonju Hanok Village was to have a <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8BKJ-S2iequBSRxREnUY7f6cIhM8TfDxVT3s8p_pYjPsNlaBz90WUfjK-67nHQmyIxQgQl2auqjgy8M6kP0Ddwl7zJMjrESkowxK0YOjDffXN2xICuIk_E_ekOc56dqUhgMlASTlckHs4hvq7GuVc8DKdGGszE5yNivDPjOn5O8fWxGfNTmjKBqtmzgcKN4UIyurh-FSGhLWY77p1jPkZp2Ebutcl53gY1Cr4L-yeGt_0DaFqcUeQ963zeOzEa6oJ0785VTTpXp1KFXjw6OcYUBitvImUPA0PdGqCxssty3vRuw9zEYDASYg41blhPAADqyZelBwBmL3SbhECZdGWhcfFn6nW7cTTo7OOL04qiToIQ3kZhubsiJQ84ewYzYDH_JQbKjCQ5WTu_xmTJ3bbAnYCBa40IG7ewaV1TO3TrsQQksLUqhDx8FJtz5OlK3LmJ90DjfHgSeyF7Kh_wYyCeHPKbGU8hYK9afeseiX5dzin1zFJXb2SotFpFmrsE1JJoNW_7MGr0PCnQjLLCmEypWL8hZ0XHDI_33yQTAAXwyL7IWUnN-mV9orO2hWP8C786eUZqxYFpwrSHZtNbt270eJesJo8TQPFp-46dBRYCdu9Hz2v9MdvCGSRAlvk0dH1goneX1vraJy_VLpjZSXWDZi6fpqJjEnnBIkRHQpu-P6cryLhgxhQiiFHNRHBcHH62tqIMCBW1SUvcFzQvJ70sFWajTXAWcjjkA0upXI2bEWc4qKBCsBExK5-YcvB7msIFs-v8o6THN1v1NauPakZLbetvcHyBv1siuEdussPNDX8fFgAgME_28m9b1ELs2x1B7gwPn4U8WqEyzAlasAPr1Vi0HSRshsFTM0_XXYubXst8-DsZNMROKrfaQIqWQ84Fm-AeRCDvxRaVm1wgCZPQ=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow">caricature</a> of the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJoovhYiv9xMQApDCR9K8mEx14W-8km4NFJIMNTZVrfsO1bQ_CHj-QDFY-ekVxu6ymlGTImF-ITCfRxQx66x1f6ZoioMrxUfRQm8IUewdedHgLH_jsBMIfpFD5SIpbwT8OckBpV51oIg/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow">four of us</a> drawn.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">妈妈说:<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“哎哟,这个画家真是厉害,画到我的可怜的样貌,把我这一生给老公欺负的可怜韵味都给描出来了。哈哈哈哈哈!”</span></b></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpY5bkGA2fwBt7hNCe7u954wiTsGJJCqfIjnXAt8HFv31_6_fqgGfhzFPIg_eO2Vjd1kYt4vfUc2ZQBG8NIFcAHJObXroxkPa06M5ltAk99UPmGOksoJCfKnA9L7BV-tCRaodIz2jCv7IsgwnJGqaqc22fqhJZdd8a7vHC2e-xxaP0PoZNtaP3C2tF/s3191/Scan%2028%20Mar%202023%20at%2016.38.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3191" data-original-width="2264" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpY5bkGA2fwBt7hNCe7u954wiTsGJJCqfIjnXAt8HFv31_6_fqgGfhzFPIg_eO2Vjd1kYt4vfUc2ZQBG8NIFcAHJObXroxkPa06M5ltAk99UPmGOksoJCfKnA9L7BV-tCRaodIz2jCv7IsgwnJGqaqc22fqhJZdd8a7vHC2e-xxaP0PoZNtaP3C2tF/w454-h640/Scan%2028%20Mar%202023%20at%2016.38.jpg" width="454" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Up till this stage, we really did not manage to see many cherry blossoms. Even walking along Jeonju-cheon 全州川 did not find us any cherry blossoms. In my heart, I kept asking myself where can I bring our little troupe to see cherry blossom in Jeonju, now that we have seen so many cherry blossoms in Gyeongju. My original plan was to drive or walk to Wansan Garden 完山七峰花园 as it was highly recommended in some of the blogs for being famous for the cherry blossoms. I was really not sure if Jeonju has had the blossoms bloomed and dropped already, or perhaps the blossoms hadn't arrived yet. Thus every chance I had, I would ask every SaJangNim and locals in all the souvenir shops, the provisional shops, and our Hanok's own SaJangNim.</div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">"No, the cherry blossoms here in Jeonju haven't bloomed yet,"</span> </b></span>said one of the convenience shop SaJangNim, echoing the same words of our Hanok SaJangNim.</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">"You should really drive the one hour trip to Jinan Maisan,"</span> </b></span>highly recommended our Hanok SaJangNim. <b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;">"</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;">It usually has lovely cherry blossoms."</span></span></b></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnU8buZmjMnfP0oM3StcgX129c8o09SV9nMw--HYAZ80QtZtVW3vN7NOEatB31PDK-35O2O4KjT_UqWagbjeS_W022m0igkz7qlXtoPvw96T57bSDrQnMlBuFPPh3KHOC1z_KJrJXoST71C03euxCDu7S8Bqj-qzW46bjJMjC3T2YfF5YQFFBRz3k/s4032/IMG_7676.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnU8buZmjMnfP0oM3StcgX129c8o09SV9nMw--HYAZ80QtZtVW3vN7NOEatB31PDK-35O2O4KjT_UqWagbjeS_W022m0igkz7qlXtoPvw96T57bSDrQnMlBuFPPh3KHOC1z_KJrJXoST71C03euxCDu7S8Bqj-qzW46bjJMjC3T2YfF5YQFFBRz3k/w480-h640/IMG_7676.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">乡校古树</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, since we hadn't the luck of seeing cherry blossoms so far up till day in Jeonju, no harm in giving that suggestion a try. The next day.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></div><span><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span>[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day<span style="font-size: xx-small;">]</span></span></b></div><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day1" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 1 - </a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>Yay! 汉城啦!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day2" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 2 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 3 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>哇,樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?</b></span><b style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";"><div></div></a></b></span><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day4"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 4 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>黄龙院,良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day5"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 5 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>大陵苑,瞻星台 - </span>just to get our TOTO numbers & off to <span>全州 </span>Jeonju Hanok Village!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day6"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 6 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>全州乡校街,太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day7"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 7- </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day8"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 8 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Yay! 又回到汉城了!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day9"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 9 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>蚕室洞石村湖 </span><span>Seokchun Lake </span><span>(and GOTO Mall)</span><span><span> </span>- Last few days this year for the blossoms</span><span>吧</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day10"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 10 - </b></span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day11"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 11 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Seodaemun Prison History Museum <span>西大门刑务所历史馆..</span> a sobering memory... have to eat <span>猪血!</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day12"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 12 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>又广长吃猪脚,又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!</b></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="font-size: xx-large;"><a name="Day7" style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Day 7 - </span></a><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">马耳山</span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Single Day";">Maisan - </span><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: inherit;">马上观塔寺,耳边闻助念</span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Single Day";"> what an experience!</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;">29 March 2023</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">"老爸老妈老婆,既然我们韩屋的 강석기社长强力推荐,那今天我们就开车大概个小时40公里的路到镇安市的马耳山看一看吧!"</span></b></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>回想起来,这一趟也真的是好过瘾。一点都没有错。</div><div>马耳山离开全州市不远,所以天气应该是差不多一样。所以要是全州市还未开花,那么镇安的马耳山也应该是一样。</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1q789MW8z1ajLAdAb_t0pyWVik7qpTSWqvXlmH4pezKGrlNX_fhIJ98mfKrx7c941rFITUu8Fy_WwZ1gWttWI4HmYxS88Y5vS42iR_WYIu9fKqNfKQ_dW5Tq5z2cWbtWdSz-zIUrbtuUqrPr_TJjQXN6zw_ZyVj1duCZzgcFT1rPPz_OCIzDkPKXf/s480/FL_20230408_0597.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1q789MW8z1ajLAdAb_t0pyWVik7qpTSWqvXlmH4pezKGrlNX_fhIJ98mfKrx7c941rFITUu8Fy_WwZ1gWttWI4HmYxS88Y5vS42iR_WYIu9fKqNfKQ_dW5Tq5z2cWbtWdSz-zIUrbtuUqrPr_TJjQXN6zw_ZyVj1duCZzgcFT1rPPz_OCIzDkPKXf/w640-h480/FL_20230408_0597.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-align: right; text-transform: capitalize;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-transform: none;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">👇</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"> Below</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-transform: none;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="467" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jMGl1jFJr64" width="561" youtube-src-id="jMGl1jFJr64"></iframe></div></b></span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-transform: none;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">☝ </span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Above</span></b><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div></div></span></div><p> </p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>”真奇怪,"</b></span> 爸爸说。<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">"在庆州那里樱花就开到</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> bing bing biang biang,</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> 这里却完全没开花。“</span></b></span></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">卖<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8AvbDODHk_Ya6rYBhIEel5B9eB6xwYUS7kzBVR5RihFNvhS3TtvaAB1SO5SU8DSZNz81--MTx91Ry0k-M3dK8gZVLRV4lcuI_F03BQQjl8xlkpXTMbZ4td1DSA8QTMVKxBh3lGrmjtIE4kMz77Ju--a7YyQTl8lONGxzbymOJSZBKIwJ-0sFjvrKyW0-K2hCnfnlhcwRoYjyP9g8Tj2WkZn7kW76J3xfuwGRvhUWA-dzq2q5G2UcO8FCTrTWm6nZSql2iqbC-EosVlJi068CefGNlW2VtAccBOecN4i-1gcY8ZLa8WLktIfbGdsEARx9npesBzELTRBnG1XVQ5ZrfHm04aue0h-jaz6igtu_h9WTJ-_VVfjVbxVWOVToETuPlmOIkewtGdQlpLLQhquYJoaZRDphMktCJC7K9JfES1IS4ZB_gmeMdCYXlQNA65FXyTmRsimJsBADVopdWhVW2TMmKTXDSrS06PZYoycJeXLIDYYQz-lFDBacidnUQh0uJRiUJTbBMjnHQjf5l-lR7YB2r86gUtweqDPL7Gz5b57ZimgSdVidu_b76LolUsjGTjnKKyyrqF21fvEUFZ-UulgQIk__VnRC7QIIh9EEmQJsIeZv1cc0ajVsdcsTFrhios00WG7hITzR5ciN8qRxAcX57yBTHcqV3kZ8o5RG5K27TOxadLEOLyJ6CqCc5_u68IyqjHhLyzE4ZowPXSr_CNnm_VzyOIe3QDGguGYKhenyzKEmwUaW9q3t2b6VH_DFkxtcrfCphYocoF1WGP8yraDfdHru2KYI6zsCOJrA-OqSqxUXRYkzAzbfoL_1kkE1LM3UKrowFZ7hv1Q0Q_kTG7gtcI1bbZPdfqjnNwnpnIvBw026i8eBYM6qJ-Orzs-BdNbRSLw5zIUjguVN79mLiQ=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">炸人参</a>的女社长很 cute地说:<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b> "这里要再多两个星期,也就是大后个星期吧,才会开樱花。因为现在天气还算是冷的。“</b></span></div></blockquote><div><br /><div>其实我们也认命了啦。能够有机会在庆州看得漂漂亮亮。已经很充分了。在全州或在首尔能够再次看到樱花的话,那也就算是 bonus 了。<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>话说这马耳山,从停车场慢慢步行到塔寺是来回 3.8km. 路经两旁大树林立的车路与人行道。途中也经过一个<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8CfwY5gP1i-v-flsyAQQ2DCZuDRnixLda4wVniLdPwyqlLfCkTu0rk44pd6tXmRTOiaufZVBIAoKwRzb2md68Y3NFyZLSPVhOuxY-sDvcNEiRtfftnBcx85TCAedrPwp-0x65zq0nGygx_T_U151d2COWzk2b-SjYJgsM55VbMK8H5jDA1xMW2G9yiNFurbK8f9rxP_9ARk25ZwDHsiJskWiC3GNYaGUybFEzgkNmZGcs6a60Di_nnbMdjG2JuKC5D7DRt06VAT1YBa8N3VfRn8_WrDCihjRkmhzUaqM3yCl2DCOxj7mx-ou7HgX44X3VzrpolQtK0xOIF0QYtRFL_0y7-muZQS1s65erIiajmLMIX9tAjPViZgQYUEadgb098GSoIIuk9jxxOp1ly-l6t8b8LVASsXzTAm4DsU8O_Ft9LwuQytu45LYpJB47PZ5pSg1GwAM8QqEjw9CwDbSMEO1axOIcslybn4AJdMuGnv_iNy1gqMBc6vWL7Ek5F7Rjax5iRG-IfLX59__rxTjSuUqZ7JPXnw3ffZEl4RMZD6EaIoDeO8JO9DUzb7NNI3m3p-6os7ryN9gMNkcsUmYLJuBRf7Y-mlt-NZn3Vklr3MovF9429h2A3k-N6-8gimBDl1nLZNWqPIXe68bVPe5GO28TQfqavFAFMJhwCdAa3V26DzsrjbxA3-MUKf1Wz_EaOeUzFQ9BI9QmGJkYxc-RYdYkeZz2cRmxo9G5m2JAVN2ewUSep5L2tT_XPDCE2AyDkal0vBypOToWvtFpukKVC7Wp6NtNgNoil3ITK-RsMc9LGqWoyypptCmVxwlw09T1tKrGH4_6j1nASI3hm51uax_WPadQAyeU0HM9e2XtvvZuTN44Tb9uIeujQ6nlSXlLqWw5C7YTKhlxFauJkv0FU=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">漂亮的湖</a>。</div><div>每一棵树的下面两边都已经设置好了往上照亮灯,以及树枝上吊着的垂直灯。全部都是准备两个星期后樱花一开,晚上把灯全都打开了,人们走在路上欣赏樱花,不亚于我们在庆州鸡林街看的美景。</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4O2j_yhLcQ9RbVwbX-QEDOsI8I80fvJBfRZTG0pyIrKhUL4I2Kw3xB2n2_B1PRjNUWQrbYhGYzff8hM1XS2MIM3h542Eo-4AE48NiDQxsbO_IiLniEQ94uB1dAu8wfBwh8RsZwie9MFg1l7OfPlxGkfxxhpioUO48xZuGtdnzQQUbQHEOpPTaqYSo/s4032/IMG_7918.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4O2j_yhLcQ9RbVwbX-QEDOsI8I80fvJBfRZTG0pyIrKhUL4I2Kw3xB2n2_B1PRjNUWQrbYhGYzff8hM1XS2MIM3h542Eo-4AE48NiDQxsbO_IiLniEQ94uB1dAu8wfBwh8RsZwie9MFg1l7OfPlxGkfxxhpioUO48xZuGtdnzQQUbQHEOpPTaqYSo/w640-h480/IMG_7918.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div>还有<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4xBOrror8z5EEz8vQ9rCkHzXlbPVPK2AJM9KlRJ_vaFh1rQSS6RmisT5x0U589BEs2CpGNs0HnBpnUREmDGUjSK1MbMo62Q7hdHLM_rQm1f0Pxh9Sr1x2132Wan7niy_l1t_Y9VFzNQ/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">玛尼石园</a>,让我们大家筑起自己的<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8AFd8lJvu_ioAqq1DZPODjh8UstqJ4feiiKYOnKOfaXost3mWEwueTf-ZuZAMJ8oORIrwMy1uaz0issvMGZpQR7uVGQjE6ctiAAmHym5eBxUu-t2NOoT7dsF2AsU3zau-ogfUD_T36B_X9MDrliVZiBG_y44FY9cXoFIvkm7hLK-Pyi6hr_7cawQ4xv8ixmhhmU5CiXq5CWJH1eTKr1AhZvCWfEtVeRqnNJF_xOtyJlh8-zbF_RyfMH5aDpozLN7Kj24Eaf_oc4NoEQrLEurkT0tmItAX-k3hTPki5aCIHPh5x5ukI26N9b605tB9Dap1Sr4U8A9FdkY75tHgNBFqXvrPdnWIqfiQlddZqJD1G8QX7aIludTmKWK5Yn85OgtnkSb6ekp4VYYzxGNbXUjcSYueefb2P754JXIu4x2kmyNmak9roRGtlV9kTPvCkFDGluQx_7FouSbvdLqZhZJ_cpXxzfdYJFH5ot8aOgExP8yCrrQxBGtasmm-Efz3Ay-TRd8oL19QShZUS5JpvgzKwDf8RifyIxn1Kt9T-tf9_KSKR2KYD2rtQYmeOaSUber5Ddp-2_avgddE75QqIbyfP3u-pExl2ZOsb6sboZdVy5ZApPc3ycuI2mtwXdxSRSPkC74jnyBm983HW8A6pgMzOnkGGV4GGnR8UfyhoK1G-aJwy3UGWA55dvOoq4HAGociCDeZTENu-ajIMvxd7tYhvDCh76lhkFB9BmGBP2QBIAuC8IWGpnvn3jXoMIhjgiu74qjNSPR2cSz9tou5ZqZv0Gl6YnK2poGpe7QHJKcSKqbM9s1DTxfj0hR_tqyx7u3Cxdwy_MJCcJ30QU3x2vZVVht9paeI7K_-5p-dFPpIObJblTency4HjlvjTyiQGTJ9H9Ye_cuGlp0D7xrqGd60M=w580-h209-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">玛尼石</a>。非常好玩的经验。</div><div><br /></div><div>This Maisan is composed of two peaks, like the ears of a horses, one of these peaks, the female peak, apparently is the easier one to climb at 686m high. We met some of the young trekkers who just gotten back from climbing up to one of the peaks. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmntCAqqjtaM7YfT5K_vIpLq249-keEtqjwTBbkvbu-ZtOx2u1pWmleE-Gy05_RurXOjXQCXTkjMHKA5-iNC_sWE3LC25VGIrEhwGz-80YiviNcKuKBCbBthiw_NrjmX1TTuNtz2cCjra0ApAactcrpb4SHYno-yDjuuAE3pLJB5E18ZREhTTbl8z/w640-h480/IMG_7884.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Otherwise, walking to Tapsa (Tap Temple 塔寺) and then slowly climbing some stps up to the 天地 Manistones and 大雄殿 , is <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8Aen2A75brJpB64_sb9saYAxss1YPLOqvPJps_DjQ-iTQ8K_N-c-HSHfQbfLIYv_xI77xcqo9ZjMP6bW3iMlncJA5f8LAKbbxKzrOIN_mKKohdkas6YNmw1aF74g2wD8-D_vp1iyV1ld4VqBsoiDw1jWnDMZqGg2Ll9f_20JTmJJdpaum4csN8Kk2jOt_HxgO97YBBxk9cbhbU-Cby7xrDOA36GbYBSGqduKsGAHvazu0TEF_LxSNbEWWagAw8DJOxBELWJh6yVtxVrqlvjCgNYW0uDufPBCqiqAG1HkDJ5ctPWgsSoSDaS2WW3HlCvhdJ5SNMlRfenz3zny3mSucRi-wWwhR2VCvNEQ4jJbFmefY49AvzW0oID1wIvMlfif7y30je52TELfAoFLYkX1JvQMEb0_nux1CVUeG1Fo0jreb1n9osEAVVUC2B5DIRObEVHRXYxfPwMKveSYGoDuRzy-hoUCp7vjM_p942YPJtY8OVJ_IN71R6yKx6u53cxCSg2xVZJlJ3a9BjXJNrOUZ6x3ucUKjMQd6c_ctBxYBYtgU81E7zydIUwZyHxK6_kHhTzQV0GFA7l86clKxg9lFBDyZbL_jcHsd06EwpAQK-3qT2wrVp1lILllJpu2GAFnIZ2N0LHbzLsKq2kKkBtohXP3I7JRdYaS_bvv7SZzMJMwS_Dn8UzeMb5lRIEES1nMzqBgLncjKLHKyotbA8BAZEHVgulBCXKMmZxffurTqubrpkAKVOH-Q436B080Hlif4cEw6zwtlleN8QmZn_heMp7iWqraoW8uAoNQ83MP0bYf2NqHErRupiJabOgaXIIH7NUOUGiT9I0iZ1AD-zeRMAYc6NO8iUYQne2M25w0ykJaMoa_IDnCllJbBIbVK5lE7vLfl0UzP5E5-3MQrNsr4o=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">perfectly doabl</a>e even for an 80 year old couple.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwec2NXwS7S57z49yJMCfPThWMRR4mB4MYpZu92hfxJwf4iHJbNqLh3zI5QW4FD62JIWUL8Ia-qLTVB0IG-h3v8sLZaDBJbi7KTrc1eJvrvZPHWGrqC_mbJ0DYUSavtxHMBzyqZaSReu59PuApUMW3yKoyiJKu5oGgsuZrgD8_yyyJcEpkxeKqPhu4/s6756/IMG_7770.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3822" data-original-width="6756" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwec2NXwS7S57z49yJMCfPThWMRR4mB4MYpZu92hfxJwf4iHJbNqLh3zI5QW4FD62JIWUL8Ia-qLTVB0IG-h3v8sLZaDBJbi7KTrc1eJvrvZPHWGrqC_mbJ0DYUSavtxHMBzyqZaSReu59PuApUMW3yKoyiJKu5oGgsuZrgD8_yyyJcEpkxeKqPhu4/w640-h362/IMG_7770.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div>To reward everyone, I bought another <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8BPN8BO_UNyZ3sLu89brgT-FBFs6spF7DvSPo2qsIQEeud6C2SWl8j3SaHY6u2hAHXJUHKN6FlXTQNUPe4dtIETdnxhCQsFllc8P7OTaZdba_U0ERBoUMAVYTaeYpEjOnM8a-6dJkiPc2VX4XU_19UBUXxMAxIRBkgt2TafV5-ttz2mj9ZJRfKzynhjt_nhOnoGlhXVKlfny9zUkNICsCFJeb1azMKImdu6_28yh742C9YcK6ZODR3C_r_i1Etfjm6yQWt3OZFduf6PKmxWp3D0X108Uo43llvwPLIJq0b88rMhnJVUJgkDki8hRVK0AuyPKTx-USuwGq0PGfWDMlSgB9FGsmeO2S74aUXhV5GM-tZy2WTIbPH5x59azHPc962cDo6JEJC0fPWbtgm8f-0Xui48oNq3qhFOiJ3nS2Ks6TO_vz1MctQ7LVXo4zlt-u1d5-vncGH_pY5EcRfBbg_MoKziyol_vSFWqunlY6_TlABvoIEuTG5hpgjbBOuhD620hRetl6SFC6l1toIBLR0Bi5RbrWEC5YF1OEFAcuXsx0FkudP4pwn1e6B5oA-Z5cKy8OZmzbmpJpqbiWBlxZniiVBL3fItU7JMP0l8gMqX0ymmYQ6SKaS50oUzBZzSX1gmRLlaZJCoRiMHD0MJFTbPu4jDgv1JKQwQfr1Kf-s2Z2bl-KmCyL8zUWKn_ogl2y02G8i2EQiN45smlElNpHtcp5FhZnERrtZyjN9STFsA_HXUMOO0_hwwmbNImEVRw-vyFH92RFK1nubMa-FA0ZK0bORP6TNBQtrOvm0sz4FTLTSTKiZ7rpwWDDL261RW-2sxwAHNG3zHKx9s1yrch_L9X4dyEJTgnM0eDPUp6KBl4Uj9bpTvFfGEO347WyG4jNDC7W5lRTrbkYwxhfeUViY=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">丰富的韩式午餐</a> in one of the many restaurants along the pavement on the way back to the car park. The prices quite standard all over Korea - for Hansik (traditional Korean meals) like these consisting of rice, a soup (Duiojang Jiggae) and some <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8D2XEbgkYuMy-oFbK4erW7Xs3yZYmwDJt1wS1V-4b3FBQA43_kJnis_NvmM3Cb45SGWMbQW24Pn1p9TAOr2f_x5NxmjhYc3pQ6o2i6DNslJh1011k3XGgIvJHbK2CGoyjvQE3bIC_dUrq_t-_ih5pgQelQAeQkiq4TupOPb4iy_6dZ8Pdd9BE2UT_iVSgi55brMYpJBAbHNlJkZ5uQ8VKmpSw5_3yTE2bcAVjo4mOc5YXDrl8aZvLXWVzhhayay2DsCyE0s8zGLUyR1zDPRJwaQ2ouwfKlBqtgxzLdsxuvihaYYdR56yJwYywYSv27k73zsB6PzAA8WNGRovfnHen2YsWOiBr1KUJyyZPMgBYkzhX1BWtuoD8STp9MKtRuxGgqwQk-6EeBoa3mMEMNtvCC_kiar5fh1XfB_3MzQAxM2nOUZKFweB1SccrZGOf1EfOBgkmuHixgmYkCX9dJY3KwGpMEJCeQp5JFRCKyOGyFpJv1u3lzreV0OugdpwcRXvMdyCRHICEvIETCKuvbH1SQeLsAInRhOGdrWbBCKbf-4s45E4iradeFgZFPdK75QviKxAb1_MYwEMCBxG2T6b0_wP8O4I3sACJOeMyg1zZp78psMPV95yfuWdQe2Ir_aEADaDJrem7ualCVoSxRh3d1l1m05T_-ySw_W_kVahjGmRE8t07nlOkBnPKTOWMJUczrWjTlz56gq6E53gpnJEaYdQskvhUXrqDaa_K1N6jZAe4U-jtHvqtOAwDDcY0QvN6xMfgk04Kp5kUZrRpd8W9QWgKgmmtpcpGzbJBvm8x3a3umK96aatdqSDcZMo_n_CTd_HfBIkdsTcZApZzjg5c87T0zD7ACxA5PPDsB0UUy7AH1k3pC6lQ9hC5PwN53S-wiOvFOztqge3pSDgW2c-Go=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">Goki</a> (<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8Ce-Q4z1L3YVCKuD0SsJDIOqcjdGJ5_2oXPl6ZSnlaevAMPYyOm5Vqkz__Dtyx0W7wBZmVP1kskQ9bIJJYab1HMpYpdy973y53ah8uOYJWsEk9codk4cduMgB01NE2B7rTSNOYyJIxYtW-p97u_Onit6-1wEQboD0cew2SDte3lZC97jZh0thT2w6JfgjUKe6jxO4pHr4D5kcqZNiZRnTO-XRgEMyfmqdqRiWR4T2K4cmbSVMqgVUfHrWUDsf1Lwz6r1--b8yFSyNYEhlm9cJI6o_288ztbutfeLBcPROeeBSrsKc2Mnv5U0OjyJsf9SnDhxE0jfVwRjif-QonRq2h7niqebmYnkTGzTSPF3r3jxPdDbk7pqkLFRfdgr8QwGY_qLM4dIADJ5vuu17_80TXuMAmir-VKsb7BJjqJeKMXktNGB1Q6XugCk_fw9IaImLsXtX_QJ71-x2g_b6QC0pXZp4FD3FmG4udo5ydibFuT9WEVnp_6t-imv6-4mDQChIHqsk8otFnUuT5lXPmPfuXFF9V4hHsQQy5aSkp23nOBi9mr1JBug4GbmQEhnS1mmRvv43yzrX5XAyLu2VwbYu1_y3rojfw3g2F0W9r7pEePAg4HUNBGFbX2k22pbY_X21seLO0FsQ1VtCZq8oT0VWLf5OgTp1lACRU9LLjDoI2Y5zMH95YWssc9QeQYfYM2_xFIdrpLUYmAWA2O_ZFs2ehvtKilq8jmHNLMcMxvVyUvB-3MKAR7WMWRRRQHDdLfmg-AMbb3DGwMRj3y7Hn9TaMfDL1GpcyC0-0DEq9BlUOqn-gd3N4XPMVI5IQVAHjAoRAFExRydh4luifDokTz77wP6cDb5X47i6D9a7Wv24sA__NcW-8SlS0FWKKY0y6-haU-DmO8-fI4IAQ4V8E-byQ=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">meat</a>) and a whole lot of <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8DgeR1nijA8Czg0zOPu1rpE0YUWYlzs3O5m7ByphAZPTl0I7bY-KZGET78XnE41-6aGM10-LwelfhuOtaoYL2Oi4pQch2es4P_PoU1Ynqc1--oo6oAqPfeh6HP_7Td8aJLfcp70t-zqxFzcI3K6bmP9i8jdAgTHCw1UzA8bPDke2D9ToSQcS9AqRvpJZztL1ftsHqTAE74PKQeyolZ2c1c81PImXuwqCOw-f8wo5qD3at3IfckdOdSgmljoZdtRRZDNXUNvrof2LiiM7uWfR6o8ZEgJO7clCLRK1d1PN1bACDYtwVLLRtVd3ebqZhAFEwfj6vd1_yaGnwJFreNje-Og3pYLJYSLbUrmNSPzVrIj--GP0YD_QWdaQAaTOpt0P6EmR3bKlJZ16qKRf2JBOBFtIfa3vxNTAa05Yei-V_qVQ-iSRUQ_1q8AR8QjqsPJIkSO0Wq2tfSDeP8crIdLiivqbNWVjSOpHU2GIG_9PheKctJDV3QIZdULnkQeKf4gpvwCypg3BPFzdlKk4pzb6zvHuzCs4mrc3CY0JmGy3yvRaSCDZyOSa38_GwI4njhQWtIVuSgeP2v3z3sRFdexmRenndCsERVZDiG0B59c6yA2-BDZqsXkh-4RU69HkRgafNbrY8pGaGLZ3n0BVsOhRNgSjFlv4IoFbSyoQzTH5JxRu3z7fXhckvg5OsZVLV8Aa2l_mkExyTqqlzMlcyEa_RGHA8M5m4bVwLjQWJhirWE1OF8nmqqbbSAIwYdwmcIMJC8bn8O2KkyIVJFqkznciRczmAYyD6PD8fDAB8kQ-kE8SSSIA7h3cv_abNMLuFDBnTmspqW6sIvtSGxqvONayF4QHDoW5sS5IoKeVrtd0M6-AiGemVreaeHLK8Sy9xoYXgdR8c5Fh9loJUsiCSxcGzg=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bancan</a> (<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8CzA8iMgZF69HdP4ELb_3QLWyWaSjGISqMa84cijc2R_9Ohh_6KmaEGhhblBA__HzmDsGtv_AypJO4mYPtaoYVAkTK2tui934MVXT_Xa-MZepZC9-4la2gDBvGbOK5fK38zzVjeetp1Z6bXusHKne_QRs4pO21I4NwK0r20RoSFC-J3gDCyxnJP4hsRdJSisDurGZ4ObTNB3h8XhaAgkPkBEQ8Xzr4OHGAugaww5udzyzh4T92772q-30Gv1NEDBESTHyuAOwtYMZpMfX5sD1KfVH_PlMHctCzh8co-qT9Z2T2t9LQXIW2XklRnTPbkO6GKTU8_MJ58Yhj6FQwlhySOGWmIGZ_tXzZx-3chW5Ul1fJtse5UhvYbrAI6XSSutA0riYQgM_FipOQ2tpB64OzSpZzfd63XHftNiHxoA--3lb1yrXdrrjkX0rbZiF8XG1CVBq-BvwjpqXbTh3hjx6CE22gbLdzZ4QHivqqxQs_P7JNUQbHZPkFderPoDPrcof6gIB8ijngHUPcKAnO8EXCFKJybnEPuOp7Ejpq1AM-ls6A-_wp54a5V3CmH8QEIgt9P1voTkQ_5b_p1oxCHD5xLG5Fg5Be6a6PBNDEFIHr1QlzHSBPCT9aWeMLSvV45jqOwKLYB5ccKb3La1J91XHE2JTemYvyRjgzzRH-KzWE84pEJrlqeexCVfFkXLjKlJbSeT3eKcSvSPrv6Xw5Zbm2lW9uve3FX3jvIhZikltxEy0bYYpVwYzYnXlNQntIilkzntRfCVtg7job9hwlGOELwj4OkqJ8oLRgPJfpj2jJNsogYmJmkPl3WgG5MioFJLqAi1tPSYEuFTrpHIMl9yg9GkdvjmWxYt6OOZzH5svZ6RmWQnjF0AeI22ex2WI4AgStKA4p1pAvBF2eyWBJf8co=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">side dishes</a>), each person is about 17,000 won.</div><div><br /></div><div>On our way back to Jeonju Hanok Village, we stopped by the Lotte Mart in central Jeonju City, the modern Jeonju city, and not only did I manage to buy my 2 x 2.4kg packets of <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8CEpAhPmNNLp8qVhMY-N_cFnsm-Qct3nnNQPU2kuxCWddmcMF7AbtjJWfB4LHBcKnh7oASXiKtzw5G9Envk_MyvDwamgyFHrQPKcLlf2b2DTFjWIOakirfReoKKS93J92bfc7Kou4KwYYXomrKtVfdtR7Mb55Avsavfm--L6sMn4ACH2lE2DkjJgoboCJ4ys0GGPU0Lmk1UEOql1wDdx5m2tnquejx1DKMqL8I2XeeVHi24Q-wlns20oNQodgHAiPMTKhf7eSKBP_zM4FqH4MtqFnseJiIHASOiW3zfoVh2xERwcql66sc7ro0vXmInlOIEIE-fV4fOwLAvldDECoKJx3BryKOwdZ38rWZAwa-fakUGHqUXK1krwStxeSPvYFVqR0ohKJkQmB0ZluCkB7mZGqCdVdKgyekBD7A1kh2r0GTFbaeDe2id23Xz0qVGQb4zpKz1b4iZ8kY8CNqGCVjvKZ3JbNRtE61I9VBdh6_2aKW72eNOvCyDsFzq9noPhXmKHQ0reVLeF0H31VT82xWNdfJDnOh6mEoFbhM0yorhzOYbDoicRr4GRV0srvDYnLo0YoB2qhtVfc8BF9y_OhnMHr34eSn74Yad-RKdtOd4oXgqflk8Ir8Emsf9CNX99m-la-m4GXTiIQ_lWAFpbO4Qmib5xn4YwyVsDYhHnpDpDey2gS4-bOEYKxYkhVHxvQ9Xx8O55DKlq8XGfXZ6DDtTLn_z9dQubEgRmDMVQJn9fPRiQiN7y3purWwYEC-InjSrmSY8a-9zYlKC6OhVpTI5HtDFF4zxZcs8OeTHoVpg5VB-DoDKlF72aR_ZTC0n9asx6m7lMlWZMV3lEyVeczilmFfTshbRKOkrRrEJ0AOGLm31U_K7rWtjhUThGc5TnbFuPXvCHzu1zwtGOx744kM=w789-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="">Nurungji</a> (the famous Chao-dar Korean rice) to bring back to Singapore, we managed to also catch a glimpse of a couple of <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6wGun56ocWD8oAgdnbKixpT3LZj2FHpNdFwIhan0f4OMs_1kLWp4VkVfJHU6ZUXh9H3POqKTbSBlsTrhEpEiOYH2M1Y0Kc5zZ6xVicCZShj-zhdjrsOBLrHckoqdvB6dmIAdAX4jeMK0/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0">cherry blossom trees</a> with freshly-bloomed flowers.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></div><span style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span>[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day<span style="font-size: xx-small;">]</span></span></b></div><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day1" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 1 - </a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>Yay! 汉城啦!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day2" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 2 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 3 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>哇,樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?</b></span></div><b style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";"><div></div></a></b></span><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day4"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 4 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>黄龙院,良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day5"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 5 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>大陵苑,瞻星台 - </span>just to get our TOTO numbers & off to <span>全州 </span>Jeonju Hanok Village!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day6"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 6 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>全州乡校街,太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day7"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 7- </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day8"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 8 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Yay! 又回到汉城了!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day9"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 9 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>蚕室洞石村湖 </span><span>Seokchun Lake </span><span>(and GOTO Mall)</span><span><span> </span>- Last few days this year for the blossoms</span><span>吧</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day10"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 10 - </b></span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day11"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 11 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Seodaemun Prison History Museum <span>西大门刑务所历史馆..</span> a sobering memory... have to eat <span>猪血!</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day12"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 12 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>又广长吃猪脚,又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!</b></span></div></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="font-size: xx-large;"><a name="Day8" style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Day 8 - </span></a><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Bye-Bye </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">全州!</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"> </span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Back to the bosom of </span></span><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">明洞</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> Myeongdong!</span></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;">30 March 2023</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">依依不舍地离开了我喜欢的全州市。全州嘛也不需要太多天,三天左右就应该是够了。Hmmmmm... that's quite true. Three days two nights in Jeonju is about right. More leisurely, four days three nights, like what we did this time round. But it was also because of the old folks, that was why we decided to really take it very leisurely in Jeonju this round. It would have been lovely had there been plenty of cherry blossom, especially when we visited Maisan the day before, but Kwenchana, we can't win every battle.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h5FQcEqFjiJMJnGQ-FZbrv3cduqIkNpwUbFWTk8AElrOy_2L9EwpebwAyCuCMdx3Qg88dwzaOCBE16gJmLIN-cvOV-0rG03ikfC_TCuBfdaTB_U3tZ9LU1-8_WWwr4n7qj7nhwFN4EVOxod8lAzu8qYDG0CakSx8gjGtwuQEEC_GLsMyc4IO1jVa/w640-h360/FL_20230408_0598.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">👇</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"> Below</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HmAV4tkCqyI" width="566" youtube-src-id="HmAV4tkCqyI"></iframe></div></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">☝ </span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Above</span></b><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Poor Story;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">"서울로 가는 길에 전주 동물원을 지나가시면 벚꽃을 많이 볼 수 있습니다, </span><span style="font-size: large;">(on your way to Seoul, if you pass by the Jeonju Zoo, you can see many Boetgeot!)</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">" </span></b></span> as we bade bye-bye, the ShaJangNim of the Hanok 千吩咐万吩咐,叮咛我们往首尔的路上,一定得要经过全州动物园。</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Wah, this Hanok ShaJangNim also quite cute. Must have been damn stressed by me, <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><i>every day asking him where in Jeonju can we find cherry blossoms.</i></b></span> He must have asked his whole kampong every day and every night until someone told him yesterday the cherry blossom along the Jeonju Zoo have bloomed, and that was perhaps why he die-die wanted us to drive by the zoo on our way out of Jeonju so that at least we were not disappointed by Jeonju's lack of cherry blossom. And his wish came true, as we were driving out of Jeonju on this day, passing by the Jeonju Zoo, we finally saw a whole line of cherry blossoms on the side of the roads.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Haha... this Hanok ShaJangNim's job was done!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrJSnJkoMq2JwqCnOznq4WZ1DRG97erTF_aepNc2KbuHCg7CYO0oK9XsemOj3M8XVIQ1d_IlTugenmCChbFz4ln6Hs7HPbcEx-rXHp0XHotjTx9g7GF6A1UOL_-P3OU_fTJBZXfaM1bJtN9-d_Ae5NDJb8oQSssz1xaHKSUkbZxBPZ01LdD41NCnB/s4032/IMG_7851.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrJSnJkoMq2JwqCnOznq4WZ1DRG97erTF_aepNc2KbuHCg7CYO0oK9XsemOj3M8XVIQ1d_IlTugenmCChbFz4ln6Hs7HPbcEx-rXHp0XHotjTx9g7GF6A1UOL_-P3OU_fTJBZXfaM1bJtN9-d_Ae5NDJb8oQSssz1xaHKSUkbZxBPZ01LdD41NCnB/w640-h480/IMG_7851.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br />So far, the driving outside of Seoul has been pleasant, with a paucity of heavy traffic and even in the cities of Gyeongju and Jeonju, things were quite manageable. But moving into Seoul, that would be when things start to get a little hot, in terms of traffic.</div><div><br /></div><div>So far up till this stage, what Papa has learned about driving in Korea was:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #fcff01;">the local governments in Korea hor, wah their streets really anyhow - narrow narrow streets also can drive both directions and often cars from the opposite side have to squeeze to one side to allow another car to pass.</span></li><li><span style="color: #fff2cc;">cars can turn right on red. Just need to stop a while to make sure no pedestrians.</span></li><li><span style="color: #ffe599;">it's not that easy to cross zebra-crossings as a pedestrians, because maybe in Korea, their Basic Traffic rule is "at zebra crossings, the cars have the right of way, not the pedestrians" (hahaha)</span></li><li><span style="color: #ffd966;">(In Seoul) the bus drivers are see-beh hiong one. They are very impatient with cars that cut into their lanes and would horn them die, and the Seoul bus drivers drive like mad men. But if any old folks board the bus with not enough cash, the driver would politely allow him to take the bus.</span></li></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-6Qi4fxbZeSl9AsdgJwzqNoNN0QU9raWSdolvH9cOi4Ip76Ft48EjCa1JBAR0r6Hsiw3RcdfP37vSJdSIr3MJk7QcLUB6GUwP_FksLYK8hwyA4BVVmFSrPxjYhzvhSfOE8DyqM8JED536kndzMkPXoU5_qFCkAfEtCuv32-2uG3GLXHxM6kAz19h/s4032/IMG_7862.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-6Qi4fxbZeSl9AsdgJwzqNoNN0QU9raWSdolvH9cOi4Ip76Ft48EjCa1JBAR0r6Hsiw3RcdfP37vSJdSIr3MJk7QcLUB6GUwP_FksLYK8hwyA4BVVmFSrPxjYhzvhSfOE8DyqM8JED536kndzMkPXoU5_qFCkAfEtCuv32-2uG3GLXHxM6kAz19h/w640-h480/IMG_7862.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Well, as Serene and I listened and had our own Kara-oke session in the more than three hours drive from Jeonju to Seoul, and as the old folks slept through our singing, we finally ended up in Seoul, after a huge traffic jam and having to be detoured don't know how many times even as close to 40km from Myeongdong due to roadworks, and having to tahan congested traffic, and all these while trying to hold my bladder. See beh jiaklat. Next time I will not drink so much coffee in the car.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52-wNEspQ3nXksie4zu_B2UbHh2ly0V6US4BeGeXTm26LDsLmCc-Ae37jjvIEp6BcTDsGJQ97mugVecdxFckHlPaO2BYYinbbQBjB2qUIkkTqc-XudY4fXdkjOZ5JK49IUCvFjwRuh6IxZtMfgpFMeY_z6HH4O-c6DGrIwUi9DyuloycT2r5PKDN9/s4032/IMG_8081.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52-wNEspQ3nXksie4zu_B2UbHh2ly0V6US4BeGeXTm26LDsLmCc-Ae37jjvIEp6BcTDsGJQ97mugVecdxFckHlPaO2BYYinbbQBjB2qUIkkTqc-XudY4fXdkjOZ5JK49IUCvFjwRuh6IxZtMfgpFMeY_z6HH4O-c6DGrIwUi9DyuloycT2r5PKDN9/w640-h480/IMG_8081.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">"今天我们带你们老人家去吃韩国人的 </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">sashimi,</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> 叫着‘灰’ </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hwe</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">。 在首尔站旁边有一间我跟阿豪很喜欢吃的‘灰’店。“ </span></b></span>阿华很开心终于回到首尔,可以随心所欲地吃她喜欢的食物!</div></div></blockquote><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So after 6 nights gallivanting outside of Seoul in one of my favourite cars, the super-smart Hyundai Avante, Korea-style, we were finally back in the comfort of Mother Seoul, and not only Mother Seoul, but in the arms of Big Sister Myeongdong.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Wah! Home Sweet Home, baby!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></div><span><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span>[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day<span style="font-size: xx-small;">]</span></span></b></div><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day1" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 1 - </a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>Yay! 汉城啦!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day2" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 2 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 3 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>哇,樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?</b></span><b style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";"><div></div></a></b></span><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day4"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 4 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>黄龙院,良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day5"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 5 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>大陵苑,瞻星台 - </span>just to get our TOTO numbers & off to <span>全州 </span>Jeonju Hanok Village!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day6"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 6 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>全州乡校街,太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day7"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 7- </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day8"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 8 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Yay! 又回到汉城了!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day9"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 9 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>蚕室洞石村湖 </span><span>Seokchun Lake </span><span>(and GOTO Mall)</span><span><span> </span>- Last few days this year for the blossoms</span><span>吧</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day10"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 10 - </b></span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day11"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 11 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Seodaemun Prison History Museum <span>西大门刑务所历史馆..</span> a sobering memory... have to eat <span>猪血!</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day12"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 12 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>又广长吃猪脚,又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!</b></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a name="Day9"><b style="font-size: xx-large;"></b></a><b style="font-size: xx-large;"><a name="Day9" style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Day 9 - </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">石村湖看樱花</span></a><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"> probably the last few days of this year's cherry blossom season.. </span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Great, let's go GOTO MALL!</span></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;">31 March 2023</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After almost missing the cherry blossoms in Jeonju, we were wondering if we were a little too early for the blossoms in Seoul. Why? It is always like this, every year, the blossoms would start from Jeju and Jinhae way down south and slowly work their way up north as the weather starts turning warm in a south-north direction.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So in theory, if Jeonju, which is 230km south of Seoul, only just started blooming, would it be too early for us to catch the flowers in Seoul? Well... I was not that worried because we had five nights planned in Seoul. So by right, we should have more than enough time to wait for the cherry blossoms wave to hit us in Seoul.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">在我们心中,我们时时刻刻还记得新加坡的陈建彬大哥,特别主团4月7日才抵达首尔追樱花呢!所以我们比他早这么多来到首尔,我们 miss 掉首尔樱花的机会应该是很高吧!</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKbPQpUYsuY9SPWRa2JvuNKKytKxKwhvZMZAEF-mlu-W3JbwYFJHuN0wuwneWKsK7pa3gVI0HgCI04gfwMCHGbDwPP_Jlyc1Hhma5S_yftSuqYs_Gm1KQ79rSQ_nLqFt9hbvmpVUl7QKDvOI_uMi8ryN5uYEJrhkJr5LGT26Dfj4eGEpniUHdwguw/s4032/IMG_8102.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKbPQpUYsuY9SPWRa2JvuNKKytKxKwhvZMZAEF-mlu-W3JbwYFJHuN0wuwneWKsK7pa3gVI0HgCI04gfwMCHGbDwPP_Jlyc1Hhma5S_yftSuqYs_Gm1KQ79rSQ_nLqFt9hbvmpVUl7QKDvOI_uMi8ryN5uYEJrhkJr5LGT26Dfj4eGEpniUHdwguw/w480-h640/IMG_8102.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>没事儿!来到首尔,就是要吃喝玩乐。吃和喝是我跟阿华的专长。首尔什么鬼地方都给我们走遍了,吃什么,喝什么,买什么.... long-jong! 我们的朋友们经常笑我们两人是大韩民国的永久居民呢!</div><div><br /></div><div>First thing back to Myeongong, collect our super-light glasses- all transitioned and tuned. Ready for action liao. Not bad. I never imagined I would one day make exactly a same pair of glasses as my Father, but I did it. Why? Because this German-made frame was so light and so comfortable, wear already also like no wear like that one... and the old man wanted Hoya progressive transition, everything he also wanted to ham-tam. Ok lor.. but for me, I am perfectly happy with muy Korean lenses - transition, progressive.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgqVYcIZIfHwSl3nc3rwD_O1sHO4D8ZLY44_skLbR6-C6jhhNK3NMEW4Stnx9nm557fhcGdDHzF_sHgCeqbKYli0ALV5O60XNnFVbNs7zHN0qzcyPyVuN0VAnNwq3yzdxutnQgBnrdPyHLsvYT6kq_UBHZ-Z8kS0iSCo-EOWSmMMTh5oHD4fGls1c/s4032/IMG_8114.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgqVYcIZIfHwSl3nc3rwD_O1sHO4D8ZLY44_skLbR6-C6jhhNK3NMEW4Stnx9nm557fhcGdDHzF_sHgCeqbKYli0ALV5O60XNnFVbNs7zHN0qzcyPyVuN0VAnNwq3yzdxutnQgBnrdPyHLsvYT6kq_UBHZ-Z8kS0iSCo-EOWSmMMTh5oHD4fGls1c/w640-h480/IMG_8114.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">老妈 hor... 看到我们全部都戴着这么漂亮的变色 transition 眼镜,她老人家也 buay tahan 了。一直在想着想着... 哎呀,别浪费他老人家的那双旧的没有 transition 的 Hoya lenses 啦!就把这双旧的移到一副较便宜的镜框,然后用现有的轻盈镜框做一副全新的 Hoya transition progessive。这么一来,她老人家就有三副眼镜了。</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“你是蜘蛛</span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">meh</span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">?你有多少双眼睛?”</span></b>老爸开玩笑说。</div></div></blockquote><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCgXaqIkBo5-XpuVw_GFgWomyA9_5J3owBdNZgocHYCyRBH-ED2rlXCci5PDGXUz1Nyb--gQ6bXFKhhR-ct3U-HgaBXX1SsSbIVdTjhqibp8Jg5ct3SPqncXWezKOiq7QGQZcRl3AKP2j9GC2VjkgkqD5zC-pJ2nuEKAUiqsdskQw0lJXlgdehqcj/s720/FL_20230408_0584.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCgXaqIkBo5-XpuVw_GFgWomyA9_5J3owBdNZgocHYCyRBH-ED2rlXCci5PDGXUz1Nyb--gQ6bXFKhhR-ct3U-HgaBXX1SsSbIVdTjhqibp8Jg5ct3SPqncXWezKOiq7QGQZcRl3AKP2j9GC2VjkgkqD5zC-pJ2nuEKAUiqsdskQw0lJXlgdehqcj/w640-h480/FL_20230408_0584.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">👇</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"> Below</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="482" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/36TJ0QW6TRw" width="579" youtube-src-id="36TJ0QW6TRw"></iframe></div></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">☝ </span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Above</span></b><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">From this point onwards it would be all on our two feet and buses and MRT liao. No more cars liao. But then again, in Seoul, it makes absolutely no sense to be in a car. Even the Seoulites do not drive but rely on their public transport.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwiS8Q7uS504GgX5pjx_jRQe_L0NPEcAYsKBWOcdiUmKCq7O7zn9sHf-jJE_uBC_DFDUotCjeb6RqkhXhAjOS5XvvZy6l7EQjoWzT8NYpOx9SDB_SSoj_Wl0TMs8Aq0ab0MUs7tV1Stxvse0XWGWQAtqwu2909oEl3loo-7hWmDHGTy99w5Qs4Wmw/s4032/IMG_8122.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwiS8Q7uS504GgX5pjx_jRQe_L0NPEcAYsKBWOcdiUmKCq7O7zn9sHf-jJE_uBC_DFDUotCjeb6RqkhXhAjOS5XvvZy6l7EQjoWzT8NYpOx9SDB_SSoj_Wl0TMs8Aq0ab0MUs7tV1Stxvse0XWGWQAtqwu2909oEl3loo-7hWmDHGTy99w5Qs4Wmw/w640-h480/IMG_8122.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old people take MRT take until hungry. Must eat somthing in the MRT station even.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>Using Kakao-map to navigate...</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">So it has been blogged and reported year after year, one of the best places in Seoul to see the cherry blossoms was Seokchon lake in Jamsil-dong. We have never been there. But it was easy enough to navigate our way using Kakao-map. I still remember in the earlier days when we started exploring Korea we were still attempting to use Google map, but wah lao... this Google map really CMI in Korea because the locations and names were not accurate and often we could not find places. The locals use either Naver Map or Kakao map. I use Kako Map mainly, but in Korean. However, for many Singaporeans, the Kakao-map can be switched to English mode, so that made things much easier.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The wonderful thing about Kakao-map was, not only can we use it to navigate walking on feet, but also to take bus, take subway, or even driving. The past 7 days out of Seoul, I have proven to myself that the navigation on Kakao-map for driving was even superior to the car's own GPS.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">Jamsil-dong Seokchon Lake </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">蚕室洞 石村湖</span></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Jamsil station is easy to get to from Myeongdong. Just take aga aga MRT the number 4 line, then change to the orange number 2 line somewhere, then drop off at Jamsil station, and walk up the station and walk a couple of hundred of metres and we would see the lake.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzYYf1_K6VInfN5MBLeQtPz3Yn3UcTMMPETqNzcN40XF8uROpuu6rxTZ6tvK6SDD1UVeZrjGvyZgNvqGm_SLwozR52wy-1nesjnPlEwu9m8JLaQkKL9uGxBTnAOK4TryoV8JhY-HcXuG3ZEk7l-iC_zXGReOW6aPJnuwXbjpvQohIRm6jAjJtCuac/s4032/IMG_8151.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzYYf1_K6VInfN5MBLeQtPz3Yn3UcTMMPETqNzcN40XF8uROpuu6rxTZ6tvK6SDD1UVeZrjGvyZgNvqGm_SLwozR52wy-1nesjnPlEwu9m8JLaQkKL9uGxBTnAOK4TryoV8JhY-HcXuG3ZEk7l-iC_zXGReOW6aPJnuwXbjpvQohIRm6jAjJtCuac/w640-h480/IMG_8151.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />On this Friday noon, Seokchon lake was FULL of people. And oh we finally knew, because the weather has turned so warm that the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.</div><div>Warm? Yes... it was 20+ degrees and we all took off our outer layer and walked around in shirts and blouses. Even the locals were in light clothing.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbpCEZMie3MOcYRuHSTWzK_cxGbhRB0Nbxxv73ehOHKtCj2txBKHlzyDZbotXxmIDcBKZ9et6MO-DzLjRkT9dmIikjsb7eb2Gd5InFDtfVsXNbgTcfDJM9dMrTkMUU8F5BOoCWHlC6G-BiuNwcH6rW4pB9Q2rsijSfbYkTh1oG3F9CkS5lbjzvE5l/s4032/IMG_8148.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbpCEZMie3MOcYRuHSTWzK_cxGbhRB0Nbxxv73ehOHKtCj2txBKHlzyDZbotXxmIDcBKZ9et6MO-DzLjRkT9dmIikjsb7eb2Gd5InFDtfVsXNbgTcfDJM9dMrTkMUU8F5BOoCWHlC6G-BiuNwcH6rW4pB9Q2rsijSfbYkTh1oG3F9CkS5lbjzvE5l/w640-h480/IMG_8148.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />This Seokchon lake's cherry blossoms were no less than those in Gyeongju's Bulguksa. Coupled with the lake it conjured a truly romantic sight. There was such a huge crowd, we were wondering how come the Koreans all did not have to work on a Friday one meh?... hahaha...</div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>"要是我是韩国人的话,即使我得上班,在今天我也会请假来石村湖看樱花啦!“</b></span>我说。</div></blockquote><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEins-uHDtrk_-2Hv1xAQmqi0KfYPISTc1irzchQgwyKZrwse3SV7nmqSRYbD3Jgo-127YxilaqWJ8dYlv46MtGuISybmw0P1I2PesskL2RyYc1ek1gKnzVnDwNYkdYg23zU-oExugUbTLZf5Mq7vsqynsp3fazUN2pvEhvEQDjon9Jstx31o2fM2w5P/s3389/IMG_8129.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2541" data-original-width="3389" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEins-uHDtrk_-2Hv1xAQmqi0KfYPISTc1irzchQgwyKZrwse3SV7nmqSRYbD3Jgo-127YxilaqWJ8dYlv46MtGuISybmw0P1I2PesskL2RyYc1ek1gKnzVnDwNYkdYg23zU-oExugUbTLZf5Mq7vsqynsp3fazUN2pvEhvEQDjon9Jstx31o2fM2w5P/w640-h480/IMG_8129.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7IwE677Mlj8_vqvNJnzRZEMAcAfNHuxpAE8sVfsRK4FgldpvqnYxhXvzKjzNF7lkMIiVlNMFr68m-apzNYVYQAYPyBRy4lXmrWBIQZgoSuGatG1Gq3mZDZRe1OzXLP1SZ4sTm-awIlZHU_ju1aHeWrKV93Q31euyg91kQsYiGfkBhU6SXfklo0Ta/s4032/IMG_8141.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7IwE677Mlj8_vqvNJnzRZEMAcAfNHuxpAE8sVfsRK4FgldpvqnYxhXvzKjzNF7lkMIiVlNMFr68m-apzNYVYQAYPyBRy4lXmrWBIQZgoSuGatG1Gq3mZDZRe1OzXLP1SZ4sTm-awIlZHU_ju1aHeWrKV93Q31euyg91kQsYiGfkBhU6SXfklo0Ta/w480-h640/IMG_8141.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>我们知道,樱花开呀开,开到一个阶段,当樱花准备要坠落的时候,那一刹那,只等风一吹,落花就好像下雪一般地飘下。通常是开了几天后,才会看得到的情景。 在这天,樱花应该是刚开不久,所以如雪花一般飘落的樱花不多。有一点点,已经算是不错了。<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJLE7jRbMhjeWiTL7j2ZR5ZrdcHYgXATjhJyDaxqjWUExdEq6zr3LjV0p4uO8GDXzNRlWzsp_yMdz0dm46nF8nlYrjWqWsxk4wdtKB3Qx4CP86InGaZ4K2AzAWAiZZHtDOHqbYtNG4nBFN3XENxmg786bMhYUe3QJ3D0rnIh0tQVAWxLPI8XunxsM/s4032/IMG_8158.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJLE7jRbMhjeWiTL7j2ZR5ZrdcHYgXATjhJyDaxqjWUExdEq6zr3LjV0p4uO8GDXzNRlWzsp_yMdz0dm46nF8nlYrjWqWsxk4wdtKB3Qx4CP86InGaZ4K2AzAWAiZZHtDOHqbYtNG4nBFN3XENxmg786bMhYUe3QJ3D0rnIh0tQVAWxLPI8XunxsM/w640-h480/IMG_8158.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No have 樱花 fall down...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><div><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">GOTO Mall Underground Shopping</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>This GOTO Mall was really quite something. It was where many of the local Koreans go to buy reasonably-priced clothing, fashion wear, accessories, phone accessories, home kitchen utensils, flowers, etc. etc. For years already, Ah Hwa has been saying that the old folks would like to come here., and finally we brought them here on this day. </div><div>The 800m double-halled underground shopping mall was still one of my favourites.</div><div>Little did we realise that the old folks would find so many things that would attract their attention.</div><div><br /></div><div>老爸口头上一直说不买不要买啦,不用啦不需要啦,但是他老人家还是不知道买了多少双室内用拖鞋,老妈也买了不知多少套睡衣。</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPerViSxrBwfLnQUtlwX05dE_dPLPGKzDm6HuB2XmdKIbVDgy2lGTFH4yjyzBrXxyXou4robH8y1ll2rLZ6vbwkqROTWkX3qM7imWyM7v606ik_2DiNv3EJaT1I7R9G0mzhh60UFuzRWoR8VspDIoM_nlZdbneuuwwv3MRRwiXsDhCTVBagBMkHmg/s4032/IMG_8184.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPerViSxrBwfLnQUtlwX05dE_dPLPGKzDm6HuB2XmdKIbVDgy2lGTFH4yjyzBrXxyXou4robH8y1ll2rLZ6vbwkqROTWkX3qM7imWyM7v606ik_2DiNv3EJaT1I7R9G0mzhh60UFuzRWoR8VspDIoM_nlZdbneuuwwv3MRRwiXsDhCTVBagBMkHmg/w640-h480/IMG_8184.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>不止买了,回到明洞旅馆后,突然间她老人家想到:</div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>“哎呀,这套睡衣质地这么好,我后悔不买多一些。”</b></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>“哇佬,你到底一天穿多少件睡衣?”</b></span>老爸 kao beh 她。</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>"妈妈,不要管。我们明天再回去那里去买多几套!" </b></span>阿华说。</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Dinner at Ouga </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">五友家</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> Restaurant </span></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div>今晚这晚餐,吃了很丰富的<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTdq30mZGmD2D8S7GAkItPt9Q9NR8AIMuAP-OYXk9aJRQ3kBjrm1C_yIjf7mjVqobH0H2XCWIEsyqxO2kAuTYPOxhOjyXWXvaM58o3_XNln5vp_uPVP2qxcW-qxmqXerRwZjkh99UBWCs/w1403-h1052-s-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow">韩牛</a>。也从金万中那里学了<span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b>어리버리하다 Ori Bori Hada - “傻傻”</b></span>的韩语形容词。</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiptvcoOAaI9RMUY0_ZYh76fZdTmWq46JWJdu8wtaPxa4_spv8gDU4iCeJtPSBV25GqEre7pEip5ed5W8daCcNeOV_R5JYaWuLw6Bwunk1ubjhFzI7_k-yKBM2omI1fNqT3p2p-c2dZeU1ZNLqke_usdYt6Yv3t2KGtiVgeBGgYJQ0vqkee942wCfI/s4032/IMG_8187.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiptvcoOAaI9RMUY0_ZYh76fZdTmWq46JWJdu8wtaPxa4_spv8gDU4iCeJtPSBV25GqEre7pEip5ed5W8daCcNeOV_R5JYaWuLw6Bwunk1ubjhFzI7_k-yKBM2omI1fNqT3p2p-c2dZeU1ZNLqke_usdYt6Yv3t2KGtiVgeBGgYJQ0vqkee942wCfI/w640-h480/IMG_8187.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>明洞买外套</b></span><br /><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>“老妈,你老人家,迟早都要一件外套,好让你去东北。我自己的外套也是若干年前在明洞这里买的。冬天的时候非常好用。来,我们也来买一套给你!”</b></span>,我说。</div></blockquote><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34jt2MhoAN-AEVF4p7BxXRujlN-YXwXEXkrvFjPYN39BCmJZ4cdCNeJBnhH1XIdg2t3rO_mBuUz8gkysPf56T5QDJNgxTkhrupapiAyHDS5S7nH9MZ9WO79MMtw0hSDWIbn7Nr4be5ZcwikPsTWVP6Q59q_bc14IF6rGmIUIcz8Nw4EaoKb1scg2Y/w640-h480/IMG_8198.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></div><span><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span>[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day<span style="font-size: xx-small;">]</span></span></b></div><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day1" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 1 - </a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>Yay! 汉城啦!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day2" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 2 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 3 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>哇,樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?</b></span><b style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";"><div></div></a></b></span><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day4"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 4 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>黄龙院,良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day5"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 5 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>大陵苑,瞻星台 - </span>just to get our TOTO numbers & off to <span>全州 </span>Jeonju Hanok Village!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day6"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 6 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>全州乡校街,太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day7"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 7- </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day8"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 8 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Yay! 又回到汉城了!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day9"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 9 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>蚕室洞石村湖 </span><span>Seokchun Lake </span><span>(and GOTO Mall)</span><span><span> </span>- Last few days this year for the blossoms</span><span>吧</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day10"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 10 - </b></span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day11"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 11 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Seodaemun Prison History Museum <span>西大门刑务所历史馆..</span> a sobering memory... have to eat <span>猪血!</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day12"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 12 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>又广长吃猪脚,又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!</b></span></div></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="font-size: xx-large;"><a name="Day10" style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Day 10- </span></a><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #d9ead3;">广长市场</span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">又购又吃,</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">南大门</span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">又逛又</span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"> 买 Gwangjang + Namdaemun!</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;">1 April 2023</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_X7i0iNW0waJKSunD73dnKCuByvJoOHDiJwnZNU1BaMSTz3E14NfgC3ILzZNaqQlXTbprUUL-UgjPhsUqVBMuMsHv4MUt9elSmJxMOV7KPMmNZKgg9FI0T2jvSSa9G5HmbZlHov_cH0XfXG7TCa7pDnPqkxUvBiIZteV0GUvLmXkP5pPGAXgzTa4/s640/FL_20230408_0600.GIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_X7i0iNW0waJKSunD73dnKCuByvJoOHDiJwnZNU1BaMSTz3E14NfgC3ILzZNaqQlXTbprUUL-UgjPhsUqVBMuMsHv4MUt9elSmJxMOV7KPMmNZKgg9FI0T2jvSSa9G5HmbZlHov_cH0XfXG7TCa7pDnPqkxUvBiIZteV0GUvLmXkP5pPGAXgzTa4/w640-h360/FL_20230408_0600.GIF" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">👇</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"> Below</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="483" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7c4W9HSrXOI" width="581" youtube-src-id="7c4W9HSrXOI"></iframe></div></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">☝ </span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Above</span></b><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>好久前,阿华也曾经说过,老人家他们要是来到首尔的乙支路广长市场的话啊,他们一定是会看到笑,买到笑的。我认为看到笑是真的,但是买到笑嘛... 我老人家的款,几难咯... 但是没想到,这一趟旅游,有 Ori Bori 华拉着老人家的手走来走去,看来看去,买来买去,要不买多多东西都几难咯。</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI30c576cC1YCim3-dZtRHhqoYIiDM1K4IT4lYEe7yCJsEai-cJzXaHDlt43-6smR7gQmRUC5WXx6HZo_xYx_ivNwbaXeRn4foolXAkIc9wZ_MrhkG5qeCLYmgjHCtzCHZz2nMNvDwsmpSAL0TqZIDYD2SB7iga9ed-P7gADz4QqEccYdNHEU71lsY/w640-h480/IMG_8208.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />老妈这老人家整个韩国之旅,除了找袜子之外,就是一直在看睡衣和 blouse. 走到哪里,就看到哪里。<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtfhGm0DQbzFZf4F2nbdgJ1UXm8ABqfAhRuDbcAgIG1freDfmAXWaQ6S0N1r8UHcFxP4_MTPtYhncEv-zPpiXxdUFYEZEdq_FaBAEcZUkdVAhHEpr8Bp6Dx7UY0HNmf6mb0H26qDoJipEkfzri4b-vFsyiLqSN6Fjw52AAQV4-exso7CF1EN9ptFs/w640-h480/IMG_8206.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“哇,这个韩国不锈钢传统杯,真的是太好了。又可以喝冷水,有可以用来喝烧水,不怕烫手的。”</span></b> says 老爸。</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhag8ljryqIQj-Ep8FENIsjoUo20BfXyWMq8ZJAnMk03cTd4vxpKp7vVLASPEwqWeF4z0myTBItdajOFL1TQwUIWdH3MeuTibxjSyPVNYNVXn7ZICuRCXqaKrsMyYQarrFa3rKdwBISu0MLYt3S3H_GdQxHs71FE5trECvA1mYWLxlLfKCV_h0qxCyT/w640-h480/IMG_8211.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">广长市场真是一个非常具有味道的传统韩国市场。这传统性市场早已是远近驰名的游客旅行胜地。不但对旅客,对于本地韩国的人民也是非常重要的市场。</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">除了有卖传统性的韩国饮食,也卖传统的韩国器具餐具,裁缝布料,也是韩国人经常到来,裁缝订做传统性韩国韩服的地方。</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyPYm3_xI62eQy3R1_74R_E5V5jsYBqcxZ5hAhprWmcr7l57FZzKfzCESTfUYvIs0fvGcPm2amB3iVy2jJDPm69g-JOlqDfN7qaZ9zgjXyqnZiHa3KCOPYkKSZqb3VGa08jrsFOTnD2XYaOYxIPcgR-XM1_6RsJj6P7xrPcDPRaRH_DPD0Y27qK8G6/w640-h480/IMG_8216.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br style="text-align: start;" /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>Eating Street food in Gwangjang Market</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Gwangjang has been popular not only among the tourist, but also among the locals, as the crowd swarms to this very place to eat every day.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7E0K_MpzUUYeyQNHjMIr28i-VQN4SxXVNm17UMdZQxnmyJP2STNaRQWxNWjp24yx89qczU8hnmVHyl-c7hAgtdPgymBcU6vh_upyo9cGaEP5bN4UJ_T9MgiW_sxjXs47ijJr2Tm7_FRRwulGKLLCtk3o48boDDxKS1sTStdpkyznouYgoOm_JV69/w640-h480/IMG_8227.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">南大门市场 </span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Namdaemun market</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">"南大门又是什么地方?“ </span></b>老妈问。</div></div></blockquote><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">哈!这个老妈妈,有所不知。南大门就是他们老人家喜欢的地方。没想到,往南大门走一趟,两位老人家真的是<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8Ax-X7tpnqlwf5S_UHV6nmyYTNy0h0bL4WJTJ7rOstSK4NKnAS0uW23xPnjmkFjup3jLyqaAoMdH3nJgYLOWgrGEma1r4S17Pu8nnoEMw967nC-4c2JdHvkFZFlcMsbgM58K0BM6CXtYj6MeulOY7noOEny1kfjB4qCCQYd7rH-3gee0S44WNEkS-vvPXObxTSxN6Zrmpt-9DOAUN-z58r1AT-ivgfRlu1Z_USpWojq6axODTagk83ElWH7F0zrwV_DZRvs_bT9ztxXjr3roalTTTfzTX8iDYMDdIC8Wac9yHgv60dz-ooYkmfNDLucYBKiM6LoH-cdT8qs4PQ6SY9ZCMpNmj_JyZ8xU2UBQel9d6HViqv4Ql7xr2X-8rjaIP5MDjs5aROdvc4PZ-qwphjKvMal1ftgA9OSV_mK0WQ_jKtNZ2IEW0Cqnv5dXGEWloTMyK1NPohh-8grhUKcgJikiLj_wNiA87EIaPca40GhTlO-t9Vo57ii0MXNiOv9mZzl82pGWjfHXQ4uDcU51k2Vt-MRd_7ywyK2cfXQk5a67ZE1OQYnSI6WhneIPh1LspRZHgmPnJv9TO-QwVhih2rnAUaJqAkxKgkTnxl_K1sH714yfe3i3fjo4CWoKOg-oicvlIqmbqIrI2gwDoeYqGjILlHcAU-z7KcPZIXzFz0dmJCfDfK9xWTcpx7G5XuRboAxvxXZt-2J2AEde5RtZ9TxWuyAOS0qXmpCckqmkQaDruwgadEl-vLT97t8Mc8qHF6ukKViKHbFid-PwAs1j6a7duNHHo4ic0kyDK4LjQrrO6RwZk8Xx0A3ZhDXWOq8knoeJy04R5LNg3zFqGNfgRgivfEzZOLIX9nsPX5gI-By-5b3GcHxlVhfVl2yq5--fADemSz31Out-zcHl8TQlFs=w1403-h1052-s-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow">收获不少</a>呀!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvin4_LUHnfr4X348EKssR_uKfZF092IWImglLFgt7_9UW6pgMsKtv1Gsx9Rv5k-LSAVolUTcuLwZuYAXTp2RWnaXajre9JZxgYSf_ltaXp4ylspcSZFhtkXep-YUYmGZIeLKDTz96LNBx3SoO_47oW8azgzHV7O7gHv67Mt6Aj8DvVICfOFILXMyk/w640-h480/IMG_8245.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br style="text-align: start;" /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>尤其是老妈....</b></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsPfYnwXyKy7tgoOdG1Q6a6lFZTzwvQFtv-MeMax-1GrvCiUPOYzG2HAjhVyjtfKNajAwZmGEZwWDPdouHLO4goMgaaKVtKo9_fReARWZJ5qfcvz4GaLJu-CKZdk-oPX-Vzvt1zxldxk-5GkVR5IWUufafYNdDjCnrzFwM4uc71MMEldBDZL6vjs2/w480-h640/IMG_8257.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></div><span style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span>[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day<span style="font-size: xx-small;">]</span></span></b></div><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day1" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 1 - </a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>Yay! 汉城啦!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day2" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 2 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 3 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>哇,樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?</b></span></div><b style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";"><div></div></a></b></span><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day4"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 4 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>黄龙院,良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day5"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 5 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>大陵苑,瞻星台 - </span>just to get our TOTO numbers & off to <span>全州 </span>Jeonju Hanok Village!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day6"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 6 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>全州乡校街,太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day7"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 7- </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day8"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 8 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Yay! 又回到汉城了!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day9"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 9 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>蚕室洞石村湖 </span><span>Seokchun Lake </span><span>(and GOTO Mall)</span><span><span> </span>- Last few days this year for the blossoms</span><span>吧</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day10"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 10 - </b></span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day11"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 11 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Seodaemun Prison History Museum <span>西大门刑务所历史馆..</span> a sobering memory... have to eat <span>猪血!</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small; text-align: right;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day12"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 12 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>又广长吃猪脚,又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!</b></span></div></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="font-size: xx-large;"><a name="Day11" style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Day 11 - </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">西大门刑务所历史馆</span></a><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"> Seodaemun Prison History Museum - </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">历史的见证</span></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;">2 April 2023</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Probably not so well-known to those who are not familiar with Korea's history, Korea was actually under the colonial rule of Japan for 35 years from 1910-1945 until the end of World War II. During this period of Japanese rule, not only were 300,000 Korea women sent to the battle front as Comfort women, massive number of Koreans were also send to factories in Japan and offshore island in Japan as forced workers. The Korean language was not allowed and the Japanese rulers changed the medium of education to Japanese in an effort to wipe out the Korean language, not dissimilar to what was happening in Malaya during our own 3 years 8 months of Japanese rule in Singapore.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4VU7ngqJJHpj7P3bTzMgyjDgH3Wh-EoZZqJgxXL8xm58ClZx1ye8A8kTJLnicFHVMKUCSU91YHfxZsSuydrxqoXFWgqHNdnDFw3v50MJ2lomya2I9q1ZxmEZVFwd1hbzqd1NhzKvWEeU8nnyQ6_KnU3-Jg2g0RgHRKt8tBnFANXyg6frjleXthmA/s480/FL_20230408_0601.GIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4VU7ngqJJHpj7P3bTzMgyjDgH3Wh-EoZZqJgxXL8xm58ClZx1ye8A8kTJLnicFHVMKUCSU91YHfxZsSuydrxqoXFWgqHNdnDFw3v50MJ2lomya2I9q1ZxmEZVFwd1hbzqd1NhzKvWEeU8nnyQ6_KnU3-Jg2g0RgHRKt8tBnFANXyg6frjleXthmA/w640-h480/FL_20230408_0601.GIF" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><br /></span></b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">👇</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"> Below</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="473" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7IPmAgsMfaw" width="570" youtube-src-id="7IPmAgsMfaw"></iframe></div></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">☝ </span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Above</span></b><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A visit to Korea would never be complete without a visit to at least one historical museum. And with the old folks, I knew exactly which museum I would want to bring them, because they echo so much emotional resonance when it comes to Japanese rule, we just had to show them around at the Seodaemun Prison History Museum.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-YMjwrnibguTUQyG5qp9edsWXZIH1i99xPx1Q8iSo_TOZhmCOwbk6Lp9y3Ge9K_cukDjHPt2xMohNU5hr0IJSviCFkH4Y0vTXuW892Ze7XVe3QizvyVTjT3LAnpSQTU4ECdIkv7VJmEGyOuQYuV8zdT-BqCK8LRn6u6PDyVBuRu_u0oobwNk-FAw/s4032/IMG_7937.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-YMjwrnibguTUQyG5qp9edsWXZIH1i99xPx1Q8iSo_TOZhmCOwbk6Lp9y3Ge9K_cukDjHPt2xMohNU5hr0IJSviCFkH4Y0vTXuW892Ze7XVe3QizvyVTjT3LAnpSQTU4ECdIkv7VJmEGyOuQYuV8zdT-BqCK8LRn6u6PDyVBuRu_u0oobwNk-FAw/w640-h480/IMG_7937.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>To be able to once again, open our eyes to the methods of torture employed during the Japanese rule, was a reminder of the atrocities of war. War is never right, but unfortunately war was so much in the nature of mankind, that no matter what age we live in, there will forever be conflicts, much like what is happening right now between Russia and Ukraine.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbzYrn3c71ZwP7CvH4NacR3fE0BjYxhG9b9ifUBVB_wj0J2g8TZ6vy6nAucscypQXt3y_ey__3oeGFEse5pCl9LJjfLcsjNYl1s7OZIeZxBBsicb1ddQmcTQXe_E3_uOLwJn8ZbchmICF-i_5pLqVH7tsOZtepd7Jk-B_RKsSghNNkSvjqSV_JXqi/s4032/IMG_7955.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbzYrn3c71ZwP7CvH4NacR3fE0BjYxhG9b9ifUBVB_wj0J2g8TZ6vy6nAucscypQXt3y_ey__3oeGFEse5pCl9LJjfLcsjNYl1s7OZIeZxBBsicb1ddQmcTQXe_E3_uOLwJn8ZbchmICF-i_5pLqVH7tsOZtepd7Jk-B_RKsSghNNkSvjqSV_JXqi/w640-h480/IMG_7955.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Korean prisoners were placed inside this spike box and this whole thing was kicked round and round while the prisoner suffered multiple puncture wounds.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7F3BedmbUEZvZebejQqV0pXZ0sj2-ihaA3QJTOdkGGOxnlVwWLp9aGJTB3sxVpvG8ga5mhwvhZITivcxfokpx7sxOanAFFEDkiuF1hnlUfeSjY6OQQGrWBuMh7uNOy2izRayA_HzA8IPEmBWKrLtyxDQ8CMOP-kX-VCYvGFTE5s3RoWG_3YuQ8PZI/s4032/IMG_8326.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7F3BedmbUEZvZebejQqV0pXZ0sj2-ihaA3QJTOdkGGOxnlVwWLp9aGJTB3sxVpvG8ga5mhwvhZITivcxfokpx7sxOanAFFEDkiuF1hnlUfeSjY6OQQGrWBuMh7uNOy2izRayA_HzA8IPEmBWKrLtyxDQ8CMOP-kX-VCYvGFTE5s3RoWG_3YuQ8PZI/w640-h480/IMG_8326.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />A visit to these museums was never a wrong move, particular more so for those who are drawn to history.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">吃猪血!</span></b><br /><br />老爸老妈已经不知道多少年没吃猪血了。这一趟,我们真的是要让老人家再度尝一尝猪血的滋味。I specially looked up one 5 star review pig blood restaurant near Seodaemun Prison Museum and we walked to the restaurant and fulfilled Papa Mama's dream of once again tasting this delicacy that has disappeared from the stalls of Singapore for decades.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYblorLa2Hz1be4Al89Jd7QkmmjrFm2732OMiqqa6c5qHBo5K0kAZqi-ti9k828y4sh3TrzeQA1UlHI6uWPorh0S1VeyXA3N51__GnH50PyJmJ0kuscw9m1qn0qoeDZqZH1YwOeR-Bx_vszR_iAijsdLhPI68oQC3WjM0tLUm-5lq0jxizuMrkD6d/s4032/IMG_8332.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYblorLa2Hz1be4Al89Jd7QkmmjrFm2732OMiqqa6c5qHBo5K0kAZqi-ti9k828y4sh3TrzeQA1UlHI6uWPorh0S1VeyXA3N51__GnH50PyJmJ0kuscw9m1qn0qoeDZqZH1YwOeR-Bx_vszR_iAijsdLhPI68oQC3WjM0tLUm-5lq0jxizuMrkD6d/w640-h480/IMG_8332.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">猪血汤!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />This SaJangNim was so tickled by a group of Singaporeans visiting him to enjoy his food that he offered us additional portions, what Koreans oftentimes termed 'service'. 'Service' in Korean means free, extra gifts from the shop owners. Koreans are well-known for dishing out 'service' to their regular patrons, or even to brand new customers, especially when they are drawn to these new customers for whatever reasons.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61N-lNHG6Yi7Ey0w6RrWKOgzRcUIpkiE2ew344bHqztgV_zkbLffEOJQEn4uiYOcRqh2MD_AkGsItJ0TYqcqPnta2b4GVkslD1jhsDngRVofKPmztFFR5kRoTXmJ484kQRBC2SBvwrF5t1abVD_CZpJG82K_LbohrvTHS_fdysxPetRcEwc_uIs2O/s4032/IMG_8339.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61N-lNHG6Yi7Ey0w6RrWKOgzRcUIpkiE2ew344bHqztgV_zkbLffEOJQEn4uiYOcRqh2MD_AkGsItJ0TYqcqPnta2b4GVkslD1jhsDngRVofKPmztFFR5kRoTXmJ484kQRBC2SBvwrF5t1abVD_CZpJG82K_LbohrvTHS_fdysxPetRcEwc_uIs2O/w640-h480/IMG_8339.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He was so tickled by a group of Singaporeans who could speak the language</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></div><span><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span>[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day<span style="font-size: xx-small;">]</span></span></b></div><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day1" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 1 - </a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>Yay! 汉城啦!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day2" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 2 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 3 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>哇,樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?</b></span><b style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";"><div></div></a></b></span><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day4"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 4 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>黄龙院,良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day5"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 5 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>大陵苑,瞻星台 - </span>just to get our TOTO numbers & off to <span>全州 </span>Jeonju Hanok Village!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day6"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 6 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>全州乡校街,太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day7"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 7- </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day8"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 8 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Yay! 又回到汉城了!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day9"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 9 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>蚕室洞石村湖 </span><span>Seokchun Lake </span><span>(and GOTO Mall)</span><span><span> </span>- Last few days this year for the blossoms</span><span>吧</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day10"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 10 - </b></span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day11"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 11 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Seodaemun Prison History Museum <span>西大门刑务所历史馆..</span> a sobering memory... have to eat <span>猪血!</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day12"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 12 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>又广长吃猪脚,又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!</b></span></div></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="font-size: xx-large;"><a name="Day12" style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Day 12 - </span></a><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">哇佬,</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">广长市场做我们的生意</span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"> enough already!</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;">3 April 2023</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>So, on this Monday, after texting the utensil ShaJangNim in Gwangjang market to prepare another supply of the cups, we made our way down to Gwangjang, once again.</div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>"我要再去回同样的那间摊位吃她的猪脚," </b></span>老爸坚持说。 OK啦,没问题!</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IM1MgulkyigeBwaHEPUv7dTzMUnP34YlMt6uy52OCnoAV44tLAoiBkJtjS3MgBPbEwXfhVZ7Dv6fJD91zUuODoJFjeWD_iBZcEqI_s6cSpu3fwMxEZpIII3y8SWikGiJ8CuGFlyrOo1Aa-veuY6SKtjB5G3fjAhGHnaw7XuWT7FA4Lvg-VKyG_mc/s480/FL_20230408_0602.GIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IM1MgulkyigeBwaHEPUv7dTzMUnP34YlMt6uy52OCnoAV44tLAoiBkJtjS3MgBPbEwXfhVZ7Dv6fJD91zUuODoJFjeWD_iBZcEqI_s6cSpu3fwMxEZpIII3y8SWikGiJ8CuGFlyrOo1Aa-veuY6SKtjB5G3fjAhGHnaw7XuWT7FA4Lvg-VKyG_mc/w640-h480/FL_20230408_0602.GIF" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><br /></span></b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">👇</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"> Below</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="465" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TT0ShXqD7Us" width="559" youtube-src-id="TT0ShXqD7Us"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Click HERE</span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: x-large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #333333;">☝ </span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Above</span></b><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: large; text-transform: capitalize;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">To See</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">The </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Actual</span> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">VIDEO</span></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxfuugXqS1Z7zuRlPOTFFy0EvItj-hJitVec_lU6HDo3j9ozzWgeEvJ3fHjwUU_6InW6wGIKCfK2qz02OykfFYLgBCcx1WxLQBLVBTip856HPNmL2kNfc6y9pQkyYSAm-nQkF4BrfyNa5fad-TN5HF3GiW6oyskbu4NGZJMFh9PKthikmBQgKiNCv/s4032/IMG_8406.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxfuugXqS1Z7zuRlPOTFFy0EvItj-hJitVec_lU6HDo3j9ozzWgeEvJ3fHjwUU_6InW6wGIKCfK2qz02OykfFYLgBCcx1WxLQBLVBTip856HPNmL2kNfc6y9pQkyYSAm-nQkF4BrfyNa5fad-TN5HF3GiW6oyskbu4NGZJMFh9PKthikmBQgKiNCv/w640-h480/IMG_8406.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheonggyecheon 清溪川</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg614UZLKfARm4lCvm9UuR5y8Sk22Wzak7lhDBHDcIwgOdCoCC0OiiA-Ij2V7yxWWw4tuLRdiGlUYUMq8CRdK6DJ4CaGwtcQezWdN1hVe72YNwkaVpCauGNfGEM3UWOBULaI6ZhPx6c1ZONEJgS1qnPSWnXKBLIfK-AAyhmALcnwRW4-v5tF2C-BYhe/s4032/IMG_8414.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg614UZLKfARm4lCvm9UuR5y8Sk22Wzak7lhDBHDcIwgOdCoCC0OiiA-Ij2V7yxWWw4tuLRdiGlUYUMq8CRdK6DJ4CaGwtcQezWdN1hVe72YNwkaVpCauGNfGEM3UWOBULaI6ZhPx6c1ZONEJgS1qnPSWnXKBLIfK-AAyhmALcnwRW4-v5tF2C-BYhe/w640-h480/IMG_8414.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sannakji - the live squid.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />So the old folks bought and bought, and bought, and then bought some more. And we ate and ate, and again ate even more... until finally we got all our stuff, and job being done, we finally took a bus back to Myeongdong.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGYiIhNJGCW98zBb0N82uEHmKtl30sbwg0L3NMu2Bo6gztZrQUDJBIKwiuZVcfAwdC9uqMQCqZo2nZSRFYdN4ZdIV6cG8f9XqhuPUg1eur_pCtqyF2NsGRAiK85KsE-SY67Knp_TU-Zq_9kUvSE1OjO8lLRsi_sQDIQ44wI6y25BSeFHUWh9JFsSR/s4032/IMG_8426.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGYiIhNJGCW98zBb0N82uEHmKtl30sbwg0L3NMu2Bo6gztZrQUDJBIKwiuZVcfAwdC9uqMQCqZo2nZSRFYdN4ZdIV6cG8f9XqhuPUg1eur_pCtqyF2NsGRAiK85KsE-SY67Knp_TU-Zq_9kUvSE1OjO8lLRsi_sQDIQ44wI6y25BSeFHUWh9JFsSR/w640-h480/IMG_8426.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This ShaJangNim really very lucky to have Papa's business.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">We still got 15kg more of weight-space in our luggage leh...</span></b></div><div>很多时候,我们到韩国就是要把我们的行李箱装得满满,把能够在韩国便宜地买得到的东西带回来新加坡。</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_7K66OuFQm6yfq13crfqcfnKlSRxm2dA3fi2ILcg7abpAqrgeJzq55qcM1XMH5ihGoCigaZ-xvnO6EiQnZ8jKsofdL44dXLwWf7VojMRGd65r3bdrmjNcyEfb3mvcweDtR2X3z3R6ud1umzDNOcSme5mCdIuuFDmb9v0i4fJTvMsAD3gibK8q6hF/s4032/IMG_8427.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_7K66OuFQm6yfq13crfqcfnKlSRxm2dA3fi2ILcg7abpAqrgeJzq55qcM1XMH5ihGoCigaZ-xvnO6EiQnZ8jKsofdL44dXLwWf7VojMRGd65r3bdrmjNcyEfb3mvcweDtR2X3z3R6ud1umzDNOcSme5mCdIuuFDmb9v0i4fJTvMsAD3gibK8q6hF/w640-h480/IMG_8427.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>Fried chicken, Korean style...</b></span></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Il5CbqNlLsiy0ZSXepnl7zfCcyD-fR4c8YANba3LOLqKil8RmN55IzTMEIYh_IKhjxsFSyWubhtaiB3CkxpD4InlnbkYg2OnPY6AJ-tv6cnAOZ1kUfks3pGBdpQNTIyn12C7_sC3gBoHsJOp9Vv5Wy6X4DeZC9so5GT4uPXuQyeEiVjgW1mOLYgA/s4032/IMG_8438.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Il5CbqNlLsiy0ZSXepnl7zfCcyD-fR4c8YANba3LOLqKil8RmN55IzTMEIYh_IKhjxsFSyWubhtaiB3CkxpD4InlnbkYg2OnPY6AJ-tv6cnAOZ1kUfks3pGBdpQNTIyn12C7_sC3gBoHsJOp9Vv5Wy6X4DeZC9so5GT4uPXuQyeEiVjgW1mOLYgA/w640-h480/IMG_8438.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></span></b></div><span><div><b style="text-align: left;"><span>[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day<span style="font-size: xx-small;">]</span></span></b></div><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day1" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 1 - </a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>Yay! 汉城啦!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day2" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 2 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋!</b></span></div></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";">Day 3 -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-small;"><b>哇,樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?</b></span><b style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day3" style="font-family: "Single Day";"><div></div></a></b></span><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day4"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 4 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>黄龙院,良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day5"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 5 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>大陵苑,瞻星台 - </span>just to get our TOTO numbers & off to <span>全州 </span>Jeonju Hanok Village!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day6"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 6 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>全州乡校街,太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day7"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 7- </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day8"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 8 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Yay! 又回到汉城了!Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day9"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 9 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><span>蚕室洞石村湖 </span><span>Seokchun Lake </span><span>(and GOTO Mall)</span><span><span> </span>- Last few days this year for the blossoms</span><span>吧</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day10"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 10 - </b></span></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy</b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day11"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 11 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Seodaemun Prison History Museum <span>西大门刑务所历史馆..</span> a sobering memory... have to eat <span>猪血!</span></b></span></div><div style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2023/04/oribori.html#Day12"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Day 12 - </b></span></a> <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>又广长吃猪脚,又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!</b></span></div></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: xx-large;"><a name="Day13"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Day 13 - </span></a><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Bye-bye Korea.. </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">我们一定很快再见的</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span></b><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="font-family: Poor Story;"><a name="Day13">안녕 한국야!</a> </span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: small;">4 April 2023</span></div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcTXlEHI457yxWaDN4V1ilqX43Jr1gQwI8HUOisskS5dGzpHJAxcUrx80w6s1HIjMYf28jFs-5SMvmd_91PKjToYJL-nCa5Ce0dPdPwiZKVvbtFIfUVatix0lkyzAKZx2Zxv1aouW56SyXiPAZG4UDN_XSSTHLSKMWdVJfhJCWn6zGt1Srjb56M7R/s4032/IMG_8440.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcTXlEHI457yxWaDN4V1ilqX43Jr1gQwI8HUOisskS5dGzpHJAxcUrx80w6s1HIjMYf28jFs-5SMvmd_91PKjToYJL-nCa5Ce0dPdPwiZKVvbtFIfUVatix0lkyzAKZx2Zxv1aouW56SyXiPAZG4UDN_XSSTHLSKMWdVJfhJCWn6zGt1Srjb56M7R/w640-h480/IMG_8440.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b>Conclusion</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div>老人家用中国人韩国人年龄的算法来算的话,都已经80岁了。两位老人家,从小到大就是读了看了书本电视,说哇樱花多么美,但是活到这么大把年龄,还未曾看过樱花。这一趟,就正是为了樱花而走的。我们真的是算非常的幸运了。每一个城市都看到樱花,不但如此,还 ya-ya 跟着本地韩国人一起争着看。是后来,读过韩国新闻才知道,今年的樱花来得特别早。是继1922年之后101年来,来得最早的一次。而且这一次的樱花季节,据说也是非常的短,只不过一个礼拜多而已。我们在首尔的最后几天,樱花树已经开始落花,并长出绿叶子了。再加上,我们回家后的接下来几天,首尔韩国多处地方下大雨。一旦下起大雨,樱花都拜拜了。</div><div>所以,人就是这样的-一切的一切,就是全靠天时地利人和,不是吗?</div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">妈妈说:<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b> “我们秋天的时候,再来看枫叶!”</b></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div>当然啦!</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-83438735366573236552022-12-22T01:02:01.699-08:002023-06-01T07:03:12.224-07:00How much do we REALLY actually know about Korea... A trip of 心 and 情.<p> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Pacifico, cursive; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another Wi</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Pacifico, cursive; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nter in Korea </span></span><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Song Myung; font-size: x-large;">한국 겨울 여행</span><span style="font-family: Nanum Pen Script; font-size: x-large;">...</span><span style="font-size: 19pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: "Caveat Brush"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">JUST the TWO of us!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">22 Dec 2022 - 10 Jan 2023</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyoj7O4Jf9O4xHkn4DlOzMGMWlwT0UnelhjkAD43ech-w12A0UEcqU23LFPnv0-ZaFGY-wG6cBiaxV9L7l2Yv1TYVkQItYK95jqMzxVTPXgEuexmjNMewrMqdq6jSUiIHJIUUuvIvwg75-EW2ccaLlcqpRoFP-fuIoWVKWV_--p4zYrE-aC2LGnfY/s720/FL_20230115_0491.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyoj7O4Jf9O4xHkn4DlOzMGMWlwT0UnelhjkAD43ech-w12A0UEcqU23LFPnv0-ZaFGY-wG6cBiaxV9L7l2Yv1TYVkQItYK95jqMzxVTPXgEuexmjNMewrMqdq6jSUiIHJIUUuvIvwg75-EW2ccaLlcqpRoFP-fuIoWVKWV_--p4zYrE-aC2LGnfY/w400-h300/FL_20230115_0491.GIF" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffd966; font-size: medium;">.<i>.. a painting on the wall of our hotel...</i></span><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>I saw this painted on the wall of our hotel on this trip. To me, reading a lot is <b><i>just as important </i></b>too. Reading gives us the grounding in knowledge, while travelling gives us practical, localised experiences. But truly it is <b><i>only when we physically interact </i></b>with the people can we experience the emotions, the vibes, and the affections that they exude - <i><b><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><marquee>what we call 人情 </marquee></span></b></i>.<div><br /><div>Thus the question <b><i><span style="color: #fff2cc;">"Do we really know a lot about Korea after all this while?"</span></i></b> kept reverberating in my mind. And this trip gave us new insights into the land, the people, their thinking, and their language.<br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: x-large;"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13"> Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">In this special blog travellogue dedicated to our family, our relatives, our very good friends in both Singapore and Korea, including all those who we have the pleasure of being newly acquainted with in Korea, we have inserted small snippets of insights, observations, new discoveries and realisations of the Korean people and their culture, and we have put them under these small little headings, to talk a little bit about how we felt and what we have learned:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)</span></span>👍</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Something about Korea...</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f4cccc; font-family: trebuchet;">( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ)<span> </span></span><span><b style="font-family: "Single Day";"><span style="color: red;">❤</span></b></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: red;">❣ </span><span style="color: #ea9999;">About Korean </span></span><span style="color: #ea9999;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">...</span></span></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: times;">( ๑‾̀◡‾́)</span></span><span style="text-align: right;"> </span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day; text-align: right;"> <b>Our thoughts...</b></span></span></div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>... because to understand a people, we need to not only read, but also to interact.</b></span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day1"><br /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day1"><br /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day1">Day 1</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">22 Dec 2022</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="471" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G2wYyMthqlk" width="567" youtube-src-id="G2wYyMthqlk"></iframe></div><br /><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">"Almost three weeks in Korea this time around... really </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">笑呀</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> you all</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">!</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">"</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"></span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">How crazy could we be? Every December the winter bug in us would start stirring in its sleep. Invariably it would rise from its deep slumber, and open its eyes in time to behold the sights of Daehan Minguk, so much that my sister Ah San, and some of our friends, mistakenly thought we have gotten permanent residency in the Land of Morning Calm.</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjH0fdVh6kKH_7TD7kqgklKkNLqRcw2WhcB20lEUckPBf8TrZAQmSjJnLfN7YSbYArz1y42fIdHuKnw0NAajhBHCd2qoSRj2ZdlEV99ECzZae7TwqHsDwNEfjtLO_Y5oUkbSyhF6aFybzWNw9x7s6q2VA1Rg8n7m3j81mDYDX6PFa8VdweN13uD5F/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0713.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span></span></div><span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span>For the first time, we were finally moving away from the trialled and tested Myeongdong area. At the risk of being laughed at, we decided to book a budget hotel next to Seoul Station. Why? After having so much fun discovering Lotte Mart in October with Kat and Gina, we discovered that there were so many other explorable, enjoyable places in Seoul, outside of the touristy places. Using Seoul station as our platform to hop onto anywhere else gave us the flexibility to make spur-of-the-moment decisions, one of which was how we found this lovely Jokbal restaurant not far from the hotel, recommended by the hotel counter staff. </div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSDK70ERGg2IcgzS-7nu0jCinsl6U_5jU4JwtSBDzp_cHi8s2UnXhi6NEYxtOW3lv2n_6Z7WysjPyieH2cvfe458AP-XgCWerX7HVF5smxNyhCzj2Dq806DLhezTMpjmeQGLhn6SpLLmNufmpib90vyGZrn7Y5fxlazTZuWOFucxsOfwnSaj3Adj7/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0711.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Wah lau, first time I feel so cold!” </b></span>exclaimed Singapore’s Ajumma.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div>Two days prior to our arrival it snow-stormed in Korea. Sadly we missed that. Still, this day was cold. For the first time, Serene was scrambling for a scarf, gloves, layers, and what-not from my backpack. Our good Alex Kaan reminded everyone on Telegram, that today was <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">冬至</span></b>, and no wonder it was freezing at minus ten degrees.<br /><br /></div></div><div><br /><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">A slow start</span><br /><br /></div>As always when we first set foot on Korean soil, we would have totally no lingam. But it did not matter, because this trip was meant to be a very leisurely one. Ever since a couple of trips ago, we have started enjoying days with no fixed itineraries, merely just going with the flow. So when we had no inspiration for what to do, it was never wrong to explore the supermarket - Lotte Mart.<br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9t77wGboBz4nE45C7Ry7a0Iuks3qFoj12kNzMuTGTxBkIAK7U00UtjhEtc0IVWE4tjageGLZO3iinJ7UvfE29DcYGnf1gqbywzAlKE88xGtjzrBE0AvkfnP74v8JbMQ-1-oOhivDTHFZChqvBbM8wxx7OKP31G5b_ovfczkjwY8OYmrRFqSITRAQ/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0716.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br />Our budget hotel with no lift but needing me to carry our luggage up three floors was among the first few unexpected. What was another kind of unexpected-expected? That Lotte Mart and Seoul was full of Singaporeans. Every corner we turned we could pick up the familiar Singapore accent floating in the air. While buying Pack-soju and cans of Dawn 808 解酒茶, as I was taking photos of ourselves, two Singaporean men saw us and we highly recommended this alcohol section to them. Jiaklat!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/UmQJoMbMhaxlfFZUAbjiWcX391Myf8ZHQxUuDokFws_ZtcMW7cpxAbu8O-Evv03-iC689s64z11Ho1mG1hhKVKMKIJHonMU1RYKZXZtlxDDhX7fraQDSE-C4vSEi1FqRub3d6-dkaDGRDESI0JrOKzMwatHWr0-mg8RORUMME1HJ9gcPa7liz2Y_SXAsmQ=w184-h400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="184" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br />That night it went to minus 12 degrees. But our heat-generating Ajumma was starting to feel hot in the hotel room, so we turned off the heater and opened the windows. Of course, we knew who suffered that night. Hahaha…<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day2">Day 2</a></span></p><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">23 Dec 2022</span></p></span><div><br /></div><br /><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;"><b>A Freezing Day</b></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/azJwTnt3fPawoPU9C0JzkmsiZpUdyy_xbzqlKcYo6cLAwDdc_SS-0lku29zeDDy-STyUVq1k1Wkt2osodoh_onKUS5hME5_74DOAbrIYxn1Yr66VpssuOFfHiEo2dZyLpKboq1_Kp_gVuIDfyofX3iDgdBToY1qUVuq-l_UJJ6Z3Ksz-aLPMe69vBGzs-w=w184-h400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="184" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />What a lovely and freezing morning. Minus 13 it said. I satisfied 我的好奇的心情 by going downstairs to test out the layering at this level of coldness and I realised - alamak.. No gloves, cannot. No shawl, cannot. No hat, cannot. And surprisingly, no mask, also cannot!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSTDqC0z5mWtlxwFzLpIIHOjI3pTw8xToLaCV5PAUVvPA02WYx0liKqHQaHvh3SANDq1bPpvQqIFofRx4o080knHO-iu3zdjN-nvoL1JCOroK9mCEdcs7-srf0unjakUSoqsCpI-qNQGCgef4JZ0wQ65cd3Et7kob2hKgNtYJJMMaSd_6sZZco_H8/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0715.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br />So here in Seoul, under such conditions, the mask is not only for protection against viruses but it was also important to keep the face warm! No wonder even though outdoor mask-wearing is no longer legally required, the locals are still putting them on. In spite of being so seasoned when it comes to sub-zero weather, I still find myself learning new things every winter.<br /><br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Dar what are we going to do today?” </b></span>ah the same question. Again.</div></blockquote><div><br />I was expecting this. Excitement was also the emotion I expected this question to stir whenever it hit me. The excitement from having to deal with the unknown, the excitement from having to weigh the uncertainty of making a decision (no big deal lah, we were on holiday), and the excitement from having to make that decision and then find the way to the destination.</div><div>As we travelled, we discovered that gone were those days when we tried to squeeze several destinations into a day. It’s perhaps one or two destinations a day, or maybe no destination at all, just nua. And like what our Daehan Korean language school Chairman said:<span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"> <span style="color: #d9ead3;"><b>“You can be a tourist, but you can also be a traveller.”</b></span></span><br /><br /></div><div>This morning the traveller in me told me that I was going to bring the Ajumma to eat this famous Seollongtang not far from Seoul Station. This was the highly recommended <span style="color: #fcff01;"><b>JungLimJang Seolleongtang</b></span> shown in the Netflix show.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RXFh-iT4A8ZPAH9YaIOlZ_obgDsRSDab5oI11dLPs9TJcI5lhK2xBLBCUhvXAa-OXN-GtNNQmk9hCcsfn9UtmG73houLOIHqgp-a_XBrMEWG7wrbhPUL-5MVyqZXrkBfjNZoUJAR1KL9wK64u_wJ8A92o1aBz8MFP_dO4MroklKTNKP16ZWKgtVv/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0720.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>What's Seolleongtang?</b></span></div><div>Seolleongtang is a classic Korean soup of beef bone, scraps of beef meat here and there and beef head, seasoned with salt (牛骨汤), eaten with rice, and a huge amount of banchan (side dishes). It was meant as a cheaper (mainly bone) alternative to Gomtang (eaten by the yangban nobility in the olden days) and was popular among the common peasant folks.</div><div>We scuttled from the freezing cold outside to the warmth of the SkiTang (食堂 restaurant), and were heartened to see it full of customers. It was a totally local affair. A whole line of friendly Ajummas was busy serving the patrons and was tickled to see both of us foreigners coming in. The amount of banchan was humongous. Despite being highly featured on Netflix, it was not expensive. Serene loved this Seollongtang to bits. It was not difficult to find, just that like most famous old restaurants, it was hidden in a small alley.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="479" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NQESYxGWrtE" width="576" youtube-src-id="NQESYxGWrtE"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /><br /> </div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"Oh, let me show you, the scissors here is for you to cut your kimchi into smaller pieces," </span></b>offered one of the Ajumma waitresses. </div></blockquote><div>They were even more tickled to find a couple of Singaporeans trying their best to communicate in Korean and showered us with even more hospitality as we slowly enjoyed the food. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrrXe_-7CD6oq67iIrnFaDdpCK3fTNzM4dYFx0rHpFjoyQqlBOHAINtaDq6kwbjxPvYCeg5AJOYO9CHo57UnierQHslvMp59vMOebxW0GFoNdwYo_HVkllQ5mDyvJV1qNl2LwzEwYeK6LtIRpF3dluFji21xvkFFh2W4-Sj8QmAAurTbi7ahBxUXx/s4032/IMG_2238.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrrXe_-7CD6oq67iIrnFaDdpCK3fTNzM4dYFx0rHpFjoyQqlBOHAINtaDq6kwbjxPvYCeg5AJOYO9CHo57UnierQHslvMp59vMOebxW0GFoNdwYo_HVkllQ5mDyvJV1qNl2LwzEwYeK6LtIRpF3dluFji21xvkFFh2W4-Sj8QmAAurTbi7ahBxUXx/w640-h480/IMG_2238.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seolleongtang 설렁탕</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f4cccc; font-family: trebuchet;">( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ)<span> </span></span><span><b style="font-family: "Single Day";"><span style="color: red;">❤</span></b></span><span style="color: red; font-family: Single Day;"><b>❣</b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b> </b></span><b style="text-align: right;"><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #ea9999;">About Korean </span></span><span style="color: #ea9999;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">...</span></span></span></b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">A Breath of </span></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Single Day";">Warmth</b><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Single Day";"> in Freezing Winter</b></span><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Single Day"; font-size: xx-large;">...</b></div><div>Our bodies warmed, we walked out happily. Just outside the restaurant, there was a heating radiator installed for customers who had to wait in line for their turn. There was an old man in shabby clothes standing there warming his hands. He was obviously not here for the food. Suddenly...</div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Aigoo, Halabeoji (Grandfather), it's cold! Don't stand there, please come in,"</span> </b></span>one of the Ajumma waitresses came out and ushered the old man in.</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Kwenchanayo. I will just stand here for a while to warm myself up,"</span> </b></span>replied the old man, desperately needing to escape from the deep cold outside.</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>"Aniyo Aniyo, Halabeoji, Kwenchansidnida! It's ok. Please just come in and take a sit." </b></span></span>and she gently held the old man by his arm and led him in.</p></blockquote><div>As we stood there witnessing this, not only were our bodies warmed, our hearts were also warmed.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;"><b>Hongdae!</b></span><br /><br />Before the trip, we met with Chi Loong and I was sharing with him my Hongdae Korean handphone case and the Korean i-Ring. I was not happy with the strength of the magnet, and I was planning to go back to Hongdae to the same shop to ask if there was any ring or case that allows a better magnetic suction. This decision sprung into my mind as we were enjoying the Seollongtang,</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JnDDUC0y8LK-mksOlqUwVKq_KEupelNmw0bsZF8GHvqdc137Lk1KdT7y34Ddrxh4Z43jz8oL0YvTHSBGWX5exAfp5Syc6uFcSK0Lxref5WVpmkAQWAEiE3jUYC5Wow_PDWXUeW_1ik3zaCIuyHOXBcUfBEFv05H2xBf5UV_EdfqMGc4iOZCTGkB2/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0714.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Hongdae in winter on a late morning on a Friday was… quiet. Where were all the young people we saw so many of during our autumn visit? The shops were all open but I guess it was still early in the day some of them had not started putting out their clothing racks for display. <br /><br />This accessory shop was right across the main road once we walk into Hongdae. The cases were $20 - $35 per case, and the Magsafe stickers were going at $10 a piece. This <a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/4d8U2H_uwDrORu_-15_i3O9gVJqceATwvBzZsgO1r5WM_39OaGfI3MgQ4-X3F_JlIm3bGv2bTVqgSIvhVE1bvoXENjyhiwuf1ESwDBLP5UKKlRA625ZrHMMDkU8jxkcLXSf5rtfgNJ85s0yyrLcSnyaLbm0Q4YdS5VumrxSGhhHZdpfEqzdiUvMK5ocL2w" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">young lovely SaJangNim</a> was very cute - when we told her we always came here to buy to gave us a 5000W discount on our 90,000W purchase. Some people may ask - what’s so special about the Korean-made phone accessories that would make me spend money on them instead of buying China-made products from Taobao at a cheaper price? The qualities were definitely way better. And the Koreans pride themselves on their Made-in-Korea products.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)</span></span>👍</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; text-align: right;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Something about Korea...</span> </b></span><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">Leaving things lying around in Korea.</span></b><br /><br />Since it was another two hours before my eyebrow embroidery appointment in Gangnam. we just sat around in one of the <a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ajfsrTF6USEylpoNCflO6OIIUeYx5QTHjMlsYk7-Wc51CsHgC6aEX33rkKseJCSuEenGwpSAD2nMGn2D9bKDqaByC5U_8VVwp7fn4HhOrp0ytwhTX4edUcC9KpLQbGU71tCcEzlVO22A_WsgaU_7_7GmbuDtMMMIKCU0fxpxUI4QCL73BBJ7nqEAgpB1Qg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hongdae cafe</a> with our hot Cappucino and relaxed. Korea was famous for the fact that one could simply just leave one's handphone, tablet, laptop purse, wallet handbag... anything... just lying on the table or chair and walk away to order food.</div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"No one would steal your stuff? Really?!"</span></b> you may ask.</div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGRxw5rj1N9O7NACV6UIN1ETW9PO-1bUEPAWWMp-7Vjq6UCwIbgYhZjGCOJX0_O0BDUsMKj2_fS6UORjw2RmuVAeqe4Do0yRpP5VC1TLFpo1rkGCn2fWc1JboWCAUDUo3eVqpzJ_DLV0f3FSgW0-LsjPVO6kHV64NtDrsAGFkXFH1GK1-Na5V2nBf/s4032/IMG_2281.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGRxw5rj1N9O7NACV6UIN1ETW9PO-1bUEPAWWMp-7Vjq6UCwIbgYhZjGCOJX0_O0BDUsMKj2_fS6UORjw2RmuVAeqe4Do0yRpP5VC1TLFpo1rkGCn2fWc1JboWCAUDUo3eVqpzJ_DLV0f3FSgW0-LsjPVO6kHV64NtDrsAGFkXFH1GK1-Na5V2nBf/w300-h400/IMG_2281.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Just leave your handphone on the table. No one will take it!"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br />Nope. Not a single soul. The moral education of Korea was so good that no matter how poor a person was, he or she would not take what was rightfully not his/hers left by others. It manifested as this display of integrity on the social level, much to the disbelief of many who hailed from western countries like usa, Europe and some south-Asian countries. </div><div>During this trip we were once taking a public bus when we got up and the Ajumma sitting beside us on the last row discovered a bag squashed between the seats, and immediately brought it to the bus driver. There, we were impressed.</div><div>For those of us who still do not believe it, the next time you go to Korea, just try it and see for yourself. You will be impressed.</div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br /><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>Eyebrow embroidery</b></span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cK55UodbrTdoZJ4sAIVKOJE82LkpqHFZ_FNEMLdFzKLx-X6VFZe3BimOqLBCHaWY4vGzLZSHCs-1cSnoASeWF37fqpU0N6Vj3Hq665NWiF3JTIjchCw5AO5VqN5LQXkCeQNW4jNfEemZAhrrSwOiEsS-0ZhnBJnOBYh1dD_xpfoZJz3i-ZupySdR/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0718.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Oh I simply loved doing my eyebrow embroidery Korea. Of course eyebrow embroidery is not unique to Korean beauticians. But my virgin embroidery was done years back here in Seoul, thus it would always be my go-to destination for my eyebrows. Like I told my relatives and friends, having well-defined eyebrows would allow one more confidence, and convey a more assuring image. </div><br /><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">As Daehan Education Centre's Chairwoman 理事님 said to me during this trip:<span style="font-size: x-large;"> <span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>"Having clear and well-shaped eyebrows is indeed important in your job."</b></span></span></div></blockquote><div><br />That evening I brought Serene to enjoy her favourite Hwe dinner in the Hwejib beside the hotel. This first visit so impressed Ah Hwa that we would return yet another time over the next three weeks.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1EyYifQddJH2qeMYljQq60cmjO_LWqPTdW3aVjDSsqYd_6FkDv1KwR24ChFM2nAZLVjBiIB_TzrVOJqhoLONvWoRSGceGMik-KFb-92YWWgF8cHtNIBn3HYvsAGrnpUQLWCUuOHdgxfX34Sc9fDgQUb52HH9XJtjlnWRTrsWhpSe4ihCYFwVlFcQ/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0723.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day3">Day 3</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">24 Dec 2022</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCt4-eUzuj3USwgrftXEJ1Cz9l9pN0vaoOKhuedDYt-UVBn8LkmBMMTTVKyYOUrEopzyjFFo35k0rRTuUoBtc3wJJyEwS_6xezfHtWLTRYT8AHPBoxk0R85hpw-rFgaUNaERzm7iBxSLKJ7OsXRxfiU6ezsdtYstaG8ktBRkR0Z4zSXNVOoUNKNHsQ/w300-h400/FL_20230523_0760.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>NEPA long down jacket?</b></span></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>We'd always wanted to wear a fashionable long down jacket like what many young Koreans (and even older Koreans) do when the weather turns freezing. It was in a big way, not only a fashion statement but also a much warmer option. NEPA is a Korean brand, and during our trip two months ago in autumn, we came across the Nepa brand but didn't manage to purchase anything. This time around they had some special offer by Lotte Outlet held in Seoul Station and a piece of this <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCoeYC8EAy59PtOHa_TkDAzGurNf7ZYTuaOyn7WyorMkIV8NQa79hswZruKzBwdnG0rSQTS9uSfLEzDq-06-olT4hnb7iBDpkigH5pLU0DtqOgI_NslQIDjMrhKuRsxjIpE_yNPKtJAo/s738-no/?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nepa Cyphon long down </a>went for 251,000W (S$267, after tax refund at the airport of $16, it came down to $251). Not bad. What got me sold was when Serene told me Nepa had one of my favourite male actors, <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/DbjbNhV_0E63OPoA18MMXC6eSfd5pS1d_2e83S63X9Mh0cW6AbVYdmBu_YuQCcrtu2Pif-UHvYOtGgS6kyo2Th52GUJn_iIGatSK6KeEXi9iN_Pbin_4mkZKj5RZ-Dp3Ja0S5SHYiF3YNFZbp3HnTR99j8Q-hNMxtweDg8e-jEsUQlQtFIu_fW2avSLt_tFkUPMTnzXEkaJJWBq_1-Bwh5BPjb4IS8_HHN6x4-Yiqdhn6PpTdWBnJZGAMONQ_V4zQa4UHJzI1jeQGAuZVnjZwxFywucRmDSPZ4XNIcxORI0lC0fh_ySqvSqeKPUmUzFYe5vhP3C_auiWtgyjoL4dybEUjbYWeyR3MxmQ_WhtzMoRPBwLBGbPgZJt6ihYGvyLWcrlmhhh1o1QFgl-sEpmxYlxIlGkKhvBIYLUPSH4eeKJgEbfKPwyxDjAk778Dr39YYQORPKvnE2te43Oo1ZMIq3TY1od48sCwGE_xv-LEdxO3Nct5P3QCaBNd9v9C-MsUb3Fm1j4HVPA56exNbd6qKdBXPiohAIzjseNO41ckf2XSygofYDJIxzgKasRGlveeqqP-5Q16D-R8_E0P_6OXLAyVnO3DWejC6PqP6wUkGR-dseiGscUgdFbkk67LHUO5_EB-XBwfYiQGGydy2mfkXNDGvlVQ7QCjaTf1gmbd9gn-b9zbOKIp3G7KvYewgC8Qpow-e6k51b_vtdB5AKhaOdXDHj1OgaUjEJmmNdu-9wbRcjB5e7cvZiOUL2renJiGPJNMRYJaCYdH8BEPkt-1j4VeRat8hJe4aM-M5aSb_XIIAbh5SzWIP_rIx2mii_bqnkpO0b0mHgM4Z5jZRTuEpFFCzAqVHSFzHNzY1kGMlMHRkMYk8xoxAOHEwj6RIDUmiQlqCQ4SJu2b5_pS0F6vBaQmmmZSf3m-3jTDcADebI9LQ9Hwg=w615-h738-no?authuser=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Son Suk Ku (손석구)</a> as their spokesperson. Anything that was worn by my 구 씨 in ''My Liberation Notes would get my vote. Thinking back, it was also because we would often see tourists during winter in Korea walking around, having squeezed themselves into layers of outerwear haphazardly matched together, and appearing like poorly-fitted trekkers to the North pole, that we decided that since we would find ourselves in Korea during winter often, we might as well just grab these and no longer need to bother about trench-coats and other fashionable wear.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20NBE0tYWbRH1BtL8aRzZfDoJ5S7FDCBD8l-PLQJkPpOt-3L7FTSyax6ZDOKeOzfXCE-avWSrLV9O8exqhNg22ZE6dmSc_P1UhGw6DAU9uGvuxV5T07fPLM-QM5E1HCLoIRLjz5qVJdAYVjofP5hqAM0qFTxhQ8ClnaFocFg0TBWGkVAkdBe_O6dZ/w640-h360/FL_20230520_0719.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Majang Sijang</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Majang Market (마장시장, 马场市场), the mere mention of this would bring to minds in those who are in the know, images of freezing cold stalls selling fresh Korean beef known as Hanwoo 한우 韩牛, quality of which is on par with its more famous cousin, the wagyu beef from Japan, but at a significantly cheaper price. Hanwoo is not exported out of Korea because the local demand for it is very high. Thus it's only when one is in Korea that one can really enjoy the best of Korean beef. And here in Majang market is precisely the place to be.</span></p></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks to our Cristie Sim, we deci</span></span>ded to cheong Majang Sijang on this Christmas Eve as we had nothing much planned.</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zHRg3O6MXIIYU2cWx_BAYjkf7ZJ3NcfV2glJtZ5WS8okq1EH02DY2i-NytxC3IiZBz_OzdDG-94vfRTQVOTGQxW-UoxCDRFsI8yyAgf6n2riZTgtyfInGu9OI5dqUvOSleekK2RSeLz2eN8fnJvww-6oXWZ4PAnjd08sNigzP2hHhx1v7H35by-H/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0721.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><br /></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Poor Story;"><b><i>"The history of Majang Meat Market dates back to 1963, when a major slaughterhouse in Sungin-dong, Jongno-gu moved to the area. The name Majang is associated with horses, and comes from a horse farm that was in the area in the early Joseon Kingdom (1392-1897).</i></b></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Poor Story;"><b><i>In the ‘70s, when fresh meat was not readily available at department stores or supermarkets as it is now, the meat market drew shoppers from all across the city, who arrived via a now-defunct intercity bus terminal. </i></b></span><b style="font-family: "Poor Story";"><i>At that time, the market offered slaughtering services as well.</i></b></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Poor Story;"><b><i>The market is not just for wholesale buyers. It also draws retail shoppers as well as meat lovers who want to enjoy fresh meat at lower prices. Many restaurants here also offer freshly grilled meat.</i></b></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Poor Story;"><b><i>Today, the blood-splattered floor is still a regular sight but improved drainage and hygiene means it no longer pools up.</i></b></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Poor Story;"><b><i>The slaughterhouse in Majang permanently closed in 1998 due to complaints from neighbors over odor and noise." - The Korean Herald</i></b></span></p></div></blockquote></blockquote><div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4YaqCLizFVRT-O8YiaunrxffxhO1A90FZScqGs04KfxNhDX6hu9jNwmrKrKPP3GXJTFiPdj32Qjn7iUD_kAw2fuo8cNaBeoiya8B8S1VMKLQik_a4xiLKBgflCU_PO3d40iCnSeP1cNHenLhMOkYDg2oDzCVn_Rsbu-TinWdPz-LDLuwRKbCpOa7/s4032/IMG_2389.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4YaqCLizFVRT-O8YiaunrxffxhO1A90FZScqGs04KfxNhDX6hu9jNwmrKrKPP3GXJTFiPdj32Qjn7iUD_kAw2fuo8cNaBeoiya8B8S1VMKLQik_a4xiLKBgflCU_PO3d40iCnSeP1cNHenLhMOkYDg2oDzCVn_Rsbu-TinWdPz-LDLuwRKbCpOa7/w640-h480/IMG_2389.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unbelievable marbling...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>The most delicious Hanwoo ever!</b></span><br /><span>We didn't want to exaggerate, but the Hanwoo 韩牛 here is really the best we have ever had. We would definitely rate it on par with the best of Wagyu beef but at a fraction of the pri</span>ce. Majang Sijang is frequented by locals who want to enjoy a good meal of Korean beef at a lower price than when served in other restaurants elsewhere selling Korean beef. Tourists are also found roaming the alleys of Majang market and would be stumped by the friendly store owners calling out touting for business. Actually, every stall is almost the same, price-wise. The ground floor would house the individual butchery with their eye-boggling display of freshly packed beef, all properly price-labelled. </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><i><span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Hint: If really no idea what to order, just ask the SajangNim to give you a pack of </span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">Modeun Hanwoo</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;"> (All types of Hanwoo) from various cuts and one pack of 400gm, enough for two person, or so would cost about 80,000-90,000W, and they would usually add in some extras. </span></span></i></b>The SikTang (restaurants) are mostly housed on the second or third floor. Each butchery would have its links to several SikTang such that a customer who buys from the stall would be ushered to their ‘áffiliated’ restaurant. But again, the charges for the restaurants are very uniform - about 5000-6000W per head for the service of providing a table, charcoal barbecue pit, cold water, utensils, and a whole range of banchan (side dishes). </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6hCd1vOy7PXWHxGsoU0bj7vkaU5WLjW8nBLc4yOZsxWQ8_iG7YNNvF6uHiOObUfVjBcvi-Wl5k5OVD62e3FWRctto6S4th5OyvA5YMra9hlyv2mVTyDCwOkKyeOcIZmbJHJjVtvpV35lcrFLVaKGZbDXK04y7Zu6rCTp0wT-IQ97lnAxUnHx5pxf/s4032/IMG_2397.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6hCd1vOy7PXWHxGsoU0bj7vkaU5WLjW8nBLc4yOZsxWQ8_iG7YNNvF6uHiOObUfVjBcvi-Wl5k5OVD62e3FWRctto6S4th5OyvA5YMra9hlyv2mVTyDCwOkKyeOcIZmbJHJjVtvpV35lcrFLVaKGZbDXK04y7Zu6rCTp0wT-IQ97lnAxUnHx5pxf/w640-h480/IMG_2397.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">So one really does not need to search too much. And really every stall is almost the same as the other stall, in terms of beef supply and prices. And importantly, </span></b> any of the stalls would provide as good a service as the one beside. And it is a common practice for the stall owner to not only sell you the packed beef, but throw in extra Beef sashimi, and extra beef belly meat, all of which are totally delicious!</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /></span></p><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVz7FLNKR1bbCo6X3PRf52hGLw24FqXhzIx6DdT4XgDAeMaMXpB87V9Y1LqM6ZSgeIaNpdkLaoklO76O-1Y_9C7XRnPrpoqsamMWryPLwkvoh8X5GZuMEB8hnILdiw1BEzv1bdDKmWoL1rZl2avNH1Osw_8Mniqf-FD86QmvbEapv8VI92PGdf0E0/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0722.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f4cccc; font-family: trebuchet;">( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ)<span> </span></span><span><b><span style="color: red;">❤</span></b></span><span style="color: red; font-family: Single Day;"><b>❣</b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b> </b></span></span><b style="text-align: right;"><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #ea9999; font-size: x-large;">About Korean </span></span><span style="color: #ea9999;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">人情</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">...</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Korean friendliness and Korean hospitality </span></b></span><b style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Single Day";"><span style="font-size: medium;">- </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i>in the most unexpected way</i></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">How friendly are Koreans? The answer is actually not difficult. Through hearsay, we would have heard that some elderly Koreans are rude and unrefined. Others would report that some of the passers-by on the street would just bang into you without saying sorry, while some stall-owners would bo-hew customers. Well, generally Koreans are very polite and their upbringing inculcates in them a sense of respect for individuals, especially for the elders. Often times when we drink with our younger Korean counterparts, they would turn their heads away while imbibing as a sign of respect for us. I have always maintained that Koreans embody the virtues of Far-Easterners. Something that has been lost in many Asian populations of Far-Eastern origin.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="484" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3b07pYG1JZ4" width="583" youtube-src-id="3b07pYG1JZ4"></iframe></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-de627ebc-7fff-9d98-338b-8b1a53a3534a"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>Meeting brand new Korean friends, just like that…</b></span></span></p><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Excuse me, what is that bowl of soup that you all are eating?”</b> </span></span>was the innocent question that I posed to the three young Korean ladies on the next table.</p></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Oh it’s Duenjang jiggae,”</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span>came the reply. And fate was such that, this short exchange evolved into a cheers of soju+beer, and we all started chit-chatting.</p></span></div></blockquote><br /><br />My Korean, though conversational, was still only at most primary 3, primary 4 standards, and I was surprised that my limited command of Korean, coupled with the three 36 year old Korean ladies’ equally limited English, could allow us to strike up a very lively conversation. It was their first time here at Majang Market, as it was ours too. And these three young ladies were so tickled by an old Oppa and an old Eonni from Singapore and who seemed to know quite a lot about their country, that they started to ask us a lot of questions (about ourselves and about Singapore), and we of them. This first round ended up with a second round, where as hosts, they insisted on bringing us to a nearby Crsab restaurant within walking distance, and Serene and I had a most delicious steam flower crab 꽃게찜 and more soju and beer.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBqKh2yDWLdcepK43rhZvJjtNsVZDmOVN8foRrlmT38ZFB2opkSPCpCzhlCEZqNOze6rcs7KiH6aQ40aWHkML22p_znz9vGdkGpXRPON-SrsdGLWkUNpmiblJHbRHDuYXy3JAy_gM3ga5C6VjxnlORfpRn8pigo45H2fVBvnXtIgoHuDsBCCelp00/w640-h480/IMG_2428.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Speaking a language that was foreign to ourselves was like…. One literally needed to be immersed in people who are constantly bombarding you with the language and giving you no chance. Add in careful listening, plus frantic digging from one’s memory of all the expressions and words that one learned over the years during lessons,, and trying not to panic while struggling to piece the sentences and finally gar-gar-lai just let the replies flow out of one’s mouth, correct or not. Being forced to speak Korean like this, was one of the most exciting things for both Serene and me whenever we were here.<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIZWWUfw6gmIrE6hOv-Dm-3-xNAHjJ-VyU9etYxkz1RBW_NAM5xd54ldWdnazWLEa3y83eYNJ-Vsv_eTd74vKHMtIlNGbqiEl0AlMRdob08SsW-rLinTJElUQ0_ME1Kw3WloygYmiYrytgY-kldiSIfItFVClWpbKvfboGbTLbz9zgVyQv29Ucpkz/w640-h480/IMG_2436.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />What was even more impressive was, these three 36, 37-year-old young ladies were very good friends for years, and though they were now working, they still got together regularly. The fact that they unconditionally accepted a couple of strangers as friends and treated us to a $200+ crab meal, was certainly a perfect display of Korean hospitality. We were deeply touched, and we continued to keep in touch even back home in Singapore.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">韩国人的人情味,真的是没得顶!这三位韩国女孩子,姐姐是이현지(李泫池),比较叽喳的,比较会说一点英语的叫김소라 (金素羅),酒量最差的呢,叫지한솔(是一种树木的名称,没有汉字的韩国名字)。</span></b><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKC2Maj47Xp9DLYWGXys6yd_Lp9bAoonynK6xGv3wyzKSvoUogMJ__GXBVadC0MfHIrk1TsdT7a_VhfpfnXTtG3xLWKz9m80jkJiYEVvM4HOM5pZUd6BLsZHP2OkVtiRyWPVhyGPXCnqZsj8CqY4lojXqM_UlCsn5dQyuf4hHWnxbmUVdhr7hzPSZE/w640-h480/IMG_2441.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></tr></tbody></table></span><div><br />This day was so unforgettable, we went to bed with so much warmth in our hearts that we could not stop talking about the young Korean ladies, and of Majang market and the most delicious beef.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day4">Day 4</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">25 Dec 2022</span></p><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Today hor, let’s just walk and explore the neighbourhood behind Seoul Station,”</span></b> I suggested, late in the morning on Christmas Day. <b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“I heard it’s an interesting neighbourhood, and there should be a lot of things to see.”</span></b></p></div></blockquote><div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The neighborhood of Cheongpa-ro led us through convenience stores and villas and Ban-Jiha (half underground) households with plenty of steep up-slopes and downslopes as this area was situated on a hill. Typical narrow walkways and concrete steps transacting alleys leading down to buildings further down the slopes, criss-crossing pavements so pathognomonic of an oldish Korean neighbourhood. In Korea, housing is separated into apartments, villas, office-tels, and detached solo-standing houses, of all the residential buildings, apartments (called Apa-teu in Korean) are the most plentiful, followed by villas. Villas are buildings with walk-up units very often seen in Korean dramas and are located all over the various dongs (neighbourhoods) as the cost of rental for these is affordable. As we walked, we feasted our eyes on the villas lining both sides of the alleyways with varying degrees of oldness. <br /><br />Halfway through, we found ourselves at a quaint little cafe at a crossroad just behind the Lotte Car Rental office at the back of Seoul Station. It was run by a SajangNim and his blonde-haired wife. Serene fell in love with a hand-made strawberry bag made by his wife and bought it while we sipped cappuccino. A conversation got struck and we started discussing doing business in Singapore, rental cost, cost of living, and tax in both Korea and Singapore. My understanding of Korean was still very much limited, but we learned that in Korea, there is this thing called <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: medium;">Gift tax 赠与税 </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic; font-size: medium;">증여세</span></b><span style="font-family: Nanum Gothic;"> </span></span>that meant if parents want to gift their children even a simple casual gift of more than $50,000, in cash or gift, the government will tax this gift heavily (about 40%, crazy!).</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nR_cc0eadfHsoTp_Fb-4gbbazxxut0FKLK_MoNpPhNXJsgGtPkoCPzcizqqV054AI4kB0YpGnZwpQ6000XB4dhFZdDZWAxWi6kHV5GTb9KDkGyjOtv3vLFbJgdRm9teJE5Xb0_XBCeDVFp9fwKf7xk7QQgIxVuQ4rwVPE50WpFUbvX7GCJAg9OUS/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0724.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Why is there such a tax?”</b></span> Serene questioned me.</div><div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br />Neither did I know why, as this was the first time I was learning about this. We were both very surprised to hear of this type of tax. Perhaps it was to discourage young people from simply benefitting from parents instead of working hard.<br /><br />This very inquisitive Cafe SajangNim asked me all about rental prices for a cafe the same size as his in Singapore and all the details of setting up businesses. Maybe it wasn’t every day that a pair of Singaporeans would come to his cafe and appear (pretend) to understand him in the local lingo. <br /><br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbvE-WwWswDwDIIfj7qk6HTM9nCi-fjuxbItBzZ8JkB1qNUwIwEymkq7tarJVjhthFMtq0FxhHQvFIjEWvnbhOu9zm_JViZr5JjLET16LDpHLvKowVQOLfC7Vnnsr_tFK0Hn9pPzsId5WrEYbaZu_OeN8EOEZqjivsT70WtWjXGHP0JV_6dAbaNZp/s3088/IMG_2603.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbvE-WwWswDwDIIfj7qk6HTM9nCi-fjuxbItBzZ8JkB1qNUwIwEymkq7tarJVjhthFMtq0FxhHQvFIjEWvnbhOu9zm_JViZr5JjLET16LDpHLvKowVQOLfC7Vnnsr_tFK0Hn9pPzsId5WrEYbaZu_OeN8EOEZqjivsT70WtWjXGHP0JV_6dAbaNZp/w640-h480/IMG_2603.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">조성우 ShaJangNim in the Cafe behind Seoul Station</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)</span></span>👍</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><b>Something about Korea...</b></span></p><p>I guess not many Singaporeans realise that. But Koreans ARE in general very inquisitive of Singapore and they have always seen Singapore very up. Like one of our many very good Korean friends said:</p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Although Koreans may secretly look upon certain other nationals as a notch below themselves, Korean sincerely treat Singaporeans as equals - both stature as well as economically."</b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><p>Everywhere we went, the men and women in the street, after realising that they can communicate with us a little, would ask very specific details about living in Singapore - cost, rental, GDP and such. One very friendly man, sitting across our table in the pig blood restaurant somewhere near Seodaemun Prison History Museum, waxed lyrics about the tax system, the GDP and the capabilities of Singapore citizens. Many harbour the intention to visit Singapore, though not many have done so, why? Because they all say that Singapore is a VERY EXPENSIVE city!</p><p>And we Singaporeans thought that Korea is a very expensive country!</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Seodaemun Prison History Museum</span><br /><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: x-large;"><b>서대문 형무소</b></span> <span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>西大門刑務所</b></span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawlEmliZmzjMwGX2KILrWOaN8PaUSXlDetZnmHW2gCYKpEkBsfS1h40fIBO6Tb8BdUDgpdkcL3gtG2cilqbWN-0aa635tzemNM6162TshdGa2tNUkawcyEXeiHxuBaT87VAS2TnVNUo_Dj_905oJauZ7ORnrdANr-r3zeYCIguTmOHr-1LdeJO5Kh/s4032/IMG_2662.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawlEmliZmzjMwGX2KILrWOaN8PaUSXlDetZnmHW2gCYKpEkBsfS1h40fIBO6Tb8BdUDgpdkcL3gtG2cilqbWN-0aa635tzemNM6162TshdGa2tNUkawcyEXeiHxuBaT87VAS2TnVNUo_Dj_905oJauZ7ORnrdANr-r3zeYCIguTmOHr-1LdeJO5Kh/w640-h480/IMG_2662.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upon arriving, we saw a man standing quietly outside the prison gates, in absolute silence.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Where are we going to?”</b></span> asked Serene.</p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">“The Prison History Museum 서대문 형무소 </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">西大門刑務所</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">. Remember the Korean movie that we watched called “항거: 유관순 이야기. Resistance: The Yoo Kwan Soon story” where the Korean female pro-independent protestors where imprisoned by the Japanese colonial soldiers and were tortured? That’s the prison that I am bringing you to.”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br />Although the map said it was only about 5-6km, it turned out to be such a long walk, traversing through upslopes and downslopes. I was thrilled to be able to see with my own eyes, housing where people actually lived in, and passers-by going about on their own businesses. It was freezing. And icicles were formed on the window stills of the half-underground apartments housed in the villa buildings, and slippery ice lined the side of the alley. Serene nagged, scolded me, and rushed me to quickly arrive at the Prison History Museum because we needed to meet our Daehan Education Centre IsaNim and her husband that evening for a dinner appointment.<br /><br /></p></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Seodaemun Prison was originally built in 1907 and opened in 1908 to imprison Korean independence fighters who resisted the Japanese colonization. Originally called Gyeongseong Prison, at its height held more than 2,000 prisoners when it was only meant to house 500. At the time, even the capability to house 500 inmates made this a huge prison as the entire capacity of all of the prisons across the country at the time only totaled 300. Inmates not only died from torture and starvation but because of the cramped space and lack of basic human necessities, died of heat stroke in the summers and froze to death in the winters. I’ve visited in both winter and summer and it’s easy to see how this would happen with the barren cells. Visit in the winter and you yourself will definitely feel the chill even as you walk through the interior spaces.</span></i></p></div></blockquote><div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /><br />We didn't have too much time here. But in that short half an hour we spent browsing through the dark gloomy cells where mannequins depicted prisoners detained here during the Japanese Occupation days, we could feel the chills and the horror of those moments. <br />It was exactly like what was shown in that movie Resistance: The Yoo Kwan Soon story. This visit was enough to intrigue once again within me, the desire to read and find out more the history of Korea during the Japanese Occupation period.</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://youtu.be/7IPmAgsMfaw" target="_blank">Click this Video to watch</a> </span></b>the Prison History Museum in more detail, as we went a second time round with our parents, three months later in Spring. </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Black Han Sans;">Dinner </span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">with IsaNim and Mr Ku at Sejong Munhwa Hwegwan -설가온 (Seoulgaon) Restaurant</span></span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68N5dBToDWo0omRV1gUeKzgFGml9YoW_ndBbcFvLNSqVyUqgY4yFatBVTsMLfyGH2nv7L6zFnvZi8g5TFqDgXKb915-jSHbo93JNhulKOU5YyJKrXsiMr6OP-RW0-IyyoVa04csKZtjX-b3zI_cYybDwm7W9RQ9086_C5Y7FdLatrLkIcYVARjI4j/s2016/IMG_2702.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1134" data-original-width="2016" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68N5dBToDWo0omRV1gUeKzgFGml9YoW_ndBbcFvLNSqVyUqgY4yFatBVTsMLfyGH2nv7L6zFnvZi8g5TFqDgXKb915-jSHbo93JNhulKOU5YyJKrXsiMr6OP-RW0-IyyoVa04csKZtjX-b3zI_cYybDwm7W9RQ9086_C5Y7FdLatrLkIcYVARjI4j/w640-h360/IMG_2702.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">신영분 이사님 recently moved house and these few days she and her husband Mr Ku were busy settling in. Yet they were so generous in taking time out to dinner at 설거운 restaurant in Sejong Munhwa Hweguan near Gwanghwamun. <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">真的好感动。</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">能够与申理事长与具代表在这个圣诞夜晚一起在世宗文化会馆里的有名餐馆一起进餐,真是荣幸。我们的韩语也真的是不够水准,但是申理事长和具代表两位的英语都很好,所以还好还可以沟通。我们真的是很欣慰,虽然是第一次与理事长和她先生在这般场合聚会,但是好像是无所不谈,我尽量真的是尽量用我能记得的,能说出来的韩语跟两位交谈。能够一面交谈,一面帮我改正我的韩语,真是一种难得的机会。理事长和具代表他们全家曾经在中国生活了两年,所以我心里知道他们两位,肯定在中文理解的领域上,比我们想象的还来的还好。所以,我本身经常即使在跟申理事长平时交谈的时候,就有一种因为自然心中知道她能明白中文而产生的一种内心的沟通。很有趣的,他们介绍我们和복분자 </span>raspberry wine,<span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> 也与我们分享他们本身对事物,对人的想法。尤其是解释不同地方的朝鲜族人的心态与行为,在很大的程度上跟我对某些现象的看法很相像。正如申理事长说的:</span></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><b><span style="font-family: Poor Story; font-size: xx-large;">“</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">伟豪</span><span style="font-family: Poor Story; font-size: large;">씨는 중국어를 할 수 있지만 중국사람이 아니지요!” </span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHtf0ElfniCQsH-1MyxiccFxFnpZpljAU98b82MSCtbJU5qcYQyTTkNfJdkQfhXmEvKRpUIUxu0mb9gAW54havhhOfLTJnXhG01p_IAlQ_CL8vxo82bwhlEJOqWk_wLHCoQNMEhBs0-dMCk_0ezfKcligGot2DdzLRFEF7KcadB7WyPCT7HAdj43u/s640/FL_20230521_0759.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHtf0ElfniCQsH-1MyxiccFxFnpZpljAU98b82MSCtbJU5qcYQyTTkNfJdkQfhXmEvKRpUIUxu0mb9gAW54havhhOfLTJnXhG01p_IAlQ_CL8vxo82bwhlEJOqWk_wLHCoQNMEhBs0-dMCk_0ezfKcligGot2DdzLRFEF7KcadB7WyPCT7HAdj43u/w640-h360/FL_20230521_0759.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: #f4cccc; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;">( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ)<span> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><b style="font-family: "Single Day";"><span style="color: red;">❤</span></b></span><span style="font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: red;">❣ </span><span style="color: #ea9999;">About Korean </span></span><span style="color: #ea9999;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">...</span></span></b></span><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">具代表是一位超忙的建筑师,在韩国上下到处奔跑工作,忙得不可开交,但是非常的风趣。也教我们怎么用韩语来</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Poor Story; font-size: x-large;"><b>‘땡규!”</b></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"> 干杯。当然,吾里阿朱妈呢,还是一副可爱的老样子,在韩文教师面前,依然用她最熟悉的英语来交谈,笑死我了。</span><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Wee How 씨, this is a good time to buy properties in Korea," </b></span>said 申理事长, to which I smiled politely.</p></div></div></div></blockquote><p>Some of our friends have jokingly poked us, saying that we both travel in and out of Korea so often, we must have bought a property in Korea already. But no lah. - how can we possibly? Buying houses or real estate in Korea requires support of ultimate wisdom, any one single bit short in terms of this virtue would render it not possible, a situation which I find myself in. </p><p>As of May 2023, the Korean property market prices has seen a consecutive 11 months of decline, although this rate of decline has slowed down significantly. The decline was due to an increase in interest rates and inflation. In a discussion with Kim Man Jung in a subsequent trip in March 2023, we learned that in Seoul, perhaps near some of the more residential areas, the price of a 33 square metre (1064 square feet) apartment costs around S$1.5 million. It's quite similar in terms of prices with Singapore.</p><p>After some long soul searching, I finally realised that, and I finally came to the conclusion that in this current life of mine, I have reached the end of the road. Any further acquisition would have to be executed by the next generation. My job is done, and from this point onward I am just to keep myself as stress-free as possible. The moment I put my signature on the line, I have put a wisdom cap around myself. And I am happy living my simple life like this.</p><div><div><div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><span><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day5">Day 5</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">26 Dec 2022</span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div></span><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOLMBBuzY6OsYWQNEpR4ebl0yuTjvVidfCGSFU0E1FU5h1rfkPSvrkK9cgiUWHOLNSod1QsxfVZeWCYb3-IVKf-5E5zP04S6KW3Ba9kJhsaKKmHOfzc0iTQxttT4bduKUMG6u3gfYio_9_iTsyduQwopcTHG5qCqA5lNrZHNEP_fyIcZnDN7k43XZ/w640-h360/FL_20230520_0725.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span>It was just another relaxing morning. Serene insisted on waking up late. And to walk next to our hotel for breakfast. What better things to do on a Boxing Day morning than to walk a few doors down and eat Serene's favourite <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunBj7p2SA_1n-QwhmjOpQ7CmSX5MAkMZcP0Zwj1fElh1TRCUHfNo3nGsYrYZpS6NhMChVi3XjdKUwd95eJaa5wP3MdAcVHCXEgbUNkWuoyUz3N61XHfJIp12UzS5X3fsFRrF4sl5xPe8/w1359-h626-s-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">JajjangMyeon</a>!</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="484" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OeNnr-M3Nfw" width="583" youtube-src-id="OeNnr-M3Nfw"></iframe></div><span><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Eat Jjajangmyeon and speak the language of Jajjangmyeon!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></span><span><br /><span id="docs-internal-guid-1f5d076a-7fff-f7e0-c7c5-a8c531647752"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Black Han Sans;">Christmas Dinner</span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;"> with the Ngs and the Kaans</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><span><span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnS1GMJiUb5fpipWYUd8OZT9Ii_IFPaxD8EP7B0Xt7wA8mKnj_C8NW9e43xydXngDbnpWgxhK9llHoHSd4RgW6Ic_utHFfeUfXKRcpAaakIoNZWPsauJNb_41Ukq5qOaHudMF2mqUh9qWyudpNDGLjN59uIUt8pTW3Gtb4FzwoGTHPXO1eygcnlWI/w640-h360/FL_20230520_0726.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div>I still remember in the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOu4nqD_9wozqRDIYSJpsJrG62JO99b2GSabNd11fNlv5IMG8SdVS8wmQZNFOlo_RfLz5tOwa_U_PsCqhjYQQbvPNtBUDF0cGNknle0OHVbTlFcqbnlCiTmitbNe1mibuRFNwt6ZpOpM/w854-h854-s-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">winter of 2019</a>, we had a <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sKVzDutPOmOZ6ZIRopy-_T9_eBwX4oMrvyv--iOe96FKR2AqC4E8boCcndNyLEl3UoEIVdhyz5Z5F-cHsQKYWMaJXduaACPgWEkFCo1CtW9-4z-rbfMibZJibxek3vLR0iAYH-a9wAt5LKp9UKfU0V2Xiq5JenmE4YqQEBvespxr8lrRevP8RIm6n83PYnerZs7OZdsZTzZ0VEWmQgc_TPqDzqbjhAXxwbUEtASvf_hwbkRa3uhA9YLzlXTUFgh5EszgJhVPF9_UwcE29kSixmWFi8KdFKese53ZUdO-j92EF_qCfyMDn-aWUHKvO9ZYMxeJYftRrW15-FiegxLkDaURw30oKyaGOnbTT2wmKaj_HArG6BICeKvOVOlx8MDgVDW239IzHxOTjILvLNj3Ep7BGirG5n1l4jzevDB0CzAdhiT1xuLAhuf0zdLMgVamdWUI3DusU5zZrVoLPiQMbW0MRbrIQ3EbebUbTWjLe_q0gvKSMFVhpGelFHDARwiZKovpOwk2Mq4lzbqnd5M3q38YU8h9A_OfKv2eFNEKslD7bZkk084QFDbD3pAKmGno5qIUAojctoyLjduyn2EFxN9Od1jYktsOhdgXg9rWPEYBO9LIyhKNxp72WpNRnvl1usjeZWBpSRULSm-ZJhHuXP-ia3y9JpXJ2TuM0r7nSpNdoruWHPhtRARfWOckYkXo0ukoMVoWN0ma8J4z7lAADpNgKLPr5iNMXkIA_6Dr5PBD71qWbnqDEIeq-MopFr3zqSAcjpTu3T8dV4NQ6udYFopOrdvkKeiEDDEK8OSvT0WPeQZzcXk8FeXpv_UrESHtrwtSzJRABNtNoIUodRVOfpv25Uub5LETYP1FLopuDJSfoXnUDbjX1dYl7Y5pC8PNh3fhiLr84qwzI43R9inY1Ej0he_rTKqjESU1Z0wUI_FguUDbMQ=w1136-h854-s-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">wonderful meet-up</a> and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXpwAf0mnNXIUWBWOhw7ETovCruY7Nvh17komvaAYxktAE_av2NMJtA0UcZKjK8A7QV3FCxl42vnTsalXG7EJN9ef8tMoI-xNRGji9jgByTQ26KZ3Q_xwCzF0N3P1ML7Ycr0Z13nR8vI/w1139-h854-s-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">dinner in Raon Restaurant</a> in Myeongdong with the Ngs and the Kaans. Eager to relive that experience, we agreed to meet up on Boxing day to have a meal in the cold cold winter of Myeongdong. The good people was flying in on Christmas Day and they were planning for quite a lot of activities on their own.</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span><span><span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="463" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xbGjxIjs2ss" width="558" youtube-src-id="xbGjxIjs2ss"></iframe></div></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">~ V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">i</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">e</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">o ~</span></div><span><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kim Man Jung’s father 김용명代表님 strongly recommended Ouga restaurant instead, this time round, as the food is better and the price is reasonable, The wintry coldness was once again rendered so comfortable by warm hearts, happy chatters and a re-connection of ties that never changed over the years.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjz1EZdZYci4bDcAbdRnWjCHTMM5ytSs47kvLjOqRGGp7eyVGtQOyo3WMMiiD0CM_MJfgjDQbd4sRcI_SbMtYAWFntZKcA-qoKnsYg1c7nlzVQRyuN8vkK944iKGMPE0eVVFFkNa8-bv2IhhI8BFv9cEaFNv6d4LU2gQIbsjN8HL0MEDNiOT289mzt/s4032/IMG_2833.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjz1EZdZYci4bDcAbdRnWjCHTMM5ytSs47kvLjOqRGGp7eyVGtQOyo3WMMiiD0CM_MJfgjDQbd4sRcI_SbMtYAWFntZKcA-qoKnsYg1c7nlzVQRyuN8vkK944iKGMPE0eVVFFkNa8-bv2IhhI8BFv9cEaFNv6d4LU2gQIbsjN8HL0MEDNiOT289mzt/w640-h480/IMG_2833.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span></span><span><span><br /></span></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><span><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"Let's go for second round!”</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I said, when Jaina expressed her desire to try live squid Sannakji,</span></span></p></span></div></span></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And 240m down from Ouga, we found in a small alleyway a small skitang that served that and we all sat down, and drank and ate again! It was really quite an experience to see the young lady enjoy her very first Sannakji.</span></p><div><br /></div></span></div></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVGe9ZGkAxF7pXD3Q44oocnQ3JWYzenqIeiTqlMiP5wQRAIEqi-2OK6bQiEcnHX5kcSuVADUY-DWaSzheV34x6QjwgcqGgNzqnR0HA4bFO6jqnEGIWJsPhyfSW1UeQedE2YQcTaG_7riwLaikoEqIAR19TmPETfgj1jQFuSFmtM5rZNi5uWowp_Rb/s4032/IMG_2859.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVGe9ZGkAxF7pXD3Q44oocnQ3JWYzenqIeiTqlMiP5wQRAIEqi-2OK6bQiEcnHX5kcSuVADUY-DWaSzheV34x6QjwgcqGgNzqnR0HA4bFO6jqnEGIWJsPhyfSW1UeQedE2YQcTaG_7riwLaikoEqIAR19TmPETfgj1jQFuSFmtM5rZNi5uWowp_Rb/w640-h480/IMG_2859.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f4cccc; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large; text-align: right; white-space: normal;">( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ)<span> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-large; text-align: right; white-space: normal;"><b style="font-family: "Single Day";"><span style="color: red;">❤</span></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-large; text-align: right; white-space: normal;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: red;">❣ </span><span style="color: #ea9999;">About Singapore </span></span><span style="color: #ea9999;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">... </span></span></b></span></span></div><span><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Poor Story; font-size: large;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">이런 친한 친구들이랑 함께 식사하는 모임을 한국에서 하는만 아니고 평소에 싱가포에서도 가끔 해야한다고 우리 아내가 솔직히 했다. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">나도 인정한다。</span></span></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-298fceb9-7fff-ccb0-e148-3175ae099b80"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">其实,人活在这世界上,永远都是社交性的动物。存在社会里,也就是得有定时性的社会交往。人与人之间的交流,尤其是在好朋友之间的接触,真是得继续保持。这也就是所谓做人的人情吧。不然的话,不知不觉会变成隐居深窟里的的隐士呢。</span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day6">Day 6</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">27 Dec 2022</span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div></span><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn55MEWP6tK3yL4RFAyFU9RRKWsuUjM_jJsaK_nYZMtgMwvhCrLGhSvmnWOgLAguU6fK2KAQmaOr-lK0dTWW5syreNQvELOJNM6QJRpJetI_g8ustOvEoBuKloMMimEU46N5PUTGC0YbEJN4UzZLAdLCiHs9sQ1FXR95ErDc51yzK6VlV9HxXN_c_W/w300-h400/FL_20230525_0766.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Today finally we were moving off from Seoul northward to Paju. We decided to wake up again a little later, at 9:30am today, to check out of K-grand hotel and slowly take a one hour 3 minutes train from Seoul station to Paju-Si (Paju City).<br />The weather was turning warmer today. But was still cold to walk in the breezy Seoul morning to the old old historic Seoul station Gyeongui Jungang Line, the Korail train that was part of the Paju-Seoul train system. The train to Paju did not leave very regularly. Only about one train every 45minutes to an hour. So we waited quite a while and only managed to grab the 10:50am train. The fees was the usual cheap train fees - 1950₩ a person, arriving at Geumcheon station 금촌역<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw61O-w6f1cgUr0NZLfJW1i8nOnGPe5CQSniGxGoQSBRT21fR9JvIKrjhJZ-2QZgUScjD5t3D9e_BDHkICFbjieGLQMkCkvu8HgPusrh6R6caDUoO3-S8bQ9XtgY6eZ5XLc-pUoK0vOhV0gproSH9wOm094J-k82Y0UJ2Ue7dQYyQBxPnTqPmRS9qN/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0727.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our Hotel Picasso was located 10km away and at 9650₩ we easily Kakao-T (Kakao-taxi) a taxi. The old Ajussi SaJangNim was very animated, thrilled to see some foreigners and tickled to hear our accented, halting Korean. He spoke with such heavy Satuli (dialect accent) that I had trouble understanding him. But it was fun.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And wow!... the Picasso hotel roomed turned out to be soooooo good! It was huge and had a full jacuzzi (that I soaked in every single night when we were staying there) and I could not imagine.. they actually had a full-functioning desktop for their guests to use in every room! That was how trusting these Koreans were. Imagine this in any other countries.. the computers would have been damaged before long. It was so convenient to be able to search for locations and plan my routes on the desktop and look and the photos and do my records.a great huge plus-point.</span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="489" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zMD4NBs8XB4" width="588" youtube-src-id="zMD4NBs8XB4"></iframe></div><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">~ V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">i</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">e</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">o ~</span></div></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Walking out to the nearby small hamlet brought us around to some restaurants, convenient shops and some other hotels. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Han Sang Mun SaJangNim told us we could walk to any of the restaurants around here and easily get food. And we could see the Odusan Unifixation Observatory from Hotel Picasso. He used to work in a hotel next to this Hotel Picasso for 10 years from 2002 to 2012 and knew the area well. In fact he lives in Paju-so and commutes between Paju and Seoul every single day for work. Thus, to many Koreans, this kind of distance.. is nothing and they gladly commute.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kalbi Kalguksu for lunch and Seonji Haejangkuk were Serene and my lunch order respectively. At 14,000₩ and 8000₩ respectively it was not expensive compared to central Seoul. But it was just slightly more pricey than the 6500₩ Soenji Haejanguk we had at the foot of Naksan, run by two old Ajummas in winter 2021.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmkafUCFJ0HxzFMY5hkGj8Zc1fdROkmAg8UkpazvMNZK1FwQfCWmkYnNJrsgSLyJDQEMltORPXOBVmiy0mKNQFky0R2ZcWUDrPlTRpAkLHwHkj5REM3R1q7HOra6HIJxH_XcyYW4vn-S9IrlU7hiCKBIVDbfhj7D6_GLOQjM4L0FuhIyJ6n09BTDk/w640-h480/FL_20230526_0767.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span><br /></span><p></p><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I noticed that the Paju-sians seemed to have a little bit more shyness and reservation when communicating with foreigners, even the younger generations.. the girls in the convenient shops, some of the older Ajussis and Ajummas running the restaurants. There was an unmistakable coldness in their attitudes and the way they look at and speak to foreigners. I wasn’t sure if it was because, being right next to North Korea, the Paju-sians have developed a harder and harsher mentality, just like the weather here. There was not the ready friendliness, not the spontaneous ease of flow of speech with us two foreigners here, in our day to day contacts. Maybe.. maybe because they had difficulties understanding us.. or maybe they eyed us with some suspicion, why a couple of foreign people can speak a little of their language.. we’re we from the north? Hahahaha..</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Ajussi staff in our hotel Picasso, once he realized that I was a Singaporean, actually started speaking Mandarin to me. He was obviously a Korean. But he spoke passionless Mandarin albeit with a Korean accent. My guess was he must have fought in the war (not likely, he looked about 70-ish) or was working closely having to deal with Chinese.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>[Edit: he works as a pastor. And he spent 19 years in Chengdu, China learning the Chinese language and spreading the gospel up till 2014 then he went to work for seven years in Thailand as a pastor. In between he travelled to Indonesia and so. But during this Covid years he was back in Korea. No wonder he spoke such beautiful Mandarin!]</b></i></span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)</span></span>👍</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><b>Something about Korean language...</b></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How long have we been learning Korean? Really not long. We started from August 2019, so it has been over three years. Language is like... exercise. It needs a level of discipline, perseverance, and constant self-reminder to look at words, to listen to how they sound, to ruminate on the expression repeatedly, and to verbalise the final sentence. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These three and a half years have been a fantastic journey for Serene and I. Every day, every night, every waking moment becomes an adventure for me, in reading Korean news from the phone, listening to natives speak in inspirational speeches, and in reading passages from books. Korean is difficult as we are not familiar with its grammatical structure, and oh Korean is such a beautiful language of nuances! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some older generations, especially Chinese like my parents), always love to think of the Korean language as an offshoot of the Chinese language. But after having self-taught a very little bit of Japanese, and after three and a half years of learning Korean, I beg to differ. <b><i><span style="color: #fce5cd;">My opinion is, the Korean language is of a different origin from Chinese.</span></i></b> Korean belongs to the Altaic language, which shares the same origin as Turkish, Mongolian and Japanese. Sentence structures and grammars are different, and many original native Korean words are non-Chinese. The only thing is, for thousands of years, heavy influences from China has resulted in many borrowed words from Chinese, to such an extent that many words and idoms are Sino-originated. Thus for those of us fluent in Cantonese, Hokkien or Teochew, we could easily pick up several words in a Korean sentence., if spoken slowly.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But because in the medieval dynasties, only the royalties, nobilities, and scholars (those which were called Yangban 两班) were allowed to learn Hanja (Chinese characters and Chinese writings), the vast majority of the peasants could not read. Thus in 1446, King Sejong ordered the invention of a brand new system of Korean writing, called Hangeul, that closely related to the pronunciation and sounds of the native language. Like Japanese, up till the 70's and the 80's, the official news media in Korea still employed the use of both Hanja (Chinese characters) in the Hangeul sentences. However, with time, Hanja fell out of favour and the new generations of Koreans and currently only Hangeul is used in everyday media. Only in certain official documents and medical/legal documents would Hanja be still employed for the prevention of ambiguity.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>So would I recommend learning the Korean language? Of course a big yes.</i></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why? Because it makes it easier for us to understand and makes it so much more fun to watch our favourite Korean dramas. And having a new language is like possessing a new instrument, and instrument with which we can go forth bravely and explore new worlds.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><h1 style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Proxima Nova Lt", sans-serif; margin: 15px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; text-transform: capitalize; vertical-align: baseline; width: 854px;"><br /></h1></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><br /></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day7">Day 7</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">28 Dec 2022</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feeling tired is quite a common symptom on trips, especially when it comes to Day 7. Thus we dcided to wake up a little later at 9am. Today we needed to take a 9,600₩ taxi back to Geumcheon station to the SK rental car Paju office to get our rental car.<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b><i> It still felt like a dream</i></b></span>, after totally not being able to secure a rental car, Han Sang Amun SaJangNim managed to call up the Paju SK Car Rentql office and found me a car!</span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">10:30am. After having a tasty, crispy Mom’s touch chicken burger with coffee, coke and Chilsung cider served by a way less delicious SaJangNim in terms of mood, we made our way up to the second floor SK car rental and found.. no one. </span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Black Han Sans;">Shit.</span></span></p><br /></span></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“What if we don’t get to rent the car?”</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> worried the Ajumma.</span></p></span></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“Kwenchana,” </b></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">my usual reassuring self.</span><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"> “Our trips have always been adventures. </span></b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>If we really suay suay don’t get a rental car, I'll change all my plans, our destinations and our mode of transport. In the first place, we already didn’t have a car, remember, had it not be for Kim Man Jung’s Uncle's help…”</b></span></span></p></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FtvYawXxG3vGRhMccfJwUbKBYwQfsyK_0PMa5rM9hU9Wkv-g2u5TXeYCXvXa776V0JqK9YvflP8H16GRBZEeUtfd8EFcgIOULFpXp1vY-yNruHhtRFD3_S2Yo76pTSxSttJAY_TiOkcUvrbcl44EeEcD4Xvhg-tZgdAKqqqUPnDS-QiHavV6phOR/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0728.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the opened but staff-less office on the second floor of the building, my local Korean handphone number came in very useful. Calling the office phone connected to the lady staff:</span></span></span></p></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“Sorry I was trying to contact the friend who helped you book the car, but he didn’t answer the phone. I had an urgent matter to attend to, and I can only be back in the SK rental office at 2pm.” </b></span></p></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So that was why!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p></span></div><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>2pm! </b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shucks, that really skewed my plans for the day. No choice. Sigh... every day was an adventure and we just had to take and accept whatever that came.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So we walked around that small little town next to Geumcheon station and found nothing but an expensive massage on the second floor, which we ran away from despite the lady SaJangNim calling out to us, and finding a GS25 convenient shop where Serene bought a nail-scissors set and we spoke briefly with the female SaJangNim who told us her son spent 7 years studying in Singapore and was now working in Thailand, and who so kindly offered a couple of cups of coffee (which we didn't take up).</span></p><div><br /></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lotte Premium Outlet in Paju was disappointing and Serene could not find any bags, nor the brands that we were searching for. We came back on bus 78 again, and after a lunch of 착한 王馒头 in a tiny </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">SikTang pposite Geumcheon station, we finally found the female staff waiting patiently for us. 3:15pm. She explained everything and for 56,000₩ a day, and add to that 12,000₩ of maximum insurance premium a day, meaning that should there be an accident, I would only pay a maximum of 50,000₩, we took our Favourite smartest car in the world - the Hyundai Avante.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was sooooo impressed. </span></p></span></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“I searched all over the web but all the cars from all the companies including SK car rental were taken and reserved for these few days, but I really didn’t know how Han Sang Mun SaJangNim managed to find a car just by calling the local Paju office!” </b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was still amazed and impressed.</span></p></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="477" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/12d1OX_w5z4" width="573" youtube-src-id="12d1OX_w5z4"></iframe></div><span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;"> ~ V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">i</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">e</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">o ~</span></div></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paju Heyri Art Village</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>1652-239 Beopheung-ri, Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do |경기 파주시 탄현면 법흥리 </i></span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Armed with a car finally, we had the freedom to explore, and straight away we flew over to Heyri Art Village and discovered it to be almost deserted, leaving the huge park, modelled after an English town with all the City Halls, villas, antique shop houses, greenhouses, and cottages totally devoid of the campers that they were meant to hold, and the shops all but shuttered, except one clay museum shop house, out on its varanda its shop owner moodily sweeping the snow from the floor of the front pavement.</span></p></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“This English village is so beautifully constructed, and look! The layer of snow so soft and fresh on all the lawns! We are the only people in this park!”</b></span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“Yah lor. I want to roll down the snowy slope… I want squat down in the snow… I want to lay face up in the snow and wave my arms and legs… I want to take a photo with the snowman, and I want to throw snowballs with you!”</b></span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wah this Ajumma became a child out of a sudden! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And we did just all that.. why? Because there was not a single soul in the whole big park! We roamed freely (and entry was also free, I guess with no visitors it made no sense to station a worker there to collect ticket money from just two foreigners in a whole day).</span></p><div><br /></div><div><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-XBsHiMv7zjgYcDhWY1VfK46MjX8IUnJ_LAwqO_fA6xoLVm3YdXuUT6s0mE_t-Jpwc5vUXGQSsPyn-6kTV59VG_ER9QEF6wyB_52vS3i0xTvms1U_ys39cqx0ywqCXVVCaY1Ap9EL24xAWLd5iTL5yYfTF592krxL_3zQe_CdoouV1Dk9bmRZUOO/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0729.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Here was what my research from internet spoke about Heyri Art Village:</p></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>"Located just 1 hour away from Seoul, Paju is a heaven for any art and book lover. The Hyeri Art Village (파주 헤이리 마을) is home to filmmakers, publishers, book writers, and artists. Expect quirky museums & architectures, beautiful cafes, enormous book store and book cafes, interesting studios and art spaces in this village. Paju is the nearest South Korean city to North Korea. And the north’s winter is known to be harsher than the south, so you can imagine Paju to be a winter wonderland after a heavy snowfall." - review from internet.</b></i></span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">... which, was a whole heap of rubbish. This Heyri Art Village thingy was really a waste of time and petrol. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Paju Premium Outlet</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next came Paju Premium outlet, 10km away. Compared to Lotte Premium outlet further down south, this Paju Premium Outlet was much larger, housed many more brands and more fashion and boutiques of famous labels, and was so much more livelier, with quite a lot of shoppers on this Wednesday late afternoon. Yet, Serene couldn’t find her favourite brands and her bags. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Such a shame. We planned way beforehand to make our way here to see if we could procure a late birthday gift actually.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These premium outlets that used to be swarmed by bus loads of Chinese and Japanese tourists here to sweep their shelves clean, now stood quietly catering to local Koreans as well as the occasional foreigners like ourselves. </span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">59<b>年王十里牛肠</b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXq0SQMpqI0JAiHLUXrAFzy8OrxnsHZ5jhTmAw7hLZS7tQexZgjK0NtHgPin39iwQGF4XVZH4aLAbK0flvEQHer5NcwOfdnTjp3xkbHKs__7P6Vs2qbBDiVWGhMkqe1PwsZXz74o9gVefo7RaRbajfo7aCyTPTzMmzwRGNea_bwqykwsHsS5uL_7t/s3088/IMG_3163.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2316" data-original-width="3088" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXq0SQMpqI0JAiHLUXrAFzy8OrxnsHZ5jhTmAw7hLZS7tQexZgjK0NtHgPin39iwQGF4XVZH4aLAbK0flvEQHer5NcwOfdnTjp3xkbHKs__7P6Vs2qbBDiVWGhMkqe1PwsZXz74o9gVefo7RaRbajfo7aCyTPTzMmzwRGNea_bwqykwsHsS5uL_7t/w640-h480/IMG_3163.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We ate at 59年王十里牛肠 Sikdang, a 7km away from Paju Premium outlets. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I loved it, these cow intestine - 牛 Gonchang, 牛末肠 (小肠),牛大肠. . But Serene personally felt that, compared to the pork GobChang we had in Chungmuro market she liked those better.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During the meal, we overheard a group of young Busan men speaking on a table behind us and Serene was so tickled by their dialects (Satuli) that she secretly and naughtily called them ‘the abnormal Koreans’ with their Busan accent, and a group of northern Koreans on another table who spoke standard Seoul Korean, ‘the normal Koreans’. Hahaha… this Ajumma really ah….</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On our way back to the hotel, Serene said:</span></p></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“Wah luckily we have a car here in Paju. Otherwise how are we to go here and there looking at this premium outlet and that premium outlet and visiting this Heyri Arts Village and exploring eating spots?”</b></span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOeAhoiLwmi-9L8FljyywWNlhb7hwoVCQgBsnOiJtpeakVNWs0a2mJjXBMor1UaGNDVDA6zQ65oABFWo-reJLQIExYKO_ktLgjanmJy_KjimmoBCvkztbxGCtjUFTKU2mjXqD0HC9Fv8jwz48Chk98uSguIfLPGyLCidmLov3ISTwBxEPTVcQc5yC/s4032/IMG_3155.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOeAhoiLwmi-9L8FljyywWNlhb7hwoVCQgBsnOiJtpeakVNWs0a2mJjXBMor1UaGNDVDA6zQ65oABFWo-reJLQIExYKO_ktLgjanmJy_KjimmoBCvkztbxGCtjUFTKU2mjXqD0HC9Fv8jwz48Chk98uSguIfLPGyLCidmLov3ISTwBxEPTVcQc5yC/w640-h480/IMG_3155.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViDsv_jxdCA8jt4wdb5Bn5_ZoD3XuVxuiyDaC6giF0zv3-449JZXbqZEJeDiTbDHqKoWfWOv-zpqkCJrH_3tBZdH2gSHgEal6LHHiYYlpTb-HnrPrExYi_SkLpG4-Z8YwL0MlH3jVq3jgwEtAVbAik969PLFntRQrXh352YHuxRlHUxs3bZ4oAmk_/s4032/IMG_3162.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViDsv_jxdCA8jt4wdb5Bn5_ZoD3XuVxuiyDaC6giF0zv3-449JZXbqZEJeDiTbDHqKoWfWOv-zpqkCJrH_3tBZdH2gSHgEal6LHHiYYlpTb-HnrPrExYi_SkLpG4-Z8YwL0MlH3jVq3jgwEtAVbAik969PLFntRQrXh352YHuxRlHUxs3bZ4oAmk_/w640-h480/IMG_3162.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beef Gobchang</td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“Yah that is very true. That was why I was so glad Han Sang Mun SaJangNim managed to get us an SK rental car right here. Otherwise from point to point the distance is around 10km, 11km… not within walking distance but also quite a distance to travel if you were to take bus, or even taxi. No wonder he said that if we take taxi to go from places to places here in Paju, it would really add up!”</b></span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span><br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day8">Day 8</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">29 Dec 2022</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Woke up 8:30am. Today we had a long day lined up, with the car I could finally cheong all over. Since one of my main aims of coming to Paju was to tour the popular bridges around Paju, and also to pop next door to Pocheon-si 포천시 抱川市 to see some of the popular destinations, after a good rest the day before today was the day to stretch all the way. It was a cold day with the mercury sitting at minus 16 here in Paju.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We left our hotel at 9am, and our windscreen was coated with a thin layer of snow crystal and the hotel SaJangNim very kindly helped us use a bottle of warm water to melt away the ice and got the windscreen wiper to wipe off the rest.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUXBwStW1_pmi62GtzG77t9BrZkQzYQxl50Sbq9zP4eFqc-OMaylyYSRb8kuzjFP6O6qQ2xv4yv7zmjK62l0LwoKwgoXkGJfuPcPqHLvPwKwHY9_u69gDx9-El82mnO1tlrFEp-8BvPBqrshSCFYhRiw3gz1kPEV4fi2g30CT7SlF-Em9-3G7akg7v/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0730.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="481" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TIbUuZ3PgUY" width="579" youtube-src-id="TIbUuZ3PgUY"></iframe></span></div><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">~ V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">i</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">e</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">o ~</span></div></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></span>It was only at the end of the day did I realize how much distance we have covered, and more so, the number of hours we spent at every destination. No wonder the old Ajumma was tired.<br /><br />Precisely because we were on our own, we simply took all the time we wanted and had no one to rush us along from one point to another as would be in a guided tour. That made us streeeetch our stay in every location. Bad was, we would end up late for some other parts.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: large;">Gamaksan Chulreong Bridge</span><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">감악산 </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">绀岳山</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> 출렁 다리 </span></b></span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNhODzyOal8QmvdWG27O5bxiDDJEJsoTIHiDe0Msuy97Mx4noMinEtBQdhyT2rLYvrWQ0WlI5VbQjoadTI8jq-S4BpTd93Yew8qVj2cdHmxY74HoPOSVq6loeNDrTsoWMJxFYU_ooF7apX7ynpbt_gcdlCoatje560UksB-Kd7edC0DG_hsiWd45R/s4032/IMG_6315.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNhODzyOal8QmvdWG27O5bxiDDJEJsoTIHiDe0Msuy97Mx4noMinEtBQdhyT2rLYvrWQ0WlI5VbQjoadTI8jq-S4BpTd93Yew8qVj2cdHmxY74HoPOSVq6loeNDrTsoWMJxFYU_ooF7apX7ynpbt_gcdlCoatje560UksB-Kd7edC0DG_hsiWd45R/w640-h480/IMG_6315.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>We started off fresh and were able to drive smoothly and successfully to Gamaksan and walk up the short flight of steps to the beautiful bridge. There was hardly anyone there except for two or three groups of trekkers and visitors who we encountered. Thus again, the whole bridge was left to us to shoot videos and Timelapse and funny photos.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYRaoterIxbm99q9hz6D0jRks--7PF15iTyT8h3ecJmRs8xsc2CKo3N-LAzN_DQN5SSr8dGCBhO2ugCIHL-Ou9Lun0c68v5KR5tYRvxdEON6VSoJnvpwpRciKglTHV_f3P4wmOSJUg-qdkxo3iyVwZxU9cXP7AUQDKaTN4zTm6__jc2a6WZO-tzK1/s4032/IMG_3251.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYRaoterIxbm99q9hz6D0jRks--7PF15iTyT8h3ecJmRs8xsc2CKo3N-LAzN_DQN5SSr8dGCBhO2ugCIHL-Ou9Lun0c68v5KR5tYRvxdEON6VSoJnvpwpRciKglTHV_f3P4wmOSJUg-qdkxo3iyVwZxU9cXP7AUQDKaTN4zTm6__jc2a6WZO-tzK1/w640-h480/IMG_3251.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I wanted to walk up some more along some further flight of steps but got a scolding from the Ajumma because there was snow covering the stairs and it would have been very slippery. Wise, wise. I didn’t think of that. But of course, being women, the way they are, once the machine gun started firing, it would never stop.<br /><br /><span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pocheon HanTang River Sky bridge </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b> 한탄강 漢灘江 하늘 다리</b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/qteQCXpmRc-YHYryu_CsleeLXccOrYtTx2azuAFT-3O57ea1uC9YLrBhk4TMhV4Re0IDPBO57l4WWPtHYVrEV8vcmnp0UIiWDPF9qV3l3PBXz4vyHSZW8CG9J5-970nV0jwvloblu3NlKUPe0r_0A2Jmv6zxgPG_tx5-mSlt1qiplVB3EHsF_vcreVdzFQ=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the machine gun was still firing when we drove that one hour to this HanTanGang Sky Bridge, a very lovely set up.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The long bridge even had glass floor panels for visitors to look through and down at the frozen HanTanGang (HanTan river).</span></p></span><br />A review from an internet search:</div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01;">“Located at the northern end of Pocheon is Hantan River Sky Bridge, a 200m long bridge that can allow 1,500 adults to cross at the same time. From the carpark, you might think that the bridge isn’t actually too high up, but once you approach it, you’d realize that it’s 50m above a river!"</span></i></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Bidulginang Waterfall</span><br /><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>비둘기낭 폭포</b></span><br /><br /><br />An Internet review: <br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><i>"The name Bidulginang means ‘dove cliff’ in Korean and is derived from the fact that the area is a habitat for many wild pigeons nesting in the caves around the waterfall. Some also say that the waterfall got its name due to the shape of the area, resembling a pigeon."</i></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /><br />Just a short 5 minutes drive away stood this Bidulginang Waterfall. Funnily, I was struggling to find my way with the GPS, while the unabating release of ammunition continued, especially when I made a wrong turn up a slopey, hilly, deserted road, made the U-turn and drove back to the correct car park...<br /><br /><br />A short walk down some wooden steps opened up our views to a gorge with a natural cave and turquoise green waters, ice stalactites and stalagmites (maybe should not even call them that but merely icicles) anchored to the floor and the roof of the cave. This was precisely where Gong Hyo Jin shot the scene with her psychotic boyfriend in the drama “It’s Okay it’s Love!” both soaked through as they waddled in the transparent green waters here.<br /><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1oORu5Q5T1Ux8PqjV5FbLhMhWj9FlrhoBqEEW_DSDv_wuVAKaHNRiibAVaFr5_2PNN-B0yisb6tKN__c58TnVxDDGKsgfdfLFc-j3vXmlLs2FTzIhhpo_rva0tUXJpSYluc3HQfD9tCTzV6nSdDQoo2G7_9xdUNI6uUKCo-iWC25rZScWC0U5ehX/w640-h346/IMG_6374.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“I’m hungry, and I am feeling sick,”</span></b> indeed the Ajumma was sick. She really caught some bugs from me, who caught it the day before. Runny nose and cough and such. Must have been the weather and the particulate matters in the air. These few days the air quality in Korea was not the best.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Some more every day the cold wind blows onto my face and into my nose,” </span></b>continued the onslaught of artilleries.<b><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"> “No wonder I fell sick.”</span></b></div></div></blockquote><div><div>But it was true. The Ajumma almost never ate breakfast, unlike me. Whenever I travelled I made it a point to eat heartily. Not having breakfast but just a cup of 3-in-1, back at home during normal sedentary working days, was perhaps fine. But here where the weather was wintry, a small amount of exertion was all it took to drain one's carbohydrate store, more so when the body was fighting some bugs.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Lunch at the SikTang</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"> next to Bidulginang waterfall </span></span></p></span><br /><br />Fortunately, for the famished cave-people from Singapore, a lightning-struck forest-fire burnt piece of carcass was found next to the waterfall, in the form of a beautifully delicious SikTang that served lovely Hanwoo Kalguksu. HAHAHA!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/IIclOBtTaBzeFwqBiBdZBRghXeCB-_t4ft7OBjDO9zs0VrLJ8peL17rFjUSCK5jRY0KkuFBvdD2VyXLXEvbbXigv9y6s0mrCLLfjwU4QbvBHYB-mmky-Lf4Cg-iEh-nqoWKmMgj7Xlewb-j_8vBszt4-SYihNcpy7vY0UmPtUHB5tlwYxnYfs2PVXed9LA=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">After the hearty late lunch, the ammunition store-woman went into food coma. And finally the driver had some respite from the vehicular commander for another one hour in the drive to this Pocheon Art Valley.</span></span></p><span><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pocheon Art Valley </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">포천시아트밸리</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3:50pm. Thinking back, I really wasn't sure at all what we were going to see on this day. I only had a vague idea that I wanted to tour this place called Pocheon. The destinations were sceneries of nature, or nature enhanced by man-made structures. Like Pocheon Art Valley - this was an abandoned old quarry that was redeveloped into a tour site (as a filming site too).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This abandoned quarry was in real service from the 60’s to the 90’s and contributed greatly to Korea’s economy during those periods. When it finally shut down, the water gathered and the formations rendered it a mysterious aura that made converting it into an Art Valley feasible. And the Korean drama “The Legen of the Blue Lagoon” where the mermaid was saved and shipped off in a sampan was filmed here. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was very thrilled to find myself stumbling upon two important shooting locations of some my Korean dramas within one day.</span></p><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jDe9HiQ29j13nEiehaGTusvHwUqa_fFGuIAy0_M27SVKwthUah8KROSXOsoOxtFekrdLwDKc1vuNqSd5ploz3wxeF9Yc_e7-GyZziwG0Bh6dknojEVEi87KxlISE3JPbyFw7If0bXNSKYsuzVnrWT2JYeM2Wok_bB7m5MB01xBOnVC2e8RKTT2Aj/w640-h480/FL_20230521_0757.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />It was almost sunset when we finally walked out of Pocheon Art Valley. The sun set earlier in winter and it was already getting dark. But I still had one more destination not covered yet - Majang Lake.<br />By this time, Ajumma was tired.</div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“Huh so late already, you still want to drive to the last destination?”</b></span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“Well, since we have the car, no harm right? As long as I arrive there.. even if it’s dark and I don’t get to see the bridge over Majang Lake, I would be satisfied, knowing that I have been there but only just that the elements prevented me from successfully catching a glimpse of the scene.”</b></span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><br />And what a loooooong drive it was, through uphill roads and quiet dark, eerie little single carriage ways.. through small little kampongs and towns.. <blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“This is almost like that time when we watched that Korean drama ‘Hello, my Twenties Season 2’ where the girls drove through an eerily quiet long road and ended up renting a room in a huge old pension whose real owners were held in captivity by the bad guy, who in turned pretended to be the boss of the pension and rented the rooms to the girls and even fed them bulgogi!”</b></span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />Man, this was just so Korean drama, this drive to Majang lake.<br />Indeed we ended up catching not even a single glimpse of the lake nor the bridge because at 6:30pm Korea was pitch-black during winter. And Ajumma began to experience blocked nose and phlegm and tiredness.<span><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: xx-large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lake Majang’s Bridge</span></p></span><br />6:38pm. Our GPD led us to where it was supposed to be Majang Lake.<br />What Majang Lake? At 6:38pm Korea ‘hath no Majang Lake’. Period.<br />Satisfied? Yes. Finally, I was satisfied.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DrbWMbq2avWSPO_QKEAOtFdyYX6UE4gR7o4SLRInuCR6Z1oXihaW_iggLnHr6PSmvo8UyqnI7l9Y9fNN34E2PYINR5sMhlWFsgPoBaYMA1kPhkCtLFOzoJeJjCm027mqe4m11XqNoZKGOVK5KKHVEqkHffuL_35333sEpvaPCjVL2lOYv-sJjV8H/w640-h480/FL_20230526_0768.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />An attempt in trying to buy bread from one of the haunted small little bakeries along the dark road was not really fruitful, not from the fact that the 5000₩, 6000₩ pastries were still beautifully displayed.. but from that there was no presence of any recognizable physical, natural human beings there manning the shop from whom we could verbalize our desire to procure the food.</div><div><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">[EDIT: In retrospect, maybe it was the classic Korean style of Self-Service bakery. You choose what you want to buy and you leave your money on the counter, grab the bread, and go!]</span></b><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Eosa Chul Tto Hwetjib </span></div><div><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">어사출또 회</span><br /><br />But at that moment, I was none the wiser, but I simply ushered foul-mood and hunger-stricken Ajumma back into the car and set the Navigation back towards the City Hall area of Paju-Si, when the night before we had Gobchang in 59年王十里牛肠店 , and on this evening, walked across to the Hwe restaurant opposite. 7:45pm. Dinner, finally.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw5cbeVNpEm3cQkHHohdMkoINpf7x1C-Vwy_-aImnGgGB7L3dNiQ98zX_8JF8hbWfXruJ-vI-SB_pEpwi-zvRHqmg8fX8U1B8_5YLN6cygOYxYK-eD-fy0M6AeJ9meCdsVce-8n-nEjywZMT0NAFwK0KaJHmRpCCre6aQHKUeI6Gq7M1aCJu2jyW7Z/s4032/IMG_3594.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw5cbeVNpEm3cQkHHohdMkoINpf7x1C-Vwy_-aImnGgGB7L3dNiQ98zX_8JF8hbWfXruJ-vI-SB_pEpwi-zvRHqmg8fX8U1B8_5YLN6cygOYxYK-eD-fy0M6AeJ9meCdsVce-8n-nEjywZMT0NAFwK0KaJHmRpCCre6aQHKUeI6Gq7M1aCJu2jyW7Z/w640-h480/IMG_3594.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br />And true to herself, the first order of a Modeun Mul-Hwe (Long-zong Hwe/sashimi mixed in a big bowl like bibimbap with sauce) was liked but not satisfying. Glancing across the table, she said:<br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Look look look at the boys next table. I want like that one!”</b></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />And her wish was as usual, a command that was granted with no hesitation for anything to the contrary would incur wrath that would detonate WWIII.<br />But that was a good choice. And we really hum-tumed both the sauced-Hwe in a huge bowl, the Sannakji (for yours truly of course), all the delicious and special banchan and her fresh Daneo Hwe served on ice.<br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Oh I am so full! The rest of the food are yours!”</b></span> The command was shot across the table, and dutifully obeyed.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />Less than ??? minutes later, the lips that uttered these words were munching on ice creams and what-not snacks purchased from a GS25 convenience store two shops away from the Hwetjib restaurant, with two bottles of sugared fruit drinks, three bottles of artisan ice coffees, several more packets of snacks, 6 bars of chocolates and three ice-creams all in tow.<br /><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-size: medium;">There lies the fury of a hyper-stimulated hypothalamus. </span></b><br /><br />But all the fire thawed when we slept and woke up the next day.<br /><span><br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day9">Day 9</a><a></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">30 Dec 2022</span></p></span><br />Don’t say Ajumma. Today when I woke up I was also feeling a little seh already. The mercury registered minus 8 degrees. Our plan today was simple, in theory. Drive up to Imjingak to attempt to see the third tunnel, and then go Odusan Unification observatory, followed by Paju Book City.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="640" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Ug_OUqbEzilyyKm3ZhHVgWx77TV2uxoJtSNiTObfyQJoS5maRbo16ZIj1yPNh4ro4Jv9AqguDVcrpvQ7bqnehIKA332JxZI_d-d-rV_htTNH9jXO2Hl0HSYaa84GVUXE9K_sLV3cC5soXXnrbcAUZnNlG3jmCpB5ti06OSqswbXPBmPPST97_wAD1qZnNA=w480-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Imjingak Station</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In truth, only one of the above three got fulfilled.<br /><br />The 20km up north to Imjingak Peace Playground brought us there at 11:30m. So leisurely that the day’s ticket for the tour to the third tunnel has been sold out. The very nice lady at the counter suggested that we could come back tomorrow morning again at 7:30am or 8am to queue for tomorrow’s ticket. The three-hour tour starts at 9:20qm the earliest. So all the locals were correct. The difficulty was not registering with our passport, but physically being there to queue and to buy the limited number of tickets.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnqe59rb1Wc_tYMnmRPs06hPbL-IkG4bnEuX6f7pXXxDtDTlRiNWMYB7A3EsTAKftxuv-UiDdmDhTUTkLC1ymhRTakAdRrWsjEZzWn3ma6vjUwhwHBW6K6BKCK6Dd5VGmGVcoH2PpNO9rL2fjduMGsQer6sSb0uJ0Wwq-WqsbvEd56KZ1L3MxIoj4/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0731.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Ok, let us do this instead. Since we cannot go to The Third Tunnel, let’s do the Gondola ride that brings us to the civilian control access area in a small part of the demilitarised zone.."</b></span> So we did.. oh and it was no less meaningful.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNELPS4n3FhH4ut2AsP8PmbP5LQEyfJY8jLU0YlsBVkYGHdkbgd2VJzduOBbe9p-7ls2FMY8-jan9cNDvrFJdqIdkOOFAQHjR_wIEk3n3g7gvfLZYgMdN_NrHiv3c_yluiQLLpR_lMQcB60La6Cl4X9t3_pl8D8qx-d_dQQFqzOYxHNp6WuIrOXQE/w640-h480/FL_20230520_0733.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><span><span><br /></span></span></div><span><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8INqDhc6TgBqwln0E-b3XqN8HyHtzOO2rH7odk4qkgzkLIVt-I9tZFDLrcYlG8bjAJm5rwYhM_-Ag8cK4_P4fRH2vsMB-MejRIwxN2VR9_uZq2gPJLL0luq8hk2WynnCOMlgeRxacuI7WJDDVM0m36yqOuCDU3wiedHoimDUhwcvlKtEbtBrDvRz/w640-h480/FL_20230423_0638.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p></span><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Odusan Unification Observatory</span><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">烏頭山統一展望台</span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>오두산 통일 전망대</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br />From internet: </div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01;">"The observatory is situated in the northernmost ceasefire line of the western front where the Hangang River and Imjingang River meet. It offers a wide view of Songaksan Mountain in Gaeseong to the north and 63 Building in Seoul to the south. Also, it is a valuable unification security tourist attraction related to Imjingak, the 3rd Tunnel, and Panmunjeom (Joint Security Area) stretching along Jayu-ro Road in the northeast. Since its opening, almost 1,900,000 people have visited the observatory to feel the reality of the division, making this area the best national unification education site.</span></i><span style="color: #fcff01;">"</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />Another visit to another part of DMZ that we have not seen before. That was quite an experience. Still not satisfied, I decided to drive another 20km (but because I made a wrong turn up to the highway, it became a 35km drive) to Odusan Unification Observatory 烏頭山統一展望台 오두산 통일 전망대. This quaint but meaningful little observatory was situated on top of a hill 2.3km from our Hotel Picasso.</div><div><br />It displayed simple exhibitions of notes, writings, and drawings, hundreds and thousands of these in small square tiles lining the walls of this exhibition hall, with the sole title of ‘reminiscence of our home town’… some were sketches of their house back in the hometown. Some were photos of newly weds just before they were torn apart, some were writings of love, or missing for loved ones back home, of stories back home.<br /><br />the whole exhibition was dedicated to those whose lives were torn apart because of the Korean War and the ensuing separation. The unanimous wish was for unification, though personally, I was not sure how many of the younger generations actually longed for this move.<br /><div><span><br /></span></div><span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="486" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yLgOeZqyW-4" width="584" youtube-src-id="yLgOeZqyW-4"></iframe></div></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;"> ~ V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">i</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">e</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">o ~</span></div></div><span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span>What Serene and I enjoyed most was still to peep over to the lands of freezing North Korea across the rivers, and catching sight of real North Korean people walking on the wintry streets on the other side. Here all the binoculars were free, and we need not even slot in the obligatory 500₩ in other observatories. I still remember how thrilled Ah Li was when she saw the farmer working in the fields of North Korea when we peeped at them from the Peace Unification Observatory on the northern tip of Ganghwado in May 2022. Here once again I was the peeping Tom, from another part of South Korea. Here the closest distance across the river was only 460m.<br /><br />Here where Odusan was, was the confluence of three rivers: the Jo Gang, the Han Gang (Hangang), and the Imjin Gang. <br /><br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“You know, over there in North Korea, the people walking the streets are very poor, and many are still living very simple and thrifty lives.. wearing instead of cashmere or warm sheep’s wool, they are wearing cotton wool. Cotton wool is cheap and easily available but cannot get wet because once it gets wet, it becomes frozen. That’s how bad the farmers in the deep parts of North Korea are.” </span></b>I told the innocent Ajumma.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Really ah? Like that how?”</b></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Do you think one day we will be over there stepping on the soil on the other side?”</b></span> I asked her.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Yea I think so.”</b></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />Although we didn’t manage to visit the Third Tunnel, the Gondola ride and the Odusan Observatory made up for it. Very new and very meaningful to us. <br /><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 25px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: times;">( ๑‾̀◡‾́)</span></span> <span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> </span><b><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Our thoughts... on the </span><span style="color: red;">Nort</span><span style="color: red;">h</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> and </span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">South</span></b></span></div><br />This reunification thing between North and South Korea will forever be a matter of huge contentions, not only between the true inhabitants of the Korean Peninsular - the North and the South Koreans (hcck, in the first place, the Koreans should not even have be segregated by this terminology - North and South, but also between the pro-Chinese and the pro-usa, between NATO and the Communists, between Taiwanese and Mainland Chinese, between Russians and americans, and even among the ever-watchful Japanese at the side.</div><div><br /></div><div>Over the years, the see-sawing of warm and cold policies towards the North , from the Sunshine Policies of the late 1990's by then-Presidents Kim Dae Jung and Roh Moo Hyun, to the welcoming approach by Moon Jae In, up till the current pro-usa-anti-Chinese-anti-North President Yoon Seok Yul, the Koreans have weathered decades of confusion.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #d9ead3;"><b>If we ask any young Korean on the streeet today if he or she would prefer reunification? The answer would surely be a Big No. </b></span>Because by now, with the two societies drawing so far away from each other, the similarities that used to exist before the 38th parallel was drawn until today, would have vastly disappeared. A probable model offered by the proponents of the Sunshine Policies where the South largely economically absorbs the North, much like West Germany footing a huge part of the bill for East Germany in economic assistance when the Berlin Wall fell, would be entirely unwelcomed. Should I be a South Korean, I will also vote against that.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiO45kdAkvjai-kq_4OVSoCfNzcYjkx1k_FAoHP_G2u0TPpB3xQBWC1XYu8n-BUTl3zPmKB-xYqUh4_IkEDMNUQ0ABj0YQtICn3i6WXcnbO5YOFFb-NNcXBdHGEyjSQtXx6PFk_KWDvMfZ9H_nN8A3N0f_ZaymD6WPt77yZaMK93L2SekgaNIdYejv/w640-h506/5CECBA80-A5AF-4723-AF43-53312224EBE7.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Culturally, there has been built up, a sense of distrust between the South and the North. And even between the South and the ethnic Koreans living in the parts of China bordering North Korea. Incidentally, Myeongdong and many parts of South Korean society now embrace the migrants from these northern parts, and also their descendants, giving them citizenship. They have assimilated into Korean society in work and education but failed to be accepted in totality by the Southerners, who always look upon these 탈북자 (escapees from the north) with disdain and suspicion. </div><div>Like one of our Korean friends said to us, from personal experience:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">"</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Even if</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> an ethnic Korean from China can speak Korean, he is, maybe, different from us. Well. we cannot completely trust his heart that much. Their hearts are not really the same as ours." </span></b></span>Koreans are like this. They don't usually express extremes in opinions, even though they may feel very strongly towards something, during a friendly discussion. So if a Korean uses those words, then the feeling must be really acute.</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: x-large;"><b>"그래요? 그런 줄 몰랐어요." </b></span>[Is that so? I didn't know it was like that.]</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Jinjja-yo. Look, like yourselves. You are Singaporeans and you can speak Chinese. But does that make you a China Chinese?" </b></span>And I smiled a broad grin upon hearing that.</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>So how would North and South Korea end up...?</b></span></div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpj6t7IVfz13jY7U_PoqQyCtiqV98DOdEPD0XKHC_lLtjl1usrJ6Amredq4a0ZIFIIae5JlPl77JwyaGXxHkMcWKCZNknxfOWrR5zCMYtHNR4oRXW_KLvm_95iSW8_wEjfd8qUmM2XbS2YvBlvSVOz8NCBH2ij8VrpsjoctfPltYPyM8A14RwTxu40/w618-h640/519A6603-4AA2-4F06-A388-11F76CEF3495.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="618" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">I am not a political analyst. It's just my own view. North's leader Kim Jung Eun is still very young, and if his health holds up, and if his followers do not stage a mutiny, then he has a long way to go. Unless there is a drastic regime change, failing which, there can only be one possibility - that is there will occur gradual osmosis of atoms through the semi-permeable DMZ membrane. And eventually when the exchanges take place in large enough an extent, the membrane breaks down partially and <span style="color: #fcff01;"><b>osmosis becomes diffusion.</b></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">So eventually South Korea will remain Daehan Minguk, and North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, but the people will collaborate in industries, in events, in intiatives... very similar to those years when South Korean opened up the Kaesong Industrial Park in Kaesong in 2002, North Korea, across the DMZ, which operated until President Park Geun Hye closed it in 2016.</p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b> Travelling like the locals...</b></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Let’s go eat something nice hot hot soupy soupy,” </b></span>suggested Ajumma. So we just drove slowly to near the hotel and that small little sigh our hood where we slowly one SikTang by one SikTang explored. Sitting down tucking into a nice warm Tofu mushroom soup, I felt..</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Wah.. you know something, Dar.. it feels really interesting here up in this northern small town, with building sparsely scattered and the scenery as in the small little 东北市镇 of China, we both drove up to this restaurant and enjoying our dinner, not really knowing exactly where we were and how we ended up here.. it’s the perfect kind of travel for us. Travel like the locals, eat like the locals, take in the sights like the locals.”</b></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">Like what Kim Man Jung said: <span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: x-large;"><b>“오 이제 완전 한국사람처럼 여행다니시네요!”</b></span></div></div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iy5YQTyiJu3a-BYGB1RN0tRn8_9lkWpaimGzT7X8D4YayHorEvIkvbSKHeaaEeB0Gz9KNSixbv9R1QuOXX3x-fFJPfNouM1MBo877zDpfsImCOHfWr1qJyXYmAFMIvJPgD65qDMC2bBLJ-HoL9JCcv8BtvA3cKcjGhIcMBe1jvHMmWuiHOim_dAQ3Ilr6A=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soaking in the personal jacuzzi in our very own hotel room - every night for 4 nights!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><div><br /><br />That evening as Ajumma and I tried to recover from our flu, I kena a brand new bout of febrile E.coli infection which sent me running to and fro the toilet the whole night. Of course, we were always prepared for multiple infections and usually, we would be able to tackle these. Come to think of it, had we been on a guided tour instead of on our own, we would have had to get up early the next day 5-6am to continue the gruelling group tour, rather than having the pleasure of resting till 10:30am.<br /><br /><br /><div><span><br /></span></div><span><div><span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day10">Day 10</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">31 Dec 2022</span></p><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hotel Picasso was really memorably lovely. So was Paju. Having a car made it possible for us to visit Paju Book City before we return the vehicle.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2CpBV3D5qDtWHwyH_Nmp_3twOLxQCkOmqisd9U0UjUswxNCVcF-xWl4sZ-FEhzbhCSmLNxJHjcnpcKsAgaa875ATIIAWCVvayPMV-QEGa4ipehwa0T0dk3atSdkxII0JZk8eM9yR8isCXdcF8nEd16Xq3WZ7x8iA4FXGmuCy_wjeXDG0JoYYzuRyu3OT7g=w480-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Paju Book City</b></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">...was about 10km away, near the Lotte Premium Outlets.</span></p></span><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPoGDJ1TksG3wyZc5Iq8aKcNv0ydb1v6BKxjYvEx2PQhg4DKj8NDzR2EnXPxp4aRcg4s2qIRJlceGMGQd7BdQMtZ_98ozW6y1mIDIeCmvtMusOXGifSls32eADeXqB6MW3Rh7Sb34JPWs8QBGaRmYXA2tnJi5oKici2miYBgwANvfYVQFL7yQAIi6/w640-h480/FL_20230527_0769.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span></div><span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span></div><span><div><br /></div></span></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>“Paju, South Korea is known for being the publishing location that includes planning, printing, and distribution for Korean books. It is also known for filming and modeling locations as well. Paju Book City is one of the most popular places to visit and one of the most well-known things to do in Paju. In the area you will find book cafes, used bookstores, galleries, and restaurants, hosting diverse exhibitions, and Tan Tan Story House. Some stores are closed over the weekend so be sure to check what is open prior to visiting. “ - from the internet.</b></i></span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span><div><br /></div></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><i><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: arial;">"Paju Book City, located in Gyoha-eup, is a cultural complex entirely devoted to the creation, publication, merchandising and sales of Korean books. The "city" belongs to Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. Paju Book City is home to 250 publishers with over 10,000 workers. It covers the entire process of publishing from planning to printing and distribution and is home to a large number of book cafes and bookstores.’"</span></b></i></blockquote><div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Gj-CWoNTddxqskaGO7fX9Lfrd1dET8JAe85ZI1SQ_A8NxeZybbNARNtMM1CQ-l7PREV-symUnuGA6RO2fAAB5_WlZ3TaJaQuPHE_OKbYuJkhAJ0SRQA_OcT3rB1OKUu43EG13cWl7CKApkTWiyLNRCHXC538BJEoDPTbeAAgPmRQXQUKlfwSMUpJZYhtHg=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />This Paju Book City was soooo sleepy on a Saturday morning. It was more like an industrial area back home in Singapore with scattered buildings and warehouses. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/TFuultyBaSPcTOkNN1CL7CaPkAQXYNkyEbm9ZyqiK4aVAcKNBtcgsohzL6T3BAyGA3QocvP8yRIhk4hYLvF-nzaTDqC3SMXZzl-1z67xj7KEseLQcPCPhePbSUHJxtMicrqWFZ5ophRz3UenV0wtMdAJ5mX7aIIueGgd5JHdz_BKQwpqndaJam6JQVpYkw=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />My wish was to be able to see Paju Book City and that famous bookstore called the Forest of Wisdom 지혜의 숲. The number of bookstores books on sale was mind-blowing and I was so excited to see families with little children roaming the gigantic bookstore and people sitting in the cafe right in the center of the bookstore browsing and having a leisurely sip.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="490" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AeeiLqvkD54" width="589" youtube-src-id="AeeiLqvkD54"></iframe></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">~ V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">i</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">e</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">o ~</span></div></div><br />I read about a used book shop and wanting to visit that, I asked and was so pleasantly directed up to the second floor. Again there were quite a number of browsers here. I was do myself no favor if I don’t get a second hand book here for just 4000₩.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/mQI1coSiKPRoo6yShFaKjxOoFNLNwUVXSH9Mm2btmuiwvipXRuz_YOqKNxAPHC0nyvlE-AH_rF44eVe6PbOawgfB3pds--byO7hsf0wVF4uavOjkyf5q_SzaNFYiOIKMO2ReMeds2VdN8lWd-Ro7ljfQh7qbORFfmPf3xscJWL6XbXXP0eR3-rZr7YEOnQ=w480-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Reading culture must be very rich right here in this northern city.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Caveat Brush"; font-size: xx-large;">I could imagine myself sitting down and spending my retired life in this warm bookstore in the freezing cold of winter, just reading a book. Wah… that’s life!</span></div><br />However, I ended up totally curbing all my purchasing fire and just bought one nice little Korean book written by a female writer about… Singapore! Yes. After browsing through so many books I decided the easiest way for me to read through and be able to understand and resonate with the words, would be to read something about Singapore. Wasn’t that so strange… came <i>aaaaallll</i> the way to so close to the north, just to buy a book that described Singapore.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKrebzcjnc4ie09gv1nNh9y_g1D-FltaAAMw5BqJLA7Z5y7FtaEsirOfoJpCzcQ9y6tvZfQAsHc2cJGsdYD4w1e_4FynbtjPRaOf5lIf6laXXSGV5rZZli4_mgMOl6FRwYw1mQtpS3IY6OsNq16WlqOpdI3K9e0VLq0Y2HzfK2-AyKwPPsB1t0Eaq/w640-h480/FL_20230521_0755.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I must be crazy!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)</span></span>👍</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><b>Something about Korea...</b></span><br /></span><br />Koreans really love to read. Although in 2018, a national survery studied found that reading has hit a new low among Koreans in early 2020 a study found that 12.5% pf respondents were eager to put in more money and more effort to increase their reading. I am encouraged by the reading culture of parents bringing their children to bookshops and libraries. Personally I hold the st4rong opinion that through reading can one really acquire a broad foundation of knowledge that can be further applied in the practical sense. <br />Like what my mother always says: </div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>"人每天都一定得要长一点知识!</b></span><span style="font-size: x-large;">😍</span><b style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: xx-large;">"</b></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;">[Human beings have to grow a little bit of knowledge daily!]</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day11">Day 11</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">01 Jan 2023</span></p></span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GK-AWz530dNCPSnzwWta9CBaKhaN1AOjPfxNczMAZeZUQJki00YbTRDV1K1HUt2rLcLVV9_60ZbNry3W1ssL2yicHO8-794ghMCXM_6fX1Z-RKHD5O13yWKv3jESosjvdB1kR_XEsdls1r5VB3LiiyfwmEi1TdxbDYR9Q8EMzKJgwPhBhDzEqDTT/w640-h480/FL_20230425_0643.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br />The trip to Paju and Pocheon and the bit of flu and E.coli must have weakened us a little bit. The night before, we just returned to our hotel and refused to go out. Slept in until late on New Year’s Day morning. From a tourist point of view, it was a waste of precious time. But from a traveller’s point of view, it was perfectly acceptable. <br /><br />A search on the internet found most museums and theatres and even hiking routes to be closed on New Year’s Day… except for Seoul City Wall Museum 漢陽都城博物館.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/wWznaArOhhOoGXP12DyvrCDbZvJ0NBKgoVYA-ACnZ8sAOE04D0UA3d1cGei--X3oiWemTCh421KfTg2YtNrr2Dz-ySdnpQSwc2KD9YADnjLECLJCApPnqGPbvroum6ZLtcuOxIJ8Y_oD9zxIbEktBO4l6VQHw11Nv357O5mUbS6qiyLwJKxlZPLgr3sBFw=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br />Ah Hwa’s 中华料理炸酱面 two blocks away was still on New Year holiday. Shucks, wasted. We so wanted to have Jjajangmyeon for breakfast.<br /><br /></div><br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Kwenchana! Let’s just walk slowly through the neighbourhood and get to Seoul City Wall Museum ok?”</b></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“You sure got open?”</b></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Yes confirmed and chopped one. I checked and checked the internet already. Many museums are closed but this one got open.”</b></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div><br />The traveller in us, despite Oori Ajumma’s constant kao-beh-ing, actually enjoyed physically walking the neighbourhood streets and taking in the sights. The leisurely walk in such a wonderful cool (not cold on this day) finally allow us to get on top of that long bridge that connected the various neighbourhoods around Seoul and Myeongdong - Seollo 7017 - and walked easily from our hotel to Nandaemun.<br />The distance to the museum didn’t look far. It was a 5.1km easy walk. <br /><div><br /></div></div><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_jwVWD6uaXts8kgLxRPEMIo56ueubufuMr3cgifEL3Kpe7abs3Pgm2Xtimo_AVhurSxaWdicTmzan6W1D-W6-YjAl_EYYr6oACQ87ZfIbErdQWkRWbQOAm37Vg9KJUOg7lrQSD7FAiGN6Tey7-C6VKjS_365gCACAJV5bOJLPXFONl08l-ce4_DxF6DZTw=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />It was a new feeling walking the streets of Seoul on New Year’s Day morning. There were still people, but not as many, and surprisingly in Namdaemun area there were many shops, stores, and stalls opened. These Koreans were hard-working people!<br /><br /><span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="481" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kPhysy_CYnw" width="579" youtube-src-id="kPhysy_CYnw"></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"></span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">~ V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">i</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">e</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">o ~</span></span></div></span><br />Strawberries 6000₩ a box (cheap this winter season compared to last year), Eomuk sticks at 1000₩, and honey Hotteok at 1000₩ (with a long queue) fortified our bodies and livened up the experience.</div><div> <span><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kWzXsO8P8bPBIBj1V7e3LZTYaK-f9P7dEk056lCh0wBvyW_qffME3OMbIaVvcTSlGbi1kW2OBRKT8NLCAwkTJtctWoethZOtgmfOcWzk3IQee-PdzQwx-O0-mIi5t4nrYwmHAYN14sk3l2lXOedUI8KWVovrzk7HEGX4cFuvkRXk-sUPfVbY12bD9GnC2Q=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />We ended up really walking all the way to Dongdaemun where the museum was just beside the city fortress, and..<br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Dar, IT’S CLOSED!” </b></span>cried Ah Hwa.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><span><div><span><br /></span></div></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/nfZgj5ZSKOAVd_eut7JVkWePsMdrwZd2eVnlLYl0YValgFKZAqbLTXTherhWZbP2fY6icRygPDl5ItfryOkI7pk8ueo8aguZw3hkSw0-A6SKHd8e_nJuYtBFfoHkdgUn93kniQwAwWsv2IMSYHsOdMznFVGA03UqVpz5BhpzNOz-vmcTxRWU_4Bp0GeyOQ=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br />Well, when you were a traveller you would never be able to tell, right? We all have to expect the unexpected. However, the view from the city walls at Dongdaemun was lovely and we basked in the warm sun on a cool morning.</div><div><br /><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/I-KYKF7Iei2CNFhjCriFGtCbLlKD38yaRFOjGWOmqS6UDvoBPRGoktB7CBi5yXmgMvSMwnggp_fwIVSYEHeEzyRm4Om8-GKume_jk1eEwCZBu64C-XHSDs7HcKywVeTnbH6Zib4hhQ3G-adxU95NrZ-l6VdzO0ZQvUkYVHUwHF4lY7l-2RLBpZ2GDu7Xww=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/jxjKjAehRxJuLwvxV4i8URUNv-J5nVRtgnzE2sZiZXesleCMB7FXY2xyul_5uV_EaM6c6sZlsk6rCivbUs21ZiYTSAAL8HGLSzx-DGNaZcNmepVSgSLaeEpMyZUHxA8Y9QZWDALsVvlGcesvn1Ka3iDpj52QaHI9ZHxlif_xwNA4kf9bBxWWbLSLRbzqVA=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)</span><span>👎</span></span></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><b>Something about Korea...</b></span></div><div>What was even more unexpected was, just before arriving at the museum we popped into a roadside shop to buy another box of strawberries, at 6000₩ a box. The Ajumma SaJangNim returned me a change of 3000₩.<br /><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“SaJangNim, it’s 6000₩ isn’t it 🤯?”</b></span></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Er no it is 7000₩😒.”</b></span></div></div></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“No I saw it is 6000₩ 😕.”</b></span></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Ah yeah yeah you are right it’s 6000₩😔.”</b></span></div></div></div></blockquote></blockquote><div><div><br />Ah this SaJangNim really was really quite opportunistic, probably not realising that I was a Korean-speaking Korean-reading traveller.<br />All the boxes of strawberries outside were labelled 6000₩. The only couple of boxes labelled as 7000₩ were very different in packing. I was quite upset. Not because of the 1000₩. But because my impression of true, honest, integrity-honouring Koreans up till this stage, got smashed.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Black And White Picture"; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #ea9999;">There are also dishonest Koreans in South Korea.😠 </span></span></div><span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="640" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/YhMC5QMXtgMnaWncgsVvTuE6Eg7n1v8ahuPvZerh72h5WZ8z2JbAxSEcTW7jrgZog1tFUzO3ffwoH7pY5j99To80AKfqJx4-DNHHQbxN9DhWj5whOQSLZhWY5CVjl7H7z3ZBCNO8LSKLSw8m93uBGZr9YzkUk27qSE3OExsV4h1o962jPee0c5E9Ra228A=w480-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="480" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/mEkDNY858IWiPvZOBfzBwR2X1mmyMrECOqCbJo5UtmH0MfmBjf_XiKkgCxgaX18sxa2vzj1NY_cV6K1DgikZb1jlXQF9JgrPXBwSvgNAQm2J-A7XqxzKwKCjuqwVgg-JvaMNZRsZ6E7vMny3-Q03srqhePA5I95SomH1R9XCLcmoiGuetTFEUEpyP8Wwsg=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Majang SiJang</span><br /><br /><br />This Majang Sijang was really quite addictive. We jio-ed the Ngs and the Kaans (and 심원보) for a New Year dinner. I was so impressed by that the SaJangNim at 自然畜產 stall that sells fresh meat could even recognize Ah Hwa by her hair colour, after only seeing her once.<br /><br />And the gang spent a most unforgettable New Year’s Day dinner here in Majang Sijang. We were so touched to have such sincere company even far far out here in the cold cold north, for a warm dinner.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6l5ISMzHfQasJ3H5POc1qhFI20p-OiC3AtQhTZz8DPYQa7a2amwmKzC20sLg6K0yF0ZqQYTF3Y-28ppt9osyOXSrQBivuL6iKDceEDPmaBRe1xvPfvlo3Y0h3puVtPZuC-ibpcgFvPma1v40pYA16j36jyvl8yugntV5ZPhxtGmCq0iEaIuBLGv5/w640-h480/FL_20230427_0646.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><span>I have really truly always enjoyed eating and being in Korea with these good people... be it during Pre-Covid days or in Post-Covid days.<br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7FbYrAbCVQTF00ei75jBZLBDGtlYaE8612QZNlQrSGzrVmRkFcuEDWo9-6i1JusJ4OUovezGBSxg5aSvFYqc2-_dzxTelWZDWBb5hj0AhhSjUm5ksxUkv63h783wMeHOu94-TeM8IREDaMFDJeWritCGjvkNiyOJ6gWWgBiqJ5RRlTzbcmj1Qewl-/s3201/3EF38F81-804D-4840-91B7-05D432079A3C.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3201" data-original-width="3201" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7FbYrAbCVQTF00ei75jBZLBDGtlYaE8612QZNlQrSGzrVmRkFcuEDWo9-6i1JusJ4OUovezGBSxg5aSvFYqc2-_dzxTelWZDWBb5hj0AhhSjUm5ksxUkv63h783wMeHOu94-TeM8IREDaMFDJeWritCGjvkNiyOJ6gWWgBiqJ5RRlTzbcmj1Qewl-/w640-h640/3EF38F81-804D-4840-91B7-05D432079A3C.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2023 Post(end)-Covid days</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMABShUbT3FcJxAkvWlCTGsXAAzNJN9AkEjAl_sY4sWUYNWMf8dHr9cWr4oaIKW9HNAIJTF_-oQ4Y2jVNWj_jTiIaQsAKAjiSScMDOfQX7Z--kFQe8RN0iQYHHgEZ2gm9LS0kNKEwGY6Qi_YqOEv5FAvyVymeXVL7i5I56rFARPylgAdBdQxahJfJ/s3201/9EF310AF-A3C3-40AB-8E22-FF7198C606A6.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3201" data-original-width="3201" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMABShUbT3FcJxAkvWlCTGsXAAzNJN9AkEjAl_sY4sWUYNWMf8dHr9cWr4oaIKW9HNAIJTF_-oQ4Y2jVNWj_jTiIaQsAKAjiSScMDOfQX7Z--kFQe8RN0iQYHHgEZ2gm9LS0kNKEwGY6Qi_YqOEv5FAvyVymeXVL7i5I56rFARPylgAdBdQxahJfJ/w640-h640/9EF310AF-A3C3-40AB-8E22-FF7198C606A6.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2019 - Pre-Covid days</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><span><br /><br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day12">Day 12</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">02 Jan 2023</span></p><br /></span><br /><br /><br />Another late-rising morning, waking up blur blur… where shall we go today?<br /><br />People said if you want to live in Korea you have to shop and buy your groceries from the local markets like the locals. Apparently Gongdeok market was just one such local entity. I would always quietly but willingly bear the risk of Oori Ah Hwa kao-beh kao-boo-ing while I bring her on a walk to explore the neighbourhoods. Today was simply another one.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">The underpriveledged </span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlRRxbRZDHyh-3R4KTWwtlRV0fIyFvjlnWtk88ZSZZa6VgPJzFQ62bGwg29pOuYNZ8HZ9bPsv-FF-zXWKYpJy0py5Ygs0D4MV17DjKxgpvPwmoVje7KBJnx8ZoaohuovCxgz05FBxxMoUgclZLCZ7IrjHP1YJjmXAJOdFRVO-MkCsIAVoJxz--hEn/w640-h480/FL_20230427_0647.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div>As has been the case the past days, every morning when we walked around Seoul Station we never failed to see many elderly men and some elderly ladies walking the pavements, many carrying rack sacks in their backs, some piling up trolleys with paper cardboard.<br /><br />These were obviously the underprivileged class in a rapidly polarising society. Their torn and tethered clothes, no matter how they layered, could hardly protect them from the freezing winter, and holes lining the fabrics let in the wind. I looked at our brand new Nepa Korean long down layer and I felt a slight tinge of shame- a young couple like us, warmed to our hilt, while they were freezing to their bones.<br /><br />Near our hotel there was a long queue of these underprivileged (perhaps some homeless old folks) lining up outside some shops at the side of the road, waiting for a warm cup of tea and some food, run by charitable organisations. The workers would be there every single day, public holidays or not, to serve the needy.<br /><br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“You know something,”</b></span> I told Ah Hwa. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“A society needs to have organizations to take care of the underprivileged group of their population. The government would always take initiative. But often the social enterprises, the religious organisations are the ones who are so hard-working in ensuring that the people get taken care of. And these charitable organisaitons are real in hearts.”</span></b></div></blockquote><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="489" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JzeExRDofKE" width="588" youtube-src-id="JzeExRDofKE"></iframe></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">~ V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">i</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">e</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">o ~</span></p><div><br /></div>Here in Korea, Catholic and Christian charities are the obvious active driving forces. I was very encouraged to see them helping out. Time and again we would read in Korean news when disasters happened, how the people rapidly recruited help and organised reliefs, and even sometimes simple little news where the delivery lorry spilled all its loads on the road and the citizens would quickly organise themselves to remove the obstructions. The Koreans ARE social-minded. In my opinion, much more than Singaporeans are. They may not have as much assistance from their government, contrary to us Singaporeans, but they more than make up for it with their fervent ethnic pride and loyalty to their country and an unfailing code of service to their people.<br />I am impressed by these people.</div><br /></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)</span></span>👍</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><b>Something about Korea...</b></span><br />Society needs to be not only government-driven but also sufficiently citizen-driven when it comes to charity. As foreigners, we have always thought of South Korea as a highly developed affluent country but sadly many Korean dramas failed to show many of the people living on or below the poverty line. There is a blogger who once wrote in her blog:</div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>"If you see a cardboard Halmeoni, please just go forward and offer her a little help in pushing her cart-full of cardboard up the slope."</b></span></div></blockquote><div>Because these cardboard Halmeonis are among those who are still struggling day to day, hand to mouth, trying to earn a living collecting cardboard for sale.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QE_aE97pJID-qfiuQFri4XalUF2WLv-VbaL5lxRA6TqLNgsai2PGRPx5QI6qOyUqQjTPnSGMbCq4NVcNTSyFlUtZzWsxirOPA8wpEERCj02Qi03zRFvWmlUwJWYZ4vzsQYn49KfJaB2yuAVp6HX1o19eyjEjS9MPekbpYuE3VKrSQnamXLtnVBj2SrOalQ=w480-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="480" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: xx-large;">Gongdeok market</span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“It’s a short 1.9km walk to Gongdeok market.”</b></span> I thought.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><br />My thoughts were partially correct because a good part of this route was going up some really strep humanly walkable slopes, and motorbikes rideable roads. There was one part that was so steep that there was a sign on the road that indicates only allowable for cars and bikes to drive up but not down for fear of losing control. <br /><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“It would be interesting to stay here for say, one month or so just to experience how it feels to live in such a neighbourhood,” </b></span>again my imagination ran wild. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“But hor… I don’t think I would like to live here lah.” <br /></b></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgbLOhZ-i001e5s7DzvBzuHkAC1Pz6vQWSMu_ZiD5q4o2FZwU6uGUlEiz4zPQhE95KC5sN-OL7uhicaTA_IiQM9Cq9RHFCSUKna_UrkwHEcdB3lY1MDFR8iZs-g3PN0Ec-l59GyCa6YLYnFK_PW8DTy3OdOOtoZ2ghNoOSedemAd3dLBE5hxxDsoT/w640-h480/FL_20230427_0648.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>I was surprised to hear this from my lips. I wasn’t usually one who would say that. But what was it that made me feel that way? Perhaps the dilapidated conditions of many of the houses in this Cheongpadong, Mallajaedong neighbourhoods. Perhaps it was just the feel of the place. I loved the fact that we could go up so steeply and weave through the small alleyways, walking past an Ajumma and a Halmeoni who met on the street and started to chit chat animatedly. It was a neighbourly neighbourhood, for sure, only thing not so neighbourly was Ah Hwa’s kao-beh-ing hahaha.. but she was good. She still walked.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/LLcw3ub5ieWQsVhwwKbS5oC1TDh52Cxr50wgLTM16i12ll7BbkqpIqS1yqygON65QcfW8dNeo_UDepXFjQZQ8s7PZcSVt1DkoHLlKhzfvNB04hX2QGZLd91ScpX3H95XSvzMOzln-C_GalOrurAUAhR8EU5ppWMP_x0nilESygHmhmlKLtuDtpUdmX_rNQ=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>Wearing so many layers in winter and walking up and down slopes had only one disadvantage. I sweated like mad inside. And had to find a cafe in the neighbourhood to sit down, take off my outer down layer and let the warm cafe interior dry my clothes while we enjoyed a cappuccino and vanilla latte before moving on. Finally I understood why Cafe culture was so popular here, hahahaha…<span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Z4qBbhxygiCUWe32w191UfeZYedeVcxNFN1Qdn_nLfEYWQxMqOizYmxsBxITS8qZAdNh_-fwAMcWK9WsDE5oTGyY2qK4Hr-luJhW2zYIxXZFlqetGvOdY_A1vfLF7fEe2e0y6r9wqrv2hPB3t8w9f6Vcrxv56emx3MZydq_zjeV5pAAYPihLzMvUpwBGyA=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></span><br />Gongdeok Sijang은 well, really like the Chai Chee market like that, said Serene. While it was a local market and famous for the pajeon there, we were surprised that the prices of foodstuff there were not cheaper than we we would get from around Dongdaemun or Namdaemun. Strange… strawberries were more expensive here, dried persimmons were definitely dearer here.. only the Nurungji price was the same. And I bought one pack. Man, we were really hoping for some places with really down-to-earth price to live in. Maybe we haven’t explored this place sufficiently.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/B1Mk_CHroCcOv7LylDx30vwbgvfkLZb7GP3ak4D5G-yCEfIVyanrNnquNHsWL50qVy5rkYXacXXRjHlTgMCOo5sK-bz69Qe0FmuMq7RVnjh22FsuJ7pkd5IRCIxyYSGaNdJrE0kt5GCaC3nMbi0oKh6b8-V8W9cktHboAafXUVwod19BuYx0SNcb1yrAgw=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Hikari massage</span>, Myeongdong, again!<br /><br /><br />Oh what a lot of difference a year there between the winter or 2022-2023 and the winter of 2021-2022 made! That last winter when Korea first opened up to Singaporeans, the massage had hardly anyone. But now it was full of Japanese and the SaJangNim was busy uttering Japanese away to her many customers from the land of the rising sun. The price remained the same, and the quality of massage no changed. Just that it was obviously a much busier and bustling setting now. A happy thing.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/tpfAanKcIQWkoXTHPvmQaBRKZPFlNpuXA4yqA5OholPSGn0zaeuxRJD-UGQoSXQ4pl43yLaKdfxtA8pPIx1IAHaYQP6d00z-7s7rjU5gsyUpu-l77MLYdfyhAlOZMdow31OYvCZ05s5RWQ5g6UXF3dUyrW5q1WIS0-qHorwHUlIUO9x0rFBuRJD6twfAow=w480-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />We were very happy to meet again, Kim Man Jung’s father Mr Kim Yong Myeong 김용명 대표님, who is one year older than Serene. <br /><br />This time round we saw much more of him as he was in the cafe and the optical shop. So kind was he to say down at length and share with me the developments around here in Myeongdong and as well as advised me on my plans for cherry blossom season.<br /><br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“My father speaks mostly Pyojunmal, the standard Seoul Korean, with little Saturi (dialect). That’s because he lived in Seoul for so many years, although he came from Dajeon.” </b></span>said Kim Man Jung a few days later we we had dinner together. <b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“But he doesn’t speak much English nor Chinese.”</span></b></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Oh wah now I understand,”</b></span> I finally realized. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“This time round your father conversed so much more with us!”</b></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/sQ76mO3rFne0Ww1Fa1wX6JCXfGT5yhaproFVmfPCAdGVqve8LGVzECzOwWj8DtwiG8CG5VjdbcYI92OOe5rbet-nPTfuKxxclo4K_roHR6fXGaPx7G8tjeBLaFkzLet7YMa7gWFKgTdiGIMZfxyb2H1sPm0iXr1UH6kvFcYenfyxGL5DM0X_97cdmPNdGw=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kim Man Jung, Kim Yeong Myeong CEO, and Kim Hak Jung</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Rewards, rewards, and rewards</span><br /><br /><br />This Serene hor she is like a child like that. Each time I make her suffer a bit, I need to dangle some carrot in front of her. Hahahaha.. so today was just another one of those reward days. <br /><br />So we window shopped Seoul Shinsegae Store, and Lotte Department Store.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/fh3UZKh1ltwBYFteGxl-xynapELO3AF6icAuyIqnhuiVjCWv7MEcmAq_foIDzDs--eBlAhs7WKK0_NCzPk3VPp6k2KSNMYpq0811OzghKJIK-QOaMttuBZyzUltt728rOEGYeaNUo-h9ulJiF5KVbGibgrV2JS9wZmshlcgMQ8rlA0D19pEL3tUVv-0dYA=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)</span></span>👍</span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Something about </span><span style="color: #f6b26b;">properties in</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> Korea...</span></b></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><span>Properties in Korea are super expensive, especially in Seoul Special City. The Koreans measure floor area with </span>평 (Pyeong 坪). One Pyeong is 33 metre square (1065 square foot). And around Seoul it would be going for around S$1.5 million. There are some developments around SinBanpo-dong next to the Hangang that are going for around S$7000K - 900K for a 46 square metre unit. There are no restrictions to foreign buyers and there are no ABSD to cool the property market, as of May 2023, the Korean property market has been on a consecutive price decline for the past 11 months due to economy and inflation.</div><div>Is it good to buy? Those who have plenty of disposable cash and have a high appetite for risk may certainly consider doing so. But for me, having a similar unit of a similar value in Singapore, where I know the market way better, would certainly win over owning one over in Korea.</div><div><br /></div><div>One major advantage that I could see, in owning a leasable residential property in Seoul is, 70% of Korea's 51 million population live and work in Seoul. Thus, Koreans, especially the younger generations would be very mobile, and would invariably end up living in Seoul and commuting to work and school. Thus with no ABSD to curb buying, a forward-thinking individual may be primed to spring onto under-valued apartments so as to lease to the Koreans. Not foreigners, but actually Koreans! That is a sure way of sustaining the property rental market, unlike Singapore, which depends on a lot of foreign expatriates to rent our residential properties </div><div><br /></div><div>The rental system in Korea is another confusing maze of Cheon-sae and Wol-sae, which will be discussed some other time.</div><div><br /></div><div><span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day13">Day 13</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">03 Jan 2023</span></p><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">A Day of Museums and Theatre</span><br /><br />I really had to have my revenge today. The past couple of times being totally unsuccessful in attempting to visit the museums meant that I simply had to make up for lost time today. <br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmZomIl8oXa27nVLvCydy94UqB1vtljqkFbnwEfpeObHxZk3Cai7PmRr76s4ow94iYLMT5usU1NY2zPBZlXMBUSPBDy_cQ6yR5TX7UTmAcLx0vVtf7X7fusFf3oj0xs1Vq51p3BA5Sh_OKSF3vNLXsR7j6LGXlNU8qDY9G0MxTWv6tHq5MDfB9R20/w640-h480/FL_20230521_0739.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">The War and Women’s </span></div><div><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Human Rights Museum</span><br /><br />After our usual Jjajangmyeon and Jampoong, we took a bus right to Mapo Gu, and walked up the slopes (again!) to The War and Women’s Human Rights Museum, a unique small museum dedicated to the ‘comfort women’, known respectfully in Korea as ‘Halmeoni’ who were sex slaves abducted by the Japanese military during the Second World War.<br /><br />With the accompanying audio guide, we really took our time and went through every single exhibit, listening carefully to each description and feeling the heaviness of hearts learning about this unfortunate event, which to this day, was still not admitted officially by the Japanese government, despite multiple witnesses accounts and evidence. Each photo of a Halmeoni told of a heartbreaking story. And each one of their accounts revealed a life of torture and indescribable pain under multiple violent rapes by the Japanese soldiers.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="492" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GOh0gs4CQ8w" width="592" youtube-src-id="GOh0gs4CQ8w"></iframe></div><span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #f4cccc;">~ V</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #fff2cc;">i</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #d9ead3;">d</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #d0e0e3;">e</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cfe2f3;">o ~</span></div></span></span>Courageous were the hundreds of Halmeonis who came forward to give statements, and to implicate the Japanese military. Sad were the many thousands more who never got a chance because they perished during the ordeal, disappeared during their capture, or passed away silently.<br /><br />I was reprimanded, surprisingly, by Ah Hwa, when we came to a corridor commemorating those who have passed on, for not taking a minute to pay our respect. It was the first time I saw her so serious. At the last part both of us actually shed tears when we completed the tour. So touched were we that a small donation was in order. <br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“You know something, Dar.” </b></span>I said. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Now I finally understand why the Koreans were so violently against war, such that their reactions to the Russian-Ukraine war was so heated. Imagine if 300,000 of your country’s young women were taken as sex slaves. You would bear life-long grudges against the aggressor.”</b></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><br />My only worry was that, should all the Halmeoni eventually pass on, would the newer generation still continue their fight for their causes? <br />This museum was worth every single minute spent, every single step of climb up the steep slope. And I would highly recommend this museum for anyone who wanted to learn more.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Hanseongdoseong Museum</span></div><div><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">汉阳都城博物院 </span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: x-large;">한양도성박물관</span></div><div><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">(Seoul City Wall Museum)</span><br /><br />Oh what a museum this was! I spent literally hours just slowly reading every single exhibit and description here. It told of the history of the city walls that were constructed starting from Taejo’s time 1392, and constantly rebuilt through Sejong’s dynasty, and finally how this important defence wall fell into disuse and was torn down during the Japanese colonial period, and finally how after Gwangbuk, and after the Korean War, the government started the initiatives to rebuilt and repair the remaining walls and gates. The detailed accounts gave me an understanding of the importance of each and every one of the gates, how they were meant for visiting envoys, and for passing corpses and funerals, for waterways to pass out of Hanyang (the old name for Seoul) city. I was so glad that Serene spent the two hours plus just Guai-Guai seated on a bench on the second floor and played her Pokémon while waiting for me.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aMIYxxJAaBYKBzLla2MLU0D1NtD3UPxH4hAHj3cPZ_GEsU9VqIkyAMh4CY-RXBErDfJMn65CAik_jYRU2DbQ1dmIMvMhqBXLubwKZ2txE5NUq26nKwvySGpLMa74REUMWaSBjcPvHSUqvbNwc4NERIHvOSShQm-GSnS8JOw1vs-c4UOoUPHpNZlZ/w640-h480/FL_20230521_0740.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />The visual exhibits especially the 3-D models with special light effects (of Dongdaemun, also known as Heunginjimun 興仁之門) were so realistic, I watched the replay twice. The permanent and special exhibits gave me a more concrete understanding of the Seoul City Wall and the impetus to explore the walls further on our future trips. I could feel the pride of the Koreans for their history, and the pride for their heritage. I would too if I were them.<br /><br />This Hanyangdoseong Museum gave me such a good introduction to the walls of Seoul that my mind suddenly was able to grasp the bigger picture. In the exhibition, it was said that in the good old days of Joseon dynasty, the Hanyang residents would do a round city walk along the Hanyang City Wall that would take a full whole day, but they enjoyed it as part of a leisure activity. And this got my brain juices fired up again, thinking of my next adventure…<br /><br /><br /> <span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)</span></span>👍</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><b>Something about Korea...</b></span><br />In Korean culture, there is an unstated but prevalent undercurrent of 한 (Han, 恨), a very palpable feeling of sorrow, a bit of resentment, not to the extent of hate, but enough to be felt in many of their folk songs, most representative of which, is Arirang. Whenever the national folk song Arirang is played or sung, many of the older generations would shed tears, because it brings back so much memory of toil and pain, though the lyrics mentioned nothing much except for the worry the female singer has for her man who may get leg pain before he even walked 10 li (miles).</div><div>For centuries, the Korean kingdoms of ancient times, virtually because of their geographical location as a peninsula in between powerful warring nations, have been conquered time and time again by the Ming, Qing dynasties, the Russians, and the Japanese, not to mention additional centuries of in-fighting between the warring factions during the Three Kingdom (Korean's Three Kingdoms - Goguryeo, Shilla and Baekche), that have plundered the people of the peninsula into exploitations and pain. The latest period of torture was during the Japanese colonisation period 1910 to 1945, when the Korean language and culture was forcefully suppressed.<br /><br />Thus one cannot visit Korea, without experiencing, at least seeing and understanding a little more about the painful histories of Korea, through the eyes of Comfort Women in the 'Comfort Women Museum' and through the Seodaemun Prison History Museum.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Nanta theatre </span><br /><br />No wonder why so many people flocked to watch this famous Nanta Theatre in Myeongdong. The five actors and actresses were not only fantastic stage actors but they were accomplished percussionists. We enjoyed the comedic stage drama and for me, even more so, the percussion performances on literally kinda of percussion-able materials, buckets, sink, pail, wooden boards.. literally anything.<br /><br />The spontaneous audience added to the fun. Good deal. Through Klook, a second-floor ticket at S$32.50 was a great deal.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkdjK1DyA-AsKy_esDs0OgHUsf-g71HnXEbMUkQTLsYW_uzROc5xnwnJAn0c3FYxiDrjbacrqlt-RfXRcJLVPEBdTguPrlHZWc_GrbNwe95Pwy1X5C5QopK2Vptk7KxdrioMNi5SfbuhnbLdutx_6avGgJQtNqphge9-7zcQ9nILPsesaB5fBGoF0/w640-h640/FL_20230527_0771.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></div><p></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><br /><br /> <br /><br /><span><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day14">Day 14</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">04 Jan 2022</span></p></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;"><br />Inwangsan</span><br /><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>仁王山</b></span> <span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Black And White Picture; font-size: x-large;"><b>인왕산</b></span></div><div><br /><br />We didn’t really know how this Inwangsan would turn out to be. Merely looking at the altitude of 338.2m, it shouldn’t be too bad. Studying photos of Inwangsan on the internet showed us a climb that was mostly steps and stairs, though it was all uphill climb and not one of ups and downs, thus making the route more straightforward.<br /><br />Again thanks to <a href="https://www.koreatodo.com/inwangsan-mountain" target="_blank">this site</a>… I was able to find a good starting point at the 7-Eleven beside Seoul Social Science Library 한국사회과학도서관. The entrance to Inwangsan Gongwon (仁王山公园) was just outside the 7-Eleven across the road. This 7-Eleven was also such a wonderful place to buy a couple of Gimbap and a nice sausage to munch on before the climb. The SaJangNim was so nice to help us microwave these hot so that we could eat them right there. I was glad we managed to fill our stomachs before we start the walk.<span><br /><div><br /></div><div><span><br /></span></div></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzZfS1xpihYX-6vc4YvNLOBBKb2AHoWyfVqESOF4wdL87oN2e4HjObiE93XKSsBrhu3p_4es1jeLWLbpgcSufBZOM0Co4nEEHWR2w21KaIslq2o_sbqeLXPdaUPLqvBfEQMnlsZqoP0xnkTMdRzWXXqFYdgrz6ISTnAp-iQJai0bieGuW_4t4Vgl8/w640-h480/FL_20230430_0657.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)</span></span>👍</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><b>Something about Korea...</b></span></div><div>Korea is full of mountains. If we keep going and travelling to Korea and simply think that Korea is about Gangnam and Myeongdong, then we are wrong. Because Korea has a whole collection of lovely mountains of different ranges of difficulty to enjoy the world beneath our feet under different seasons.</div><div><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><b><span style="color: #ffd966; font-size: x-large;">Was Inwangsan difficult?</span> </b></span>Actually not. Of course it was a constant climb. But at one’s own comfortable pace so as not to bust our lactate threshold, everyone would end up at the top. The last part had some huge boulders but nothing difficult, as most of these boulders had steps carved into them and there was steel poles with ropes securely anchored into the rocks.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Inwangsan was permissible for night trekking too, and some of the locals can do their feelings in the early hours of the morning to arrive at the top at sunrise. This alone was a testimony to how safe it was climbing up Inwangsan. Compared to Manisan (of Ganghwado) and Bukhansan, I would say Inwangsan was much easier than Bukhansan and definitely easier by at least half, compared to Manisan. Many of the older folks literally come up to Inwangsan for a nice morning stroll.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;">I was glad we did the Hanyangdoseong Seoul City Wall museum the day before as it prepared me, knowledge-wise, for the climb. At least we did the climb from Donuimun all the way up to the top of Inwangsan and then down the other side to Changuimun. That was precisely what I wanted.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><div><span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="489" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BXBJT9kHQxw" width="588" youtube-src-id="BXBJT9kHQxw"></iframe></div><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">~ V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">i</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">e</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">o ~</span></div></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p></span></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">Is climbing up the 388m Inwangsan worth it? </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"> </span></b>Without a doubt. I would strongly recommend anyone to go. It's really not difficult, for a mild to moderately-physically-abled teenager, young adult, and elderly person. The great thing is - it is not high. 388m is one of the very mild hills in Korea. And 99% are all properly built steps and stairs that are well-lined and protected under all sorts of weather. The view from top is spectacular for such an easy climb and one can see the whole of Seoul. some say one can even see up till Suwon which is another city down south of Seoul.</div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">Our own Bukit Timah Hill is around 164m. And summiting Bukit Timah rewards us with less than a quarter of the sights, though the height is about half. </div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">Just give ourselves about 2 hours from 7Eleven all the way to the top and then all the way down the other side to Changuimun, then your job is completed.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Hwetjib</span> again!<br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“I knew you would reward me after Inwangsan!”</b></span> said Serene.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />Die lah… this Ajumma is beginning to expect rewards after rewards for every step of exertional climb. Hahaha.. And of course we went back to the ‘most delicious Hwe restaurant’ next to our hotel, as declared by Serene. Even the waitresses could recognise us, and she remarked that it was obvious that we really enjoy our Hwe. <br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>A Mandarin-speaking young hotel counter staff...</b></span><br /><br />And on this day we found that our hotel staff 노현 씨, a 25 year old young lady, had been studying Chinese for ten years and hoped to eventually work in a commerce company dealing with China. I told her that was a great plan. She was able to speak Mandarin very fluently and truly it was so much more a joy to converse with her in Korean and Mandarin.<span><br /><br /><br /></span></div><div><br /><br /><br /><span><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day15">Day 15</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">05 Jan </span></p></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: red; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Itaewon</span><br /><br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>“After the 압사 참사 (壓死慘事), Itaewon has become much quieter. It is the clubbing and pubing and party-ing center but people nowadays feel sad just thinking of the 154 death cases on that Halloween night of Dec 2022, that really not many people come to party here any more.”</b></span> Explained Kim Man Jung, when we told him Itaewon was eerily quiet.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/2czRN78hol9z8n1g-yfmLnjR8lCr3GmraHOdVc2mzL3i7AeqXXCoPW0RpaZ_B9y4-zukQApnuASVP-kLSiqfXgvsWD9bhlYwp4j9Qg8No9U8OXgbGBbkZ0nJNrC9Ghl_cdY-YZ7C4ISQ9AI15Te6IE3YzDDDMkuU6xyiB7Te1QsTPlqZ4QF2_R2WmGDKcw=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fateful 4m wide death-trap side lane. </td></tr></tbody></table><br />Perhaps that was why we had the chance to cheon-cheon-hi walked up the World Foot Street and down that fateful 4m wide, 40m long little narrow pavement beside Hamilton Hotel, and Serene and I observed a moment of somber reflection. My thoughts at this point were, of those who perished, many were young people with futures, visions, and plans for their lives, but would never be able to materialise their dreams.<br /><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Itaewon is where many foreigners live and play because it’s here where the US military base is located. And historically the westerners would live here, entertain here, get themselves entertained and intoxicated here, and find fun here.”</b></span> I told Serene.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><span><div><span><br /></span></div></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmFYNiaIA_dR1uY8BY2tKJnVpDhRXkFhdlBx74gCtfXXeRwj_hy5N4aMRkip-a5sBO5ISAyvORZTfaVmTjcJ3W94PwTcWKPbwpHT3FW-_iwgh0ZfHD5F0KHhuokwipO300FwrGdOsucXCtlBgv3WOIuvxP74NB5roaoeGD8czus43iyS2FoxuYAWC/w640-h480/FL_20230430_0659.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>After the Itaewon incident, I believed Koreans from this point onwards, would look at Halloween with a different eye and a different feeling, the mere word would invoke such a strong pang of painful memories for many.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/QoWnKifvSqxactVpaLHtUI7Q2j_7WrYcxNDDTA_Edlu0l4jOFC15d5vVBl0vADS7eqf7TdYfzj-np5p4YfJuAN60mli6liFH86khi_pvNP-HQK6bzXU_yNlhjGO3vu0k2G4agsBC95SpmHUaZrvdQ2YNbobSQO0vzJ8qtF2EW8pJR4ialJEIxXpH7GKM1g=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One minute silence...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Insadong</span><br /><br />Insadong is not a huge neighbourhood. Oft when we were here we would simply walk straight down the main thoroughfare and that was it. We decided on a slightly different approach this round and would start from the periphery and slowly infiltrate Insadong from the side and try to weave through the smaller lanes. That was a much more delightful way to tackle Insadong, in the process finding some antique shops, some little hand-carved display boards..<br /><br /></div><div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="501" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d9mjoY_kc6M" width="602" youtube-src-id="d9mjoY_kc6M"></iframe></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">~ V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">i</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">e</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">o ~</span></span></p><br />Oh not to mention I bought my Olive Young Kahi UV Balm stick from Insadong! Now I can finally be like my Kim Go Eun, applying the balm stick on my face whenever I needed some moisturiser and UV protection! This Kahi UV Balm sells at 26,300₩ here at Olive Young but we could get it at S$21.50 some even as cheap as S$15 from Shopee and Lazada.<br /><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Nah I don’t trust those,” </span></b>explained Serene.<b><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"> “Many of those are fake ones. Better just buy one from Olive Young and you can use it for a long time happily.”</span></b></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />True. I will definitely. Even back home in Singapore, I will just use my Kim Go Eun stick. Until our next Korea trip then I will top up a new stick.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/2bcGQnfz4UlHGieI2EVOW7TquWeIQVF-C90PRKdZoAs7h0R-Aj1v-8Re2SINUcRxx7KJiT1zPOqoHhxcjrQ_gxr2nKuurJY7egDru5ZbPmM0vWPTFtfYdcyuw6IdzzcZHXqwz-zfe0lYlteAfgP00TlhTGRAcIDB1Dc5Ej7ENJaj_ObpCSON8lHu6i4cbA=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />On this day, Insadong was still quiet, though definitely livelier than when we were there in Winter 2021 (December 2021), and Spring 2022 (May 2022), but just as bustling as our Autumn 2022 (October 2022) and Spring 2023 (March 2023) trips. But 'twas alright, as Insadong must be explored in such a peaceful atmosphere, especially if we are trying to find the smaller parts of it.</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/VNGHkD-eirc7dAIDJw1Y2X5yjTSFbW_uFUzGP8Z2PDR9149P1deydkGxkwWG66cziOIUQ2EtSfLR8oQQjd2zWdVJcIaitpIwbEREDNa2fTKGq2Z7x_aortYSu9HW9xuHoxN1wnYkQV5QlOJE1YOtDeZJiH3O-hM1XAY8TCEvtXncQrVZKQqxOFvRpounKA=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>The Chinese have finally landed</b></span><br /><br />The past three days we have started to hear melodious Hong Kong Cantonese floating in the air in Seoul as more Hong Kongers started to add their numbers to the already numerous Japanese, Phillipinos and Indonesians, of course not to mention Singaporeans and Malaysians. It was a hapy feeling to have the Hong Kongers back in korea once again.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/jyEedsNgNJY5ZKIQiKihgOucLchygzE6P9b8shT-c6DSFABwT9jHd6x9aeCZXkBwRgNfC5l4B70HbCfTLBrUaUESWx60njdR-GSWbP_ZknPqMXkQtp0xn1WSfNboET62U61_zdDmf-bHmUdRa3B_T7kYTWR_rY2EWRqm0fLjqOLhfRsEfxinATpYkG28pQ=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>However walking through the streets of Insadong we suddenly heard a flowing loud outburst of northern Chinese Mandarin from two passing men, in the unmistakable way of announcing to their surroundings that the PRC Chinese have touched down.... finally.<br /><br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Poor Story; font-size: x-large;"><b>“와 드디어 중국사람은 왔어..“ </b></span>I uttered to Ah Hwa.</blockquote><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/E41v-HyRa7vKZ-mFXoB3eApSfM52h9Cw1JEogiFbnre5xsX3akMbwtPRdKxFSLAhwns1bsz7SBHaFnPLdKC8CpddRnkSLo58NBR02W06ZouvbKvBdEV8kEhotsgJhZ48frpNa42y3YZm2gZeOFjNqi4IrCQIS6R083L2WX1H2rTgnuvCuDo_jtga86fjsw=w480-h640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div>It was with mixed feelings that we witnessed the return of the PRC tourists. In recent months after the protests in many China cities against further lockdowns at the end of a long long three-year severe country-wide quarantine and some even calling for the stepping down of Xi Jin Ping, it was matter of how quickly China would finally open her doors. And Premier Xi did in triple time, and Covid cases exploded, as expected, and also perhaps for Xi to tell his people:<br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><b>“There you go. You wanted to open? Ok, take this sudden surge in the number of cases ba!”</b></span></blockquote><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/mJeA1XDB3VxAjKhLTn5o2QolWPZeEqGRVmCHYTS4eElgWhA35L793qy95xn-U_Q6JuAnIgqwLOGdLSh6ob05rG80a-F8l25sGWQI03usJ9bx0-93m-aa7oAehtSiDqSTljdqClYrxTGruyTg4H4AqlE-mtGNDim6qobyIuzbNjybPrSIkMM1v-iXAVeR8A=w640-h480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div>The latest XBB1.5 strain that was taking usa and Europe by storm at this point in time was the most transmissible Covid detected so far, but it wasn’t found to be more serious clinically. I wasn’t sure but I would not be surprised that China cases were also XBB1.5 currently. But because of the surge in cases, all the countries slapped stringent requirements of pre and post-departure PCR tests for all travellers arriving from China, all except two countries- Thailand and Malaysia. This led the Malaysians to question their leaders’ move in allowing free entry without any form of testing at all.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>Dinner with Kim Man Jung </b></span></div><div><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: x-large;"><b>목포산 꽃게아구찜탕 </b></span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: x-large;"><b>n<span>ear Majang Sijang</span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">서울 성동구 마장로 331 1층 4호 (우)04756 </span><br /><br /><br />As we were having dinner, the news broke out that the escaped 40 year old PRC Chinese man Mr A had been apprehended and cuffed and donned PPE and the works and sent to the quarantine hotel for the needed seven days before they would pass sentence on him. <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AJFCJaXnm2qq7JWWpaeMRnOB1oldYRbd9LfS5qK1Jm902b18-pjPhidT-7xwBLRG_yrN-WXXqVT7Qm_R69UyfYXzN-076TmTx0LuM9ZYCTwttapI5Kq1fpjOJYHNn0SLHZq0meLYpDqvJkl5HZ0jxjCzS4Wag2tjCZdx6zwZPT5TdXzKNKluV4pIu28x2CsYBalBPcSb9E9aJeaIUe1jGFuJ208U1mo1PQmPoLc6JMOdVhhuHXobb5F6oYDTJJVu-j0LaBRRoK-cOr75jHjhdtLlpGmfVzz_2wxtxvBY0jj_82SFUiK0lRbc76DDKKWonmYz1ZsKNEcjM3jFA4Vg57onrytxSiMeMYllMs04PM6ajqX6Y3GEnJcSLDRZdALeVjRHKhN0k1LNj2x4yG-CSpRcpLeGZrivO76BEbaXgkE-oZNT14cpC4IDJJ7pSrgC0KX74tNw5gvQcfpAWSSB7GhShQkZQi8My-q0JgeXueg93R9cvG7yWCAMl-gOfPvCbyflYwwB1parmwvr0Fx3miy6hKL3gVACcH4Xh0KKuxWp-N4CJxMltoK00hx6faRaV2KQ6MG3TVELO7PySXebCxjYWE_HrROFYW5DxmbGxIRgjH3g0yuzUhhb3VDdoR315hqQUZ0g2VFs46MBfbuLL8mcmljYmtzBi_SnMiITIV7Pv-hNAUYT-2EMlcjLW3AKwjSowLVnB7WjzRjJJKbsLjuIcMG8cZr6tEUPfhfdxgbId6Q7ZZR433KgxsbItg-pYwqtmZXXgf-ElmRRnjM6JMCcNBC_46GAKkz7KM8aY61VZFPuYJuJVMbaE5zTt1mFPRbnTR0Gk-UmhnOzHr1XVKzEzWSpRWyukZXzFonrwEQBZskR2Go0HuThhIgFQa0Rys1aq-q_JovatoV6CPxQMrzInH2_cmc=w480-h360-s-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">Click here for the news..</a><br /><br /><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Actually from the standpoint of business, it’s good to have the streets of Myeongdong flooded with tourists,” </span></b>said Kim Man Jung. <span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Although you both find that more shops seem to be empty, but it’s really not so. The situation is much much better now.”</b></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9UWTSFeBxX-C3U90OIvN-rFHBwA6A6kFc6eZAGdJs6bj2pvz9_r53O21EQ_ay1521wO1XAtfUot07LoxDqJvRFNKqOZ9liBhSQrs3-fO5nvFuXkhNQGNFgj5dqGlEqgdrDSmdK6Eglpcloym7RbIfXB_PWneyKZkGU4uJ2UcHQmHQ9LWRgTSDMEV/s3648/IMG_5491.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9UWTSFeBxX-C3U90OIvN-rFHBwA6A6kFc6eZAGdJs6bj2pvz9_r53O21EQ_ay1521wO1XAtfUot07LoxDqJvRFNKqOZ9liBhSQrs3-fO5nvFuXkhNQGNFgj5dqGlEqgdrDSmdK6Eglpcloym7RbIfXB_PWneyKZkGU4uJ2UcHQmHQ9LWRgTSDMEV/w640-h480/IMG_5491.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />Indeed businesses have enjoyed tremendous improvement. But from speaking to the local Koreans I gathered that in order for things to go back to pre-Covid days, the PRC Chinese and the Japanese will have to return in swarms like they used to.<br /><br />So far from the early days of VTL when only Singapore and Korea (and Solomon Islands) opened their doors to each other and being among the first to step foot on Korean soils, until our latest trip in autumn with Kat and Gina in October 2022, we have enjoyed blissful and uncluttered Korean streets, and shopping and travelling experiences. More than a few times we secretly counted our blessings for having such a peaceful environment to travel in. But we knew things would have to change. From a political, economical standpoint, it HAS to go back to where it was, and move on from there. <br /><br /><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>“以前在明洞买化妆平时,那些服务员忙着招呼中国人都还来不及了。我们新加坡人是一瓶一瓶这样买的。而中国人呢,是几箱几箱地横扫。所以你可以想象,那些化妆品商店里的服务员,招待大陆客人是招待得不亦乐乎!”</b></span> I remember some time back, Kat was sharing her previous experience in 2018.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><br /><br />I asked Kim Man Jung about the demography of his customers.<br /><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“For our spectacle shop, actually interestingly we have a high percentage of Singaporean customers. Right now our top customers are Singaporeans, who constitute the highest number,” </b></span>said Kim Man Jung after thinking for a while. <b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“During pre-Covid days there were many Japanese, followed by Singaporeans and Hong Kongers. In our shop we don’t really have as many Phillipinos, or Indonesians. Even Chinese customers also not as many. I think the reason why is the Chinese when they come, the mostly will buy luxury goods like branded bags and watches and cosmetics.”</span></b></div></div></div></blockquote></blockquote><p> </p><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbIKFlIrezHRNfOoOjyJtxcuUXfXAYQIvQHqw7yyYfeHO1fIWeDbOv9xT0re4RU4l7mI7ykH5DWY3LAobTx8EiSLbnbilDkBRIDVTB3KRjqWXP0ln9YONW9DV233wGU5Gv8tz7IzdRlEw_scoRtJJR616Euu1vNJyQaWjuP8kHZoHezCF7m70ZTqw/s4608/IMG_5493.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4608" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbIKFlIrezHRNfOoOjyJtxcuUXfXAYQIvQHqw7yyYfeHO1fIWeDbOv9xT0re4RU4l7mI7ykH5DWY3LAobTx8EiSLbnbilDkBRIDVTB3KRjqWXP0ln9YONW9DV233wGU5Gv8tz7IzdRlEw_scoRtJJR616Euu1vNJyQaWjuP8kHZoHezCF7m70ZTqw/w640-h360/IMG_5493.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />Even the upper three floors of Gana Building was recently taken up by K-Nine hotel in preparation for the huge surge of visitors. But strangely as we discussed further, I was surprised to learn from Kim Man Jung that the mortgage for purchase of a building like Gana Building could never be fully repaid and one would simply for paying for the interest and a small part of the loan amount. And most people would aim to eventually divest the building in order to retire. After some introspection, I could understand… paying for the monthly mortgage for the purchase of such a building in a bustling premium location like Myeongdong would be almost like paying rental. And perhaps because the monthly payment is super high due to the price, one could only hope to reduce the loan amount a little by a little. <br /><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“There is no 30 years, 40 years payment tenure for such a loan,”</b></span> continued Kim Man Jung.<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b> “You would continue to pay for your whole lifetime. That is why we have to sell the building in order to enjoy the profits and perhaps to retire. This only applies to commercial buildings, not to apartments and residential properties of course.”</b></span></div></div></div></blockquote></blockquote><div><div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoxVqaK6bdxPFllJ_YGjc7asKumpsyQZmenDWY4mxAkI3-xRHRtSYzTkWa1LHLG5DVEbJ5Cjg3d_60aiBPpZbmLJG54Ora_410I0KvtdJ-_GPdhqhmYG9MtKO_2ZaogFlHlaJNzhRJCv9cFCR0cJPzkOhtCV4UDd7c4jvj9zKYzNsVYi8LBOCfLMC/s4032/IMG_4906.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoxVqaK6bdxPFllJ_YGjc7asKumpsyQZmenDWY4mxAkI3-xRHRtSYzTkWa1LHLG5DVEbJ5Cjg3d_60aiBPpZbmLJG54Ora_410I0KvtdJ-_GPdhqhmYG9MtKO_2ZaogFlHlaJNzhRJCv9cFCR0cJPzkOhtCV4UDd7c4jvj9zKYzNsVYi8LBOCfLMC/w640-h480/IMG_4906.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: x-large;">“아 괜찬아요. 이제부터 중국사람이 더 많을 것같아요. 더 바빠질 걸예요.”</span></b></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“I don’t have time to rest and to visit Singapore,” </b></span>complained Ah Kim Man Jung.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Kwenchana,” </b></span>said Serene.<span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b> “You have to work hard what.. work hard first lah. Then when you are older and get married and have your own children then you can start to take life easier like your father.”</b></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjC-Wb6gc3-4MvfAPJxly6nlqgMyevjGJS6aGIP-baqbLLhQvMUsSd3bNuSvhEX3MlL9vOhhQvkArq8WkhCrv-pqKFG6bkstU0NaDRhbPKoiNbTBW5y3nSdUaTmUlgZwcteqQkFeBhvX-XpFknpebmFdYhXj5bDW9Xu0RmXi1VRMxgs7B-5p3SB5S2/s4032/IMG_4908.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjC-Wb6gc3-4MvfAPJxly6nlqgMyevjGJS6aGIP-baqbLLhQvMUsSd3bNuSvhEX3MlL9vOhhQvkArq8WkhCrv-pqKFG6bkstU0NaDRhbPKoiNbTBW5y3nSdUaTmUlgZwcteqQkFeBhvX-XpFknpebmFdYhXj5bDW9Xu0RmXi1VRMxgs7B-5p3SB5S2/w640-h480/IMG_4908.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)</span></span>👍</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><b>Something about Korea...</b></span><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span><b>On <span style="color: #f4cccc;">f</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">a</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">n</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">c</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">i</span></b></span><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">f</span></b></span><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">u</span><span style="color: #ead1dc;">l</span></span> <span style="color: #d5a6bd;">h</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">a</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">i</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">r</span> <span style="color: #b6d7a8;">c</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">o</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">l</span><span style="color: #ea9999;">o</span><span style="color: #e06666;">u</span><span style="color: #f6b26b;">r</span><span style="color: #f1c232;">s</span></span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">…</span></b></span></div></div></div></blockquote></blockquote><div><div>Serene has always had a question she wanted to ask. <b><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">Here in Korea, many of the local shop owners, stall handlers recognised us because of her trademark hair highlights. Korean is so known for being a fashion centre, but why is it that there are really not many young men and ladies who don fanciful hair colours?</span></b><br /><br />The answer that came back from Kim Man Jung was lovely. When Koreans start work in the companies, although there are no written rules, they are expected to dress and behave more 보수적이다 (保守的이다) conservatively. Thus when they were still studying or still in universities some (not many but some) of the undergraduates could wear their hairs in various hues of colours, more would just choose to bleach their hairs and dye them blond. However when they become 회사원 (會社員) company employees, they totally change their images and take on much more toned-down colours.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><span><br /></span></div><span><div><span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day16">Day 16</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">06 Jan 2023</span></p><br /></span>When it reached Day 16 of a holiday. Most energy we have stored in our circulation and in our liver would have been used up. What's left would be the fats under our skin. So today we were going to try and live off the energy converted from the fat beneath our skin to continue our exploration.<br /><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Aladdin</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b> Second Hand Bookshop</b></span></div><div>I have read a lot about the population being very crazy over getting books from the second-hand bookshops and how second-hand bookshops are doing thriving businesses. I just wanted to see with my own eyes, how the biggest second-hand bookshop is. It didn't disappoint me, if anything it stirred whirlpools of rekindled interest in reading within me. The second-hand books are crazily cheap - imagine - S$4 -$6 for a very good size book - that is the average price across the bookshop. I would gladly spend a few dollars to acquire a book to read and twirl my brain around new Korean sentences, new words and expressions... in the hope that one day I would gain enough proficiency to twirl the very same brain around Korean concepts, philosophies, ideas, medical deliberations, social and relational discussions.. etc. etc..</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybBeDDG6DSRCF99ByBo9sBSUEbYOsi8MREAvWLvNHXZWIPFQ3_8FXyMmj38r25BEBgZh5_9GWS3tqwa0Lbd1AIwIkHNyzaBQqNJOMzOdxJV2jV3GLnUIdJlZm_6qxqzBaP5XN_YhY8wPXZLsWVS_t5_CqU1NNs21ajiDwwcROjxVNu8OSUvZUyKV1/w640-h360/FL_20230501_0661.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>名品黄牛牛肠店</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>명품황소곱창집 (Jongro)</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div>The day had very few hours left by the time we walked out of Aladdin and slowly made our way through Jongro towards Gwanghwamun Gwanjang. It was almost dinner time and knowing myself, my eyes would forever be drawn to the sight of 'Gobchang' - intestines of pigs and cows. And this evening they got drawn towards this one particular bustling restaurant somewhere in Jongro...</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“How come that young waiter knew that we were foreigners?”</b></span> I asked, after we got seated, indignant that my improved Korean didn't mask our foreign-ess. </div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd61HJShXoBHTDbQa5s696q1gbR7hLFcqBsz_1xDl6oa_3Y2ef3aNgDrdQnq964-PxWtGsdkI09SJMlvgx0k_iruQzSMgdCWXQ13C-oEyDTnwJRO4YxqBPfumQxickZBmOO2HfTbdBzGp2UPc6_Q18RsURnGIssWEX4YWVTSa5aUQKTKVlmHM9D2rU/w320-h400/FL_20230528_0772.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Serene swept her fingers along her blue-purple-yellow-pink fringe <span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><b>and with a flip of her head</b></span>, indicated that this was the reason. I laughed and I agreed wholeheartedly. No wonder. We really do not see many Koreans spotting such colourful flock of hair, as what Kim Man Jung eplained to us earlier on.<span><div><span><br /></span></div></span><div><br /><br /><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Gwanghwamun Gwangjang</span><br /><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>光化门广场</b></span><br /><br />Time and time again, over our previous visits, we have been to Gwanghwamun Gwangjang - Gwanghwamun Square and have seen how it has been boarded up over the past 2-3 years during Covid, when the government rushed to revamp the site, after they have excavated recently, more precious archeological artefacts dating back to the Joseon period.</div><div>Now that it is again opened to public, it's time to give it a good go.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgtRpkDKqJuAy_70Aa_kBINuOIzTU3Z3OR5OHaHZt-GzVzOWMaCmgb4V8oBDYfmoRJz6rt64iRo5IEq1O_jvFnFXu37IXt4uR6gGrm1HMyGMwiq4Cxss7s43m5SNmtLETqjdaK1M4Q76B2vUV_9kWkcsjhO2oYBpm1u4h8C2a6IX-sx11PFrsIVWH/w640-h360/FL_20230501_0662.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: x-large;">And it snowed. And snowed. </span></div><div><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: x-large;">And snowed.</span></div><span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="494" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aa7GfnkXOls" width="594" youtube-src-id="aa7GfnkXOls"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">~ V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">i</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">e</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">o ~</span></div><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛) </span></span></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><b>Something about Korea...</b></span><br /><br /></span></div><div><span>This South Korea hor, haiyah... we can be standing in the deepest cold of winter at minus 15-16 degrees and yet the humidity in Seoul or in some other freezing cities in Korea, just does not trigger a flurry of snow. Unlike, say, in Hokkaido where it would snow for days, or in Canada or some other Scandinavic, Nordic countries like Iceland, Norway where the sky over there simply just bombs snowflakes like bird droppings from the sky.</span></div><div><span>Having been here so many times, the number of times we actually have decent snow upon us, (not seeing snow or ice on the floor) could be counted on half a hand.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>So kena-ing snowed-onto is like kena-ing TOTO like that.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>We slept so well that night, knowing that on this night, we both Tiok-ed TOTO big big!</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day17">Day 17</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">07 Jan 2023</span></p><br />Wah.. We have lost track of time already. By this day we just woke up when we woke up and walked out when we walked out, not giving much thought to where we would be going to, and simply letting our feet and eyes do the job for us.</span></div><div><span>We have become lassez faire.</span></div><div><span>So today our feet took us to Namdaemun Sijang and Myeongdong (yet again). I know I would like to see what else, what other little alleys Namdaemun has, that have so far escaped my eyes. And I also know I was going to bring Serene to her favourite Ajumma Eomuk stall in Myeongdong to eat the Eumok and Tteokbokki.<br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxJQWHYNrR16cslkE2Ph_Bow62l9Ze9ww-omtwh0ijEsPOI3CESYv_z1mlLXaGt5-9bvzry7jXrmDmFHMno2ZSeWaACSqYn37u9_z0t7DX-Tzw-8yD2WEIG--Gli2dIHctRKhyKbTsoiUczED67Gjl3l3hY2GVPsxpFK9z4XRsj_wMwkOrrfEBuSr/w640-h480/FL_20230504_0666.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />A recent article has indicated that Myeongdong and Nadaemun have become largely tourist attractions, drawing tourists rather than locals. So where have the locals all gone to? Many are now living, working, playing, and eating in Gangnam area. But because they are so conveniently locaed from where most tourists stay, we cannot escape setting foot on Myeongdong and Namdaemun and the likes of these around. Both of us have, certainly over time, tried to peel ourselves away from these tried-and-tested tourist strips, but somehow we will always return to them.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh92Nitedlm0ZGUlKEe-eb0Jk6Ci4_QpyJxjFtaHNxac2FvSLNWdjihOy_Bx5w41uQJw_7AbnFqu_nrt2nzo-m5w1cPbwyp6PaFdPNDYvDw3QCWaWzO3SwEaTPu4vevzEzT5DmdGmxjYu_n5FLXvw3GLRTu40KlR7uxL96woWxvtEi_XWcJi-aOcF5/w640-h360/FL_20230521_0753.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>Like what our youngest daughter Ah Li said in Spring of 2022:</div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Coming back to Myeongdong is so comfortable!" </b></span>Just one simple sentence sums it all - the vibes of Myeongdong that draws people from all over the world, Myeongdong being the beacon of Korean fashion, representing so many aspects that people from all over identify Korea with.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><br />Even having they hair styled in Myeongdong's representative Juno Hair Salon has become a kind of 'must-do' for many of the Singaporean ladies with whom I have had conversations.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="486" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8g5bMldQBdk" width="584" youtube-src-id="8g5bMldQBdk"></iframe></div><span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">~ V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">i</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">e</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">o ~</span></div><br /><br />Now, our Ajumma is a happy woman.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day18">Day 18</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">08 Jan 2023</span></p></span>Our 妹妹 and our niece have always been huge Korean fans, and they both took and passed with flying colours, the TOPIK I Korean language exam the year before, while I was left in the dust. It came as a surprise to hear that they landed on the Land of K-Drama and K-Pop... just a couple of days ago. They must have planned this ambush on us a long time ago!<span><br /></span></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">"</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">哥</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">, let us bring you to Ikseondong to drink coffee."</span></b></span>said San.</div></div></div></blockquote><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbS2uLX3qsUOT5u_0P_tn_TvNZE4_5ScsCuI2QxXwmzCqB4MDC9YKfluvXDwF10vWoPKn733D4zkNIFAmqYpLBEDuEwbhySN47pdNYaRjSiM-_s4iJZCeNx6QwqHFjp5B9YHOHgSs2hDAMppTV0i4q_0gWa0CALAcl-aHeRGwzf0BFWaMnWz0XhDj/w640-h480/FL_20230505_0668.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />So on this nice and warm morning, (-2 degrees hahaha!) we walked to Insadong to look for them for a nice walk around, brother and sister and sister-in-law, and niece!<br /><br />I find hor.. often, meeting loved ones outside of Singapore has such a different feel, out of the comfort zone of homeland, we all become equally lost in a land unfamiliar to us. And times like these I can start to sense the different likes and dislikes of each of them, and how they go about finding their places.<br />Walking Ikseondong was the first time for us, this quaint little oldish neighbourhood that has over time, become a little hamlet of shopper’s and diner’s paradise, selling little trinkets of artistic items.<br />Hsin Hui was really clever in negotiating the nooks and crannies in finding the places that she wanted to go. Literally Ah San and us we were led by her to the little shops, the little alley fortune teller 签菩萨…<br /><div><div><br />We ended up walking in Bukchon Hanok Village just across Insadong.<br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Ah San, let me bring you all over to the right side of Bukchon along 계동길 there,”</span></b> I suggested.</div></div></blockquote><div><div style="text-align: left;">We haven’t walked there before and perhaps it would be great to explore there. And we walked, three of us, while Hsin Hui disappeared somewhere to look for something… hahaha, I love it that the young ones are so independent.</div></div><div><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHx3z9F9fD6-lUpuJohGqwbZT38VDJrLKQIBBTs-A-OszIs8hfTXSVdqXoFhAXSYNJsKATWDS0XRzNMXzJhedc7vbAHwxT-xygwMeb7ZZmPCmUbzExhUmWR32yaJKcgmPEviVjAXWxseL7qD9EaQxt3cVTzvZA6oDt2ZjTOj4I3xlLFeuDD3C_HStr/w640-h480/FL_20230505_0669.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />For the upcoming spring trip for Papa and Mama, I actually pre-booked a Hanok right here at the upslope along 창덕궁길. Simply wanting to recce the ground since we were already here, I brought both of them walking up the gradual slope. But after arriving at the Hanok, both Serene and Ah San were adamant that this slopey road was not suitable a walk for Papa Mama. Hahahaha… I loved their reactions. And gladly I cancelled and re-booked another hotel instead, though it was a shame - I really wanted to try out this Hanok here in Bukchon.<br /><br /><br />It was so sweet, Ah San and Hsin Hui, just the two of them simply flying to Korea for an at-the-drop-of-a-pin kind of short holiday. Mother and daughter can really go as crazy as they wanted here, or as chill as they desired. Like what Ah San and Hsin Hui said, the night before they even spent the whole evening watching the last two episodes of The Alchemy of Soul Season 2, in the hotel!<span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="485" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UtVPfRcU7u0" width="583" youtube-src-id="UtVPfRcU7u0"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">~ V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">i</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">e</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large;">o ~</span></div></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><span><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“舅舅,舅母 there is this very popular cafe in Bukchon called Onion, that is converted from an old Hanok,”</span></b> said Hsin Hui.<span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b> <span style="color: #f9cb9c;">“I bring you all there.”</span></b></span></div></span></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Ok let’s go!”</b></span></div></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><span><div><br /></div></span>Hsin Hui was absolutely spot on. Oh what a wonderfully popular place it really turned out to be. Even queueing to pay for the coffee and food was a long one.<br />The ambiance was terrific, it our first time eating and having coffee outdoors on a cold wintry afternoon. Imagine seeing young Korean ladies walking around in Hanbok looking for tables and seats!<span><br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day19">Day 19</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""Black And White Picture", sans-serif" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">09 Jan 2023</span></p><div><span><br /></span></div></span><br /><br />On this last evening in Seoul, we decided to try out another crab restaurant, this time one somewhere in Mapo-gu. I searched it via KakoMap - one of the better-reviewed ones, and the map again showed it to be around 1.9km walk. So we took a short bus trip, dropped off and started walking, through dark neighhourhood, through estates of condominiums. <br /><br /> <br /><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Wah, why go to eat crab must also walk so far one ah?"</b></span> asked Serene. </div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>"No choice mah... KakaoMap recommended this very nice restaurant and we just follow lor." </b></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><br />Along the way there were men and women walking back hom after finishing work, students walking back home after school. And it was only Zero degrees on this night, but the howling wind was so cold that we even saw a young lady in her one piece dress and visibly trembling in the cold!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pP0TL4oAaprTDh6FxFMXvtYSkNie9L1XbRcPP5-ci0Rx99vUJ0IjAnSXej8M1plMEurUbWhHB1KNB_ug-Ctb9FhkH10b3kDWutdyVQhXGaW5xZ50UXrEC8IFFkAPJh80xohinQHZ5e3t9uaNzfmib4SH02WRlBgHiMoj6DA3pYxSRsL4oeK-WuVT/w640-h480/FL_20230506_0671.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><div><span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">The return of the PRC</span><br /><br /><br />A few days before, on the 3rd January 2022 the PRC Chinese finally returned to Korea. As I followed the Korean news, there were about 1052 PRC Chinese who landed on the night of 2nd January and out of these 300+ tested positive for Covid and had to be sent to the government-designated quarantine hotels for their 7 days quarantine. One 40-year-old Chinese man Mr A, while on his way to the quarantine hotel, dashed out of the bus and escaped. He disappeared into a large market 300m away in Incheon and the police conducted a mad search for him. And the saga continued even as we finished our Hwe dinner that evening after our Inwangsan climb, and walked back to the hotel.</span></div><span><div><span><br /></span></div></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="477" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1nwldcwfas0" width="573" youtube-src-id="1nwldcwfas0"></iframe></div><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Black Han Sans"; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">~ V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">i</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">e</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">o ~</span></div></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛) </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Single Day; text-align: right;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;">Something about Korea...</span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-size: large;"> relations with China</span></b></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This thing about PRC China Chinese ah... sigh. Here in Korea, it is also a love-hate relationship with them. Korea is connected by land-mass and thousands of years of cultural link to China. But typical obnoxious Chinese tourist behaviours and political arm-twisting by the Central Chinese government, in reaction to perceived threats and international actions, over the decades, have amalgamated in anti-Chinese sentiments among some nations and their people in Asia.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Sadly, the Chinese market is so huge and their population so massive that they do drive economies in neighbouring countries in tourism and in trade. So as much as the locals may harbour a sense of displeasure against anything Chinese, they still need to work with the mainland Chinese in many ways.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Like that young 25-year-old concierge staff in our hotel who has been studying Chinese for the past ten years, hoping to work finally in a company that deals in trading with China, many Koreans have their eyes set on that gigantic hinterland up north. In the past, when Sino-Korean relation was way warmer, many Koreans (in the past two decades) have been learning Chinese actively. However, now that things have chilled several notches and Geo-politically the world is being polarised between the usa-friendly countries and the Sino-Russo alliance, the attitude towards the Chinese has undertaken a shift.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">With the tariff war started by the ex usa president trump and continued by biden, Geo-political tension is forcing China to strive to be self-sufficient, yet without losing connections with the world. It's a tough road ahead. Personally, I feel that Korea is on prime land, with her proximity in land and in culture. If I were a Korean, I would probably view China and North Korea as a closely-knit entity, one that I know I have to work with.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">China, on her part, really also needed to spruce up behavioural education of her own people. Like the case of the Covid-positive 40-year-old China man escaping quarantine by running out of the bus towards an Incheon market and disappearing for 48 hours before finally being apprehended by the local police, incidences like these are a thorn in the eye of diplomatic relations. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Historically, South Korea, like Taiwan and Japan, are allies of the usa hemisphere, and they are eye-extensions for the us-phils from the other side of the globe. Korea has enjoyed decades of prosperity from us-led support. If I have usa as a big brother holding my hand thousands of miles away, becoming good friends with my haughty neighbour may not put me in usa's good books. Where will Korea go from here? Moo-la...</div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></div></div><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></span></div><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #e6b8af; font-family: Dokdo, cursive; font-size: 27pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day20">Day 20 </a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: 17.3333px; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">10 Jan 2023</span></p></span><p><span data-tt="{}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Y</span>ah, it was the end of this almost three weeks of 다녀오구 있다 in Korea. Seen a lot of things, eaten a lot, walked so much, and also had a lot of opportunities to practise our Korean language. It was fruitful, no question about it. And it allowed us many new angles through which we could stand back and view Korea, the Korean people, and their behaviours. Korea, being such a huge county, such huge hinterland, if we were to live here, wah I can really imagine the abundance of opportunities for us to explore every corner, eat every stall, walk every slope and climb every mountain. Of course, for me; I will have endless chances of reading as many books as I like to.<br />Ajumma 는, she will kao beh as often as she wants to, but she will still tag along.<br /></p></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Do we really know a lot about Korea?”</span></b> At the end of the day, we asked ourselves.</p></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><p>Actually, no matter how much we would like to think so, we really still don’t know enough. Enough to get by as a pair of travellers, but to live and to blend in, it's 아직 멀었어요 (it's still far from... that's what we will always say in Korean). Korea's 人 and 情 still has plenty for us to discover. That is why Korea will always be such a fantastic playground for us two Korea-crazy people.</p>Till our next Korea trip. </div><div><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Poor Story; font-size: x-large;"><b>언제? 몰라요! ㅎㅎㅎㅎ...</b></span><br /><br /><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A slow start? Kwenchana</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A freezing day for a Netflix meal and Hongdae coffee</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day3">Day 3 -</a></span><span><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">A </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">Eve</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> full of </span></span></b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">人情</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Single Day;"> <b>at Majang market</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A long Christmas Day walk in the neighbourhood to Prison History Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day5">Day 5 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">Such a wonderful dinner with the good Ngs and Kaans!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Cold cold Paju, we cometh</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>To a deserted Heyri Art Village and Paju Premium Outlet- in a car!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><b><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;">Onwards to Pocheon - Chulreong Bridge, Sky Bridge, Bidulginang & Pocheon Art Valley</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Single Day;"><b>We just wanted to set foot on North Korea (Jinjja?!)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Books books and books - Paju Book City</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The looooong walk to Seoul City Wall Museum and celebrating New Year with the Ngs and Kaans!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? Another long walk to Gondeok market?! Heng ah... got rewards.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre trip to the Comfort Women Museum & finally Seoul City Wall Museum.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>The climb up Inwangsan.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A sombre and toned-down Itaewon, and oh such a wonderful dinner with Kim Man Jung!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day16">Day 16 - </a></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Believe it or not.. it finally snowed at Gwanghwamun Square this night.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day17">Day 17 - </a></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Roaming Namdaemun, and hey a hair cut for the Queen at Juno</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day18">Day 18 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>YAY! Buchon & Ikseodong with Ah San and 欣慧</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day19">Day 19 - </a></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>You got to walk like a local to eat like a local</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/12/do-we-really-know-korea.html#Day20">Day 20 - </a></span><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Sigh. Bye Bye </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>韩国!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div></div><br /><br /><br /></div>Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-48919743955009769752022-10-17T10:10:01.003-07:002022-12-08T17:00:16.167-08:00韩国也可以这么玩的 meh? An Autumn-y Korea.<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Indie Flower; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">To</span> <span style="color: #fce5cd;">Korea</span> <span style="color: #fff2cc;">in</span> <span style="color: #d9ead3;">Autumn</span> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;">to</span> </span></b></span><span style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #ea9999;">看</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">枫</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">葉</span></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Long Cang;">!</span></b></span></p><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.54286; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7dYouEzpikuyLyM5FZkIQhz3fr1wfrawSjegDRl2Pe4svGw_hym0wg7aTbZjFXWNG81HjXILpaq3VfAQYeyGRtBi2hdAIr2lzGnsU_HrvK1QNWMsDZ2J_EItkwRYn_RpZlBgtJlQZBDcZ2XleCct_TWgSjwEn69lcjSP2Fm9PE0TTkFtB5mHJcNQ/s733/8B6C4247-A8BE-4785-968D-5953DE4292C1.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="714" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7dYouEzpikuyLyM5FZkIQhz3fr1wfrawSjegDRl2Pe4svGw_hym0wg7aTbZjFXWNG81HjXILpaq3VfAQYeyGRtBi2hdAIr2lzGnsU_HrvK1QNWMsDZ2J_EItkwRYn_RpZlBgtJlQZBDcZ2XleCct_TWgSjwEn69lcjSP2Fm9PE0TTkFtB5mHJcNQ/w390-h400/8B6C4247-A8BE-4785-968D-5953DE4292C1.jpeg" width="390" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>白云台 백운대 Baegundae peak 836m</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>北汉山 북한산 Bukhansan, 19 October 2022, 2:17pm</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.54286; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.54286; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">哇!终于可以跟着这几位美女一起去游韩国啦!她们三位最后一次一起去韩国,是2018年的事情了。那一次的旅游,应该是还不错的。但是这一次,有阿Kat 每天每夜 keng 头脑想哪里去玩,有我计划怎么走,用什么交通工具,我深信这次的旅游,应该是很棒的。</span></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.54286; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></span>We were all very lucky this round. Just about a month plus before our trip, the Korean government decided to boost its tourist numbers by removing all ART and PCR requirements (for both pre-departure testing and) for immediate on-arrival PCR test. Kat and Gina were so relieved,<div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"How cold is it going to be?"</span> this Gina non-stop worrying. She was really scared of cold.<span style="font-size: x-large;"> <span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;">"</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Caveat Brush;">Don't </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Poor Story;">tell</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Indie Flower;">me</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Dokdo;">it </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Yeon Sung;">will</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Gamja Flower;">be</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Stylish;">like</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Ma Shan Zheng;">last</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Liu Jian Mao Cao;">time</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Jua;">when</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Handlee;">we</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="font-family: Indie Flower;"><span style="color: #d9ead3;">went</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> </span></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: East Sea Dokdo;">in</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day;"> March 2018. I kena bluffed by you all that time and I suffered because it was so cold!"</span></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">"No lah, not so cold lah,"</span> </span>I reassured her. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"It's about 10 degree at night and 20 degrees at noon lah. It's autumn lah. Not so bad one lah."</span></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUzcHxs27XK8PzMq4uTSUPLqXoqi-gbGxabm296zi9IXAt-ipq2cCmj9LuqhEk_oJnnMwo5fxoUNSUr-ZioYJDOIz9MCXcuv3XTgpI54mLIVoj1kUQEMseT-APqljRewoAvmdrwPhIY_U_e1wipBggnie2D20wGL67ZTqOi_nS_SIo4ZfNw6Qrpr8U/s960/30633A9F-2EE4-4FA9-B662-087185D2DF89.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUzcHxs27XK8PzMq4uTSUPLqXoqi-gbGxabm296zi9IXAt-ipq2cCmj9LuqhEk_oJnnMwo5fxoUNSUr-ZioYJDOIz9MCXcuv3XTgpI54mLIVoj1kUQEMseT-APqljRewoAvmdrwPhIY_U_e1wipBggnie2D20wGL67ZTqOi_nS_SIo4ZfNw6Qrpr8U/w640-h480/30633A9F-2EE4-4FA9-B662-087185D2DF89.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little did we know we would have such an unforgettable trip.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>So we were set.<br />Way before this, when Kat and I were planning and reviewing our itinerary for this trip, we found that were many things we wanted to do, places we wanted to go, and sights we wanted to see.<br /><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day;">“You all think we are going for one month meh? Siao one lah you all!”</span><span style="color: #001959; font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span>each time we revised our itinerary Serene would kao-beh.</p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Don’t worry, it’s going to be very relaxing one,”</span></span></span> I reassured her.</p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span><span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I don’t know anything,”</span></span></span> as always, Gina would say.<span><span><span style="color: #001959; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“I just follow only.”</span></span></span></span></p></div></blockquote><div><br /></div>Kat wanted to see the autumn leaves and what better way than to be up in the mountains to take in the full sight. Our plan to be in Korea from the 18 to the 25 October was to hopefully allow us a glimpse of the multiple hues of autumn. Kat was actually very right to have said that the higher mountains would give us a better chance to take in the sights. Only thing was, we chose one of the most popular (not necessarily the easiest) mountains to climb in Seoul - Bukhansan <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北漢山</span><span style="font-family: Zen Maru Gothic;"> </span><span style="font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: medium;">북한산.</span><div><span style="font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDR3IUT_g-KrRow6Z1YwmwRVSDhFaIGe3k350TnjelH5Mas5rOhufKeuDVa1HW-blFUHD3tlnmv1nRIq_-jNZ2OfgtHzCPsie6btPgAPxvtICXVe-Sqx2QTm7V1u5z1xOX7ldpyuX_8Gs-KIpRE1wt106yPDDb4F3YN8enhG_EGvbPnpTmXOY17Na/s960/2B8AB1BE-732B-4A39-9CB0-024AD9BB70B7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDR3IUT_g-KrRow6Z1YwmwRVSDhFaIGe3k350TnjelH5Mas5rOhufKeuDVa1HW-blFUHD3tlnmv1nRIq_-jNZ2OfgtHzCPsie6btPgAPxvtICXVe-Sqx2QTm7V1u5z1xOX7ldpyuX_8Gs-KIpRE1wt106yPDDb4F3YN8enhG_EGvbPnpTmXOY17Na/w640-h480/2B8AB1BE-732B-4A39-9CB0-024AD9BB70B7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span><span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Ok we better climb the mountain earlier in the trip,”</span><span style="color: #001959; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></span>decided Kat.<span><span><span style="color: #001959; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“And hmmm.. there is this Jeongdongjin station where they can see the train station next to the seaside”</span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span>said Kat. This Jeongdongjin ended up to be all the way cross the Korean Peninsula on the east coast.</p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;">“Well, it would be more economical for us to rent a car and drive there. And we will have more freedom,”</span></span></span> </span>I suggested. </p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Oh we can do Glamping there!”</span></span></span> said the Korean variety 'House-On-Wheel' addict, Kat. And it was decided.</p></div></blockquote><div><p dir="ltr" style="color: #001959; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Oh we want to do Botox while we are in Korea, and I want to do my skin-whitening infusion at my regular Korean aesthetic clinic,</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></span></span> said Gina. <span><span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“My Malaysian beautician of the same franchise told me the prices are cheaper in Korea.” </span></span></span></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p dir="ltr" style="color: #001959; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="color: #001959; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></p></div><div><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt;"><br />Ok lor… whatever the ladies want to do, let’s just close two eyes and do it 吧! And since we were at it, I would do my eyebrow semi-permanent embroidery, because Kim Man Jung highly recommended 전서현 원장님 at Gangnam.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>Table </b></span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>of Content</b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: xx-large; font-weight: bold;">目錄</span></span></div><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt;">[Click on the "Day" to go to that day's story]<br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 1"> Day 1 </a></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Gai gai in Bukchon </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北村</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> and Insadong </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">仁寺洞</span></span></b></span></span><br /></div></div></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 2">Day 2 </a></b><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Conquering the Bukhansan </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北漢山</span></span></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3</span></a></b> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Beauty Day </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江南</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">: Botox, Skin-whitening, massage </span></span></b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 4"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 4 </span></a></b><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Jeongdongjin </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">正東津</span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> and Glamping in Gangreung </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市</span></span></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 5"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 5 </span></a></b><span style="color: #ead1dc;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市沙川面 </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Lighthouses & sandy beach!</span></b></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 6">Day 6</a></b> <b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Oh what a long day: </span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">廣長市場</span><span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">, 弘大,</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">eyebrow</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">,漢江</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> rainbow fountain & a lovely dinner...</span></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 7">Day 7 </a></b><b><span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">I cannot believe how the girls walk in order to shop!</span></span></b></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 8">Day 8</a></b> <span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Bye Bye... Annyeong!</span></b></span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ff9900; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day 1"> Day 1</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">【18 October 2022】</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ff9900; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff9900; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzcE1q8IDQihfGpRmb-s1q_JjZhQ7fcw7lJggtInaFkWiJ3gWadnnI5LdDpUbFS53Ttszh2nKMEQIxX8D557Ni4Plw99NmTcCqoaGxRJGQkMF_IKsBY4OB9B6mQgrbikOxs5rbw8G92G-zbg4HJ-2Og6Ax9Vu-dg-YbKVozzG9sQiudjbRrEsu0qn/s2925/D639DA2D-3BB1-4C16-B529-95635C083B3E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="2925" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzcE1q8IDQihfGpRmb-s1q_JjZhQ7fcw7lJggtInaFkWiJ3gWadnnI5LdDpUbFS53Ttszh2nKMEQIxX8D557Ni4Plw99NmTcCqoaGxRJGQkMF_IKsBY4OB9B6mQgrbikOxs5rbw8G92G-zbg4HJ-2Og6Ax9Vu-dg-YbKVozzG9sQiudjbRrEsu0qn/w640-h264/D639DA2D-3BB1-4C16-B529-95635C083B3E.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #ff9900; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.54286; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Korean Air KE646 , 1:10am..</span></span></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHl7D5ppPEmMCuEsDVvzm1TCBAY-t5kGAfyT4U30FUiOd0qb0ZkId0T1VlT9lgqLFHmp4c2RuyB7I8JPQpXg5diZH6BbgbZ7CrqX-2xKjsRDfMIlL6F6oje-GXiuhkOvhNBkdxf5cDzETjvE-s-vdzlleH4Xo6B6E99g3hgU9fQD2yKysLIma3-Pv/s3999/3E9DD6BC-12B0-438A-B957-72F9D5717209.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3999" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHl7D5ppPEmMCuEsDVvzm1TCBAY-t5kGAfyT4U30FUiOd0qb0ZkId0T1VlT9lgqLFHmp4c2RuyB7I8JPQpXg5diZH6BbgbZ7CrqX-2xKjsRDfMIlL6F6oje-GXiuhkOvhNBkdxf5cDzETjvE-s-vdzlleH4Xo6B6E99g3hgU9fQD2yKysLIma3-Pv/w480-h640/3E9DD6BC-12B0-438A-B957-72F9D5717209.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trips with Gina never had a boring moment one...<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #d9ead3;">“I’m going to change to my long pants pajamas just before I board the plane, followed by putting on my compression socks and changing to my glasses before I sleep through this flight,”</span> </span>declared Gina.</blockquote><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFxK6k4dISz0ZE6wJdDvws1IiGFMTvJ9VPtN7KnmJiXT3YbkkyVzVR-mBGjNA5TxdcqiuJCCmfnDclj99mdw-J3Gw62ufuHzpxpd-KldkFyU8CRrMni-zW_gjsTeYPxy5eI_ay5WZNfrBSTz64xnXb7_j3_ccS3_vmil_BD7znM-vgUbF8V2oYEm6/s4032/IMG_0330.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFxK6k4dISz0ZE6wJdDvws1IiGFMTvJ9VPtN7KnmJiXT3YbkkyVzVR-mBGjNA5TxdcqiuJCCmfnDclj99mdw-J3Gw62ufuHzpxpd-KldkFyU8CRrMni-zW_gjsTeYPxy5eI_ay5WZNfrBSTz64xnXb7_j3_ccS3_vmil_BD7znM-vgUbF8V2oYEm6/w640-h480/IMG_0330.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Gina ah.. slept until her mask dropped till don't know where....<br /> Luckily the Korean stewardess never scold. haha..</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>Fashion show done, and she curved into a bundle like a kitten and slept on the window seat. This position must have been non-ideal for the princess. She woke up at 5:30am feeling nausea and vomited in the toilet. Poor Gina.<br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-large;"><b>Incheon Airport </b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBh-DMt1ZYsy0gzoGEsVwvQwjTCrxXuMkxnSrpMMQ0XdeTakKTwpbC0VRG3yp9aXYAyt-SLGUEC6FhQ-6K-aT_NzxvtCRoAa_4DJjPfGBpZNCSgMMQmJuoaqeeTSrobFGD9qgbxGGFK1n9ezfaRLLKqU2P_zUV200fRPjEXOobG9MASTvi_IslTpVg/s4032/IMG_0335.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBh-DMt1ZYsy0gzoGEsVwvQwjTCrxXuMkxnSrpMMQ0XdeTakKTwpbC0VRG3yp9aXYAyt-SLGUEC6FhQ-6K-aT_NzxvtCRoAa_4DJjPfGBpZNCSgMMQmJuoaqeeTSrobFGD9qgbxGGFK1n9ezfaRLLKqU2P_zUV200fRPjEXOobG9MASTvi_IslTpVg/w640-h480/IMG_0335.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woke up blur blur and landed blur blur, this Gina</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One";">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One";">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One";">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One";">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="560" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EykG_-1ijRI" width="673" youtube-src-id="EykG_-1ijRI"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Kat and Serene were already sweating inside the airport and the AREX train as their hormones are stronger than the Korean weather. The temperature on this autumn morning was an easy 14 degrees celsius.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3GPK3q1w72E_S9SGT2_8S_5yo0LIvqEz4psxMyvLbJbxOJuAejkL_BXA76DHuf88LhsayuqNVQ4eMEaRI6iXhFSfA2QAOkFH1fAryVR3GmiC52v1ASbCmooizzFBXeGW8Fy7uOe5JQbCGaQp1HzivHNWmxaj2YKa0rPnvQcmR35QQWY1UbRLbArk/s2133/Picsart_22-10-25_22-36-55-540.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2133" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3GPK3q1w72E_S9SGT2_8S_5yo0LIvqEz4psxMyvLbJbxOJuAejkL_BXA76DHuf88LhsayuqNVQ4eMEaRI6iXhFSfA2QAOkFH1fAryVR3GmiC52v1ASbCmooizzFBXeGW8Fy7uOe5JQbCGaQp1HzivHNWmxaj2YKa0rPnvQcmR35QQWY1UbRLbArk/w640-h480/Picsart_22-10-25_22-36-55-540.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Underground also giddy</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Actually this time round at Incheon airport terminal two we did not need to buy train ticket for the AREX train. We just needed to <b><i><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Deh</span></i></b> our T-money card at the entrance at B1 and immediately go down the escalator to B2 to take the All Stop train at 5500₩. An 1 hour 17 minutes trip was good for our giddy Gina to sleep. It was wonderful to see Korea again, and to see the vibrant young generation with their <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgij-WBIvOruQaTvUhGBBDZVOQ3BOzbhBuyeR2EkKtt5jUuw_oVJs1RQMMNVgR9RWbCDkjZ-i-nksbBOywbRzhMmVVOfk7Hb_wHHnu0OP5wnZfbazOzS0nHyfNxpGXKo57hfcSFphDZhOI/w641-h854-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">Artsy fartsy culture.</a></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfdXdstf7vRnProiHPgNQdTI-CHxwJcSr7lXQ2svL7NrPk4gGU0pQTk7HEBg_xfoaQ7gpjoG-cvuvXezY33cIvF0cuW5SQkwSTPiD-N2lefLKb-3v3tJd_gBA9Cb2cte2EpvDmMqPrz254CVEthewQsUTLFzvDvVppuL-XytWaQf69-PJkO0-pq4U6/s2133/Picsart_22-10-25_22-45-16-293.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2133" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfdXdstf7vRnProiHPgNQdTI-CHxwJcSr7lXQ2svL7NrPk4gGU0pQTk7HEBg_xfoaQ7gpjoG-cvuvXezY33cIvF0cuW5SQkwSTPiD-N2lefLKb-3v3tJd_gBA9Cb2cte2EpvDmMqPrz254CVEthewQsUTLFzvDvVppuL-XytWaQf69-PJkO0-pq4U6/w640-h480/Picsart_22-10-25_22-45-16-293.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above ground still giddy...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Anguk 安国站 Station: Bukchon Hanok Village 北村韩屋</b></span></div><div><br />I forgot how many flights of staircase Angkuk station had, and our poor ladies literally lugged their luggage up all the way to the ground level. But they never complained.</div><div> </div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEtTqqm4h33NyaFkFl_adLfaY-T5mbIQE-kWT8gMceaJwsNUAbmg4lBW9aQVe4XXOQoKjRug2kUJhCpnjw-zWTT8ofs_WwSUm0w0OW9Wl_MmQAnBRaSzh4EWe4LVaQLpDLyFIxu8HiSqnnh5kUxJmMIVSbcDAAHwiWP27kEwW0M-VzwCciwegEuJS/s4032/IMG_0360.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEtTqqm4h33NyaFkFl_adLfaY-T5mbIQE-kWT8gMceaJwsNUAbmg4lBW9aQVe4XXOQoKjRug2kUJhCpnjw-zWTT8ofs_WwSUm0w0OW9Wl_MmQAnBRaSzh4EWe4LVaQLpDLyFIxu8HiSqnnh5kUxJmMIVSbcDAAHwiWP27kEwW0M-VzwCciwegEuJS/w640-h480/IMG_0360.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally arrived at the MRT not so giddy any more... heng ah!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />I was surprised by that very soon after we arrived at <a href="https://lh3.google.com/pw/AL9nZEUFM5xc3SpT3vwsqjiVXFmDPHeankYTcietInOkp55K04ym4gN60eP4DOMQnoY6aO27pXxeVgY78fB7gNZMgW1_up7m0g=w1380-h672-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">Angkuk Station</a> Serene and I were already feeling hot, and we were starting to <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-JaGib39r0C6WDE3aDAYcGD5FQK2oX3nRxluYVfYSHnmlKTMjsich3PzVY1TOeObCx38URom5DPP4Vo3LRXtYp00SOh_2dLClJS-bNppf6_S-0zG5pKdx6vdlGCJnI20nk1oJnS9CSw/w641-h854-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">remove our outer layers</a>. Angkuk subway station was just as challenging when it came to lugging our luggage up the staircase. The only one who was spared was Ajumma Serene she was always the Queen. And the Queen never needed to carry anything.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxM09H1nvjFGdJclHq7SDTmUwa4ol-g3MotIB2Gk7evsexXL4sxzi-EC0A-btKvzfPZ7xwP0y8F34XMyQz_sKfJlQ-Xaw_n5PtSMQrASfCuJEzII9CV22QKGJJWRe5PTGuB8HqKlsJYlPI6n7_QWKb9nwzWNLfv4EiaXCWH9tF7goyCG_JXVoStnyc/s836/IMG_0368.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="836" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxM09H1nvjFGdJclHq7SDTmUwa4ol-g3MotIB2Gk7evsexXL4sxzi-EC0A-btKvzfPZ7xwP0y8F34XMyQz_sKfJlQ-Xaw_n5PtSMQrASfCuJEzII9CV22QKGJJWRe5PTGuB8HqKlsJYlPI6n7_QWKb9nwzWNLfv4EiaXCWH9tF7goyCG_JXVoStnyc/w640-h480/IMG_0368.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />The lovely part was walking along Samcheong-ro 삼청로 三清路 going up to the Hanok. Lovely flowers on the field at the side, people strolling leisurely, and of course, the feeling that we were once again in Hanguk.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62H6uAEFZpAA9LIzbGwjQuO1WKYyTfe6N2cqk0TWIduNU7Mc49xamzPhE8pfpv7agNt4qgfF5GcFNUzIia0Bv0c5LbRk2vex-GTSQY7QQHg78ytxrp9ObSJ9HGtgWAeW9AgeGCLew6YNIFqVM0alwWKpsYDhsShgoELkgL7vf_lKOtlxG1K5Sd7go/s4032/IMG_0372.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62H6uAEFZpAA9LIzbGwjQuO1WKYyTfe6N2cqk0TWIduNU7Mc49xamzPhE8pfpv7agNt4qgfF5GcFNUzIia0Bv0c5LbRk2vex-GTSQY7QQHg78ytxrp9ObSJ9HGtgWAeW9AgeGCLew6YNIFqVM0alwWKpsYDhsShgoELkgL7vf_lKOtlxG1K5Sd7go/w640-h480/IMG_0372.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Samcheong-ro 삼청로 三清路</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />As always whenever we first arrived we were all blur blur and didn’t really know what to do.<br /><br />Lucky for me, Kat was very sharp-eyed and pointed out the telephone number on the door of Sophia Hanok and the SaJangNim came by in a jiffy, and gotten us checked into the Hanok. I was happy that Kat and Gina had the free-upgraded larger room where we could have breakfast the next morning.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMEYOm7O5Cqei-549oDtOXW3Ijwb48XbMyLf3m0g-06dwb9-NoxzOWSLM1iNCnBka6MygCiyzHCXNsInxuGXLSJhQJQgDgnquYazCsPwBWVxrNopcyQNGwxx2zqmaUHmzdann8eQPfm3UDaRdtAKfAc9RkAW73yUa1zr4W2ZDQYp7qLrcIPdOi_LP/s4032/IMG_0375.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMEYOm7O5Cqei-549oDtOXW3Ijwb48XbMyLf3m0g-06dwb9-NoxzOWSLM1iNCnBka6MygCiyzHCXNsInxuGXLSJhQJQgDgnquYazCsPwBWVxrNopcyQNGwxx2zqmaUHmzdann8eQPfm3UDaRdtAKfAc9RkAW73yUa1zr4W2ZDQYp7qLrcIPdOi_LP/w640-h480/IMG_0375.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;"><b>Lunch at Insadong</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="559" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RlQ7wFeiTPQ" width="671" youtube-src-id="RlQ7wFeiTPQ"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWVV7JCvW8tf879jR1VURJEyFeja4XA_cX_qA4PVmgjXKlzCUiOwJG7PjeP4Wppn-8iUgx6Mw3h0xXZQEcK4ln3OXB1dGQu4byRkQZT8h4AfbAudKuEzVd7cSR8sbuqsQ9K4Q5mjr1fSQa7liczhbvKF9lFd_ifq-dr4oWuTPp4e3Z12GCMobnDQO/s3999/09070898-2655-4A01-8D17-63C8E47D2888.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWVV7JCvW8tf879jR1VURJEyFeja4XA_cX_qA4PVmgjXKlzCUiOwJG7PjeP4Wppn-8iUgx6Mw3h0xXZQEcK4ln3OXB1dGQu4byRkQZT8h4AfbAudKuEzVd7cSR8sbuqsQ9K4Q5mjr1fSQa7liczhbvKF9lFd_ifq-dr4oWuTPp4e3Z12GCMobnDQO/w640-h480/09070898-2655-4A01-8D17-63C8E47D2888.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Let us go eat lunch!”</span> commanded Serene. <span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“That Bukchon Kalguksu restaurant we had the last time in Insadong.”</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />I surprised myself that I could actually still find it. More surprised I was that this restaurant at the 半地下 section on one side of Insadong, was quite full of foreigners. Perhaps because of that, the SajangNim was a little irritated. <br /><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4FK6AzOAYAPTtQ4KCpmyEJe_3De1SzmhfP4FQaJppRKpXyERIiqcG_ftCyPfbqD5z4ss1ihHrx8yMeTPcCXnR2R33fWXhyvDO1sym_iba9CPKssggInkRHS-s-lC9Po6_AFj8o0BxYVpbncxA-_jMCqCkfaIBcmMGqpBsdKhe-H2PoY355_H4wVo/s4032/IMG_0405.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4FK6AzOAYAPTtQ4KCpmyEJe_3De1SzmhfP4FQaJppRKpXyERIiqcG_ftCyPfbqD5z4ss1ihHrx8yMeTPcCXnR2R33fWXhyvDO1sym_iba9CPKssggInkRHS-s-lC9Po6_AFj8o0BxYVpbncxA-_jMCqCkfaIBcmMGqpBsdKhe-H2PoY355_H4wVo/w640-h480/IMG_0405.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“I want to eat just now that </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">Pink Butter cafe</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"> pastry shop at Radio M, the one we saw just now at Bukchon </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">北村</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">!”</span>Gina very clever. She knows a cafe when she sees one. </div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />Since the weather was so nice and warm, we walked slowly back to Radio M before we went back Hanok for a rest.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Fashion-show time!</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="552" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lTD_gKJeHiI" width="664" youtube-src-id="lTD_gKJeHiI"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">Since it was the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNizKbw01jNBby6hTA0-s7ZMjc71M1HfVDNuaqv40UbWf2LVWy3ZM0n771vZKqZ2VwY9ndTwLC3Pq3GXwdizi5NNhoSDsb99dYyrZqiePEMB35-dyMznljCKtxHqQWdTFlzBBgLEEgEKY/w1139-h854-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">first evening</a> in Korea, Serene and I decided <span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Ok lah, let’s dressed up and fashion-show down to Insadong ba!”</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /><br />This 삼청로 三清路 hor… never failed to amaze us. It’s that peaceful and quiet long straight road leading from Insadong right into Bukchon. This time round, the girls actually found a hat shop that had some nice hats on sale.. 10,000 won a hat. And wah.. We kinda bought several hats from that SajangNim.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6uj0KSr1lDlIxYj9GmPPi3fjSlEtB2S0CUuJs9vgJEbWPFGnjgP4c-vyAA9q_gxOJ3tWWEGUOAd3Hg8As_R-DETLeAHdW5KYfkRJDOqIW1Lk1oK40WqPcAXsK_iLu1K8HLhkiLIlY-_K7_tT7UtUQJYYE-0_gyMErly4qRABauZQx8A0cwpaDspM/s836/IMG_0420.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="836" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6uj0KSr1lDlIxYj9GmPPi3fjSlEtB2S0CUuJs9vgJEbWPFGnjgP4c-vyAA9q_gxOJ3tWWEGUOAd3Hg8As_R-DETLeAHdW5KYfkRJDOqIW1Lk1oK40WqPcAXsK_iLu1K8HLhkiLIlY-_K7_tT7UtUQJYYE-0_gyMErly4qRABauZQx8A0cwpaDspM/w640-h480/IMG_0420.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hxhbn9XFESiko9RCl3fL6wfI1W2Wdo-x_gLs4Y_fd8KHswslsw4iTyYKY52LAVHkWkceCg6lwsfC4EQ2aeJHOfZj5PlYkC6VTs1bazKVwYiYKRDD4NCYpdeyZhaQALVjtWcmGbHIyUD9Dj7a0iXguy39Vr3a_Kf8aqhl2l27cPpcWv64IEzSjfRH/s4032/IMG_0427.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hxhbn9XFESiko9RCl3fL6wfI1W2Wdo-x_gLs4Y_fd8KHswslsw4iTyYKY52LAVHkWkceCg6lwsfC4EQ2aeJHOfZj5PlYkC6VTs1bazKVwYiYKRDD4NCYpdeyZhaQALVjtWcmGbHIyUD9Dj7a0iXguy39Vr3a_Kf8aqhl2l27cPpcWv64IEzSjfRH/w480-h640/IMG_0427.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />On this trip I was very happy to realise that our Singapore dollar has appreciated significantly over the months and now stood at parity with the Korean won: S$1 = 1000 won. So everything in Hanguk becomes easily cheaper liao. And it makes it so much easier to calculate prices of things. I remember in Winter, November 2022 the exchange rate was S$1= 840 won. And in Spring, May 2022 when we went with Ah Li, it was at S$1 = 890 won.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: large;"><b>Insadong </b></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBx3GJ6AsFG502bjFZddD2_UKhYFMNFHGi6B75-5r0f8vM55IvdswN-mLE7kuAz1vLIgXhm8zHkXd9nk4yWdoYN56BwEB5nCgiWvbM8d-86PvghwAkhX9rc_o-PAmB1iFwraFIO0swTIAUHxBbRkinP54sZ730dpuz59Co2ZNWwKHtMVBMJfrKLCb/s836/IMG_0453.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="836" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBx3GJ6AsFG502bjFZddD2_UKhYFMNFHGi6B75-5r0f8vM55IvdswN-mLE7kuAz1vLIgXhm8zHkXd9nk4yWdoYN56BwEB5nCgiWvbM8d-86PvghwAkhX9rc_o-PAmB1iFwraFIO0swTIAUHxBbRkinP54sZ730dpuz59Co2ZNWwKHtMVBMJfrKLCb/w640-h480/IMG_0453.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Insadong has certainly livened up over the last one year, as Korea started opening up from the Covid restrictions imposed over the past two years and a half. On this day, the streets of Insadong were more crowded, and Ssamziegil was lively. It was alsmot 8pm when we arrived at Ssamziegil, but still it was quite fun to explore the spiralling walkway.<br /><br />I was amazed at how the ladies see things with their female eyes. What catches their eyes and enters their hearts is very very different from what I see. The hand-made flower bracelets, and iron-on patches that they picked up were refreshing. For the first time, I actually was very relaxed even just strolling these few shops..right up to 8:30pm when the shops closed.<br /><br />Even on this evening, the ladies just chiong-ed right into the hand-made glass frame boutique, the wooden-watch shop, places that I myself would definitely miss if I were not to have slowed down and walked relaxly behind them.<br /><span><div><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt;"><br /></div></div><div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Table </b></span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span><b>of Content</b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-weight: bold;">目錄</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 1">Day 1 </a></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Gai gai in Bukchon </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北村</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> and Insadong </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">仁寺洞</span></span></b></span></span><br /></span></div></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 2">Day 2 </a></b><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Conquering the Bukhansan </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北漢山</span></span></b></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3</span></a></b> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Beauty Day </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江南</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">: Botox, Skin-whitening, massage </span></span></b></span></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 4"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 4 </span></a></b><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Jeongdongjin </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">正東津</span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> and Glamping in Gangreung </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市</span></span></b></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 5"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 5 </span></a></b><span style="color: #ead1dc;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市沙川面 </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Lighthouses & sandy beach!</span></b></span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 6">Day 6</a></b> <b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Oh what a long day: </span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">廣長市場</span><span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">, 弘大,</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">eyebrow</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">,漢江</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> rainbow fountain & a lovely dinner...</span></span></span></b></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 7">Day 7 </a></b><b><span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">I cannot believe how the girls walk in order to shop!</span></span></b></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 8">Day 8</a></b> <span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Bye Bye... Annyeong!</span></b></span></div></span></span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ff9900; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day 2">Day 2 </a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">【19 October 2022】</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bzWjZe3GbCIWPadD0yUGudaFTNkiF2Daq_y83r7T9KFnW4s6_ZaIpdkTqxf3HkqbcPcbvwGuphpezSyqx3N69HUKvJl0Zk5ItE5d9MuQ6yfO1Cwythwo8Q3tFdxIHtB0s8EpktyPzdjqB-Zv0MABvtB7AI4QWUaq0tTo9Ff_e5jsSor2RP1WNZht/s2686/69417157-29C7-49F6-B58A-14D2FA191D47.jpeg" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="2686" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bzWjZe3GbCIWPadD0yUGudaFTNkiF2Daq_y83r7T9KFnW4s6_ZaIpdkTqxf3HkqbcPcbvwGuphpezSyqx3N69HUKvJl0Zk5ItE5d9MuQ6yfO1Cwythwo8Q3tFdxIHtB0s8EpktyPzdjqB-Zv0MABvtB7AI4QWUaq0tTo9Ff_e5jsSor2RP1WNZht/w640-h282/69417157-29C7-49F6-B58A-14D2FA191D47.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div><span></span><br /><span></span></div><br /></span><br /><br />We woke up for the traditional Korea breakfast served by the Hanok SaJangNim in Kat and Gina’s room at 8am, nice and cool, all ready for the Bukhansan 北汉山 adventure… except for my iPhone 11 Pro which decided to commit suicide the night before by jumping down from the bathroom cupboard and testing the hardness of the Hanok floor. Man… I spent a great deal of time last night just to transfer the remaining SIM cards between Serene’s iPhone and my Galaxy S6 Tablet.. Finally settling to a temporary arrangement where Serene and I both share her iPhone for photo-taking, for texting on Whatsapp, while using my Galaxy S6 tablet for Telegram and for ThinkOrSwim trading. I was pleasantly impressed by my patience and my peace of heart even <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kmb_Uf3a6sFkmtqmDKnVhECbtZO5sLIMSz2SYxJbWXXAnuW9Wgqc-MPm2WAhuewoEUGvPpu1k7eb5sCL4hlrRXkLNCfDAPRCNhKvt5I9IaNldsbyKRMhpOEqzxb-F5jz2angUnPUzff3aomJ32-T3BBjpdMRj_4VB-3Xx99KDl3ck9RdmacuRCxO1e8I183BifX39GPvVSvEVXMp-_E0LWbIpwagFIQLc7eBAEu-slCVBtB41lHpELbbk1mtdWIiqxhc4dLRmMyncJf2Gpl7yTqgJCgd9vf2Ph2oW4DwCwZyHc0VpVq5ayxAQDqtvRdfcbbGCZLWRupGg6Lbcx1v4Z_z9JNECfgU5_x4J3whcnXygl56I-homqoCAgICq689sp4NQ9lIS4IwOpwXVFU1b7IwwCUbIbw2cKgTlHyGnMTKxU3ZxPlr5sQZBk6-EMl8ZqVTw7w9PYLGRPfG160VJR0QFnAgMSvHjgaeERkxf2xRMssM-0ajiYc85BD1gdFo-GaIjSFnOSPN_mYMoO2QOBXaqlXGxWUI9bUlL4EefsOE3QgR1nXFnfJPed1J0D_scX9yvkr8Fdvp5nyc0TgEUfTW4QgxNU1SLpmaz0IGnUTyvjuom_Qvi0GFcPGp6bkcICi96a0b-ZLHKFHv5b3CwdgLbYRvEmIBjro-_B_HgLHqbvL1vLpWvkIwFuZLyUwZhEfY7arX17EHt2oJD3OqbjE-SaIdS2-Yjhx10kyWKkptwJtzcyLb79EGjL97910_5k-qq1vgaQIYbaoF7LX6fXZuEQ2wkx7GncP2TRIr4_k1F7e2KQ8MaWqsSo9-7_bszzMYBVDsm0POzUJdduTvJ71ReIBRg-ZsJZ-fGXOVXf5F2ZwukrUbgzdXwX6iZjBEFvpOceyL0KHBt1GNKrgG_Vz_DaLRS2OzH6-TNzOgEeWlCzuUig=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">without one of the most important pieces of equipment in my life</a>. Hahaha…<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxTiXf3cs9G40TVdaXgyv7wM6ZjqYaxgkmgoTC11V1jxbPWHpP4vZHHBCQFWI4so8uOvB4Wfqau0p4_SLGvetfsnl8HXiBegEYhLvIEXphxo6-RWaXJHCkgxOpotLJsgwqSCxMZ8ESfj1o2mO0tj-swP9DnrRoS6ToSaWrwWj8jMLRfHKJjUAED1P/s3999/F78F4278-933F-485B-96F0-5BB4FDD6496A.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxTiXf3cs9G40TVdaXgyv7wM6ZjqYaxgkmgoTC11V1jxbPWHpP4vZHHBCQFWI4so8uOvB4Wfqau0p4_SLGvetfsnl8HXiBegEYhLvIEXphxo6-RWaXJHCkgxOpotLJsgwqSCxMZ8ESfj1o2mO0tj-swP9DnrRoS6ToSaWrwWj8jMLRfHKJjUAED1P/w640-h480/F78F4278-933F-485B-96F0-5BB4FDD6496A.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">应该是没脸见我啦!哈哈哈<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="font-size: medium;">话说回来,这个北汉山,回想起来也是阿 Kat 的 Kang Tao. 我还记得,今年七月某一天,我们4个人坐在 Kallang 的某一间咖啡屋,说着说着,就说秋天时到韩国看枫叶。那时,我还记得我说 </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“要看枫叶嘛,就得上山。“</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> 我心中想的也不过是首尔的南山(262米)。后来阿 Kat 不知如何看呀看呀,喝着茶,就看到网上说 </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: large;"><b>‘登上北汉山看枫叶会是很漂亮的一回事儿。‘</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> 836米高的北汉山,离开北村不远。是登山远眺首尔风景的一个好地方。还记得,今年5月春天,我们跟阿丽到江原道 Gangwon-do 登爬的玛尼山 Manisan 是472米高。当时那坐玛尼山嘛,也不说太过吃力,所以阿 Kat 这一个登北汉山的建议,我们一口就赞成了。</span><br /></span></div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">“嘿,你们一定要 </span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">training</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> 的 </span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">hor!</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">”</span></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"> 我时时刻刻,这几个月来,一直提醒大家。<br /></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br />但是看样子,除了我跟阿华还挺定时地跑步爬楼梯,阿Kat 爬了一次楼梯,就当做锻炼好了。Gina嘛,身材娇小,而且还经常跑步5km, 所以我也不太担心她。</span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWC9Uxvc9-e9Y7Uenss0sOSba7JWUrRTp39zU4m7mKr0s6VXe_9c1VL3HgaYDqdOP1PUEIQOdGPlAAD1U7o32x-L9GAp9DLU9YKGlBzIBY01ela_fqlfocYwQQpL4ZyCZDY5vd6YevuAch0udlcYJEys-UPaO4tlz45Cl03TWsUTyUUpFt0AqTNSJ/s720/FL_20221106_0358.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWC9Uxvc9-e9Y7Uenss0sOSba7JWUrRTp39zU4m7mKr0s6VXe_9c1VL3HgaYDqdOP1PUEIQOdGPlAAD1U7o32x-L9GAp9DLU9YKGlBzIBY01ela_fqlfocYwQQpL4ZyCZDY5vd6YevuAch0udlcYJEys-UPaO4tlz45Cl03TWsUTyUUpFt0AqTNSJ/w640-h480/FL_20221106_0358.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The breakfast was nice. I have always loved traditional Korean breakfast especially sitting down and enjoying a steaming hot bowl of jjigae and rice and banchan in the heated warm ondol floor of a Hanok. More so, sitting with three beautiful and lovely ladies who, never in the deepest recesses of their minds, could even begin to imagine how Bukhansan would be…<br /></div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Hmmm… not bad hor,”</span> said Gina, who doesn’t eat breakfast one. <span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“It’s delicious.”</span> and she ate a huge portion of breakfast and rice.. In retrospect she was sooooo glad she did that.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />Kat and Serene didn’t eat much. Me, as usual, whacked as much food as I could. Because I think I was the only person who vaguely could anticipate what the next half a day would entail.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyth6SpDq5Urr-b9UkuLhLB-uh6U9fcKQ5njGPg-eh0QNuTpbPZpCHMAp-HEYmmj358j3J26laK1w7pyxaKeK8kRU-kvjkwM9teiFszt36IVpyFBchVxipdfGKz8nAd0J1V7iySxSI74-PZbQqr2XkfDwYT0-frVGE9w6NaacnR8tZCJ8vVLLAq8e/s720/FL_20221106_0359.GIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyth6SpDq5Urr-b9UkuLhLB-uh6U9fcKQ5njGPg-eh0QNuTpbPZpCHMAp-HEYmmj358j3J26laK1w7pyxaKeK8kRU-kvjkwM9teiFszt36IVpyFBchVxipdfGKz8nAd0J1V7iySxSI74-PZbQqr2XkfDwYT0-frVGE9w6NaacnR8tZCJ8vVLLAq8e/w640-h480/FL_20221106_0359.GIF" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><br />An eight-station subway ride from Angguk Station 安国站 안국역 to GuPaBal Station 旧把拨站 구파발역. This was the 25 minutes subway route that would take us to somewhere near Bukhansan, followed by a bus (34, 704 or 8772) to the entrance to Bukhansan-seong 北汉山城 북한산성 where the Bukhansanseong Park Information Cente was. I was not confident of this, so we set off at around 9am to try to arrive at around 10am.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIBLDoZOu6U0WL2tjsQVVgCYQsl4MBbw367QImfC-UqEjd8rgjIx4GisYlgVlvt_mEF6iPf-4fW86GK2I0stEUgrVBaXe94fWUqQvkElP-s2SMe5ProhgewgUMpcTT_ibssRmM3IxKzQjix1eBRFuEXhLlmCg3kU9StY5jXnyltbbDS4RtCfyp0Zh/s4032/IMG_4829.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIBLDoZOu6U0WL2tjsQVVgCYQsl4MBbw367QImfC-UqEjd8rgjIx4GisYlgVlvt_mEF6iPf-4fW86GK2I0stEUgrVBaXe94fWUqQvkElP-s2SMe5ProhgewgUMpcTT_ibssRmM3IxKzQjix1eBRFuEXhLlmCg3kU9StY5jXnyltbbDS4RtCfyp0Zh/w640-h480/IMG_4829.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br />Here is the website that I found very very useful for trekking Bukhansan:<br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.koreatodo.com/bukhansan-national-park" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">https://www.koreatodo.com/bukhansan-national-park</span></a></p><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0dYhEWsNlSTKUnwBqsIcOThBqcig_UH_ELQ1aWlEBpl4mFh8EHkGR8mkp8rvseEXc_-54DLeIo5sH3tv9LP34BI9IKbrf3Y0xgd0zET5ITjbh_xcP2PgmuYWXxWNydS9VSPhvSGXb94rdq-l_GPMRylN-NgS2UAFDHu8qVPYh6p02fPMGxkzDMcD/s4032/IMG_4832.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0dYhEWsNlSTKUnwBqsIcOThBqcig_UH_ELQ1aWlEBpl4mFh8EHkGR8mkp8rvseEXc_-54DLeIo5sH3tv9LP34BI9IKbrf3Y0xgd0zET5ITjbh_xcP2PgmuYWXxWNydS9VSPhvSGXb94rdq-l_GPMRylN-NgS2UAFDHu8qVPYh6p02fPMGxkzDMcD/w480-h640/IMG_4832.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">三位美女这么帅,肯定会登个好山!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"></b></p></span><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="555" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O5qVb8iPITo" width="668" youtube-src-id="O5qVb8iPITo"></iframe><br /><br />Together with us on the subway and on the bus were really really plenty of mountain climbers in climbing gears and walking sticks and backpacks. Many of these were Ajussis and Ajummas and some Halabeojis and Halmeonis. These Koreans are really a mountain people. This day was a mid-week Wednesday morning and they just took it like a stroll in the park, climbing up an 800m mountain for breakfast. Also thanks to them, we simply followed these noisy old folks all the way to the starting point, where a very nice ranger gave us a map and pointed to us the trail to use.<br /></div></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTrGxtWoOu_rcyNyuKJ261dWnIwUNwsZUk9EfKW93RiTakcmRc-90zkUtxlVTBOdmD0c1ExRBl35_J6e_9H7DC0KddJTso-3xPW_8Ys81PcpvH5gnT4PJUFG8qi-FPqhnVw5B0vbBcipYznQlDrnUPJ4_zdMA4KZLTkT9xe94l67TgDCpPKpBBv6v/s4032/IMG_4843.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTrGxtWoOu_rcyNyuKJ261dWnIwUNwsZUk9EfKW93RiTakcmRc-90zkUtxlVTBOdmD0c1ExRBl35_J6e_9H7DC0KddJTso-3xPW_8Ys81PcpvH5gnT4PJUFG8qi-FPqhnVw5B0vbBcipYznQlDrnUPJ4_zdMA4KZLTkT9xe94l67TgDCpPKpBBv6v/w480-h640/IMG_4843.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day;">"Wah look! This spider so special!"</span> </span>cried Kat. <br />So Serene took a photo of it.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“You can reach the top at Baegundae </span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">白云台</span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"> 백운대 and then you all can take the trail the other way down to DoBong,”</span> he suggested. But we were set in our hearts to come back down to GuPaBal.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />The ranger said it would take roughly two and half hours up and two and a half hour down. Five hours.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx1YKTbutlQE14OHHRVE8dHBto7GOJhBYe2ek9e5RGszZV25c6zMCShpxpB-ZZSYhx7e3PUl8usAI8emHpbIYIOEhSzJnZ1m7uqn7AaB2GImae_raq5uNbw6gGlLMXIEBVxDaHfNv5rLtaFZQBuUhIYZWtWfwIynyaJgKNXyNJAzmoAHxaiLYKpnK3/s4032/20221019_100748.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx1YKTbutlQE14OHHRVE8dHBto7GOJhBYe2ek9e5RGszZV25c6zMCShpxpB-ZZSYhx7e3PUl8usAI8emHpbIYIOEhSzJnZ1m7uqn7AaB2GImae_raq5uNbw6gGlLMXIEBVxDaHfNv5rLtaFZQBuUhIYZWtWfwIynyaJgKNXyNJAzmoAHxaiLYKpnK3/w312-h640/20221019_100748.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very helpful ranger at Bukhansanseong Info Centre<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Easy lah, five hours.”</span> said Gina.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Four hours,”</span> the ranger said to me, but I couldn’t remember at that point in time which track he was referring to. First time climbing mountain, it was always like that.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_NHwOd49pauKS48TMnjrYnMmQ_6V3s5PF4U1fTtGVowP_yH0tjDApu81MB1IP2xKHOLHiDnQHUWS97Pk6ZYKE-6Yz1nJNO7g3QQz3OMWpli-1hbEmbtUpv39zE8n--aqq4Yz__LDwbWS_DK7Xx6XZyNtNz7b2aqU6UxFwXTNpr05tiyzpE1NeCcW/s720/FL_20221107_0366.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_NHwOd49pauKS48TMnjrYnMmQ_6V3s5PF4U1fTtGVowP_yH0tjDApu81MB1IP2xKHOLHiDnQHUWS97Pk6ZYKE-6Yz1nJNO7g3QQz3OMWpli-1hbEmbtUpv39zE8n--aqq4Yz__LDwbWS_DK7Xx6XZyNtNz7b2aqU6UxFwXTNpr05tiyzpE1NeCcW/w640-h480/FL_20221107_0366.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Black And White Picture; font-size: large;">So at 10:08am,</span> we started our climb. Crisp, cool air, and the sound of streams on our left as we gently walked the wide and even tracks of the Valley trail, and the occasional stairs, we were in fabulous spirits. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYNNsKwgfd5y6CzVXLztUJLFOER7tgBNQ2qxz_pPGC_ZS1XIScsNyCb79HnKqInclRTpJEY9vYj55fkCvt0XcXeJOBNHe6K4wW2k96pnQZes2G6lrDyyl8xVsX4ovSyQhr9bPe6_qzXl08tekQLm2rj3yWeQ1VoJxap-Z93sN0g09qaz_BXpJez0_/s4032/20221019_102403.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYNNsKwgfd5y6CzVXLztUJLFOER7tgBNQ2qxz_pPGC_ZS1XIScsNyCb79HnKqInclRTpJEY9vYj55fkCvt0XcXeJOBNHe6K4wW2k96pnQZes2G6lrDyyl8xVsX4ovSyQhr9bPe6_qzXl08tekQLm2rj3yWeQ1VoJxap-Z93sN0g09qaz_BXpJez0_/w640-h312/20221019_102403.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Gina was telling Kat to sit at the rocks beside the stream to wash her feet when we come down later (in retrospect, we were in no state to do that by the time we got down, neither the energy nor time.. hahaha).</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcr6BxAmGspbN_Nobj1AFLawUpUrb_kCNAOS3o4JVXChE-glsoc2RoNTFruZgPvxIIeDB0JJlacbCyGaSmd3gK5Ww36Hhzw3Wl_NWJQaxdHMLhyAmPEotMX-TodHddwThY7qnMEBj9Aai4Z7cqirkzuexqVl9JB8-TZkw6-tZm5n3-e25JTacRL76/s720/FL_20221107_0362.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcr6BxAmGspbN_Nobj1AFLawUpUrb_kCNAOS3o4JVXChE-glsoc2RoNTFruZgPvxIIeDB0JJlacbCyGaSmd3gK5Ww36Hhzw3Wl_NWJQaxdHMLhyAmPEotMX-TodHddwThY7qnMEBj9Aai4Z7cqirkzuexqVl9JB8-TZkw6-tZm5n3-e25JTacRL76/w640-h480/FL_20221107_0362.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />The Valley trail took only 30 minutes and we came to a rest station with a wooden platform and public toilet. From here it would start to be a little more exertional, as the track started to ascend.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXbeQYcYBJFhyyd1dLyS4BYSZBbr1VqStNohau_boIV89NBQGvU5i9A3dYsRWgdUkH7YpU_HGKQJbg0Sxt16dgMBJVHR7Uh-tlwuiR3D8SNDKUSQdMoqABtxKufZE1GltnI7vw-rp9Z5m9WMofw7xen7_5fmXcT_bZY3IolcNoA848X_5JD1qVsKY/s720/FL_20221107_0365.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXbeQYcYBJFhyyd1dLyS4BYSZBbr1VqStNohau_boIV89NBQGvU5i9A3dYsRWgdUkH7YpU_HGKQJbg0Sxt16dgMBJVHR7Uh-tlwuiR3D8SNDKUSQdMoqABtxKufZE1GltnI7vw-rp9Z5m9WMofw7xen7_5fmXcT_bZY3IolcNoA848X_5JD1qVsKY/w640-h480/FL_20221107_0365.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The toddler-carrying young Korean father & mother</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Difficult Course? Easy Course?</span></b><br /><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Black And White Picture; font-size: large;">50 minutes into the walk</span>, we arrived at a split in the track. <br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“No not that way,” </span>kao-behed Gina. <span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: x-large;">That is the</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"> <b><i>difficult trail</i></b>. Here here… follow this sign pointing right. It says it is the easy trail.”</span> She was correct.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div>As we started to go down the easy path, we caught sight of a young Korean couple back-carrying their toddler, preparing and strapping him. They smiled at us as we gave them a ‘fighting’ before start up that challenging route. Wah, our respect! I thought back at that moment and was glad Gina saw the sign. Otherwise I would have led the group up the left side difficult route.<br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Wah, if we had gone up that route, we would have died even half way up the mountain,”</span> remarked Kat much later that day when we finally made our way down. Heng ah!</div></div></blockquote><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><b style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">先</span><span style="color: #ea9999;">賞</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">楓</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">葉</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">.</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">.</span><span style="color: #ead1dc;">.</span></span></b></p><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEhNCYYstCuKy4jPVZm5unyvQHw6IXmaixY4CB-pshUi7T-JrZ7tLFALI_p3dQ_EMxe9Mo9SsYeWlEy-GMXHx4VYSyiE9_J9TOKacLhARuw-3HD8d6q8nER3DWBWjczJ0vFyGbkOV0jNjDIRq9B5E41Mdq4RZD8M1_1o7X0ARIn4xbIcGM4YA4bxp/s720/FL_20221107_0367.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEhNCYYstCuKy4jPVZm5unyvQHw6IXmaixY4CB-pshUi7T-JrZ7tLFALI_p3dQ_EMxe9Mo9SsYeWlEy-GMXHx4VYSyiE9_J9TOKacLhARuw-3HD8d6q8nER3DWBWjczJ0vFyGbkOV0jNjDIRq9B5E41Mdq4RZD8M1_1o7X0ARIn4xbIcGM4YA4bxp/w640-h480/FL_20221107_0367.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br />Our reward was that very early in the trail we were already beginning to see the<a href="https://lh3.google.com/pw/AL9nZEXz5deRLV9csKF7NM_6yFV31ZXR5_l2FiI2UkuqUpLF4qEUseik1CSxjXuicR_UNWBTOshCBH6gP_CHsHSYYGrdQRKTpf0=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0" target="_blank"> splendid red and yellow</a> autumn leaves in <a href="https://lh3.google.com/pw/AL9nZEXgNxo0T4l3UvrI7lUs0j0ZoIYCo1XeC5GhFlDeLmYx8SDYzsqeUyCgE3ITu8AegK9-KDT9hNsQ4x3XCVRdQeGg9-VEGBE=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">dense batches among the trees</a>. <br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">We kept looking for perfectly-formed red leaves. <span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Cannot pluck lah,”</span> warned Gina. <span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Must pick up those on the ground.”</span> But I could see from the corner of my eyes, that Kat was looking around with a suspicious look… hahaha…</div></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXP7n6yhOetNVO0tCh68gVBBaRVIIKLbIgDA7YrXKJw8aZTKnvl2Lv97vwZLD_SSXV1SoOaAS5cU3sbkOwtULljmeqFQYOxz9I7cTNCzyHNNC4RvdirHmvSLchBGZCAjAqcoJ6XIGaIP9H8Y-9PY5hLNg6SuwgNepVRWekezLJOzuqUPYz8v4Q_5ny/s4032/IMG_4910.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXP7n6yhOetNVO0tCh68gVBBaRVIIKLbIgDA7YrXKJw8aZTKnvl2Lv97vwZLD_SSXV1SoOaAS5cU3sbkOwtULljmeqFQYOxz9I7cTNCzyHNNC4RvdirHmvSLchBGZCAjAqcoJ6XIGaIP9H8Y-9PY5hLNg6SuwgNepVRWekezLJOzuqUPYz8v4Q_5ny/w640-h480/IMG_4910.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br />Unbeknownst to me, the ladies were also looking for pine cones. For what I didn’t know, but they did pick quite a few of the cones from the ground.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJt4xIJq2Bqxp1wldcP-TnlUxfU0g-kP15Jj72BRR5NVMinr0o1qiPq--XP0LvaTSLSIA50Ydqepvv5ZhBGpqdwQQKNi0y-45WIX0TGvRvv60C4ozApIwMXf8Uo2qAf3UAIZGJiLtb9C7SN8aE-UsGqJ50z8Imv2TqVaP_MDVZxYSUEZk7QrKdBVF/s4032/IMG_4922.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJt4xIJq2Bqxp1wldcP-TnlUxfU0g-kP15Jj72BRR5NVMinr0o1qiPq--XP0LvaTSLSIA50Ydqepvv5ZhBGpqdwQQKNi0y-45WIX0TGvRvv60C4ozApIwMXf8Uo2qAf3UAIZGJiLtb9C7SN8aE-UsGqJ50z8Imv2TqVaP_MDVZxYSUEZk7QrKdBVF/w480-h640/IMG_4922.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Wah, so nice!” </span><a href="https://lh3.google.com/pw/AL9nZEX1AsrNwGpC_snjLNJzYrmPryvHS2dSa9BJ5YLCTerbSuHK0qXTR3xUtm6fu0RjK1AqNYGmTrNsnMzlbHXDCYBj6FLU0u0=w641-h854-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">pointed </a>Kat. <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“The leaves are <a href="https://lh3.google.com/pw/AL9nZEXia8XOxhaBaylROqB3cBjmSLC_R9KkV-kURKe1cQ0CViVZvc9ScvlZxB0rW2RERR_gazAJyQXoHwc6-RfF0aUgdjqkST0=w697-h929-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">so red</a>! Here here here!"</span></div></div></blockquote><p></p><div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfmfpducNXSpSKj4We8AnNpRRdB4ySI0wp9GWkYEgg8BuA5n-dG8RNYFcs7D4ibyDTnwTW3_CXCxsqBxpgkZuLrHzqURBJnynYyZJ8YU75uODdH0581hs6xoCiZo8uGb4cqftnVOGSDyz7bHk3FcB68JxC7jCaCqpgz6Y2iVq8GXmrD_jdj2TuTT9/s4032/IMG_4944.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfmfpducNXSpSKj4We8AnNpRRdB4ySI0wp9GWkYEgg8BuA5n-dG8RNYFcs7D4ibyDTnwTW3_CXCxsqBxpgkZuLrHzqURBJnynYyZJ8YU75uODdH0581hs6xoCiZo8uGb4cqftnVOGSDyz7bHk3FcB68JxC7jCaCqpgz6Y2iVq8GXmrD_jdj2TuTT9/w640-h480/IMG_4944.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Real REAL red leaves. No post-processing donw! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>Wow, these were precisely what we came for. Well, I guess one could never estimate the best time to arrive at the mountains when the autumn leaves peak, unless one were a local Korean. We timed our climb to be on the 19th October, because studying the predictions, the web articles were saying that the last two weeks of October would be when the leaves would be in full colours.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhon72eZMVgy-7lls7VhcqgsbzR3n3tDI0ZwJdBaaKXYDw5GsliOSJbnGXEEbUT_jMq79md9xCK820bKPvEBd5kWTxQEWUxA2KTh0je0h2UhrzBcJ4wS_TN80izZV4tuhw-frpNmgTxipXcD3y-QkL40Xs9dVKPbbW7S70WrXEajyqQrt7G9EdfkPcQ/s4032/IMG_4914.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhon72eZMVgy-7lls7VhcqgsbzR3n3tDI0ZwJdBaaKXYDw5GsliOSJbnGXEEbUT_jMq79md9xCK820bKPvEBd5kWTxQEWUxA2KTh0je0h2UhrzBcJ4wS_TN80izZV4tuhw-frpNmgTxipXcD3y-QkL40Xs9dVKPbbW7S70WrXEajyqQrt7G9EdfkPcQ/w480-h640/IMG_4914.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br />As we ascended the colours got even richer, with a splendid display of a range of colours, ranging from the usually green, to the browning dark, to deep red and bright yellow. Before coming this round, Serene and I remember watching on the Korean drama Goblin a scene where Kim Go Eun and Gong Yu were in Canada and a piece of red leaf floated down from the tree and Gong Yu caught it in his hand. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AjRNPlmm-8frwJE31wbyYf0bkvf5RI63NdL8MtF5OiMMQMsEO7cJ6Um9a56RhdSLskMcmyuKNPllcYeGJfOvIqpt2R3VTgVLMEq_24hG_TyikoxCyBhd9wFzgd8CQXHlKKDVuG4wQwA/w570-h854-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">This was what</a> I was hoping for. Hahaha…</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MxBC64rwxujYT5VtKd-5uel0VBS0cf1EPKE9Ay-wsf--tMBl_otlInoDadJRc0WOWEQtP66-iRERQ1yUffGtd1mN-fzGk6iR20cVKlHRUMafzLJzDbxUqrZf2Zx-O8L8BUKJh4LttLUYL33hU5W4N69A18vFmdyv0ZNWsr7HtoGsgw70rzea5ri7/s4032/IMG_4931.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MxBC64rwxujYT5VtKd-5uel0VBS0cf1EPKE9Ay-wsf--tMBl_otlInoDadJRc0WOWEQtP66-iRERQ1yUffGtd1mN-fzGk6iR20cVKlHRUMafzLJzDbxUqrZf2Zx-O8L8BUKJh4LttLUYL33hU5W4N69A18vFmdyv0ZNWsr7HtoGsgw70rzea5ri7/w640-h480/IMG_4931.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div>I was surprised to actually come upon a fortress gate. It says <a href="https://lh3.google.com/pw/AL9nZEUZ31T4ooJSbYrgocB5jgmfz1WpPdjZuI6DIaJtikTnQKFgQ-z9AA7jt1E59qSt8WfPgAcvTVWfaWdCiJxHgQzFYGKnqDc=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">中城门</a> wor. So far up till now, it has been a <a href="https://lh3.google.com/pw/AL9nZEUr0MgeEAo3ajEXHaZD1bVkI_rARiywmrf9KSytcKNcgjHTb3Vby1JBREC6kv7q1zfH8Y410Jv23-hphnQp1L7iV386wnQ=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">fascinating discovery</a> of batches after batches of autumn foliage, we really didn't feel tired. Not yet. The girls were so taken by the pine cones, the leaves and the sights, and the sight of young local men and women taking wefies after wefies, that we were also caught up in the same enjoyment.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUB5KbttGiShT8OvX0FGpx_tCR-Vpe_Sm35SC7BCfa1HNywyWEi9MOaDzOO_zbhxCHof6-oIszIC3e0-UBdFXtKS9tstNCpjK7hVreK0f037Zn3J58ldMkHY_2Tpf-hzG8UCqpkiseRtufEHYXAiA6Rip4XZmFA69FWAkUdFRa4_kZFvQqdBI-EM6/s4032/IMG_4936.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUB5KbttGiShT8OvX0FGpx_tCR-Vpe_Sm35SC7BCfa1HNywyWEi9MOaDzOO_zbhxCHof6-oIszIC3e0-UBdFXtKS9tstNCpjK7hVreK0f037Zn3J58ldMkHY_2Tpf-hzG8UCqpkiseRtufEHYXAiA6Rip4XZmFA69FWAkUdFRa4_kZFvQqdBI-EM6/w480-h640/IMG_4936.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br /><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Black And White Picture; font-size: large;">One hour 15 minutes into the track.</span> We were too busy finding perfect positions to pose for our foliage photos and we went crazy. I remember 90 minutes into the track, Gina found a huge boulder where several young Koreans were sitting themselves taking shots of the beautiful autumn foliage in the background.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EyXAndDiAiXSQL0yWMXO35dRGmkjgmteCAoRCC_vFwHEg1oRrDGSrfnhubwXahc-QTBaLECkU-6J4_CR7un9UmTrhE9ZxsOjMWg77knK80ZOlL6MznkYA--sjm2m0yjtZbbcKaHSmHWmQ-5SrZAz6ZemrFu3gWXA8DK0tWBVfCYvKvbGlJBuqLxP/s720/FL_20221107_0371.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EyXAndDiAiXSQL0yWMXO35dRGmkjgmteCAoRCC_vFwHEg1oRrDGSrfnhubwXahc-QTBaLECkU-6J4_CR7un9UmTrhE9ZxsOjMWg77knK80ZOlL6MznkYA--sjm2m0yjtZbbcKaHSmHWmQ-5SrZAz6ZemrFu3gWXA8DK0tWBVfCYvKvbGlJBuqLxP/w640-h480/FL_20221107_0371.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><b style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">后</span><span style="color: #ea9999;">爬</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">梯</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">堦</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">.</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">.</span><span style="color: #ead1dc;">.</span></b><br /><br /><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Black And White Picture; font-size: large;">2 hours.</span> As the foliage colours started to bloom, the trekking route started to show its true colour. The even-pathed track turned into rocky steps, initially orderly, but soon decided to turn haphazard.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujASkcpeRNrZbjKvVP-BgUyNlfnhozexVxIqs5Qyhxqk_dAHlmcY_4EC8BPI2SKBhGtVe2uwpZFzqxk-3H_OA9-mPfCkhm4iq6Doj_ZTSjFdVhAKai-JynCCBb10hfrN8XeYxGxafH3qADTaFxIl5AtegGrefu1biDYQ-iCb8r1JjXDKKjMEbLWEZ/s4032/IMG_4967.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujASkcpeRNrZbjKvVP-BgUyNlfnhozexVxIqs5Qyhxqk_dAHlmcY_4EC8BPI2SKBhGtVe2uwpZFzqxk-3H_OA9-mPfCkhm4iq6Doj_ZTSjFdVhAKai-JynCCBb10hfrN8XeYxGxafH3qADTaFxIl5AtegGrefu1biDYQ-iCb8r1JjXDKKjMEbLWEZ/w640-h480/IMG_4967.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easier steps...<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFee9ffmOalgl4fu__NffyaAjA2-ARkeGP_dc1_-VIaMFrfYw79Qtcs7LJ4icJG9D_QMwjGcJWT17o_3RzN-IoW8gV88B7JbKJ0nVum3U5M4mVQgy6yFFYbO88-JiuSpADT-UOKBnwGeSOqBbEB8UdVsdZWTEfBQTuuuVHd9TEHffaRKL_jKL1QmvR/s4032/IMG_5015.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFee9ffmOalgl4fu__NffyaAjA2-ARkeGP_dc1_-VIaMFrfYw79Qtcs7LJ4icJG9D_QMwjGcJWT17o_3RzN-IoW8gV88B7JbKJ0nVum3U5M4mVQgy6yFFYbO88-JiuSpADT-UOKBnwGeSOqBbEB8UdVsdZWTEfBQTuuuVHd9TEHffaRKL_jKL1QmvR/w640-h480/IMG_5015.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... becoming not so easy steps.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Black And White Picture; font-size: large;">2 hours 30minutes.</span> We came to another road sign with arrows pointing hereto and thereto.</div><div><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVr6zqh9LFcF24kd92AeG-2AcMj8jFiAJc-5PEY7P6zG2c8SUGlZfLfAkFSi-nL4BujMUrIolxFYQF1ybHQHWA9Dr-H_Sk3pE7csl0jFmsKvZVyI_lZ54kpnQb4owlB3yewarOawh9aGdEl5rv0GDfPEBSGT18jOdB1ARyNnWuA_UdODoBCMyMgdZ/s4032/IMG_4989.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVr6zqh9LFcF24kd92AeG-2AcMj8jFiAJc-5PEY7P6zG2c8SUGlZfLfAkFSi-nL4BujMUrIolxFYQF1ybHQHWA9Dr-H_Sk3pE7csl0jFmsKvZVyI_lZ54kpnQb4owlB3yewarOawh9aGdEl5rv0GDfPEBSGT18jOdB1ARyNnWuA_UdODoBCMyMgdZ/w640-h480/IMG_4989.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="537" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/konUL9jt_kk" width="646" youtube-src-id="konUL9jt_kk"></iframe></div></div><br /></div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Why don’t you ask that young couple in front,”</span> Kat cleverly suggested. </div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />But it turned out they were as confused as us. But two Ajummas sitting on a boulder by the side of the track gave us the answer.<br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Don’t go up there,”</span> they said. <span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Follow this route to the left and you will reach Baegundae.”</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />Further up, we confirmed the correct trail with a group of official-looking people who were discussing some landscape planning, and one of the man very helpfully pointed out the right way to not only us but the equally-confused Korean couple.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOawf4riMH7GXemzPMUnsMUa1GP21d6B19c8nAuIiP21CBJXoS14ZmFMBR4PaWMmpmvRR7dKo2MPyMPxEHpNuIFd3DIJ-PxCWOm6MTQBeJKPSibIxa_PNaNIPwJ-42Yod6ZcZLR1NF6qdgdMwETgHVoQ7Yi9_Yejyv_xsKir0GWdYa98KU8nEMkt0z/s4032/IMG_5024.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOawf4riMH7GXemzPMUnsMUa1GP21d6B19c8nAuIiP21CBJXoS14ZmFMBR4PaWMmpmvRR7dKo2MPyMPxEHpNuIFd3DIJ-PxCWOm6MTQBeJKPSibIxa_PNaNIPwJ-42Yod6ZcZLR1NF6qdgdMwETgHVoQ7Yi9_Yejyv_xsKir0GWdYa98KU8nEMkt0z/w640-h480/IMG_5024.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still rocky tracks. These rocky tracks do make it tiring to navigate.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><b style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">兵</span><span style="color: #ea9999;">來</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">將</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">擋</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">.</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">.</span><span style="color: #ead1dc;">.</span></b><br /><br />We eventually found ourselves, at this stage to be in the midst of a scattered foresty part of mid mountain, where there was no clear paths. <br /><br />Serene and Gina started to pull away from Kat and I. But I was happy to have these two scout the front to help find the way up. It was so funny to see how Gina got lost.</div><div><br /></div><div> <br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbiAHhl6putAEOsCJS6q6W_dTIVY0JvcfCYeiyUrhp60s-MxWV5zZjVLwGrnjGpLA921G_8kw0sdo3BbjxCP_hCHIeYIlxkm8TgVZj9t2FT-ghxJitRYix_hfqT1zBnLiG7bokyk73bpkIzyJvIBxaBe9xKDsxA1exYQDRlnvNIJTslKurZLLJlIq/s4032/IMG_4992.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbiAHhl6putAEOsCJS6q6W_dTIVY0JvcfCYeiyUrhp60s-MxWV5zZjVLwGrnjGpLA921G_8kw0sdo3BbjxCP_hCHIeYIlxkm8TgVZj9t2FT-ghxJitRYix_hfqT1zBnLiG7bokyk73bpkIzyJvIBxaBe9xKDsxA1exYQDRlnvNIJTslKurZLLJlIq/w640-h480/IMG_4992.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No track's trek. Can spot Gina, Serene and Kat in front of me.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Wei, you got no mountain sense one ah?!”</span> I called out to her as she hugged one huge boulder and was deciding whether to round it from the more dangerous right side, or to follow its left.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“I cannot see the trails,”</span> she called back.<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"> “So I can only wait and see if anyone comes down and at least I know there is trail there mah. </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">我根本看不到可以走的路!</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">”</span></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoqknB8XqniyqFywC9gd3Qu_L0563wdUvsensilUWVGRp0eUybY-9tiHINFzcoogxcFAVmQl0XjqcjaRfrGt7FxlSVI4HG_6vQvXgEY7kV5wBPPDQCI8eVPbl9cpGd85AiblpzwT-D3Lh2OTnDA1T_lzETT8g_wXPM1uTbPLOSsdl0zrx39G2oYph1/s4032/IMG_5003.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoqknB8XqniyqFywC9gd3Qu_L0563wdUvsensilUWVGRp0eUybY-9tiHINFzcoogxcFAVmQl0XjqcjaRfrGt7FxlSVI4HG_6vQvXgEY7kV5wBPPDQCI8eVPbl9cpGd85AiblpzwT-D3Lh2OTnDA1T_lzETT8g_wXPM1uTbPLOSsdl0zrx39G2oYph1/w640-h480/IMG_5003.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gina very happy with this photo cos she gets to take it alone with her beloved boss.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />So this was the easy path. It was easy because the path was soil, gravel and leaves and some medium-sized rocks, and it was less steep as compared to the ‘difficult route’ Just that this part entailed some path-searching on the trekker’s part.<br /><br /><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Black And White Picture; font-size: large;">3 hours into our trek.</span> And we came to a sign that pointed ‘Baegundae 0.9km’. Wah, siao ah! We are almost there liao! Little did we know this was where the difficult part started. Much later when we looked back at the fateful map that the ranger gave us, this part would be a part that would be marked ‘advanced’. But I guess we had no choice because leading up to the peak was this way. <br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="537" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l007b8D-TOg" width="647" youtube-src-id="l007b8D-TOg"></iframe></div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“I would die die pull all of you up one!”</span> I was determined to make sure every lady reached the peak.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /><br />Serene and Gina were climbing strongly. At several points we lost sight of them and even calling out to them received no replies. Kat was slowing down in her pace, especially after having to cross some fallen logs and walk up some more rocky steps. By this time, Serene and I were down to just T-shirts and trekking pants. And Kat was only wearing her Addidas outer layer with a single T-shirt inside. Gina, the one who was most cold intolerant, was still in her full layers, much like all the other Koreans who piled on their layers even in such warm weather. Amazing, they were.<br /><br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Koreans hor… they have a saying,”</span> explained Kat. <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“No matter what, they have to cover their necks with shawls, and bundle up their feet warmly.. Because when they keep these parts warm, they will keep their bodies well-protected.” </span>No wonder.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /><br /><br /><b style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">水</span><span style="color: #ea9999;">來</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">土</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">淹</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">.</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">.</span><span style="color: #ead1dc;">.</span></b><br /><br /></div><div>Very soon, the path turned into boulders with steel ropes on the cliff side. We literally started climbing up the boulders by pulling on the steel ropes.<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwryFUwDuHhSWoN0_6TD0FS8-TOGIqZp3VRN0-jome_L7AATnYzTccRF13nULms-vsHgJrmaAaaDEDA6xsvmrr-6IyDjBhVudFApCdXAnKTmeflqyxuJ-UWVY62-hb0hn1_u-rRzr590667aUK0o-Xe4g_XW6XBmYWVzGeYf_y6HcZ9adoLz5QRzpW/s4032/IMG_5042.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwryFUwDuHhSWoN0_6TD0FS8-TOGIqZp3VRN0-jome_L7AATnYzTccRF13nULms-vsHgJrmaAaaDEDA6xsvmrr-6IyDjBhVudFApCdXAnKTmeflqyxuJ-UWVY62-hb0hn1_u-rRzr590667aUK0o-Xe4g_XW6XBmYWVzGeYf_y6HcZ9adoLz5QRzpW/w640-h480/IMG_5042.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Wah luckily got the steel ropes ah,”</span> complained Serene. <span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“If not hor… I am sure cannot climb up one.”</span> And she was absolutely correct.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Black And White Picture; font-size: large;">3 hours 20 minutes already.</span> After a more challenging part of hands and feet coordination, we arrived at a cliff side. Looking up we saw two peaks in the distance. One of which had a Korean flag, flapping right on top…<br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“The white white parts leading up to the peak are just steps only right?” </span>asked Gina innocently, because she believed that if those were steps she would be ok. </div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />I looked at her…. And nodded. It was best to give her hope rather than to deflate this lovely lady’s enthusiasm now, so close to the top.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-PPZ0CmglrVb4mRLOpjsF-AtDc9uRfzsEORpy-b71ZmedbWV3Q3JYtHQojgQDaGzGZ5kZ7DvTIZuLLDejlGakrJQTRl6Nne9mvvFGekp2dFB_-yib7hvvd7VzYLUf9MR9v0CznuMZ2ErbdFVswDlzAF1FXnL6ZDduB5r93glLKx54p-4g2V6Dkzm/s4032/IMG_5050.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-PPZ0CmglrVb4mRLOpjsF-AtDc9uRfzsEORpy-b71ZmedbWV3Q3JYtHQojgQDaGzGZ5kZ7DvTIZuLLDejlGakrJQTRl6Nne9mvvFGekp2dFB_-yib7hvvd7VzYLUf9MR9v0CznuMZ2ErbdFVswDlzAF1FXnL6ZDduB5r93glLKx54p-4g2V6Dkzm/w480-h640/IMG_5050.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There. The 'Jelly' peak. That's where we all will arrive at.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><b style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">眼</span><span style="color: #ea9999;">下</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">山</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">峰</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">.</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">.</span><span style="color: #ead1dc;">.</span></b></div></div><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Wah lau eh.. My legs jelly liao… “</span> mumbled Kat, who caught that near-fatal glimpse of the Baegundae peak. </div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />Yeah.. I knew she was quite jelly by now. But hey.. We were not far already. Just gotta keep going <br />Encouragingly our Ajumma Serene was quite the mountain goat, as she urged the ladies on, and she did good time and climbed strongly. Her fashion boots were doing her well, and her legs were holding well, The runs and the stair-climbings really trained her up well for the climb.<br />And suddenly the world opened up and we were at the last stretch. There was a queue of climbers some going up and some coming down, and they were literally pulling themselves up the steel ropes that had become the omnipresent safety features on this last leg.<br />Kat sat down on a rock by the side of the trail while waiting for the crowd in front to clear.<br /></div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Wah that dog there.. There.. Very cute leh!”</span> she cried out, and refused to move. <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">少来哦,屁呀,阿猫!</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />Haha.. this Kat ah.. All kinds of excuses started to come out liao.. We were simply so close already. Die die must get up to the peak. Somehow, we managed to push her up and continue that half pull, half step up climbs, hands all holding tightly to the steel ropes, all on boulders with some shallow steps carved into the face of the rocks. Some parts where slippery and even the Koreans coming down called out to their members to be careful. <span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“아, 조심해… 미끄러워요!” (ah, careful… slippery!)</span></div><div><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: black; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">全</span><span style="color: #ea9999;">力</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">冲</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">刺</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">.</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">.</span><span style="color: #ead1dc;">.</span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNiX7h99HUvSPHLJ1XQ5SVDPCLoAnccs4wxjDAAt0qbrpD_95Uwj5T5aHtoJxIBlud3CPfZBJL0Z5XTrVuHwIA3Qrz2BqFgqEQKsq8cdyjmLD2FI8r5zDpUTwocev00Qf9X5TGxUwnSpidb0wSqa73RuXPNNd5zfQm8MJ2ujnuD9ubxumct2d1VN6/s4032/IMG_5074.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNiX7h99HUvSPHLJ1XQ5SVDPCLoAnccs4wxjDAAt0qbrpD_95Uwj5T5aHtoJxIBlud3CPfZBJL0Z5XTrVuHwIA3Qrz2BqFgqEQKsq8cdyjmLD2FI8r5zDpUTwocev00Qf9X5TGxUwnSpidb0wSqa73RuXPNNd5zfQm8MJ2ujnuD9ubxumct2d1VN6/w640-h480/IMG_5074.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last push.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Black And White Picture; font-size: large;">4 hours gone by. </span> Yupe. Exactly 4 hours. We arrived at the 836m Baegundae peak and took photos with the Korean flag and the 白云台 boulder. It was such a wonderful accomplishment, especially for Kat and Gina. I was very heartened to see the smiles on all the ladies’ faces.<br /><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsD0Tx1yYH86g0ipajSiE513wYnLStbPN0056ZMokBiSkRuVdEXHB_qII-CHMeDy6tZUg9z0hxBajivBzLNSaN-F8Aj-P-bZ1gNDIO5UkqxMUf7nshTbJbJ33xbjXd4LV48phPZ8XxmT7MVGV5i0vUoUqkBMbK_9xCbd57OYtwbN4QIpjcCim2s87u/s4032/IMG_5076.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsD0Tx1yYH86g0ipajSiE513wYnLStbPN0056ZMokBiSkRuVdEXHB_qII-CHMeDy6tZUg9z0hxBajivBzLNSaN-F8Aj-P-bZ1gNDIO5UkqxMUf7nshTbJbJ33xbjXd4LV48phPZ8XxmT7MVGV5i0vUoUqkBMbK_9xCbd57OYtwbN4QIpjcCim2s87u/w640-h480/IMG_5076.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OK queue up!</td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“</span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">你们带我们上山,会</span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">stress </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">吗?</span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">”</span> a few days after we returned to Singapore, Kat would ask us this question. </div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“No </span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">lah</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">, 才不会 </span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">stress</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"> 呢“ </span>rightfully replied Serene.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />Serene was correct. It wasn’t stressful. Why? Because Korean’s trekking condition was well-developed. The safety awareness among the Koreans was high. And I believed the mountain rangers looking after the area were well-trained and well-equiped for any emergencies. And, Bukhansan was just a day climb. It was definitely not easy, for sure. But it was surmountable. And for myself, the most important reason why it wasn’t stressful for me was, I knew these ladies would do well. Even if weeks before our trip, Kat mumbled at work: <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">“没事儿,最多上不了就停在一半不爬 lor…” </span>I was still confident that she would successfully summit the peak, despite her not training before the trip. Looking back, actually Kat would have little choice but to continue climbing. 因为,上到这里,很难说停在一半的啦。在没有山路的山腰那部分,在布满乱石钢线的登峰前那部分,要说停在那里,难上加难啦。</div></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">事后,当 Kat 回想起当时的心情,她还一直说:<span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“我还是真的是咬紧牙根上山的,只欠咬舌而已 hor…”</span> 哈哈哈...</div></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GF_rgJZw1PEW3VHP4l2VZRvimWEliiydsSGwtfe5OASF22IfmYaBQwa2uK2tOfIkrr42vWC2pKaB6tFo_1oo8nKsbL4u9lLGvPVczD58Z5g22n_t2Vj_6AG09IEMHw7YMlvZl2o-D3OV3cpvWuVwDpzJK8qMnaAKwJw7QMG6hIjIGGzrMtocGZuI/s3079/8B6C4247-A8BE-4785-968D-5953DE4292C1.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3079" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GF_rgJZw1PEW3VHP4l2VZRvimWEliiydsSGwtfe5OASF22IfmYaBQwa2uK2tOfIkrr42vWC2pKaB6tFo_1oo8nKsbL4u9lLGvPVczD58Z5g22n_t2Vj_6AG09IEMHw7YMlvZl2o-D3OV3cpvWuVwDpzJK8qMnaAKwJw7QMG6hIjIGGzrMtocGZuI/w624-h640/8B6C4247-A8BE-4785-968D-5953DE4292C1.jpeg" width="624" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />By this time, our water supply has run dangerously low. We underestimated the condition and each of us only had 500ml of water. <br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“I am sure they got sell water at the peak one right?” </span>assumed Gina. </div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />And how on earth would there be a canteen or restaurant up here at the peak 836m with nothing but winds and steep rocks to sell water?! This was not Mount Faber back at home leh! Hahaha… But we had a small pack of spicy Bakkwa and we just took one piece each to fortify ourselves, in addition to Gina’s Choco-balls. Not bad lah. These sustained us. <br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“How nice if we had Kit Kats to eat here,”</span> mumbled Gina. <span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“But it was really lucky I ate so much for breakfast! Otherwise I would have been hungry.”</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />The Koreans, young and old, were truly adapt to the mountain rocks. We quietly watched and were impressed by how naturally they leapt from one big rock to another with such sure-footedness, to the extent that they would end up just right at the cliff, standing dangerously on one last boulder, either silently enjoying their well-deserved own space, or taking an instagram-worthy selfie. Around us, the trekkers were seated, enjoying the warmth the afternoon sun brings, and eating and drinking. So that was life for the locals. I wondered if I would do the same had I been one of them. As the colour started coming back to Kat’s face, we were ready to descend. And this was when Kat started to shine. With her well-developed calf muscles, she and Gina started to jump rock to rock down the descending trail.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LAri7EStdqoGrQeQhxOdioOBt1jzTAp4A72DtK6O_0FN0Qi6zZCigkOvPKt4k9k_Sb5EYQPg9L_yuQOMbLshWvupxRfim_ARyhW6JmJhHPHmqYA-DyqLhsjXgwZ_OgJzDnIea6rysCp-G5kJrkSsjYWDHakv9etnUc7BcOPt5sM91B57LFGMDOkr/s4032/IMG_5095.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LAri7EStdqoGrQeQhxOdioOBt1jzTAp4A72DtK6O_0FN0Qi6zZCigkOvPKt4k9k_Sb5EYQPg9L_yuQOMbLshWvupxRfim_ARyhW6JmJhHPHmqYA-DyqLhsjXgwZ_OgJzDnIea6rysCp-G5kJrkSsjYWDHakv9etnUc7BcOPt5sM91B57LFGMDOkr/w640-h480/IMG_5095.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“OK we take the faster route down hor, the 3.8km one,” </span>decided Gina. Well I was happy whichever route the ladies chose, as long as they accomplished the peak, I was very happy to have Gina dictate the route of descent. My job was done. As it turned out, this 3.8km ‘faster’ descending route was the ‘Difficult’ but shorter route which that young baby-carrying couple ascended via, earlier.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />As Kat and Gina discovered the wind in their legs and very quickly bounced from rock to rock down the steeper descending track, often following ‘Elephants’ of groups of local Kroeans quickly descending, I fell back to walk slowly with Serene, who was starting to suffer because the shoes she was wearing was not really proper trekking shoes and her toes were in cramps, resulting in thigh cramps and knee pain. Poor thing, this Serene. As we descended, every step was an agony until she had to use me as her walking stick, while Kat and Gina disappeared way in front.<br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“I trekked so many times already, this is the only time I feel so much pain in my thighs, knees and especially my toes!”</span> kao-beh the suffering Ajumma. </div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />A very helpful group of trekking Ajussis and Ajumma walked past us.<br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvGxVjrFbhWfOMahRO7tNTcQ2ojcVos4UGNJ2xZGToXXyo_uy7k5reTFSAU1Co1Z7NlFj91-LdwgNp5We7TTmzBUBbOJvHkY4isaXIMY6es2UoPQhhkOXiJCQ1ZHzN4SkjkErlq4nkcRH7d-m5JwnvwCPbQ7T3XMtjhiKJgmFQYRCtITyjVNiXLUN/s4032/IMG_5120.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvGxVjrFbhWfOMahRO7tNTcQ2ojcVos4UGNJ2xZGToXXyo_uy7k5reTFSAU1Co1Z7NlFj91-LdwgNp5We7TTmzBUBbOJvHkY4isaXIMY6es2UoPQhhkOXiJCQ1ZHzN4SkjkErlq4nkcRH7d-m5JwnvwCPbQ7T3XMtjhiKJgmFQYRCtITyjVNiXLUN/w640-h480/IMG_5120.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“아, 이분은 많이 다친 것 같아요. (Oh, she looks like she is badly injured)”</span> the leading Ajussi of the group said, and quickly got to Serene’s side, kneel down, opened up his pack and sprayed Korean salonpas-like cooling spray on her knees and calves. Oh that was sooooo helpful! And I was so impressed by their civil-ness.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“아, 그 신발이 안되는데요! (Ah, this pair of shoes cannot)”</span> the Ajumma behind him said. And she was correct.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />As Serene struggled on painfully here, somewhere in front, our Gina also painfully landed on her buttock when she slipped on a rock surface and bruised her fleshy gluteus. Luckily she was also not badly injured.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZM4nt1zqnKue_U7lEqhQmd0LpKeoaqt9G18O15kyY9C7Akg0suRFK_PXHY2Fuj2OR6O5t-VnbGFg-dB_qqKF6B85Mk6oXw5wzlQbJJbe9Fi4MpoFUoupEsPvyAVRyOjttyYgUZFGe_0jxKab9KqQP01AZSwz60MvfkUQlD8apkt9SbbqKzC3B8qI/s4032/IMG_5122.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZM4nt1zqnKue_U7lEqhQmd0LpKeoaqt9G18O15kyY9C7Akg0suRFK_PXHY2Fuj2OR6O5t-VnbGFg-dB_qqKF6B85Mk6oXw5wzlQbJJbe9Fi4MpoFUoupEsPvyAVRyOjttyYgUZFGe_0jxKab9KqQP01AZSwz60MvfkUQlD8apkt9SbbqKzC3B8qI/w640-h480/IMG_5122.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The track down took us 2 hours. As we approached the end of the track and the clock struck 5pm, the sun began to set, and we were eagerly looking for flat paths to bring an end to our poor Serene’s suffering. <br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Kat,Gina… </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">你们前面看到平路的话,请说哦!</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">”</span> I called out to them.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“放心,我们看到平路的话,我们会欢呼的!” </span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />Haha.. jiaklat. This was the only time I was a little worried because the last thing we wanted was to be trekking in the dark, because here in the mountains, there was no lights no nothing and the rocky tracks would be near impossible to walk for foreigners like us in pitch black.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVWNaNcn_q9tW6NHdSpHqA0Kor-G5ZaLpB_ZRqsIbBFqqAsTp4Mu06PBOooRPGB_bUBYwVqRs-I9trBh0FGW1pmQcSI2YvkC8DAD3jSokRAVKevc7b3Pw0QcpIFfytsdECb2CoJrwnZRVWXWM5BE07aAxjYW4_bCHY0nBAtOF-eN_KiB-FBGd-2EU/s4032/IMG_5124.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVWNaNcn_q9tW6NHdSpHqA0Kor-G5ZaLpB_ZRqsIbBFqqAsTp4Mu06PBOooRPGB_bUBYwVqRs-I9trBh0FGW1pmQcSI2YvkC8DAD3jSokRAVKevc7b3Pw0QcpIFfytsdECb2CoJrwnZRVWXWM5BE07aAxjYW4_bCHY0nBAtOF-eN_KiB-FBGd-2EU/w640-h480/IMG_5124.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Black And White Picture; font-size: large;">But thankfully, the moment the clock struck 5:10pm,</span> was the moment that saw us hitting the bottom and finally flat ground. <br /><br />The weather was surprisingly cold and we all started to pile our cold wears back on, although it registered a single-digit 7 degrees. By the time we walked down to the little neighbourhood, most shops were closed, and there was only a couple of<a href="https://lh3.google.com/pw/AL9nZEVxl-QaMYGURDmoU9j9FYk8ku4QsQO3-C_nvJve7B0qEQq5MoUNItBpPKyytwNfjLcwqEKrQEHNEBXf5UgDK3hGXESuGw=w1912-h929-no?authuser=0" target="_blank"> restaurants left open</a>, from where we hungrilly <a href="https://lh3.google.com/pw/AL9nZEWG6wOM37MzNEwh_qSrEzyiDgZcABbtBW4SNpniCPjwNBYXTDySnsAPr1lL8cQ_iCL9sWQzPa7R5_dJ0ok_gC3pAXz_5Q=w1912-h929-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">grabbed</a> a <a href="https://lh3.google.com/pw/AL9nZEXUFS3zqm3tE38YTjzomvEvEqPLXXXw-SsJh-CmIFYzsRZsbqD9B6N_vzGeYULb4kDoJcONnXzZ4cjVI6ddUgcGkPz91w=w452-h929-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">Tonkatsu dinner</a> and da-baoed a whole-fried chicken back to our Hanok.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0srwipsb29AGq4XbH1mhML6L53rAIWoRuzh1IC-faXst7gI5nxKnAezNCDqXNOkFRoKrgAa0OQpHH5_H7Yt2gtxrU9sjI8Gbjyhu2WGbINXdOtLGeXPSNsEceW6UPHHEogIZk89_5OKK5NAWedB-TBiav8vKS-6l4QVMEVOr9b2wOHQWcxAYYEU9/s4032/IMG_5131.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0srwipsb29AGq4XbH1mhML6L53rAIWoRuzh1IC-faXst7gI5nxKnAezNCDqXNOkFRoKrgAa0OQpHH5_H7Yt2gtxrU9sjI8Gbjyhu2WGbINXdOtLGeXPSNsEceW6UPHHEogIZk89_5OKK5NAWedB-TBiav8vKS-6l4QVMEVOr9b2wOHQWcxAYYEU9/w640-h480/IMG_5131.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">Our Bukhansan Climbing map...</span></b></div>Here is the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuiVbpPR0I3gWfdGb7bZNTVWiKGd88yuX3j4rBPJd1LRLCHrARIAjM0VJMewAJLF-DxgDrJ3cvmzqUh5KhQiRKkzAo_dpBLe6SNtiyYwaiTAcphyRRLDZ0ZRzt2BWSndauVr0OvClrfUg/w672-h947-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">map of the memorable climb</a> - Kat and Gina's first attempt at climbing anything close to being called a mountain, and Serene and my first sojourn into the Korean mountains of more mentionable altitude. Was it difficult? It was not simple. The information centre ranger expected us to do a 3 hours up, we did a 4 hours. Our descent downwards took not much more than 2 hours. Which was significant, in view of Serene's severe toe and knee suffering. Can anyone do it? Yes, after this climb, I dare say most people will be able to do it, except perhaps my 78, 79-year-old parents.</div><div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHC2xVsjzRy7VqYEh0M5d1GEIgCTyxVK16PyJ-PnfJEw5DajfItlxZ9ImM6g_cfuDkWgLFybHwOyaKCP6QHfDnqQAcl6YCVAu12Fj3qbk8eyZV9NVSVM0EzUa-TUBJDBWyJdjbffAZANPTUH0c_74pfDx1UzTj3LJEau43YhqnRVcL4OeLWVVZh2JX/s2007/CFC2519A-D3BF-4C07-8D38-051CBEA5BFC5.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="2007" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHC2xVsjzRy7VqYEh0M5d1GEIgCTyxVK16PyJ-PnfJEw5DajfItlxZ9ImM6g_cfuDkWgLFybHwOyaKCP6QHfDnqQAcl6YCVAu12Fj3qbk8eyZV9NVSVM0EzUa-TUBJDBWyJdjbffAZANPTUH0c_74pfDx1UzTj3LJEau43YhqnRVcL4OeLWVVZh2JX/s16000/CFC2519A-D3BF-4C07-8D38-051CBEA5BFC5.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>What a day. I found very very enjoyable how the ladies ended the night by sitting outside on the ledge of the Hanok like true blue Koreans, dranks soju and beer and enjoyed our very delicious fried chicken as supper, all nicely showered, changed and quietly feeling the mood of the moment. We even had a chance to chit chat with a Singaporean couple who just arrived at the Hanok that evening and talked to the husband who was going to climb up Inwangsan (338m) later that week.</div><div><br /><span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mpSI0EKRrh8-svjTGoEAUYQM1Wa7UhXvVnHeSqiM5YOAvUR1IUf3mIm5V9dAKEPqFOD_DgJ0l3Iwhdt0so1U5sQkOm8LC_fUzbYzLs0xMpVKpd2rigJ5fqFL56YVMtPC7Xt5MJ2nMKNXf6Ctoy47OfYYGNFECSciZ1MVk3MAxig8ZBkzx5aHryXv/s720/FL_20221110_0375.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mpSI0EKRrh8-svjTGoEAUYQM1Wa7UhXvVnHeSqiM5YOAvUR1IUf3mIm5V9dAKEPqFOD_DgJ0l3Iwhdt0so1U5sQkOm8LC_fUzbYzLs0xMpVKpd2rigJ5fqFL56YVMtPC7Xt5MJ2nMKNXf6Ctoy47OfYYGNFECSciZ1MVk3MAxig8ZBkzx5aHryXv/w640-h480/FL_20221110_0375.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Table </b></span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span><b>of Content</b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-weight: bold;">目錄</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 1">Day 1 </a></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Gai gai in Bukchon </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北村</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> and Insadong </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">仁寺洞</span></span></b></span></span><br /></span></div></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 2">Day 2 </a></b><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Conquering the Bukhansan </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北漢山</span></span></b></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3</span></a></b> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Beauty Day </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江南</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">: Botox, Skin-whitening, massage </span></span></b></span></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 4"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 4 </span></a></b><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Jeongdongjin </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">正東津</span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> and Glamping in Gangreung </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市</span></span></b></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 5"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 5 </span></a></b><span style="color: #ead1dc;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市沙川面 </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Lighthouses & sandy beach!</span></b></span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 6">Day 6</a></b> <b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Oh what a long day: </span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">廣長市場</span><span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">, 弘大,</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">eyebrow</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">,漢江</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> rainbow fountain & a lovely dinner...</span></span></span></b></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 7">Day 7 </a></b><b><span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">I cannot believe how the girls walk in order to shop!</span></span></b></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 8">Day 8</a></b> <span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Bye Bye... Annyeong!</span></b></span></div></span></span><div><span><br /></span></div><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ff9900; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day 3">Day 3</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">【20 October 2022】</span></p><div><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWjMdpId60w21vi81TVKkF2tJe0V3MXNmgYvz7XWX5CFP1ZkggOhRdIaUHuptNcymmkcQ2etLwXXUXuAI4SN-hAhWu8VDtlxkdBYjwibVRA8bziVJqPvbMZi_MYqMrnXh43ISztL4lCXzVcvnqWKSqP11s_6vtzUpPVrXhY04eHOJ9WRkeS7u-Qen/s2707/176561E7-BD96-42DD-8E47-6C106E73F955.jpeg" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2707" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWjMdpId60w21vi81TVKkF2tJe0V3MXNmgYvz7XWX5CFP1ZkggOhRdIaUHuptNcymmkcQ2etLwXXUXuAI4SN-hAhWu8VDtlxkdBYjwibVRA8bziVJqPvbMZi_MYqMrnXh43ISztL4lCXzVcvnqWKSqP11s_6vtzUpPVrXhY04eHOJ9WRkeS7u-Qen/w640-h266/176561E7-BD96-42DD-8E47-6C106E73F955.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><div><span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div>漫步北村</span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Poor Story; font-size: medium;">The evening before I already told the Hanok SaJangNim that we would not be eating his breakfast, so that we could take our time to wake up and walk slowly to have a nice coffee breakfast. Bukchon was not huge, but hiding in many small alleys were flavourful old houses of old Joseon period. Walking through the streets, especially along the higher hills of Bukchon, I have always loved being immersed in it.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">自從不知何時,我開始喜歡在這些帶有點古色古香的小巷裏頭慢慢地走。尤其是當天起開始轉涼時,或者已經是進入冬天的時候,我格外地喜歡。我經常説,走在北村韓屋鄰里地區,真的可以置身於朝鮮時代的那一種氣氛,並可以回顧韓國古裝片的情景。話是</span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">這</span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">麽說,但是最終嘛,還是自己喜歡感受這帶有歷史的景色。或許可以這麽説,有朝一日,當中國再度開起來的時候,我們有機會回去游中國的話,我深信一定也很喜歡中國的村莊,北京的四合院和胡同。</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">前一天熬了一整天登山,今天我們四個人拖著疲憊酸疼的身子,把行李給置放在韓屋的院子,就慢慢地走上北村。看一看北村的鄰里肉店,老式雜貨店,街邊二手衣攤子,再悠悠地走上韓國典型的斜坡,眼簾盡收著韓國獨特的建築。沒想到,與我們一同游北村的本地人還挺多的呢。還有路上做晨運的 Halmeoni,去市場買菜的。即使北村是一個非常受歡迎的旅游地,住在這北村裏面的本地人,還是過生活過得很平常。</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="552" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fPanhh3_9AA" width="665" youtube-src-id="fPanhh3_9AA"></iframe></div><p></p></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">我一邊走,一邊問三位美女:</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“要是送給你這一閒韓屋讓你住,你要不要?”</span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">縂概括答案是:</span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">”要。會住。只是別讓這間韓屋高高地在山坡上,不然會走死人啦。“</span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“少來啦!你們看一看,在韓劇裏面的老奶奶,老 Ajumma 全部都是提著重重的包囊爬上走下的,不是嗎?其實在現實生活裏,你們看,前面的老人家還不是一樣?“</span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">哈哈,埋怨胡同裏步行路陡斜是埋怨,最終,我還是同樣一種心情,倘若能春夏秋冬四季,生活在韓屋裏,讓自己悠游自在地看書,學習,練字,看韓劇,吃我老婆煮給我的飯,每天有規律性的在鄰里走步跑步運動運動,偶爾跟老婆登一登山,再有,每周有閑暇時間時,就上街去‘街街’一下;到了冬天滿街白雪時分,慢慢地牽著老婆的手,以緩慢的步伐,步上這北村斜坡,何嘗不是樂事?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">”嘿,這間 <b>EIDYA Coffee</b> 你們沒去吃過?“</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">我問 Kat 和 Gina。</span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">”沒有嘞。“</span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">”哈!嗨呀,你們真是的! 這間 <b>EDIYA</b> 在韓國挺出名的。<b>Ka Ja</b>!"</span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNAmnlK8hBRmZiz3v95QwB9pouh4EkpiXzOqLQVYkIBA7BMCD6F3b7_kX_15vViM2yP726Vc1wnJVgfatvUI0uVZv_MLbOh5xaWPY3ztkPxXKVXoMFmMVT8qgNz_X1d5IDfkUK05H2wHQZMPWlwhNvWMp-p7eYydTtuJTqYiNzu8piW3Sl3-5kxXDS/s720/FL_20221111_0378.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNAmnlK8hBRmZiz3v95QwB9pouh4EkpiXzOqLQVYkIBA7BMCD6F3b7_kX_15vViM2yP726Vc1wnJVgfatvUI0uVZv_MLbOh5xaWPY3ztkPxXKVXoMFmMVT8qgNz_X1d5IDfkUK05H2wHQZMPWlwhNvWMp-p7eYydTtuJTqYiNzu8piW3Sl3-5kxXDS/s16000/FL_20221111_0378.GIF" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">我還記得,虹雲整天吩咐我們。説到了韓國一定得去咖啡屋 hopping. </span></p></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;">“這個虹雲哦,她真的是很喜歡去 Cafe 喝咖啡的。“</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> Kat 也是這麽説。</span></span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: x-large;">”我喜歡吃 Croissant 和 Waffle。“</span><span style="font-size: medium;">嚷著 Serene。</span></span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgms6ro2-_JvoH_Pu8cMbUCk3_TZ4j5mx_OmOckk2LWm2rta3913iaz_ZQrLb_EQj63dSl9pYl0aDZZRpI0Pnjcbp8itzn4z490-w6kojL4vkT23eF-R5eLBwkA-vlypWBo0S3iZLM2-XeSm3VSkhiYsAGDdqDO3LC4ZawawJPHJMmRFlZCjeqk-EcL/s720/FL_20221111_0376.GIF" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgms6ro2-_JvoH_Pu8cMbUCk3_TZ4j5mx_OmOckk2LWm2rta3913iaz_ZQrLb_EQj63dSl9pYl0aDZZRpI0Pnjcbp8itzn4z490-w6kojL4vkT23eF-R5eLBwkA-vlypWBo0S3iZLM2-XeSm3VSkhiYsAGDdqDO3LC4ZawawJPHJMmRFlZCjeqk-EcL/s16000/FL_20221111_0376.GIF" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">俊男美女眉毛特写-Before...</td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">結果,在北村小巷裏的一間自拍相館裏我們還真的玩了一頓拍 We-fie。 雖然敘述的這一天是10月20日,我們回國後,在10月29日晚上,于韓國梨泰院發生的萬聖節群衆擠壓踐死事件過後,凡是跟紅毛人 Halloween 萬聖節有關聯的事情,想起來都心有餘悸,當時我們自拍時,還沒有 Halloween的陰影,所以阿 Kat 也選了一副萬聖節為主題的照片,與我們的拍照道具,大夥兒也玩鬧得很開心。</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><br /></span></p></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;">”呵,你們看。現在一大清早,這間自拍相館裏完全沒顧客,還不快點進來拍?“</span><span style="font-size: medium;">Kat 説的也很有道理。</span></span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">所以兩萬元,選了四張不同的姿勢表情,因了四張。開心壞了!我也還記得,去年冬天時,我跟Serene一起來北村時,也是同樣地拍了自拍,好當作紀念。</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;">”我相信,遲早這種(有主題的)自拍箱管,在新加坡會流行起來,“</span><span style="font-size: medium;">Kat很有信心地說。</span></span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpimwnczbOlWAnxglZ2SnW34p4Y25MnY4bp0r1FTCtHgNm142Wu2nvziZvl5UgSfXFb3OsmRF4VrkVG-il729o2lPHn17A6zrWjJ2LAu2-vCEApmncjN9RY2pVZ5ijLTVIMkIoBC6Pr_VX_UYQ0ooNDUnTzcDehutPyL6zH9qGcktGuMHKMCe6Viqu/s900/Scan%2026%20Oct%202022%20at%2015.49%202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpimwnczbOlWAnxglZ2SnW34p4Y25MnY4bp0r1FTCtHgNm142Wu2nvziZvl5UgSfXFb3OsmRF4VrkVG-il729o2lPHn17A6zrWjJ2LAu2-vCEApmncjN9RY2pVZ5ijLTVIMkIoBC6Pr_VX_UYQ0ooNDUnTzcDehutPyL6zH9qGcktGuMHKMCe6Viqu/s16000/Scan%2026%20Oct%202022%20at%2015.49%202.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><p></p><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: large;">也是有道理。因爲年輕人的喜好會漸漸地跨國跨境地互相影響的。 </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">也剛巧在北村散步時,我們來到一間很 cute 的韓國襪子店。買10雙襪子送一雙。Design 也很漂亮。挺好玩的,我們一夥人也選了好多雙,我也買了上班用的襪子- 有很 cute 很 cute 的笑脸呢!</span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">”我们大家 hor 昨天登山登到腳痛,我們別搭地鐵了。我叫兩輛的士到明洞的旅館吧。“</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"> 我看著Gina她走北村時唉呀唉呀一直嚷著大腿痛,我想要是我們搭地鐵的話,我們四個人一定會痛死了。</span></span></p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">KakaoT 這個非常好用的 Taxi App 確實是太容易使了。甚至連阿 Kat 擔心無法做到的-同時預訂兩輛的士-它都能行得通!唯一行不通的,是我的韓語。阿 Kat和阿 Gina 兩人乘搭的那一輛的士,的士司機找不到目的地,打電話給我的時候,我根本聽不懂他說的話。死伯吃力!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">我們從明洞旅館到江南區水西洞的地下鐵,也是55分鐘左右。</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><div><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">美男美女江南行</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">我還記得,當初在計劃此行時,不知道是阿 Kat還是阿 Gina,或者也可能是她們兩個東西,嚷著說來到韓國一定得做臉,一定要打美白注射。也是,在2018年她們三位美女自己來到韓國的時候,也在江南 Gangnam 玩了一次美容。</span></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“老闆,你也就趁這個機會,再次紋一紋你的眉毛吧!”</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">既然阿 Kat 這麽建議,我就讓金萬衆介紹他女朋友的姐姐自己開的紋眉店。</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span> </span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5oY3wEDmgirZuLIr3z-x5ehSYOraVNlMxvsJZ4xVhHG22RpC1jyWbTunDfv4XZyI7nJOxNRdI7AW1JZA8OzBZ8peWD5AdYJSwEbgCm_IU0u9p4hfEHC7UNKZSNcOCEVKdXdZ6ROQ1OWIuAHByCOnHcxu_ilpuAQBlPa3FaqM4inK1BsVzQ4oYfTzw/s4032/IMG_5158.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5oY3wEDmgirZuLIr3z-x5ehSYOraVNlMxvsJZ4xVhHG22RpC1jyWbTunDfv4XZyI7nJOxNRdI7AW1JZA8OzBZ8peWD5AdYJSwEbgCm_IU0u9p4hfEHC7UNKZSNcOCEVKdXdZ6ROQ1OWIuAHByCOnHcxu_ilpuAQBlPa3FaqM4inK1BsVzQ4oYfTzw/w480-h640/IMG_5158.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">水西站旁边的不知什么名字的建筑物</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">阿Kat 也真的是計劃專門家。就定了這第三天為休閑美容日。Kat 和 Gina 4年前去的那建美容醫院已經不在了(托Covid的福)。幸好 Gina 在吉隆坡光顧的美容醫院 Ozhean 在首爾江南的本店很容易抵達。再加上 Gina 吉隆坡分店的韓國社長非常樂意地為我們三人預了做美容的約,所以一切也算進行得很順利。</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">“這個韓國 </span><span style="font-family: Gamja Flower;"><span style="color: #d9ead3;">Ozhean</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> </span></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">的本店,哇他們打 </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Gamja Flower;">Botox</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> 和注射美白的價錢比吉隆坡還來得便宜嘞!以 </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Gamja Flower;">Xeomin</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> 來打</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Gamja Flower;">Botox</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> 額頭才馬幣550(</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">新幣$150).</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">下巴 </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Gamja Flower;">Botox</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> 馬幣1000(新幣$300).打美白注射呢馬幣400-500(新幣$119- $150)"</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">Gina 非常興奮地說。Ok啦,就</span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">這</span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">麼办!</span></span></div></blockquote><div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">結果這間在江南區水西洞水西地鐵站隔壁的 </span><a href="https://place.map.kakao.com/445752107" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: x-large;">Ozhean Aesthetic Clinic</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"> </span></a></span><a href="https://place.map.kakao.com/445752107" style="font-size: large;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Poor Story;">오체안피부과의원 강남본점</span></a><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"> 很容易地找得到。</span></span></div><div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">一踏入這間位於二樓的Ozhean 皮膚美容院,我也感到很驚訝,老爺爺,老阿伯,老阿嬸,年輕男女,各種各樣的顧客都是。在我們坐著等著的一段短短的時間內我們看見顧客連綿</span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">不斷地</span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">進出</span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">。很是人气十足的诊所。</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">죄송합니다, 영어로 말해줄 수 있어요? </span></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(對不起,可以說英語嗎 )”</span></span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">”</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">혹시, 원장님은 하실 수 있어요.</span></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">(或許,院長可以</span></span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">(讲英语)</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: medium;">吧 )</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: large;">” </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">服务员回我。</span></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTUqlx-o9xwqPDBx-W4mcJHF-RcxnAoSxesmGYk-4qC_xeIZ2yQ5gy73fSltYFMh09lXqXrLDDRZYl60birofzlI0eE8FdFJ_7_DRYHI0kgy7YquzHJ0G22SkbJ3VyZpYvMfxB4YHKxbeAMLSOMjgx021gVwsReCNtQsLdEa0DkZPUPeszBoo9tAQ/s720/FL_20221112_0380.GIF" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTUqlx-o9xwqPDBx-W4mcJHF-RcxnAoSxesmGYk-4qC_xeIZ2yQ5gy73fSltYFMh09lXqXrLDDRZYl60birofzlI0eE8FdFJ_7_DRYHI0kgy7YquzHJ0G22SkbJ3VyZpYvMfxB4YHKxbeAMLSOMjgx021gVwsReCNtQsLdEa0DkZPUPeszBoo9tAQ/s16000/FL_20221112_0380.GIF" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">当然要打啦!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span><br /><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: medium;">我早些時候和的士司機掙扎過後,發現了自己的韓語,離開能夠有效地溝通的程度,還遠得很。所以還是不要‘好練’,盡量用英語吧.. 哈哈哈哈</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: medium;">這裡服務的對象確確實實是本地人。沒旅客。無需講英語。也沒有精通英語的服務員和醫生來想我們這些外國人講解。甚至那位醫生本身跟我們講診的過程依然是以韓語進行的。她問什麼我也就 blur blur 地 aga aga 回答。</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">沒想到與醫生略略會談後,接下來服務員跟我們講解價錢時,我們才發現到價錢比</span><span style="font-family: Gamja Flower;">Gina</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">马来西亚分店的社长</span><span style="font-family: Gamja Flower;">quote</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">给她的,也比我們想像中的還來的更加更加優惠。</span><span style="font-family: Gamja Flower;">Botox</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> 額頭+眉間+眼角 = 250,000₩. 打美白注射+ </span><span style="font-family: Gamja Flower;">Botox</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> 瘦下巴 = 250,000₩.我看这应该真的是本地人价格了。</span></span></b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Gamja Flower;">No horse run one.</span></span><br /><br /></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;">“哇,比新加坡還來得便宜得多了,”</span><span style="font-size: medium;">我是不知道。但是這兩位美女般比較有經驗的。</span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;">”這裡比我們兩個人上一次四年前那間江南診所,還更便宜。“ </span></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">Kat</span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: large;">說.</span></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBaN3k2HHMOOqsBdYKTCSvQ-3UAnMbblwj18fTVC4j6GbjfAQdRJ7fC485yBbBBUNs6x25t2kay24HIfycdNmc70eu9SH0HoIGPxo3aoO_HEbyOgEGc6TFKQFYM89J4JwhmAFpeX1kyY9AeLTCzyR9OdvOIUk2bPuGN-Wu7sfP0mi6dZ40VAnYyeh/s720/FL_20221112_0381.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBaN3k2HHMOOqsBdYKTCSvQ-3UAnMbblwj18fTVC4j6GbjfAQdRJ7fC485yBbBBUNs6x25t2kay24HIfycdNmc70eu9SH0HoIGPxo3aoO_HEbyOgEGc6TFKQFYM89J4JwhmAFpeX1kyY9AeLTCzyR9OdvOIUk2bPuGN-Wu7sfP0mi6dZ40VAnYyeh/s16000/FL_20221112_0381.GIF" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;">“誒,阿華,你應該也一起來打吧!”</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> 不知阿Kat和阿Gina 怎麼樣拉拉扯扯地也就把 Serene 也一起拉進來打了。這個 Serene 也真是的。原本是不要打的,無端端又 Kena 成了牺牲品了。</span></span></div></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="577" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OYeKAYclV18" width="694" youtube-src-id="OYeKAYclV18"></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: center;">托Kat的福,她老人家拍了韩国医生跟我Botox的视频!</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div>這位女醫生的手法非常快非常熟练,注射的時候不怎麼痛。非常迅速地就了事,比本人巅峰期还来得纯熟。我算了算-額頭兩排每一排6支針,眉間5支針,眼角各5支針,每個人不到5分鐘就搞定了。</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDSLhzMrTTAoXb9b2TmXqBgM61BHqCo97VzccPy0G0uefMIknQa6kkw4Wm2paBMkqBwWPqk-8IXnSQfZjj6T1dTKrUJUa_MTuaIFh24MPucBBTzK8lrX2hX3O3XhxTqEXwTsSR5dgk7FG4JmiNuBUPCDKCHzN_mz_jfcx6V1WIrQmDxEttjZjSXdh/s4000/-1_orig.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDSLhzMrTTAoXb9b2TmXqBgM61BHqCo97VzccPy0G0uefMIknQa6kkw4Wm2paBMkqBwWPqk-8IXnSQfZjj6T1dTKrUJUa_MTuaIFh24MPucBBTzK8lrX2hX3O3XhxTqEXwTsSR5dgk7FG4JmiNuBUPCDKCHzN_mz_jfcx6V1WIrQmDxEttjZjSXdh/w640-h480/-1_orig.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Up down middle centre left right long-jong do...</td></tr></tbody></table><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: large;">At least I also got chance to take photo with <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/MJ_Rlk5QdClf-KpQJ6Q38S-gEDTSkjozIJhFXUW8Kn4ohQqXeYq0U68Sa_NncGMdeU7phaLbtX7NZ28u2RhK68ebBhE3XfGp43c7DEi88qUH_dDwvtugNBGqmzK7O-bbXmhwnIBAvi9zo631D5uxdYQpgBgdvAw9Rssil9fX7_7cEyzmjhO6cEdU-Jal5UK3iy9I5A1G1sQOptcW2KWKHEuBaea27dVS9Olx9bfjoezSvW5q3PMVy8Y2X9Q5y9nNYt4fFKE6_UTccmgfHOy0Mbgt94PieYAPKB-UUCEimEkakGEzVYqazQNBEBmu4NSXiHn3MjTz6gqZri9BrKog1M5n-rhsHFzoEz3gGSqvkoV-nxLiN2aV8oTRHt4qZ5I7SvqtQVgPAS-pfoXsqaM-8P5odkGhGhGshRghQFdvZPrM6ywR0RoUc6E7uP6-iHXZJOJDl_WDWVRa41f4C0lHZD5q3j7dpnJrVNEy6Ek8D__xfQYzTzqhEm6tRmjNi5P9PBXXUPPIA3YbpvuIXTMoI5bJpdlTSNQNTqSM_gKT16CYpYRfG09Lj3XIcT_nbLa_Cfzg_DZxRFgI-bMF-8AXklSfDrz4eXGId1ofe5BaI_frAtOi4KvB-yCOoLjujbV46el8N0aVFWIVROLJkSGoJH_n4fHl9pcHFsCAJp18j3NzbyfLdbVTwat3RkCOQegydtlPOHfcP_FtUGbLYo1YKe-it72MJgDuV89zy3LRTyJYF2EFVL8skqY-yQnzWxoZij8PoESd_zwmKo7ESZQAtkI0lyAcm19cAfcDCNFHUAiKZBXgjGNX56T6qoZhKvQ5PMfiAZmh1OaXlJG0WzNiBvn9q-LO2dOmwXQX0SpTsu7ofzzn8OQ_VVsoAdIor0VSwmC8YiscPiYmr-LfYsVNtPVnBRBJtumZov7qH866NRB2-kyLyw=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">one of my idols</a>!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: x-large;"><b>MCM 江南?</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: medium;">原來Gina也真是高檔的。她老遠來到首爾江南也是為了找尋這個MCM名牌專賣店裡的上班用的 lanyard 吊帶。皇天不負苦心人,MCM專賣店時找到了,可惜 lanyard 全國沒貨。我有機會跟著這些搞名牌的女性來逛一逛這些名牌店,确是讓我開眼界的一份榮幸。實說,我真的是與名牌貨沒什麼接觸。所以到現在還不知道什麼是MCM。</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAqPjALTi0sX-MgyJGkIzwJ7TGYWYrrZg-F7dEE4gF0WCiFP-gSXe2i7M8WZ8q7EbHjj6QOjOFuuPhtj8w1bqb2OLU56Ez22vgJ84K7c2vP0r5BkAR0F7_hKxhJpsSlt3jI9A9x1vxeZQ13wsFJ2t3Uc22AuYmM4-uwncUEExILrW8ooA37NdGk3k/s720/FL_20221112_0379.GIF" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAqPjALTi0sX-MgyJGkIzwJ7TGYWYrrZg-F7dEE4gF0WCiFP-gSXe2i7M8WZ8q7EbHjj6QOjOFuuPhtj8w1bqb2OLU56Ez22vgJ84K7c2vP0r5BkAR0F7_hKxhJpsSlt3jI9A9x1vxeZQ13wsFJ2t3Uc22AuYmM4-uwncUEExILrW8ooA37NdGk3k/s16000/FL_20221112_0379.GIF" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-large;"><b>弘益吃豬腳、明洞享按摩</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-large;"><b></b></span></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdB0B2kpjsbkGqFIcVa4Sb_BU4Ri4GDc2gZ1T16-S5MTr1Lr2ofG0Bay5fCEnBLD-SYVNZ0gRmvDbbHef51echBlT23HSUmJ_JUAG3LwnPEfbaOv2wmsReo_PWCx1GI9JCkS8wZ60rLMrZNNiEMfQQnPtorv2prr5nr-ZTkQE79qZBI0RLmDgx9py/s4032/IMG_5170.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdB0B2kpjsbkGqFIcVa4Sb_BU4Ri4GDc2gZ1T16-S5MTr1Lr2ofG0Bay5fCEnBLD-SYVNZ0gRmvDbbHef51echBlT23HSUmJ_JUAG3LwnPEfbaOv2wmsReo_PWCx1GI9JCkS8wZ60rLMrZNNiEMfQQnPtorv2prr5nr-ZTkQE79qZBI0RLmDgx9py/w640-h480/IMG_5170.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All because of Kat lor.. make until the waiter blur blur. Hahahaha!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: medium;">反正都說好了這一天是完全 relax 吃喝玩樂美容日,阿華就要帶大家回到他自身最喜歡的「滿足五香豬腳店」吃韓國豬腳。軟軟又有彈性的厚厚豬腳皮,加上香味滿溢的涼辣麵與 </span><span style="font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: medium;">Bossam </span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: medium;">配上美味的 </span><span style="font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: medium;">tteobokki </span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: medium;">湯,也吃到我們夠飽了。</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="566" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ULr0m6Is24Q" width="680" youtube-src-id="ULr0m6Is24Q"></iframe></div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">可惜弘益這裡的 The Foot Shop 沒有空檔讓我們四人按摩,我們回到明洞-呀還不錯,Hikari 按摩雖然顧客是很多,但倒是有空檔讓我們四人松一松痠痛的肌肉!快快拿了下来,就等按摩了。</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6N5RudDh6oNTV3S9ywhoizUzTra5rjqnBZ7jlsRuFBMc0KM5ICV5HbACx_e7Cly-wWCjx7hKReUKISWqAAvlt58YzOmzmq402KfivmnmnxMnHYX3v8BYgXdLvA7SPNzbkJOlB9SXLk_mCVdbobvSgiNdpmTlZ4EvyGMjXi5LkHJw7yhSOw2diXKR/s720/FL_20221113_0384.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6N5RudDh6oNTV3S9ywhoizUzTra5rjqnBZ7jlsRuFBMc0KM5ICV5HbACx_e7Cly-wWCjx7hKReUKISWqAAvlt58YzOmzmq402KfivmnmnxMnHYX3v8BYgXdLvA7SPNzbkJOlB9SXLk_mCVdbobvSgiNdpmTlZ4EvyGMjXi5LkHJw7yhSOw2diXKR/s16000/FL_20221113_0384.GIF" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;">“唉呀,</span></span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-7142818c-7fff-f415-cd50-dd5d2fe8088e"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">姐姐</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">妳</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">是中國人?太好了,我可以跟妳講華語啦。麻煩</span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">妳</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">在這個部分按摩輕一點!”</span></span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: medium;">阿Kat 尝试用她的有限公司 ‘Sal-Jak Sal-Jak’ 跟按摩师说了老半天,才发现到按摩师大姐是中国来的朝鲜人。</span></div></blockquote><div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Gina 和 Serene就沒這種運氣。他們的按摩師都是到地的韓國人,。</span><br /><br /></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: xx-large;">“</span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">Gina, sorry hor..</span><span style="font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: xx-large;">你自己顧自己啦。 “</span></span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: medium;"> 我隔著房門吩咐她老人家。哈哈哈…</span></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">60 分鐘的全身+腳按摩= 48,000₩,太有價性比了!很舒服地讓我們大家鬆解一下因登山而緊繃的筋肉。</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: large;">今天算輕鬆嗎?說真的,跟昨天比起來,今天真的是天大的享受。Kat和Gina這兩位有所不知,旅行嘛,就是要這樣。如果平平淡淡地每天享受吃喝玩樂,我們可以吃喝了7天,玩樂了一周,回頭一望,每天都似乎一樣。但是,好比人生一樣,旅行呢有起有落,有苦有甜,先挨了登山的苦頭,後再嚐鬆懈的甜頭,那麼那份享樂的滋味反而會大幅度倍增,變成更加有味道。所以我喜歡在旅遊時穿插一些特別項目,讓旅途更加難忘。</span></span></div><div><div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Table </b></span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span><b>of Content</b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-weight: bold;">目錄</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 1">Day 1 </a></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Gai gai in Bukchon </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北村</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> and Insadong </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">仁寺洞</span></span></b></span></span><br /></span></div></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 2">Day 2 </a></b><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Conquering the Bukhansan </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北漢山</span></span></b></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3</span></a></b> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Beauty Day </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江南</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">: Botox, Skin-whitening, massage </span></span></b></span></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 4"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 4 </span></a></b><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Jeongdongjin </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">正東津</span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> and Glamping in Gangreung </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市</span></span></b></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 5"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 5 </span></a></b><span style="color: #ead1dc;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市沙川面 </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Lighthouses & sandy beach!</span></b></span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 6">Day 6</a></b> <b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Oh what a long day: </span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">廣長市場</span><span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">, 弘大,</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">eyebrow</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">,漢江</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> rainbow fountain & a lovely dinner...</span></span></span></b></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 7">Day 7 </a></b><b><span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">I cannot believe how the girls walk in order to shop!</span></span></b></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 8">Day 8</a></b> <span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Bye Bye... Annyeong!</span></b></span></div></span></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ff9900; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day 4">Day 4</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">【21 October 2022】</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtO84WqLaVdwd1674Kjt96HOnq7ZgQtRXc-cQZK3Ko4jnqLqwahpMH5gLEtJhYWoXFraHzGtVxVJK73zcDJhyGbcrNcNAXV7UwS7i617Z_nbqbDevKD8sAHv8Y-bFhGdkn83RS56IMmOZV7bRButJ1WAqnb8b74P21emZO5JlXuDvE_ZjNQJKlpAg/s2635/1BD7888F-852B-4639-A52D-F4D6AD3ECB2A.jpeg" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1113" data-original-width="2635" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtO84WqLaVdwd1674Kjt96HOnq7ZgQtRXc-cQZK3Ko4jnqLqwahpMH5gLEtJhYWoXFraHzGtVxVJK73zcDJhyGbcrNcNAXV7UwS7i617Z_nbqbDevKD8sAHv8Y-bFhGdkn83RS56IMmOZV7bRButJ1WAqnb8b74P21emZO5JlXuDvE_ZjNQJKlpAg/w640-h270/1BD7888F-852B-4639-A52D-F4D6AD3ECB2A.jpeg" width="640" /></a></p></span><br /><br />As relaxing as the day before was, this day would be exciting, as we embarked on an adventure all the way from Seoul here near the west coast all the way across the Korean Peninsula to the east coast. I still remember this was a trip that Kat and I were cracking our brains over. <br /></div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“正东津火车站怎么样?”</span> </span>one day Kat suddenly shoot me this Jeongdongjin station thingy.</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">Huh?</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"> </span></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">大嫂,您老人家在说什麼?“</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"> </span>I was a little puzzled.</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: ZCOOL KuaiLe; font-size: x-large;">“</span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">哦有一个综艺节目他们拍这几位明星到了正东津火车站看日出。很美的。 “</span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">“It’s all the way on the right side, the east coast of Korea. But hey, that's quite an adventure, Ok let’s go!”</span> </span>I said.</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“But so far?”</span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Kwenchana! Never worry. Instead of taking KTX train, we can rent a car and drive there, since there are 4 of us,”</span> </span>I started planning.</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>So this time round, I decided to give Lotte Car Rental a try since there was so many good reviews about this car rental company. And indeed, in retrospect, the reviews were all very accurate - prices are cheaper and the staff is very good. Just that when we collected the car from the Seoul Station branch, the staff tended to be Korean-speaking. But again, Kwenchana.</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;">"Oh oh oh... since we are going to the seaside hor... why don't we do Glamping there?"</span> </span>suggested Kat.</span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"Huh? Simi? What is Glamping?"</span> don't ask me, I really was confused.</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"Oh this Glamping is the more glamour style of Camping lah,"</span> explained Kat. <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"In the variety show the celebrities always do Glamping one. And they would barbecue and drink beer at the Glamping site!"</span></div></blockquote><div><br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">"哇老,你们两个这么多 </span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">Kang Tao</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">。我不管啊,我只顾吃,你们要 </span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">barbecue</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"> 你们两个人自己 </span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: x-large;">barbecue ah</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: x-large;">!</span></span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">"</span> Serene set her ultimatum. Hahaha....</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">"</span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">Ok OK </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">我负责 </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">barbecue!</span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: x-large;">"</span> volunteer Kat. <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: ZCOOL KuaiLe; font-size: x-large;">"</span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">但是,老板你得要跟 </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">Glamping Site confirm</span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">他们有没有供应 </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">barbecue</span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">所需的用具哦。“</span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: ZCOOL KuaiLe; font-size: x-large;"> </span>OK so it was all settled. Kat would be our chef this Glamping day.</div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So the plan was - we would start our adventure to the 东海岸 to visit 正东津火车站 by the seaside, and then we would end up staying in BaseCamp Caravan Glamping site at 江陵市海边. Our comfortable super smart car Hyundai Avante has been reserved and booked.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJb6-mn0tEnFNTUKiF9HQfLUTltDuclNHKaiwrnrYYcNSG0VKnc-GbPVrlMkmkmEW9rLuDfjsjDXoMa1QJ1bxYDt0x9ojwK82V8STOWJ64mqA5_3bC0N0kfmt9fX_Ff_DS_gC9FkJxR9dyaKahg-VybKlLlZc9cNjSnzPr-8cPJFYB3TI4Uij3aRwe/s812/FL_20221113_0385.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="812" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJb6-mn0tEnFNTUKiF9HQfLUTltDuclNHKaiwrnrYYcNSG0VKnc-GbPVrlMkmkmEW9rLuDfjsjDXoMa1QJ1bxYDt0x9ojwK82V8STOWJ64mqA5_3bC0N0kfmt9fX_Ff_DS_gC9FkJxR9dyaKahg-VybKlLlZc9cNjSnzPr-8cPJFYB3TI4Uij3aRwe/s16000/FL_20221113_0385.GIF" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Indie Flower; font-size: medium;"><b>We will drive 250km from Seoul on the west side of the Korean peninsula
all the way to Jeongdongjin on the east coast of the peninsula for our adventure!</b></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-large;"><b>Renting a car from Lotte Car Rental</b></span><br /><br /><br />Leaving all our heavy luggage at Skypark Myeongdong Hotel, we just carried backpacks and hand carry and embarked on adventure number 2 for this trip - Glamping on the east coast of Korea!<br />I really could not imagine. Had it not been for Ah Kat, I think we wouldn’t have been so crazy. It really took a Korean variety show addict to come up with all these crazy crazy suggestions.<br /><br />Two subway stations and a long walk finally delivered us to a multistorey car park complex with a small sign “Lotte Rental Car” in front. The rental process was easy. And for 150,000₩ we got a Hyundai Avante (totally smart car version) from 9:30am on the 21 October until 8:30pm on the 22 October. That’s actually quite a good price. The Lotte Rental Car office at Seoul Station wasn’t hard to find and now that I knew where it was it would become a much easier task for future rentals.<br /><br />Man, as always I wasn’t familiar with judging the car size and had to trouble the helpful young staff to help me maneuvre and drive the car out to the gantry. After that alright! We were off!<br /><br />I simply forgot how fierce Serene could be as a passenger, scolding me all the way to keep to my lane because she was so worried that I might hit the pickups or lorries on the right side of the car like our last trip in spring. But thankfully this round she only nagged at me for one day. The second day my driving was much steadier and she could enjoy her ride as a passenger.<br /><br />Kat and Gina both refused to come in front as passengers. <br /><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="539" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LCtpTY3dpao" width="648" youtube-src-id="LCtpTY3dpao"></iframe></div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: x-large;">“我在后面帮你看地图就可以了,”</span><span> <span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">said Gina.</span><br /></span></span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><span>“</span><span>我什么都不懂,又不会看路,又不会看路牌。”</span></span><span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">Kat</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"> 也是挺厉害 </span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">siam</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"> 的。</span><br /></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span><br /><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">最后,让我一直</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">miss</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">掉好几趟 </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">toll gate,</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"> 这两位美女终于学会这个 “现金“ 韩文单语,怎么用不同方向的</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">KKJ</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">来写,也开始帮我辨认标着“现金“的 </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">toll gate</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"> 标字。但是我也不知道怎么的,就是莫名其妙地一直无法成功地好好地驶入有人在的 </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">toll gate </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">柜台付钱。气死人了!哈哈哈…<br /><br />除了</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> Serene </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">在身边一直提醒我注意时速,这个</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Gina</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">到也真是神通广大。坐在后面还有本事一直帮我观察着</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">GPS</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">,还每每在 </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">circles</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"> 或者要转弯时,会根据</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">GPS</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">提醒指示我正确的路。也真是多亏了她,我们也没走乌龙路。<br /><br />阿</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Kat</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">呢?哇她就一直一路欣赏风景拍</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">video</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">咯。<br /><br />跨半岛的高速公路,与上一回沿着半岛直通南北的高路所不同的是,由于横跨韩半岛也必须横跨好多山脉,所以跨岛高路会经过许多很长的通山隧道。也真的是一种经验。除了刚刚开始行驶时,在离开首尔市中心不久后,沿着汉江的‘自由路’那里堵车堵了好久好久之外,一旦上了高速公路,就一切通行无阻了。我们也很庆幸,沿高速公路行驶,路边远山的景色真的很宜人,尤其是随着我们驶入江原道,虽然不至于形容成漫山火红的秋叶,但是远远地山上的树叶好似被涂上了一层胭脂,天气越冷,楓葉就越红吧。或许是种类不同,或是色素改变的阶段不一样,再有,土壤养份充足的分别,使山上染成一片一片不同的黄,橙,红颜色。</span><br /></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: ZCOOL KuaiLe;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“要是我们没驾车经过这高速公路,而是乘搭KTX高速火车的话,或许我们就无法目睹这一幕一幕的秋景吧?”</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">我说。</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“根据我了解,江原道呢,通常是比首尔所在的京畿道来得冷一点,所以这里的枫叶一般来说会较早变色。“</span></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">所以从上午9点半租了车,直到抵达正东津时已经是下午1点40分。虽然KakaoMap 说行驶需要3个小时30分,但是我们这样自驾的话,好多时候所需的时间当然会多一点点(4小时10分钟)。</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">正东津驿 </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">JeongDongJin Yeok </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yeok 驿 = Station</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rDFC863zeZTWQayHg4Pg5qBawfNPY3VCflCl7ISDuX3allPXYATyovb8cu-_KA4Qa6-D2y0TP2aJVbnJixxN43Ns2qYL-BMIWP_DndjF5nVKjs88WeOdwp4bbLLCmy10WUDyFkW9Wwz9pPrmHNPpXPqI17a-wjrH04nzamFmukML8oA5AxTII0T7/s4032/IMG_5248.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rDFC863zeZTWQayHg4Pg5qBawfNPY3VCflCl7ISDuX3allPXYATyovb8cu-_KA4Qa6-D2y0TP2aJVbnJixxN43Ns2qYL-BMIWP_DndjF5nVKjs88WeOdwp4bbLLCmy10WUDyFkW9Wwz9pPrmHNPpXPqI17a-wjrH04nzamFmukML8oA5AxTII0T7/w640-h480/IMG_5248.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>"Jeongdongjin Beach is a nice, sandy beach that stretches over 250 meters with three major swimming spots: in front of Jeongdongjin Station, by Sandglass Park, and by the Jeongdongjin Breakwater. The spots near the railway station and by the park are more popular because they are spacious and easy to reach. The numerous rocks in front of Jeongdongjin Station are home to shellfish, mussels, sea urchins and edible seaweed. </i></span></p></span></div></div><div><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Jeondongjin Station is known to be one of the stations closest to the ocean in the world. It is also a well-known sunrise spot, attracting crowds of sunrise spectators. "</i></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ~ from don't know which online review.</span></p></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span><br />By the time we arrived at Jeongdongjin, we were pretty tired, me from driving and Serene from between calling out the speed limits and scolding me for being too near the big vehicles on the lane on the right of our car... Even Gina and Kat were too damn tired from trying to find '现金'... hahaha!</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Actually, this Jeongdongjin was smaller than we expected. It was supposed to be small, but well, aside from the little road in front of the train station, trying to look further in into the smaller deeper lanes revealed nothing much. Even among the eateries and restaurants along the main road, some were closed (for the day).</span></div></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsoF3cCSsKa6QNprtCfLTShZgyxvu6498zFsNzlhntJMbSJVEV3sP6mZ4R2OcWHxO5fDxzqIrmhbUNPNM8oTB-lhQPaYSCHzujqpbheHyn5Su63wVLy_uvecBhWC65FrFHqkN2eM_nvFNnwrybnmVh2UfU7qGwx8q3OTfC4L1WqZFtqqSIwOtHQEK/s9969/20221021_140901.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1605" data-original-width="9969" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsoF3cCSsKa6QNprtCfLTShZgyxvu6498zFsNzlhntJMbSJVEV3sP6mZ4R2OcWHxO5fDxzqIrmhbUNPNM8oTB-lhQPaYSCHzujqpbheHyn5Su63wVLy_uvecBhWC65FrFHqkN2eM_nvFNnwrybnmVh2UfU7qGwx8q3OTfC4L1WqZFtqqSIwOtHQEK/w640-h103/20221021_140901.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"How to get to the beach?"</span> </span>I remember asking Kat and Gina.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">"Cannot leh... the train station gate closes us from the beach leh."</span> </span>replied Kat. <span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"But just now while you and Serene drove the car to the other car park, Gina and I managed to walk to the beach on the other side."</span></span></div></div></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1M0z5v8uYomAYarirllPi85nuv0x2U9OZIEveLB5Su89B91hzFujru3Sxx6QQzY0NJriBWvNEk6TnoDOVoFKb6eXZBkKGb4sXXY5kDtausoSmvsJevheWEFusyClqPbTeocDrxawH92zO5lxOTKuuOMXxdYtIIZxzZPCAy2ct1FhZS3xd6DGX2uXT/s4032/20221021_141111.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1M0z5v8uYomAYarirllPi85nuv0x2U9OZIEveLB5Su89B91hzFujru3Sxx6QQzY0NJriBWvNEk6TnoDOVoFKb6eXZBkKGb4sXXY5kDtausoSmvsJevheWEFusyClqPbTeocDrxawH92zO5lxOTKuuOMXxdYtIIZxzZPCAy2ct1FhZS3xd6DGX2uXT/w640-h312/20221021_141111.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span></span></div><div><span>By this time it was 2pm and we were all hungry and desperately looking for lunch.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“来到海边,当然一定要吃海鲜的嘛。”</span> Kat talked logic all the time.</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span>So we asked an Ajumma from a shop next to the closed restaurant, where could we find HueJib (Korean sashimi restaurant) and she directed us to go across the bridge further down the street and walk to the other side of the town where there would be more restaurants.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-family: Poor Story; font-size: x-large;"><b>"걸어갈 수 있어요?"</b> </span>(步行可以走得到吗)</span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="font-family: Poor Story; font-size: x-large;"><b>"네, 15분 쯤 걸릴 거예요."</b> </span>(行,15分钟左右吧)</span></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5DLwT2OZUVCKGu-wF9UZyofJc-U6bhAbdgA7Gqt6jZ8SRBEXcSFnQ0DszzBX87vrN_yShYhl_1A91vNe08R13l8veK6IlfblFIiwjfynp7IrLtUSqVwOYHzicMqymU8m8fn2cK1Z62IWpOhonzLuG49F34htafbX-6NBGLdN_qbj0udNqQFcORWe/s1913/Jeongdongjin%20HweJib%20-%20Pada%20ru%20Damda.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1913" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5DLwT2OZUVCKGu-wF9UZyofJc-U6bhAbdgA7Gqt6jZ8SRBEXcSFnQ0DszzBX87vrN_yShYhl_1A91vNe08R13l8veK6IlfblFIiwjfynp7IrLtUSqVwOYHzicMqymU8m8fn2cK1Z62IWpOhonzLuG49F34htafbX-6NBGLdN_qbj0udNqQFcORWe/w640-h285/Jeongdongjin%20HweJib%20-%20Pada%20ru%20Damda.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">我们驾着驾着,停了车,走到这间 '바다를 담다' (盛着海) 的生鱼餐馆</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br />Wah this 바다를 담다 盛着海味 Korean HweJib was really quite something. Although we stumbled upon it as we drove further down from Jeongdongjin station, we didn’t realise at that point that it was such a highly-reviewed Hwe (Korean sashimi 鱼生) restaurant.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOGZCZpaSburWfDF4RJepvm88Z6sM-CiTdAcs4FZchTnvgkowTufdJ1esc6My0NtuxYHEMHmiP0o2nc1IWo_aOPfAzPL7fc3ygsHcQGsvH3cg73LM4vytrelH5tRrtxBncVuRVRF--pe07z7TdAtb1sfmgMAAFaCS1emPyL0rodZdcHf8M3bIZdor/s4032/IMG_5256.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOGZCZpaSburWfDF4RJepvm88Z6sM-CiTdAcs4FZchTnvgkowTufdJ1esc6My0NtuxYHEMHmiP0o2nc1IWo_aOPfAzPL7fc3ygsHcQGsvH3cg73LM4vytrelH5tRrtxBncVuRVRF--pe07z7TdAtb1sfmgMAAFaCS1emPyL0rodZdcHf8M3bIZdor/w640-h480/IMG_5256.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The SaJangNim was not bad. He could speak some English and he knew what to recommend us, and his recommendation simply just entered our hearts.<br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“모든 회 just simply means Long-zong-Hwe (</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">全部每一种鱼生都给林伯拿出来)</span>,” I explained to the pretty ladies.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“They will bring out all the fresh raw fish and sea food they have in season and all the 대개 </span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">大蟹</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"> big crabs, and they will top it up with a 매운탕 spicy soup cooked with all the fish at the end of it, eat until you cannot finish one ah!” </span>detailed Serene.</div></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsqH944xd83uaG7aYVNJjq9ZYqrT3G_sayblgV66Higi_lrzMRLtkqdM6j76doKNEsh8SGhvcQxAblr07jd2BnrpwXBMRNdMZVn3-wpo2MRZfZOAo9vc2YbhGtrRsUFnbyGRm5_CnP5Q-ee5Y6EoSQaMyMToI6umS7LURtqQ-SeYOV33PrB-whCu-/s1440/FL_20221115_0388.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsqH944xd83uaG7aYVNJjq9ZYqrT3G_sayblgV66Higi_lrzMRLtkqdM6j76doKNEsh8SGhvcQxAblr07jd2BnrpwXBMRNdMZVn3-wpo2MRZfZOAo9vc2YbhGtrRsUFnbyGRm5_CnP5Q-ee5Y6EoSQaMyMToI6umS7LURtqQ-SeYOV33PrB-whCu-/w640-h480/FL_20221115_0388.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />And she was correct. Here the fresh raw Hwe and big crab and whatever they bring out were fresh. And delicious! I was truly impressed by the spread and this was amongst one of the best Hwe meal we have had!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ozQ5H3TTxsFL7vKYD0j0-0kitGYrlulWqNrvScLYQS5RvNmr5n8rHcjKIth-lBoEnvV3oRFyzMT6xfVNf2p_0qgsBGrE9O1ZfqCgut_LCTvkPnENpzVPabLDb8577kGBukGfSBG6d68t4sFmv7-v_tVF-BMSVoB7GUINO9QoER8HtU2opSb5V7QV/s1440/FL_20221115_0387.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ozQ5H3TTxsFL7vKYD0j0-0kitGYrlulWqNrvScLYQS5RvNmr5n8rHcjKIth-lBoEnvV3oRFyzMT6xfVNf2p_0qgsBGrE9O1ZfqCgut_LCTvkPnENpzVPabLDb8577kGBukGfSBG6d68t4sFmv7-v_tVF-BMSVoB7GUINO9QoER8HtU2opSb5V7QV/w480-h640/FL_20221115_0387.GIF" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div> <br />Of course, having fresh raw Hwe with two lovely ladies who are not 100% seafood lovers and who have crab allergies but NOT lobster allergies posed as a little bit of difficulty. Add onto that, a very professional waitress who OCD-ly needed to arrange each dish in a pre-determined order, so we literally could not touch and re-arrange her display without her re-ordering them in the pre-fixed fashion, the whole experience was indeed a unique one. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekZEzzJ5Q_LkE_ak65zm5dpXz5zEjYw189p53BHkE2l1l3XT906xyPCKe1pcnyHSenTVypqnwZ1j1DvCrraf_0qSluK5vkn-iG1yn6R8qtYAJhn9TyMOiF16WJLlg9Ef0MsWH3nmNKqdcjB1yrbtU1a3v9QyobjyGv-J0qCHtOHMjAKmxMWyHAUFS/s720/FL_20221115_0392.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekZEzzJ5Q_LkE_ak65zm5dpXz5zEjYw189p53BHkE2l1l3XT906xyPCKe1pcnyHSenTVypqnwZ1j1DvCrraf_0qSluK5vkn-iG1yn6R8qtYAJhn9TyMOiF16WJLlg9Ef0MsWH3nmNKqdcjB1yrbtU1a3v9QyobjyGv-J0qCHtOHMjAKmxMWyHAUFS/s16000/FL_20221115_0392.GIF" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div>But I must say that Kat and Gina really outdone themselves and truly explored beyond their usual comfort zones. I really enjoyed this relaxing meal with them, with Kat cutting crab shells and serving crab meat, and me serving crabs to Serene,when half way through our serving, the local train actually por-por and passed by the restaurant front while we all stopped and watched... too bad we couldn’t make it in time to take a video of it. As we leisurely enjoyed, Gina even attempted every single raw fish to see which was agreeable with her palate. <br /><br /><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="550" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lYVISnzJCaE" width="662" youtube-src-id="lYVISnzJCaE"></iframe></div></span><div><br /></div>True to Serene’s prediction we couldn’t finish all the spicy soup. But we were full, and we were kinda drifting into food coma, very soon after completing the meal.<br /><br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“It is going to be a 45 minutes drive from here to Gangneung-si 江陵市 where our Basecamp Glamping site will be,”</span> I announced.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“In that case we better ask the SaJangNim where is it best to buy SamGyeopSal before we arrive at the camp site,” </span>very rightly suggested Kat.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />And the SaJangNim very kindly <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AL9nZEX8_LV9tfocBb1RvG9MGlPvM8t_TeeV5ZvSNVoLkiNV1qYqoxHcooUowVERA6Xk7RS50C712ZGqL_lEyTKlKGfzWUtHOWHznnMOtvunsBPCBs51SG5luRULVzoBOZOQWFpbbhn4bjDtIQGKwgx4iJRGzw=w641-h854-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">gave us directions to a fresh meat store in Gangneung-si,</a> which eventually turned out to have zhap-laped already.<br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">As I drove I was thinking: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">"Such a pity, we actually also wanted to tour </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">三陟市</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> SamCheok-si, another small little coastal town, and perhaps walk JeongDongJin a little more.. But time was a constraint, and we just had to hit the Glamping site..."</span></span></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>We were lucky to have found a Hyper-mart in Gangneung-si where we simply whacked ourselves crazy with SamGyeopSal, kimchi, tteokbokki, beer, soju and instant ramyeon and fruits in preparation for the exciting Glamping. So at around 5:30pmwe started towards Basecamp Glamping site. Honestly I was not sure how we would find our way there. The Korean GPS would never fail, I knew from experience, but it was a definite uncertainty as always when we were looking for somewhere we knew existed on the map, but where we have never been.<br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“There there, turn to the right! There!”</span> cried out Gina when we arrived at the signboard.</div></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Black And White Picture";">Gangneung</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #d9ead3;">江</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">陵</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">市</span></span></span><span style="color: #980000; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Black And White Picture";">Basecamp</span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Black And White Picture";"> Glamping </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAyuG5Z06OG2g0OuTHZd_CCUUv07YvtceBwNK5IBnJUHPuImg3ChmbWgKH0OU0xvPhw3NzPQ3sqWf7kMQCpDsw6lcH7bgqUAdIe4tkLy3mmpiqI_G6wE4rGjkTvoUEX4Bn5723D_cmLHjNikBMs3JGmMCtJ3aMUTODrxk4Qx006ipZXZUhMKwHlko/s4128/20221021_190136.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3096" data-original-width="4128" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAyuG5Z06OG2g0OuTHZd_CCUUv07YvtceBwNK5IBnJUHPuImg3ChmbWgKH0OU0xvPhw3NzPQ3sqWf7kMQCpDsw6lcH7bgqUAdIe4tkLy3mmpiqI_G6wE4rGjkTvoUEX4Bn5723D_cmLHjNikBMs3JGmMCtJ3aMUTODrxk4Qx006ipZXZUhMKwHlko/w640-h480/20221021_190136.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glamping... real Korean style hor...</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Our pre-booked 6-person caravan turned out to be not a caravan, but a 4-person Glamng tent, after I double-checked with the SaJangNim. <br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">“Ok lor. Kwenchana,” </span>I said to the ladies. </div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />But in the end it turned out that this Glamping tent was something I actually wanted and was hoping to book. So all was well!</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8b3VnsBM5MCWAwT39bxN-HA_gydeYpffQfpdthdv4Lj3FQdNAmCd6Tr_3vKNQH-XYCfeyYM0yIAoGqm92Kr3Z1EWUlw6P4iF2db_ticXltbZBv_TDwCsD3H4GldIOaHqomHpLBBOmpUidya3aS9hWbKwRcxE7z_Jc6Sipp-GAaOldOXf6FzLG37o7/s1350/FL_20221116_0394.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8b3VnsBM5MCWAwT39bxN-HA_gydeYpffQfpdthdv4Lj3FQdNAmCd6Tr_3vKNQH-XYCfeyYM0yIAoGqm92Kr3Z1EWUlw6P4iF2db_ticXltbZBv_TDwCsD3H4GldIOaHqomHpLBBOmpUidya3aS9hWbKwRcxE7z_Jc6Sipp-GAaOldOXf6FzLG37o7/w512-h640/FL_20221116_0394.GIF" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />The floor was so well-heated Gina volunteered to sleep on the floor. Some parts of the heated floor was so hot that even placing the foot under the mattress would almost burn it. No wonder Gina fell so in love with this sleeping arrangement. The Glamping tent had everything we would need, cooking and washing facilities, fridge and microwave.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBd0kYmmMOTYdLvi6G1DBbXX4z5s0iIUJI9MVjYdGljzUF5sP8AZWHADda8vQmD3941jXo5U8d6-iDJLmQtxAFYrtguhrh-WadEFXTgC22XryNpMq7neRCRhgioaw2ZmuNWw5DlIooDNLSJqk_1n3WqpDldG0-3mfFPV0APGc_q7z6DQeim17f7PR/s4032/20221021_193421.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBd0kYmmMOTYdLvi6G1DBbXX4z5s0iIUJI9MVjYdGljzUF5sP8AZWHADda8vQmD3941jXo5U8d6-iDJLmQtxAFYrtguhrh-WadEFXTgC22XryNpMq7neRCRhgioaw2ZmuNWw5DlIooDNLSJqk_1n3WqpDldG0-3mfFPV0APGc_q7z6DQeim17f7PR/w640-h312/20221021_193421.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />For 30,000₩ the SaJangNim set up a barbecue pit with charcoal outside our tent next to the table. Wow! Finally we were all set like the Korean shows and ready to go for our barbecue!<br /><br />The young people in the tent next to ours whom I spoke to, recommended that we walk to the lighthouses in the morning as the view there were good. I further confirmed my severe lack of communication skills when I found all the young men and young women staring at me trying to figure out what on earth was coming out of my mouth when I tried to talk to them in Korean.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYU8Kka6SD-RUs8KDy-MhsZd_gQbmObmPZhfdQvFC6o75qIhxsw_VHLkVaqd9XFaL8EXz3Xpy67JaZiGGb9evXAhf2SLuMDpfLrjHS9YzIGun6jN3jZPUHASyzz0L2BLVlwAkhP814jQ2lkkQDlH3KYfHF48jK7HIyyEXLUYSG0kYJcKIa6LiZIUN/s4032/IMG_5280.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYU8Kka6SD-RUs8KDy-MhsZd_gQbmObmPZhfdQvFC6o75qIhxsw_VHLkVaqd9XFaL8EXz3Xpy67JaZiGGb9evXAhf2SLuMDpfLrjHS9YzIGun6jN3jZPUHASyzz0L2BLVlwAkhP814jQ2lkkQDlH3KYfHF48jK7HIyyEXLUYSG0kYJcKIa6LiZIUN/w640-h480/IMG_5280.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />In the cool of the evening, we could just all walk around on the gravel camp ground, dressed simply in long sleeve base layers, with our car parked just next to our tent. On this evening, Gangneung was not cold at all, disappointingly, hahaha... The Glamping tents were arranged orderly in a line in a parking camping area and n the pitch dark we couldn’t really see too far though the seaside was just a short distance away. Anyway the night was just nice for sitting outdoors under the sky and having barbecued SamGyeopSal and soju… and apply juice and grapes and fruits.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4MjCyFB0TUzTs-u65tTSUZePO53E0zDj-yrD-LIso4bxjb-n5IEBTpQm7GGAWQuGns6df1kz7SaxLpkY32PdVja02p9vjCYE4d_TEgv07sdpr1Mi86Z1JKbo-Q_npZTZ_NOIvAN6tNYiOrE3lyssNdRt1JYxzD7T0U6tp4viJFPrio_8okRV1U5H/s1440/FL_20221119_0398.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4MjCyFB0TUzTs-u65tTSUZePO53E0zDj-yrD-LIso4bxjb-n5IEBTpQm7GGAWQuGns6df1kz7SaxLpkY32PdVja02p9vjCYE4d_TEgv07sdpr1Mi86Z1JKbo-Q_npZTZ_NOIvAN6tNYiOrE3lyssNdRt1JYxzD7T0U6tp4viJFPrio_8okRV1U5H/w640-h480/FL_20221119_0398.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day; font-size: medium;">The Camp SaJangNim was quite an animated chap. Busy and spoke quickly.<br />And he was very on-the-ball and told us our meat will be burnt if we place them in the middle.</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>This was such a nice feeling. A feeling that I hadn’t had for the longest time. Although Serene andI have been pretty active outdoors for many years with all our crazy adventures but being here, like this, enjoying a wonderful barbecue of nothing but SamGyeopSal, tteokbokki and kimchi, and a packet of gimbap made this evening such a special occasion, especially when everything was prepared and cooked for us by our <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AL9nZEUhBgQREAEgl0es1uQDFGYNfaM0GoXjFC4YRW_hrtxRx4gikb0BzOXY2BlOCxJ-aVyaXL0xavufp2yZZoWlDqxPbta_XsfwCyxHLD9lgDnTtJ-2TOALHLM9dGzPWv9JXUYEX1e9zmtCJuTq8pDfJhdLPQ=w1098-h824-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">Chef for the evening, Chef Kat</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">Not suitable for children. May contain coarse Korean languages.</span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="582" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/80fzPFFooc0" width="699" youtube-src-id="80fzPFFooc0"></iframe></div></span><br />One of the greatest enjoyment of having a holiday in Korea was the freedom to eat and eat to one’s fullest and to drink liberally without needing to worry about being tipsy. So on this night we all just whacked the soju and the beer. The combination warmed my body so much that I probably needed to wear nothing more than the base layer even as the mercury dipped through the night…<br /><br /><div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Table </b></span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span><b>of Content</b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-weight: bold;">目錄</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 1">Day 1 </a></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Gai gai in Bukchon </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北村</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> and Insadong </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">仁寺洞</span></span></b></span></span><br /></span></div></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 2">Day 2 </a></b><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Conquering the Bukhansan </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北漢山</span></span></b></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3</span></a></b> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Beauty Day </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江南</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">: Botox, Skin-whitening, massage </span></span></b></span></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 4"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 4 </span></a></b><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Jeongdongjin </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">正東津</span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> and Glamping in Gangreung </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市</span></span></b></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 5"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 5 </span></a></b><span style="color: #ead1dc;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市沙川面 </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Lighthouses & sandy beach!</span></b></span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 6">Day 6</a></b> <b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Oh what a long day: </span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">廣長市場</span><span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">, 弘大,</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">eyebrow</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">,漢江</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> rainbow fountain & a lovely dinner...</span></span></span></b></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 7">Day 7 </a></b><b><span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">I cannot believe how the girls walk in order to shop!</span></span></b></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 8">Day 8</a></b> <span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Bye Bye... Annyeong!</span></b></span></div></span></span><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div><span><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ff9900; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day 5">Day 5</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">【22 October 2022】</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmKsHSf17nFFkMtYbwTE7HDjz711JCOquySBozGZUAPMTGbSWclyEXMJsymmxmKp0TMp9Gxq018UPvmdoeJ7PPG4ZF3XokbZcBPqBeqmQgUd3W1lc3Q3BNpIGLdY0vzTBViDlS2JUOgJ1c9q5SMWnwR5U9tW-vHQUOKoUIirOvCnf2TqKUJx-IJVw/s2759/44B99E16-4DEE-49B7-B95B-BB6DA71982DF.jpeg" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="2759" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmKsHSf17nFFkMtYbwTE7HDjz711JCOquySBozGZUAPMTGbSWclyEXMJsymmxmKp0TMp9Gxq018UPvmdoeJ7PPG4ZF3XokbZcBPqBeqmQgUd3W1lc3Q3BNpIGLdY0vzTBViDlS2JUOgJ1c9q5SMWnwR5U9tW-vHQUOKoUIirOvCnf2TqKUJx-IJVw/w640-h278/44B99E16-4DEE-49B7-B95B-BB6DA71982DF.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNgJzKhqalzJsM1mF8b92ZfXf55STCuP0vK13_K3GvdZB3yAZvHvz0s5ysH01a8cAOwKDjmK34HcfYmmhjJuxlyNBPx5zw-SbHs5aHdmTf3fJnBVg41CH5W0qswGHDheR0fv3ihazTpwAg1dl_Sv_KZuitRmjMUXziM-2lB0mcT8r0u1U_0J6bXlY/s4032/IMG_5309.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNgJzKhqalzJsM1mF8b92ZfXf55STCuP0vK13_K3GvdZB3yAZvHvz0s5ysH01a8cAOwKDjmK34HcfYmmhjJuxlyNBPx5zw-SbHs5aHdmTf3fJnBVg41CH5W0qswGHDheR0fv3ihazTpwAg1dl_Sv_KZuitRmjMUXziM-2lB0mcT8r0u1U_0J6bXlY/w640-h480/IMG_5309.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nice warm morning welcomed us.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>The lovely thing about camping, I remember, was that one didn’t need to remember what time one slept the night before, nor was it of importance to do so, but to make sure one woke up in time for breakfast the next morning, which I did. And I remembered waking up to our Kat preparing breakfast! Oh man, this must have been our happiest and most-pampered camping ever!</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9NXW1ODYHX83WK7MRXSeax4j_tgsMrZ8vVS-uEfmfswXUqoGIQijblRYG9j8OA9tILmrFkJL5QlP6DZcY5tjkJZsmDA42RXKztGDP3ZTUOTYaF0Z925Q0HlbvzMmFhi3ABQrTZ2RmFTORSt9OdcTCLOWA2J7Xh3RCw06xaScFrv9tovBMWexWQpG/s1440/FL_20221119_0400.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9NXW1ODYHX83WK7MRXSeax4j_tgsMrZ8vVS-uEfmfswXUqoGIQijblRYG9j8OA9tILmrFkJL5QlP6DZcY5tjkJZsmDA42RXKztGDP3ZTUOTYaF0Z925Q0HlbvzMmFhi3ABQrTZ2RmFTORSt9OdcTCLOWA2J7Xh3RCw06xaScFrv9tovBMWexWQpG/w640-h480/FL_20221119_0400.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">On this Glamping trip, our one major priority<br />was that Gina could sleep well undisturbed. Luckily...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><span><br /></span></div><div><span>I couldn't remember what time I fell asleep last night. I only remembered waking up about 3 times to pee the night before, probably because of too much apple juice, isotonic Pocari sweat, and of course, countless bottles of soju and beer. In the middle of the night, I vaguely remembered that I got up, saw that the TV was still turned on, and started looking around for the TV remote control.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"Where is the TV control?"</span> I must have asked.</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span>And Kat must have offered me the TV control, which I used to turn off the TV, and then slumped back in bed, in my very midly intoxicated state. Little did I know that Kat was still watching the TV at that time, but she guai-guai let me turn off the TV!</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><span>"Why you let me turn off your TV?" </span> </span>dumbfoundedly I asked in the morning, after I found out.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"Because you asked for it mah,"</span> answered Kat, matter-of-factly.</span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"But you could have told me you were still watching it mah..."</span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">"Ok lah, it's OK one,"</span> alamak, this Kat ah... I knew she has the habit of watching TV late into the night. But I was only just thinking the TV was accidentally left on, in my semi-drunk state. Hahaha...<span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">我们这位</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">大嫂真的很让给她的小弟的.</span></span></span>I told myself, Serene and I better sayang our <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">大嫂</span> more. </div></div></blockquote><div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Early morning at 9am, right after I woke up, brushed up, and walked out of the tent, the first sight I beheld, was literally that of our </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">大嫂</span> making breakfast and laying the table for everyone. Such a pampered glamping this really was for myself, Gina and Serene! Now I finally understood why they bought instant Ramyeon at the supermart last afternoon. She must have anticipated plenty of leftover from the barbecue, and when mixed with the Ramyeon, everything blended into a perfect meal, especially when paired with Gina's coffee. Heaven!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhlGi1DLtWAybslB1dNsXsrsk5Lc_3sHWj-DF6mFvT_gg1tbQFJvPAxKdmyE_kVvWtMYICx1QLtI6jbQ6icdA79L9VP22FfymMGzwBddR52DUmi_Jw0pAnIBowKqqNVJN6KgjjIkAxUoShxhfSD0S9BHt_jboMd6nBlaa0BZi-pRki_-jEAKXtYD7/s3464/6D181382-0F09-4D70-BC6A-D4FB7326350B.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3464" data-original-width="3464" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhlGi1DLtWAybslB1dNsXsrsk5Lc_3sHWj-DF6mFvT_gg1tbQFJvPAxKdmyE_kVvWtMYICx1QLtI6jbQ6icdA79L9VP22FfymMGzwBddR52DUmi_Jw0pAnIBowKqqNVJN6KgjjIkAxUoShxhfSD0S9BHt_jboMd6nBlaa0BZi-pRki_-jEAKXtYD7/w640-h640/6D181382-0F09-4D70-BC6A-D4FB7326350B.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>And the heaven was very nice to us this morning, granting us bright sunny weather to explore the area. I was originally planning to walk out to the lighthouse last evening to see it in the dark, but our mental states and the lateness of the night and darkness of the evening may not have been feasible. In the clarity of early daylight, the whole land took on a different persona. And in many a way, I was glad we postponed our exploration to the daytime. The relatively cloudless blue sky, with just a few fluffs of cirrus clouds drifting lazily, and the eye-blinding sunlight made of beautiful colours from the sea waters, the daffodils, the grass, the pavement, and everything that we could lay eyes on.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><span><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="564" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p-1u8Agf1Go" width="677" youtube-src-id="p-1u8Agf1Go"></iframe></div></b></span></span><div><br /></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">说实在的,往海边灯塔散步之前,也真不知道那里的风景如何,有什么东西可以看。可是走着走着,发现到,沿着小径旁潺潺而流的’沙川川‘ </span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">사천천</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">(小溪流)还有在左侧的港口,完全呈现一种小鱼镇的模样。</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: xx-large;">“哈,真是的。虽然是一个小鱼镇,沿着海,一点都没有海水的腥味!”</span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: medium;">Kat was impressed.</span></div></div></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1rzL7yBGD9oPG20eTEr_urtX9OTOrcrqk5m-wAcdGKrAnj1euRL5ozUwUZJH1PyHnz95vhuvfRWZpaXz2IFKujPa05JGRQRX47g-JumduejFQ-s3y_2xq_cHEtiP1cbjHPFp0PBwU5vbFFt6WlQZLikb04sf0KtWQkCmMy3fKJjNc2unfJUXGJWX/s1440/FL_20221120_0403.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1rzL7yBGD9oPG20eTEr_urtX9OTOrcrqk5m-wAcdGKrAnj1euRL5ozUwUZJH1PyHnz95vhuvfRWZpaXz2IFKujPa05JGRQRX47g-JumduejFQ-s3y_2xq_cHEtiP1cbjHPFp0PBwU5vbFFt6WlQZLikb04sf0KtWQkCmMy3fKJjNc2unfJUXGJWX/w640-h480/FL_20221120_0403.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">I personally didn't know lighthouses were so fun to see.<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">吾里大嫂说的也不是没道理。开往公海的渔船也行驶着,港口也有着一间小型修船厂,再加上沿着海岸钓鱼的本地人也不少,就只欠一股海腥鱼腥味。也真不明白为什么。哎呀,我们的大嫂大小眼的啦。韩国人的海边总是最美,最干净,最没有腥味的。看多了韩国综艺节目就是这个样子的啦。哈哈哈!</span></p><div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_RICe5wj1nVvehzBU0VK0E3vFwn3S_2PUtmlPW2kq33MvS3RA45Jj7DWjfTx-g9r4CKQurVFsvDRGKr0RV2sXaf-NvEAWKVmQCox9haHAzv8Ry33DNpeKXE4Fq60riXYmMOwtcBi8ZiKRFmlj0K0LqetC38aUQ2qIVYD1o-KuPqKuHuU5bUs5eTh/s1440/FL_20221120_0406.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_RICe5wj1nVvehzBU0VK0E3vFwn3S_2PUtmlPW2kq33MvS3RA45Jj7DWjfTx-g9r4CKQurVFsvDRGKr0RV2sXaf-NvEAWKVmQCox9haHAzv8Ry33DNpeKXE4Fq60riXYmMOwtcBi8ZiKRFmlj0K0LqetC38aUQ2qIVYD1o-KuPqKuHuU5bUs5eTh/w640-h480/FL_20221120_0406.GIF" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">... and that jumps were so breathless and tiring!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">也是挺奇怪的,远眺海岸的三座灯塔,就惊讶这几座灯塔,正就跟我们平日经常在韩剧里头看到的灯塔那种感觉一模一样。连往灯塔的防波堤两则的 </span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">Breakwater </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">十字大石头,都跟戏剧里面的完全相同。步行在突堤上,就犹如身处于戏中的角色一般。</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>The east coast has given us a wonderful memory of glamping near the seaside in the middle of a small little fishing enclave in Gangneung-si, and the pleasure of discovering the characteristic lighthouse arrangement of the Korean shoreline. And offered us an unforgettable evening of SamGyeopSal, Dettol soju and beer, and lots of rubbish in the midst of some serious Korean campers. And it's time to drive that 3 hours back to Myeongdong...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><br /></span></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="558" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DysHZvXjp64" width="671" youtube-src-id="DysHZvXjp64"></iframe></div></b></span></span></span><div><br /></div><div>It was a major eye-opening experience for me. Now I finally understood why although people in Seoul own cars, they may not necessarily drive their cars into the city centre. On this fateful day while trying to drive our rental car from Myegondong down that short 3.2km distance back to Lotte Rental Car Centre behind Seoul Station, we took one and a half hour. The traffic jam was massive, made worse by a huge gathering of protesters just behind Shinsegae amassing to voice their displeasure against President Yoon Suk-Yeol.</div><br />Thankfully we had enough energy and time to make our way back to SkyPark Hotel to find the two lovely ladies and to indulge in Gina's favourite Yoogane dinner...</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9MKyNI-nxEoWCcTQPjz8-byOh2iPp8pisFQbtdW23FpsVK2moDuVoG3DEIRXJg03L_k3yDd-yqGXjs5U1OWh24u7K7mVicVq4iM40OgWICByzoV1ggrNd_3u-6C5om7A9F6VXoBSuuDaHXt7Q6h3lEdSDSRoZekWH6XHlu3Rz_Y4c6kC_bwLrNYP/s1440/FL_20221123_0412.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9MKyNI-nxEoWCcTQPjz8-byOh2iPp8pisFQbtdW23FpsVK2moDuVoG3DEIRXJg03L_k3yDd-yqGXjs5U1OWh24u7K7mVicVq4iM40OgWICByzoV1ggrNd_3u-6C5om7A9F6VXoBSuuDaHXt7Q6h3lEdSDSRoZekWH6XHlu3Rz_Y4c6kC_bwLrNYP/w640-h480/FL_20221123_0412.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Table </b></span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span><b>of Content</b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-weight: bold;">目錄</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 1">Day 1 </a></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Gai gai in Bukchon </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北村</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> and Insadong </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">仁寺洞</span></span></b></span></span><br /></span></div></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 2">Day 2 </a></b><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Conquering the Bukhansan </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北漢山</span></span></b></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3</span></a></b> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Beauty Day </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江南</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">: Botox, Skin-whitening, massage </span></span></b></span></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 4"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 4 </span></a></b><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Jeongdongjin </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">正東津</span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> and Glamping in Gangreung </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市</span></span></b></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 5"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 5 </span></a></b><span style="color: #ead1dc;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市沙川面 </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Lighthouses & sandy beach!</span></b></span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 6">Day 6</a></b> <b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Oh what a long day: </span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">廣長市場</span><span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">, 弘大,</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">eyebrow</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">,漢江</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> rainbow fountain & a lovely dinner...</span></span></span></b></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 7">Day 7 </a></b><b><span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">I cannot believe how the girls walk in order to shop!</span></span></b></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 8">Day 8</a></b> <span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Bye Bye... Annyeong!</span></b></span></div></span></span><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ff9900; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day 6">Day 6</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">【23 October 2022】</span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocVBIgpLf6omh31k0DNULOhztK_HN9dvd--B9lf1UbPG-rYb6q1JJVV-ofiOgEpiKwV2bWwIS70A7Cj9ywZCbLqazXo76DuitDDZfk07B_HCmVV34RaZ51wnpjEU58Uvq93B58OFFQ9WbATy5ei4rqpq_lnIOOqHkRBjBkW71JnhbYMvJuuvbNn8d/s2666/7D71FB94-A6E2-4B5A-919D-41349D6ED5B8.jpeg" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1295" data-original-width="2666" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocVBIgpLf6omh31k0DNULOhztK_HN9dvd--B9lf1UbPG-rYb6q1JJVV-ofiOgEpiKwV2bWwIS70A7Cj9ywZCbLqazXo76DuitDDZfk07B_HCmVV34RaZ51wnpjEU58Uvq93B58OFFQ9WbATy5ei4rqpq_lnIOOqHkRBjBkW71JnhbYMvJuuvbNn8d/w640-h310/7D71FB94-A6E2-4B5A-919D-41349D6ED5B8.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></span></div></div><div><div><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-large;">GANA Opticals and MOMMO Cafe</span></b><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyZ8qSGAGNE3a-DnAoVqDxY88A7zMPicILAoJB0xhG15fEKGCGOiUF14vd0ZRt3FXynb8wvFTYRQDDnDvpAehlB-eISUS0ZTvxD8uMdLjEttCxUl5b18YubdOgw2l1Bku6GfJPRWYL_8/w1239-h929-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">Breakfast done</a> in the hotel, and we went gai gai immediately to our usual haunt to have my glasses repaired, and also to say a big hello to Kim Man Jung- to our pre-determined first destination for the day - GANA Opticals and MOMMO Cafe!</div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: x-large;"><b>"</b><span style="font-family: Caveat Brush;">Wah long time no see you both</span><b>," </b></span>Kim Man Jung exclaimed when he saw Kat and Gina. Indeed it has been four years since they met.</div></div></blockquote><p>And oh, were Kat and Gina happy to meet up with our handsome Kim Man Jung, and to have the opportunity to enjoy the famous MOMMO coffee in Myeongdong. </p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmRLu_TfQsu38jsoahbfdlaPIZajp2LQm56ZVvvs5F0kzclYYYmKTqt5exbYB0MeCVztW1FAD8hfb6AvU8xH0ZghLk8ZI8ZKCVas1e28DagJnfoQxwNgW4kJAg4piPzI20ZOQtzZhu7cPo-_4pHOpIgpjcEr7jZl38MQ98clTE35DmfM0TqEgUDRH/s4032/IMG_5460.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmRLu_TfQsu38jsoahbfdlaPIZajp2LQm56ZVvvs5F0kzclYYYmKTqt5exbYB0MeCVztW1FAD8hfb6AvU8xH0ZghLk8ZI8ZKCVas1e28DagJnfoQxwNgW4kJAg4piPzI20ZOQtzZhu7cPo-_4pHOpIgpjcEr7jZl38MQ98clTE35DmfM0TqEgUDRH/w640-h480/IMG_5460.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>It was forever a lovely feeling to be back in Myeongdong. Again, like what our Ah Li said during our Spring trip earlier this year, Myeongdong's vibe was forever unique and very different from anywhere else, and coming back to Myeongdong was forever like home-coming to our comfort zone.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: xx-large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">... walking to</span><span style="color: #fcff01;"> </span></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Gwangjang market</span></span><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><b style="text-align: right;"><span><span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">廣長市場 </span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">along </span><span style="color: #fcff01;">Cheonggyecheon </span></span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">清溪川</span></span></span></b></span><br /><br /><p>Apparently, that time in 2018 when they last visited, they went to dunno-what what, Dongdaemun spaceship thingy, and skipped the whole Gwangjang market and all the good food there.<span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"> 傻傻的。傻傻的阿华带着傻傻的两位美女</span>,ended up all <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">傻傻的啦。</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">"我們没去过 </span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Gwangjang Market </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">叻!” </span></b></span>Kat said.</blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;"><b>"<span style="font-family: Single Day;">Really? Last time Serene went with you all in 2018, never went before meh?</span>"</b></span></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div>OK, this time round die die I will bring these pretty ladies to Gwangjang market. True to my heart, I think one of the best ways to get to Gwangjang market <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">廣長市場,</span> is to walk along that lovely Cheonggyecheon <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">清溪川</span> (that famous stream from City Hall all the way down) re-tracing what many on-screen couples' pak-tor route and walk about 1.9km to Gwangjang market. Especially undertaken on such a nice cool autumn morning, <span style="color: #fce5cd;">the walk would be a nice chance to feel and view this famous stream and to pass by the older parts of Euljiro that look like Singapore's Balestier with all the electrical and lighting shops</span>, and to finally end up in the famous old market.</div></div><div><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kZTxe1Ee1e0O08-tt2zteTqv51JG2jtHw70Q-PmdMS0EEWvrHyz8bIkA8q9AJsyDIH6Vt-FBFPLFEgsgSOkZNRjRBuIrXteQIFgufRSs2EuS_pU5h-YL3xLus471AwUj3kxr6Iz4S_uHJKToCaqNo2nspt1bJZNn-wBs91sb8SFBetktssh6Ft20/s720/FL_20221123_0411.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kZTxe1Ee1e0O08-tt2zteTqv51JG2jtHw70Q-PmdMS0EEWvrHyz8bIkA8q9AJsyDIH6Vt-FBFPLFEgsgSOkZNRjRBuIrXteQIFgufRSs2EuS_pU5h-YL3xLus471AwUj3kxr6Iz4S_uHJKToCaqNo2nspt1bJZNn-wBs91sb8SFBetktssh6Ft20/w640-h480/FL_20221123_0411.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: medium;">Walking along Cheonggyecheon </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">清溪川</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"> </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">청계천</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Dela Gothic One;"><i><br /></i></span></b></div><div><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Dela Gothic One;"><i>Brief history of Gwangjang market:</i></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>“Gwangjang market 广长市场 was the result of a string of events that started from the abolishment of commercial monopolies during the Joseon Dynasty. This abolishment allowed any commoner to participate in commerce. Gwangjang market was originally named Dongdaemun market. It started off during the Japanese occupation when in 1905 the Japanese took control over the businesses in Namdaemun, and a group of wealthy Korean businessmen bought over the piece of land at its current location and built a single stores market for the locals to operate in without Japanese influences. The old Dongdaemun market used to be selling agricultural products and seafood. From 1957-1959, it was extended into a much bigger complex and its named was changed to Gwangjang market, with the name derived from a Wide (Gwang) bridge and a Long (Jang) bridge as it was constructed between these two bridges. The ensuing name Gwangjang replaced Dongdaemun market. Eventually the stalls in Gwangjang market expanded to selling textiles, clothes, traditional Korean handicrafts, souvenirs, traditional medicine, and of course traditional Korean food.”</b></i></span></div></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCq076GGKJNLoaRrSbdtBzfGuMvu8Yk9kTy1xYA_ek-A0VZDuQPisd2ollhKGLm5dfkSe3Gga4Gkxy50E8qj4SXyeFNXCcfKof6uyfPAov1-bfxaVuGOL2X5_Yqjq5nr8HasADSLVwH4Rc8Ges01btrpwECqfPX3geRqQMN-SLmLA_tFyTcYJfx73y/s720/FL_20221126_0415.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCq076GGKJNLoaRrSbdtBzfGuMvu8Yk9kTy1xYA_ek-A0VZDuQPisd2ollhKGLm5dfkSe3Gga4Gkxy50E8qj4SXyeFNXCcfKof6uyfPAov1-bfxaVuGOL2X5_Yqjq5nr8HasADSLVwH4Rc8Ges01btrpwECqfPX3geRqQMN-SLmLA_tFyTcYJfx73y/w640-h480/FL_20221126_0415.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p></span>Over the years, we invariably came back time and again to 廣長市場 광장시장 and we have always loved to explore and eat. The original awe of being in a historical market on our first visit, much like our own 老巴刹 in Singapore, has given way to a gradual familiarity and ease of roaming. Gwangjang market no longer was the confusing and messy place it was to us. Knowing its layout roughly now, it became easier for us to look for where we would like to buy, say, a traditional Korean pillow, where we would go to look for the Halmeoni to buy strawberries (during the season), and where to find utensils, and, importantly where to find our favourite food. Gwangjang market has become like an old friend.<span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span></span>An old friend to whom we would introduce to Kat and Gina on this day, a Sunday, and to our own surprise, a very busy Sunday. I remember earlier Kim Man Jung's uncle Han Sang Mun 씨 said:</span></div><div><br /></div></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Dokdo; font-size: x-large;">"오늘은 일여일이니까 광장시장이 사람으로 붐빌 거예요."</span>(Because it's Sunday today, Gwangjang market will be a little crowded with people). So that was what he meant- it WAS crowded on this day.</div></span></div></div></blockquote><p>But Kwencha-yo. Crowded was also fun for tourists like us, as we embarked on our quest for Gwangjang food. </p><div><div><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="561" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v1UobCnXGCs" width="676" youtube-src-id="v1UobCnXGCs"></iframe></div></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Often, caught in the cacophony of shouting and conversation, many would be lost at what to eat. For Serene and I, being in Gwangjang market invariably means two types of local food:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: x-large;">매운탕 MaeunTang </span>- spicy soup made from 明太魚</li><li><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gamja Flower; font-size: x-large;">산낙지 Sannakji </span>- my favourite live squid</li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">But on this day, we <b><i>did none of the above</i></b>, because it would be great for Kat and Gina to taste what is special in Gwangjang. There would be too many different kinds of food to complete in one visit, and it happens that we would just pop into one SikTang 食堂 and eat whatever we can get:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1JpJGJyy3e-UVB4n8AeTJsa9hcUenLVZiG-buXVv3lVbyVp9w4Gc4EBNRfI4bkMs-cK1cX8cuu5GQ8PYmKBzJJixEwWhKEMhZ-Wed03318rl_EsLLyDqm5GzcqQU9seE9_IrPP4SjCKarceedGmXAZxRNCjs4QPPlGmpg9_n-nX19JBDufJRTPWy/s4032/20221023_122926.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1JpJGJyy3e-UVB4n8AeTJsa9hcUenLVZiG-buXVv3lVbyVp9w4Gc4EBNRfI4bkMs-cK1cX8cuu5GQ8PYmKBzJJixEwWhKEMhZ-Wed03318rl_EsLLyDqm5GzcqQU9seE9_IrPP4SjCKarceedGmXAZxRNCjs4QPPlGmpg9_n-nX19JBDufJRTPWy/w640-h312/20221023_122926.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Gina's <span style="color: #ffe599;">Potato pancake 감자전 Gamja Joen</span></li><li>My<span style="color: #f9cb9c;"> Sundae 豬血腸 순대</span></li><li>Kat's <span style="color: #d9ead3;">김밥 Gimbap</span></li><li>Serene's <span style="color: #ea9999;">닭발 Dakbal chicken feet</span></li><li>My <span style="color: #ffa400;">豬肝 pig liver</span></li></ul></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">And we were so full just after having this one meal that we literally didn't have enough space for any other street food outside- the famous Bindaetteok (Mung bean rice cake), Eomuk kuk (fish cake soup) - all these we didn't get to eat. Therefore, it's really not easy to plan to complete all the food adventures in one visit in Gwangjang.</span></div><div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Hongdae</span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"> 홍대 </span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">弘益大學</span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">, here we come!</span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEireIVB_UdIznNBbwhywBxFht79BJC-zjjkNRFnZD9LUjTLECd40y2G7LFNAtHHWm0OW_QcmhW4txeUgKwYye4RW20xJUTKhQK88TyrKubM9Td1Fok3yz5vHwwE5l-OX0Ni-wQ00AYPMrjZQEN-4tuSEGkm4nBfkrxFK5raD5hmohFi5jOEDLwGs3Tc/s4032/IMG_5529.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEireIVB_UdIznNBbwhywBxFht79BJC-zjjkNRFnZD9LUjTLECd40y2G7LFNAtHHWm0OW_QcmhW4txeUgKwYye4RW20xJUTKhQK88TyrKubM9Td1Fok3yz5vHwwE5l-OX0Ni-wQ00AYPMrjZQEN-4tuSEGkm4nBfkrxFK5raD5hmohFi5jOEDLwGs3Tc/w640-h480/IMG_5529.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eoulmadang-ro, Hongdae<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Kat, Gina and Serene have all been looking around for the best chance to really throw their wallets (and handbags) at storekeepers and grab all the clothes, fashionwear, accessories and whatever they could lay their hands on. Hongdae was one of the best places to do just that.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEFyfbYi2SjDxqK37m-mn43H41BcowOUYZ5wdN1pC53aD68Vr3WudjS_7i25tGEupqLMztWcZQCugMbmQXJMZfsZRl_tmdaSzv-UuwEzawZvHbQdj9Fxwt1I7Hs3zun1TO9lrcWvFkFPJiyRdMrNyaS7SOuMyNfAv3iPegkbxn7eAVp6znKSy6aqJ/s2640/20221023_152056.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1980" data-original-width="2640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEFyfbYi2SjDxqK37m-mn43H41BcowOUYZ5wdN1pC53aD68Vr3WudjS_7i25tGEupqLMztWcZQCugMbmQXJMZfsZRl_tmdaSzv-UuwEzawZvHbQdj9Fxwt1I7Hs3zun1TO9lrcWvFkFPJiyRdMrNyaS7SOuMyNfAv3iPegkbxn7eAVp6znKSy6aqJ/w640-h480/20221023_152056.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Compared to last year's winter and this year's spring, Hongdae has emerged from her deep slumber and has bloomed. Back into her original colour she has morphed back. Serene and I were so glad to see her back to her own self. Autumn in Hongdae was another different experience compared to Winter. </div><div>The orange, red and yellow leaves were in beautiful full bloom as we walked the streets. All of us simply just gazed in awe at the leaves as our legs carried us, while I occasionally diverted mine toward some elegantly dressed young people on this fashionable street for the young at heart.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDNDXBeiUWCDnT3etF8NI61GB9Sxk0HVojQg8s8BShDQvxc_n6jU3kpF_idvPdQSb5izDwg2o5Naio6OV7gSZv3HF6HB5e5LXkCh1bIsm1ShG0E6Udlx4POCkdb5NjYSjvi_Pd0Fw0a144HdDcL04zEbrObJEwRxv5rEG-8gZ-sArnAZ23-iiii2r/s4032/IMG_5548.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDNDXBeiUWCDnT3etF8NI61GB9Sxk0HVojQg8s8BShDQvxc_n6jU3kpF_idvPdQSb5izDwg2o5Naio6OV7gSZv3HF6HB5e5LXkCh1bIsm1ShG0E6Udlx4POCkdb5NjYSjvi_Pd0Fw0a144HdDcL04zEbrObJEwRxv5rEG-8gZ-sArnAZ23-iiii2r/w640-h480/IMG_5548.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: large;"><b>Is it still good to shop in Hongdae?</b></span></div><div>The answer to this would forever be a hearty yes. Of course, the atas class people would always end up in Gangnam in the branded boutiques. But for me, Hongdae was the playground of choice. Being a fashion-statement, it was not unsurprising to find more shops for ladies than for men, but only marginally more so. For men, as we walked down the streets we would often be attracted by small little stores, and trays selling our men's accessories and clothing.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwKA4VWvL0DUHMjH8SCQPuo7pde2IEEJGE2I7Tx9Xh4D6JOmbGLalGtZe7gMGr6bvTrU7oSRfSapnoiUyOytVqTUroZoqx37iI54CJC1QUpxYRmVta2BBsP2Yy3R4wH2C7I34XdVSk-xEavswe2egTiGrWCOKgVdTSgY0wEKSoBLc7Zi7xT7Lg_lq/s720/FL_20221130_0426.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwKA4VWvL0DUHMjH8SCQPuo7pde2IEEJGE2I7Tx9Xh4D6JOmbGLalGtZe7gMGr6bvTrU7oSRfSapnoiUyOytVqTUroZoqx37iI54CJC1QUpxYRmVta2BBsP2Yy3R4wH2C7I34XdVSk-xEavswe2egTiGrWCOKgVdTSgY0wEKSoBLc7Zi7xT7Lg_lq/w640-h480/FL_20221130_0426.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Gina went really crazy here. And I finally saw her in her true colours, this Gina. She was not only able to find the exact size and length of the clothes she has always wanted, but she could also get them at very reasonable prices here. That we could easily, this round, do a one-to-one conversion as the Singapore dollar has strengthened, making it so simple: 40,000won was simply, S$40. Man, how much better could it get?</div><div>Some of my friends asked me: What to buy in Hongdae? <br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: x-large;">"<span style="font-family: Single Day;">So many things to buy!</span>" </span></b>exclaimed Serene.</div></blockquote><div>Clothes, fashionwear, shoes, socks, shawls, scarves, hats, caps, bags, wallets, leather goods, electronic handphone accessories... you name it. For young students? The ARTBOX stationary. Hungry? Just sit down and eat. Things in Hongdae were generally slightly cheaper than in Myeongdong as Hongdae caters to young undergraduates. For me, it was always about vibes, about how it subtly resonates with my cells to stir up a pleasant sort of feeling.<br /><div><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="551" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bW-0tYWynNc" width="662" youtube-src-id="bW-0tYWynNc"></iframe></div></span><div><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"<span style="font-family: Single Day;">We can move out from Hongdae just before my eyebrow embroidery appointment and make it there in 45 minutes' time by subway,</span>"</b></span> I discussed with Kat earlier and we concluded this would be the easiest plan.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><br /></div><div>Hongdae ended beautifully, with all four of us quietly enjoying a short series of street performances by young buskers dancing and singing, in true Hongdae spirit, bringing mine and Serene's memories to last year's winter when a red-bikini-clad female dancer was doing that all by herself on the freezing streets of the then wintry Hongdae.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">Did someone say <span style="color: #fff2cc;">Eye</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">brow</span> <span style="color: #ffd966;">Em</span><span style="color: #f1c232;">broi</span><span style="color: #bf9000;">dery</span><span style="color: #e69138;">...?</span></span></b></div><br />Well, yes. Kim Man Jung highly recommended this Eyebrow embroidery salon run by this very careful and experienced therapist in Gangnam. So he actually helped booked my appointment way before this trip. So this was one of the rewards I usually like to give myself when I would like to enhance my 風水 a little bit, as my original 倒眉(霉) isn't much of a help when it came to anything that needs a bit of that super-natural push.</div><div><br /><div><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span></span></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="572" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ctipq_OdlqY" width="688" youtube-src-id="Ctipq_OdlqY"></iframe><br /><br />So was this good? Of course. For 250,000won, I would gladly do it regularly. And this WonjangNim was really careful and she knew exactly what I wanted and did it very naturally.</div><div>I loved it.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzs-dYtN1PzaG3YDVNj14lf3_39i_qBfkWs0_IUg0AKUJYnTEOJezBOEch59CfjTuSDwbsy7Wy7yUtdDOyOGiF-RntZ7mmKxlbcqPtxZOo8jvIMjl4gAUCg_IEqTTSatKLH8xCAorbhcjM8EA-FAEB-SnsBLiBFUTPLRjKCG5utaLV7HDcqVLqgAg7/s4032/IMG_5583.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzs-dYtN1PzaG3YDVNj14lf3_39i_qBfkWs0_IUg0AKUJYnTEOJezBOEch59CfjTuSDwbsy7Wy7yUtdDOyOGiF-RntZ7mmKxlbcqPtxZOo8jvIMjl4gAUCg_IEqTTSatKLH8xCAorbhcjM8EA-FAEB-SnsBLiBFUTPLRjKCG5utaLV7HDcqVLqgAg7/w640-h480/IMG_5583.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>After I did my eyebrows with her, and I got back to Singapore, Kat, Gina, Serene and I <span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><i>worked our butts off for many days after that</i></b></span>. </div></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;"><b>"<span style="font-family: Single Day;">You better book your touch-up session with her quickly,</span>"</b></span> Kat has been nagging me so many times, I kept procrastinating... I'd better KakaoTalk her soon, in order to <span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><i>continue that smooth flow of wind and water</i></b></span>.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">Banpo</span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;"> Hangang </span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: x-large;">Park</span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">Rainbow</span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-size: x-large;">Fountain</span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;"> </span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">盤浦</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">漢江</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">公園</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">彩虹</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">噴水</span></span> <span style="font-family: Gaegu;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">반포</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">한강</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">공원</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">무지개</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">푼수</span></b></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>During Covid, this popular rainbow fountain display was terminated for three whole years and it only started opening up on 26th August 2022. I have always wanted to watch this because the reviews have waxed lyrics about it. There was a Moonlight night bazaar on the other side of Banpo bridge at Hangang Park, but on the day we were there, it has finished its run. Kwenchana-yo.<br /><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="557" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4E_ea6iofao" width="670" youtube-src-id="4E_ea6iofao"></iframe><br /><br />This thing about going to Hangang Park.... there are quite a few Hangang parks. Some are more well-known but all were very widely used by the locals in doing their daily exercises and in pak-tor-ing, and again, we would never fail to catch glimpses of one of the many Hangang parks in the Korean dramas. It was never that easy to get to Hangang parks, just that most of the time we would have to walk a bit of distance - 1-2km from the nearest Subway station. Thus on this evening, I really made the pretty ladies walk like crazy and made them sweat like siao!<br /><br />Honestly, this rainbow fountain show was ok lah. <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">真的是没什么大不了。托这三位美女的福,有机会看得到,我也很开心了。</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;"><b>GOTO Express Mall</b></span><br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“这个 </span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">GOTO Express Mall </span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">是首尔最长的 </span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">underground shopping mall leh,</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">"</span> I told the girls.</div></div></blockquote><p>It was true. Well, I recalled the several times we were here, starting from the first time. I really liked it here. It has been said that here, it is one of the best underground shopping malls to find very reasonably-priced items. As always, ladies benefitted more from the many shops here. But men also do get to see a lot of what they like to find. But they close at 8:30pm, so we had little time here. It was a pity. What was good was, I managed to find that bread store at the end of the long underground stretch where I enjoyed that fresh cream bun.</p><div><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtzvHfxtpWT3WfQak5oKNm-0SSUynrDyAbjj-iFhC6AIpxMu_aArFQsypiK_G_bg45-fhaJZxZEMSZ7Km2s_C5okHXXBgokYvYsICDs562MlwaTz5oMnnCtPQgWY6DnAOkWZitxfIG0uMTjWSvelpnjTNJCzOsIu3RqY9YKDCr9Id2VBe31edfO3-D/s720/FL_20221127_0418.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtzvHfxtpWT3WfQak5oKNm-0SSUynrDyAbjj-iFhC6AIpxMu_aArFQsypiK_G_bg45-fhaJZxZEMSZ7Km2s_C5okHXXBgokYvYsICDs562MlwaTz5oMnnCtPQgWY6DnAOkWZitxfIG0uMTjWSvelpnjTNJCzOsIu3RqY9YKDCr9Id2VBe31edfO3-D/w640-h480/FL_20221127_0418.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Is it worth coming? I would say another big yes. At least for me, because I enjoy the multitude of local clothing, shoes, bags, so many shoppable items, I believe it is a lady's dream.<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;">Dinner at.... TWOTWO Chicken restaurant, Myeongdong!</span></b><br /><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I remember Kat said during the planning stage:<br /></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;"><b>"<span style="font-family: Single Day;">The last two, three days let's make it chill-chill one, OK? Don't want to plan for too many things, so that we all can go shopping and gai-gai in Myeongdong.</span>"</b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Certainly. Her wish was my command. And that was exactly what we did.</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thinking back, this Day 6 was quite a long day, and we walked a lot and we did quite a lot of things. Perhaps it wasn't as chill as we planned it out to be .. Hahaha! <br />Right from the beginning, I have promised Kat her JjajangMyeon. But wah lau it really took us until this day before we could go near a Jjajangmyeon restaurant or a restaurant that had Jjajangmyeon on its menu.<br /><br /><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="551" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E7tbq20Q7rA" width="663" youtube-src-id="E7tbq20Q7rA"></iframe></span></div><br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;">"<span style="font-family: Single Day;">How come the Jjajangmyeon like no taste one?</span>" </span></b>wondered Kat, during the meal.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;"><b>"<span style="font-family: Single Day;">It's like that one what, Jjajangmyeon,</span>"</b></span> I told her. <span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;"><b>"<span style="font-family: Single Day;">Even in the original Chinese restaurant in Incheon when we went to eat the Jjajangmyeon, it tasted exactly like this also leh.</span>"</b></span></div></div></blockquote><div>Aiyah, all these Korean drama, Korean variety show fans, they must have imagined the Jjajangmyeon to be super-flavourful, super salty, or full of taste. But that's not how Jjajangmyeon is yah. LOL.. Really funny, it was, seeing Kat's expression when she ate the Jjajangmyeon.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span><br /></span></div><span><div><span><div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Table </b></span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span><b>of Content</b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-weight: bold;">目錄</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 1">Day 1 </a></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Gai gai in Bukchon </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北村</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> and Insadong </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">仁寺洞</span></span></b></span></span><br /></span></div></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 2">Day 2 </a></b><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Conquering the Bukhansan </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北漢山</span></span></b></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3</span></a></b> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Beauty Day </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江南</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">: Botox, Skin-whitening, massage </span></span></b></span></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 4"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 4 </span></a></b><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Jeongdongjin </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">正東津</span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> and Glamping in Gangreung </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市</span></span></b></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 5"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 5 </span></a></b><span style="color: #ead1dc;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市沙川面 </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Lighthouses & sandy beach!</span></b></span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 6">Day 6</a></b> <b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Oh what a long day: </span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">廣長市場</span><span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">, 弘大,</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">eyebrow</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">,漢江</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> rainbow fountain & a lovely dinner...</span></span></span></b></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 7">Day 7 </a></b><b><span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">I cannot believe how the girls walk in order to shop!</span></span></b></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 8">Day 8</a></b> <span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Bye Bye... Annyeong!</span></b></span></div></span></span></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ff9900; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day 7">Day 7</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">【24 October 2022】</span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkBFt1Fh_4ZSgj_5LbPolIcYxQohff468o7QDd2paBoiBL6IyqefhXS2tw6b976SD6U6XWOa1zMuNKN93OnZUFyKAjTfGVOPV4G3WE2bwX3WKwK_CbO5qeD12buIHPd8ZctnLEQ3NfKG1ZTv8BBcI8-EOPhNGCSpaJxk-0Ou_zeg1Ki9iY4kNSvjH/s2866/CABBE788-F2ED-4D85-89A1-90227DEEEF21.jpeg" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="2866" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkBFt1Fh_4ZSgj_5LbPolIcYxQohff468o7QDd2paBoiBL6IyqefhXS2tw6b976SD6U6XWOa1zMuNKN93OnZUFyKAjTfGVOPV4G3WE2bwX3WKwK_CbO5qeD12buIHPd8ZctnLEQ3NfKG1ZTv8BBcI8-EOPhNGCSpaJxk-0Ou_zeg1Ki9iY4kNSvjH/w640-h274/CABBE788-F2ED-4D85-89A1-90227DEEEF21.jpeg" width="640" /></a><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">Myeongdong Ajumma Tteokbokki</span></b></p></span>OK, this so-called Aujmma Tteokbokki stall was a street food stall in one of the small lanes in Myeongdong, to be precise, it was just opposite SkyPark Myeongdong I hotel, along this lane called Myeongdong-4-gil (明洞4径). Every time we arrived in Myeongdong, it was a ritual for Serene to bring everyone to eat here, as she declares her 'Ajumma tteokbokki' being the most delicious one ever. Sadly, during Covid, when we were here in December 2021, and in Spring when we came in May 2022, this Ajumma tteokbokki stall was closed. Covid must have taken a huge toll on their business. But whatever it was, we were happy to see them back in business once more!<span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="526" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2oAwBSSFya4" width="632" youtube-src-id="2oAwBSSFya4"></iframe></b></span></div><p></p></span><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Single Day;">For those who were frightened of eating Sundaes (that </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">豬血腸</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">), just walk up to this GoMoNae Tteokbokki stall in Myeongdong and order one single serving of their special deep-fried Sundae, wait for it to be served by this friendly Ajumma, and you would be changed forever!</span></span><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: "Black Han Sans";">Eye</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: "Black Han Sans";">lash</span> <span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Black Han Sans";">Ext</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: "Black Han Sans";">ens</span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: "Black Han Sans";">ion</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">, </span></span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">anyone?</span></p><br />Wah, trips to Korea seem to be forever to do with beauty, and beautification of the bodies. And when travelling with these lovely ladies, I was constantly surprised by the fact that they had no-shortage of ideas to make themselves more pretty! </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: x-large;"><b>"<span style="font-family: Single Day;">Hey, eyelash extension here in Myeongdong is sooooooo much cheaper than in Singapore!</span>"</b></span> cried out Gina and Kat when they saw the prices. <b><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: x-large;">"<span style="font-family: Single Day;">We want to do!</span>"</span></b></p></span></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzAnzGuOhiLogOa8x5cKtYJaokOL-tlaLsIvT2lZdqC7MXIMRUXBrz5nx2T1qspQ6x6Jbq6EHZXMVnwX3ZXDikwVpFNceo5TIf_HqLTkAlv0PmMj8QX3CiHJUCKue9J3PH14Rlh0p9kAmjyP_4ZVykioDtZST8rlrmjob4LL9JCp5qGT3O2mUFwfM/s720/FL_20221202_0431.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzAnzGuOhiLogOa8x5cKtYJaokOL-tlaLsIvT2lZdqC7MXIMRUXBrz5nx2T1qspQ6x6Jbq6EHZXMVnwX3ZXDikwVpFNceo5TIf_HqLTkAlv0PmMj8QX3CiHJUCKue9J3PH14Rlh0p9kAmjyP_4ZVykioDtZST8rlrmjob4LL9JCp5qGT3O2mUFwfM/w640-h480/FL_20221202_0431.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: x-large;"></span></b></p></span><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">And on this morning they booked a slot for each, all three of them. At 35,000won a pop, it was a steal. Way cheaper than in Singapore. Too bad men do not do eyelash treatments, otherwise, I would have gone for it myself too. Hahahaha! In fact our youngest daughter Ah Li, when she heard of the price, she said she would have loved to have it done if she were here too. Imagine- a Korean-done pair of lovely curled eye lash extension!</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><div style="text-align: left;"><span><b><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: x-large;">"<span style="font-family: Single Day;">I want to look for my A'pieu shop!</span>"</span></b> gua-gua-jiao-ed Gina. Shit, <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">又來了,這個 </span>Gina!</span></div></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span><div><span>She has been looking for don't know what A'pieu shop for the longest time. The one near our hotel just closed down, leaving a note on their door giving some directions. But I simply couldn't find it. What this A'pieu shop was, I didn't know. I just knew it was some kind of high-class boutique. Thankfully the Tourist ambassadors stationed on the streets of Myeongdong confirmed that there was no more A/pieu. Otherwise I would have to walk much<span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"> 冤枉路</span>。</span></div><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Lotte</span><span style="color: #ea9999;"> Mart</span></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"> & </span><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">Lotte</span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;"> Outlet</span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"> at Seoul Station</span></p><div><span>Since this second last day here in Myeongdong was supposed to be a chill and relaxed day (for the ladies), that meant my job was simply to make sure the ladies get ushered to where they wanted to go, to ensure that they successfully purchase what cosmetics they were looking for, to secure the meals that they desired, to warrant the acquisition of whatever fried foodstuff they planned to get from Korea.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4eTBp5bx9wcS-dYA1VYAQtS0MxwBFnyRE80X20_kyiN3BR1pJgUJ4Q86KeqEkrbZ-fYK3yJdHzqJjl1JQtnqsw-DmSPt-6B6-j6YgUeYjT6awlmFLHBH2lAqI-BG17SN8HZLlyA-MBRLIzEXIQvqagc2JF4QuJA0t41WFcgsEGcFQqUgilN-m8Bv/s720/FL_20221202_0432.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4eTBp5bx9wcS-dYA1VYAQtS0MxwBFnyRE80X20_kyiN3BR1pJgUJ4Q86KeqEkrbZ-fYK3yJdHzqJjl1JQtnqsw-DmSPt-6B6-j6YgUeYjT6awlmFLHBH2lAqI-BG17SN8HZLlyA-MBRLIzEXIQvqagc2JF4QuJA0t41WFcgsEGcFQqUgilN-m8Bv/w480-h640/FL_20221202_0432.GIF" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"<span style="font-family: Single Day;">Kim Man Jung, where can I buy those one pack one pack small small packs of soju?</span>"</b></span></div></span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: x-large;"><b><span>"<span style="font-family: Single Day;">Oh, you mean '</span></span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Pack-Soju'? You should try the Lotte Mart at Seoul Station,</span>" </b></span>highly recommended Kim Man Jung.</div></span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"<span style="font-family: Single Day;">Really ah? wow.. we have never been to this Lotte Mart.</span>"</b></span></div></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span><div><span>It was such a huge mega supermart and had so many items - fresh food, dried stuff, anything and everything we wanted. Wah lau eh.. we missed such a lovely huge supermarket for such a long time. Luckily we found it. Moving forward, each time we come to Seoul we will definitely come here to shop</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16l7B6SFf4xFvRfYWer0ZPLGWOEMxGYV_i6KnSE_Rtv9Dx8mFcNwR5Hrp5S8v5uhqB-9OMI6OpqoVsp6jlHVSQmy_5CCXg3auBjt-LI7dGdTTH8iZwKx6jE-UVwHwZ9NFYDYFgbzGACHtHF23cx9q_AHGKyK1ZnGeROji5J3sJT_ezwd_jkFrFn9X/s720/FL_20221201_0427.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16l7B6SFf4xFvRfYWer0ZPLGWOEMxGYV_i6KnSE_Rtv9Dx8mFcNwR5Hrp5S8v5uhqB-9OMI6OpqoVsp6jlHVSQmy_5CCXg3auBjt-LI7dGdTTH8iZwKx6jE-UVwHwZ9NFYDYFgbzGACHtHF23cx9q_AHGKyK1ZnGeROji5J3sJT_ezwd_jkFrFn9X/w640-h480/FL_20221201_0427.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div>As much as Lotte Mart was good, Lotte Outlet was disappointing. Got things to buy lah, but the prices were so-so. Serene managed to buy a pair of slip-in shoes. But that was all.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-large;"><b>Dongdaemun <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">東大門</span>!</b></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">説實在的,我對東大門是久仰大名,但是從未真正地踏步進去好好地探索探索。相比之下,反而是</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kat</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">和</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gina</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">這兩位美女對東大門的認識比我還深得多。經常聽到新加坡人說<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">‘哇,來東大門批發商場逛,買服裝,便宜得多了!’</span></b>諸如此類的話語,聼是聼得多,就沒有這個機緣來此。今日有這三位姑娘帶隊,何樂而不爲?</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kat</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">還真夠棒的,一邊走,一邊開她的 </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Youtube</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> 播放台灣 </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Influenzer</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">的視頻,決定要去拿一件商場逛呢!這一招我倒是還沒學到。</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuCwkKY4sfJsfdmBdZGOlIU5Hli0TRIbw2-jy-PgeenjbTDc7P9Wol_RBYckl949bBQcvCLUn0t00PixUQBsxP5JFR5L_3UwUVI9MXZ0SD6pe2es_fL9A8mnvF_qT408zCCE2nTGE7CW2iuYOhLTInOQ_JoL-yUxYFd8WA7rw_I1mONNqxBJfMPZ1/s4032/IMG_5761.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuCwkKY4sfJsfdmBdZGOlIU5Hli0TRIbw2-jy-PgeenjbTDc7P9Wol_RBYckl949bBQcvCLUn0t00PixUQBsxP5JFR5L_3UwUVI9MXZ0SD6pe2es_fL9A8mnvF_qT408zCCE2nTGE7CW2iuYOhLTInOQ_JoL-yUxYFd8WA7rw_I1mONNqxBJfMPZ1/w640-h480/IMG_5761.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">“咦,不是這裏嘞。”</span> </b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Gina</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"> 一直在說。</span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;"><b>“就是咯,我不記得是這樣的嘞。”</b></span> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Kat</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"> 也道。</span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">“我記得 </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">hor</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">, 從東大門地鐵站出來,立刻就有一座大大的</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> spaceship</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> 的。“</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Serene </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">回顧。</span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>"老闆,不然你去問一問那位女社長吧?“</b></span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">”</span><span style="font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;">OKOK,</span><span style="font-family: Poor Story; font-size: x-large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Cute Font; font-size: x-large;">사장님, 혹시 사람들이 항상 옷을 사러 가는 곳이 어디예요?</span></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> [社長您,請問人們往往去買衣服的地方在哪裏呢?]</span></span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-weight: bold;">"</span><span style="font-family: Cute Font;">여기아니라, 저기 길을 건넜다가 맞은 편이 있는 평화시장에 가시면 돼요.</span></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-size: x-large;">"</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> [不是這裏,那裏過了路,走向對面的平和市場就行了]</span></span></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEp-qvuqIcDK1Z0J1ovVkVuXd7OYAAAhUgLSRWjWije2r_LLE4J9S6rgDZuKVlm_v-DZTGBdIZxACvYEXF-u2W2oxOlZE6-pr5kEw8R8fPRlSZlpaIf7Zs7FDnuDnYffwlOfCfsYouVUkSuuHwz2z01GKMQyOlcwcIFM-48QVlhN_sjkMhdcEXQZFI/s4032/IMG_5757.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEp-qvuqIcDK1Z0J1ovVkVuXd7OYAAAhUgLSRWjWije2r_LLE4J9S6rgDZuKVlm_v-DZTGBdIZxACvYEXF-u2W2oxOlZE6-pr5kEw8R8fPRlSZlpaIf7Zs7FDnuDnYffwlOfCfsYouVUkSuuHwz2z01GKMQyOlcwcIFM-48QVlhN_sjkMhdcEXQZFI/w480-h640/IMG_5757.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Heng </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="font-size: medium;">啊!還好有貴人指路。終於走出令人眼花繚亂,專賣裁縫材料,電器,電子配件,手工藝品原料,建築用料的</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: large;">東大門綜合市場</span><span style="font-size: medium;">,走到了</span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">平和市場</span><span style="font-size: medium;">。</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><br /></span></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMLmMAYsQvvQ8iflc9z4emB_ACIwyKkgx-bSevOpYlelcYnP1yzuh3-GGXEFp6DlZiBWWJ_pGfATo4LsB11bs4vd20TZq8JiPdhvkkSXa_POq3ANePv2z0kOBGPRwljAzLGq_lv-1732Bm09fPZPHVWMhbBC98a-rCQwBSgrUfb6EalBrU12EfUzb/s2133/Picsart_22-10-24_23-33-40-315.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2133" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMLmMAYsQvvQ8iflc9z4emB_ACIwyKkgx-bSevOpYlelcYnP1yzuh3-GGXEFp6DlZiBWWJ_pGfATo4LsB11bs4vd20TZq8JiPdhvkkSXa_POq3ANePv2z0kOBGPRwljAzLGq_lv-1732Bm09fPZPHVWMhbBC98a-rCQwBSgrUfb6EalBrU12EfUzb/w640-h480/Picsart_22-10-24_23-33-40-315.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;"><b>“不是嘞,不是這樣的嘞。“</b></span></span> Huh? Kat you say what? Not here meh?</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>”這些地方賣的衣服是那種老阿伯老阿母所穿的嘞。“</b></span> Serene said.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>”不像是我們4年前來過的嘞!“</b></span>Gina added. <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">死人頭鬼...</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: medium;">吃力。本以爲來到平和市場就會和平了。但是看樣子還得繼續奮鬥。我也真的是完全滿頭霧水,他們美女不知道的話,何況是我這一位俊男?照繼續走這走咯,</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">bo bian mah.</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> 也不知道怎麽走怎麽走...</span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8syK4mdI5dcXfbHZSSO3A-KoeGeh4Jph_mftmE0yncqsFFKyphm1xHgT6QNeKoQYnQqadmGNS2gEKpHWZcajP5lRz6ZOGYw3loP-zcgjhun6_SCThNngDifHxrPjGYmXAuNkiKzIwl_PsZ1r_-MsBQMKgIiDTWytwjQJBOzHgj1eQSCy5-2vjklXi/s2133/Picsart_22-10-24_23-40-12-291.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2133" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8syK4mdI5dcXfbHZSSO3A-KoeGeh4Jph_mftmE0yncqsFFKyphm1xHgT6QNeKoQYnQqadmGNS2gEKpHWZcajP5lRz6ZOGYw3loP-zcgjhun6_SCThNngDifHxrPjGYmXAuNkiKzIwl_PsZ1r_-MsBQMKgIiDTWytwjQJBOzHgj1eQSCy5-2vjklXi/w640-h480/Picsart_22-10-24_23-40-12-291.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>"咦,這閒大廈看起來很熟悉!“</b></span> Kat.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>”是 hor, 我們好像有來過嘞!“</b></span> Serene.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>”進去看一看!“</b></span> Gina.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Sorry. CLOSE-D. Open 8am to 5pm." </b></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">那位年輕的看管員很無奈地對我們比手畫脚。他一定是看多了我們這些新加坡人誤打誤撞,錯撞進他的大廈吧。</span></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVajpEltmNhtgdHUQrJB0wrJMLBT9g64z4D_k4GFWtji1VELqPqM-pBL14Dh9NKykIn_M0C_xcNg2jJlwOO0tiGcnl4eWLwOn1iQbrqPqA243vlRRdhst13Dfxj8coEq1t1iIrShXNjTNb6DqfSnSWyqX_NOy1uEOiHMZOGv5IbKlYghkr3nd3Uzm/s4032/IMG_5784.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVajpEltmNhtgdHUQrJB0wrJMLBT9g64z4D_k4GFWtji1VELqPqM-pBL14Dh9NKykIn_M0C_xcNg2jJlwOO0tiGcnl4eWLwOn1iQbrqPqA243vlRRdhst13Dfxj8coEq1t1iIrShXNjTNb6DqfSnSWyqX_NOy1uEOiHMZOGv5IbKlYghkr3nd3Uzm/w640-h480/IMG_5784.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>“喂,你們看對面!”</b></span> Kat<span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"> 突然看到。</span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">“咦,對啦對啦,就是那一座 </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">spaceship</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">! “</span></b></span>Serene.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>”Heng 啊,我們過路!就在那裏!“</b></span> Gina<span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">這就開心了!</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">V</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">I</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">D</span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Dela Gothic One"; font-size: xx-large;">E</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: xx-large;">O </span><span style="font-family: Nanum Brush Script; font-size: xx-large;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">동</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">영</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">상</span></b></span></span></div><div><span><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="533" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QRw0iGBM49Q" width="641" youtube-src-id="QRw0iGBM49Q"></iframe></span></div><br /><br />It was a long day. Another long day, despite being 'chill-chill' according to our 大嫂. But long in a pleasant kind of way. The whole evening while in Dongdaemun, I was searching for fried chicken. Fried chicken... fried chicken.. yeah there were one or two restaurants.. but somehow, my heart flew back to the Fried Chicken Street in Myeongdong.</div><div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #fff2cc;">The Centre of </span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Fried Chicken universe</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;"> in Myeongdong- </span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><i>MUST GO!</i></span></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0DN9oP6SR7EObYw5VWKxWOvWQGd5tyXO61EvNE3KVO1jzwm11WEavXCxQHdhZYWgTHsj9pDXUPj4O7-qfu_DR_RlppePnNrw3LUPK7ye4X14AkAZjZctxpK_F-lvwpqImZYo4LYGL5J7H3PfVnSb-UiitapPEsAk4tx9tkV3TdfRVdm5OCjUjs5m/s720/FL_20221203_0438.GIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0DN9oP6SR7EObYw5VWKxWOvWQGd5tyXO61EvNE3KVO1jzwm11WEavXCxQHdhZYWgTHsj9pDXUPj4O7-qfu_DR_RlppePnNrw3LUPK7ye4X14AkAZjZctxpK_F-lvwpqImZYo4LYGL5J7H3PfVnSb-UiitapPEsAk4tx9tkV3TdfRVdm5OCjUjs5m/w640-h480/FL_20221203_0438.GIF" width="640" /></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>There was this very popular street in Myeongdong where there was a collection of many fried chicken restaurants, Myeongdong 7-Ga Gil 明洞7街 径. </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFD1BoFEjl7EvKmkVmElNxsd0k21w04sfwekyer0c8QPEgJaJFKcqEedtxTIp_DycVkfGyOZSY_VvLS8a7gDQi9SGceEsu-V5wSMKp18kADaOO6a6k4FSc3J6KwASipQzHinS7Fy_xtqpUYrBpSwY8fm3FzcXTS_sGx7TzwrG2x_7Bf37oc08CWhC/s2133/Picsart_22-10-24_23-54-22-906.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2133" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFD1BoFEjl7EvKmkVmElNxsd0k21w04sfwekyer0c8QPEgJaJFKcqEedtxTIp_DycVkfGyOZSY_VvLS8a7gDQi9SGceEsu-V5wSMKp18kADaOO6a6k4FSc3J6KwASipQzHinS7Fy_xtqpUYrBpSwY8fm3FzcXTS_sGx7TzwrG2x_7Bf37oc08CWhC/w640-h480/Picsart_22-10-24_23-54-22-906.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">It must have been really madly, madly delicious, <br />from how mad her expression looked...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: x-large;"><b>"<span style="font-family: Single Day;">I have always wanted to eat, and I really want to eat fried chicken today,</span>" </b></span>said Kat.</div></blockquote><div><br />And her wish came true.<br /><br />Of the two flavours of fried chicken we ordered- the Mad Garlic one was really delicious. The other one, I could not remember what it was, that was so-so. Thus when it came to fried chicken, and especially if we were not familiar with what flavour to order, it would be a hit-and-miss. But still, kwenchana, ordering while on holidays was always thus.</div><div><br />A trip to Korea, must always include a Korean fried chicken and beer meal. Not to order too much, just nice, so that we could always leave some space in our stomachs for more other food along the street.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div></div></blockquote><div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Table </b></span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span><b>of Content</b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-weight: bold;">目錄</span></span></span></div><span><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 1">Day 1 </a></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Gai gai in Bukchon </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北村</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> and Insadong </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">仁寺洞</span></span></b></span></span><br /></span></div></span></div><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 2">Day 2 </a></b><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Conquering the Bukhansan </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北漢山</span></span></b></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3</span></a></b> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Beauty Day </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江南</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">: Botox, Skin-whitening, massage </span></span></b></span></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 4"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 4 </span></a></b><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Jeongdongjin </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">正東津</span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> and Glamping in Gangreung </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市</span></span></b></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 5"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 5 </span></a></b><span style="color: #ead1dc;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市沙川面 </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Lighthouses & sandy beach!</span></b></span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 6">Day 6</a></b> <b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Oh what a long day: </span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">廣長市場</span><span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">, 弘大,</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">eyebrow</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">,漢江</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> rainbow fountain & a lovely dinner...</span></span></span></b></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 7">Day 7 </a></b><b><span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">I cannot believe how the girls walk in order to shop!</span></span></b></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 8">Day 8</a></b> <span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Bye Bye... Annyeong!</span></b></span></div></span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #ff9900; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a name="Day 8">Day 8</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">【25 October 2022】</span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbB4kIpdXL44fH5HxMHM5tucLZVNkdtRGyaoXKy06voJlJ0-rGKHCTi88luh4RsB3GM9uUFGuJDVcIunjS_lBMivdkbQWRu2C6_Q4J2M9LggLivJnTt3zPboWORlggwDRweTRsRgrFdKyrKYW9iei6Sha9pFMLi87OF-WjchbRDnv9yDtm2Uy7yJW4/s2642/05656753-F455-4482-9BA6-03AB255EE8A4.jpeg" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2642" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbB4kIpdXL44fH5HxMHM5tucLZVNkdtRGyaoXKy06voJlJ0-rGKHCTi88luh4RsB3GM9uUFGuJDVcIunjS_lBMivdkbQWRu2C6_Q4J2M9LggLivJnTt3zPboWORlggwDRweTRsRgrFdKyrKYW9iei6Sha9pFMLi87OF-WjchbRDnv9yDtm2Uy7yJW4/w640-h366/05656753-F455-4482-9BA6-03AB255EE8A4.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br /></span><br /><b><span style="font-family: Rock Salt; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Tangible</span> <span style="color: #f6b26b;">and</span> <span style="color: #ea9999;">Intangible...</span></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Well, it had been really very fulfilling the past 7 days. We did not really do a lot. But at the same time, we actually also <i><b>did plenty</b></i> - from climbing a Korean mountain to driving across the peninsula to the east coast seaside just so that we could do a Glamping overnight. And we did manage to see as much of the red-yellow autumn foliage as we wanted to, the main highlight of this trip. We did not short-change ourselves too much when it came to feasting - we did manage to eat most of the food we set out to accomplish. Not only that, the girls and myself made this trip into a beauty trip too, having fun with all the silly beautifications we decided to do here in Korea. Threw in some extras - like massage, studio selfie shots, walking around Bukchon Hanok Village, seeing the Banpo Hangang Rainbow fountain, and such, and the trip was a wrap.</div><div>Well, we missed our Coin-Noraebang. That one we owed Kat and Gina. And we owed ourselves more food, more cafes, maybe more soju and beer, and when it came to shopping there was never enough. </div><div><br /></div><div>As our Korean air flight took off at 1445Hrs on this last day, we were all contented, both gastronomically and aesthetically. Our muscles and tendons have grown a little stronger, and our cardiovascular systems have been given a boost. Yet, the intangible part was the emotional and mental adrenaline booster shots that we received, in all the subtle ways on this trip, through our meals together, our suffering together, our laughing and kao-beh-kao-bu-ing together, and through our sharing the same air as we drifted into our slumbers, and our knowing each others' 臭款 as we lived together. Oh, incidentally I also get to learn how long a goldfish's memory lasts - all of 3 full seconds - just like Gina's memory.<br /><br />Four weeks after we returned from this memorable trip, one weekend afternoon as Serene, Kat and I sat down for lunch at Minori Japanese restaurant, we were still talking about the trip:</div></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">"哇,其實哦,我回想起來,我們這次真的是玩得很開心叻!"</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div>See? That was why for me, <b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">my motto was always this:</span></i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Caveat Brush; font-size: x-large;">"<span style="color: #fff2cc;">An expensive material item that money buys will make one happy for a short while.</span></span></div></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Caveat Brush; font-size: x-large;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01;">But an unforgettable experience that the same amount of money buys, will give a lifetime of memories.</span></i>"</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />... and indeed memories are made of these. And memories like these, deserve to be kept and to be pulled out and reminisced time and again, for years after.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KP-xmqljZZqAdsq3uFRQNV8f_a3Ajoo7GC87Tjr8rsFTw3Pffcc_W26_xczT-4rcjVNbKN5VR-hcfT-nhpQkEjAyQniLjvwIY-ctY4NjZfBwZu5guW0G3hDz1xbmJoP_vCJzGesYxnX9hwBrXWqtTnKwUGBYNS5MfQqX4zvfcIadD7GKFrO3rT3U/s4032/IMG_0453.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KP-xmqljZZqAdsq3uFRQNV8f_a3Ajoo7GC87Tjr8rsFTw3Pffcc_W26_xczT-4rcjVNbKN5VR-hcfT-nhpQkEjAyQniLjvwIY-ctY4NjZfBwZu5guW0G3hDz1xbmJoP_vCJzGesYxnX9hwBrXWqtTnKwUGBYNS5MfQqX4zvfcIadD7GKFrO3rT3U/w640-h480/IMG_0453.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Till our next Korea trip!</b></i></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>Table </b></span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span><b>of Content</b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-weight: bold;">目錄</span></span></span></div><span><div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 1">Day 1 </a></b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Gai gai in Bukchon </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北村</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> and Insadong </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">仁寺洞</span></span></b></span></span><br /></span></div></span></div><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 2">Day 2 </a></b><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Conquering the Bukhansan </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">北漢山</span></span></b></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3</span></a></b> <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">Beauty Day </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江南</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">: Botox, Skin-whitening, massage </span></span></b></span></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 4"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 4 </span></a></b><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Jeongdongjin </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">正東津</span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> and Glamping in Gangreung </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市</span></span></b></div></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 5"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 5 </span></a></b><span style="color: #ead1dc;"><b><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">江陵市沙川面 </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Lighthouses & sandy beach!</span></b></span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 6">Day 6</a></b> <b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Oh what a long day: </span><span style="font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";">廣長市場</span><span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">, 弘大,</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;">eyebrow</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">,漢江</span><span style="font-family: Single Day;"> rainbow fountain & a lovely dinner...</span></span></span></b></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 7">Day 7 </a></b><b><span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">I cannot believe how the girls walk in order to shop!</span></span></b></div></span><span><div style="text-align: right;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/10/autumn-leaves-october-2022.html#Day 8">Day 8</a></b> <span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="font-family: "Single Day";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Single Day";">Bye Bye... Annyeong!</span></b></span></div></span></span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-29684808294725539862022-07-26T10:07:00.235-07:002022-08-21T00:20:10.310-07:00Another Ladakhi medical trip, a different experience.<p> </p><p><br /></p><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Another Ladakh trip. but a different setting this round...</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Thiksey Monastery Medical Camp</b></span></p><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[27 July - 5 August 2022]</span><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div><br /></div></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsrMe-u5v_QbFKtB1DEgEjHP06QBbZHWw5zf3eef7yAkhh0F5wWFSXTuQLs7drBfrOEwNvGVyl1nmgFC-Y7DvXyD3zxEgRuwCLTLtL3lF5h-cJ-xjtQnWXE1E40W6KmkaWE-mrQmuNChvdlJnjPpXV1D21Tt7yesb4SjwMR32V3kMyhjcM9aporMzu/s1616/e806f8b7-1e31-423f-a641-7e800eb89b20.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsrMe-u5v_QbFKtB1DEgEjHP06QBbZHWw5zf3eef7yAkhh0F5wWFSXTuQLs7drBfrOEwNvGVyl1nmgFC-Y7DvXyD3zxEgRuwCLTLtL3lF5h-cJ-xjtQnWXE1E40W6KmkaWE-mrQmuNChvdlJnjPpXV1D21Tt7yesb4SjwMR32V3kMyhjcM9aporMzu/w640-h428/e806f8b7-1e31-423f-a641-7e800eb89b20.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our team led by Felicia Tan.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Eh Felicia is organizing the medical trip to Ladakh again leh!”</span></b> Lee Haw Chou lai liao.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">“Really ah?! Wah, eh you go pull people, you quickly go pull people let’s go together,”</span></b> </span>I replied.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“This time round Chang Haw Chong also coming,"</span></b>Haw Chou said. <b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Let's see if the dates are good, and let's hope Mike & Suet will be able to come." </span></b>And they were. </div></blockquote><div><b><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><i><b>Steady lah! </b></i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">Lee Haw Chou</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">Chang Haw Chong</span></b> are forever the pillars of the orthopods and we were honoured this time round to also have <b><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">Mike </span></b>our radio-onco.</div><div>Among the other medical team members we have the Chief-organiser <b><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">Felicia Tan</span></b> the breast surgeon herself, <b><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">Yvonne Wong</span></b> the anaesthestist, <b><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">Tan Su-Lin</span></b> our Cambodia-based GP, <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b>Meera Magar</b></span> the gastro-intestinal surgeon from Sushrut Hospital in Phaltan, and <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b>Vicky Tan</b></span> and <b><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">Shila Das</span></b> our experienced nurses. </div><div><div><b><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">Jeanette Tan </span></b>was of course, omnipresent.</div><div>The volunteers were out in full force, with <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b>Paul Fong</b></span>, <b><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">Jack Tay</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">Jay Lamkin,</span></b> and our indispensable <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b>Leow Chin Lee </b></span>(aka 李太太), <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b> Suet </b></span>and <b><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">Serene (the Ajumma) Gan</span></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Such an entourage, this was. The mere thought of it excited me for weeks.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdboauCDViCiVcnDBgxBLrC1dQgvt8RhE1o5HBchtLxSjTrfpuaEx44EmXL2VKTUdULNg9bM2WrAgUHXAahw5brY1H0mOEvCwRl6soKCgKRZfAHp5e6WiIP1dxq04CP7uY8I-7gGQUrMhpyB3gN32aLDJXRRnTRFs4QNI5XV6NhkMCuDLNfetIJDP/s1616/b921182e-2b63-4bd2-85e7-c0b78703a60d.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdboauCDViCiVcnDBgxBLrC1dQgvt8RhE1o5HBchtLxSjTrfpuaEx44EmXL2VKTUdULNg9bM2WrAgUHXAahw5brY1H0mOEvCwRl6soKCgKRZfAHp5e6WiIP1dxq04CP7uY8I-7gGQUrMhpyB3gN32aLDJXRRnTRFs4QNI5XV6NhkMCuDLNfetIJDP/w640-h428/b921182e-2b63-4bd2-85e7-c0b78703a60d.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meeting His Eminence Thiksey Rinpoche at Chamba Hotel across Thiksey Monastery</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span></span><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><u><a name="TOC"><b>Table of Content:</b></a></u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#Day 1"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b> Day 1: </b></span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"></span></a><span style="color: #d9ead3;">Hello New Delhi... and hello again Leh!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#Day 2">Day 2:</a></span></b> <span style="color: #d9ead3;">...of Leh Palace and Tsemo Castle</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#Day 3">Day 3:</a> </span></b></span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">Venture to where the Indus & Zangskar rivers meet... to see the Alchi Monastery, and back to Shanti Stupa</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#Day 4">Day 4:</a></span></b> <span style="color: #d9ead3;">Through Chang La (Chang Pass) to Pangong Lake in the idiots' footsteps...</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#Day 5">Day 5:</a></span></b> <span style="color: #fce5cd;">开工了!Thiksey Monastery for some serious work... and what a lovely dinner cultural show in Chamba Camp!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#Day 6">Day 6:</a></span></b> <span style="color: #fce5cd;">Ransacking the Leh Pharmacy and work, again.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#Day 7">Day 7:</a></span></b> <span style="color: #fce5cd;">Last day of medical work, a glimpse into Secmol, and meeting His Eminence Thiksey Rinpoche.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#Day 8">Day 8:</a></span></b> <b><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Fly back to New Delhi and zoom off to Agra!</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#Day 9">Day 9:</a></span></b> <span style="color: #fff2cc;">Oh my, the romantic Taj Mahal and the historic Agra Fort!</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div>As the day approached, I dug deep into my memory to gather what Serene and I needed to prepare. The <a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2018/07/nubra-valley-medical-expedition-trip-of.html" target="_blank">previous trip to Nubra Valley in 2018</a> was an experience not to be forgotten. It reinforced my notion that the medical needs for the simple good people of Ladakh were slightly different from those of inhabitants of metropolitans cities around the world.</div><div>Serene and I have always enjoyed talking to and listening to these down-to-earth Ladakhian town and village folks, but we also knew there was not much more a lowly practitioner like me can do for them.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><p><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a name="Day 1">Day 1: Flew and flew.. with little sleep...</a></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">[27th July 2022]</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazdndUkVP2geZtzBuN_DbS5cTIYfIVAJwtS_LuVIt6cb_IxCTnoYraMuR0YIC_mrVl058zP2BmIHJicwb2hqiXsUQpN4aRirLT21Xe97zQISWqtzzEB5OPDPleAPk_sFQO49br6IH2kW4AFg7A4z17PARw7U1kmeR8RJEuVdNq30_aYissU3gQ_K6/s4032/IMG_7570.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazdndUkVP2geZtzBuN_DbS5cTIYfIVAJwtS_LuVIt6cb_IxCTnoYraMuR0YIC_mrVl058zP2BmIHJicwb2hqiXsUQpN4aRirLT21Xe97zQISWqtzzEB5OPDPleAPk_sFQO49br6IH2kW4AFg7A4z17PARw7U1kmeR8RJEuVdNq30_aYissU3gQ_K6/w640-h480/IMG_7570.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12am on 27th July. Changi Airport Terminal 3.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Wah lau, my limo never turned up,"</b></span> kao-beh-ed Chang Haw Chong. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"I'm going to be late."</b></span> </div></blockquote><div>But Haw Chong will never be too late one. He made it in good time. This 2022 Ladakh team was a slightly smaller team compared to the 2018 one. Although we were leaner this round, the great organisation capabilities of Felicia Tan, Vicky and Jeanette would always ensure things get accomplished, with the constantly present <b><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">Ram Krishnan Pandey</span></b>, our Indian guide. <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Our plane’s wheels took off from the runway of Changi airport at 2:35am on 27th July 2022.</span><br /><br /><br /></div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETeebaxrP51hqORDwDWMl33qQVwZSMO2istl7wOEXQyyJu0Uu2PO-6IWEUUmZxYfDWBssZuaIEvHNDqppXMxua_2KkjA0gbKUT95p2BtBKB1JVDCD8c85YAYwFHQ46TEP5wMfbl103NGJH24woND6wKAJlcGRa0JErLveXl7OM1_mzKYdSp8YcUQF/s720/FL_20220805_0292.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETeebaxrP51hqORDwDWMl33qQVwZSMO2istl7wOEXQyyJu0Uu2PO-6IWEUUmZxYfDWBssZuaIEvHNDqppXMxua_2KkjA0gbKUT95p2BtBKB1JVDCD8c85YAYwFHQ46TEP5wMfbl103NGJH24woND6wKAJlcGRa0JErLveXl7OM1_mzKYdSp8YcUQF/w640-h480/FL_20220805_0292.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleepless flight for me while Serene snored away</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The mere thought of having an opportunity to meet His Holiness The Dalai Lama, has always been one major highlight, even if it was a split second, a mere handshake.</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“But hor, now that he is older,”</span></b> added Felicia.<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"> "He </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">can no longer travel far to Nubra Valley like where we were the last time. So he will be holding his teachings in Thiksey Monastery in Leh. And because of Covid, we may not get to meet him personally.”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Ok lor. 随缘吧。</span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-large;">Indira Gandhi Intermational Airport, New Delhi</span></b></p><p>Sleep simply could not come to me on this red-eyed flight to New Delhi, tried as hard as I could with eye masks and earbuds. All I remembered was arriving in New Delhi feeling (wah lau eh...) tired. These 3 Covid years have really destroyed Serene and I. Our physical fitness level was bad. This trip up to the mountains above 3500m made us realise the negative impact of a lack of physical fitness on altitude-related symptoms.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryxkf8DBowvhkQpho6gEslOr4nw8cT6oBeBvsaYvtIODnZhRsTAeYMEP9su8gzPm9FdTBz-ILPE7UmqD09621YwpVSOSFN9CQ5MFtICEBH5H4ib06s0Chu7lTD67DydKdV2_bbnBV-aBm5oExqnU5oQyHYxFCDa5VbsZQZ2dC0hTmc52Llv6oG9B6/s720/FL_20220806_0306.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryxkf8DBowvhkQpho6gEslOr4nw8cT6oBeBvsaYvtIODnZhRsTAeYMEP9su8gzPm9FdTBz-ILPE7UmqD09621YwpVSOSFN9CQ5MFtICEBH5H4ib06s0Chu7lTD67DydKdV2_bbnBV-aBm5oExqnU5oQyHYxFCDa5VbsZQZ2dC0hTmc52Llv6oG9B6/w640-h480/FL_20220806_0306.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Not everyone was in such a bad physical state as both of us. Our good Jack Tay was the picture of pristine physical health as he breezed through everything- altitude, Indian food, and all. It came as no surprise that he became the official photographer for the team, being everywhere at every moment.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIBOW-TCiaAN7g-QqcYzsbD2N1jtTdrg2hD0iR_8tuL3K5g021sMFk_utbZkvwAwJvoSWsizEMjqiBYybbVh9z4oyscIz-VrQYcokbmIEHsoqkM6tLmKsA2Pks4df17M6p7fjgFmze-ug-PZwW1zpvlgZhXtq8fXpxcGNppy-_W7h7O52Capsy07J/s3999/96EC758A-D446-4381-8AB1-8AC462DA151A.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIBOW-TCiaAN7g-QqcYzsbD2N1jtTdrg2hD0iR_8tuL3K5g021sMFk_utbZkvwAwJvoSWsizEMjqiBYybbVh9z4oyscIz-VrQYcokbmIEHsoqkM6tLmKsA2Pks4df17M6p7fjgFmze-ug-PZwW1zpvlgZhXtq8fXpxcGNppy-_W7h7O52Capsy07J/w640-h480/96EC758A-D446-4381-8AB1-8AC462DA151A.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The most remarkable Jack always on the go.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WP6hMgfXtkQrW0zCepGOUdzx0SH7qGPRMabDMaThG7SZWwgeQrCwALJxEmNrfKT0c8NWx-6kR-PpMc6maIx9vszlrbHY_0FdJlN5GpOJTPfWP2k5naEKTbCN6wXgCYt-_iOlYucQ0ejaWw6vQp5kdOb4cBmPDzIcw6vPwOFpnVW2TxgRZRY3hAmo/s3999/431D5DD5-065F-4A37-A6B4-2EAD1DE0A0C3.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WP6hMgfXtkQrW0zCepGOUdzx0SH7qGPRMabDMaThG7SZWwgeQrCwALJxEmNrfKT0c8NWx-6kR-PpMc6maIx9vszlrbHY_0FdJlN5GpOJTPfWP2k5naEKTbCN6wXgCYt-_iOlYucQ0ejaWw6vQp5kdOb4cBmPDzIcw6vPwOFpnVW2TxgRZRY3hAmo/w640-h480/431D5DD5-065F-4A37-A6B4-2EAD1DE0A0C3.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hey that's R.K.Pandey!"</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>Last minute changes</b></span></p><p>It was never easy to be coordinating for the medical camp. The camp used to be held on the same days as HHDL's teaching days. But this time round for security reasons, the camp was suddenly pushed back two days (31st July - 2nd August), a day before we were scheduled to fly. I was always impressed by Felicia and RK Pandey's adaptability.</p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"No worries,"</span></b> reassured Felicia. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"We can just switch the R&R over."</span></b></p></div></blockquote><div><p>And so instead of working for three days before we toured, we enjoyed the touring first. </p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>New Delhi</b></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The city was the same, humid and warm on a July morning. Indira Gandhi International Airport was full of travellers. I was surprised quite a significant number of these actually wore masks, expecting most to not be doing so here in India. </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The traffic outside was as crowded, and the hard-working ad-hoc workers who were swarming our bus were just as enthusiastic in trying to help haul our luggage onto the bus. It took a stern-looking RK walking towards the bus to be relieved of the constant request for some rupees.</span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Leh, Ladakh</b></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAILdUhbiBOY6lzAWej8z7KMykeFzEtcuLU1-LsXkH_Fa6RCeSOkExE_KT-gXVtbcfcR0MnSUu4wnWeWMmraWlzU7yaW4YnQAATr7EEiW05CuNTk7tcIERMQsSUpMaaehpGOxddCMkBYrS7OpfWuAsOacQvuQT7Y9_PIyr9DU6g8aoSJZBIo6Y3tC2/s1578/A2F79619-D082-44AA-8206-5BE37394644A.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1566" data-original-width="1578" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAILdUhbiBOY6lzAWej8z7KMykeFzEtcuLU1-LsXkH_Fa6RCeSOkExE_KT-gXVtbcfcR0MnSUu4wnWeWMmraWlzU7yaW4YnQAATr7EEiW05CuNTk7tcIERMQsSUpMaaehpGOxddCMkBYrS7OpfWuAsOacQvuQT7Y9_PIyr9DU6g8aoSJZBIo6Y3tC2/w640-h636/A2F79619-D082-44AA-8206-5BE37394644A.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The light green area is the Pakistan-controlled parts of Kashmir while the <br />the southeast State of J&K is the Indian-controlled parts.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Since we were originally scheduled to start the medical work two days after arriving in India, we flew straight to Leh, Ladakh through the domestic Indigo Airport. One hour and twenty minutes later we arrived at Kushok Bakula Rinpoche Military Airport at Leh, Ladakh, 3500m above sea level. Our very friendly air stewardess actually reminded us not to take photographs with our handphones when we arrived as the security personnel were very sensitive. Understandable. Ladakh, a Union Territory and not a state, is right inside the State of Jammu and Kashmir. This is still a highly volatile area, as Kashmir at the northwest of the State of J&K is still being disputed by India and Pakistan.</span></p><p>Thus we were not surprised when the security personnel asked to check our medical equipment Otoscopes, Ophthalmoscopes, and magnifying glasses because these resembled binoculars which were militarily-sensitive equipment. Other than that, the security checks at the airports were smooth-sailing.</p><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>So what is it about Ladakh?</b></span> Geo-politically, on the right north-most Ladakh borders with Xinjiang of China and the Karakoram pass, on its east it's the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, northeast it borders with the generally-uninhabited Aksai Chin area claimed by the Indian government but which is under China control. On the west it's the State of Jammu & Kashmir under Indian control, northwest with Gilgit & Baltistan, and right down south Himachal Pradesh of India. The Indus River from Tibet runs through Ladakh. Many disputes surrounded this region, baggage from centuries of rules by various kingdoms, with British colonisation being the last one that divided the native rulers. 46% of Ladakhis follow the Islamic faith, 40% are Tibetan Buddhists, and Hindus makeup 12%. The people of this area speak mainly Balti and Ladakhi. Here at Leh, we were very impressed to find mosques juxtaposed with Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries and where the people of different faith mingle freely and harmoniously.</div><div>The many local buildings in Ladakh are built in the style of customary Tibetan roofs and windows, we felt like we were in Tibet at times.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICFM4TrOhPbFvJvlzWVFsVr-bo8dYIRKg-EvXtVmrrW0puG_3kninHvY-1KL7SfAwR8yZ2BetMD-LnR-JJKQq41BvRLfMqFPIQZBLRd1y-dx_FCGZ2qZ1M91juGwFJBobxikuvEiTIaDlrvwU8du3tWgGII-g5ksE8A7k0ETzytLJ4c99RQcPvNtk/s720/FL_20220817_0341.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICFM4TrOhPbFvJvlzWVFsVr-bo8dYIRKg-EvXtVmrrW0puG_3kninHvY-1KL7SfAwR8yZ2BetMD-LnR-JJKQq41BvRLfMqFPIQZBLRd1y-dx_FCGZ2qZ1M91juGwFJBobxikuvEiTIaDlrvwU8du3tWgGII-g5ksE8A7k0ETzytLJ4c99RQcPvNtk/w640-h480/FL_20220817_0341.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWoPBZ9vF_adL0hnklVIlseX0AaG9ogm0fXVCCxarGou5CVJCLMkI3ME9-lWZRuaAAC05mGK5LnwFXmTwDdiRFBlnTy0WI2I-sSJvjuEWZ1dOu0aHPgojLgREOL20R9WrmU205h6NSKEAjgUo0SS-VATjh0jNwrhE7HSdtU6rRZDvnLI6bLZAb5Mq/s720/FL_20220806_0295.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWoPBZ9vF_adL0hnklVIlseX0AaG9ogm0fXVCCxarGou5CVJCLMkI3ME9-lWZRuaAAC05mGK5LnwFXmTwDdiRFBlnTy0WI2I-sSJvjuEWZ1dOu0aHPgojLgREOL20R9WrmU205h6NSKEAjgUo0SS-VATjh0jNwrhE7HSdtU6rRZDvnLI6bLZAb5Mq/w640-h480/FL_20220806_0295.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>WIFI in Ladakh</b></span></div><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Our previous experience taught us that wifi on handphones and internet availability were not a given here. Post-paid Roaming services subscribed from out of India will not work here. SIM cards bought anywhere outside of the State of J&K will also not work. Only a SIM card bought with a passport from the telcoms Airtel or JIO will allow us internet wifi access. Thankfully, at 800rps (S$13.80) for a 20-day pre-paid data SIM with 3.5Gb of daily data was the solution.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_f8vcyazLhW-YnWJXbciE8A6qNpkmi5umYwEejElao_k2ES29ueGzDX5ZqqBtJxRoVw0JgCXb25b4rvNVYn-avshuHhm8HHQmMv789mtaVFmziEOXKB2faLB-v_TR9v9fLAPbQvUoXYRstIJR8izIKyPONB_t07fIJflczpTDqIVKVH0vSwnAICJ/s720/FL_20220806_0296.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_f8vcyazLhW-YnWJXbciE8A6qNpkmi5umYwEejElao_k2ES29ueGzDX5ZqqBtJxRoVw0JgCXb25b4rvNVYn-avshuHhm8HHQmMv789mtaVFmziEOXKB2faLB-v_TR9v9fLAPbQvUoXYRstIJR8izIKyPONB_t07fIJflczpTDqIVKVH0vSwnAICJ/w640-h480/FL_20220806_0296.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-large;">Leh Main Market</b></div><div>My last trip to Leh was undertaken in a little more of a rush and I did not see as much of Leh as we would have liked. Somehow having our R&R switched to the front gave us more time, and for some of us, staying in Chospa Hotel right beside the Main Leh Market provided the ease to explore this exciting area on foot.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFZMkSmr06xvG2u6jyZ-uCsnoFpcW36ok1nZ8gH7ifccrszoi_WLnacFg8QQ15-StZZGUWZlJaopYK9IHQg9madQVVTZegLS56rPJ89lY86Ks1QaGQbR0fd3qGlYy1AybEu84uGAQuaFatyToKeq0wp7Z3RMM4SkhTBjI2PO7Z7Bh8GCp6_sR5R1r/s1755/Leh%20Map.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="1755" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFZMkSmr06xvG2u6jyZ-uCsnoFpcW36ok1nZ8gH7ifccrszoi_WLnacFg8QQ15-StZZGUWZlJaopYK9IHQg9madQVVTZegLS56rPJ89lY86Ks1QaGQbR0fd3qGlYy1AybEu84uGAQuaFatyToKeq0wp7Z3RMM4SkhTBjI2PO7Z7Bh8GCp6_sR5R1r/s16000/Leh%20Map.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The various destinations within Leh...<br /><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL26pGq_r_040tQK4LrHuZID8pJ4SmkD0cibgPqDrgzmml9dxu5gSn_3sli3wBmn4xMczFraLj_UIRcctpM5TpDvmL-twLxQFaXfU-I8jZm-c52f0NyRtuacl6Yzkl9sLUiJ-w65Db4JCsRtGJBNn3rpP4aO_AGNW1QtUxOjvOj5vjS7NtGpWIpUp0/s720/FL_20220807_0307.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL26pGq_r_040tQK4LrHuZID8pJ4SmkD0cibgPqDrgzmml9dxu5gSn_3sli3wBmn4xMczFraLj_UIRcctpM5TpDvmL-twLxQFaXfU-I8jZm-c52f0NyRtuacl6Yzkl9sLUiJ-w65Db4JCsRtGJBNn3rpP4aO_AGNW1QtUxOjvOj5vjS7NtGpWIpUp0/w640-h480/FL_20220807_0307.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b></b></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="759" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZeQCrYWDXLI" width="913" youtube-src-id="ZeQCrYWDXLI"></iframe></b></span></span></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a name="Day 2">Day 2: Exploring Leh Palace and climbing up Tsemo Castle</a></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">[28th July 2022]</span></p></div></div><div>So instead of starting work on this day, we started touring Ladakh, which actually turned out to be quite a good idea because we could take it easy while we allow our bodies to acclimatise.</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Today we will visit the Leh Palace and the Tsemo Castle,"</b></span>said RK Pandey.</div></div></blockquote><div><div>It was meant to be a relaxing day of touring the nearby attractions, as part of our acclimatisation. We were all on Diamox and Dexamethasone tablets, obediently. So far aside from some tinglings over the lips and tips of the limbs, most of us were fine. Even early in the morning when we walked out of the hotel, Serene and I still felt some degree of breathlessness.</div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Wah, walking up the slope outside the hotel a little bit, also chuan liao,"</b></span> kao-beh-ed Serene.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Kwenchana!"</b></span> I reassured her. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Our physical fitness is really bad lah. Never mind. Cheon-cheon-hi!"</span></b></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><br /><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="728" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EKyycO1o7iQ" width="875" youtube-src-id="EKyycO1o7iQ"></iframe></span></p><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b>Leh Palace </b></span></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHAWCvhIklD_YEb_YCYrwZO3xW5qmomkaAVwTav33qZm27Ll2pn3IohHtjt_zN2briH_S4i_zwq6FhTRrLsCe3rnLx5aWssMlUr8f50r28JxqSL_Fu32gQNI625sdyWJ8wh9yjMUC0chXEKI-tH3cW0kGDCEDUJcKp9rH9InvSL2ZKoUPWa5dBhtz/s4032/IMG_7859.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHAWCvhIklD_YEb_YCYrwZO3xW5qmomkaAVwTav33qZm27Ll2pn3IohHtjt_zN2briH_S4i_zwq6FhTRrLsCe3rnLx5aWssMlUr8f50r28JxqSL_Fu32gQNI625sdyWJ8wh9yjMUC0chXEKI-tH3cW0kGDCEDUJcKp9rH9InvSL2ZKoUPWa5dBhtz/w640-h480/IMG_7859.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Leh Palace from the outside looked <span style="color: #f1c232;"><i>lat-lat-kut-kut</i></span>...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1uV09uoJcBhjk6eJ3c21CIewSTMwBNfKTQV44kvtNlY6bjimG9KzyjhmiAkk7UeUpG5m3D8m_J7jFG1dqStfvxQH3imoR1Wy6sIHfLxJS2EKe67gOo6c7MmImX3aoCN9dRncFK1J0RDVY0ueAcGs5MDx72Rr3jqGiJjHEXiXhfsnINF7SqZDK4Nd/s4035/Scan%207%20Aug%202022%20at%2015.40%20page%201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2862" data-original-width="4035" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1uV09uoJcBhjk6eJ3c21CIewSTMwBNfKTQV44kvtNlY6bjimG9KzyjhmiAkk7UeUpG5m3D8m_J7jFG1dqStfvxQH3imoR1Wy6sIHfLxJS2EKe67gOo6c7MmImX3aoCN9dRncFK1J0RDVY0ueAcGs5MDx72Rr3jqGiJjHEXiXhfsnINF7SqZDK4Nd/w640-h454/Scan%207%20Aug%202022%20at%2015.40%20page%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An old photo of Leh Palace is on exhibit in the exhibition chamber of the palace<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><div><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>So what's with Leh Palace? </b></span> Honestly I could not remember much about Leh Palace. But I knew it was one of the much-visited historical sites in Leh. The Palace that Chang Haw Chong, Lee Haw Chou and I remembered was Stok Palace, the other royal palace in Ladakh, during our previous stay. It was during this trip that I found out more about Leh Palace from Wikipedia:</div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><i><span style="font-family: Poor Story;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;">"Leh Palace </span></b><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: medium;">also known as Lachen Palkar Palace is a former royal palace overlooking the city of Leh in Ladakh, India. It was constructed circa 1600 by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sengge_Namgyal">Sengge Namgyal</a>. The palace was abandoned when Dograforces took control of Ladakh in the mid-19th century and forced the royal family to move to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stok_Monastery">Stok Palace</a>. It is nine storeys high; the upper floors accommodated the royal family, while the lower floors held stables and store rooms.Much of the palace is in deteriorated condition, and little survives of its interior decorations. The Palace Museum holds a rich collection of jewellery, ornaments, ceremonial dresses and crowns. Tibetan thangkaor paintings, which are more than 450 years old, with intricate designs still retain the bright colours derived from crushed and powdered gems and stones. Structures around the palace's base include the prominent Namgyal Stupa(Tibetan:གཙུག་གཏོར་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་མ།, Sanskrit: Uṣṇīṣavijayā),the colourfully muralled Chandazik Gompa. (Tibetan:སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས།,Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर/ Avalokiteśvara) and the 1430 Chamba Lhakhang(Tibetan:བྱམས་པ་མགོན་པོ། Sanskrit:मैत्रेय/ Maitreya Buddha) with medieval mural fragments located between the inner and outer walls.</span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b>"</b></span></span></i></div></div></blockquote></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #ea9999;"></span></b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTFez0SNPb3d67dPH85nC8OUuBYw5g4_mwp3zdkhFb46TrqciS4J0o4x95U-hCQM1ZxGKMMqhW_tpWKgkJWBzNX3FwwYw1zRECMLCkADlCyaBkGwTKNBMX1xF8LDiI6nI4safX647mt-ZW3TigJCJlvejB4Y9da0WMmMNqMck_Cav3XVsLZZVsUDB/s4032/IMG_7876.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTFez0SNPb3d67dPH85nC8OUuBYw5g4_mwp3zdkhFb46TrqciS4J0o4x95U-hCQM1ZxGKMMqhW_tpWKgkJWBzNX3FwwYw1zRECMLCkADlCyaBkGwTKNBMX1xF8LDiI6nI4safX647mt-ZW3TigJCJlvejB4Y9da0WMmMNqMck_Cav3XVsLZZVsUDB/w640-h480/IMG_7876.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUVtmTQL0xNPHAJXONUUiqNtv4gEhVunDmIhQ_8dU4n1VIAkbg_K913b0nr9zPb1SVWQ6zo8d71F17reygUtWcSWoqYk5yWi5JbEIlZTa7ka5vb9F3M7KCZAVpYWuJo0E0pD0N64JBWrhN8rcGnHulfDHwIYBbBLFM5iKeatBdxZNQS5ZTu90lB1z/s1440/FL_20220807_0312.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUVtmTQL0xNPHAJXONUUiqNtv4gEhVunDmIhQ_8dU4n1VIAkbg_K913b0nr9zPb1SVWQ6zo8d71F17reygUtWcSWoqYk5yWi5JbEIlZTa7ka5vb9F3M7KCZAVpYWuJo0E0pD0N64JBWrhN8rcGnHulfDHwIYBbBLFM5iKeatBdxZNQS5ZTu90lB1z/w640-h480/FL_20220807_0312.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the exhibits in Leh Palace</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div><br />No wonder, that Stok Palace was where the royal family escaped to, from their original Leh Palace in the 19th century, as it's a really nice abode befitting of royalty. Not bad. At least we have had the experience of having seen and stayed in Stok Palace in 2018. Gazing at Leh Palace's nine storeys, it struck us as a classic model in the traditional Tibetan style of architecture that was exactly the same as that of Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, though the latter was constructed on a much grander scale.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZtlqPfljaaUkwd0vDljoIETwOaNv7MseVdHVbut_HIiTnlYTBbvqcTnIKRkBrITENfs0dOFa5Ar_7Nzvv26FHF-FesBJHMfxsl3EO4TaEjADTS7RwNLJt1o13plKhVmfjqXpTysI9ERWSCWTNLAA3c9d-YuoK06kHzdbDXnkV1HUHk4eSh6D8X5M/s4032/IMG_7899.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZtlqPfljaaUkwd0vDljoIETwOaNv7MseVdHVbut_HIiTnlYTBbvqcTnIKRkBrITENfs0dOFa5Ar_7Nzvv26FHF-FesBJHMfxsl3EO4TaEjADTS7RwNLJt1o13plKhVmfjqXpTysI9ERWSCWTNLAA3c9d-YuoK06kHzdbDXnkV1HUHk4eSh6D8X5M/w640-h480/IMG_7899.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiReeiTLAp2DRs605v63NTC6WvSOldgj9N_Vp_AtSp6JQ6dtt0ppCnbXvo2ca2ROWLo7pfR1G4QwCjh2Yk-ELKAkpjiQQ_bUKv1_4Y3QsMOe457_ix-eAJPnOjXMj8fkGMuOK3OlpaMj7Z4KmPu3SrCH_dqSH4CXLpdJGtPRRPDp63r91D5vfdnEMXo/s4032/IMG_7903.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiReeiTLAp2DRs605v63NTC6WvSOldgj9N_Vp_AtSp6JQ6dtt0ppCnbXvo2ca2ROWLo7pfR1G4QwCjh2Yk-ELKAkpjiQQ_bUKv1_4Y3QsMOe457_ix-eAJPnOjXMj8fkGMuOK3OlpaMj7Z4KmPu3SrCH_dqSH4CXLpdJGtPRRPDp63r91D5vfdnEMXo/w640-h480/IMG_7903.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The collection of old scriptures in Leh Palace. I've always loved these collections.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b>Castle of Tsemo</b></span></div>Tsemo Castle (also known as Namgyal Tsemo or Leh Fort complex, built by Tashi Namgyal) is an important religious and historical point in Leh. It is located at a walking distance from the Leh Palace. This is now maintained by Archaeological Survey of India. Situated at the highest point in Leh, it used to function as a defense structure during the Namgyal dynasty. What is special is there is a three-storey high gold statue of Maitreya Buddha being housed in Tsemo Castle.</div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Let's... let's climb up there," </span></b>suggested Mike.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Huh? Mo-gao-ngor ah... climb?!"</b></span> see lah, the Ajumma always will complain one.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Ok onz! Let's go!"</span></b> I gave her no chance. Hahaha..</div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYSha8JEZAx8PDNPmthMHlr5IAzhYSTtPKBD4S2DSFHkUyWZjFJx21h2qDAsQcPfrq1gPfh_sUvQo0GRdayF3jnAM2VNooBkADo7Nwcah3Sux01y1rbBiGO4FiDFOzuM6p-EFbExmnY-spfyYADxQ8aHFSeFn0eJ28C10Cgld8_Fp6DaNl5pRSA8V/s2049/9F916854-5EBE-46F3-81BA-0CA7540BD4D9.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2049" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYSha8JEZAx8PDNPmthMHlr5IAzhYSTtPKBD4S2DSFHkUyWZjFJx21h2qDAsQcPfrq1gPfh_sUvQo0GRdayF3jnAM2VNooBkADo7Nwcah3Sux01y1rbBiGO4FiDFOzuM6p-EFbExmnY-spfyYADxQ8aHFSeFn0eJ28C10Cgld8_Fp6DaNl5pRSA8V/w640-h480/9F916854-5EBE-46F3-81BA-0CA7540BD4D9.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nice buddily-climb up towards Tsemo Castle with Mike</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><br />But she did well, this Serene. Mike's advice of 'take in two breaths and exhale one breath' worked very well for both of us. This Tsemo castle is really not a huge climb, though it is at more than 3500m altitude. What I guess was more tiring for Serene and I, was that we were still getting acclimatised to the altitude. Still, it was a nice post-breakfast walk. <br /><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="729" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CUxnBNSk6Dk" width="876" youtube-src-id="CUxnBNSk6Dk"></iframe></span></p>We were very fortunate to have met a young man called <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/9LyZShFBQZHQ4d8r8" target="_blank">Mohammed from Bangalore</a>. He was so expert with the iPhone in taking handphone videos that he captured many wonderful angles of the three of us climbing up.</div><div><br /></div><div>Leh Palace and the Castle of Tsemo were both such representative architectures of Leh, that it would be a waste not to at least see them. Although, indeed these structures were so dilapidated that in my heart I didn't know how many pieces of tourist tickets they would need to not only restore these invaluable heritages but even to maintain them.</div><div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This day ended simply. An easy day for acclimatisation.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div></i></div><div><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><br /><br /><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b><a name="Day 3">Day 3: Seeing the Indus-Zanskar, Circumambulating the Alchi Monastery and the Shanti Stupa.</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">[29th July 2022]</span></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiiyV5VgRKxZ1kPe_fqNLGKp_4Gv7Qr93BJAmyZEu3nkFQOC_7z_88-5ITVPALQaLvmLRy2Jmzl9H93eaKaHbt4VDRmA9GVuWZIHOTS5tw3HgHh_zbgOQov8g2v9U3Nkt7X0-iHHvLiEo2G-k4hev_9W66yLZykFkYIw81FxDwx8i9kc0dbVhGQ0BL/s6763/IMG_3961.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2365" data-original-width="6763" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiiyV5VgRKxZ1kPe_fqNLGKp_4Gv7Qr93BJAmyZEu3nkFQOC_7z_88-5ITVPALQaLvmLRy2Jmzl9H93eaKaHbt4VDRmA9GVuWZIHOTS5tw3HgHh_zbgOQov8g2v9U3Nkt7X0-iHHvLiEo2G-k4hev_9W66yLZykFkYIw81FxDwx8i9kc0dbVhGQ0BL/w640-h224/IMG_3961.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The confluence of the Indus River and Zanskar River - a pano shot by the famous photographer Serene Gan.</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div>Wow.. this was already day 3. But it felt as though we were still starting. Why? Serene and I were still feeling breathless and a little <i><b>gong-gong</b></i> from the effects of altitude. Terrible, it was. I really did not recall ourselves ever taking so long to acclimatise.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was raining this day. RK's original plan to drive all the way up to Pangong Lake was postponed because of the weather. So we switched to visiting the Indus-Zanskar Sangam and Alchi Monastery on this day instead.</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"You guys can do the water-rafting along Indus river,"</span></b> suggested RK.</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Wow.. that's great!"</span></b> I would never miss the chance of doing a water rafting.</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Haw Chou says cannot,"</b></span> said Haw Chong during breakfast. Huh? Why cannot? Why ah?</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"<span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">老板,七月初一勒,老板!</span>"</b></span> this Haw Chou ah... alamak.. words of wisdom. </div></blockquote><p> </p><div>But what he said was so true. I totally forgot about the lunar seventh month. I have always been quite pandang when it came to 七月. My ancestors said<b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> <span style="color: #d9ead3;">'Don't go into the water during the seventh month, otherwise, accidents may happen.'</span></span></b>, and I have always abided (as much as I could) by that.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQ9gUmSsN25HEVuO1tvacnkdoMjFcDmGy81eam9PZB6zmbxfnLoVmSqOFYuRpJxbKvXrK82aavxe8VPzijOnkXSVHilTkxlPbNmiHnI64T4Zc9C_y4K7ytAxQEbYAxYOvDAfSXS4mvnNHBbkCg24d_AVAK263xawEDCehnA4nyvuyT-LaulFo-4ps/s720/FL_20220817_0343.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQ9gUmSsN25HEVuO1tvacnkdoMjFcDmGy81eam9PZB6zmbxfnLoVmSqOFYuRpJxbKvXrK82aavxe8VPzijOnkXSVHilTkxlPbNmiHnI64T4Zc9C_y4K7ytAxQEbYAxYOvDAfSXS4mvnNHBbkCg24d_AVAK263xawEDCehnA4nyvuyT-LaulFo-4ps/w640-h480/FL_20220817_0343.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br />So, a two-hour drive to the west of Leh we embarked on, up the mountains, so that we may arrive at the famous confluence of these two rivers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>History of Indus River and Zanskar River</b></span></div><div>This Indus river hor.. it was really quite something. It had its origin in the Himalayan mountains in Western Tibet as it took a westerly flow and traverses through Ladakh, Punjab, Kashmir and Pakistan. In Sanskrit it was called the Sindhu, and the ancient Persians called it then Hindu, and as history went, the Greek ended up calling it the Indos. And that was where the name of India came from. During ancient times, the word 'India' referred only to the regions around the banks of the Indus. But later the Greek scholars started to refer to the whole Indian subcontinent as 'India'. The Indus gave rise to the Indus Valley Civilisation dating back to 3300 BCE, which we used to read about during school days, but details of which I have totally forgotten.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Zanskar is one of the tributaries of the Indus. And here somewhere near the Nimmu village, it joins the Indus.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OtoPNl_9KzTY00AZWkLmWrt1MjL8l8NaYx64MSkSw4l2nxFbjOXFj8HlCzjhvuikfJlfWy6WsikcxMDF66CW-c1KNmYqjGL_2X3ogHIGC-uncHkH7tjUkivxneMqDzwV6EHZda7sbXaMULN0ieLg1uELVJ02kBWwEChGVkJr_mUWqYbb_HTLzD1y/s1823/Indus%20Zanskar%20Sangum.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="1823" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OtoPNl_9KzTY00AZWkLmWrt1MjL8l8NaYx64MSkSw4l2nxFbjOXFj8HlCzjhvuikfJlfWy6WsikcxMDF66CW-c1KNmYqjGL_2X3ogHIGC-uncHkH7tjUkivxneMqDzwV6EHZda7sbXaMULN0ieLg1uELVJ02kBWwEChGVkJr_mUWqYbb_HTLzD1y/s16000/Indus%20Zanskar%20Sangum.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Leh to Indus Zanskar Sangam (The confluence between Indus and Zanskar)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwIET81AF_QuKZPThhWHXyM0ovcz2uiZw-HGWWTJ1wT6ajBe1jVqhC9qNLNyIyKWEHvX4_SbvhWG-l9nOoNX5KJ4udn0k-l6cGX1ZJ1CJEYWm9nufwX6vphUlAVaDG5KByehg-4SR1iqlFeOmTkPKstzqXNyADX9LxqksigQ8Cp2t5HDfKWLy2zx3/s1600/ae44af9e-73ea-479f-88d5-626037a7b359.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwIET81AF_QuKZPThhWHXyM0ovcz2uiZw-HGWWTJ1wT6ajBe1jVqhC9qNLNyIyKWEHvX4_SbvhWG-l9nOoNX5KJ4udn0k-l6cGX1ZJ1CJEYWm9nufwX6vphUlAVaDG5KByehg-4SR1iqlFeOmTkPKstzqXNyADX9LxqksigQ8Cp2t5HDfKWLy2zx3/w640-h480/ae44af9e-73ea-479f-88d5-626037a7b359.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our good Jack, Su-Lin and Teacher Meera enjoying the magnificent view here.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKWnawAeBIQeBH6xYJvBNjL30RwiTvLKIeT_1TIQW2ol9zInVH6cv2oURj3WaLtU3wPbVUalGYhfYvVZZRdLJzXYNgf5dzVx2Fiy6eT4mFYftx9pbAzE6FZ3qx2OIQN1em_fsnaKUDyKzyvlR9Yc0No9T1_AEo-PAA6aPJXover7CdUPrq89R9ZTM/s1600/a770103a-0574-49db-8509-0e7b82c16403.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKWnawAeBIQeBH6xYJvBNjL30RwiTvLKIeT_1TIQW2ol9zInVH6cv2oURj3WaLtU3wPbVUalGYhfYvVZZRdLJzXYNgf5dzVx2Fiy6eT4mFYftx9pbAzE6FZ3qx2OIQN1em_fsnaKUDyKzyvlR9Yc0No9T1_AEo-PAA6aPJXover7CdUPrq89R9ZTM/w480-h640/a770103a-0574-49db-8509-0e7b82c16403.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was my honour to have a photo here with Jack.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b style="color: black;"><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span></b><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="766" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uJKVT4PJpBI" width="921" youtube-src-id="uJKVT4PJpBI"></iframe></div><div><br /><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtwVS-knJzF3NjzZqp_c3tP38Ub7Fq0Taaxg1l6JQ4ms2y1zzZhNoSEy9rqBcfjmkuRXN9ochts4OQ-mKKMgTmjyioTEAo98xJLmzn9b-vcuBw47jUyrLiI7voumejwe6goVtZ47qPxp2pErK15zqEP6J1BoOAObRgPFCo0HxZ79Cw3vGn8-nM_Dm/s4032/IMG_8123.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtwVS-knJzF3NjzZqp_c3tP38Ub7Fq0Taaxg1l6JQ4ms2y1zzZhNoSEy9rqBcfjmkuRXN9ochts4OQ-mKKMgTmjyioTEAo98xJLmzn9b-vcuBw47jUyrLiI7voumejwe6goVtZ47qPxp2pErK15zqEP6J1BoOAObRgPFCo0HxZ79Cw3vGn8-nM_Dm/w640-h480/IMG_8123.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>"Why the water muddy muddy one ah?"</b></span> asked Serene.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9HAYWC4jRXERsFdC3wUpmsJLon4YO10fDkCFVVxEzJuJ2HNBHZWMHHz5zDsImSSE4lYN7IPrrgTdnC8qlekfk3pwgqCw-9VHtn6pSPwXy13uVBYpU6dttxP1iEMwZWLNhTyJ3SAlNpwJ6YCoRsEHWIJNY0jAJHgnHJn8nwbU_SGvKS735CKEDr8T/s4032/IMG_8138.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9HAYWC4jRXERsFdC3wUpmsJLon4YO10fDkCFVVxEzJuJ2HNBHZWMHHz5zDsImSSE4lYN7IPrrgTdnC8qlekfk3pwgqCw-9VHtn6pSPwXy13uVBYpU6dttxP1iEMwZWLNhTyJ3SAlNpwJ6YCoRsEHWIJNY0jAJHgnHJn8nwbU_SGvKS735CKEDr8T/w480-h640/IMG_8138.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4dLSjytQtmEJ8B3iuc4tRJDtjnkqj6sdlU55AioJ7zTUB5wOJwhCrAX4lGzPP3ljCpt5MCVu8R2xxMzlOdB9AbzRZvdBX46p3syYczop76Fyo5vCsjfHP89bvaQakjodFiT5dY5M_QXviiPoZ7ay-IQ3yrzQLaTdv6Y6AM6xKPEYJMvPfET7v8GD/s720/FL_20220809_0322.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4dLSjytQtmEJ8B3iuc4tRJDtjnkqj6sdlU55AioJ7zTUB5wOJwhCrAX4lGzPP3ljCpt5MCVu8R2xxMzlOdB9AbzRZvdBX46p3syYczop76Fyo5vCsjfHP89bvaQakjodFiT5dY5M_QXviiPoZ7ay-IQ3yrzQLaTdv6Y6AM6xKPEYJMvPfET7v8GD/w640-h480/FL_20220809_0322.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bike Gang</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;">Alchi Monastery</span></b></div><div>This Alchi Monastery, also known as Alchi Chorten, was one of the oldest and most historically famous Buddhist chorten of Tibetan origin here. It was built by the Tibetan Buddhist master Guru Rinchen Zangpo, the great Tibetan Buddhist translator who in the 10th century, spread Buddhism in Ladakh, Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh region, and built a total 0f 108 Buddhist monasteries in the region.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilg1-w8tl_22fF0-FU2tFzDcGwDyY34bCKGY101pQU8jNY4SOpczW6Xm4SfyZ3PJ5nKt3Q9EKfFqEMSesyUz20GaiSSWfjg8u0nJRSoSyhnMpGDxdXECOtqPDQEoxudN1ONXN3T-gMH25Rm7olVHOQTImMB1aRiiPUmrK0zx_bFy0QafLtJyrKoMgC/s4032/IMG_8151.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilg1-w8tl_22fF0-FU2tFzDcGwDyY34bCKGY101pQU8jNY4SOpczW6Xm4SfyZ3PJ5nKt3Q9EKfFqEMSesyUz20GaiSSWfjg8u0nJRSoSyhnMpGDxdXECOtqPDQEoxudN1ONXN3T-gMH25Rm7olVHOQTImMB1aRiiPUmrK0zx_bFy0QafLtJyrKoMgC/w640-h480/IMG_8151.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNek1F23a4IXDDLSILEz0NWx5kP9q82JIk8_o4Cy5OEuNBp5ZDtLMd7q985076O5c4-dbwqF-PFcuxeDyJCIHAL0X7YknBCxZsXBNSu-NmnonlT8xTn6_7FlAbJ1C7DGrelCw-xuwFL9LJxw4D9mNzc4BqMdBkeGSBJYkUA0nclpv0sjOSeXhUw3pf/s4032/IMG_8158.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNek1F23a4IXDDLSILEz0NWx5kP9q82JIk8_o4Cy5OEuNBp5ZDtLMd7q985076O5c4-dbwqF-PFcuxeDyJCIHAL0X7YknBCxZsXBNSu-NmnonlT8xTn6_7FlAbJ1C7DGrelCw-xuwFL9LJxw4D9mNzc4BqMdBkeGSBJYkUA0nclpv0sjOSeXhUw3pf/w640-h480/IMG_8158.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusX46fsumiA3q-UVjGBCQoiOe7KBJSBKoJndJV0OAhuO6cnq9voTD_gkVXSmZHdbImnd7qMT_Bfa0A0JEZAJXyU94-W-FW6JGttGn4En03L6tVsGUJBk665RdbS7E10mSC0ywrw00PCt-LtpwjHi8k78ulzN2q6zWDP76lguk3Z6EaEPoGcRxMT0w/s4032/IMG_8149.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusX46fsumiA3q-UVjGBCQoiOe7KBJSBKoJndJV0OAhuO6cnq9voTD_gkVXSmZHdbImnd7qMT_Bfa0A0JEZAJXyU94-W-FW6JGttGn4En03L6tVsGUJBk665RdbS7E10mSC0ywrw00PCt-LtpwjHi8k78ulzN2q6zWDP76lguk3Z6EaEPoGcRxMT0w/w640-h480/IMG_8149.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>I was personally delighted to find plenty of prayer wheels in the compound of the monastery and eagerly circumambulated them while praying.</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Wah this Lim Wee How, he must have spun every single one of the prayer wheels,"</b></span> remarked Haw Chong.</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"I saw you do that big prayer wheel with the gong,"</b></span></div></blockquote><div>True. Coming to Ladakh to find myself spinning the prayer wheels was one of the highlights. Where I went I would be thrilled to be spinning prayer wheels after prayer wheels.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XOGKFiFupHGEFmGMGLI-M7dKapaZGN8a9JYr1EipDJ5Au25gNTBmP5xHhge_rzgA37Fgav_-0bzXztVND9rZwBLwRgnc9DT_Lw0XSs3tl6qRRqe3ZkYnj6mOK2RBRX-_Wzsd1u6huImP_zTR29SN9V0OF95gpzwOoCBTLQ185ZvtvLl91cBvLlMj/s960/FL_20220809_0321.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XOGKFiFupHGEFmGMGLI-M7dKapaZGN8a9JYr1EipDJ5Au25gNTBmP5xHhge_rzgA37Fgav_-0bzXztVND9rZwBLwRgnc9DT_Lw0XSs3tl6qRRqe3ZkYnj6mOK2RBRX-_Wzsd1u6huImP_zTR29SN9V0OF95gpzwOoCBTLQ185ZvtvLl91cBvLlMj/w640-h360/FL_20220809_0321.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turn every prayer wheel...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9y9g8P6Um-qJBtNF1luMGlScJsRLAyjZ-85Nbx0SO_rv-aJBqtkIfa5uQMBfs0QZ3l4zNqk0_-8jxedemfX_wcl0ufM1dbbI0v8zHgnvNCqUPdMcm56I3RvIEG9Pa4WJWH62Mhp-gYh6EJFXzudbgWI24JCzoB9ZU-ljfMk2-UvEqm_yhSNgSFbmc/s4032/IMG_8154.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9y9g8P6Um-qJBtNF1luMGlScJsRLAyjZ-85Nbx0SO_rv-aJBqtkIfa5uQMBfs0QZ3l4zNqk0_-8jxedemfX_wcl0ufM1dbbI0v8zHgnvNCqUPdMcm56I3RvIEG9Pa4WJWH62Mhp-gYh6EJFXzudbgWI24JCzoB9ZU-ljfMk2-UvEqm_yhSNgSFbmc/w640-h480/IMG_8154.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNDYkhoocDkLGwA4D4SWDDk2Sdw93BRGZtTQi6GrOqIuvYPpjeKqQCNzFtrBwDyyXdPnsTDpxIlTvL0gE0g0dNE6I6yC82QnmwpMA3j5VSSia76eovRjdzMtctD5EBGv9eEShqNpwpjCVZEq_Vvb1g7zK0AhNdQ1lTCGdT3w6oQlqdkKhkMg0WNXp/s4032/IMG_3993.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNDYkhoocDkLGwA4D4SWDDk2Sdw93BRGZtTQi6GrOqIuvYPpjeKqQCNzFtrBwDyyXdPnsTDpxIlTvL0gE0g0dNE6I6yC82QnmwpMA3j5VSSia76eovRjdzMtctD5EBGv9eEShqNpwpjCVZEq_Vvb1g7zK0AhNdQ1lTCGdT3w6oQlqdkKhkMg0WNXp/w480-h640/IMG_3993.heic" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our photographer Paul with his handphone capture.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOUJspvCSFKnf4-stzBqLrAz8YXZbf3fJoINeMXI-qO4H9B7b7F-nCFHF8fYsFMeqDG187E--BNeZCw6jS5cycbNuD6o_rkbhIZAMZuZ5Skt_pAGQHPLaVRdywGjq1VYNhS4dbZHFpnXf5xHTm76-8xaDomRUjZYacJMm3aQFlZFcjhPQkA7D1g_A/s1600/102ce68f-e0fe-49a1-bd61-f096d3830591.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOUJspvCSFKnf4-stzBqLrAz8YXZbf3fJoINeMXI-qO4H9B7b7F-nCFHF8fYsFMeqDG187E--BNeZCw6jS5cycbNuD6o_rkbhIZAMZuZ5Skt_pAGQHPLaVRdywGjq1VYNhS4dbZHFpnXf5xHTm76-8xaDomRUjZYacJMm3aQFlZFcjhPQkA7D1g_A/w640-h480/102ce68f-e0fe-49a1-bd61-f096d3830591.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our 李大夫 and 李太太 just could not get enough of Thangkas.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTppJOhujAC1sKt3Ts1xSri8YLVD98SGM64Xyd4Ia4iD8Jo9iYAFtJ4ltjpkV-0ZQ9SAS3eBUkifsaq1QRbPX-5jD-c9eEAubsfaONvBlub61HnDFVH27D6nfFk0cGfgbsnr--lFAqSnYS6fbr6rn5jxu9j4f-htK3-L7LJAtUuLdedCjL0fdSJmP/s1600/6833fd2c-ada6-4547-8492-406ea24830bb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTppJOhujAC1sKt3Ts1xSri8YLVD98SGM64Xyd4Ia4iD8Jo9iYAFtJ4ltjpkV-0ZQ9SAS3eBUkifsaq1QRbPX-5jD-c9eEAubsfaONvBlub61HnDFVH27D6nfFk0cGfgbsnr--lFAqSnYS6fbr6rn5jxu9j4f-htK3-L7LJAtUuLdedCjL0fdSJmP/w640-h480/6833fd2c-ada6-4547-8492-406ea24830bb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And Haw Chong and Paul hardly missed emjoying an educational session with the Thangka painter.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: xx-large;">Lunch at Nummu House - </span><i><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: large;">where stout tasted like beer</span></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MafGlt9NvN_1IZ2GhxkHIAvMAqFfbTxxFI1-5IIfcYjyWYjPgqJ1P41xcM-g7rN6Fg6_XSHxJDkmTdjPZVYBL8o0z_UVTY3HCtW3-N8wkbZWN7MBtuuV4gmPE817zXaGKRpqJTLG0HjaHk7kMOqvBypSwaivhXvk4beMoR_lqIpBRyH6iak-_lsI/s720/FL_20220817_0342.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MafGlt9NvN_1IZ2GhxkHIAvMAqFfbTxxFI1-5IIfcYjyWYjPgqJ1P41xcM-g7rN6Fg6_XSHxJDkmTdjPZVYBL8o0z_UVTY3HCtW3-N8wkbZWN7MBtuuV4gmPE817zXaGKRpqJTLG0HjaHk7kMOqvBypSwaivhXvk4beMoR_lqIpBRyH6iak-_lsI/w640-h480/FL_20220817_0342.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzjMgSlL4ldiDJS7ww4Ks3Llm_lnJ2Vk97o1rdmEdh81G1fMRD6IWKKq_pD1vbF9uCLbG7RSAq1YJd4yYAQGP8dLeNBveI_1tNyEVeSemylvLOdoY4kwk2dK-STlaC8BWgPZUznifwwt8Sw1xWt3vRC0LeA4C89aq6ftWRF_j1UNHifpUxU7zG3vv/s4032/IMG_8196.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzjMgSlL4ldiDJS7ww4Ks3Llm_lnJ2Vk97o1rdmEdh81G1fMRD6IWKKq_pD1vbF9uCLbG7RSAq1YJd4yYAQGP8dLeNBveI_1tNyEVeSemylvLOdoY4kwk2dK-STlaC8BWgPZUznifwwt8Sw1xWt3vRC0LeA4C89aq6ftWRF_j1UNHifpUxU7zG3vv/w640-h480/IMG_8196.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hungry for some Nimmu food & wine</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2CnL9irbsvdg4o-Gm4q5UsiTN8mjqB-C_usA1IaL8r-v0U2zisu1vOZuBtDHnwupvp5i-FLqUezY1LtZIyhkqyl1-Ktei3bfmm1wMF8_v35jA1bfgsNccZblXMtF5zHZBG-Fy6KUREvoVM13F1zlCC2Qio5ljM_YFVLetDWPLuj4OCh9L_JSxeam/s4032/IMG_8197.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2CnL9irbsvdg4o-Gm4q5UsiTN8mjqB-C_usA1IaL8r-v0U2zisu1vOZuBtDHnwupvp5i-FLqUezY1LtZIyhkqyl1-Ktei3bfmm1wMF8_v35jA1bfgsNccZblXMtF5zHZBG-Fy6KUREvoVM13F1zlCC2Qio5ljM_YFVLetDWPLuj4OCh9L_JSxeam/w640-h480/IMG_8197.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old house that is converted to Nimmu House</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></i>Excitedly, Mike and Haw Chou ordered some Indian beer and Indian stout only to discover that here in Ladakh, the stout appeared and tasted exactly like beer. </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Hmmm... the alcohol content is not really that high," </span></b>remarked Serene, who drank not only the beers, the stout but also the Indian wine that were all produced in this region.</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span><br style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large; font-style: italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9uGkXjzddICfi1AzNYliqDH8f90_vGXSNcBetxJyo64jC2Cedrn4mlprB0as_GQuULs4GwkzX2xcd1XYRzdCh9LiOSDyTLGHL6wG_Ek5Ouxixph_BjdqlimAnCcLV6zuuZvUudBEAtV0WgSFQ3XC91BGHArkA1xkvKwNIr1qrTctHvDdHlj-3gVNu/s4032/IMG_8199.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9uGkXjzddICfi1AzNYliqDH8f90_vGXSNcBetxJyo64jC2Cedrn4mlprB0as_GQuULs4GwkzX2xcd1XYRzdCh9LiOSDyTLGHL6wG_Ek5Ouxixph_BjdqlimAnCcLV6zuuZvUudBEAtV0WgSFQ3XC91BGHArkA1xkvKwNIr1qrTctHvDdHlj-3gVNu/w640-h480/IMG_8199.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><br />This Nimmu House was run by a family from Delhi who rented this old Ladkhi house and converted it into not only a restaurant but also a high-class glamping site, with camping tents scattered through its compound of apple and apricot trees, and a beautiful stream running through it.<br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Imagine, it is only here in such cool weather, we can all sit out and dine al fresco. If we were back in Singapore, I wouldn't be sitting outside dining under the trees, and by the riverside,"</b></span> accurately pointed out Haw Chou. I totally concurred.</div></blockquote><div><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;">Shanti Stupa</span></b></div><div><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5mz173M78tnVkWvDCe27p6rk7xve2pF0_temilB_jrbotTVGGqO3cHu9_dp0NZD0qlHKoHftbE9cxs0MqGbWVo-g_SAzGb2tFb-2vp8WkNy6p0Zgzpq_AFGCwilFf17jQxT0bOC9NW4h4CoxAAZ0UzsMiCZymONlkzGX0zP45hw9LeIO2fdiQ6J1a/s5083/IMG_4055.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3147" data-original-width="5083" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5mz173M78tnVkWvDCe27p6rk7xve2pF0_temilB_jrbotTVGGqO3cHu9_dp0NZD0qlHKoHftbE9cxs0MqGbWVo-g_SAzGb2tFb-2vp8WkNy6p0Zgzpq_AFGCwilFf17jQxT0bOC9NW4h4CoxAAZ0UzsMiCZymONlkzGX0zP45hw9LeIO2fdiQ6J1a/w640-h396/IMG_4055.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Picture by Serene Gan the famous photographer</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>The Shanti Stupa was built in 1991 by the Japanese Buddhist Nichidatsu Fujii. I still remembered Shanti Stupa on our very first visit to Ladakh and was looking forward to visiting it again this round. The construction started in 1983, with help from the local Ladakhi Buddhists and under supervision by a Buddhist lama from New Delhi, Kushok Bakula.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9CMig_9J-2RZp_AEjwPY5ysNFvCoS2s_ZmTfz40L-iJ8Y2evms9ZTsYNIj5FW2GxmuwF3at4h1BsSl-wxlBN5kEIDxmJegSlj_mqyBhcUMrpO0wIuLcu0D8MhtLT_sXGuNE7gDGA09r5mShyn2r6UOwOy7An5Dr-9ULpGzqvboaHeNo_Py0jYjmm/s7368/IMG_4069.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2171" data-original-width="7368" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9CMig_9J-2RZp_AEjwPY5ysNFvCoS2s_ZmTfz40L-iJ8Y2evms9ZTsYNIj5FW2GxmuwF3at4h1BsSl-wxlBN5kEIDxmJegSlj_mqyBhcUMrpO0wIuLcu0D8MhtLT_sXGuNE7gDGA09r5mShyn2r6UOwOy7An5Dr-9ULpGzqvboaHeNo_Py0jYjmm/w640-h189/IMG_4069.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b style="color: black;"><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b style="color: black;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="572" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L--AUe777dA" width="688" youtube-src-id="L--AUe777dA"></iframe></div></b></span></b></div><div><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRvZpTugVcT_zFQ5-BvgSAYCCc0B2zcO5aqbHLwRV7T_qD9OYt-5-2x3kTyYbZ_1x5gBhYWu2OGiX6XHvuK6RtkE06OW3dLvNrO05qn2vDNwHEz16CjuOZ-gOSCYvBhkVLDfxQEjKxyySG9BPwttE4xPIa3n7p_wzoN_wciYWhumCTQNpbxv-aWfN/s4032/IMG_4071.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRvZpTugVcT_zFQ5-BvgSAYCCc0B2zcO5aqbHLwRV7T_qD9OYt-5-2x3kTyYbZ_1x5gBhYWu2OGiX6XHvuK6RtkE06OW3dLvNrO05qn2vDNwHEz16CjuOZ-gOSCYvBhkVLDfxQEjKxyySG9BPwttE4xPIa3n7p_wzoN_wciYWhumCTQNpbxv-aWfN/w480-h640/IMG_4071.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This year, I started the circumambulation ahead of Haw Chou.. Hahaha!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefIdJuVyXSNi2CyQAsnzcU-j8VBNBA73qQ9H5V4pRJ8xR2-tQBWHQ0ivehlfNUAB1WA3EZl5-k5SGp620CdKaImTn6P2hCaGrfj47aqJUjE8oMntG8H5IyL-JOi3b1wAntll0DYvb7tX6z2_on7te_o1IUZGkPpzGPDO0jSpjeDYWKqgAWlu46KSG/s4032/IMG_8239.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefIdJuVyXSNi2CyQAsnzcU-j8VBNBA73qQ9H5V4pRJ8xR2-tQBWHQ0ivehlfNUAB1WA3EZl5-k5SGp620CdKaImTn6P2hCaGrfj47aqJUjE8oMntG8H5IyL-JOi3b1wAntll0DYvb7tX6z2_on7te_o1IUZGkPpzGPDO0jSpjeDYWKqgAWlu46KSG/w640-h480/IMG_8239.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />RK really did a great job, with the combination of Alchi Monastery and Shanti Stupa, he once again brought us to experience the religious relics and monuments of this remote land up north of India. It's really not every day that one could visit such a place and see so many parts. </div><div>Didn't know why... every time we came to Shanti Stupa I have always felt peaceful and at ease. Today was another lovely peaceful and bright day, with the added bonus of Alchi Monastery and of course the Leh Palace and Tsemo Castle the day before.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: large;">Shopping at Zanskar Art, Leh Main Market...</span></div><div>I really didn't know how Serene maintained contact with the boss of this Zanskar ARt shop that sells pashmina, jewelry, and religious artifacts. Well, at least we managed to get some discount here.</div><div><br /></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b style="color: black;"><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b style="color: black;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="703" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2nJ17DG2B5s" width="845" youtube-src-id="2nJ17DG2B5s"></iframe></div><br /></b></span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b style="color: black;"><br /></b></span></b></div><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;">Watching 'The Three Idots' in Chamba Camp Thiksey...</span></b><div>Felicia got Chamba Camp Thiksey people to screen that lovely movie 'The Three Idots' that had the last scene shot in Pangong Tso (Pangong Lake) to prepare those of us going the next day.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5njtfXG3TSFLTFoujL52ivjsC5Pgu58Fyu53F-tVUbDwVvOfVtiTzj2UVKliquC2f6AeWYAaGr-E7rw0bQH7h75YxqJwK9GM9HGepvJd7GVg0Biy0yK3boQhLm1Ps1qxYSaRDsHJ2NHbyMEKsfYUPDqNPmIy37WogdSa_Y3F8ORpDmYv8JtuqYUD5/s4032/IMG_8015.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5njtfXG3TSFLTFoujL52ivjsC5Pgu58Fyu53F-tVUbDwVvOfVtiTzj2UVKliquC2f6AeWYAaGr-E7rw0bQH7h75YxqJwK9GM9HGepvJd7GVg0Biy0yK3boQhLm1Ps1qxYSaRDsHJ2NHbyMEKsfYUPDqNPmIy37WogdSa_Y3F8ORpDmYv8JtuqYUD5/w640-h480/IMG_8015.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />It was such a funny movie. Serene and I enjoyed it crazily, me too although it wasn't my first time watching it.<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"4 hours plus drive to Pangong Lake,"</span></b> thought Felicia, <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"I did it last time. I think this time round I will give that looooong drive a miss."</span></b></div></blockquote><div><div>The rest of us, we were simply excited about going for the trip that we just wanted to go back to Chospa Hotel and knock out early and sleep.</div><div><br /><div><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">也不知道为什么,我和阿华两个人到了晚上就累坏啦。或许还是高山的症状吧。但是就是一种说不出的疲倦。所以在拉达克,每天晚上都睡得很好。</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b><a name="Day 4">Day 4: Pangong Lake, here we come!</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">[30th July 2022]</span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7a4sFQLmplKRAT0sdBNK8bsjVQoPNlaS33nTwaO3H_jgqr972qzT93lwFQ---KnkP3prVyfOUbxrnmr-kmHOlYWzOzNu07DaMhXnmNvgfO8kKh3KvMKZCsLaWjIkywfDOs7nuvDeZJXP_yfAKXKDS9rgxHPisZ9oO9OqE-umif2S2nBg1EXViyo27/s2230/IMG_9565.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="2230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7a4sFQLmplKRAT0sdBNK8bsjVQoPNlaS33nTwaO3H_jgqr972qzT93lwFQ---KnkP3prVyfOUbxrnmr-kmHOlYWzOzNu07DaMhXnmNvgfO8kKh3KvMKZCsLaWjIkywfDOs7nuvDeZJXP_yfAKXKDS9rgxHPisZ9oO9OqE-umif2S2nBg1EXViyo27/s16000/IMG_9565.PNG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;">So what is it about Pangong Lake? </span></b>Pangong Lake, also known as Pangong Tso in the local Ladakhi language, is a land-locked lake located at an altitude of 4200m above sea level. To get to Pangong Lake, we needed to drive through Chang La (Chan Pass), the second highest pass at 5700m (<a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/nubra-valley-medical-expedition-day-2.html" target="_blank">the highest pass was Khardung La further up northwards which we did during our previous Nubra Valley trip</a>).</div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Wah this Pangong Lake is so peaceful,"</span></b> I said to RK when we arrived at Pangong Tso.</div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Oh, you don't know? 84km further east that is where the Indian and Chinese soldiers are fighting fist, rocks and rods in the disputed LAC,"</span></b> revealed RK, to my total surprise.</div></div></blockquote><div><div>So Pangong Lake is so well known because 50% of it on the east side is under China control, and 40% on the west side is under India control and the middle 10% is being disputed, and because the Indian army and People's LiberationArmy of PRC had an agreement not to use explosive and guns in these areas, in August 2017 that notorious back-to-basic ferocious fist fight between the PLA and Indian soldiers at the LAC (Line of Actual Control), followed by another one in September 2019, and the latest one in May 2020 as Covid was beginning to grasp the whole world by its horns, were reminders that this region was still pretty touchy. <b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;"> Hmmmm, so this was where those few famous conflicts took place, this Pangong Lake place. Well, not bad.</span></b><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b> At least we got our chancese to visit all these highly disputed places.</b></span> That was the wonderful thing about coming to Ladakh. One would be thrown into disputed land whether one liked it or not.<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;">Chang La (5700m)</span></b><br />The few hours' drive in the convoy of cars was really quite a sight to behold. Passing through ChangLa was a reminiscence of our trip through Khardung La. But it was really cold up there at 5700m.</div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"No one told me it was going to so cold up here!" </span></b>laughed the self-proclaimed <b><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;">Dr Chang-La</span></b>.</div></div></blockquote><p>Fortunately, most of us did bring jackets or at least another layer of outerwear. And thankfully we only stayed at Chang La for a short while. </p><div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZ8v5vfhM_OXomEFarH3gW78rai3X-hem3BYYk3Yc3G98jlkZlhqh8JkWVgQpQb1WVwEHx17Ayqjte2dXTKSzd4CXCNg4TDTGxdUs_yd2lb2S2_fR11pHwSc5WZVagAKxChv0p0q-QAzDCNO89Tt2CT8jSKi9SIKi59_tGEn5dJ42uV-FaUJvfoOr/s3999/C2E95E4E-B399-460B-A0FE-23792E6000D6.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZ8v5vfhM_OXomEFarH3gW78rai3X-hem3BYYk3Yc3G98jlkZlhqh8JkWVgQpQb1WVwEHx17Ayqjte2dXTKSzd4CXCNg4TDTGxdUs_yd2lb2S2_fR11pHwSc5WZVagAKxChv0p0q-QAzDCNO89Tt2CT8jSKi9SIKi59_tGEn5dJ42uV-FaUJvfoOr/w640-h480/C2E95E4E-B399-460B-A0FE-23792E6000D6.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Come let's go and hang the prayer flags,"</span></b> oh this RK Pandey really has good ideas. I just loved the prayer flag idea. </div></div></blockquote><div><div>And he and the drivers whipped out several strings of prayer flags and we all had our chances at hanging them up at the second highest pass here, and uttering our various small wishes under our frozen breaths.</div><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHMXW-MuDQiWPdyzd6Ty6NAYwbXFdellAqVePDBYjJIxUl31O9u6XN6lEPtYBQ0-MwH37KtsZ_2MGcqHoGRuKVNyAG85_05g5h43CDVesOC_XP2PIG9tVTTe_UpURfWto_XL1vQhHRYVi3o9Tudh1XAWEEwsW5KkjSgMeCx_ecTKntL0Izvwmg3J1/s3999/0F3BC271-A2D4-4800-A7E5-9019CEB16C3C.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHMXW-MuDQiWPdyzd6Ty6NAYwbXFdellAqVePDBYjJIxUl31O9u6XN6lEPtYBQ0-MwH37KtsZ_2MGcqHoGRuKVNyAG85_05g5h43CDVesOC_XP2PIG9tVTTe_UpURfWto_XL1vQhHRYVi3o9Tudh1XAWEEwsW5KkjSgMeCx_ecTKntL0Izvwmg3J1/w640-h480/0F3BC271-A2D4-4800-A7E5-9019CEB16C3C.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b style="color: black;"><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b style="color: black;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="667" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/edBvbyZRcHI" width="802" youtube-src-id="edBvbyZRcHI"></iframe></div><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><br /></span></b></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;">Pangong Tso, </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;">finally!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Sonam our driver pointed outside, as we began to catch a glimpse of the turquoise blue of water in the distance. </div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Pangong Lake," </span></b>he said.</div></div></div></blockquote><p>The Toyota Picnic cruised along the shores of Pangong Lake, and I was very surprised to find quite a number of visitors already thronging the shore made famous by that 'The Three Idiots' movie. The industrious vendors even had those colourful big-buttock chairs lining the shores for visitors to take their backside shots for a small fee.</p><p>Serene and I took our time to walk to the lakeside. Mike and wife were among the first few to have waded into the shallow and freezing cold lake water. Only when Suet shouted out <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b>'Feet Frost!'</b></span> that we began to suspect that the water was less warm than what it appeared to be.</p><div><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazS0EqDTm95OI6S6X-wcB9ztqgB31BeMpVadAOt5vgGBQF7XUQWQYYhadeVaraKS_KC0DvlCjoXraKF-tn2cG0RX33MY-WsIBHu3xGjFHPGOqRHI-HSvDwj0LsjlrKNbxSGIiYMwcwUzjiwoN0YsdFPPGE6gPsIET3jJstgQ6OE33lNl-bZJsFHyu/s3999/F0BA481D-CDB7-459A-BB6B-3448ADACC577.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazS0EqDTm95OI6S6X-wcB9ztqgB31BeMpVadAOt5vgGBQF7XUQWQYYhadeVaraKS_KC0DvlCjoXraKF-tn2cG0RX33MY-WsIBHu3xGjFHPGOqRHI-HSvDwj0LsjlrKNbxSGIiYMwcwUzjiwoN0YsdFPPGE6gPsIET3jJstgQ6OE33lNl-bZJsFHyu/w640-h480/F0BA481D-CDB7-459A-BB6B-3448ADACC577.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>But hor.. wading into these freezing waters is like a love-hate relationship, so appropriately demonstrated by Su-Lin. She comically called out that when she was in the water, she wanted out, but once she came out she felt like going back in again. That was it. Serene and I decided that, heck, let's give it a shot and we took off our shoes and socks and joined in the fun.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSg-gRHZzD3Pea_cwD_7qoXxeQSaMHVROet4ih7Ny7rU4Uh_dflJWr5YeRGE54vKo-8-E1-Amp2uwjvZlxkPpjhxC2ybtA5XSLBI5MxywBv41-eO-N3Tz4x0ggdwAVo4yub6wD7vhWTVIL7n5CfgN9ZVK7JZZ7oJtmXegRHMAAL-OiPOyEEDymPFhb/s3999/9C6D60BD-CEDF-47BA-9AA6-A7BE3A3AEFD4.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSg-gRHZzD3Pea_cwD_7qoXxeQSaMHVROet4ih7Ny7rU4Uh_dflJWr5YeRGE54vKo-8-E1-Amp2uwjvZlxkPpjhxC2ybtA5XSLBI5MxywBv41-eO-N3Tz4x0ggdwAVo4yub6wD7vhWTVIL7n5CfgN9ZVK7JZZ7oJtmXegRHMAAL-OiPOyEEDymPFhb/w640-h480/9C6D60BD-CEDF-47BA-9AA6-A7BE3A3AEFD4.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div>This Mike really had so many ideas about what to do with rocks of all sizes. Not only did he start searching for beautifully crystallised stones and rocks from the bed of the lake, he also spun and skipped the flat ones on the surface of the water... and finally, shockingly, even stood on the rocks on the shore to dry his feet - amazing chap lah, he.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzROKjfFpHaGFUIbv2ASqXtzX2UW_VyLk_qnRgLVb7tY7mQGFTAKQj-Eri3R9HG5KRC9BJoyre_rK5zQUJ_EiizkW7TGS_9K9AD5XWLbVqO4gAUjwXiZzwXjuXLENkxcT8mBYC7ll5UxfXf0qZoPiWzmeKFND26QU3KyxtVulvy2sqYeTbkAYRbZ4F/s3999/26B02C4B-B14B-4B9B-B858-2FEBD2B9B7A8.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzROKjfFpHaGFUIbv2ASqXtzX2UW_VyLk_qnRgLVb7tY7mQGFTAKQj-Eri3R9HG5KRC9BJoyre_rK5zQUJ_EiizkW7TGS_9K9AD5XWLbVqO4gAUjwXiZzwXjuXLENkxcT8mBYC7ll5UxfXf0qZoPiWzmeKFND26QU3KyxtVulvy2sqYeTbkAYRbZ4F/w640-h480/26B02C4B-B14B-4B9B-B858-2FEBD2B9B7A8.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b><a name="Day 5">Day 5: Start work lor!</a></b></span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">[31st July 2022]</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFO12esV-tfuPF7SP2TOE4AwkfuLy4NeiQERy74as02bM6eStHISrNMtmv9aiRVB7s0_BJqcxhnGMwi-k3Q1y5_7ZW5ZjunA3Hq43tS3q5rsr4apFp8WtyWLiC4g4KsyPy2x2o5a8NB8oH8bevyyBi2tjV33jdjwfKL3KbPSrqgFa0dAUezk82vcx_/s960/FL_20220807_0310.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFO12esV-tfuPF7SP2TOE4AwkfuLy4NeiQERy74as02bM6eStHISrNMtmv9aiRVB7s0_BJqcxhnGMwi-k3Q1y5_7ZW5ZjunA3Hq43tS3q5rsr4apFp8WtyWLiC4g4KsyPy2x2o5a8NB8oH8bevyyBi2tjV33jdjwfKL3KbPSrqgFa0dAUezk82vcx_/s16000/FL_20220807_0310.GIF" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from Chospa Hotel to Thiksey Monastery - a 20 minutes journey by car.</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"></span><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;">Finally, we got to start work.</span></b></div><div>The medical this year was designated to be at Thiksey Monastery, not far from HHDL's teaching ground. As His Holiness's teaching was over the day before, some of us wondered if the people would still come over to the medical camp for consultation. But thankfully we were proven wrong.</div><div><br /></div><div>We were allocated a building at the periphery of the monastery ground. This one had proper rooms and <b><i>two workable</i></b> toilets, one with light, one with flickering light, and this round the rooms were really spacious. Compared to the last round when we were in Diskit, the setup here was really good. I still remembered from my previous trip that the cases I saw were surprisingly mostly eye cases and frankly not many acute cases of URTI nor GE. From what I could recall, in addition to the orthopaedic cases, gastric cases were aplenty, thus this time round, Felicia and Meera should have their hands full. So I was really expecting to be inundated by eye cases (many chronic ones) suffered by old(er) folks, due to the harsh climate condition, and the strong UV light in these parts. </div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLDN0RiScUYU7PmjcbBIz2LF8QTVpJpdWlm4kaoWUrCWih7kjY5JVkfAR6AwvqGcIal_GkEq-cFDxC1JveOydpmOSCHu88SMeeSIUPaCqtUOuEXaElMbF3eV7gohIUpd_sa_mLagy2IclMwfKHpZXxinGJJ9Ovqbsm6FppbYd5n2Sg-3cNms3d_6F7/s1600/8ba01dfc-090d-405c-9b86-c0b0229862aa.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLDN0RiScUYU7PmjcbBIz2LF8QTVpJpdWlm4kaoWUrCWih7kjY5JVkfAR6AwvqGcIal_GkEq-cFDxC1JveOydpmOSCHu88SMeeSIUPaCqtUOuEXaElMbF3eV7gohIUpd_sa_mLagy2IclMwfKHpZXxinGJJ9Ovqbsm6FppbYd5n2Sg-3cNms3d_6F7/w640-h360/8ba01dfc-090d-405c-9b86-c0b0229862aa.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thiksey Monastery. Photo: Chang Haw Chong.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"></span></div><div><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenI_mnIu_kGEA5RZFsNXIzdQP6f8fyMyPzVC5fN7yBw_mqfuCWyELALHFCoQvYtdj4oWkBvFVjeQ4hdf4XAoTQxflZbHjk0z0pouKIkrZndL1GPynKPi56TUWkLX0nAgP5I7C6Sy-oQkv0FDmkVOBXqUlYDVhEcIBufX29KKuvKnysw7HfMe7su3U/s3999/31DA36CC-4D57-4D0D-A39B-EB39A1A2BAA5.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenI_mnIu_kGEA5RZFsNXIzdQP6f8fyMyPzVC5fN7yBw_mqfuCWyELALHFCoQvYtdj4oWkBvFVjeQ4hdf4XAoTQxflZbHjk0z0pouKIkrZndL1GPynKPi56TUWkLX0nAgP5I7C6Sy-oQkv0FDmkVOBXqUlYDVhEcIBufX29KKuvKnysw7HfMe7su3U/w640-h480/31DA36CC-4D57-4D0D-A39B-EB39A1A2BAA5.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was impressed by how quickly the men set up the curtains and the tables, cleaned up the place, and how efficiently the monastery workers got the tables and chairs cleaned up and the girls got the signages hung up. </div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyXn9cKnp165sscmPiVssBufPOpL3BoKpl8mVMxvQvKnXPjv0_tWSuPyxMZEX8fs418hHXQAWwaIr6pzwERNxd-96Ee-FYslWn8yiWt-5o1y4jfgH7zc8u2TLv-uk8oU_4uB_SA1V0S11S4FJUtRUdblc9XG5F4OOfsUPWSvyHxEeFKCzQylWa-3U/s1600/3a8eb022-fb60-42af-bb09-27a79aa257e4.jpg" style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: xx-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyXn9cKnp165sscmPiVssBufPOpL3BoKpl8mVMxvQvKnXPjv0_tWSuPyxMZEX8fs418hHXQAWwaIr6pzwERNxd-96Ee-FYslWn8yiWt-5o1y4jfgH7zc8u2TLv-uk8oU_4uB_SA1V0S11S4FJUtRUdblc9XG5F4OOfsUPWSvyHxEeFKCzQylWa-3U/w640-h480/3a8eb022-fb60-42af-bb09-27a79aa257e4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting up the medical camp in Thiksey Monastery</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />We completed the setup just around 9am when the medical clinic was declared open. <br /><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b style="color: black;"><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span></b></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="647" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O_2N1WbbgYo" width="778" youtube-src-id="O_2N1WbbgYo"></iframe></b></span></b></span><br /><br /><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Hmm.. no patients queuing outside yet leh,"</span></b> I stole a look outside and remarked.</div></div></div></blockquote><p>But boy was I wrong. When the patients started coming in, they really started coming in groups. Soon we were all lost in work... </p><p>The first few cases that came trickling in were old folks for the ortho boys with their Shincorts being put to work right from the start. Very soon, the orthopods were up to their syringes full with their IA shots, and reviewing MRIs brought in by patients asking for second opinions. And Su-Lin was busy over the female GP side while Meera and Felicia was inundated by gastro cases. Our good Yvonne was helping out everywhere.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs0IG-Poubfw_RW07wJmOjrOn8BhQzROkmI4W1-RoFOK_zS8ISMQlUlLStirCa4xywb6W7yUfEdKPzVK8Ub_0rJPoRaBRNM0Ef7rYacLs0R7YSNPqkzr5V0k_z3_nPme-g_0mCaVcbKYwWvUO_3HEFxppJMkuh966QINr2p_tw-HUmKdwzBi3j_2O/s3999/73C03EC2-CFDE-476D-B1DC-68B79F3B3954.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs0IG-Poubfw_RW07wJmOjrOn8BhQzROkmI4W1-RoFOK_zS8ISMQlUlLStirCa4xywb6W7yUfEdKPzVK8Ub_0rJPoRaBRNM0Ef7rYacLs0R7YSNPqkzr5V0k_z3_nPme-g_0mCaVcbKYwWvUO_3HEFxppJMkuh966QINr2p_tw-HUmKdwzBi3j_2O/w640-h480/73C03EC2-CFDE-476D-B1DC-68B79F3B3954.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally, I had a breather and managed to walk around... until I kena-ed from the orthopods! LOL!<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Mike and I strangely, had a very rare moment of free time, when the patient load for GP seemed to have taken a dip.</div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Alamak.. I lost my inertia already,"</b></span> joked Mike.</p></div></blockquote><div><p>And after that, soon, more patients arrived and the GP tables were swarmed. Eye after eye cases, as expected, started seating themselves just beside our table. Most of these are middle-aged farmers, home-makers, retired military personnel, or shopkeepers who have a variety of eye issues, ranging from simply dry eyes to post-surgery cases with irregular iridectomy scars and Intra-Ocular lenses that seemed to not be doing their jobs anymore.</p><p> </p><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKx_7d1c0996GLbRPWivz3nMhRWz1B-3iJEtkZVNGHUk5hsjt50TftAeWeGjjw2DOvw9cFnvquXMKh06we9PoOjLrNN1YTSi-7HU3IkBiSnZCxxVjWpQpii40yaMKSKCpvPVf2MYH_OSV4XoJcmw7w373jzxlwjnFWqzCVXVjOk4nLMVAApWWekmC/s1599/91A359CD-8A20-4D77-B700-121A4B8A5773.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKx_7d1c0996GLbRPWivz3nMhRWz1B-3iJEtkZVNGHUk5hsjt50TftAeWeGjjw2DOvw9cFnvquXMKh06we9PoOjLrNN1YTSi-7HU3IkBiSnZCxxVjWpQpii40yaMKSKCpvPVf2MYH_OSV4XoJcmw7w373jzxlwjnFWqzCVXVjOk4nLMVAApWWekmC/w640-h480/91A359CD-8A20-4D77-B700-121A4B8A5773.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was so funny. Mike and I were supposed to work side by side, hand-in-hand, <br />but I ended up flying his aeroplane when the patient loads got higher! LOL!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRaucxQTqkVciKnE0pwZF1ysGspXUg77uH2rIZUf9KGbxkUZ7Aufb3FNmPQ4-zH1ZBnqcc7VnRFBoxVRZpR2gC3W-Wz_fQnwukxBgSnl2qySTU_HtDx2TTIBdn6_fm0Uv4efSVbDGqvM2sK9gV1pxBvOOtighi276rKTwEqoNRjF9Tk6iWG-QQorm/s3999/DCD83A31-6800-4269-BFC9-1A7007795ECA.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRaucxQTqkVciKnE0pwZF1ysGspXUg77uH2rIZUf9KGbxkUZ7Aufb3FNmPQ4-zH1ZBnqcc7VnRFBoxVRZpR2gC3W-Wz_fQnwukxBgSnl2qySTU_HtDx2TTIBdn6_fm0Uv4efSVbDGqvM2sK9gV1pxBvOOtighi276rKTwEqoNRjF9Tk6iWG-QQorm/w640-h480/DCD83A31-6800-4269-BFC9-1A7007795ECA.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our good Anaesthetist Yvonne seen here giving the orthopods a great helping hand.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBx3cYBiakPk_0jPjjqSd2YH2XLGzQlm13Zad6SuZjJQaILAm_GZvUcVxeXKC_jxL85dBwWT4txruUFm0tVO6u-4l5SnnKVqLfGIStcNg-MpSwiKmFDnficp5abO0HAxspBOS1EMGv0ZLxJDhkzUSiiX97tFH0lc5gF51u_xQGhHW2dSaPC8wHx9AJ/s1599/952DC5BC-5B47-4BAC-9845-BE69F9F99A4E.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1599" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBx3cYBiakPk_0jPjjqSd2YH2XLGzQlm13Zad6SuZjJQaILAm_GZvUcVxeXKC_jxL85dBwWT4txruUFm0tVO6u-4l5SnnKVqLfGIStcNg-MpSwiKmFDnficp5abO0HAxspBOS1EMGv0ZLxJDhkzUSiiX97tFH0lc5gF51u_xQGhHW2dSaPC8wHx9AJ/w640-h480/952DC5BC-5B47-4BAC-9845-BE69F9F99A4E.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">At the Medical Campground of Thiksey Monastery</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b><br /></b></span></b></span></div></b></span></b></span></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b><span><b><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b><span><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;">"Tonight we have a cultural show at Chamba Camp Thiksey,"</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"> </span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span>informed Felicia.<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b><span><b><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"> </span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"Come enjoy the dinner and the cultural show ok!"</span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></div></div></div></div></blockquote><p>And we did! </p><div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b style="color: black;"><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span></b></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="649" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zVa_PaQ8iHg" width="779" youtube-src-id="zVa_PaQ8iHg"></iframe></div><br /><b><br /></b></span></b></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b><br /></b></span></b></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><br /><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: xx-large; white-space: normal;"><a name="Day 6">Day 6: Ransacking the Chemist & more work...</a></b></b></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">[1st August 2022]</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div>The day before the three GPs - Mike, Su-Lin and me - we ended up with dangerously low level of eye drops after the onslaught of allergic conjunctivitis, chronic dry eyes, cataracts, and presbyopia cases. </div></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;">"Mike, tor-long tor-long, today morning we go gai gai at the Pharmacy to see if we can find some more different types of eye drops and buy some more bottles, can?"</span></b> I begged Mike. "<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;">I'm sure the next two days we will still have many eye patients one."</span></b></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><br /></div><div>I was delighted to have him along, and RK Pandey went along to foot the bill. Hahaha...</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YALF31HitR5xdfutGHO6emawhNzI-ucayWpcuFYEDeWTheovNw14xSxlUr0utPKfLeNKBQgiqtdNwl5b0979nT_tuZdPGjQvVnhz0AaF47euAL4fKzKSJq-QMPvu28O5MB-IStSN5Oeym3et74x4GZQ26tA2F958tZKzgIPSiXOAzqc5qzNWAFW6/s720/FL_20220813_0327.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YALF31HitR5xdfutGHO6emawhNzI-ucayWpcuFYEDeWTheovNw14xSxlUr0utPKfLeNKBQgiqtdNwl5b0979nT_tuZdPGjQvVnhz0AaF47euAL4fKzKSJq-QMPvu28O5MB-IStSN5Oeym3et74x4GZQ26tA2F958tZKzgIPSiXOAzqc5qzNWAFW6/w640-h480/FL_20220813_0327.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Shopping at the pharmacy was forever so exciting here in Leh. For most of us, practising in Singapore meant that we had to follow the strict prescription and dispensing regulations by MOH. Naturally here in India, dispensing of medicine was so much laxer, and patients could easily buy all types of medicine literally off the shelf with the pharmacists around. So here, the chemists (pharmacists) are the Kings and the Queens.</div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Hmm, I don't have what you want,"</b></span> said the Chemist. <b><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: x-large;">"You can both come in behind the counter and just browse and see if you can find what you are looking for."</span></b></div></div></div></blockquote><p>Oh this Chemist was really the champion! This was exactly what we wanted to do! </p><div><div><div>Mike and I loved that the medicine manufactured in India were so creative - they have all possible combination of constituents - even for eye drops, they would put Naphazoline the vasoconstrictor, together with chlorpheniramine the anti-histamine and hypromellose the mosituriser into one eye drop (<b><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">EyeNef or Nefaz Eye drops</span></i></b>). Or they would add Ciprofloxacin with Chlorphenriamine and Zinc sulphate to reduce redness as <span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b><i>Ceflox Eye drop</i></b></span>. So imaginative were the drug manufacturers in India that Mike and I had a crazily brain-blowing, eye-opening experience just simply browsing through the pharmacy drugs on display.<br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5cHVfAkKJx4e4jtKUpXLG1Z24PzBDnrfkJiZTs282A37uFpMO7QHyrcwgMTUlbiFAIgvDceM_UvYZCApwYnW5GAOvRJpfYrkfG6vsyu7l2pjE8kC6f8iVi7SWq7MbSr6NFUOFnOmiOZZ3ZZ7WsRPjGEKcB46sC_6gNZv2tqqwSYBqsAUcQ2TZ_pzE/s3999/7AC273AB-E139-4DD2-95A3-83ACBD9EDC40.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5cHVfAkKJx4e4jtKUpXLG1Z24PzBDnrfkJiZTs282A37uFpMO7QHyrcwgMTUlbiFAIgvDceM_UvYZCApwYnW5GAOvRJpfYrkfG6vsyu7l2pjE8kC6f8iVi7SWq7MbSr6NFUOFnOmiOZZ3ZZ7WsRPjGEKcB46sC_6gNZv2tqqwSYBqsAUcQ2TZ_pzE/w640-h480/7AC273AB-E139-4DD2-95A3-83ACBD9EDC40.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>We ended up spending a little bit more time at the chemist, by then 8:50am the patients were starting to stream into the medical camp, and by the time Mike, Serene, RK and I made our way to the camp, there was already a queue of patients outside.</div><div><br /></div><div>This day saw us giving away many of the reading glasses of various degrees very very kindly sponsored by Shila Das and Jay Lamkin. While Shila and 静莉 busied themselves registering and triaging the patients, Suet was really kept busy sending patients from one station to another. Jack was putting his previous month's experience in running the Maldives medical camp (also with Felicia) to good use in this round's work too. Vicky and Paul were both so full of patients swarming the dispensing table for prescriptions, that it was really quite a scene peering at them from afar from my GP table. Yvonne was so helpful she ended up helping Su-Lin and Mike and me to see many of the GP cases including a whole queue of children.</div><div><br /></div><div>Funnily our good Mike at one stage even became the official Dentist - seeing dental cases. That was the fun thing about these types of medical camps. </div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;">"Remember those days when we were Army Camp Medical Officers?"</span></b> reminisced Mike. <span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"Those days as the MO you see </span><i style="color: #9fc5e8;">EVERYTHING</i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> under the sun... and there was a famous MO who would prescribe </span><i><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">flu tablets</span></i><i><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"> 1 tab TDS</span></i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> and </span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><i>Cough syrup 10ml tds.</i></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">" </span></b></span> And he was absolutely correct. Right now as doctors here we were also kind of expected to see all types of cases and to manage them in whatever ways we could.</div></div></div></blockquote></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b>Some of the unsung important persons...</b></span><br /><br /></div><div>Throughout our work during these three days, the people who we could absolutely not do without were the interpreters from around here in Ladakh. On my first day, I had the honour of having a very knowledgeable 32 year old lady called Dechen Angmo interpret for me. She happened to be working as, I only realised it later, one of the teachers in Secmol.</div><div>Dechen Angmo was very fluent with not only the English language, but was also able to impart me a lot of new Ladakhi words for conversing with the locals.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr2EiKwKFLEc3KBEUUgUfdYOC5QuWdGdAsxHsusrXF7wSM7gpOx-NymVA1M-fLxXcfbGS7o7kQOIzQrk6HWg3I_JAku27CyifwtCw0Ja212d3_JX6lJkeJ2NdIB-zAQemzMNoWtna9c6rifGl_twMu3Tu8CdvIY63XS0sGGhJa-_dftKr1DShd6Rx/s2020/IMG_8929%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="2020" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr2EiKwKFLEc3KBEUUgUfdYOC5QuWdGdAsxHsusrXF7wSM7gpOx-NymVA1M-fLxXcfbGS7o7kQOIzQrk6HWg3I_JAku27CyifwtCw0Ja212d3_JX6lJkeJ2NdIB-zAQemzMNoWtna9c6rifGl_twMu3Tu8CdvIY63XS0sGGhJa-_dftKr1DShd6Rx/w640-h444/IMG_8929%20Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our 32 year old Dechen AngMo. Photo: Jack Tay<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div>My second day of work was assisted by a young 19 year old Stanzin Lzagar. Despite her tender age, she was mature and was able to understand what I needed to ask and what I needed to instruct the patients to follow. Slightly shy although she was, she was able to laugh heartily when we joked with the patients.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIUw6OhETevsn2Qk8RtXx51Fnxa_SnwspNSfkcuNc1I0J4KngifNhUD4vF2n73tOTGDosuThYwAt3HXzBJ17T0upnmoy0kYC98quFqFt3NSGUcqumVqDb_geTCzeiNTfnsTTCMZz6NV3CoPZ2DjpwzyM2zLaZnrqiPe1ZOu09FsnVSOsaYzT6LnVO/s3595/IMG_8824.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3595" data-original-width="2816" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIUw6OhETevsn2Qk8RtXx51Fnxa_SnwspNSfkcuNc1I0J4KngifNhUD4vF2n73tOTGDosuThYwAt3HXzBJ17T0upnmoy0kYC98quFqFt3NSGUcqumVqDb_geTCzeiNTfnsTTCMZz6NV3CoPZ2DjpwzyM2zLaZnrqiPe1ZOu09FsnVSOsaYzT6LnVO/w502-h640/IMG_8824.HEIC" width="502" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our young 19 year old Stanzin Lzagar.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Tsering Palkit was a 20+ year old lady who assisted us on the third day at our GP side of the table. There was a period when the interpreters were so busy that they even had to grab our driver Sonam to stand in as a temporary interpreter with his limited English, but Sonam was good. He was super helpful in whatever ways he could be.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ33CnM54oU1MyrFRonbzf9OQ4Gj00lWFSpoN7Pb1v0-yVTdh6nJU36RRQJscPGfqSCJpJczmzShnflzI4YTl0FL1rhYk7kRQUTAeP_0yXO9dBqXsgTVX-aBHKLFrZg9q5cMN9Q_5dLFhAAis6IsgW0y_U5xukSCmAwbXPV4sUOC16SQps0tyqPnzJ/s4032/IMG_9119.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ33CnM54oU1MyrFRonbzf9OQ4Gj00lWFSpoN7Pb1v0-yVTdh6nJU36RRQJscPGfqSCJpJczmzShnflzI4YTl0FL1rhYk7kRQUTAeP_0yXO9dBqXsgTVX-aBHKLFrZg9q5cMN9Q_5dLFhAAis6IsgW0y_U5xukSCmAwbXPV4sUOC16SQps0tyqPnzJ/w640-h480/IMG_9119.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sonam our driver, who loves playing Om Mani Padme Hum in his Toyota Picnic.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>All these interpreters were excellent translators and one thing both Serene and I realised about them was - <b><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">they all were crazy over Korean dramas!</span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyZ_b41IwVBtrNiqeL0aqR2h5HQagC_bRy4lO4MY0aFJZTdrtW74moykKDnaXC7Rk7cWxiVR5ixLVZup7YAmGEfRjOdmxmkeDpywXZbQjDQHh9K4x66FlTK1FywhEcQUaZqhPrDb1jyh8n19ee9nqnVJInT7XTGDBfzUXcWP7LzAqYITyzWFF641M/s4032/IMG_8865.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyZ_b41IwVBtrNiqeL0aqR2h5HQagC_bRy4lO4MY0aFJZTdrtW74moykKDnaXC7Rk7cWxiVR5ixLVZup7YAmGEfRjOdmxmkeDpywXZbQjDQHh9K4x66FlTK1FywhEcQUaZqhPrDb1jyh8n19ee9nqnVJInT7XTGDBfzUXcWP7LzAqYITyzWFF641M/w640-h480/IMG_8865.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">with Tsering Palkit</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><br /></span></b></div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div>In fact I remembered once Dechen Angmo laughingly asked me: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Did you just said Kwenchanayo? That is Korean, right?" </span></b>I must have unknowingly blurted it out during one of my conversation with the patients. Haha..</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"You know ah, one of my intepreters told me, during the two year Covid period, her parents bought her a handphone and she suddenly had the whole world opened to her,"</span></b> said Mike. </p></blockquote><div><div>Thereafter Serene and I began to joke with the young interpreters and had fun by uttering some common Korean words during our work, just to see how their reactions were. </div><div>But the person who took the cake, was our driver on our trip from Delhi to Agra. This smiling man broke open his beautiful mouth of teeth and said <b><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">"Kaja! (Let's go!)"</span></b> when he heard Serene and I utter the same word as we got off the bus in Delhi!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybecXo4PNsvqARIvAzE5zIeOj54mqgR3vcsf6Bp0yolD38EGvJ7Be8e3rcnyQ_vZXS3V_995E7CwPofx_nnSMCpYyAsHLDrGfwJHXbxCai8QPcV81KGR_Ohk4JUZNc52gaDCSkGM7vblNP7QWDrJqvnOx3Q8wJm55_VPrYkD3TggXNdEm6Ya_rLSb/s3999/623BE1E0-0268-4A50-B7FC-3251ABE5E3FF.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybecXo4PNsvqARIvAzE5zIeOj54mqgR3vcsf6Bp0yolD38EGvJ7Be8e3rcnyQ_vZXS3V_995E7CwPofx_nnSMCpYyAsHLDrGfwJHXbxCai8QPcV81KGR_Ohk4JUZNc52gaDCSkGM7vblNP7QWDrJqvnOx3Q8wJm55_VPrYkD3TggXNdEm6Ya_rLSb/w640-h480/623BE1E0-0268-4A50-B7FC-3251ABE5E3FF.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our driver who was also Korean drama crazy one!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>So we worked another full morning and afternoon session. And by the end of the day, we were all pretty poofed.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b>Back at Leh Main Market</b></span></div>Honestly we really enjoyed the opportunities to be just right next to Leh Main Market. It seemed that whenever we had a chance, once back at Chospa Hotel, some of us would run out to Leh Market either to eat Momo, or buy Pashmina, or eat German pastries and drink coffee, or looking for Thangka.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWD5IyLBGlBRUvS3B4xm4hKWLXKDYWYKCIIy9eH04verGz8yKWKiFw7Kcr0Rbf8AahKkYpJQ6Mh8-Iss7WLAg0V6FFPL2PgnjSMODlCkLtf5OSZxtMiQA65BjRhP5f7Zho-7Q0C55ZpSzXdx-VigEyhjOh_6U-uoHtI3ouieWNqI0IL9BvqL8m86sV/s1600/55bdc208-0a92-4d03-a090-d5b97f99aa21.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWD5IyLBGlBRUvS3B4xm4hKWLXKDYWYKCIIy9eH04verGz8yKWKiFw7Kcr0Rbf8AahKkYpJQ6Mh8-Iss7WLAg0V6FFPL2PgnjSMODlCkLtf5OSZxtMiQA65BjRhP5f7Zho-7Q0C55ZpSzXdx-VigEyhjOh_6U-uoHtI3ouieWNqI0IL9BvqL8m86sV/w640-h480/55bdc208-0a92-4d03-a090-d5b97f99aa21.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike & Suet say this German cafe very nice so they introduced us to eat here. Lovely!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwk-66G2QmpQCptB7JAVn-RsKNV1dZYFG2MfR53rzlwFmiQ_PlL7UpbBYMimVT-L2vl2l1DGZrNogIsRqimR2wheL9iOvYXpe9TxbYQmtZMaVo4nLGheJ3zeIrvDyJJ44MdLnpdomYadWhTrjMcTrJm1OsfU0P5XWcFwQApFTzG3kzOuRPpMjV92SC/s4032/IMG_8851.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwk-66G2QmpQCptB7JAVn-RsKNV1dZYFG2MfR53rzlwFmiQ_PlL7UpbBYMimVT-L2vl2l1DGZrNogIsRqimR2wheL9iOvYXpe9TxbYQmtZMaVo4nLGheJ3zeIrvDyJJ44MdLnpdomYadWhTrjMcTrJm1OsfU0P5XWcFwQApFTzG3kzOuRPpMjV92SC/w640-h480/IMG_8851.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Leh Main market was full of people on this summer evening.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgAOWbnPfk8C11Zqrrk4FrYdmpeQsELHEtwjPU6UphtCDY1-_wV9pijZxBAQZnbk6A2TmGYbbkCQGeFq-Lj8uw9a7vwHBRpVtxrNgYym5Y7XabeYXBvL6gwwDclm2Wxob6UeoSXnQwk8WZi3XUhF4VXMZZS7F_EQNmtpyrtgM0C6DA0yhu7DPVusC/s4032/IMG_8856.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgAOWbnPfk8C11Zqrrk4FrYdmpeQsELHEtwjPU6UphtCDY1-_wV9pijZxBAQZnbk6A2TmGYbbkCQGeFq-Lj8uw9a7vwHBRpVtxrNgYym5Y7XabeYXBvL6gwwDclm2Wxob6UeoSXnQwk8WZi3XUhF4VXMZZS7F_EQNmtpyrtgM0C6DA0yhu7DPVusC/w640-h480/IMG_8856.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b>李浩洲说:“这样也算是看到了达赖喇嘛啦!”</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUctwjUXq3dmsWcR0WfSsPL9bMCa8V2pm9fCtmiME0yyo-Sh6lDktv5rbr475KpUVs56EREymAyvPUYUgoZrSdhf5n1zOD62a6lkcvLhVYf5SrKJb2tPYe0ydF19s-okHARrffKUPQ6-LgokudADGykfUp0DiAglrzvEZwp-ZKRoVh9JCG1MrxYfB/s4032/IMG_8857.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUctwjUXq3dmsWcR0WfSsPL9bMCa8V2pm9fCtmiME0yyo-Sh6lDktv5rbr475KpUVs56EREymAyvPUYUgoZrSdhf5n1zOD62a6lkcvLhVYf5SrKJb2tPYe0ydF19s-okHARrffKUPQ6-LgokudADGykfUp0DiAglrzvEZwp-ZKRoVh9JCG1MrxYfB/w640-h480/IMG_8857.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b>这个 Mike hor... 真的是很厉害。 <br />Tibetan Kitchen 这么难找,都给他找到!</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div></span></b></span></b></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b style="color: black;"></b></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b style="color: black;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo";"><a name="Day 7">Day 7: When the medicine finishes, the work still cannot stop... </a></b></b></span></b></span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">[2nd August 2022]</span><br /><br /><br />Indeed, today with our stock of medicine running dangerously low, Felicia declared that we would do only the morning session. But as expected, even as we tried to save what few bottles of medicine we have left for those who really needed them. When finally Vicky shouted:<br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: x-large;">"No more eye drops!"</span></b></div></blockquote><div>Wah lau eh... The number of patients seated waiting to have their eyes checked was still considerable, and even when the medicine was finished the patients would still keep coming. Hahaha.... Serene, Mike, Su-Lin and I tried our best to make them happy by dispensing whatever reading glasses we could, and for these, I would write a prescription to have their eye drops bought from the chemist. I found that, even if we did not manage to dispense them the eye drop,. the fact that they get a free pair of reading glasses, was a delightfully gratifying event for many of these old folks. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><i>Luckily for us, we had Jack coming to our station to top up more of the reading glasses, carrying bags and bags of these precious commodities, to keep the patients all happy.</i></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNNO_xcMDA83xP2soeWmwsSZWHNU0ALrZA8RPIw5TdUV8Fves7tuoPWmRdJE2AOOs7ux12B5SIOyFbFJsn6ki8vKcHvvFhLcMnzDrMqmk8qOaAaBfxfCES8dfN1c8AX-t9E6ttHM5yL9Qf5Xrt8DCei4uj-UOqSSIYVN_CAqqW3qSy36icGbSdscn/s3999/7B550148-4E2A-4210-89E4-5E9E768A8224.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNNO_xcMDA83xP2soeWmwsSZWHNU0ALrZA8RPIw5TdUV8Fves7tuoPWmRdJE2AOOs7ux12B5SIOyFbFJsn6ki8vKcHvvFhLcMnzDrMqmk8qOaAaBfxfCES8dfN1c8AX-t9E6ttHM5yL9Qf5Xrt8DCei4uj-UOqSSIYVN_CAqqW3qSy36icGbSdscn/w640-h480/7B550148-4E2A-4210-89E4-5E9E768A8224.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>It was equally satisfying for those of us at the GP table when we gave away the<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b> 'Shila and Jay' reading glasses</b></span> to the middle-aged folks and elderly folks. I would call out to Serene '70-year-old housewife' or '65-year-old farmer' and she would pass me '+2.00 reading glasses' or '+1.50 reading glasses'. That was quite fun.</div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Wow, we should have bought, in addition to the reading glasses, sunglasses for the old folks too,"</span></b> said Shila in retrospect, as we realised that many of these mountain folks would do well to have a pair of sunglasses to protect their eyes from preventable eye conditions in these harsh lights.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCiGTUR1_9EhbOPqWB-o3c0NbbLafMF7bKuIwUze3D2UaBDPScHtWS5pycxJ6u-GVyBGZIPhRHsyYG9lJm1lX1GcyjfDsV6U_2IQZy51lNT_ZAmc5pA2iYyiwnd4GxyMTcG3V01AXDNe7SxAf015GD7X0CgrtyVs1DQJ8WhV_GPcBaS0WQJ7eT5PC/s3665/417EE22B-3A15-4CB7-9659-F4038E7E625B.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2798" data-original-width="3665" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCiGTUR1_9EhbOPqWB-o3c0NbbLafMF7bKuIwUze3D2UaBDPScHtWS5pycxJ6u-GVyBGZIPhRHsyYG9lJm1lX1GcyjfDsV6U_2IQZy51lNT_ZAmc5pA2iYyiwnd4GxyMTcG3V01AXDNe7SxAf015GD7X0CgrtyVs1DQJ8WhV_GPcBaS0WQJ7eT5PC/w640-h488/417EE22B-3A15-4CB7-9659-F4038E7E625B.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />In the middle of the session, I even found one piece that had very nicely written Chinese words on it, to <b><i><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">'Give that young man a few encouraging words'.</span></i></b> And it turned out that that 20 year old young man was taking anti-depressant but he only took them for one month and then stopped. I was very happy that he came with his grandmother to whom I emphasized that he needs to go back to let the psychiatrist see him and to continue the medication and <span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>"trust me his mood will be much better"</b></span>. I had to give the young patient and his grandmother some confidence. </div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">"Wah, here in the remote mountains there are also psychiatric cases one meh?"</span></b> </span>I wondered outloud to myself and Serene. I guess yes, there would be. But perhaps not as many as what we would see in other parts of the world.</div></div></blockquote><p>Hmmm.. over the past few years, I wasn't sure but, perhaps exacerbated by the emotional and physical impact of being stifled during Covid, family physicians seemed to see an increase in the number of patients, young ones even, suffering from psychiatric conditions, back home in Singapore. Perhaps it was a global phenomenon.. and even up here in the mountains, people cannot escape being taken victim by it....</p><div><div><br /></div><div><br /><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;">Completion of Medical Work and Lunch at Chamba Camp again...</span></b></div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Hey there is an old lady who may need a Shincort knee injection but she cannot walk up to the camp ground,"</span></b> relayed someone.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: x-large;">"Ok I go!"</span></b> volunteered Dr Chang-La. Wah this Dr Chang-La was really the champion lah. He would definitely have saved the old lady's life with his treatment, if not, at least she would have been truly thankful to him for the next 6 months.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /><div><br /><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="white-space: normal;"><span><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqFjLM8OfgTDO2C2DY5iEIWQ4TrbZ0CF5rn1_ZLYhOGk91a9twfSyEEwfA-Eukhz-x3y9lrXbBSaXK_eNXfzbhP_46L7o-QGcZrvKhWhVJpbCmt80y3VkXIoVx4al3MhXKkP_Y2H1Gu_pGNFK7yHRbSCymCbrBXeH1Xup_3a_MFj_ozymUfU_xQro/s720/FL_20220814_0338.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqFjLM8OfgTDO2C2DY5iEIWQ4TrbZ0CF5rn1_ZLYhOGk91a9twfSyEEwfA-Eukhz-x3y9lrXbBSaXK_eNXfzbhP_46L7o-QGcZrvKhWhVJpbCmt80y3VkXIoVx4al3MhXKkP_Y2H1Gu_pGNFK7yHRbSCymCbrBXeH1Xup_3a_MFj_ozymUfU_xQro/w640-h480/FL_20220814_0338.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The good man deserving of some good sugar alternatives...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;">Post work group photo with Kurta...</span></b></span></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div>李太太 and Suet early early already said that the husbands and wives would take group photos wearing the traditional Kurtas after the medical work and what better place to do that than right here in the lunch spot of Chamba Camp? The ladies were so well-prepared that they have even brought the couple-Kurtas bought a couple of nights ago from Zanskar Art shop to wear here, together with none other than Teacher Meera who had her summer traditional wear to match ours. So we did it, happily, after we had a most filling lunch. </div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large; font-weight: bold; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; white-space: normal;"><tbody><tr style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG3COxybQ9LgNnktVyVpGdDAFy6hypmZmZyzzwXv5TsPPO4KvHroA-LDnDzbldpq7iErtrX0hCfFMmu3xtbCJrLCb6fw2Xqchwu65ZuPiHY_-4MXnzeSC7RGl0LJzjnRBP7z25GqSTJQpvUIxMSsB7oQEoywFdETtJMdfO5kjYgSPhbIW5KYKH9j8j/s720/FL_20220814_0334.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG3COxybQ9LgNnktVyVpGdDAFy6hypmZmZyzzwXv5TsPPO4KvHroA-LDnDzbldpq7iErtrX0hCfFMmu3xtbCJrLCb6fw2Xqchwu65ZuPiHY_-4MXnzeSC7RGl0LJzjnRBP7z25GqSTJQpvUIxMSsB7oQEoywFdETtJMdfO5kjYgSPhbIW5KYKH9j8j/w640-h480/FL_20220814_0334.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large; font-weight: bold; white-space: normal;"><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><br /><div><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>SECMOL</b></span></div><div>Sonam Wangchuk's Special School.</div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-8LyKHQqebxtEsy9r3JowatPZL_hc6QS5gOmSRYC9dl8P6_cjg4SqtUg6yEbZ0XlQ3cleehRbnLSODJHMC01okRwDGEexIuNue-Zh_Qig2YpT8zfTRZl0wRt61SRd6wMX8IqznOm7yM0nT3xKQa4cSGg2Cv9AJa47FbdW9rvenufe9ur2rKCwQYP/s1616/ae2668e6-fef4-472a-995d-072e312e10dd.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1616" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-8LyKHQqebxtEsy9r3JowatPZL_hc6QS5gOmSRYC9dl8P6_cjg4SqtUg6yEbZ0XlQ3cleehRbnLSODJHMC01okRwDGEexIuNue-Zh_Qig2YpT8zfTRZl0wRt61SRd6wMX8IqznOm7yM0nT3xKQa4cSGg2Cv9AJa47FbdW9rvenufe9ur2rKCwQYP/w640-h428/ae2668e6-fef4-472a-995d-072e312e10dd.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were looking at the caricature of us on my phone screen and I suddenly realised<br />that Jeanette looks exactly like Oori Ddal (our daughter) in the cartoon!</td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"You know, the inventor in the movie <i>The Three Idiots</i> Phungsuk Wangdu?"</span></b> mentioned Felicia. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"The inventor character in the movie was actually a real person called Sonam Wangchuk and he actually did open a school called Secmol educating students from slightly less-privileged part of society. We will visit this Secmol school."</span></b></div></div></blockquote><div><div>And we found ourselves at the entrance of Secmol, with a group of eager students and teachers.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicD7z9SPtc8Uo4142WkOJ0n9l6HZTsLSXmx88oFPPRUm4EDipRD4XY64xmLnLuJnkk0KW0uNxXzfDxYBvR2HIzggDUcWxm2z0eOZ2Z3p_pR2JL7mBp5bOoAGVxq_naRODPhmS3b1m8-r-uWE13ckHAqiqk_sSJIwyc5rJLbUlFEa0BovEX_jTlS7Rc/s720/FL_20220813_0329.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicD7z9SPtc8Uo4142WkOJ0n9l6HZTsLSXmx88oFPPRUm4EDipRD4XY64xmLnLuJnkk0KW0uNxXzfDxYBvR2HIzggDUcWxm2z0eOZ2Z3p_pR2JL7mBp5bOoAGVxq_naRODPhmS3b1m8-r-uWE13ckHAqiqk_sSJIwyc5rJLbUlFEa0BovEX_jTlS7Rc/w640-h480/FL_20220813_0329.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-clVkvFTRIId6Gl6b2k6wlt7tr7KBThJSsi3grQyzgLK3EGCr-9FsgGeOUMAZVosckxqaWQ7NA6Zq2Vmu9HN5ijGIpFP8R2CAgMjN7ys0iH3VlD9zu1eLjNo9TDaUHSK2JN0M5t8uZtxG3a9vBCUOxJNOmstGGqFZJiZypddvbJ450lZO9g_7ndL/s720/FL_20220813_0330.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-clVkvFTRIId6Gl6b2k6wlt7tr7KBThJSsi3grQyzgLK3EGCr-9FsgGeOUMAZVosckxqaWQ7NA6Zq2Vmu9HN5ijGIpFP8R2CAgMjN7ys0iH3VlD9zu1eLjNo9TDaUHSK2JN0M5t8uZtxG3a9vBCUOxJNOmstGGqFZJiZypddvbJ450lZO9g_7ndL/w640-h480/FL_20220813_0330.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>I asked Paul if he would like to live here for a few months.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-size: x-large;">"Well, it really depends on the circumstances, and on where you (I) decide to contribute towards,"</span></b> was his very carefully thought-through and worded answer.</div></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">"Hehehehe... they got to have seated toilets for me instead of the holes on the ground lah," </span></b>replied Haw Chong to the same question.</div></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;">"Siao ah! No!"</span></b> was Serene's immediate answer. This Serene ah, really terrible. I am sure if I were to ask perhaps, Felicia or Jeanette, they would gladly volunteer a few months stay here.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-weight: 400;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-weight: 400;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></div></span></b></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;">Meeting His Eminence Thiksey Rinpoche</span></b></div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Let's go to Chamba Hotel opposite Thiksey Monastery after Secmol, shall we?"</span></b> said Felicia. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"His Eminence Thiksey Rinpoche would like to say a thank you to the team."</span></b></div></div></blockquote><p>I remembered the old Rinpoche from the previous visit. He was still looking exactly the same. It was always a great feeling to have blessings and thank you words of appreciation from His Eminence. </p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKZOvILhsxD86BtlYXgWMfatd447V03tWgjN3tHa5t6appHVy8x-dmu1uoUAvhbU9B53gJbH1CV5DOsUN4tz33493MKTSF8ApLQs6D3bGq0pJknnLw5cXcjV3tqaxVbulZAzWJ7WLAOL5iOahpmpeLNwc63Y1CIRrHWGGoza-1S5uMVW_cDvvX5zd/s720/FL_20220814_0340.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKZOvILhsxD86BtlYXgWMfatd447V03tWgjN3tHa5t6appHVy8x-dmu1uoUAvhbU9B53gJbH1CV5DOsUN4tz33493MKTSF8ApLQs6D3bGq0pJknnLw5cXcjV3tqaxVbulZAzWJ7WLAOL5iOahpmpeLNwc63Y1CIRrHWGGoza-1S5uMVW_cDvvX5zd/w640-h480/FL_20220814_0340.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;"><br /></div></span></b></span></b></span><div><br /></div><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;">Montagne Restaurant at Leh</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Situated just at the periphery of Leh Main Market near Chospa Hotel, next to the mosque, was this newly refurbished and newly-re-opened restaurant called Montagne. They have only opened a few days ago, and hadn't had their licence for alcohol yet so this evening we all drank fruit juices.</div><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3TwPaEqAdZenoT_2DdtVtSyBsFGVGhtYXkcfOjPzOQK-LOY681sIP7zPIo0qg7lXqUl8sGkWZbeFp8KqNKGPg3-nQQnZj2olk1-_fVsaOh_Fd2PMayzGVzwIr54jjwHpqH6SXpAeY2YL3G8f7zXXV3lLLqzgjqfJVdsIbn50ZbtpkjLspih08vER/s720/FL_20220813_0328.GIF" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3TwPaEqAdZenoT_2DdtVtSyBsFGVGhtYXkcfOjPzOQK-LOY681sIP7zPIo0qg7lXqUl8sGkWZbeFp8KqNKGPg3-nQQnZj2olk1-_fVsaOh_Fd2PMayzGVzwIr54jjwHpqH6SXpAeY2YL3G8f7zXXV3lLLqzgjqfJVdsIbn50ZbtpkjLspih08vER/w640-h480/FL_20220813_0328.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b><span><b><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; white-space: normal;"><span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;">Star gazing and photographing the Milky Way...</span></span></div></span></b></span></b></span>Our good Haw Chong, Paul, Su-Lin and Jack actually went off after the dinner at Montagne, driven off by one of the drivers to a far away dark spot where they were able to shoot the Milky Way. And they emerged with many lovely shots, one of which was this! These people were marvellous. While I was dead alseep, they made the best of their time in the high altitude to practise their passion. And they brought tripods for this very purpose even!</div><div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b><span><b><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgeHrehWmgtZLJURf_H08Cgc-kI9n5FAoYkCuVLt9ALGTA3Lo7iuEKeD_Zr-s1GPlA9Owu3HhPCg3Awsm_nWaL0U_IxBKVQ_qigCeqeJWC6CASNWXl52HfSTP9K1gNiAG5_CpkziwDgF6iaG81eZbK-8y0WsAtZPLEgOekitXyQvjCEU9nnD48TmsE/s1686/2E3FEB51-8373-466E-9589-FA44E8C85E75.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1686" data-original-width="1125" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgeHrehWmgtZLJURf_H08Cgc-kI9n5FAoYkCuVLt9ALGTA3Lo7iuEKeD_Zr-s1GPlA9Owu3HhPCg3Awsm_nWaL0U_IxBKVQ_qigCeqeJWC6CASNWXl52HfSTP9K1gNiAG5_CpkziwDgF6iaG81eZbK-8y0WsAtZPLEgOekitXyQvjCEU9nnD48TmsE/w428-h640/2E3FEB51-8373-466E-9589-FA44E8C85E75.jpeg" width="428" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haw Chong's Milky Way.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: xx-large; white-space: normal;"><a name="Day 8">Day 8: Bye-bye Ladakh, hello Agra!</a></b><br /></span></b></span></b></span><p></p><span style="font-size: x-small;">[3 Aug 2022]</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Didn't think time would pass so quickly while we were up there above 3500m. But it did. As soon as our medical camp was done, and as soon as the star-gazing photographers completed their mission beneath the Milky Way, we were almost ready to fly back to Delhi!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjuhGXk6sPuJv44Df4pJwvJ5ApAbTwTOozSLNtDcSONEEbqYbN27l-VOIY_NbeBu-1ESKNfmZC0kJOceJOgj9uYyvAYNoR2HqZsVe997lks88QXaHvUh8Q6X3Ijcz9lAqRJV_EM1cMYipPvynxASmPbcrYNsjlkEuZwPuGCrvCZaViacTH3V00MC1/s2058/IMG_9567.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="883" data-original-width="2058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjuhGXk6sPuJv44Df4pJwvJ5ApAbTwTOozSLNtDcSONEEbqYbN27l-VOIY_NbeBu-1ESKNfmZC0kJOceJOgj9uYyvAYNoR2HqZsVe997lks88QXaHvUh8Q6X3Ijcz9lAqRJV_EM1cMYipPvynxASmPbcrYNsjlkEuZwPuGCrvCZaViacTH3V00MC1/s16000/IMG_9567.PNG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>We would have thought, end of story. But no, man. When one travels with the famous Lee Haw Chou, every trip is an adventure. So this round, our 李大夫和李太太带领大家长途跋涉游 Taj Mahal!</div><div><br /></div><div>So while the half of the team would remain in Delhi to while away their time shopping, the other half - us - would take a 4 hour plus bus ride to Agra, stay over night, would wake up real early the next day to visit the Taj Mahal and see Agra Fort, and then take another 4 hour plus drive back to Delhi to fly off with the main body back to Singapore.</div><div>Sounded like Mission Possible to me, Lee Haw Chou style!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVej03GOgIsEXGdJs5MAH9SzDoAhG6kxdioeOMFGZl74zJMS0JGbB39aa3WwF1yQh9ELrIJIiwgwT0trZN4q3YnDU4P8vSYnzXEjt8X4-d_VLVYxzkEyK4PIett6X8uIDbClTAOScLqMz7idsPmcjW7jKqzyYTnFOnRpPaoufUtIC-aQYap9-10GI/s960/FL_20220817_0345.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVej03GOgIsEXGdJs5MAH9SzDoAhG6kxdioeOMFGZl74zJMS0JGbB39aa3WwF1yQh9ELrIJIiwgwT0trZN4q3YnDU4P8vSYnzXEjt8X4-d_VLVYxzkEyK4PIett6X8uIDbClTAOScLqMz7idsPmcjW7jKqzyYTnFOnRpPaoufUtIC-aQYap9-10GI/w640-h360/FL_20220817_0345.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>And this really comfortable bus took us all the way 220km from Delhi to Agra, arriving around 8pm at the lovely Trident Hotel Agra.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNw96v_AzG7strPvKkHWB0viC0MvkhTXYtE1Eva1AMMLoHM7ozfGVw3pGyAtilqEZwlCCM7JCW5DZyjQ_Z-eeR1gU1UGflJJyCGJl2egHhzdjLbaAmf3Q7xvOZ07sg331WauB8BySbO99llMNpzWnlcWFLSp1xTRCGVG4-zpcejqC_jwgoTUHC_Ux/s2000/IMG_9566.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="837" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNw96v_AzG7strPvKkHWB0viC0MvkhTXYtE1Eva1AMMLoHM7ozfGVw3pGyAtilqEZwlCCM7JCW5DZyjQ_Z-eeR1gU1UGflJJyCGJl2egHhzdjLbaAmf3Q7xvOZ07sg331WauB8BySbO99llMNpzWnlcWFLSp1xTRCGVG4-zpcejqC_jwgoTUHC_Ux/s16000/IMG_9566.PNG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p>By the time we arrived at Trident Hotel in Agra, we were really pretty tired, but we still had the chance to enjoy a nice buffet-style dinner, and soon after that we knocked out, with the sound of RK's words still ringing in our ears: </p></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-size: x-large;">"Tomorrow we will meet at 5am in the lobby. Our Agra guide Barber will bring us to Taj Mahal really early to avoid the crowds."</span></b></p></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: xx-large; white-space: normal;"><a name="Day 9">Day 9: Romancing the Taj Mahal & Agra Fort</a></b>
</span></p><span style="font-size: x-small;">[4 Aug 2022]</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>I believed almost all of us, in this breakaway group, haven’t seen the Taj Mahal. I only knew it had a romantic story linked to it, but never had the chance to seriously immerse myself in both its history and its presence. <br /><br />When people talked about the Taj Mahal, they were usually talking about the Mughal Empire, a dynasty spanning 300 years from the 16th century to the 19th century. This powerful empire stretched from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan on the north and west, to Bangladesh and Sikkim on the east side, and to the south, the rest of the Indian subcontinent. Such an expansive empire was epitomized by King Shah Jahan who simply loved to build buildings using white marbles. <br />The story of Taj Mahal, and the history of Shah Jahan was so long. But Barber summarised it very beautifully:</div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><b><i>This Taj Mahal is a mausoleum commissioned by King Shah Jahan in 1632 for his late second wife Mumtaz, and was completed in 1653. This King Shah Jahan's favourite second wife died after giving birth to their fourteenth child. Out of their 14 children, 8 died when young, leaving 4 sons and 2 daughters. One of the daughters got married into another kindgom, and the other daughter stayed back to look after King Shah Jahan till he died. Out of the four remaining sons, one naughty one Aurangzeb asasinated his three other brothers so that he could ascend the throne. The moment he became King, he imprisoned his father Shah Jahan until the old king died 18 years later.</i></b></span></span></blockquote><div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis01gQDYFJ4TDuIjkFZ3hK8SwboXQM2z07PB4DZ22KXqry7lQVcwKLtyBm7cx5RXu4qCO9Ohkst4ol2QfuEBXYMlJzyxONvf5xQdlPdUyDIY4eJeDe9Nw5kv_qt7iUrrypfQveFo1A_MegTzfgnG1khmUYiScCafPoqUT0ezjxH72iMP5NHt4qkY9r/s4032/IMG_9247.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis01gQDYFJ4TDuIjkFZ3hK8SwboXQM2z07PB4DZ22KXqry7lQVcwKLtyBm7cx5RXu4qCO9Ohkst4ol2QfuEBXYMlJzyxONvf5xQdlPdUyDIY4eJeDe9Nw5kv_qt7iUrrypfQveFo1A_MegTzfgnG1khmUYiScCafPoqUT0ezjxH72iMP5NHt4qkY9r/w640-h480/IMG_9247.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;">"So naughty, this son,"</span></b> angrily said Serene, after hearing the story. <b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;">"I'm going to read all about the King Shah Jahan's story with his favourite wife and also how naughty their son Aurangzeb is."</span></b></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;">"No choice, mah,"</span></b> I replied. <span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;"><b>"in the olden days of the Mughal Empire, it had always been like this. If he hadn't assasinated his brothers, he himself would have been the target."</b></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div>Although I said that, personally my heart pained for Shah Jahan. Imagine if he had painstakingly grown his family with such care and love, only to have this precious core unit of his life destroyed by his offspring in a flagrant display of disrespect for order in society and family, how devastated would he have been during that 18 years in the palatial prison? <b><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: medium;"><i>And in this modern world, how many Shah Jahans are there, suffering in silence in their own 'palatial prisons', crying regretfully over their own failures in providing proper and correct upbringing for their family members, I wondered.</i></span></b></div><div><br /><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><b style="color: black;"><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span></b></div><div><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="592" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C01ks324BDk" width="713" youtube-src-id="C01ks324BDk"></iframe></div></span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Barber did such a great job at Taj Mahal that after much discussion, the group decided not to go to see the handicraft factories, but instead, we asked Barber to bring us to visit the Agra Fort at 10am on the same morning..</span></p></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqb16gWurl7C1Le7mJOegTuePeybqbrQHp0Eokc_PYCxQe4cQnWIY5PKfacMI-OZfio2eD_jAo2fvILWKBtP7sp-uqFRdEn-bhgB-ST4Vctw06QsRL_v1v3DeUaCb-_EVNPwbVNMlRMERyEQbAGyPnN4SxgsnRyjmAQ8RdBcqvQDnSXfM5plswbvr3/s4032/IMG_9206.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqb16gWurl7C1Le7mJOegTuePeybqbrQHp0Eokc_PYCxQe4cQnWIY5PKfacMI-OZfio2eD_jAo2fvILWKBtP7sp-uqFRdEn-bhgB-ST4Vctw06QsRL_v1v3DeUaCb-_EVNPwbVNMlRMERyEQbAGyPnN4SxgsnRyjmAQ8RdBcqvQDnSXfM5plswbvr3/w640-h480/IMG_9206.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB25bt65nm9E1zykDkmIqcji2cHnchl3qEEs4T0x3fdt3xj0xlF0AQE0mpKaIOaMLtcF3ELeAoHRqNvYEowafiVezoSK4q8cqJ8OgOFAI44lAzQdWoc8CY7OC-ZG3PmYPVy3UOv81pGq5fbJ53uhiKj5cXek7sWRtjHijvfYr_uGKRaKgA_CR204B0/s1640/8a44d34a-2cb7-44d4-802a-e4e6930b7ac5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="922" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB25bt65nm9E1zykDkmIqcji2cHnchl3qEEs4T0x3fdt3xj0xlF0AQE0mpKaIOaMLtcF3ELeAoHRqNvYEowafiVezoSK4q8cqJ8OgOFAI44lAzQdWoc8CY7OC-ZG3PmYPVy3UOv81pGq5fbJ53uhiKj5cXek7sWRtjHijvfYr_uGKRaKgA_CR204B0/w640-h360/8a44d34a-2cb7-44d4-802a-e4e6930b7ac5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;">Agra Fort - the walled city</span></b><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This last-minute decision to visit the Agra Fort was a really good one because oh this Agra Fort was such a classic walled-city soaked in centuries of Indian history. It was only by being here personally was I able to feel the heaviness of the burden on its architecture. I was glad that Paul was insistent on going to Agra Fort because had we missed it, it would have been such a waste.</span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;">“Would you like to live here?”</span></b></span> I asked Serene.</p></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;">“Siao ah?!?! No.” </span></b>Standard answer.</span></p></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHLKUcCBr0a9_BBSaRm99nurCVF2rQ5vP5EMzjiKsZAVmwoyZqjcBwl1FEsdJ2gN_rutA_SEvED29eoNfufkxM2gbJGKh7XVdhEMp0K3pJN-mHHoiPE_JZZPEXkXU6RWQxuuB4r1u7MZnf0fJF0XzCe8o2jojpgocacoXGuJl8OlpwU4_3DvBkoGd/s720/FL_20220814_0336.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHLKUcCBr0a9_BBSaRm99nurCVF2rQ5vP5EMzjiKsZAVmwoyZqjcBwl1FEsdJ2gN_rutA_SEvED29eoNfufkxM2gbJGKh7XVdhEMp0K3pJN-mHHoiPE_JZZPEXkXU6RWQxuuB4r1u7MZnf0fJF0XzCe8o2jojpgocacoXGuJl8OlpwU4_3DvBkoGd/w640-h480/FL_20220814_0336.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">With Agra Fort dusted we finally could say bye-bye to Trident and make our 220km drive back to Delhi.</span></div><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b>Back to Delhi, quick shopping at Khan Market, and zoom back home!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Most of us were walking like zombies and dozing off like zombies as the bus sped towards Delhi. RK and Haw Chou discussed a bit and they rightfully concluded that being early in arriving in Delhi and beating all the late afternoon traffic was way better than staying longer in Agra. So we ended up having quite some time at Khan Market for some shopping and some food. </div></div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCi_Jz2dFmM4zLd3kjCUYIAVlPa0HuEWKkL7n7LepdTzJynuk2mgU6b_qKsm5nlT7OudauqfC10yXeChXea4C_TIsIsbmuZW4lBnaHkZjHZ5Tq06vpgJBFArcxutMrGnP7HinPyV-ACmwBlCAK9L9Tul2FKWT8B8Ug-4S03AqdPtXvKZpie8A6rm3v/s720/FL_20220817_0346.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCi_Jz2dFmM4zLd3kjCUYIAVlPa0HuEWKkL7n7LepdTzJynuk2mgU6b_qKsm5nlT7OudauqfC10yXeChXea4C_TIsIsbmuZW4lBnaHkZjHZ5Tq06vpgJBFArcxutMrGnP7HinPyV-ACmwBlCAK9L9Tul2FKWT8B8Ug-4S03AqdPtXvKZpie8A6rm3v/w640-h480/FL_20220817_0346.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>And truthfully, Serene and I were so thrilled to find our favourite Samsonite luggage at a steep discount here and thanks to Felicia's reassurance and Haw Chong's business class ticket, we managed to get in one more luggage going back home! Shopping around here in Khan Market was more fun than the previous round when we went to some huge mega shopping mall and found nothing interesting. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b>Conclusion</b></span></div><div>Such trips to Ladakh and parts of Delhi and Agra never failed to delight us with multiple small and big surprises. Like how Serene and I love to live our lives, we were both thrilled to have once again the chance to interact closely with local people in every part that we travelled to, in ways that human beings do for each other- and the Korean drama craze was the new discovery that seems to unite us and the younger and not-so-young generation of people in India. </div><div><br /></div><div>Three days of medical work was never enough time, I have always believed. Understandably the organisation also had logistical and manpower constraints. So we would all just make the best of what little time we were given. Each work trip brought new experiences for us. And we grew as much as, we hope, the other parties did. Covid was a terrible period as it stripped humanity of many a normal form of human-to-human contact. With perseverance, right now, a little bit by a little bit, we were starting to claw back that precious interaction between Homo <i>sapiens, </i>not only within a society, within a country, but also cross-borders between nations. </div><div><br /></div><div>With bigger wars threatening countries of the old Soviet bloc, broadening economic sanctions calculated to break countries' financial spines, and trade-tariff wars between east and west, hovering over a water surface high in tension, all it takes would be just one more single drop of nasty words, or threats of conflict to spill everything over the edge. Post-Covid, as the world emerged from a lock-down, we needed more cooperation and human-ness between people. Not the other way round. </div><div><br /></div><div>HHDL would say in his famous words - Care for all sentient beings. This is what I could sense between the members of the team, both in subtle forms among persons or in overt manners between loving couples. I was particularly pleasantly impressed by how my good friends and their wives displayed to the world, in actions, and words, what <b><i>everlasting true love is</i></b>, and how 老夫老妻 in long-married relationships beat the test of time. Very proud, I was, of the care and concern with which the whole team has showered the people of Ladakh - the workers, the patients, the old folks, and the less-privileged students from less-endowed sections of the society. Mutual respect was the one important principle defining the team members. Although we came from different sectors and different backgrounds, we were all essentially the same.</div><div><br /></div><div>These take-home messages were, time and again, delivered to me as a reminder, from the relics of palatial monuments in Leh, to the religious chortens in Ladakh; from the peaceful co-existence of people of different faiths in India. to the tolerance that the state government showed in maintaining a palpable level of peace between the conflicting states in Kashmir, and with the PLA of China in Pangong Tso. And finally how Taj Mahal, a UNESCO heritage site, exhibited Shah Jahan's declared love.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another unforgettable trip, another unforgettable experience, for Serene and I. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/07/another-ladakhi-medical-trip-another.html#TOC" style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0Leh34.1525864 77.5770534999999915.8423525638211515 42.420803499999991 62.462820236178842 112.73330349999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-47816848107709324582022-07-13T23:12:00.003-07:002022-07-13T23:41:16.343-07:00Bangkok. Massage and eat.<p> Haven't seen Bangkok for the longest time. Almost three years.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw40o9TGU2alDgxtPJdvyQVF21WDu4UTAvXgWGfD81Y4bDOMAIE_y0QCrn2MusWVzip438WU_bSeyD7blpAiWFiyXR8v9poE5w-w6bVfmNn2K3NZKL6o9Ann7olBTVQogxvkAfa8Qfi0clfYi8ukVOGyuoABK_iZ7-9zH_l68NLp5aLD9H-tskbVxS/s4032/IMG_7311.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw40o9TGU2alDgxtPJdvyQVF21WDu4UTAvXgWGfD81Y4bDOMAIE_y0QCrn2MusWVzip438WU_bSeyD7blpAiWFiyXR8v9poE5w-w6bVfmNn2K3NZKL6o9Ann7olBTVQogxvkAfa8Qfi0clfYi8ukVOGyuoABK_iZ7-9zH_l68NLp5aLD9H-tskbVxS/s320/IMG_7311.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Very curious how Bangkok has changed after the ravage of Covid on its tourist economy. Hotel prices have dropped. But BTS fares, massage prices and food prices remained the same.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Bangkok in the evening of 8th July 2022</span></b></p><p>Our favourite Foot massage at Ai Sa Wan massage still cost the same.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXLNYWFhocYZdwKvHf5mKdNe6M0KvAQXKZLcgSDsRhni44WQCh28swVrPbySo3FhkhjdX0lSn2pU1TkYRC4AaMZWHte0CqvasOeACwKbfhUIwFGiaFdUNtOVsdcWwWLfcIkNl-zsoWCMMvyOEUnNcBXi4t9yflSg7cWLaEKuSdefqCHMHRHdOBeU_/s4032/IMG_7242.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXLNYWFhocYZdwKvHf5mKdNe6M0KvAQXKZLcgSDsRhni44WQCh28swVrPbySo3FhkhjdX0lSn2pU1TkYRC4AaMZWHte0CqvasOeACwKbfhUIwFGiaFdUNtOVsdcWwWLfcIkNl-zsoWCMMvyOEUnNcBXi4t9yflSg7cWLaEKuSdefqCHMHRHdOBeU_/w640-h480/IMG_7242.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Serene quietly texted me: <b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">"Eh you see my masseuse... she looks like she is falling asleep as she mssaged my feet..."</span></b></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>Funny lah, this Serene. But ok lah. Their massages are still just as good. It was delightful to have arrived early enough to squeeze in a massage and a dinner in Central World Seoul Garden.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sSUFoJ_4O2fCTsOgbtUtBl-2gaIYSG2YLnrSMHxIlR8zuZ2nHIO5rTGLfTYxf1fOkB8UBTgw-SR83oxPkMRhJV1p-1F8ook-VYXFrbrY9XE_5IgQ0UPI_WPHK5UzzAsnyYXudK4ZDKibUGUMyH9QL0tMp4HbtrrDy_-cN1iQEAbnGRIOSPofLMGE/s4032/IMG_7243.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sSUFoJ_4O2fCTsOgbtUtBl-2gaIYSG2YLnrSMHxIlR8zuZ2nHIO5rTGLfTYxf1fOkB8UBTgw-SR83oxPkMRhJV1p-1F8ook-VYXFrbrY9XE_5IgQ0UPI_WPHK5UzzAsnyYXudK4ZDKibUGUMyH9QL0tMp4HbtrrDy_-cN1iQEAbnGRIOSPofLMGE/s320/IMG_7243.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />It was ChangMa season in Bangkok.</div><div>We were caught in the rain that suddenly got heavy... within a few steps, both of us were drenching wet. Hahahaha.. that was fun.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgjAC2iXoQGc73KvuYPPLzycFUrVDYpAo3talNANxwkv8YQcKb5RlFFSBZ78Ak4Wb2XlBvIod89QyNSI_4tuZNK-mCMz6GERHZqDCdANdGSIeFlCjRNUaDpoPsSiB3r9SyBLJjgyRhT2hktjdKq1bU3HJ0ySBGDRs-el76mrV9DEqQ4nyktrLsYVW/s720/FL_20220714_0274.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgjAC2iXoQGc73KvuYPPLzycFUrVDYpAo3talNANxwkv8YQcKb5RlFFSBZ78Ak4Wb2XlBvIod89QyNSI_4tuZNK-mCMz6GERHZqDCdANdGSIeFlCjRNUaDpoPsSiB3r9SyBLJjgyRhT2hktjdKq1bU3HJ0ySBGDRs-el76mrV9DEqQ4nyktrLsYVW/w640-h480/FL_20220714_0274.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />We tried walking into the Amara shopping mall and the Erawan mal - but all these buildings were closed for renovation. I think this central area of Bangkok must have been hit hard. Although we did see some Ang Mohs, some Middle Easterners, some South Asian tourists walking around.. but apparently there wasn't enough to continue to drive the retail economy targetting tourists.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ended up eating Seoul Garden in Central World.. S$23 per person for a buffet dinner. Serene said the soup was nice, but the grilled meat wasn't that good. Here hor.. the Bangkokians were really good. Even when they walked up to the counter to get their drinks and spices. they would put on disposable gloves. <br /><br /><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">9th July 2022</span></b></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;"><b>拜拜四面佛 and looking for Ah Sing...</b></span></div><div><br />Not bad. We enjoy being able to wake up late at 10am and slowly wash up and walk to 四面佛. 真的是好久好久没来到曼谷拜拜了。人不多,可能是下着雨吧。自从好一段时间前,有关机构已经不允许点火烧香,只能用干的香与没点火的蜡烛来祭拜。都没关系。最重要的是带着一颗诚恳的心。</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="495" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nWHy22mpo7Q" width="595" youtube-src-id="nWHy22mpo7Q"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>感恩与还愿도 하고, 기도도 했다. Ah Sing was still busy. So we busied ourselves walking around Terminal 21 near Asok BTS station. Quite happening, this area. Around Sukhumvit and near Korean Town. </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">"Ah Sing very clever hor," </span></b>said Serene. <span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b> "She knows how to choose a good area here to stay. "</b></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>"Yes," </b></span>I agreed. <span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>"This place is so much happening than the Gaysorn Plaza area where we always stay,"</b></span></div></blockquote><div><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">4pm.</span></b><div>Korean Town was just a little mall that housed mostly Korean restaurants. At this time in the day, most of the eateries were closed. But not bad. Next time can come here to gai gai.</div><div>We finished our Iced Caramel Mocchiato in Tom N Toms' and popped next doo for oiur 90-minutes traditional Thai massage in one of the setups opposite Korean Town. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPuwniLD1cZETyB9QohRK3oqy5VoRbkzBUU9kI52oSHKv6vbr4MQrZfpFg3lE74wgruhJfJhsuXPygTwBLloL8Dd_Z3dxt83FSHiE4ue6ZAUuU1C4hM-6vsbCoyZ_qMmmNeJteoPNnxnWvYHc_PVLQnDMel6akaMXc-3afAsKB7zfw9W5oqkqb1iZA/s4032/IMG_7320.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPuwniLD1cZETyB9QohRK3oqy5VoRbkzBUU9kI52oSHKv6vbr4MQrZfpFg3lE74wgruhJfJhsuXPygTwBLloL8Dd_Z3dxt83FSHiE4ue6ZAUuU1C4hM-6vsbCoyZ_qMmmNeJteoPNnxnWvYHc_PVLQnDMel6akaMXc-3afAsKB7zfw9W5oqkqb1iZA/w640-h480/IMG_7320.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div>The basement of Terminal 21 was much like any modern mall... got Diaso, got MiniSol, got cake shops...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPP4LJFhtBJRqhrhMfLWJ2LzWgwfV42uRYnv97RL48CW-O4TMqAd-GQeiM58jP3luFNlkXhOKWPlTIcA5FPfSpAjx04nAh08zc-Odc8rw4cxJgZ4c2nI-uy-CvuDu8IRGEdx864jfwNfh_hOMIGiyBOXUFsXmDZoQwYYnYfsdfFb9SA9t9LlWyeg6Z/s960/FL_20220709_0270.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPP4LJFhtBJRqhrhMfLWJ2LzWgwfV42uRYnv97RL48CW-O4TMqAd-GQeiM58jP3luFNlkXhOKWPlTIcA5FPfSpAjx04nAh08zc-Odc8rw4cxJgZ4c2nI-uy-CvuDu8IRGEdx864jfwNfh_hOMIGiyBOXUFsXmDZoQwYYnYfsdfFb9SA9t9LlWyeg6Z/w640-h360/FL_20220709_0270.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />This girl ah... immune system not bad. Tahan-ed so long in Singapore when the whole world was crumbling with Covid around her... yet it took a trip to Bangkok to kena Covid. Hahaha.. But not bad. We are very happy to be able to <a href="https://youtu.be/G9tV7k2ymjE" target="_blank">celebrate an early birthday</a> in Sukhumvit with Ah Sing.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;"><b>Krua Khun Puk at Sukhumvit Soi 8</b></span></div><div>Ah Sing's recommendation. She loved this place. So definitely we would go and eat. And realy delicious, the steamed fish and the deep fried fish and the fried pork.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jcC4Bsn7tQ2c0TT5kWYg1LR8JbIxF6kTqQ1JQm-Zb1QPTE3ZKT4qDqDcHLvvOGO_dGbCARtG73JbuQXWoOLZpWeWTrG019ZoIzCUJoPZShIER12Wonn9cH9ffeT_qitFlqiEp98U_SOC6nrNYFEJ6qHJr3w6daCq-y6gZrALvvxjO93K1Vu5SbWS/s4032/IMG_7330.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jcC4Bsn7tQ2c0TT5kWYg1LR8JbIxF6kTqQ1JQm-Zb1QPTE3ZKT4qDqDcHLvvOGO_dGbCARtG73JbuQXWoOLZpWeWTrG019ZoIzCUJoPZShIER12Wonn9cH9ffeT_qitFlqiEp98U_SOC6nrNYFEJ6qHJr3w6daCq-y6gZrALvvxjO93K1Vu5SbWS/w640-h480/IMG_7330.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MBMMDfHxui1g9v-QgCX83ubrzDGx9mnnUzdvxR-gUfBR_OaWo0UsdPWksjdhgZ6z-GqbQWYbVSo0PtZtvlu0qZmDCYPe2XpRc9xFfhDlcMg47xg1oAePkvs_fQQDeR_A5EBuHaVpRJY97oWrC6g9uM8y1UEPqmg67lS8G7zva_-AzVRWUklAwarQ/s4032/IMG_7327.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MBMMDfHxui1g9v-QgCX83ubrzDGx9mnnUzdvxR-gUfBR_OaWo0UsdPWksjdhgZ6z-GqbQWYbVSo0PtZtvlu0qZmDCYPe2XpRc9xFfhDlcMg47xg1oAePkvs_fQQDeR_A5EBuHaVpRJY97oWrC6g9uM8y1UEPqmg67lS8G7zva_-AzVRWUklAwarQ/w640-h480/IMG_7327.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">"Eat fish, don't talk..."</span></b> said Serene.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOcDWhcVmvcvzyM8HeuxcKoEYXbJoBa3wUj-LSq3xSRk8BM2G7Q7SzMjvN8a7zHlLscc6dTNxjmZshlkRx43CU_zwnZ5jIErQ5ufOb6m74_FXoWWZCv8tYOiJHSjRKU_X3Wet-f7isJxqzWC0cFZwd4isxc_tpWTtAefRK-FcjG6CR0pxHYTy9Up4/s4032/IMG_7328.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOcDWhcVmvcvzyM8HeuxcKoEYXbJoBa3wUj-LSq3xSRk8BM2G7Q7SzMjvN8a7zHlLscc6dTNxjmZshlkRx43CU_zwnZ5jIErQ5ufOb6m74_FXoWWZCv8tYOiJHSjRKU_X3Wet-f7isJxqzWC0cFZwd4isxc_tpWTtAefRK-FcjG6CR0pxHYTy9Up4/w640-h480/IMG_7328.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Next time we would choose to stay in this Sukhumvit area. Near so many shopping malls (that ARE opened) and eateries and such... </div><div>This evening 10pm our third session of massage, this time round a 90 minutes full body Thai traditional massage at 750 Baht a person at Ai Sa Wan would send our muscles and tendons to the sky in soreness....</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b>MASKS? what masks?</b></span></div><div>The local Thais are really very very guai. They all wore masks, indoors and outdoors. Mostly.</div><div>So who in Bangkok don't wear masks? Got.</div><div>The Ang Mohs do not. The Middle Easterners do not. The Africans do not. And the South Asians don't. Ok lor. Kwenchana. </div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>"Why you so naughty? Why you don't wear your mask!" </b></span>Serene reprimanded me when I let my mask dangle while walking along the outdoor streets.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">"You see all these South Asians and Ang Mohs and Middle Easterners also don't wear masks one mah.. Let me enjoy the freedom of being able to breathe, can?"</span></b> I protested, to no avail. So I guai guai pulled up my mask. </p></blockquote><div><div>But one thing was true.. here in Bangkok, when we had our massages, we were able to enjoy without masks on. So we both just breathed.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;">10th July 2022</span></b></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;"><b>Today do what ah? Really don't know leh... Sleep lor...</b></span><div><br /></div><div>Yes, just slept in until late late lor. Didn't even remember what we had for lunch.. probably nothing because we knew we were going to try going to the night market this day and then we will meet up with Ah Sing to have dinner. So subconsciously we kinda fasted. And Big C we went and whacked so many packs of seaweed and cuttlefish... Wah this Big C was full of Singaporeans...</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxeO0ku07ovt7G50H3mivUdVIv3jTpeA8VHXSKehY3gEJoap2dLzeSoTTZzM2t0wg2ZddiePmiXPb18-npH24lcpwWJKUOy7iNjk7C_DYgUXM0rlhpUCDS1dY5x0fk9DSBXWX55ReHMXIQ5Cc-YBgmsplGFAZV0KPdOHtgCKtw_St_dLpaMEz7mSL/s4032/IMG_7336.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxeO0ku07ovt7G50H3mivUdVIv3jTpeA8VHXSKehY3gEJoap2dLzeSoTTZzM2t0wg2ZddiePmiXPb18-npH24lcpwWJKUOy7iNjk7C_DYgUXM0rlhpUCDS1dY5x0fk9DSBXWX55ReHMXIQ5Cc-YBgmsplGFAZV0KPdOHtgCKtw_St_dLpaMEz7mSL/w640-h480/IMG_7336.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;"><b>Night market? What night market?</b></span><br />Yah. What night market?</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGu8T85Cq2HvpHQVadpVp_K8Vp0VoMDXyXRgyUqP0qZcZNA-fuyzRIsnfYEffXX7ZqgumeaH1uOlxiFxkw0gGQqvMhnnFQVFQs2dJCd8QSH3QrEAAWNkfIdSoBw-MAHu9NJbG_o1ih6BRfNk6b5344BzfKmcY4lM-2STgbOgIwwc8kZR3rAXCtQ5mN/s4032/IMG_7350.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGu8T85Cq2HvpHQVadpVp_K8Vp0VoMDXyXRgyUqP0qZcZNA-fuyzRIsnfYEffXX7ZqgumeaH1uOlxiFxkw0gGQqvMhnnFQVFQs2dJCd8QSH3QrEAAWNkfIdSoBw-MAHu9NJbG_o1ih6BRfNk6b5344BzfKmcY4lM-2STgbOgIwwc8kZR3rAXCtQ5mN/w640-h480/IMG_7350.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night market died-ed already liao lah<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>That Richard Night Market also gone liao. The Palladium L-shape night market was nothing.</div><div>Mama wanted us to help her buy that metal tumbler thing... but no market, how to buy? Hahahaha...</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1BgWNUTyLTvyaPVrIiv-j3NCRKeA_tgv9OQkibdrkyG885qZMEzK3f8nFuyxCDFp1G8PbikOeAXbwBnC9ZGpgBuchOySQUdStztRMdZEgHz10dleBGuGtIFG-HtlVBDi7V_rZEH95nbl7v36obKsNjiKTUDM2cUUnFpEOYJIsjL0CzW66a6EtDw9/s4032/IMG_7355.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1BgWNUTyLTvyaPVrIiv-j3NCRKeA_tgv9OQkibdrkyG885qZMEzK3f8nFuyxCDFp1G8PbikOeAXbwBnC9ZGpgBuchOySQUdStztRMdZEgHz10dleBGuGtIFG-HtlVBDi7V_rZEH95nbl7v36obKsNjiKTUDM2cUUnFpEOYJIsjL0CzW66a6EtDw9/w640-h480/IMG_7355.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">walk walk walk to CentraWorld...</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Happy was when Ah Sing could take a bus down to CentralWorld to have dinner with us at the Street Food white tent thingy outside CentalWorld.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZeICfnn2zMtyhLplrV6wm8N9LJX8-NT6t2XuFezhRXR-jRjQoLY56S5ByNnZJEsQN7MrWrxltorZKZ4LtC6WbAULWuzisBDUxp_VDKo16XLJNffQfDb_WS8DL316ZrW8mh0npGsK49_GDTOxuTJpIhcUTXLyVK66NWp9kg99VSxmA7SgtUnZky0cs/s720/FL_20220714_0273.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZeICfnn2zMtyhLplrV6wm8N9LJX8-NT6t2XuFezhRXR-jRjQoLY56S5ByNnZJEsQN7MrWrxltorZKZ4LtC6WbAULWuzisBDUxp_VDKo16XLJNffQfDb_WS8DL316ZrW8mh0npGsK49_GDTOxuTJpIhcUTXLyVK66NWp9kg99VSxmA7SgtUnZky0cs/w640-h480/FL_20220714_0273.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_yX_gpy59BeywI3fhtcH0zLxDtxMB-PsJiETGdpHoep6vSQ1WoxIl-Co0SAv4FJ4QoQ8twQLcJoW9ADGLZL_V6rZnCveL1Yp17T-HC0Afk9tK4M7MPL01iKlGt7z2bOGaIOG6o2EVf0hTTUnNutETvdQeorH8VTYeeeX62xBlkbHM5yRVL5CwlAO/s4032/camphoto_630072926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_yX_gpy59BeywI3fhtcH0zLxDtxMB-PsJiETGdpHoep6vSQ1WoxIl-Co0SAv4FJ4QoQ8twQLcJoW9ADGLZL_V6rZnCveL1Yp17T-HC0Afk9tK4M7MPL01iKlGt7z2bOGaIOG6o2EVf0hTTUnNutETvdQeorH8VTYeeeX62xBlkbHM5yRVL5CwlAO/w480-h640/camphoto_630072926.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serene's favourite Bangkok fish </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: large;">CentralWorld?</span></b></div><div>Quiet lah, this CentralWorld mall. Compared to its heyday years back pre-Covid, it was but a shadow of its past self. Still could walk around and enjoy the aircon. But really nothing much lah here.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXvBxmlDlPJvaggvYVaafNIXa7kr-E9bCiaiBz1tn2jBwMptUBBc3o-S4N3cBqtw1YMrqiWySn-hxecMDqLV4vCt13os6HqXPrKVXWO7NIBWsboQzg4rp4hPsa1sDvRwOTBlQ-oFi12zOiiHKgSLJFl4zH_W2Ztmbxo9uaEPp2wxLor5ydtJeu9wo5/s4032/IMG_7335.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXvBxmlDlPJvaggvYVaafNIXa7kr-E9bCiaiBz1tn2jBwMptUBBc3o-S4N3cBqtw1YMrqiWySn-hxecMDqLV4vCt13os6HqXPrKVXWO7NIBWsboQzg4rp4hPsa1sDvRwOTBlQ-oFi12zOiiHKgSLJFl4zH_W2Ztmbxo9uaEPp2wxLor5ydtJeu9wo5/w640-h480/IMG_7335.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">So what to do nowadays in Bangkok?</span></b></div><div>Well, I really don't know, you know.</div><div>If you ask me... yeah, to me, most importantly coming to Bangkok is to be able to 拜拜四面佛. And also I believe moving forward it will be good to massage and massage and massage. The prices are still the same. The more expensive Ai Sa Wan charges 750 Baht for 90 minutes traditional Thai Massage. The more affordable 'One More Thai Massage' next door charges 700 Baht for a 120 minute traditional Thai Massage. And some other roadside massages could charge a little cheaper.</div><div>But hor.. honestly both Serene and I found that their standards are really not bad. Quite consistent. We are not very ngiao people. So wherever... we would enjoy them.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh751bzyY5T4zoqZ1OjkTAvwpXQ5N-JtkNQKMgChJMgTNixEOD0t_fWic_yr_0LnY_dFfhcrSACz2pKmHanZWDh2kI_mslknirqA60cobc0vjBtnsn9Zq3bZeODP-3jNxY5iX3JVqwuPwVVnsy6c81-O1RzBzXTWYjuvJ4u_GZXhHT17KwdRKYCjpgG/s4032/IMG_7377.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh751bzyY5T4zoqZ1OjkTAvwpXQ5N-JtkNQKMgChJMgTNixEOD0t_fWic_yr_0LnY_dFfhcrSACz2pKmHanZWDh2kI_mslknirqA60cobc0vjBtnsn9Zq3bZeODP-3jNxY5iX3JVqwuPwVVnsy6c81-O1RzBzXTWYjuvJ4u_GZXhHT17KwdRKYCjpgG/w640-h480/IMG_7377.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go home liao</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div></div>Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-68336320213526865332022-05-08T09:00:00.149-07:002023-04-09T06:39:10.759-07:00Every day is an Adventure - a 'Leisurely' Drive down Korea's Mid-South & West<div class="separator"><br /></div><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3-jH5q6ojRZgkighyxP8VYGa6ASQ8BIkNTcUKErJ-ztGQ3lgRTUeIlKQVI66morv96KawyPImUDCBgIZTpZbijcdgcrQZ-qucOuNlkvA9xyhOvAvtqvs1l1S2IvgjzlIet7dPR_SqIleU1mTNsZxQYGRDPtvnR1KIc3p-PWyzpeGCwJ81qTUqnTC/s4032/IMG_6267.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3-jH5q6ojRZgkighyxP8VYGa6ASQ8BIkNTcUKErJ-ztGQ3lgRTUeIlKQVI66morv96KawyPImUDCBgIZTpZbijcdgcrQZ-qucOuNlkvA9xyhOvAvtqvs1l1S2IvgjzlIet7dPR_SqIleU1mTNsZxQYGRDPtvnR1KIc3p-PWyzpeGCwJ81qTUqnTC/w400-h300/IMG_6267.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><i>“For the same amount of money, an expensive luxury item will make you happy for a while, but an unforgettable travelling memory will give you endless happiness for the rest of your life.”</i></span></span><span style="text-align: left;">~임위호의사</span><p></p><br /><br /></blockquote><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>
<a name="TOC">Table of Content</a></b></span><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#1 째날"><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"> 1 째날: Oh, arrival in Korea!</span></a></li><li><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#2 째날">2 째날: Exploring Incheon 인천 <span>仁川</span></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#3 째날">3 째날: Really ANYHOW drove ~ to Ganhwado 강화도<span>江華島</span></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#4 째날">4 째날: So much suffering & fun! Manisan, Dolmen, North Korea & Luge!</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#5째날">5 째날: Suwon 수원 水原 - Origin of water & FRIED CHICKEN! </a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#6째날"><span style="font-size: medium;">6 째날: </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Hwaseong city of fortresses 華城- climb until want to die yah!</span></a></span></li><li><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#7째날" style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">7 째날: 大長今 The day we became Period Korean Drama actors & actresses</a></li><li><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#8째날">8 째날: Chasing Korean Drama "25-21" in Romantic Jeonju</a></span></li><li><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#9째날">9 째날: How can one not fall in love with Jeonju, and fall in love <b><i>IN</i></b> Jeonju?!</a></span></li><li><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#10째날"><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;">10 째날 : ... of Bamboo forest and bamboo ice cream.</span></a></li><li><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#11째날"><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;">11 째날: Home-Town-Cha-Cha-Cha. Only just... on the other side of the peninsula~ Geokpohang!</span></a></li><li><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#12째날"><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;">12 째날: Yay... drive drive drive right back to Myeongdong!</span></a></li><li><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#13째날">13 째날: Totally immersed in the vibes of Seoul...</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#14째날">14 째날: Man, this is DISCO Pang Pang!</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#15째날">15 째날: Go home liao lor!</a></span></li></ul><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">"You are really crazy about going holidaying in Korea,"</span> </b></span>some of my patients' asked.</blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Yah.. I don't know, man. I think it's just me lah."</b></span></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3UW_uSTb54dqX1b6jxBB6R4RawrNu_0FRXA0w3ww-1JkWa4hJfzvWf8Ei2sfbWCr-AU_BjlYfyHfOFFpxIJ3z8HlT2eZxZiQtUc4m5dQq2V_MNq7LRnF8FLserBWuoPdHck8vuMYdmLBs6xtUBJtxE-PmBYtkBJOpvzNqa9AtjPK01iEEEeMrU6E/s4032/IMG_2200.HEIC" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3UW_uSTb54dqX1b6jxBB6R4RawrNu_0FRXA0w3ww-1JkWa4hJfzvWf8Ei2sfbWCr-AU_BjlYfyHfOFFpxIJ3z8HlT2eZxZiQtUc4m5dQq2V_MNq7LRnF8FLserBWuoPdHck8vuMYdmLBs6xtUBJtxE-PmBYtkBJOpvzNqa9AtjPK01iEEEeMrU6E/w640-h480/IMG_2200.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>After such an enjoyable Winter trip to Seoul in December 2021, both the governments started opening up their borders as Covid spiked and then waned. This Spring trip was planned precisely in between Ah Li's internship postings, and I knew deep in my heart that I wanted to i) drive all the way in a rental car, ii) give both the ladies the adventure of their lifetime in Korea. By the time May 2022 came, <span style="color: #d9ead3;"><i>the only requirements were Pre-Departure PCR (S$88) done on Singapore's side, and an On-Arrival PCR done in Incheon Airport (S$91)</i></span>.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Dar, remember ok.. this is going to be an adventure. So you must promise me, whatever we do, you must also do, OK?" </b></span>I made Serene promise.</span></div><br /> </blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVOX88ZzIF-k_y2ZbrPHRLdiuG7QOcUiTksbW85wgZVNXMpHh3TSXe18Yibms3DT_k_BhoVNSDjDFRhmKM39o4BBSyRRGYOb93sWrPYFfgNpat1x-M8Wh_lrkurtdpF50e9axuGWDN7tiodztD0xTe6TVkZhcsCVq7dk-BgP_lE55pNT-qB6sUNcf/s4032/IMG_2210.HEIC" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVOX88ZzIF-k_y2ZbrPHRLdiuG7QOcUiTksbW85wgZVNXMpHh3TSXe18Yibms3DT_k_BhoVNSDjDFRhmKM39o4BBSyRRGYOb93sWrPYFfgNpat1x-M8Wh_lrkurtdpF50e9axuGWDN7tiodztD0xTe6TVkZhcsCVq7dk-BgP_lE55pNT-qB6sUNcf/w640-h480/IMG_2210.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Ah Li, this is going to be fun because it will be the first time we are going to drive in a Left-hand-drive car on a Right-hand-traffic country,"</span></b> I said. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Let's give it a shot."</span></b> and we applied for our S$25 each 1-year International-Driving-permit from AA online.</span></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBqGJZZjUDYetOLD4WRUrB_4cN3qB2fhwIH-jFQUjhrLV_EAfRVxJkBoEpNitx6ouRisuE87H9pzAhHxDl5bLMgQ-69ZtZf0bPOFSv7APEH6roplegCge4c7FJAjUsZM13oU0fqHudp5PufojPWnbpSqCVcAU-zJtBRl0FnQNVJHQ7djc5tuArQ5T/s4032/IMG_2211.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBqGJZZjUDYetOLD4WRUrB_4cN3qB2fhwIH-jFQUjhrLV_EAfRVxJkBoEpNitx6ouRisuE87H9pzAhHxDl5bLMgQ-69ZtZf0bPOFSv7APEH6roplegCge4c7FJAjUsZM13oU0fqHudp5PufojPWnbpSqCVcAU-zJtBRl0FnQNVJHQ7djc5tuArQ5T/w640-h480/IMG_2211.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>Because of Covid, three of us had Scoot vouchers that were left over from the early days of Covid (March 2020) and we just had to finish using them up. So Scoot we flew. Being new to the rental car companies in Korea, I decided to take up Avis run by SK Rental car, through Agoda.com because they gave us an additional driver, totally free. Some rental car companies charge a fee surcharge for drivers below the age of 25 years. So I thought this was good. Expensive? Well, could be cheaper, but <span style="color: #d9ead3;"><i>after buying an additional S$215 no-excess insurance on top of the CDW that came with the 14-day rental, the total came up to S$1295</i></span>. Some have said that Lotte Rental would give a cheaper price, but this period was quite a peak season, as in Korea, 1st May was Children's Day, 8th May was Parents' Day and 15th May was Buddha's Birthday. So I was just glad to have an available vehicle to explore Korea.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3i5hjypCYA11slrZjvLp6f8a5No4qdMsJgXQ-8ucqiju-QPGIfodAhOTTp3aJ8x1FA7QYW2phQAlXUfPrhNshb2jQAA2uKfCwHbTAQh1GwBiP4JpyL8tRtdc0zBshfyYeXGEYXtVPUW_7-CeQWHXsBvg3LfaGdGy5iTnZXVIZo1qer9jq1tnoKff/s1280/IMG_2307.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3i5hjypCYA11slrZjvLp6f8a5No4qdMsJgXQ-8ucqiju-QPGIfodAhOTTp3aJ8x1FA7QYW2phQAlXUfPrhNshb2jQAA2uKfCwHbTAQh1GwBiP4JpyL8tRtdc0zBshfyYeXGEYXtVPUW_7-CeQWHXsBvg3LfaGdGy5iTnZXVIZo1qer9jq1tnoKff/w480-h640/IMG_2307.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">collecting car at SK rental, T1, ICN airport</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"Papa, what if we reach Korea and find that we get played out, and we have no car?"</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"> </span></b>asked Ah Li, pre-emptively. Good question. In that case, we will execute plan B which is to take KTX trains and Express buses in between the cities and within the cities, we will take buses, subways, and if need be, taxis. Fortunately, that didn't happen, and we happily collected one of the most advanced Smart car- the Hyundai Avante with such a lovely navigation and safety system built in that we all got blown away as we continued to drive over the next two weeks.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AeI1FY9cfrZ4TD_F16a2yw5yCeZbqjOTOiNH6DE4uRT7A4b2W_aOg_3CRgqNYTpdHzQEY0PU0Yb6ohY-_4D0H7Z6MFiKFh1aGwMYbZnVc_3r9NW6lt2HWvP3yORqRV8onOFYe5Rx2GTEfDs3zpFyRqClbnfgWUsUE54pO9C7ylkhxUEyBnh8STXf/s4032/IMG_2219.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AeI1FY9cfrZ4TD_F16a2yw5yCeZbqjOTOiNH6DE4uRT7A4b2W_aOg_3CRgqNYTpdHzQEY0PU0Yb6ohY-_4D0H7Z6MFiKFh1aGwMYbZnVc_3r9NW6lt2HWvP3yORqRV8onOFYe5Rx2GTEfDs3zpFyRqClbnfgWUsUE54pO9C7ylkhxUEyBnh8STXf/w640-h480/IMG_2219.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><br />A few days before we flew, Yeye 爷爷 was saying: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"You all better get a bigger SUV or an MPV driving in Korea. With a larger car, the other drivers will give way to you all."</span></b> Boy, Ah Li and I were so glad we didn't listen to him, as we had to squeeze through some of the nightmarishly narrow streets in the smaller cities and towns, that our conclusion was, the smaller the car, the better it will be.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><p><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><b><a name="1 째날"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: x-large;">1 째날: Day 1</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></a></b></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">[9th May 2022. Monday]</span></span></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1Ns78KkKtIif37wDWDkwfzfttuTS55Q_ybdhyVyH1K1hS3SM5cn3mTVxZtHmXT2VopqjUMuz4XJztlAlPQe0iL5JrK6POEom2rJ6MV5ePC1pO1MLAWybmSumBCwq7_XDpV6OckLS1ytqYkyMtXmIXFJh1JRcHqxEdOgjL7kh9094c2MCQYflyR2p/s960/FL_20220624_0248.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="960" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1Ns78KkKtIif37wDWDkwfzfttuTS55Q_ybdhyVyH1K1hS3SM5cn3mTVxZtHmXT2VopqjUMuz4XJztlAlPQe0iL5JrK6POEom2rJ6MV5ePC1pO1MLAWybmSumBCwq7_XDpV6OckLS1ytqYkyMtXmIXFJh1JRcHqxEdOgjL7kh9094c2MCQYflyR2p/w640-h295/FL_20220624_0248.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drive from Incheon Airport to Wolmido in Incheon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;">I</span></b><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;">NCHEON 인천 仁川- Wolmido 월미도 月尾島</span></b></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8zwmaizH1kQGVlIXa3Ec3wvnLnBGlhzlkK_J81-MtGwfZaNtIJEGmfoLoIMfjkORaB4uN837hihcqQwUfmDyrmcc761X0s6-_Ny__8WFy4ASJ6l__7QDVz-GYk7NlkHhOi283X0FV1NYO1SO2tCdKZGAJ4Tg33tubgyy83sMynWNY44PGTUAsknK/s3999/D38AA80C-D238-4D5F-9F09-C2DB716C3FBF.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8zwmaizH1kQGVlIXa3Ec3wvnLnBGlhzlkK_J81-MtGwfZaNtIJEGmfoLoIMfjkORaB4uN837hihcqQwUfmDyrmcc761X0s6-_Ny__8WFy4ASJ6l__7QDVz-GYk7NlkHhOi283X0FV1NYO1SO2tCdKZGAJ4Tg33tubgyy83sMynWNY44PGTUAsknK/w640-h480/D38AA80C-D238-4D5F-9F09-C2DB716C3FBF.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>Incheon was, to many of us, merely am impression of a city where the planes land and take off. Our Daehan Korean school's Managing Director (이사님 理事) and Principal (교장선생님 校长) ever told us that Incheon is famous for being a Chinatown for it was where there was many Chinese decades ago and where they set-foot in Korea and started Jjajangmyeon restaurants. Those words never left us, and we wanted to, instead of being in Seoul, just spend our time exploring Incheon.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;">INCHEON 인천 仁川- Chinatown </span></b></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGyWxK-6aJQAUHP_IjUaEGpBshhGnMxDyfzQFxxM8t73e9yvZfoUJo2PNFYzDPNVHgSRgbxMr4nsOr--tB87rvGKE0-jE07qkDSKJbFldt_43JfxPrU8Bv1xIRWMyEe47-sWateB-Ym9jeYDyho5dSbfzDP-Q7tCefpp0OeCrdOH3KAesJkdEzzVMS/s4032/IMG_2222.HEIC" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGyWxK-6aJQAUHP_IjUaEGpBshhGnMxDyfzQFxxM8t73e9yvZfoUJo2PNFYzDPNVHgSRgbxMr4nsOr--tB87rvGKE0-jE07qkDSKJbFldt_43JfxPrU8Bv1xIRWMyEe47-sWateB-Ym9jeYDyho5dSbfzDP-Q7tCefpp0OeCrdOH3KAesJkdEzzVMS/w480-h640/IMG_2222.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How come 엄마 'orh-bak-kak' (one eye black one eye white)?</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p>Chinatown, with its Pai Fang 牌坊, was the epitome of Chinese-ness, on this slight upslope street not far from our hotel. Seemingly not contented with the 45 minutes drive from Incheon Airport to our Sea Moon Hotel in Wolmido, we had to drive to that cramped public Car park next to Chinatown where Ah Li directed me to do a 3-point-turn with merely a 10cm space. ... *sweat* </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYRTpBAoa4whHaZZfzqt2YXDyateDaIAHH0esnGf0v_FUoe1_nbajF6aGXptBq4vU4C8als1FXdLpuGSiJK8XquN5GmclLZJNrzLiAF9prZy6G4IHNoE3bWi75HzBjj_itQLmGx4X7vVGN_daYpP6XtJl0BrRi8X1-0BaejuzuIR0175VZj7nTEmH/w640-h480/IMG_2244.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, having the obligatory lunch of Jjajangmyeon at the famous 공화촌 짜장면식당 共和春 was the first mission.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3-IF0g8QsXMETnuP2wf9yyj2YzkLK9Jjl4yfz8YH2iGcL_kH6LCMOJV9mo5ACAibJ9ldmk3RCRQAz7rFatvBXChKzg6olfMxaJIyErS92i0500sBRdEBke31G7LXyedYNOD-AHelGjBCXG6gdI_R-o1MOiwtOP64BEv8MQnooXxOiQkykdLBEbcbl/s1440/FL_20220525_0151.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3-IF0g8QsXMETnuP2wf9yyj2YzkLK9Jjl4yfz8YH2iGcL_kH6LCMOJV9mo5ACAibJ9ldmk3RCRQAz7rFatvBXChKzg6olfMxaJIyErS92i0500sBRdEBke31G7LXyedYNOD-AHelGjBCXG6gdI_R-o1MOiwtOP64BEv8MQnooXxOiQkykdLBEbcbl/w640-h480/FL_20220525_0151.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Come Incheon, must eat Jjajangmyeon," we've always heard about that.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As always when we first landed the brain didn’t work so well and we just couldn’t get into the rhythm of things. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianXSD6oXtFspoMp-1kUoed29wJfF2O9zlAYWc6-0MbbXwzCA83vXrPi1rF74duRU9l0CprsRDe2SWoTCDo0CIjZMBgVAvU0piJ4ydixUDp7D8skO7deinCrmgtr3N_hRskSJAbSvvCnMuD8DyqrpOU7wok509WvifGlF6LRzTZntSa-abZSYPTE3K/s4032/IMG_2233.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianXSD6oXtFspoMp-1kUoed29wJfF2O9zlAYWc6-0MbbXwzCA83vXrPi1rF74duRU9l0CprsRDe2SWoTCDo0CIjZMBgVAvU0piJ4ydixUDp7D8skO7deinCrmgtr3N_hRskSJAbSvvCnMuD8DyqrpOU7wok509WvifGlF6LRzTZntSa-abZSYPTE3K/w489-h366/IMG_2233.HEIC" width="489" /></a></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Incheon Chinatown was, personally to me, not much difference a Chinatown from perhaps elsewhere, with the brilliantly decorated pillars and walls. Not being the first time eating Jjajangmyeon, it reaffirms my belief that Jjajangmyeon was more of a bowl of 粗白面 on thick soya sauce. But hey, one box ticked- the original JJM in Incheon Chinatown eaten.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLfoLxcsu_lGIpShbWt3idBq-rh9Rg1bTy63izNXpEUMdmDLVi6TnLIwwml2SywkNop82u8xZv5Z5dy06BxU3OeuwmE9WMIfrm5W3jmd7BxOhciJU_cxWoMu3zcsPCDPVBH0bXB3RoerPDyDuxk_MGyKLrlaCLFp-9EiR14Xs4jcjcFeOgj5PCUYh/s4032/IMG_2237.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="644" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLfoLxcsu_lGIpShbWt3idBq-rh9Rg1bTy63izNXpEUMdmDLVi6TnLIwwml2SywkNop82u8xZv5Z5dy06BxU3OeuwmE9WMIfrm5W3jmd7BxOhciJU_cxWoMu3zcsPCDPVBH0bXB3RoerPDyDuxk_MGyKLrlaCLFp-9EiR14Xs4jcjcFeOgj5PCUYh/w858-h644/IMG_2237.HEIC" width="858" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serene says: "This one looks like the Chinese mafia place!"</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We walked 1km up and down the slopey streets of inner Chinatown only to reach the money changer Ajussi at the end of Chinatown, who told us he won’t exchange Singapore dollars with Korean wons. Ah.. frustrating. Of course, Kakao map only showed that the $ exchange was opened, but they couldn’t tell if the shopkeeper is willing to change S$. This was the first time it was happening to us. Strange. Luckily we could walk back to the 신한은행 Shinhan Bank branch mid-way in time before they closed at 5pm, to exchange S$ with K</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">₩</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> at "897.50₩ to S$1," said the bank teller lady at the counter. Quite a good rate. And we opened up and whacked (exchanged) the $100 奶奶 gave us in our “一路平安” hongbao to fortify ourselves with sufficient cash.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHq3-Rc_iUDEFSbqo2FvWjCGeii1o1xetkqXSOt0VWy_Qz0jZz3QZNIvCcaN676lpa0GOdvCsGt_3La4mlwn712Z7O54NYdw17FzNF39yFI9r6-FOQwB3X-W73GkfqChUxXcjsbjPGr9sqep0oZ7gdYXX4RVbBOlYyxdUg8KKP4uA-SO697oEx_PTC/s720/FL_20220525_0153.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHq3-Rc_iUDEFSbqo2FvWjCGeii1o1xetkqXSOt0VWy_Qz0jZz3QZNIvCcaN676lpa0GOdvCsGt_3La4mlwn712Z7O54NYdw17FzNF39yFI9r6-FOQwB3X-W73GkfqChUxXcjsbjPGr9sqep0oZ7gdYXX4RVbBOlYyxdUg8KKP4uA-SO697oEx_PTC/w640-h480/FL_20220525_0153.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Wasn't it supposed to be Spring? Why is the sun so scorching?"</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Why? Because <b>although the Wise MasterCard and the YouTrip MasterCard both work generally well, there were shops where these didn’t and most highway toll gates and some parking didn’t accept these two cards (but take T-money cards instead</b>).. so we still needed cash.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ioFoVo4uAKOpFUU3Dmmylz4YYsm6Lu_q0tFlL2068u1Bmy6ZgiYHBtVwN1zDoPt8cY2B3ghYuMkuFmmhiKN2zYfGBrFupCIOp6I2uc9L4FSADg24uCFiVTWED6fuUSn5Bkjy5590Vi9MBsMEY-WKcGPdc0QfCNxsioS8GxslKY6O1xcMy9EXj3oC/s4032/IMG_2243.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ioFoVo4uAKOpFUU3Dmmylz4YYsm6Lu_q0tFlL2068u1Bmy6ZgiYHBtVwN1zDoPt8cY2B3ghYuMkuFmmhiKN2zYfGBrFupCIOp6I2uc9L4FSADg24uCFiVTWED6fuUSn5Bkjy5590Vi9MBsMEY-WKcGPdc0QfCNxsioS8GxslKY6O1xcMy9EXj3oC/w640-h480/IMG_2243.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the Sijangs in Incheon Chinatown...</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Parking was about S$5 for maybe 3 hours. Not too bad lah... but Ah Li very cute - kao-beh-kao-bu said expensive. I think this would be cheap if we compare it to Seoul, won't it?</p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-zztt7CfmU3v0Pi-9VFNPvgXZFoSpamH2ycZZUJTbsCnW3FnT8E9IUjRAywZi00mRCzGCiznm6YsNjyF_lX6y_to308UWbCnRlg-Jw9KwrMTM4g2EIpck6w616K0cI8kVUFFo0lp4ZEQjQO9Q5Az9sPvXtEUkQQd_DmjHOedk17RMFfRvlBifilO/s480/FL_20220525_0142.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-zztt7CfmU3v0Pi-9VFNPvgXZFoSpamH2ycZZUJTbsCnW3FnT8E9IUjRAywZi00mRCzGCiznm6YsNjyF_lX6y_to308UWbCnRlg-Jw9KwrMTM4g2EIpck6w616K0cI8kVUFFo0lp4ZEQjQO9Q5Az9sPvXtEUkQQd_DmjHOedk17RMFfRvlBifilO/w640-h480/FL_20220525_0142.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back to the Chinatown public car park to drive back to Wolmido.</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;">... Back to Wolmido 월미도 月尾島</span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We navigated that rather confusing short tunnel and multi-way junction at Chinatown back to that quiet nice and safe little corner of Wolmido. Enough adventure in the car for the day.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I was really REALLY planning to take a bus and subway to Myeongdong on this first evening. But Ah Li and 엄마 (Eomma) Serene were dead tired already. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Ah Li was the first to <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z9iZArE2ZGi7ApYw9" target="_blank">die</a> this night, in fact.</span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“If you had asked me to go Myeongdong I would still oblige but I know I am dead tired already,”</b></span> said her. Poor thing, this Ah Li.</span></p></div></div></div></blockquote><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyGUN1S4353MRxiVCOfjJYsyGJ8y5sOyscIXOlFYzTJaujKQfpT3RP0_siomm3Pfw_QW88NdgdcxdilA_WchR53M8Rg_ceVBXXGfWKl1vv0RAxmvxOUosbQyyPS3FgH4mO4mJlJFj9ARlV8JYlNfg0tC5ehd8-e6ki33XQjbBggbACVxqNNgELHxK/s4032/IMG_2282.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyGUN1S4353MRxiVCOfjJYsyGJ8y5sOyscIXOlFYzTJaujKQfpT3RP0_siomm3Pfw_QW88NdgdcxdilA_WchR53M8Rg_ceVBXXGfWKl1vv0RAxmvxOUosbQyyPS3FgH4mO4mJlJFj9ARlV8JYlNfg0tC5ehd8-e6ki33XQjbBggbACVxqNNgELHxK/w640-h480/IMG_2282.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><div style="text-align: left;"><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi843QdCnbsabJhzX8rKkizrvFrc-imq_o6BhxDeOeIBBgMOFhbkN6tAU6UP8LzlBVimDLVAJLjNhBVH-xM8WQUIW8CvJvJfHRmBDYlMNWI8ZqyqqM1uYR0zT4cbmhl8Y0oMTWXUiu9Vtqq1F-8270OyTArv-edhiHLCRc9i8PdQSHDmwcF5Fi--jf8/s480/FL_20220525_0145.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi843QdCnbsabJhzX8rKkizrvFrc-imq_o6BhxDeOeIBBgMOFhbkN6tAU6UP8LzlBVimDLVAJLjNhBVH-xM8WQUIW8CvJvJfHRmBDYlMNWI8ZqyqqM1uYR0zT4cbmhl8Y0oMTWXUiu9Vtqq1F-8270OyTArv-edhiHLCRc9i8PdQSHDmwcF5Fi--jf8/w640-h481/FL_20220525_0145.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So we ditched the idea and walked to Wolmi Hwetjib to have a wonderful meal of 광어회 (flat fish) and 우럭회 (rock fish) Hwe. Ah Li devoured the live squid (산낙지 sannakji)..
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyb1M6dn85C_QxQX7r7SHveNu4zlVpcNGXeO-s_BQNrYdpsLYR8h36Rc9xxapzFaJef01eLK2L4u1fRdPdCdJ5Gyjti_a5u59dZ4HAM64f6qmutPNbbS7Q0nhmd9V2dgcUMxTHLivRec6smFU4Ff2UxwPYZTTB4AhLgePl8mMkLwzy9sklZ_DiGxQ/s4032/IMG_2259.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyb1M6dn85C_QxQX7r7SHveNu4zlVpcNGXeO-s_BQNrYdpsLYR8h36Rc9xxapzFaJef01eLK2L4u1fRdPdCdJ5Gyjti_a5u59dZ4HAM64f6qmutPNbbS7Q0nhmd9V2dgcUMxTHLivRec6smFU4Ff2UxwPYZTTB4AhLgePl8mMkLwzy9sklZ_DiGxQ/w640-h480/IMG_2259.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“This is the safest option,”</b></span> explained the young lady, on concentrating on eating the live squids.</span></p></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WuLXu2PX2gH0vz_ORfTk7HqZF_W9QeiIrp51DWFM-Bp03-UfQGdSYyu2Xhib2j_S388FMm9I1YTg3-tyniRWiFo9k963m0zJdEwR7Jf79zTYCY25KFEktIVog9llgcMVeeYZSybJSaEByyTJyisQK1hfGOSsoTt7SRuj0r8RFbG--0N8PHfGIjfE/s4032/IMG_2281.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WuLXu2PX2gH0vz_ORfTk7HqZF_W9QeiIrp51DWFM-Bp03-UfQGdSYyu2Xhib2j_S388FMm9I1YTg3-tyniRWiFo9k963m0zJdEwR7Jf79zTYCY25KFEktIVog9llgcMVeeYZSybJSaEByyTJyisQK1hfGOSsoTt7SRuj0r8RFbG--0N8PHfGIjfE/w640-h480/IMG_2281.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We had the whole restaurant to ourselves. Well… perhaps it was because it was Monday night ba….</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But the vantage point was lovely to see the sunset at Wolmido.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9eQ8KZIU6LbvtxAQWe96cEEJQT-Jz0kbOSmb7z2Wc2URkgVz-FDNnY2M-AthwJVTgbuRBLeBlwCvHdQcsA-ooaZ2k0NxmWTOxs4LnI6YZ64nWphKk0j8EyzrKQze2Z2CydZz6jft15hNdhcdo405AEBaECj1OfhbPHD3AHt-MHG8QM1TGbyf-rnA6/s4032/IMG_2250.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9eQ8KZIU6LbvtxAQWe96cEEJQT-Jz0kbOSmb7z2Wc2URkgVz-FDNnY2M-AthwJVTgbuRBLeBlwCvHdQcsA-ooaZ2k0NxmWTOxs4LnI6YZ64nWphKk0j8EyzrKQze2Z2CydZz6jft15hNdhcdo405AEBaECj1OfhbPHD3AHt-MHG8QM1TGbyf-rnA6/w640-h480/IMG_2250.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"One of these evenings we must sit outside the Convenience shop and eat cup noodles like those Korean actresses and actors in the drama,"</span></b> reminded Ah Li. OK we will.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHtYCIIUnCREpeQkYQwRCOjgp_zCjE7-6Fpmv50ze9FXxJ5w3hEW0xbV33s-lYhcrr0OkE1WOl6oLZJBgt3LP9ahDEiRjKlPp99mNpyjHRncrxXSxySg5dFdtcTEwRK9z5QFqe8hUz6mgMxZNyPnF4m_LfVCOvN18iWudS0iyoei5rKrH5Oe7bt81/s4032/IMG_2284.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHtYCIIUnCREpeQkYQwRCOjgp_zCjE7-6Fpmv50ze9FXxJ5w3hEW0xbV33s-lYhcrr0OkE1WOl6oLZJBgt3LP9ahDEiRjKlPp99mNpyjHRncrxXSxySg5dFdtcTEwRK9z5QFqe8hUz6mgMxZNyPnF4m_LfVCOvN18iWudS0iyoei5rKrH5Oe7bt81/w640-h480/IMG_2284.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC"></a><i>or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;"><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: x-large;"><a name="2 째날">2 째날: Day 2</a></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">[10th May 2022. Tuesday]</span></span></span></p></div>
<p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Woke <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3FhChwREmpBTWYWQx62-MAP_1QOOdCkX3SDL1GeJlhA3gZKGScLPIN96mRLcRTgqD8ghNT10gHw-Ohvhv7jvaokixLoWUhVxg474A7y1M1GIzcbiqa-4LP0zvp6zCCW1we8mJMNQEu6wBbxGfJ8GATbaTXvXMA2CuydlxUB5kZvlD-8AKpq9g51u/s16000/IMG_2318.HEIC" target="_blank">up</a> 9:30am. What a leisurely morning after a good night's sleep. Leisurely? well.. the ladies would find out...
</span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Let’s make today a real adventure ok? Trust me..” </span></b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“I don’t trust you.” </span></b></span>Serene never trusted me when it came to adventures. Hahaha...</p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“Just follow me…</b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhyCz7wpu6fiF_fcS5KwTp9ITEw8vR8dXO-wzmM4agsAUFpTQJtcLL8gW3A8MjMgkRoub5yxiatE7Bx7mUTt7PFfGusNHvdKGpR2B8s0zJpCA8jdf2_TuUAGUZZn_JHYSviK07tr2Tua5UsNB5a6LKX5j8lECU4x6KeBpgSXp4WA6hRGqSDZhWSgB/s3868/IMG_2335.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2028" data-original-width="3868" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhyCz7wpu6fiF_fcS5KwTp9ITEw8vR8dXO-wzmM4agsAUFpTQJtcLL8gW3A8MjMgkRoub5yxiatE7Bx7mUTt7PFfGusNHvdKGpR2B8s0zJpCA8jdf2_TuUAGUZZn_JHYSviK07tr2Tua5UsNB5a6LKX5j8lECU4x6KeBpgSXp4WA6hRGqSDZhWSgB/w911-h478/IMG_2335.JPG" width="911" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-Yf7_HaFgIXYumk2X-WJCDLIJy3WKW9YrXl76_PPbPyjgvya2zVRx2-8tp2HyC7JhbMG7q49c7yBcfIL8TOJKaa2m8_WN_3apOOWAL_U_adDxp7W1euvbZaHiebZTcJ98u4LJVhl0OfwO73o2KbSyyKEVduv23RXOf_WPwNQ21bfWy5LGqLWVQAR/s3867/IMG_2324.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1957" data-original-width="3867" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-Yf7_HaFgIXYumk2X-WJCDLIJy3WKW9YrXl76_PPbPyjgvya2zVRx2-8tp2HyC7JhbMG7q49c7yBcfIL8TOJKaa2m8_WN_3apOOWAL_U_adDxp7W1euvbZaHiebZTcJ98u4LJVhl0OfwO73o2KbSyyKEVduv23RXOf_WPwNQ21bfWy5LGqLWVQAR/w911-h462/IMG_2324.JPG" width="911" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p> </p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>Wolmi Cultural Road 웡미도문화거리 月尾島文化街</b></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrVArVd48Hl23o88wuvHcUMxS2fxUZrAfbeVbJPLErW0bX1BK-LJhsyo6sLrMxZI4uwT5WdFbovpR5BKvJR6-Jz2XA4VzdYvSMenn5p55EER18mtIqIQ3zYTpJT-tfBGFRNfs_JLZesySJ2N7bZRJGM6d6_j6z_5eKPwl74Wq6JATVw3DfKY3h_iB/s4032/IMG_2385.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrVArVd48Hl23o88wuvHcUMxS2fxUZrAfbeVbJPLErW0bX1BK-LJhsyo6sLrMxZI4uwT5WdFbovpR5BKvJR6-Jz2XA4VzdYvSMenn5p55EER18mtIqIQ3zYTpJT-tfBGFRNfs_JLZesySJ2N7bZRJGM6d6_j6z_5eKPwl74Wq6JATVw3DfKY3h_iB/w640-h480/IMG_2385.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The walk along the seaside of Wolmido to Wolmi Theme Park was a pleasant breezy affair. The weather wasn’t cold. The sunlight was warm on the skin but the gentle sea breeze brought us the coolness we enjoyed. The weather was 17.9 degrees. And Ah Li complained that it was cold. Cold? Serene was complaining hot hot hot hot all the way liao… Maybe like what our 성생님’s 어머님 said.. it’s 갱년기예요… </span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">That this was one of the sites of the famous Incheon Landing Operation commanded by General McArthur on the 15 September 1950, which marked the beginning of the UN forces' take-back of South Korea, was hardly obvious, apart from those little statues and leftover relics of the Korean war we saw along the way.</span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><i>"At 0600 a.m. on September 15, the Marines landed at Wolmi Do, despite resistance and casualties, the initial objectives were quickly secured the next day, with Kimpo airfield being taken on September 17 and put into service only a few days later. Supplies and troops swiftly came ashore within the following days while Marines progressed towards Seoul. The following day after the initial landing, the Pusan Perimeter's defenders went on the offensive and eventually made the North Koreans retreat by the end of the month and were met by the U.S. Army units moving southwards from Seoul. On September 29, after two weeks of hard fighting, Seoul was returned to the South Korean government. "</i></span> - National Museum of the U.S. Navy</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijprR9SiNd6gKaah0AtiX2Jt3ddkDaLTqE2n807XUIw9QQMQeU0C88VCSH7DWxxnXNY7Fvh-V4UckQADHESLR97NFFBc7BH_cezwLIfNlZUbDA2g9Vt1FHEV71WuIElRe7yxLV_f2xr1Xj_fj_ye9ec_F56qWbQZFIaGh9Wouq_ivgtBveBnUW3MfX/s4032/IMG_2352.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijprR9SiNd6gKaah0AtiX2Jt3ddkDaLTqE2n807XUIw9QQMQeU0C88VCSH7DWxxnXNY7Fvh-V4UckQADHESLR97NFFBc7BH_cezwLIfNlZUbDA2g9Vt1FHEV71WuIElRe7yxLV_f2xr1Xj_fj_ye9ec_F56qWbQZFIaGh9Wouq_ivgtBveBnUW3MfX/w480-h640/IMG_2352.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIfHlNQhcVkzl151dm55muU8Db4SIhmkB7x-V_ZLKgZMIMKPGbWGIHooZFx0Ouzutj5iWJNiSDibzTy8Zh3JyXkjeEYxVhhJrB_J88u3ugj6oxnEygPQ0yk9JWYTB3gWrJDbmguI0G4qoISV9tLdTiZgzudGxRo8mTRACYeNJJS4nOBeIz_NJmubX/s4032/IMG_2348.HEIC" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIfHlNQhcVkzl151dm55muU8Db4SIhmkB7x-V_ZLKgZMIMKPGbWGIHooZFx0Ouzutj5iWJNiSDibzTy8Zh3JyXkjeEYxVhhJrB_J88u3ugj6oxnEygPQ0yk9JWYTB3gWrJDbmguI0G4qoISV9tLdTiZgzudGxRo8mTRACYeNJJS4nOBeIz_NJmubX/w640-h480/IMG_2348.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What welcomed us this morning as we walked through Wolmido Cultural Street was the cool sea breeze and a quiet, almost eerie atmosphere of an expansive pavement almost devoid of a crowd. I presumed that it was because it was a Tuesday morning. And in retrospect, I was very happy to be proven correct in my assumption when we returned days later to a full-house crowd here.</div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52098036708_f0f64bc020_o.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="527" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52098036708_f0f64bc020_o.gif" width="703" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyway, Aiyah.. this Ah Li ah, she must be weakened from the months of intense and hectic studies and internship work lah..</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Xworz4WvZCBQRwmB04xIGJ-suByvHn6RodIuvvcNumipTzo8wGfKIcCT4Jy-AuLujUFt_tKkdRwUXRv43CDSW-OYzxL0KKTdq3L2qYsf77FGEOai0dA-2PQsGeDJ6N_Ku_ybxNe_PXs5rfA4jbiEAMBryc3_9IoNKxREPEvVcZsOsAQuc2u-2nUV/s4032/IMG_2344.HEIC" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Xworz4WvZCBQRwmB04xIGJ-suByvHn6RodIuvvcNumipTzo8wGfKIcCT4Jy-AuLujUFt_tKkdRwUXRv43CDSW-OYzxL0KKTdq3L2qYsf77FGEOai0dA-2PQsGeDJ6N_Ku_ybxNe_PXs5rfA4jbiEAMBryc3_9IoNKxREPEvVcZsOsAQuc2u-2nUV/w300-h400/IMG_2344.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRhXN5zIB1peyyEMrzzzoibJ91E-B-accvFFS7Jy4sZJCjvOKuUIajLAcY-nT9VQKkA8gPcwpXVmzwTggZU0ss1ELY4AHG9Ib0ztkMC-CSDe4wA4oAFifeP3nZrzjpEX0MsdWV6EJpQLzH8ciJ2t9lt_szV17ITJ_JxGPSpFPea4-9Pnp2F5vj-70/s4032/IMG_2356.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRhXN5zIB1peyyEMrzzzoibJ91E-B-accvFFS7Jy4sZJCjvOKuUIajLAcY-nT9VQKkA8gPcwpXVmzwTggZU0ss1ELY4AHG9Ib0ztkMC-CSDe4wA4oAFifeP3nZrzjpEX0MsdWV6EJpQLzH8ciJ2t9lt_szV17ITJ_JxGPSpFPea4-9Pnp2F5vj-70/w400-h300/IMG_2356.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8xwJXnceGbY56Og6FSQ5EPRRKUqvde3GK_Hq8rJaBZazuborkfk4efGj97je8Gwzan3n9g3XwZRyyM0P0MKlh-DEivLhbMFkVNNGJGMES9TOful9RV5Jdnr5oM9tUW06A5c7AUfa4JbRPeaDZRbeDyN-RxbmW9UK_YkRX67AzjhQGmmorjFFxbcWc/s4032/IMG_2358.HEIC" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8xwJXnceGbY56Og6FSQ5EPRRKUqvde3GK_Hq8rJaBZazuborkfk4efGj97je8Gwzan3n9g3XwZRyyM0P0MKlh-DEivLhbMFkVNNGJGMES9TOful9RV5Jdnr5oM9tUW06A5c7AUfa4JbRPeaDZRbeDyN-RxbmW9UK_YkRX67AzjhQGmmorjFFxbcWc/w300-h400/IMG_2358.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>Wolmido Theme park 월미도테마파크</b></span>
</span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="text-align: justify; white-space: normal;">Our hotel was merely a short walk from the Wolmido Theme Park. I read on the web reviews of the Theme park and that it was already old and run-down.. And nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, Seoul has Lotte World and Everland but Wolmido Theme park and Wolmido MyLand are one of those few that still hold their worth here on the shores of Incheon, and where the local Koreans would bring their children and family, and where the young men and women would swarm on weekends and holidays to enjoy very very affordable rides.</span></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzhGatyLYxAFTYoHilGCx6v7p24qAxlm-i9udLZgY-NrRV7LZ2Dwon_bfGHPj4M1xbuj5owAUKzx6aZKj9zrHeG0Q6bVS-jiC73OLrxXeGeaQVmvVO5ayvUOtUA21hJ2hl6nNvdA3xMC-xn-elAgYEM48gCUK8ADA4ffJtAd2UnaUj1z4_GGKGNzJ/s4032/IMG_2369.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzhGatyLYxAFTYoHilGCx6v7p24qAxlm-i9udLZgY-NrRV7LZ2Dwon_bfGHPj4M1xbuj5owAUKzx6aZKj9zrHeG0Q6bVS-jiC73OLrxXeGeaQVmvVO5ayvUOtUA21hJ2hl6nNvdA3xMC-xn-elAgYEM48gCUK8ADA4ffJtAd2UnaUj1z4_GGKGNzJ/w640-h480/IMG_2369.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">They knew something fishy was coming, but true to the spirit of adventure they both grit their teeth. We went straight for the kill. The Viking was opened. It was a pity that the 70m vertical-drop</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Hyperdrop was closed. It was also too bad that on this Tuesday morning the Disco Pang Pang also closed.</span></p></div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“I don’t want! I don't want to do!”</b></span> complained Niang Serene.</span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“I’m scared...”</b></span> Ah Li softly.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I gave the two ladies no chances. I went straight to the ticket booth and bought three Viking tickets and three bumper car tickets. Way before the trip I already prepared both of them: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: medium;"><b>“Everyday is going to be an adventure one ah.. just close your eyes and just follow me,”</b></span> I earnestly advised.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But on this morning… somewhere several tens of metres above ground level.
</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Jua; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">동</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">영</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">상</span></span><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="550" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MR8O9VDKyN0" width="765" youtube-src-id="MR8O9VDKyN0"></iframe></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“I want to die..”</span></b> wailed Ah Li</span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“I cannot already. I feel like vomiting. I feel like something stuck inside my stomach. I want to faint already…”</span></b> Serene with all her psychotic symptoms all coming out hahahaha…</span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“I kept wanting to shout out but after the first few swings I cannot about anymore and I just grit my teeth and kept quiet,”</b></span> said Ah Li. Poor thing.. it's ok what, just shout loud loud lah!</span></p></div></blockquote><p>As the Viking continued to swing, the Ajussi technician who operated it continued to take pleasure in ensuring that the ship kept as right-angle to the ground as possible.. And the two ladies' legs were trembling involuntarily beside mine, as we all stood straight up at the end of each swing.. simply because the ship was STRAIGHT up! No matter how we kept ourselves to 'Please make it stop!' the Ajussi refused to stop his torturing. Did I enjoy it? Sure I did.</p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52098509090_fa784eac6a_o.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="457" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52098509090_fa784eac6a_o.gif" width="609" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But these two ah... Aiyoh these two ah.. really CMI.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYcyyeC-P_Qpfw3FRBbaJpkED3YVtpfac9Gsai3hze80tv8Ki78kUszoKzk1B7B3SQNDUU06-dgguNSQNiCrJ6z4aCLgHdkdJJHAx-suHq0VZf48E6sMLCUmtsyHNfysB2htj4qusM1p5wmTlLRkvW6nzq-Bradreku983ondzR7Nze0wdxPNGOqy/s4032/IMG_2373.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYcyyeC-P_Qpfw3FRBbaJpkED3YVtpfac9Gsai3hze80tv8Ki78kUszoKzk1B7B3SQNDUU06-dgguNSQNiCrJ6z4aCLgHdkdJJHAx-suHq0VZf48E6sMLCUmtsyHNfysB2htj4qusM1p5wmTlLRkvW6nzq-Bradreku983ondzR7Nze0wdxPNGOqy/w640-h480/IMG_2373.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This Ajussi technician was very cute. He was sweeping the floor at the foot of the steps when we came and then with our tickets, he stepped into his control cabin and waved us through. After the Viking he even said, he was trying to bring us high and even higher. Wah lau.. this Ajussi was really quite something too... Hahahaha</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">After the Viking and the Bumper cars, we all walked jelly-legged.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEjOe_cA7TynyM0PqosBiSg7rY5_4eh7JQzfJ--wX9gtX1hQoGKLRGUexqf9Zh3meNDKv3jrjklxNUl1CLoYIp8Pd7p78fo-Ei9Bip4K-913AnauOGP6DlFkmBdUb0ELBskIvsuZm1tZwBZliGXX8CDWVD6dFW6aiInpIe9bhDVKBVTKDsxMBSfN8/s4032/IMG_2381.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEjOe_cA7TynyM0PqosBiSg7rY5_4eh7JQzfJ--wX9gtX1hQoGKLRGUexqf9Zh3meNDKv3jrjklxNUl1CLoYIp8Pd7p78fo-Ei9Bip4K-913AnauOGP6DlFkmBdUb0ELBskIvsuZm1tZwBZliGXX8CDWVD6dFW6aiInpIe9bhDVKBVTKDsxMBSfN8/w640-h480/IMG_2381.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></div><br /><p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Memorial Hall of Incheon Landing Operation </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.02em;">인천상륙작전기념관 仁川上陸作戰紀念館</span></b></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCRvjLEE57j88ERH7XRH1kfXxrX00TQBrCaEF9tWWmFXJ6YjXPymBQuYMHqlfy0-jpka3Xi8OtVF7GXlAS95OcHltmG2R4kStfgyxe1PDG7Za8zmY80PHGY8FbcwCoKU41VKL2TbQJVWNEZQkMNnmfF8jpT2VeIjBWaub43srk-Y1hLb04l4sNGRQ/s4032/IMG_2433.HEIC" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCRvjLEE57j88ERH7XRH1kfXxrX00TQBrCaEF9tWWmFXJ6YjXPymBQuYMHqlfy0-jpka3Xi8OtVF7GXlAS95OcHltmG2R4kStfgyxe1PDG7Za8zmY80PHGY8FbcwCoKU41VKL2TbQJVWNEZQkMNnmfF8jpT2VeIjBWaub43srk-Y1hLb04l4sNGRQ/w640-h480/IMG_2433.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">After a most adrenaline-rushing morning, it was decided that we would explore the other parts of Incheon, namely the Incheon Landing Operation Memorial Hall. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We drove that 30 minutes drive but wah, we had to look out for blinking double red lights that meant nothing, and constantly-on red lights that meant something, and blinking double orange lights that just meant 'look here' and nothing else, and difficult-to-see U-turn spots with "zz-zz-zz" white marks on the roads, in addition to 'Turn right on red' which were, actually discretionary and merely 'suggestions'.. and we learned that in Korea, whoever reaches the traffic junction first has the right of way... Quite something.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqNqGbCNVSzfFextPlmNecmLbSrbkgMJDonk0lLga_1Y-pW_lTRgd8LHwZFlar3U_OKeFawmMreHI__MCv2ulkLTIWksMvz-FBQ0UvoRseGiX3603AT9j3l25gdjovuBofeERH5gT9ZO00Ua1x0tqoZeojwh8yjKOhFz_b9PI0FutvasRqYf2uy8n/s4032/IMG_2445.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="629" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqNqGbCNVSzfFextPlmNecmLbSrbkgMJDonk0lLga_1Y-pW_lTRgd8LHwZFlar3U_OKeFawmMreHI__MCv2ulkLTIWksMvz-FBQ0UvoRseGiX3603AT9j3l25gdjovuBofeERH5gT9ZO00Ua1x0tqoZeojwh8yjKOhFz_b9PI0FutvasRqYf2uy8n/w839-h629/IMG_2445.JPG" width="839" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We were lucky to find free parking next to the Memorial Hall. Searching for a lunch spot, we also needed to walk up and then down the slopes of a hilly road. But it was worth it. We found a delightful little SikTang at the cross junction 교차로 (交叉路) run by a tall and plumpish young man who kindly taught us how to dip our sauces and what pancakes and 콩나물 (豆芽) to be put onto the grilling pan. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBjlDObucol5JvAxWog8v8-rkB0tgSl8zABJ5bnQdZDTmCyQwEJM7vovStPyQIlANPjN6glXgBAU9n3s4lD66buNFJ0YRjgKeBDSFXX9BVMsKfNcCwlbSlR6mBRbVCqmtHifD95ySlXo449rh2WY-3k8cNfdjhoqA9kmM33SEHaEiXcJwkCAd8jS0/s1440/FL_20220528_0163.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="629" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBjlDObucol5JvAxWog8v8-rkB0tgSl8zABJ5bnQdZDTmCyQwEJM7vovStPyQIlANPjN6glXgBAU9n3s4lD66buNFJ0YRjgKeBDSFXX9BVMsKfNcCwlbSlR6mBRbVCqmtHifD95ySlXo449rh2WY-3k8cNfdjhoqA9kmM33SEHaEiXcJwkCAd8jS0/w841-h629/FL_20220528_0163.GIF" width="841" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Here in this smaller part of Incheon, there aren’t usually that many tourists. They usually serve their locals. So there are quite delighted to see us foreign tourists,”</b></span> I explained to Ah Li and Niang Serene.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Indeed the sentiment was further reinforced when the Ajussi who manned the chap-huay-tiam groceries store opposite the restaurant, where we went in to buy tomatoes and snacks and water, smiled to us and said <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: medium;">“Oh you from Singapore? Singapore people ‘handsome’!” </span></b>In Korean but with the word handsome in English. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">... And we walked back to the memorial.</span></b>
</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzneLYcjSbCDmn6FfMZwrX0gBvwLNgy69jLuFhumLwHMYQPfCwQzaJmjUxgHbCDsz7mwgWlPbRN7fD5tsmlPyJu5PMSdcLY0J_lrBG8qcKym88NZwIWb-ua8WMVPj44HDQGurvOshXGUmDV9D00KCTVPJyc7AzOe7cx4n-ln1k6_YWXoBqHySXkZG-/s4032/IMG_2462.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzneLYcjSbCDmn6FfMZwrX0gBvwLNgy69jLuFhumLwHMYQPfCwQzaJmjUxgHbCDsz7mwgWlPbRN7fD5tsmlPyJu5PMSdcLY0J_lrBG8qcKym88NZwIWb-ua8WMVPj44HDQGurvOshXGUmDV9D00KCTVPJyc7AzOe7cx4n-ln1k6_YWXoBqHySXkZG-/w640-h480/IMG_2462.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Certainly, this was a sombre memorial hall. There were indeed some locals visiting. On this quiet Tuesday afternoon, the entrance staff greeted us and welcomed us in. I have never failed to be amazed by the power of the wills of these American soldiers and the American leaders in those good 'ol days of World War II when tens of thousands of able-bodied young American soldiers died in the<b><span style="color: #d0e0e3;"> Invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord on D-Day 6h June 1944, </span></b>so realistically illustrated by <span style="color: #d9ead3;"><b>Tom Hank's movie 'Saving Private Ryan'. </b></span>And without a doubt, I have been pained by how so many ill-prepared young American GI's died in the early days of the Korean War when the then-Commander underestimated the gravity of the North Korean invasion in the early days of June 1950 during the Korean War.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj72QBdtb6HU8pHY-wqqUiIv4ZNhHpaI0Cx2fvEoRr7x6--TvTLFJKSrdLPjRt_Ls06ngvkc3PVTHt4W6O1_9l_xKh_5hTyfw0KYZuwbUC0-38JEcO5_TmbulBxwCYX9NE1BkfL01e-tkdax9JJA6aqOh50yeUU1pYabj-rQx7eUwsuiwJbS8t4DK-0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj72QBdtb6HU8pHY-wqqUiIv4ZNhHpaI0Cx2fvEoRr7x6--TvTLFJKSrdLPjRt_Ls06ngvkc3PVTHt4W6O1_9l_xKh_5hTyfw0KYZuwbUC0-38JEcO5_TmbulBxwCYX9NE1BkfL01e-tkdax9JJA6aqOh50yeUU1pYabj-rQx7eUwsuiwJbS8t4DK-0=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p>These were definitely the Grand old days of the American military might. Grand, yes. And old, also yes. With ourselves reading weeks after weeks, and months after months, of american teenagers toting automatic rifles in many of those Republican States of the notorious lunatic donald trump, shooting and wiping out tens and more of young children and teachers and innocent bystanders, and the likes of joe biden and his team not having the will nor the power to move an inch, the powerful gun-lobbying cowboys, I begin to question:</p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"> "What is the use of having so much personal freedom to own arms, when the freedom of individuals to the right of living can be so easily ripped away?"</span></b></p></div></blockquote><div>The respectable soldiers of the past who sacrificed their lives would have cried their hearts out, seeing how much their country and their countrymen have deteriorated.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTvaSasBEVIxaiElcXTW-j-TAxZZ2FZw5oo7NIqlSfe4O2QyrFnCXJaIM1WYDMPwgMAXHZ82ZzGnj4DCxro7813sD3-n92ypSRoJniyzE6o7uDNDGSmgWjS24HulZXVouk6f2KmXD2gQ9WTLXc7dm_iqsiy5y12HBfO2-BJuM_RHvvdcNbcZOMTA7/s4032/IMG_2459.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTvaSasBEVIxaiElcXTW-j-TAxZZ2FZw5oo7NIqlSfe4O2QyrFnCXJaIM1WYDMPwgMAXHZ82ZzGnj4DCxro7813sD3-n92ypSRoJniyzE6o7uDNDGSmgWjS24HulZXVouk6f2KmXD2gQ9WTLXc7dm_iqsiy5y12HBfO2-BJuM_RHvvdcNbcZOMTA7/w640-h480/IMG_2459.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDq5jWhm445oaNrV4TmUvi8KkjO397XKWGz2rTcvRAtlR1kLkR9UY522Ks0EYNFrHXQDJ3DIuDI5YQmTwbLCkdorafsFvNrpruz6lQ2UCxAi39YFErwKB9kZ1myaW4O8AGpGjhspmbvxR8wWfSGG5Gl6i45lYCs9e6ZMX6pkiLmapITb39YNdCINU/s4032/IMG_2457.HEIC" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDq5jWhm445oaNrV4TmUvi8KkjO397XKWGz2rTcvRAtlR1kLkR9UY522Ks0EYNFrHXQDJ3DIuDI5YQmTwbLCkdorafsFvNrpruz6lQ2UCxAi39YFErwKB9kZ1myaW4O8AGpGjhspmbvxR8wWfSGG5Gl6i45lYCs9e6ZMX6pkiLmapITb39YNdCINU/w640-h480/IMG_2457.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least these soldiers died for the freedom of the South Koreans. Salute.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUF2iRLyjne44tqSHNcA1pGh8v8Cdw-mXfSSPPnpCMDJoufVodfU2H8vExqMF-RDpMmxhlOkiGxzKy7Y1IuIqKPIwaxArt4mD4tqhL5e5Eoax4_EO8coG6xyR_CmwTJ_AAH_3-iqATJaAj8tq8qbduykKLUGIvG726LgwAf36Wh3YIn6J3kQ9bGou/s4032/IMG_2481.HEIC" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUF2iRLyjne44tqSHNcA1pGh8v8Cdw-mXfSSPPnpCMDJoufVodfU2H8vExqMF-RDpMmxhlOkiGxzKy7Y1IuIqKPIwaxArt4mD4tqhL5e5Eoax4_EO8coG6xyR_CmwTJ_AAH_3-iqATJaAj8tq8qbduykKLUGIvG726LgwAf36Wh3YIn6J3kQ9bGou/w400-h300/IMG_2481.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here, as we strolled through the exhibits - It was a good reminder of what we saw in the Korea War Memorial in Seoul near Yongsan. I have always been interested in the step-by-step illustrations of how the war progressed. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">And here, the Memorial disappointed me not. I particularly appreciated these illustrations:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2laf-AWQeF1AtTQH9dKblV2ljSySRRAPfgCmX6a87lhzG37PZMVncnpSAn685_qqf1Ht2RRjMAhTH5R9LjFB_xB3RYbG33QZm-ANrisx6wUYnQk9HodiIS_6O2Q7maagKtbywLLopFM/w697-h929-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">Invasion of North Korea</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0UY8BQDLdkb-msbCHd5m1pgVdCUZf69uwbPxMwaQ0WKI8a4c9dnHsJIVf1mljEn_TqEjHfroSMHxytiDxjRwHiVaPLuTnEUaptm0Ts46gKXugQ4QVUwBJOO8UBB-EhoHWxFdMkVU8US5VvfHsQ8ftY-cz0h-0btIx1Po_kqbto4_8aAZJ1HOKpXajJ4lRbdwbJ7xLJ-DQsSfVKMj7ejfNqWti5ToYvDDh_S2vaDcYawbLEjxWk8XYrOWchz6c9XloDAGIBXgdC1LOcN4Tu8g4zf3miHQPMsvoZkTClk_Sbv7aTy-8RPqV8LDTM8QDfkv9p3rJwDzYRc-d2Y0VjjsrMyJFdggiWur-dOuuHgNS0hGpxDQ6JeqOp1v6qLN6HrWosQP3QxT3333iWJ3UJi77P5AdVDWaWGQ4BR4QUXRxX6A1tTMJAeTM5Nj3un_pvvgKVk4mpjjd4x-FHx8t3JlMYeantaLmCk5do0CYsYm2ylu_ewEILo_epcWPi9jD9F8AUZ8lJ3R7vXp6JwbP7Iu1fxxW8F_3g-5-FV9Ug41BwNqf1-YGMzCu9FVPwFudcb45r3087Q7_mv4-oU3jdxSiRcyXi_tQ4hUd-6-HAq2LnZ33IpVLxde3iIFT9lH1kTXjODht7OwSP6uNWzTeKQkyym99FVAmY6ZrxhPs_AmDHK-UvqsUpTKVebUqruur5MC2kG-6M-mGeqwOUtwAIfAm5KzajtsYDchqpH_ivTs8ATsypwFaPkXDI1ANGGm0is=w697-h929-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">Counter-attack and Advances of United Nation Forces</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/oRROYr5Yzfhh9sQ_oQ2GD_mkMFT_6KmjQUyTjdOyXNWbdZGonouQoh5Azpo8cMd8Ryux9G8ah9DvMWyCIXrTjNeV17kfYKVnFR0FXwaHREVhOoxuCzzdfaJQiVvSmySUTOKWMcRdWueo-gBR8TjDaG4TIxRDOYY3sZg044_QP8YS1rM5eX3OZ-p7z9WU6U_t-fNmn4URDgrhtz42vjkTdqmlg03ZvLUKdyBBZneNbLg_thp-J3v5NA0Hqe-91ulQmdn7t9tQBgKvEBWQoTrYZKkXesiIQauy5gFAnHtjZZkR_p8BHxyXrdy_Julg66zVjIjzwVAA7XNezOglvl5C9V9QiQt57ufiQzMpMQJqD-PHkz69fb3mohzgTlbXpETp2PluYcoQ969igbeb_aUtTJiY635RMYa6XVNHEOxVPMaNeVQSNlqDoishgVlBMH3bpJvX30D_khgtbixa2DsMQI_1DgYjyyd08tlIcilTqg5u8eq9i42vhJW6k_HplEukrQYraoloof3spGJl2z_ZRP-DHz4zc4O7mxkmTHPP8AKhrqaXLBJ1MtzbASoOa2V4-ZtX18BpCfuOhwo73CQVDNECyBJyxJjxriGokbx39yvv5Q4Q0hVivHZwL0bIOx-RQ_3RhgUv8xAweqZQ7IT1vaUiZmF2LM0Vma_Lm28q8FnREx7Ra6dWFJqnPpIMYgRKuI4Fs5utrZpnsQf_MYSM_U4mvdscoI3oPGIrlIPwU5Jzlh6dmdwuWIMSVyfNj5c=w697-h929-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">Invasion of Chinese and Re-counterattack</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/D1nUT3Wl1jpU8yH7YRmY6bP9SUeWZKu6siBvf99yR0Akm-rU1AO_4cMQcEZb0ZbmN1L_RyZLJeb0yIKPAX_nDr7ZwREVSRR4iluB6L0ufKCW8FgtMjMqwKpdQ5HNv8vvngzhAeyBciaagoTv-2Y5VZsMxmDVlErYjoioXND2kJVDAGofLCa-WPW0z6Sfl_EWSw1xd3M_x4RUd3dX4mnSS6Ie6aDe97YnF3AgUtnec4_Y9Prx7cojnaP0cVWYxrg8FslzML1U0TvPAuILtrfeCmpxXGn4FIdJhWnZPNJFbdrPktyxwifQoOzx7ek5NRV2OMKgRmBjLsM3xx2yl-_Lfacq8VaEqOiZhyiaJtq13RPruvijQGvrhgh6htss4uX_r2NXvPGVYKG3EN8xeB-j48bY5coyHPcGuGx2D9uPZaOa-Ay4lK2t4NhZj5hA-TsqJfVNEXuJsM-P67gy3dRTYNSO_zJMMWzIVJa2dQu0upGAarlBUPCsiTrrMaQHUjFvErOF4WIHgTkDe8oFIkEnqAY19G-vS87CeIkB1HHctGEwyrORnjRmxwxdL4UIBaViadd6_A3YNIMl3B2rZlfrRoybJ88D-cRcidN-7SApc7OYpiRQVvxKQWE_vsMqPbja2fJ8Qxqf5p_RvmR2jVUK5teEi04SkqGh5Z_DVEQKXJax9DdwnhXUVRWqxZmdY3swdHyacIs2_qm39rXcFxI7v2zRepeKhR0rPPObiPmYaHQ-ratvRJaWqwHSpUtUBL8=w697-h929-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">Deadlock and Armistice Agreement</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">... in helping me revise the progression of the conflict.</div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Interesting it was, to see how the Koreans remembered General Douglas McArthur. In fact, Ah Li and I had a swell time <a href="https://youtu.be/hgvRfuxipKw" target="_blank">pressing on all the buttons</a> to see which part of Incheon (which beach head) was being landed and assaulted in which sequence.
</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5IbOv9mJtSLp33RSFNEFXDG0mArrlQl254J64SHWaekSIf8AltwrNkNAvLz8q8jvSq9wIZ-dQFDCDb_yHNvgGDJq-8bbjyvYFNiuBAqRjJThpOISkj4W12DnmDczAUsl6kKB_CKyVHVG30bt_Cj2Dtmrjr1QzheNQW5b47CEe-OXgkEADqDK_lObf" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="881" data-original-width="2200" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5IbOv9mJtSLp33RSFNEFXDG0mArrlQl254J64SHWaekSIf8AltwrNkNAvLz8q8jvSq9wIZ-dQFDCDb_yHNvgGDJq-8bbjyvYFNiuBAqRjJThpOISkj4W12DnmDczAUsl6kKB_CKyVHVG30bt_Cj2Dtmrjr1QzheNQW5b47CEe-OXgkEADqDK_lObf=w1115-h446" width="1115" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serene's splendid pano captures the beautiful 3-D model display of the assault of the Incheon Landing.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLbJ53yRWyy45PrBjByi7twGinDWFAJrV3V4NDY_jHlR0YzTf4Hqab90h8r7NSQV7GfZDWbt4T5SN7DBCL2vT-o2yWQc_Xcm6qYJqnhx1l8DjfHxjMFDko6w836_Yfa9ytUOXkMzOW47ce9AmMMCPQCygRY7v0Yu2-i5aeBXQ008X_l1KU_1ab2c7R" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLbJ53yRWyy45PrBjByi7twGinDWFAJrV3V4NDY_jHlR0YzTf4Hqab90h8r7NSQV7GfZDWbt4T5SN7DBCL2vT-o2yWQc_Xcm6qYJqnhx1l8DjfHxjMFDko6w836_Yfa9ytUOXkMzOW47ce9AmMMCPQCygRY7v0Yu2-i5aeBXQ008X_l1KU_1ab2c7R=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It reaffirms my conviction that, despite his falling out with the then-US president Harry Truman, General Douglas McArthur was a splendid wartime strategist. With this brilliant maneuvre that was so much opposed in Congress during those days, but yet managed to be executed, he literally pulled the bull by the horn and finally managed to push the North Korean army back up from Busan all the way back to the 38th parallel.<br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">After reading the book<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><b> 'This Kind of War" by T. R. Fehrenbach</b></span>, which describes the whole Korean War, not once, but twice, I still found it amazing every time I visit Memorials and Museums in Korea that display exhibits relating to this War.</span></div><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; white-space: normal;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></div></span></div><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Time to go Myeongong already. Yay!</b></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjO4YZ9K4YnWG6pJ5hmk0IHxrg-oBSgwB2lTrAcfO6Oakf5fnmnN6J6mjvf4XMi6LTJgNmSEt4VTFVLKxlZr5vx9DUHAbMdR26wx-PT34hPkYwfN30bTv0J5pxfeWvQlDDVj2l7Emks2CD7DUS5HESFemuMR5AYR0Xi8r7iQqT-HSsrLJZSnb9eYzB/s960/FL_20220624_0249.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="960" height="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjO4YZ9K4YnWG6pJ5hmk0IHxrg-oBSgwB2lTrAcfO6Oakf5fnmnN6J6mjvf4XMi6LTJgNmSEt4VTFVLKxlZr5vx9DUHAbMdR26wx-PT34hPkYwfN30bTv0J5pxfeWvQlDDVj2l7Emks2CD7DUS5HESFemuMR5AYR0Xi8r7iQqT-HSsrLJZSnb9eYzB/w1192-h550/FL_20220624_0249.GIF" width="1192" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Took bus and Subway to and fro Myeongdong.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDMitFyRm2sRaaEWjplKGstx3W5YRtuEXViahF6WtxFvNmpqg1wmGJw7sTspBvLTbs3Zka2dR9IEy20en7KZbrOZPaDSocvEmjIv2T96NWDqi4F5B5XfHO9lGVbiormSQO0JXHtiA4Vv7ARKHlAOOQJ0ViQvFYNezvCLqJU9qLOR7iWlVlcW3qWQQe" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="710" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDMitFyRm2sRaaEWjplKGstx3W5YRtuEXViahF6WtxFvNmpqg1wmGJw7sTspBvLTbs3Zka2dR9IEy20en7KZbrOZPaDSocvEmjIv2T96NWDqi4F5B5XfHO9lGVbiormSQO0JXHtiA4Vv7ARKHlAOOQJ0ViQvFYNezvCLqJU9qLOR7iWlVlcW3qWQQe=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>“Wah the vibes are so different!”</b></span> </span>said Ah Li. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Even being here my energy level goes up!”</b></span></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“I cannot eat,”</b></span> said Niang Serene. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“It must be because of the Viking in the morning.”</span></b> Nonsense. Until now still having the effects of the Viking? Rubbish, Hahahahaha...</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Actually hor.. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: medium;">we never even planned to go Seoul at all this round</span></b>. But the night before we flew, 爷爷 actually asked us to help him make a brand new pair of glasses. And obediently we acceded to the old wise grandfather’s request and left eh car in the hotel after our General McArthur’s memorial and took a bus followed by the subway, a one and a half hour journey to Myeongong and happily made him his glasses, in fact two pairs, and joyfully met Kim Mang Jung, Kim Hak Jung and their uncle Han Sang Mun 씨. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQumo8nwv1CC8zhlV4LutK_J9G2G1i5KMyio50MDixdI0mu3M4h_x21uRN_7jzP5tEgKWqwVQRCIqyInpuLXDwtTN6WV6mTkHw4-VdvN4YVcuSVUhS0EIO7Rym2nslyzW8kMgTcKf7viabANIn-uEKXhTfH9Jd-05Csl9mznL3nv_PLLkuOhlqGZNw/s1440/FL_20220527_0160.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="668" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQumo8nwv1CC8zhlV4LutK_J9G2G1i5KMyio50MDixdI0mu3M4h_x21uRN_7jzP5tEgKWqwVQRCIqyInpuLXDwtTN6WV6mTkHw4-VdvN4YVcuSVUhS0EIO7Rym2nslyzW8kMgTcKf7viabANIn-uEKXhTfH9Jd-05Csl9mznL3nv_PLLkuOhlqGZNw/w891-h668/FL_20220527_0160.GIF" width="891" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p></div><p><br /></p><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrDLlx87Oniqf9OUK4Ial319m9J6MBHe_U0E1s84Z2SHbdDQUcO246q7ydtsmd44YgwD8RRHYVaw8yBgQYxDGnKW7RNy_OWU5TAxD3sNX1UnivwWkmIkz1M8n0w90zZ49qNCL5XxQlBysemG9Zp4XX5Su1h5igi_VOWn09WBNUaNAGzXOQAPoAcHU4" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrDLlx87Oniqf9OUK4Ial319m9J6MBHe_U0E1s84Z2SHbdDQUcO246q7ydtsmd44YgwD8RRHYVaw8yBgQYxDGnKW7RNy_OWU5TAxD3sNX1UnivwWkmIkz1M8n0w90zZ49qNCL5XxQlBysemG9Zp4XX5Su1h5igi_VOWn09WBNUaNAGzXOQAPoAcHU4=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Oh this sesame coffee is so good!”</span></b> said Ah Li, of the special boutique coffee from Mommo Cafe next door.</span><p></p></div></blockquote><p><br /> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijgSYh6FuD6ymbWnj6MCsBFGytehDfxUpHro5Iv8jPLF0_AdDAibZKOoT-_8AWrxIgXQk3k8d_6HkCdtgfRxks9NgOMBoBFIm3LG5tkoWdpX_waW5OoEUgmHFEC9HO_cykIA9dJHp7Wgf2J8t2_1u0XFScVpo6D-kIMXROEs6bLKETyjpVKYDzA3kD" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="710" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijgSYh6FuD6ymbWnj6MCsBFGytehDfxUpHro5Iv8jPLF0_AdDAibZKOoT-_8AWrxIgXQk3k8d_6HkCdtgfRxks9NgOMBoBFIm3LG5tkoWdpX_waW5OoEUgmHFEC9HO_cykIA9dJHp7Wgf2J8t2_1u0XFScVpo6D-kIMXROEs6bLKETyjpVKYDzA3kD=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Went walking around Myeongdong trying to look for Ah Li’s socks. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“I knew exactly what I am looking for, the design of the socks..”</b></span></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Ah Li has been talking about buying socks and socks and socks from this Korea trip. Initially, I told myself that, hey socks are aplenty in Korea, If we cannot find any in Myeongdong, we can always buy from the other cities - Suwon, Jeonju, Gongju, Incheon lah... but I was proven wrong in the end of the trip. Ah Li only managed to find THAT specific pair of socks in one of the small shops in Myeongdong. Only there. And she wiped that young SaJangNim clean of his that design. I still remember Ah Li quietly laughing when she told me: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: medium;">"I think he has to scramble to call for re-supply of this design after I finished off all his socks!"</span></b></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1q3hCQSlj0ju03jhSq2FqdiGcgiA4rjc3UJvigS_hPrzy5cJPRJP4B8Y1TNDWvgtu_waFRmrbFHffqB7zqpHg8g3GtrSqBI1kMITEiLd5JtN4hF-kjVS7Swf8RLdiIgekbAzEmQS2I1epKhklO__bQPkQrd8IlftprgQs7mhvFYyeS4srAgOgZO-R" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="710" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1q3hCQSlj0ju03jhSq2FqdiGcgiA4rjc3UJvigS_hPrzy5cJPRJP4B8Y1TNDWvgtu_waFRmrbFHffqB7zqpHg8g3GtrSqBI1kMITEiLd5JtN4hF-kjVS7Swf8RLdiIgekbAzEmQS2I1epKhklO__bQPkQrd8IlftprgQs7mhvFYyeS4srAgOgZO-R=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1DgFVTf1-JCXMbILeCAckyoZksiCTSpTOrBCh4BQAE2jncXebSbQcKEgKiTGWyUkKY82n86P3qw_mQohN4HY88EkOmvzEFgpU3QQ8gR2Egiicubq9oN-xHJ7YdjjPE4f1CWYE0Wc1EEgeKzObVcKYrbGOhLMNjw9TJt6-toM7JJO_HzL_5jhkBmBp" style="clear: right; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="710" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1DgFVTf1-JCXMbILeCAckyoZksiCTSpTOrBCh4BQAE2jncXebSbQcKEgKiTGWyUkKY82n86P3qw_mQohN4HY88EkOmvzEFgpU3QQ8gR2Egiicubq9oN-xHJ7YdjjPE4f1CWYE0Wc1EEgeKzObVcKYrbGOhLMNjw9TJt6-toM7JJO_HzL_5jhkBmBp=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The underground shopping malls we walked, and one roadside stall young lady (who was quite so keen to sell us some socks) where we perused, and even deep within the underground shopping malls near Shichong - we checked them out.. there were socks stalls but the number of these was no longer as many as they used to be during those Pre-Covid days. The shops that sell trinkets and bags and clothes that made Myeongdong so exciting for young men and young ladies were still struggling very very painfully to re-emerge. In the Winter of December 2021 when we were here - Myeongdong was a dead town. And now in the Spring of May 2022, I would personally put a finger to saying that Myeongdong is perhaps another 10-15% of what it was in Winter 2021.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The number of shops remaining closed with ‘Rental’ signs in Myeongdong remained about the status quo from our last trip during winter in December 2021. The number of people on the streets has visibly increased.. by a little.. and we are seeing more Yellow-haired Ang Mohs, more Latin-looking foreigners, and more Aryan-looking ladies.. all good signs of a recovering tourist industry.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Earlier Kim Man Jung replied when asked: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Yeah there are tourists who are can begin to see on the streets now, compared to six months ago when you came. But still not that many yet,”</span></b> he observed. <b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">“But </span><i><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">are there MANY more planes</span></i><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"> from Singapore coming to Korea?” </span></span></b></span>he asked. My answer was affirmative.</p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I explained to him although the number of Singaporean travelling to Korea has picked up, the number of planes flying from Singapore to Seoul hasn’t gone back to the normal days yet. Soon, they are going to increase the number of flights, but it would only be when the Korean government finally removes the pre-departure and on-arrival PCRs for travellers coming into Korea, then he will definitely see business increase.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">“Actually after you posted our shop on the Telegram chat group we had Singaporeans coming in to make glasses,” </span>Kim Man Jung continued. “And they told us they saw us from the Chatting room (chat group).”
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcSlUVPev6EC1Up1p3kI1j6VbMkLw0PJ_Jm1jpYkpYFmiIX8y9xxVWOd3XyluNJlFenj_gjX0cBXc7aNHLyw7pXObijCxGaFu4V-4iP3F8Lgldup51E9igJWrmdA4tHq-aHDx0HchpH4goXqC676goTJYjS_VFK92nINiJxNbnYDNvyxKzAHoLxaNt" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="710" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcSlUVPev6EC1Up1p3kI1j6VbMkLw0PJ_Jm1jpYkpYFmiIX8y9xxVWOd3XyluNJlFenj_gjX0cBXc7aNHLyw7pXObijCxGaFu4V-4iP3F8Lgldup51E9igJWrmdA4tHq-aHDx0HchpH4goXqC676goTJYjS_VFK92nINiJxNbnYDNvyxKzAHoLxaNt=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b>Manjok O Hiang Jokbal 만족오향족발 滿足五香豬脚</b></span>
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</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It was great to have Ah Li take the lead in navigation on the ground as she went ahead a little in front of us to look for those Hanguk 만족족발 .. and she found it, in a small 골목 (小巷) in 시청. I feel so reassured as the younge lady’s sense of direction, her alertness to the surrounding and the speed with which she sees things are all much quicker than ours. So I can just hold Serene’s hands while Ah Li leads.
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKlBV1t8t4Pn_JDMEywMWSdmT9HsjEFdsB4KQhGjYBV5r5UgFgbuuVajP4uvj5zu1qyg7k7Gtl3u0_2cIHDvbyKQuDVNbjHjXq_x6dre_T_7MLu02-jsCewccKH3beuDLfb4H5qKlYKhVdLgjz2wwZXetQFiKypzWhNdTut_aISFT0eqbHoQD2z7ni" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKlBV1t8t4Pn_JDMEywMWSdmT9HsjEFdsB4KQhGjYBV5r5UgFgbuuVajP4uvj5zu1qyg7k7Gtl3u0_2cIHDvbyKQuDVNbjHjXq_x6dre_T_7MLu02-jsCewccKH3beuDLfb4H5qKlYKhVdLgjz2wwZXetQFiKypzWhNdTut_aISFT0eqbHoQD2z7ni=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span><p></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Ah Li ah," </b></span>said Eomma Serene to her.<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b> "This Jokbal here hor, it's the BEST Jokbal I have ever eaten in the world. It's so tender but yet not oily, and it's fragrant and tasty. You can eat a lot and a lot and won't feel the greasy feeling in your stomach one."</b></span> again, this coming from a Chef, it must be nothing but the BEST.</span></p></div></blockquote><p><br /> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjq2ZjXKqTWmWDkV9TD9cUyWzJT5RXT15Z4OFhe1Q4z_kB7yXLqraBedy0U1StvzqHzihUmOgBQ03Q8YLc26BS6wAyqr8Ndx62XI7BVOZNT6KN1FpfDQKH20TiNd2b3uvO_k3b6bUf-2lwrQBGTDEjZHn-8zVymx1iUEaoTlJfohEWcvvU8qY9abQ3z" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="710" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjq2ZjXKqTWmWDkV9TD9cUyWzJT5RXT15Z4OFhe1Q4z_kB7yXLqraBedy0U1StvzqHzihUmOgBQ03Q8YLc26BS6wAyqr8Ndx62XI7BVOZNT6KN1FpfDQKH20TiNd2b3uvO_k3b6bUf-2lwrQBGTDEjZHn-8zVymx1iUEaoTlJfohEWcvvU8qY9abQ3z=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #cfe2f3; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><br />“Wah this Manjok Jokbal has </span><i><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Michelin stars for five consecutive years</span></i><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"> one leh!</span></span></b>” Exclaimed Ah Li.</span><p></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“yes that’s why I ordered the original flavour plus a side tteobokki soup dish and a sprite set for 42,000₩. The non-set one is at 39,000₩. So might as well get the set.”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Tonight the Jokbal (original flavour) tasted exactly like the Manjok Jokbal branch in Hongdae. Delicious as usual. What was more attractive was the whole restaurant was boisterously filled with diners young and middle age all gleefully chowing down on their Jokbal while speaking with the all-so-classic melodious Seoul Korean.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I was impressed that Ah Li actually finished a huge chunk of the dish. And her favourite white tteokbokki in soup.
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“The Ajumma waitress was so friendly,” </span></b>said Ah Li, who tried very timidly-softly to speak <span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Song Myung; font-size: large;"><b>‘계산해주세요’</b></span> to the middle-aged waitress. </span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“She smiles and talks to us, and she was so busily running all over the restaurant just now.”</b></span></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Jua; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">동</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">영</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">상</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="550" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RhwsiDKLUw0" width="859" youtube-src-id="RhwsiDKLUw0"></iframe></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The subway from Seoul City Hall was crowded with passengers as we made it westward back to Incheon but by the time we completed the 28 stations and arrived at Incheon station on Line 1, the passengers have thinned out so much. The whole one-hour 10 minutes subway+bus trip cost us 1850₩ only.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We walked out of the subway station into a light and lovely drizzle.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“It’s raining!”</b></span> said Ah Li.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Hey, what’s a little bit of drizzle to spice up the nice little short walk from the bus stop back to our hotel?
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b>Back in the room…</b></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We thought and thought.. and thought very very hard... and then we finally decided ok we will change the last few days of our itinerary. We will leave Gyeokpohang on the 20th May morning and drive right into Myeongong and park in the guesthouse and spend two nights in Myeongdong following that we will spend one last night in another Sky Guestel on Yeongjong island which is the island where Incheon international airport was located so that we shorten our drive trip to the airport on the last morning.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">That decided, we booked all the accommodations right on the spot. That was a great discussion, myself, Eomma, and Ah Li and it was precisely these kinds of on-the-ground last-minute decisions after we experienced the location, surveyed the landscape, and saw a clearer plan, we executed the assault toward our final objective, which has changed to two nights in Myeongdong. Having a car certainly made commuting so much less worrisome. Of course, honestly compared to taking public transport and such, renting a car is still a more expensive option. But it gave us flexibility, so much of it, and we could plan many many things in one day.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC"></a><i>or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></span></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo";"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: x-large;"><a name="3 째날">3 째날: Day 3</a></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small;">[11th May 2022. Wednesday]</span></span></p></div>
<p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>The Any-how Drive from Incheon to Ganghwado</b></span>
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</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiuUet_hcIoQ8zDvGTsFXDLSbjvtoOpq9xx2R-f9y2x99bZ2b7lMdcUXibc5C1M8U3QLWD9MUmPjljzcHA76rWWO_daBEx0cYOY0ZqNiwQ7SsQ2yuizJHfgLO4XzDhEycVUgOA9LmKWuuQCynmjYxd8IggEMgD-BCU4Fa2O-p3CBIlXMCuVyoitZ91/s960/FL_20220624_0250.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="960" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiuUet_hcIoQ8zDvGTsFXDLSbjvtoOpq9xx2R-f9y2x99bZ2b7lMdcUXibc5C1M8U3QLWD9MUmPjljzcHA76rWWO_daBEx0cYOY0ZqNiwQ7SsQ2yuizJHfgLO4XzDhEycVUgOA9LmKWuuQCynmjYxd8IggEMgD-BCU4Fa2O-p3CBIlXMCuVyoitZ91/w640-h295/FL_20220624_0250.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The one hour plus drive from Wolmido to Bethel Pension in Ganghwado</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiARFb6Q71YAvXHlp8O5xOBRyHvtOOcWyNwnxP3_QL4eRnjoQosv0549F_2R_Tf_5Qs4yhET1P53CdONfogG1T6Yz68GBG1Ak09eynHLJv0BDRz-14BiYnAqxYgulicNFwg2g-V_gdXjtsCbhc_salEs1pmsvEF47bxd97M0vbd51n6G50ZEsIEw6Fd" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="498" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiARFb6Q71YAvXHlp8O5xOBRyHvtOOcWyNwnxP3_QL4eRnjoQosv0549F_2R_Tf_5Qs4yhET1P53CdONfogG1T6Yz68GBG1Ak09eynHLJv0BDRz-14BiYnAqxYgulicNFwg2g-V_gdXjtsCbhc_salEs1pmsvEF47bxd97M0vbd51n6G50ZEsIEw6Fd" width="126" /></a></b></span></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b><br />“Ok we will wake up normal time 9am and then check out at 10am,”</b></span> we decided the night before. </span><p></p></div></blockquote><br />Every night before we went to bed, we easily calculated the distance and the time required by checking Kakao Map, which in all honesty, has been super-accurate. And knowing those details on this day, we were going to finally take to the highways and finally be truly tested in the deep sea, we just had to give ourselves more time.<div>The weather was a lovely 18 degrees at 10am this morning.<br /><div><br /><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPx1-P9AofXEkutfxeJJ32UBbNpkyL12AkSJg7fMp037jydqITwVg6Am9cNA__AtCHW_7QlXHAtLlx4l9U4cF5tzptyGdDd02N3r9DCKnVpGpglPMn6tJYXUi9nWq6kovZSWlIjjVrZvZzA-Z0IYKsQnOICMB4QMDGXTL_z-LFBff7EYPlUk8NquMJ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPx1-P9AofXEkutfxeJJ32UBbNpkyL12AkSJg7fMp037jydqITwVg6Am9cNA__AtCHW_7QlXHAtLlx4l9U4cF5tzptyGdDd02N3r9DCKnVpGpglPMn6tJYXUi9nWq6kovZSWlIjjVrZvZzA-Z0IYKsQnOICMB4QMDGXTL_z-LFBff7EYPlUk8NquMJ=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hehehehe.. the summary animated GIF.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The C-shaped route from Sea Moon Tourist Hotel to the GS petrol station was supposed to be a short 5mins drive but somehow we were not familiar and missed some turns and ended up taking a long way, in the process our right side mirror hit-and-ran the backside of a pickup who was slanted straddling two lanes (hahaha.. his fault).. but wow.. no injuries to either vehicle.. and we finally did a top-up of 26 litres of gasoline at 46,000₩ (1,917₩ per litre) which turns out to be S$2.09, so much cheaper than Singapore’s current petrol price which stands at $3.03 per litre!
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhm67zY6sbnq9x--mW9INyAIhu8q_B2NpCP-F3wbn6KnkIOmoJknuYz8MWChgWrfU9F6V7hIjNdKIa-f0RDZA25a2aKivdEQPA7dkLGXhOsD6kP0jl52_L_Ry6Higa3IhkN6PeSOrxV7zK9u2emQUINy3EIoaLHsW3DMt2FN5vjHPMHITNCXpm22RZ7" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhm67zY6sbnq9x--mW9INyAIhu8q_B2NpCP-F3wbn6KnkIOmoJknuYz8MWChgWrfU9F6V7hIjNdKIa-f0RDZA25a2aKivdEQPA7dkLGXhOsD6kP0jl52_L_Ry6Higa3IhkN6PeSOrxV7zK9u2emQUINy3EIoaLHsW3DMt2FN5vjHPMHITNCXpm22RZ7" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>So good!</b></span>
</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5ZQCHCJaSV6nyKO0Uu2TAGwY_kSsX9e0YPM5KRzHi8UpL7CpgkiZLxW7BF9ilWrJ8gtWSWSqlITSi6XFNSdCQNb-OQm4Jy9TJO1Vq9YzTbNun0GiMzHiFOXHer7iVapS1-v-c30B-SMvAYMYen0ogWMQAqwmQhToq5calck0Obj7IGqGKXGB1UAtb" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5ZQCHCJaSV6nyKO0Uu2TAGwY_kSsX9e0YPM5KRzHi8UpL7CpgkiZLxW7BF9ilWrJ8gtWSWSqlITSi6XFNSdCQNb-OQm4Jy9TJO1Vq9YzTbNun0GiMzHiFOXHer7iVapS1-v-c30B-SMvAYMYen0ogWMQAqwmQhToq5calck0Obj7IGqGKXGB1UAtb=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toilet break by the side of the driveway.</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Petrol pumped and we programmed our dashboard English-speaking GPS to Ganghwado.. and to our Ganghwa Bethel pension. We had my handphone KakaoMap navigation on simultaneously but somehow it seems that the car’s English GPS does a slightly better job of being faster and more responsive. Well.. we have the next two weeks to find out.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Today, my right veering seems to be lesser but not completely gone, as was painfully apparent by the way Eomma and Ah Li squirmed and screamed at me whenever the right side of the car came too close to the right-side curb or a vehicle on my right. These ladies ah.. I was trying my best to keep to the left side of the lane. But truly it was difficult for a driver who has been so used to driving right-hand drive cars to judge the distance of the new car from the right edge of the lane marking when he was driving in the left-hand drive seat.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">There were plenty of huge container trucks and lorries and many of them were in a hurry.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But we were gradually beginning to get used to <b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: large;">“Turn right on red”</span></b> (advised by Michael Wang); <b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: large;">“Turn right on red, yes.. when there are no pedestrian crossings on the side,” </span></b>(reminder enforced by Kim Man Jung),<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: large;"><b> “When you turn left, turn wide, don’t turn tight,”</b></span> (great advice from Ho Chee Wai).
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Some red lights seemed to be ‘merely suggestions to stop’ as Ah Li found out on the Internet, and blinking double amber lights are just reminders that there are crossings beneath them and can be ignored most of the time. And the lane markings on Korean roads are not as detailed as back home in Singapore with all the strict boxes and turn lanes marked clearly. Ah Li and I concluded that driving here in Korea, we have to use some kind of fuzzy logic. The reading of the lane marking was fuzzy logic, the crossing or not crossing a traffic light was aga-ration, and if people horned at us from behind, we can just ignore them most of the time.. and oh oh yes, the most useful Hazard lights... I kept using it to say <b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: large;">“Thank you!!!”</span></b> to drivers who allowed me to filter into their lane or those who gave way, especially to me, and important to those who were at the suffering end of my ignorance of the newly encountered Korean roads.
</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Jua; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">동</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">영</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">상</span></span><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="550" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R8DIpaOBLMk" width="850" youtube-src-id="R8DIpaOBLMk"></iframe></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The transition from mainland Incheon to Ganghwado was so obvious once we crossed the beautiful bridge 초지대교 that connects to Ganghwado. Opting to hug the coastal side gave us a much nicer view though it took us closer to two hours to arrive at our destination.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Wah the roads and the houses here on the island are just like our old kampong roads!” </b></span>Said Serene.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">She was absolutely correct. So much lesser cars and so much more serene and peaceful was this island.</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No wonder Ganghwado is famous for being a getaway island for the Koreans themselves.. they would take a weekend off or a few days to just drive here and enjoy the seaside and barbecue in one of the many many pensions here. </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The roads are hilly, and scattered are the holiday chalets known as pensions all across the island. As we drove, we observed hardly any people and very occasional cars, once in a while, a small hamlet of convenient shops and restaurants would form a kind of neighbourhood centre, which quickly gave way to farms and further down to roads the occasional campsites and more pensions and motels.</span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The weather was nice and cool, about 18-19 degrees, dropping to a pleasant 14.9 degrees in the evening.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: medium;"><b>And the ONE GREAT THING ABOUT SPRING (to a Sua-Koo like me) was that sunset occurs later and the sky really turns dark only at around closer to 8pm. </b></span></span></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><br /></span><p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgW-hdECOVgUVHRaxzaRYX8suimnBN06tZh5O09nQ_KsyPY_JixoHjOHkPm0YvzTSN9osII8mnxroMy8ipc1Zq8s-OhXV7uYKufa7yo3vFsm-2q41rVD6UYYQmpkLducfhO1Hry5xPPdCYUPMdwPH8f_14hWB97vJUVe_YV74_N9VodoiDZGlrYaTqF" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgW-hdECOVgUVHRaxzaRYX8suimnBN06tZh5O09nQ_KsyPY_JixoHjOHkPm0YvzTSN9osII8mnxroMy8ipc1Zq8s-OhXV7uYKufa7yo3vFsm-2q41rVD6UYYQmpkLducfhO1Hry5xPPdCYUPMdwPH8f_14hWB97vJUVe_YV74_N9VodoiDZGlrYaTqF=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;">Ganghwa Bethel Pension</span></b>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We easily found our Ganghwa Bethel Pension just on the side of a turn of the road and easily slotted our car into the car park. It was 12:30pm.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">The SaJangNim said check-in was to be at 3pm wor... how ah?</span></b>
</span></p>Aigoo... really ah. This middle-aged SaJangNim and his wife were about to go off in the car for lunch, leaving an older Ajumma apparently the housekeeper taking care of cleaning up the rooms. Aigooo.... ok lah ok lah.. Maybe we just walk around and find lunch.. <p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;"><span style="font-family: Poor Story; font-size: x-large;">"지금은 점심 드시고 3시 돌아오시면됩니다."</span><span style="font-family: Poor Story; font-size: medium;">(you can go eat lunch now, then 3pm you may come back again)</span> </span></b></span>alamak this SaJangNim ah.. really no give chance one ah.. </p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Hmmm.. <span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b>time to try out my Korean.</b></span> Haltingly I told him we were foreigners and we just needed to use the restroom urgently, and yes we knew we would check-in at 3pm but perhaps if he could just let us leave the luggage in the rooms first and if he could be so kind as to let us use the toilet to pee first, and then we go have lunch then we will come back. Talk lah talk lah.. then his wife noticed and said wah your car was nice, and I told her you know it was our first time self-driving a rental car in Korea and our first time coming to Ganghwa, and when she heard that we were Singaporeans they said they have been to Singapore to which I replied Singapore is hot, all-round, but here in Korea there are four seasons and so much nicer. And finally, we kind of got the go-ahead to check-in at 12:30pm instead, after the SaJangNim very nicely showed us the rooms and how to operate the shower and all that.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Hmmm… I really have to thank my Korean Teacher. Being able to communicate, even if it was just a little bit, the little small friendly conversation does hugely lubricate situations and get us somewhere sometimes.
</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Nae Ri Seafood 내리 해불</b></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiyH-KcUEMV6P6XWFY-HhoQunpCTl_0Rcm6E_hEhkSy3MnK-ify5wd35lA67IrZcgT5Ne89-sNo-8iPfov7Gj9QYXo7AuPZ4Oh1RI_I6Hwux_hFkb3lJuPejCmBG_Z6KUGqJpEA50yjiSbVmZzJmMvkMSEwYweQ56CxiggkzlakswArOTAjel6iV6O" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="710" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiyH-KcUEMV6P6XWFY-HhoQunpCTl_0Rcm6E_hEhkSy3MnK-ify5wd35lA67IrZcgT5Ne89-sNo-8iPfov7Gj9QYXo7AuPZ4Oh1RI_I6Hwux_hFkb3lJuPejCmBG_Z6KUGqJpEA50yjiSbVmZzJmMvkMSEwYweQ56CxiggkzlakswArOTAjel6iV6O=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On this trip Ah Li really whacked the sotong!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We all three must have been tired. But Ah Li hor wah her appetite was ferocious one. She complained she was hungry already. Ok! We will walk 150m up the hill to this 내리해물 칼국수 Naeri Seafood which was run single-handed-ly by an Ajumma who cheerfully served us a huge pot of most MOST unexpectedly delicious seafood soup huge squid, Anglefish, tteokbokki, bean sprout in huge portion and another huge pot of noodle and Lala in soup. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhD9gN8k8Bmug8-NfR6UZud8RZfDGVO3vxQxZhTIE8xDYDEvXfqPc0W_Ko_itebPHWAw6v7Zh0XdH6IB6V9o2w-oKSsfvlExnjFpnXN63wOPFyUnTKpJx97sV_QB6rqtFYlDfGllPNlHwQqUHZyqUH8oqnk2nsXituxeJayiLc9VyxLfQpvrJ5i1Zuu" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhD9gN8k8Bmug8-NfR6UZud8RZfDGVO3vxQxZhTIE8xDYDEvXfqPc0W_Ko_itebPHWAw6v7Zh0XdH6IB6V9o2w-oKSsfvlExnjFpnXN63wOPFyUnTKpJx97sV_QB6rqtFYlDfGllPNlHwQqUHZyqUH8oqnk2nsXituxeJayiLc9VyxLfQpvrJ5i1Zuu=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These seafood are really so fresh! True to our SonSengNim's words!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjw4d77_03JsiB6UeauROsDh8XHGZ_CUPI-nVLSUN399FbBv68i1t8oAd3dcZaAyyNsnYkJhHDdoh8VzUTdsQjDSoSxDyYlK2J2wGPGgdjscNzWuQ7rurgH7x0L-FWCXnLeAm5s9_rdJbXnUa7_nlQFjvkKH6y93LVuNvGeJp6g19bzr2x8bwlP66uy" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjw4d77_03JsiB6UeauROsDh8XHGZ_CUPI-nVLSUN399FbBv68i1t8oAd3dcZaAyyNsnYkJhHDdoh8VzUTdsQjDSoSxDyYlK2J2wGPGgdjscNzWuQ7rurgH7x0L-FWCXnLeAm5s9_rdJbXnUa7_nlQFjvkKH6y93LVuNvGeJp6g19bzr2x8bwlP66uy=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First sign that Serene caught Food-Coma liao...</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br />We had never had a seafood meal like this and oh the freshness of this, as we were literally at the seaside was out of the world and the taste was terrific. There were another two groups of patrons eating inside this restaurant, where one sits as per tradition, on the wooden floor. </div><p></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-WB3YLBMo3xR2vnagjV05M4H3CmlYKFsRnbhjeythOjlaW8TpLuGybiMH_EZ1dvNCx_8dFYRCihvq7dF9-DGUkq0SnblrSBZgRyP9NsFBrrRBCsiBx20cgruk0dKiPaS4kmFASJMHG4F0u3IllWUP_uEfSablHrd2UqSI2zNP78d4yFllEky7BzLa" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-WB3YLBMo3xR2vnagjV05M4H3CmlYKFsRnbhjeythOjlaW8TpLuGybiMH_EZ1dvNCx_8dFYRCihvq7dF9-DGUkq0SnblrSBZgRyP9NsFBrrRBCsiBx20cgruk0dKiPaS4kmFASJMHG4F0u3IllWUP_uEfSablHrd2UqSI2zNP78d4yFllEky7BzLa=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serene and I literally ate until we both FOOD-COMA-ed!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">From outside it really didn’t look like anything worthy of entering but once inside and once the food came we were impressed. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgzZZHMlXU5bUsjAkZmnObdMxi2Ca_2IJgow-aekNgaJYZrDcTNKub8viNrI6a79Rlt61hp5LYDeuKbIsOkWtR0cloFhw6SywP_IldyYDbaLPOJQlGhp2JCD-sWTTq3OdWByEkowPASE/w1263-h947-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">The huge meal ended up 63,000₩,</a> including a bottle of beer. This was really reasonably-priced. </span></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Here in Ganghwado it seems that one could just walk around the neighbourhood because the 7-Eleven was just 350m further down the road the other side. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We came back and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9f08qtqbDdhn_lzPesuHCAg3nWujvoISPhSn0RXAO6UaDLO3rXTSEz0mW9k3ZIiDBUhMGq9PbewpXXrf_EBTgBouaByq2A32OIouFKPoOgJ1yDSMJSIBhFmkLpyiqf-IyKr9-1SXSlc/w1139-h854-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">slept like pigs</a> while Ah Li watched movies and ate her snacks….</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Go gai gai around Bethel Pension, Ganhwado...</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And then 6pm Ah Li cleverly pulled us out of bed, knowing very well that once we both knock out, we would be gone for good, to go walk along the seaside with her to explore. That was a really fabulous move because we were able to see what the locals do around Ganhwado when they come to stay in these chalets (pensions) on vacation. Korea is such a huge country. You want sea, they got sea... you want mountain, they got mountain... you want river, they have plenty of rivers.. you want to eat, just search on Kakaomap and you will find anything you want (almost lah)... so the Koreans are really spoilt for choices when it comes to their very own local vacations. <span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b>The Koreans ah.. wah lau eh, they don't need to travel out of the country to enjoy Nature, and to have a Great Vacation! Truly</b></span>.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Jua; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">동</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">영</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">상</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="666" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B1rVa762mDw" width="802" youtube-src-id="B1rVa762mDw"></iframe></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The beaches were not white sandy beaches but instead black, clay beaches with plenty of rocks, typical of Korean beaches on this side of the peninsula.
</span></p></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“The sky how come it’s gloomy gloomy like that one ah?”</b></span> observed Serene and she was correct. </span></p></div></div></div></blockquote><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHyJwJfmOQNqemyl-qLm7gjpsqpLrMYagjlkGLZmbvLxxxmDxrar6-V5BgOpwtiMnq_RUEnKb4j_nu8OvVY0EbRkDuqJptZ83vgdynEZykgB9A01KB8fq9fm1nNFHNdchVBZsq4Z7RiOZcBMguiPfbqSze-y7z7uH3jS7IE7E0O6xlIqwKVoCox_0H" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="437" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHyJwJfmOQNqemyl-qLm7gjpsqpLrMYagjlkGLZmbvLxxxmDxrar6-V5BgOpwtiMnq_RUEnKb4j_nu8OvVY0EbRkDuqJptZ83vgdynEZykgB9A01KB8fq9fm1nNFHNdchVBZsq4Z7RiOZcBMguiPfbqSze-y7z7uH3jS7IE7E0O6xlIqwKVoCox_0H" width="111" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The day was cloudy and gloomy. And as the sun began to set the temperature dipped, a little, and the sea breeze caressed and pleasantly chilled our bodies. <br />But this Ah Li really 真是没鬼用的. Kao beh kao bu said cold! 14.9 degrees only.. cold what cold? <br />She was the one literally wearing the Uniqlo down jacket all the way.. aigooo, silly little baby.<div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We walked into some nice Camping site 캠핑장 right at the edge of the beach where there were a few groups of young people barbecuing and enjoying themselves with their tents set up and cars parks by the side.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We walked into one of these and upon Ah Li’s urging, I asked the SaJangNim about the tents. She replied that the campers will bring their own tents and set them up and barbecue there. They don’t rent the tents.. they just sell the necessary groceries and some ingredients and provide washing facilities.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The Espaniola was a high-class restaurant cum bistro cum resort cum pension enclosure which we walked through and enjoyed the high-class atmosphere and the piped-in music. Later in the night as the three of us stood outside our balcony, enjoying the cool sea breeze as we ate our cup ramyeon, I shared with Ah Li that when we travel we much rather stay and eat and travel like the ways the locals do, which is these type of more down to earth and cheaper options.. eating in SikTangs frequented by locals, taking bus and subways like the locals, staying in accommodations that the locals would use. In fact, this Ganghwa Bethel pension wasn’t expensive. It was only S$63 a night. Nothing to complain about one. There were another three old couples who were staying in the other rooms on this same night. And honestly, if the Korean old couples stay here we would not be wrong.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">On this evening Ah Li and I sat down and planned our next day’s adventure:
</span></p><ul><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Manisan hike 마니산 摩尼山
</b></span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Dolmen 강화부근리고인돌 江華古石墓
</b></span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Peace observatory 평화전방대 平和展望臺
</b></span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>Ganghwa Luge 강화루지</b></span>
</span></p></li></ul><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, it was going to be a busy next day. But we decided we will wake up early at 7:30am, to an aghast Serene Gan... Little did she nor Ah Li know, the next day was going to be ANOTHER Adventure!</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC"></a><i>or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></span></div></div></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: x-large;"><a name="4 째날">4 째날: Day 4</a></span></b></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">[12th May 2022. Thursday]</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWTJCm5xjUO4wwNES0Lh_mI4rWLpBiA-R1qEU59p1pUgWKx2pZrCEk8aWx-JPEjUQ5sDug1uwE9vFI0ikpik8S0bzihqbuOdnLphRFhIz_B85iX1KXHt0M_N2xjWJkESJzYK3D7PXSwttxEN0JIgb-QgZd4HP9-EhqGHOtjjO8o8yFYfMgLps4p60/s960/FL_20220624_0251.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="960" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWTJCm5xjUO4wwNES0Lh_mI4rWLpBiA-R1qEU59p1pUgWKx2pZrCEk8aWx-JPEjUQ5sDug1uwE9vFI0ikpik8S0bzihqbuOdnLphRFhIz_B85iX1KXHt0M_N2xjWJkESJzYK3D7PXSwttxEN0JIgb-QgZd4HP9-EhqGHOtjjO8o8yFYfMgLps4p60/w640-h295/FL_20220624_0251.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drive whole day around Ganghwado</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>What a crazy and crazily-packed day...</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>...SG (Serene Gan) Trekker-style!</b></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYYXR-rbVzw56csrtyZC7F7qkmBS7pBx8JWBFm1zBYpOxYQh_v2B_FBVh6VwBqpaMLNKrErGPm39ygM3lX35STMw-xa1M4SCqm_w08hbblM5CdI73vgCeMBTg0EyMv--lRLxAEsBmFUWmghU3uTrx8dnMXey_Tpn-Sq04_blSKjPX9dspUIEsjk4O/s1440/FL_20220606_0185.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYYXR-rbVzw56csrtyZC7F7qkmBS7pBx8JWBFm1zBYpOxYQh_v2B_FBVh6VwBqpaMLNKrErGPm39ygM3lX35STMw-xa1M4SCqm_w08hbblM5CdI73vgCeMBTg0EyMv--lRLxAEsBmFUWmghU3uTrx8dnMXey_Tpn-Sq04_blSKjPX9dspUIEsjk4O/w480-h640/FL_20220606_0185.GIF" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not bad. We actually prepared trekking outfit</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><br /><br />A 4.2km drive from Bethel Pension to Manisan car park brought us to our first destination on this really-packed day. The lovely thing about Ganghwado was everywhere we could literally just park. And all are free, at least all these places that we went to. The very courteous young attendance at the ticket booth at the foot of Manisan trail advised us that Course number 5 was a more scenic route and it wasn’t difficult" in Korean, and with that we paid the 2000₩ per person entrance and decided to take the easiest, but longest course number 5 단군로 3.2km horizontal distance up, and come down by the steepest but fastest Course number 1 계단로 (the steps route) measuring 2.4km horizontally back to the starting point. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9FBdJtR9r7SUKNkZy6jFE8fPdgOst9wsy4Jm3rFz51eNZrIcaYLwQYlaTEtyXEy1jaykuvGCpyK479L3WPDA-zrQFXVT6ApdkTczpR2EzZumUxUCxl8euZRDGsjV6fAa9f_n8f9f6SMMcDfqUbDEFI6GqMagilaHBUD7jlpCqqyPJ0tAlbagfAwyT" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9FBdJtR9r7SUKNkZy6jFE8fPdgOst9wsy4Jm3rFz51eNZrIcaYLwQYlaTEtyXEy1jaykuvGCpyK479L3WPDA-zrQFXVT6ApdkTczpR2EzZumUxUCxl8euZRDGsjV6fAa9f_n8f9f6SMMcDfqUbDEFI6GqMagilaHBUD7jlpCqqyPJ0tAlbagfAwyT=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Manisan measures a mere 472m high. So it is actually just a few Bukit Timah hills hike. It took us about three hours in total, which wasn’t too bad, considering that Serene and I didn’t train at all. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijISDE89xJAO06gS9Ywcn_UWbohtWODibucn9o4Q4BH7j-H5vpkNZeV_7d_uW7SJqQ-BCOXkiH0V4SuQNFcAkCcjhOIazz_XdR8bMBRn10P3EO5Sb4IhoBvQN85fJVABLoL4aImMLiUnSaHazgtny5niCGw-zMpbxiJeW8J74aGYbjtCuL4UlD5OVa/s1440/FL_20220606_0186.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijISDE89xJAO06gS9Ywcn_UWbohtWODibucn9o4Q4BH7j-H5vpkNZeV_7d_uW7SJqQ-BCOXkiH0V4SuQNFcAkCcjhOIazz_XdR8bMBRn10P3EO5Sb4IhoBvQN85fJVABLoL4aImMLiUnSaHazgtny5niCGw-zMpbxiJeW8J74aGYbjtCuL4UlD5OVa/w640-h480/FL_20220606_0186.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The trail up was not exactly a piece of cake, and there were some parts when we needed to go on fours to get up the rocks and to pull ourselves up some ropes.. but we were totally inspired when we saw quite a few groups and individual Ajummas and Ajussis who walked up and down faster than us. Of course, there were also quite a few small groups of young people.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETwS9oj5H2MCSCSwj2QjocPsv17cHs4obS9SHVmf9wZiNRbLG_Hrm88BG54oEQlSQSEuB0_vEd8YVbBRPmsK2QMde_0jf7fBx1xnNKMv1TtRpaH0szzgDpYb8SUQ7gpaV-m5QzmqlE-DN3EJOqg3Jnk_41pRMKgXR1Ekkw1Ozwq2xMdYmTxIK_ew-/s4032/IMG_9424.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETwS9oj5H2MCSCSwj2QjocPsv17cHs4obS9SHVmf9wZiNRbLG_Hrm88BG54oEQlSQSEuB0_vEd8YVbBRPmsK2QMde_0jf7fBx1xnNKMv1TtRpaH0szzgDpYb8SUQ7gpaV-m5QzmqlE-DN3EJOqg3Jnk_41pRMKgXR1Ekkw1Ozwq2xMdYmTxIK_ew-/w480-h640/IMG_9424.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UherAv3IZH-DehSOuaFJVxi9t-aB14qTnhM65V5bzoXZRnB_BM9Xvpp1ySxw-w3SJ_lFamdf53ggfXDSdV4GMoxJDWbNtYlFn2K0nZX-sLJEBNk0x0KbCCDs84EJZmIce-xAQT0-L6HbpF9QMeVGlg-q8j3zOoRKeMHhJB8nnKxtRg_RmlGitgZ0/s4032/IMG_3044.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UherAv3IZH-DehSOuaFJVxi9t-aB14qTnhM65V5bzoXZRnB_BM9Xvpp1ySxw-w3SJ_lFamdf53ggfXDSdV4GMoxJDWbNtYlFn2K0nZX-sLJEBNk0x0KbCCDs84EJZmIce-xAQT0-L6HbpF9QMeVGlg-q8j3zOoRKeMHhJB8nnKxtRg_RmlGitgZ0/w480-h640/IMG_3044.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“You know, the Koreans are really mountain people,”</b></span> I told Ah Li.<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"> “Even the old folks hike like it was nothing to them. Maybe that’s why there are no fat Koreans (hahaha..).” </span></b></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“It’s so hilly,”</b></span> said <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvFO7zoEoqyTM7iQHui_zb2cVjlPVP4TGjXgNOEATvUgMW5OwclPSY_BMQOZWVtXIK30OMwdKQeESPXkmJtorxA41rfX9KRjfOu8srA8sYbC74pkBV47KFSW17ImtvqJ9098e2vGdnUE/w1139-h854-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">Ah Li</a>. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Korea is soooo hilly!” </span></b></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPWxnV6WD4gUtGjoDMBtz7TJ9pJrB99hsg08eU_udY4JNq6TQ_T5ECVOWFjSl47p6Cw23wVoIDw1EYPrdvz31hu4He5SPZxvGv-_n068kpLXQI94bp9kMbnA_ZH8ULqHwvXEt3RMHXqR7_6M_nhG7RSX68RFdChRS-cQl1C3dDtNbYhhyPdFlNzw05" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPWxnV6WD4gUtGjoDMBtz7TJ9pJrB99hsg08eU_udY4JNq6TQ_T5ECVOWFjSl47p6Cw23wVoIDw1EYPrdvz31hu4He5SPZxvGv-_n068kpLXQI94bp9kMbnA_ZH8ULqHwvXEt3RMHXqR7_6M_nhG7RSX68RFdChRS-cQl1C3dDtNbYhhyPdFlNzw05=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“That was why during the Korean War the American soldiers suffered badly when they first arrived because they weren’t familiar with the Korean terrain. The North Korean soldiers knew the land well, but imagine the American soldiers having to charge up every single bill with the North Korean armies waiting for them at the top of the hills… how many American soldiers had died, right?”</b></span></div></blockquote><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifoN7a9KPDmrKbCD0BjzPSv8CpSZi9uNnVbfnnMvhtjg8wxCysehoxA2tlevmOEJYpgA4klj_GlVpZ10E6AJNMlHSiorutr94TsutJU94d_iwQjoLbU9XE6E4tg0IC4MDFp0k1HjHLJyoEbpcYXm13eh7zXcEuJ4r2EakoPRN6YmawV1qLcboasiEo" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1139" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifoN7a9KPDmrKbCD0BjzPSv8CpSZi9uNnVbfnnMvhtjg8wxCysehoxA2tlevmOEJYpgA4klj_GlVpZ10E6AJNMlHSiorutr94TsutJU94d_iwQjoLbU9XE6E4tg0IC4MDFp0k1HjHLJyoEbpcYXm13eh7zXcEuJ4r2EakoPRN6YmawV1qLcboasiEo=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Ah Li:<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b> “Yah lor… charge up also died, if turn back also would have died.” </b></span></div></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjliG3v5AT2xrI9Yf7YxLiDaXJDvtppw7G-ko3NKm1sxSrERKG4lyQ3Hrk8bhxtwYuboBMxjQwiGhEfNs9scwMM7cBV4nkebMM5phKmkhcHIvvBsi2MwhBO6DbDa6-acweQykO7RIAxSRoSOWyrDaPKYxACMR8JB_EeN3zpZkqnICaQuEyC8TBiBnVT" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjliG3v5AT2xrI9Yf7YxLiDaXJDvtppw7G-ko3NKm1sxSrERKG4lyQ3Hrk8bhxtwYuboBMxjQwiGhEfNs9scwMM7cBV4nkebMM5phKmkhcHIvvBsi2MwhBO6DbDa6-acweQykO7RIAxSRoSOWyrDaPKYxACMR8JB_EeN3zpZkqnICaQuEyC8TBiBnVT=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">As we climbed, Serene kept kao beh kao boo-ing: <b><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-size: x-large;">“I can feel my heart beating very fast! Can you hear my heart beat?”</span></b></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3yBRMZFl-Idl9GX_p4u-zV_DvR0PM8jnlKZHFbHz6gTSgAGddoI1razdOA3uoy9YRLjbuE3EIAUQZ21rjXtlsxTUV65ZtszWAUKsDHimDjuPHQgcR5cVzRtHk75wpyzAH_Vw99GrtDXhwakER3URULkLjzY2YtMkUi1tluV-okEN1b8YY0lCcmSRr" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1139" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3yBRMZFl-Idl9GX_p4u-zV_DvR0PM8jnlKZHFbHz6gTSgAGddoI1razdOA3uoy9YRLjbuE3EIAUQZ21rjXtlsxTUV65ZtszWAUKsDHimDjuPHQgcR5cVzRtHk75wpyzAH_Vw99GrtDXhwakER3URULkLjzY2YtMkUi1tluV-okEN1b8YY0lCcmSRr=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">"Ah Li.. Ah Li...!"</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-zlIjidPh1JkIE3OZEtbsSB83b6rEMA1KTkI72Uw0nmQ6DOZLDAA8iXfKwESJjPyilUyR4JhNteJ-XGdpQgBlf4ak-CZOJgDHsy4FVaZDebIEzd68dzZ-noLPrCmvROfe5zNvRDo1KNsFylQ36YTtNxaP-6ZAJ0xVomrPLp9QgpyHvXhrhwB3Opfj" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-zlIjidPh1JkIE3OZEtbsSB83b6rEMA1KTkI72Uw0nmQ6DOZLDAA8iXfKwESJjPyilUyR4JhNteJ-XGdpQgBlf4ak-CZOJgDHsy4FVaZDebIEzd68dzZ-noLPrCmvROfe5zNvRDo1KNsFylQ36YTtNxaP-6ZAJ0xVomrPLp9QgpyHvXhrhwB3Opfj=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">"Ah Li.. Ah Li yah, Ah Li Ah Li...!"</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Wow I hadn’t heard all these words from her for a long time. Well, we hadn’t trekked up a mountain for the longest time too.</span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-vVmw0FSClFJCu3IOan812eLrVYthg02rjHjOSewc1FuO_n7wUK30j5l9oglkWgam0hRuLT9Gz_0xQYN23P7zTjLz1YxUFed7LMMV8Smtt4rB7Wengs3jqfuW20qrcb2Em319-0B90X-Di-33zxBy0BK8ZSrWXyMC0vG8ML7SLcY_Y2Uh20d1q5ED" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1139" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-vVmw0FSClFJCu3IOan812eLrVYthg02rjHjOSewc1FuO_n7wUK30j5l9oglkWgam0hRuLT9Gz_0xQYN23P7zTjLz1YxUFed7LMMV8Smtt4rB7Wengs3jqfuW20qrcb2Em319-0B90X-Di-33zxBy0BK8ZSrWXyMC0vG8ML7SLcY_Y2Uh20d1q5ED=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">"Ah Li saved my life!"</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Time and time again, we would climbed up to a <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7aBa8StSHQ-tOKS_nfCMhzuz_keolsID_Z86YKViaYu29GjkWADTbhfbU_xbudizNcq00CYpTt__xiRn3KEdpKi3I9QsmTFv2nuTjzRtWoKPx_DQ8NebuMIW9mY-awxX0hYsKNqGkxI2c2iWG6Zs4HRr1naZLzdTB2Ye-EKdwcH0Zd8XPmGEkx7EugzvJBwvYot3F_qQavwEImBQIbtUoelzqdhVzS-dvUhnMwBNXkWiYib6yD8xuSN0KAUfek8EVNA1z4n30b6H3XSYN4daG2j2dC3wdzOAwpY_AGnMIMtROjK_0OtkoM8CGkiUlf_hzc0NVuqaR19lmoqIsLljdFoYvVeHhVpQbZIqLJXP2Wzz6CTufH6HE3EhccH5sK_fA2a-6EGsbkft7lH4hvqWbKNhDTxyiDD46kcFXjMOY43lshuKoaKyzZPYkxigV0pHnbQIOJ5ZUazeVBsV0aIPVPrZFRPLmrhoy6whUvTTHOJGZvsgdux0wXZq8DQxLnEHosDYYTFEg-LOi2awM5oCl8x2bTWD5ach-yMKYD7w4f9iWYO76GAtllxerFRt62FymLs__BuDTTQwbuW_7WqgAn7CfesCPr0gyddBI_7vEDdPlji9MMem-hjq_nrKKv-K_yZkhkr8TKcXcDzhUA8dc8s_OoPzzOgBZ22F19TkAAVo4nTUrj1dZ2nI_KAqV8arwj8ymVg03FxCeneyb3DcctbTqt-dV-cyTOmkfsDkyOG_dB9JR2jHqrIjVRyJJ3o=w1139-h854-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">clearing</a>, and wow... where we totally enjoyed the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUFmknd-DoYjU2NCACdNBNp05ILnAjALi8TjoajFHD2q7CPO-oqMMcXPj_HutGJtxRZaMSYYCrTElAOodflwbXF8omtCY4-LeNfmrZk26Waoe8rPG_VNSYAJ_4X6WVYOlZtA3WN5qM-c/w1380-h422-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">expansive panoramic view,</a> after which we would continue down a strangely trackless part where we had to scratch our heads to find some crevices between huge rocks. Only to suddenly arrive at an obvious path, or a sudden opening leading up to a flight of steps. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRqRXV_BnAbrtjJj-2aWuZLLHYqydVmM0jThRNQckLpKSKCD5uXgLN3KQzs4DIXN7Ycqc0VZjyCpKiaIJIaYtEBH9SRBKC4y88hAf0hSxoQcmyT_4lEAdcjDQgCj81j5py2yz2A40W59oinP_d9NSEcmNfjXqzEZ8vObKo6YeYBLF4UkKYdYcuzBBp/s4032/IMG_3048.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRqRXV_BnAbrtjJj-2aWuZLLHYqydVmM0jThRNQckLpKSKCD5uXgLN3KQzs4DIXN7Ycqc0VZjyCpKiaIJIaYtEBH9SRBKC4y88hAf0hSxoQcmyT_4lEAdcjDQgCj81j5py2yz2A40W59oinP_d9NSEcmNfjXqzEZ8vObKo6YeYBLF4UkKYdYcuzBBp/w480-h640/IMG_3048.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Äh Li Ah Li... Ah Li yah Ah Li yah!"</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The first half of Dangun Route was actually pretty gentle and enjoyable. It was the second half that we found to be just that slightly more challenging. There were just so many rocks to climb, unclear paths and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlm0IZRhUp0xAcMG2hUF4-WdOU7nv_jsnvtnZRlxc7czyHfeKAMRisva8nW9iq0QsanH-Vb1LsLt5hDYL8bVlfoiNgmQFjK9tbuqH6dXsy2tIHTjNnpLxvwyQLpCslK78_7IocoVKXfo/w641-h854-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">slanted slabs onto which we had to be on all fours</a>. But that was where all the fun was. I thought back and I really enjoyed the rocks.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGQSCW0viGKDLjpD4K2bQ-dZHOiVue-YeENauiXcekcKy23v-yPfFJX9JiEg26P8jDdtqFMawJ7Df-zKn6wkf57Tw1JeUbCVqrDf9Ym_o8eyhJo-aHOmUx8tZ-jKGMIiQvQ63hiVCbldkV1SiVIPVrKKckG57edR1E7qk1sR-WjX_tXcGQqLh_-qP_" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGQSCW0viGKDLjpD4K2bQ-dZHOiVue-YeENauiXcekcKy23v-yPfFJX9JiEg26P8jDdtqFMawJ7Df-zKn6wkf57Tw1JeUbCVqrDf9Ym_o8eyhJo-aHOmUx8tZ-jKGMIiQvQ63hiVCbldkV1SiVIPVrKKckG57edR1E7qk1sR-WjX_tXcGQqLh_-qP_=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally Ah Li could enjoy a little bit of peace from all the Áh Li'-ing... HAHAHA</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><a aria-label="Photo - Landscape - May 12, 2022, 10:30:48 AM" class="p137Zd" href="https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMJyKd5alxagb1H0pFhbgXLpvkg1kYNxfcgTld6" jsaction="click:eQuaEb;focus:AHmuwe; blur:O22p3e;" tabindex="0"><div class="RY3tic" data-latest-bg="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLWNEJbdU7eE-oPZeM9flNj5cUjE8T3x-IBAMINEZMXPrTI23xIjkGGMVyzadQUmVdv5N28DkM_AWBZAL3-fAtvM5nhoNpFtkVIqxzaQaqItlVoes9Zdqrlm6MalYGM_1iRWHFc_QDxlFf4tFzUWzvcIbpj3yuwCEjP-PUFCsP6fBdsr2jSlNJW_CZmSGSMFTJ0VRQhFm9-dVTwExOoV9BCBz1ORWMiizyMAdrVOnYDkuqJT_m9G2rKdRsCsVD7jjbkLgRJKSD7bO05R27bIUnjLU1QQsU4lPLOXCG1c32T5zO3LgavRjwToYJq3z92gc2wa3cO-V78mBe0h1CZ2W3EZa5301B6NARsIyJwcpFGaRQ_IM1-AYl1tYHsLKCv4SJG19GENJfKdD_86LVIQ5nUlK0RVaLoF8EgYKzf5UaQGL-oUdeASlm_iA2a6pdUUelx9_xTahLtwMalLH389Cz52lxZbgWE8QZuL0mnAs7qQmYUGiQLTrwvk2eFQYJ9T3W7ziBwpuJnQY74FJi6SUynAA7mymI9UY5_lXIkgpVOqDeXFa0UHopYRiMulnzuFM1WzkxlwrJgqe35E0cyZpQRZS2ojapaNFDGBAAvVgbo1xVrOxNE5E6eYxwA6B-MZ4_Zse86AQITnCyM2UmwecG5LMlpkbAAjgVwbNLhCGxp_QYXilhWQ_x5-Mww8Mp0348XmvNp8whD5xvVbjhd6synDIxjS9s5eGVTRrNIs3L9BhNuGN6kSM4B7v_ztfgDU2vBB6IMdx0N27LFVdKCEcg=w320-h240-no?authuser=0" style="background-image: url("https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLWNEJbdU7eE-oPZeM9flNj5cUjE8T3x-IBAMINEZMXPrTI23xIjkGGMVyzadQUmVdv5N28DkM_AWBZAL3-fAtvM5nhoNpFtkVIqxzaQaqItlVoes9Zdqrlm6MalYGM_1iRWHFc_QDxlFf4tFzUWzvcIbpj3yuwCEjP-PUFCsP6fBdsr2jSlNJW_CZmSGSMFTJ0VRQhFm9-dVTwExOoV9BCBz1ORWMiizyMAdrVOnYDkuqJT_m9G2rKdRsCsVD7jjbkLgRJKSD7bO05R27bIUnjLU1QQsU4lPLOXCG1c32T5zO3LgavRjwToYJq3z92gc2wa3cO-V78mBe0h1CZ2W3EZa5301B6NARsIyJwcpFGaRQ_IM1-AYl1tYHsLKCv4SJG19GENJfKdD_86LVIQ5nUlK0RVaLoF8EgYKzf5UaQGL-oUdeASlm_iA2a6pdUUelx9_xTahLtwMalLH389Cz52lxZbgWE8QZuL0mnAs7qQmYUGiQLTrwvk2eFQYJ9T3W7ziBwpuJnQY74FJi6SUynAA7mymI9UY5_lXIkgpVOqDeXFa0UHopYRiMulnzuFM1WzkxlwrJgqe35E0cyZpQRZS2ojapaNFDGBAAvVgbo1xVrOxNE5E6eYxwA6B-MZ4_Zse86AQITnCyM2UmwecG5LMlpkbAAjgVwbNLhCGxp_QYXilhWQ_x5-Mww8Mp0348XmvNp8whD5xvVbjhd6synDIxjS9s5eGVTRrNIs3L9BhNuGN6kSM4B7v_ztfgDU2vBB6IMdx0N27LFVdKCEcg=w320-h240-no?authuser=0"), url("https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AM-JKLWNEJbdU7eE-oPZeM9flNj5cUjE8T3x-IBAMINEZMXPrTI23xIjkGGMVyzadQUmVdv5N28DkM_AWBZAL3-fAtvM5nhoNpFtkVIqxzaQaqItlVoes9Zdqrlm6MalYGM_1iRWHFc_QDxlFf4tFzUWzvcIbpj3yuwCEjP-PUFCsP6fBdsr2jSlNJW_CZmSGSMFTJ0VRQhFm9-dVTwExOoV9BCBz1ORWMiizyMAdrVOnYDkuqJT_m9G2rKdRsCsVD7jjbkLgRJKSD7bO05R27bIUnjLU1QQsU4lPLOXCG1c32T5zO3LgavRjwToYJq3z92gc2wa3cO-V78mBe0h1CZ2W3EZa5301B6NARsIyJwcpFGaRQ_IM1-AYl1tYHsLKCv4SJG19GENJfKdD_86LVIQ5nUlK0RVaLoF8EgYKzf5UaQGL-oUdeASlm_iA2a6pdUUelx9_xTahLtwMalLH389Cz52lxZbgWE8QZuL0mnAs7qQmYUGiQLTrwvk2eFQYJ9T3W7ziBwpuJnQY74FJi6SUynAA7mymI9UY5_lXIkgpVOqDeXFa0UHopYRiMulnzuFM1WzkxlwrJgqe35E0cyZpQRZS2ojapaNFDGBAAvVgbo1xVrOxNE5E6eYxwA6B-MZ4_Zse86AQITnCyM2UmwecG5LMlpkbAAjgVwbNLhCGxp_QYXilhWQ_x5-Mww8Mp0348XmvNp8whD5xvVbjhd6synDIxjS9s5eGVTRrNIs3L9BhNuGN6kSM4B7v_ztfgDU2vBB6IMdx0N27LFVdKCEcg=w72-h54-k-rw-no?authuser=0"); opacity: 1;"><div aria-hidden="true" class="eGiHwc"></div><div aria-hidden="true" class="KYCEmd"></div></div></a>The top of Manisan was of course just an open <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScKVGy1JJ7pvxGtv3nYi2HMY65NN9u5nyJ4_Xmf61XFNCJOwwgtxDd17o1_qe4zbL1suhys3D-jzrVYAZABYVvb5UWactZA6n_XpD04CxPAlMhFjuumrhfB_YSaSK0IRBA-IY5OioJ84/w1139-h854-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">flat platform</a> and an <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4YYG3wuO3KXPvHr-qlgOONhDmsb41pG8VjXmhXNFV-RXq5_RIx-t8LUxs4373tvpABGvGhOsNUnn-JNF2gKLd-NPu-THHXJ5djw4qc9X2GowTimTfxBORmpEDpnUAcJ6iDXQDCVzyZr8/w1139-h854-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">altar (Chamseongdan)</a> which was fenced off. Legend had it that the mythical Dangun who founded ancient Korea made prayers here often.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpr5Izz1qJvQaSR3hVC4AmVezGI0OhDFOyfVHRtskRNQyDTfmMK4IuKOOJRXFwi_m1CbVzF77hEzyzURx3BOAe9_8O0uS7Mj-ZZVceeioT1q_YBBvwhRmXhttmuH7Thg9XbPaZ_zXxMEIqsM4mIt7wyus4K5aMkgpDsTALnsP4nub1FHKJ8GihgNH/s3851/IMG_3058.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2416" data-original-width="3851" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpr5Izz1qJvQaSR3hVC4AmVezGI0OhDFOyfVHRtskRNQyDTfmMK4IuKOOJRXFwi_m1CbVzF77hEzyzURx3BOAe9_8O0uS7Mj-ZZVceeioT1q_YBBvwhRmXhttmuH7Thg9XbPaZ_zXxMEIqsM4mIt7wyus4K5aMkgpDsTALnsP4nub1FHKJ8GihgNH/w640-h402/IMG_3058.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div><div><br /><br />On this day, I won this Manisan battle, but Niang Serene and Ah Li both were very Guai because they obediently climbed up with me.. I really wanted to do Manisan in Ganghwado, after missing BukhanSan in Seoul during last year’s winter trip.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div> <br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Jua; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">동</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">영</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">상</span></span><br /> <iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="723" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iRLkPFru_ng" width="869" youtube-src-id="iRLkPFru_ng"></iframe><br /><br />The descent was tough on the quadriceps and the knees but hey.. again we hadn’t had that kind of nice exercise for a long time and it was lovely to let the gluteus take over while descending. <br /><br /> <br /><br />The SikTang at the starting point 범호고향밥상 was a life-saving lunch point with Bibimbap and Sundupu Jjigae. A quick change to dry clothes and we were off at about 1pm to our next destination, the Dolmens, known as 강화 부근리 고인돌 (Ganghwa old tombs 古石坟). These were man-made tombs dated to the Bronze Age.....</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC"></a><i>or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>The Ganghwado Dolmens 강화 부근리 고인돌 江華島古石墓</b></span><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3vJr7YBU0OOnAYWqohleziVV6sfhETflB9yhRlGTnBa8He-NKbJq-fJl7Bdc27GzFGzhpaieeVYemQbdgJYBI-Xh6vOCcrueENPladrcStSH9aEdHh-2_O2TrMHG5XKfOG8VS3mo2LYPgK3Zk0L9wOm434YmuLCGk9fFoyvm6Av4XujYut98R8kG/s640/FL_20220607_0191.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3vJr7YBU0OOnAYWqohleziVV6sfhETflB9yhRlGTnBa8He-NKbJq-fJl7Bdc27GzFGzhpaieeVYemQbdgJYBI-Xh6vOCcrueENPladrcStSH9aEdHh-2_O2TrMHG5XKfOG8VS3mo2LYPgK3Zk0L9wOm434YmuLCGk9fFoyvm6Av4XujYut98R8kG/w640-h360/FL_20220607_0191.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well, I simply had to walk one round the Dolmen.. as it has been so famously depicted on blogs.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">The SikTang at the starting point 범호고향밥상 was a life-saving lunch point with Bibimbap and Sundupu Jjigae. A quick change to dry clothes and we were off at about 1pm to our next destination, the Dolmens, known as 강화 부근리 고인돌 (Ganghwa old tombs 古石坟). These were man-made tombs dated to the Bronze Age.</span></div><div><br />After driving that 27km from Manisan to this spot, we parked the car and looked around and found.. hmmmm… no Dolmens to be seen leh.<br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“Strange. Where are the Dolmens?”</span></b> I wondered.</div></blockquote><div><br />In my mind that were plenty plenty of Dolmens concentrated in this area, and once we arrived wah straight away we will be greeted with a whole grassland of huge rocks, scattered all over a football field, or something like that... But little did I know that there was only ONE obvious and famous one, and the rest were tiny little inconspicuous rocks scattered over a very wide area. So on this day we walked and walked to the centre of the field and gladly took the picture of that single famous Dolmen.<br /><br /><br />We were at least impressed by the fact that there seemed to be some rock carvings on the inside of the Dolmen.<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1o6EU0jffvz-2b3o-GbMh8j9PgQ3IU9sft979jy_yno4CN6VZdtzGzd6iXGN4dfHiXp7571Og180XIu9e9docQyfZMgFBu6oi5JQWlxm3r65sQ6KX7dgNtD8v1IQ58Ar6j6m09PxLIPpFFr7J2BWKtAJaZlM_SPcThCEmPa7BmLnvKRGFWeVgHibY/s1440/FL_20220601_0170.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1o6EU0jffvz-2b3o-GbMh8j9PgQ3IU9sft979jy_yno4CN6VZdtzGzd6iXGN4dfHiXp7571Og180XIu9e9docQyfZMgFBu6oi5JQWlxm3r65sQ6KX7dgNtD8v1IQ58Ar6j6m09PxLIPpFFr7J2BWKtAJaZlM_SPcThCEmPa7BmLnvKRGFWeVgHibY/w640-h480/FL_20220601_0170.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>“Not bad. Job done,”</b></span> happily said Ah Li.</div></blockquote><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><p><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-large;">The Ganghwado Peace Observatory 강화평화전방대 江華平和展望臺</b></p><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>“Ok let’s make our way to the Peace Observatory then,”</b></span> I urged.</div></blockquote><div><br />It was another 8km drive up north and this road took us right the northmost point of Ganghwado, just across North Korea. In fact, we had to pass through a military checkpoint manned by a couple of very handsome soldiers who saluted us and allowed us through when we explained our purpose of visiting the observatory.<br /><br /><br /><br />There were quite a few groups of local Koreans visiting on this day. And after paying 2500₩ per person and (again) climbing up a steep sloping road, we arrived.<br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>“Wah lau.. why everywhere also have to climb hills and slopes one!”</b></span> complained Serene. Haha..</div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFuJ87tRblN0LNCAbmI473nRVWcw6VnzaqRRm7Udk_qHM2usjNl6hSwjbOGNgP-7RC9singSbnbfoLbAXFbeIrg-cI_gTlnROe-dXCwoLQllUuHnqeupdbuB4QAoN53VNd_6qNmXrkIa7b8UZJpYQV_nloYyw3OSua0lOxTYlDNHbiuAcDVcLCSww/s1440/FL_20220602_0171.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFuJ87tRblN0LNCAbmI473nRVWcw6VnzaqRRm7Udk_qHM2usjNl6hSwjbOGNgP-7RC9singSbnbfoLbAXFbeIrg-cI_gTlnROe-dXCwoLQllUuHnqeupdbuB4QAoN53VNd_6qNmXrkIa7b8UZJpYQV_nloYyw3OSua0lOxTYlDNHbiuAcDVcLCSww/w640-h480/FL_20220602_0171.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />This Peace Observatory was erected to (perhaps) convey the hope of reunification and all the exhibits inside of North Korean propaganda and movies made in North Korea, had their detail explanations on Korean.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“Alamak.. all in Korean leh, I can’t understand,”</span></b> said Ah Li.</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>“Ok don’t worry, since all these are in Korean, it will take us a long time to read through them and to understand. My main aim of coming here today is to look through the binoculars into North Korea at the observatory,”</b></span> I replied.</div></blockquote><div><br />And to the second floor, we went and did just that.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4x3u0HCBKQvWmnqB6sm9oOLy0Ntzx7dHf1xDfmRtCgJG_JfHlCDkgA0hRVY_K4gKW8qXPRKZqiQyCTWnt-CyOOLh12crS_6BwaViXvez--7kLp9i8YGlNg-dIZAvanrTTS7DrT4IVoeDcSx-mfohvS9IU7dmDlDlpY_DaurpZg5apB67bVL2f_KZN/s3999/190D812C-A9A4-4714-BB7C-1E6BA908A114.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3999" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4x3u0HCBKQvWmnqB6sm9oOLy0Ntzx7dHf1xDfmRtCgJG_JfHlCDkgA0hRVY_K4gKW8qXPRKZqiQyCTWnt-CyOOLh12crS_6BwaViXvez--7kLp9i8YGlNg-dIZAvanrTTS7DrT4IVoeDcSx-mfohvS9IU7dmDlDlpY_DaurpZg5apB67bVL2f_KZN/w480-h640/190D812C-A9A4-4714-BB7C-1E6BA908A114.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To me, it has always been interesting to watch North Korea</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“Wow this is so surreal!”</span></b> exclaimed Ah Li. <span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>“I can see the people walking on the streets and cycling on the roads and people working in the fields in North Korea!”</b></span></div></blockquote><div><br />She was so excited by this we changed more 500₩ coins to keep looking through the binoculars and watched and watched what those folks were doing in North Korea.<br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>“I gladly use up all my 60cents (500₩) worth of coins each view, to keep looking at the North Korea side,”</b></span> said her.</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>“It’s like we are doing a peeping-Tom at them,” </b></span>I said.</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>“… without them knowing…”</b></span> completed Ah Li.</div></blockquote><div><br /><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLllfDNfY7FhLI2yXw8Ws1Nsq1FQw95xMYkHgktHm6NKEBLvSzqKRGKrHmZ4rcZJx3pEa3DHlBvzpzJWhR_c49vgV6QlFsGVdf7QllHDUUp_Yi90pOPkuuC760XKOA2aayToaaGff9OEnVQ2RXwpj8_zWcIU63lz1y90Doi3OnY_T2eXlhcHN29tFq/s3999/48343DAC-F194-4062-80F5-A64244A48675.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLllfDNfY7FhLI2yXw8Ws1Nsq1FQw95xMYkHgktHm6NKEBLvSzqKRGKrHmZ4rcZJx3pEa3DHlBvzpzJWhR_c49vgV6QlFsGVdf7QllHDUUp_Yi90pOPkuuC760XKOA2aayToaaGff9OEnVQ2RXwpj8_zWcIU63lz1y90Doi3OnY_T2eXlhcHN29tFq/w640-h480/48343DAC-F194-4062-80F5-A64244A48675.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This strait of seawater cuts the ties between loved ones...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“You know,”</span></b> I told the young lady. “My hope is one day we could make the trip into North Korea. It’s not easy I know, but I hope one day we can.”</div></blockquote><div><br /><br /><br />So we talked about the Baegnyeon 백령도incidence in 2010 when a South Korean navy vessel was torpedoed and sunk apparently by the North Korean military but it never was officially established. And how the South Korean men were enlisted and their training was geared towards fighting a real war because they are in theory, still in a state of war with North Korea.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /><br /><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-large;">The Ganghwado Luge</b><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignIBzjHLxa5t1f81vNAwIPvMQRVbsDikjYyegMmrxrTo29XGWiRkuf1g9BF68EEq6tyi4kHEgLw9l2GXjXoJfUyw62ePrV7krOGONaZiwgNmwYQUwtWLwcmeMEi4hAVETV2BTXVWVwJA0ZlJXCz-Oc1SLaFncLEJkE3t9G-41XKzPNw79uKDTZp0a/s4032/IMG_3250.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignIBzjHLxa5t1f81vNAwIPvMQRVbsDikjYyegMmrxrTo29XGWiRkuf1g9BF68EEq6tyi4kHEgLw9l2GXjXoJfUyw62ePrV7krOGONaZiwgNmwYQUwtWLwcmeMEi4hAVETV2BTXVWVwJA0ZlJXCz-Oc1SLaFncLEJkE3t9G-41XKzPNw79uKDTZp0a/w480-h640/IMG_3250.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><div><br /></div><div>True to the spirit of making the most of a day, we left the Peace Observatory at 4pm and did a one-hour drive another 27km down south to the famous Ganghwado Luge. General McAli won this battle, and I was glad she did because we all enjoyed the 1.8km Luge ride so much.</div><div><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdjaZIJdzkMWOXaA6o-pq7VniOs9BHZleUvs7EIREePBD918Md1egufaayX5ft8faH-asRrHyvfRYF6STIKS3iTpQwMBkWdCNgLcLpOu44U2V8-YnYtffqHC00AjOj3Z1l4WDesEDr8oKyRF5JGw6ORaIUuXcbcHmYa7VMY5AhMXKreS1Rf9z1xFB/s1440/FL_20220602_0177.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdjaZIJdzkMWOXaA6o-pq7VniOs9BHZleUvs7EIREePBD918Md1egufaayX5ft8faH-asRrHyvfRYF6STIKS3iTpQwMBkWdCNgLcLpOu44U2V8-YnYtffqHC00AjOj3Z1l4WDesEDr8oKyRF5JGw6ORaIUuXcbcHmYa7VMY5AhMXKreS1Rf9z1xFB/w640-h480/FL_20220602_0177.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“I am very scared of speeding downslope one leh!”</span></b> complained Serene. But she did so well, and so slowly, that at one point her Luge actually hit the right wall and got stuck and she could not disengage her vehicle until she twisted and turned the steering and it loosened from the side wall and continued downslope slowly.</div></blockquote><div><br />She wasn’t bad at all. As the ride went on she actually plucked up courage and allowed the Luge to travel faster. I was right in front of her all the way to make sure she slowly and safely descended. Of course, Ah Li was way ahead and enjoying herself so much.<br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>“It was so nice, right? Wasn’t it?”</b></span> asked Ah Li at the end of it.</div></blockquote><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-z3aUdlLLZczH1UPhszxOjtijMClR4bnPNYD3xZrekuEl6pbrTiD5PVSyIkuB7jO-9NLLpOsohdGK7rydmBH9Mv5S9EIki_xx5q6lEfz9vo4SL6jLOvk9t8Ty-N2SP7j7gvu2PD1Ruu1LLF_moeZa3bOz1_EYF5NuGS7oqflyVSm9VSNEpf1n3i5/s4032/IMG_3246.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-z3aUdlLLZczH1UPhszxOjtijMClR4bnPNYD3xZrekuEl6pbrTiD5PVSyIkuB7jO-9NLLpOsohdGK7rydmBH9Mv5S9EIki_xx5q6lEfz9vo4SL6jLOvk9t8Ty-N2SP7j7gvu2PD1Ruu1LLF_moeZa3bOz1_EYF5NuGS7oqflyVSm9VSNEpf1n3i5/w640-h480/IMG_3246.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Agreed, I did. Because this Luge was really long and it had several hairpins and I could imagine myself going down full speed, which on this day I didn’t because I gladly accompanied the Ajumma.<br /><br />Thinking back, the fact that Serene and I came down sooooo slowly we literally were stretching our dollars (won) and making our money worth every single but by doing that sloooooow ride.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Jua; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">동</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">영</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">상</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="580" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/47SBkaIeHDY" width="850" youtube-src-id="47SBkaIeHDY"></iframe></div>My good... this video taken by Ah Li of both of us coming down the Luge at Halmeoni speed.. the staff must be puzzled why we were sooooooo slow...</div><div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>“Wah we really travelled so many spots today,”</b></span> said Ah Li at the end of the playing. <b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“We couldn’t have done all these if we had not had a car, you know.”</span></b></div></blockquote><div><br />Yes, precisely. In Seoul you can take the subway or bus, but here.. there are no subways and although they have buses it would still be inconvenient to travel to all these places spread across the Ganghwado island, all within a day. Ganghwado’s land area was half that of Singapore’s land size. But here many of the roads were single carriage roads and their speed limits on these roads were mostly 50km/h, some areas were strictly 30km/h, therefore it took time to drive from one part to another.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>용궁횟집 YeongGoong HwetJib (Sashimi restaurant)</b></span><br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“Let’s drive back to bear our Pension to have dinner because by the time it turns dark we would be just nearby the pension and can drive back easily,”</span></b> I suggested.</div></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tKLZr0zOVVyKWwD33zAs-JnsANP3oFU8eNs4groj2xIHEYI_v6KH1sp8SifPAh8OPCAOfc7L9YlZzW4weG0wSV1DzuhOJnnFdD4EBtQNh4S7dVpX7czINg96ZGRjC2v0yrNMNsX8tpsLxVxkRmLWmVHsljgU5BHXcYX36cUrRw7t3yeO1i3ld2TO/s1440/FL_20220603_0178.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tKLZr0zOVVyKWwD33zAs-JnsANP3oFU8eNs4groj2xIHEYI_v6KH1sp8SifPAh8OPCAOfc7L9YlZzW4weG0wSV1DzuhOJnnFdD4EBtQNh4S7dVpX7czINg96ZGRjC2v0yrNMNsX8tpsLxVxkRmLWmVHsljgU5BHXcYX36cUrRw7t3yeO1i3ld2TO/w640-h480/FL_20220603_0178.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And we drive straight to 용궁횟집, a well-reviewed Hwetjib that I found even before our trip. Actually way way before this trip, I already discovered this just really near our Bethel pension, and I have really wanted to bring them to try out the Hwe here. And for 119,000₩ we had a bottle of Makgeoli (sadly I couldn’t drink because I was driving) and a dinner meal of a most amazing spread of fresh Hwe and Maeuntang. The portions were so much that we were all full to the brims.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagNYzKc1_2Buzxs2tZqKamRNZLA4GrhBps4Hqw7IE55h00B0ioT1em719B06z62QQ9nTK0xLeTGMFQ5ASz5bXZVaGoxN5bVWU1UXZREfQp0fJMCTjAaUxjq9_5YWWGc2fhX2djJndOM9l_roFVZxQSSJTn6KutfRmspWY7urKzgXKX-j36SLaXNaX/s4032/IMG_3266.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagNYzKc1_2Buzxs2tZqKamRNZLA4GrhBps4Hqw7IE55h00B0ioT1em719B06z62QQ9nTK0xLeTGMFQ5ASz5bXZVaGoxN5bVWU1UXZREfQp0fJMCTjAaUxjq9_5YWWGc2fhX2djJndOM9l_roFVZxQSSJTn6KutfRmspWY7urKzgXKX-j36SLaXNaX/w640-h480/IMG_3266.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The family-run business. The young waiter asked us if it was ok, because the restaurant closes officially at 8pm on this Thursday evening. Of course, we were ok.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Lqdh8dG6Y3wuKvKnQWtMZaszJV5yMXBG2LMYmKd7_6oVLfvtCnFsbmQPCXn-v7HjT2a6Q9oGHtAKT-Dw6W3pEeYoRGKYBYrm40gVpjCqP7ON50CuizPzxPZk0gcKEFmH5JYDe4_RjT-ftIlNsgW7p4hhJia9B21I3WfQnKsmFri5iGevkxZQI8IF/s4032/IMG_3253.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Lqdh8dG6Y3wuKvKnQWtMZaszJV5yMXBG2LMYmKd7_6oVLfvtCnFsbmQPCXn-v7HjT2a6Q9oGHtAKT-Dw6W3pEeYoRGKYBYrm40gVpjCqP7ON50CuizPzxPZk0gcKEFmH5JYDe4_RjT-ftIlNsgW7p4hhJia9B21I3WfQnKsmFri5iGevkxZQI8IF/w640-h480/IMG_3253.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWNeKzu1iVnRrJ7xzrfwb9GoEB9K3jmSykc5XY_7DvZiAnrO_xAXpXnTpPrg71GMt-jQ_i0XKW8uwOG1i0HziAq8P5DtdFRBWLsmV--a6bqOySlNndyJq5TQLfCt3x3Coc6kIJUnzX1VcLUknuPJAScH2rrXtRzDRXJUNuVWz03EPwm6dWm3dTpnR/s4032/IMG_3280.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWNeKzu1iVnRrJ7xzrfwb9GoEB9K3jmSykc5XY_7DvZiAnrO_xAXpXnTpPrg71GMt-jQ_i0XKW8uwOG1i0HziAq8P5DtdFRBWLsmV--a6bqOySlNndyJq5TQLfCt3x3Coc6kIJUnzX1VcLUknuPJAScH2rrXtRzDRXJUNuVWz03EPwm6dWm3dTpnR/w480-h640/IMG_3280.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><br /></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC" style="font-size: large; white-space: normal;">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large; white-space: normal;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large; white-space: normal;"><br /></i></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><b style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: x-large;"><a name="5째날">5 째날: Day 5</a></span></b></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large; white-space: normal;"></span><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small;">[13th May 2022. Friday]</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><b>.... To where the Origin of Water is protected by The Fortress... - Suwon 수원 水原</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></b></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwrfg6bAWBZhfkl4r871Ne8nv6OD_riSQv90FcS5E6VstwCIR7ZluFw6AFHdqu3Q-_MuOFro5-asKqaGh7p_c2ki-BFSS-1RVtkDiWWPzFOJ0qek6aoT9DFmCLlFqCIt_vaMf6NYm91j1l6bVGY_WHDdsxYpGYpBk3RHU-FJELffLbVeAgsJcJp9v/s960/FL_20220624_0252.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwrfg6bAWBZhfkl4r871Ne8nv6OD_riSQv90FcS5E6VstwCIR7ZluFw6AFHdqu3Q-_MuOFro5-asKqaGh7p_c2ki-BFSS-1RVtkDiWWPzFOJ0qek6aoT9DFmCLlFqCIt_vaMf6NYm91j1l6bVGY_WHDdsxYpGYpBk3RHU-FJELffLbVeAgsJcJp9v/w640-h320/FL_20220624_0252.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drive from Ganghwado to Suwon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Jua; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">동</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">영</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">상</span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="500" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/im8R0VrMzrw" width="601" youtube-src-id="im8R0VrMzrw"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Little did we know today was also going to be quite a long day, because of the drive from Ganghwado to Suwon. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In retrospect, at the end of this day, we realised that we broke all the traffic rules that could possibly be broken in Korea. Was it easy to drive along the highway? Yes and no. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><b>‘Yes’,</b></span> because you simply just shoot 100-110km/h (speed limit 110km/h on highways) straight ahead and try to weave your way through huge container trucks and lorries which were similarly trying to one-up on you, while Ah Li and Serene were squirming at the side because the huge trucks were so near our car’s right side. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">\</div><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7vlOTr6bkxP1G3uDJS5MD0W78yEPDyCQqmixaV-Ix-xlNXkvJBmhsgfgLBiHF9DIthyJosqMhN1_8oxPpdfQ2jHtRlW2wLShAyAj8MRH9d8YT3lZGGslwC6nZ2kSrq5nZMSZSii_U_1OBF5H2P4GQqvPSbtGVo48le-G1fY4TPYH6Oss3_EkUl1R/s4032/IMG_3362.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7vlOTr6bkxP1G3uDJS5MD0W78yEPDyCQqmixaV-Ix-xlNXkvJBmhsgfgLBiHF9DIthyJosqMhN1_8oxPpdfQ2jHtRlW2wLShAyAj8MRH9d8YT3lZGGslwC6nZ2kSrq5nZMSZSii_U_1OBF5H2P4GQqvPSbtGVo48le-G1fY4TPYH6Oss3_EkUl1R/w640-h480/IMG_3362.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rest stop along the Highway</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And <b><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">‘No’</span></b>, because it was difficult to keep an eye on the GPS-directions while trying to keep the car from veering to the right of the lane from years of habit driving a right-hand-drive car, and trying hard to look at the Korean signboards (yes the English names were there too) and trying to lion for the toll gates. We had absolutely no intention to break the rules but despite all our good intentions, we invariably:
</span></p><ul><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>beat a red light driving
</i></span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Get caught in the middle of a traffic junction trying to turn right but the light turned red.
</i></span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>We drove through not one, but three toll gates without paying because although we aimed for the cash/credit card payment booth, somehow we ended driving through the high-pass booth, and we missed a filter turn on the right side going through the gate.
</i></span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>misjudged the distance between a truck on our right side, and swiped my right rear mirror slightly onto its back. Luckily nothing major.</i></span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Walking across the traffic junction we actually missed seeing the red man and walked through the pedestrian.
</i></span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #fce5cd;">We got out of a private building car park with no means of paying the parking fees, because the booth could not accept overseas credit cards and we inserted the T-money card instead of tapping it.. and had to trouble the hotel concierge to help.. but in the end it came to no avail, and finally Kim Man Jung rescued us by paying remotely for us.</span></i></span></p></li></ul></div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“I cannot believe we were so tunnel-visioned,”</span></b> complained Ah Li. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“The toll gate signs, the T-money tap signs.. all these were just in front of us, yet we missed all these.”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The drive trip from Ganghwado took us about 2 and a half hours. Generally smooth-sailing, but, honestly-speaking, quite hair-raising at some points. Fortunately for me, I had Ah Li navigating on the GPS on my right, and Serene who kept reminding me of the speed limit along different stretches.
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkBFnCGLaxMgB6TnaFyGy7RvKLs-ZuwdNPRIdSKoE47DeIk3nXH__hWKxA3fmmnd2XcffrRgFgkTPu4QZcnZ-LlGorFXr94eap5Y-sHzoBBOESjUyMuF6ay-9GuppJRkNucgKY_Gt0DDX0CU4VtLIQ6cxFKkokSOfvYEcft1SQWbUxLQVCthDZnl9/s4032/IMG_3365.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkBFnCGLaxMgB6TnaFyGy7RvKLs-ZuwdNPRIdSKoE47DeIk3nXH__hWKxA3fmmnd2XcffrRgFgkTPu4QZcnZ-LlGorFXr94eap5Y-sHzoBBOESjUyMuF6ay-9GuppJRkNucgKY_Gt0DDX0CU4VtLIQ6cxFKkokSOfvYEcft1SQWbUxLQVCthDZnl9/w640-h480/IMG_3365.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the 횡단보도 to Chicken Street</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Tightest of small streets to squeeze through...</b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">T</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">he small streets of Suwon was so narrow, not because of the street design, but because cars were parked illegally on both sides of the small street, leaving barely enough space for a normal car to squeeze through. We had to make a U-turn at one point because we were stuck in one of these small streets and couldn’t squeeze through. Terrible. The Koreans are a brave people, being able to force their ways driving through the narrowest spaces available.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuAnrqbcps0QLg3seAgD96tRyYXEJRGpbXU4YPx55SD86klL2amVL9C-EEsZ-lN6v9Iq8n4IynlwXCnFQ1-Teug69iBHycuPg8uA8PIf1c6kaIbEcWkkAFyWdeF8yZY3JlHbazQ94jFoixX4zl3r6FIuqQLyzNjc1CJCRW5n67uahvK5fIw2j8cDZ/s4032/IMG_3403.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuAnrqbcps0QLg3seAgD96tRyYXEJRGpbXU4YPx55SD86klL2amVL9C-EEsZ-lN6v9Iq8n4IynlwXCnFQ1-Teug69iBHycuPg8uA8PIf1c6kaIbEcWkkAFyWdeF8yZY3JlHbazQ94jFoixX4zl3r6FIuqQLyzNjc1CJCRW5n67uahvK5fIw2j8cDZ/w640-h480/IMG_3403.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;">Our first official Suwon Fried Chicken SikTang</td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuAnrqbcps0QLg3seAgD96tRyYXEJRGpbXU4YPx55SD86klL2amVL9C-EEsZ-lN6v9Iq8n4IynlwXCnFQ1-Teug69iBHycuPg8uA8PIf1c6kaIbEcWkkAFyWdeF8yZY3JlHbazQ94jFoixX4zl3r6FIuqQLyzNjc1CJCRW5n67uahvK5fIw2j8cDZ/s4032/IMG_3403.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Suwon Chicken Street 수원통닭거리</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Car parks were aplenty in Suwon. Not that expensive. For four hours of parking in the 공영주차장 public car park, it only cost us 5,400₩ (S$5.88). So parked we did. And walked to the famous Suwon Chicken Street 수원딝거리. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHczADbT2e7TWWQkF6-L-hl8ejYBXWrdnOJDWkmOVWMbHgrDW1HeKsF1-A95oFE2DFQs8ZBKc-6kCG2BlhS1Hmz67XsECF_bLVNEAhyJleb8B3LBbV53W4V88GdzL9b9CFu7JqlhVBivxCIe-F_p_TYQRJlscgdCjHsXe2y6oK7dPowlZbgSDaKjR/s720/FL_20220610_0204.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHczADbT2e7TWWQkF6-L-hl8ejYBXWrdnOJDWkmOVWMbHgrDW1HeKsF1-A95oFE2DFQs8ZBKc-6kCG2BlhS1Hmz67XsECF_bLVNEAhyJleb8B3LBbV53W4V88GdzL9b9CFu7JqlhVBivxCIe-F_p_TYQRJlscgdCjHsXe2y6oK7dPowlZbgSDaKjR/w640-h480/FL_20220610_0204.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Suwon is famous for its fried chicken,”</b></span> I said.<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"> “And here along Chicken Street we can find all the SikTangs selling various styles of whole chicken.”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmCInHreHTtBdqDrNWy7vJLF-XORjGdAKQj_BLrV5GU1AFT4tn4a7xzkfQBCPVJ7BNhxj5PcwFFoY2qxU1aRBV3IK-a5LyK_wlIKV82zHLlifzKsGmvbLqVXt1TjVdU7GgzlzX5wmG340t14bpBHc1ES4BVuXOwbdCV_JkZXc9E3G8R4GMneOV1bY/s4032/IMG_3366.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmCInHreHTtBdqDrNWy7vJLF-XORjGdAKQj_BLrV5GU1AFT4tn4a7xzkfQBCPVJ7BNhxj5PcwFFoY2qxU1aRBV3IK-a5LyK_wlIKV82zHLlifzKsGmvbLqVXt1TjVdU7GgzlzX5wmG340t14bpBHc1ES4BVuXOwbdCV_JkZXc9E3G8R4GMneOV1bY/w640-h480/IMG_3366.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first fried chicken at HaengGoong TongDak</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The first one we came to 행궁통닭 (Henggung whole chicken) run by a very nice Ajussi, we went in and ordered half half plate of fried chicken and Suwon King Kalbi chicken (수원왕갈비 닭). It was delicious especially with the Ajussi SaJangNim being so warm to us and asked about where we came from and how was things.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbW9XHG3NRiqFR_ZSIDIC1g7YsFLNj0cB79uZPLqUEs3jBdYQV2ZsvhRQ29535omR0i5rlYWaD3LVtYYhun5qqV7aHcimv8h2E-jU24AanSSIFmMBhNWnLlXM7aYZLSWntb9N40APJv1xulkTwScjsyr-ZYg3VbsAnvsgjGq1albrLXH7lP-WbT54/s4032/IMG_3379.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbW9XHG3NRiqFR_ZSIDIC1g7YsFLNj0cB79uZPLqUEs3jBdYQV2ZsvhRQ29535omR0i5rlYWaD3LVtYYhun5qqV7aHcimv8h2E-jU24AanSSIFmMBhNWnLlXM7aYZLSWntb9N40APJv1xulkTwScjsyr-ZYg3VbsAnvsgjGq1albrLXH7lP-WbT54/w640-h480/IMG_3379.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HaengGoong TongDak's style of soy and fried chicken</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But we were naughty and Ah Li was hungry. After we finished the 27,000₩ meal, we walked down Chicken Street, made a U-turn back and had another chicken in the restaurant directly opposite Henggung Whole Chicken, this second time round ordering a whole plate of fried chicken, because Ah Li said: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“I’m still a little hungry. Why don’t we try another chicken shop?”
</span></b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6l3BsCloGx4iTO1wJMzxTa7uf7ZJ8HwGXUjRgkabQGd8Yj4e1Z-cwkdKvAiNt8IluBh2hCB8MzQSShD-AKYWukBZZ9fUmhI_uD9O5U9oI8wK5_jpFuXo9Eab2LcIEYaAcbpZB73ZB911YhIq-7KGFhVs9R4oCKY6B8JCcXrsVnpM0Vhz9vbCrprc/s4032/IMG_3409.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6l3BsCloGx4iTO1wJMzxTa7uf7ZJ8HwGXUjRgkabQGd8Yj4e1Z-cwkdKvAiNt8IluBh2hCB8MzQSShD-AKYWukBZZ9fUmhI_uD9O5U9oI8wK5_jpFuXo9Eab2LcIEYaAcbpZB73ZB911YhIq-7KGFhVs9R4oCKY6B8JCcXrsVnpM0Vhz9vbCrprc/w640-h480/IMG_3409.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second chicken shop across the Ajussi's HaengGoong Chicken</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p>Truth to be told, I really didn't have any much plans for this day, as we would always play by ear. And that we drove that 100km here, and that we just had not one, but TWO meals of fried chicken, meant that our brain-fog were setting in. Remembering what I saw on KakaoMap, that just next to Suwon Chicken Street, we could follow alongside Suwon Stream and walk back up north to where we parked our car just outside Suwon Fortress Museum.</div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Walking along Suwon Stream (수원천 水原川) and discovering 동남각루 (東南角樓)</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvY9xfnJMAZJs_kRtFrpPP-OSdzbDQZF6vg27cfh5WCiGzJzm9kHKqccQU4L22A6PXbud8OxnkmGHrg88jJx0uq8GSzHqgrqC0ZJxjFNT0pLtxB6TLmvqjvKuGNjJ6jJQSmZDqVt0rQNhhbD9MAunj2zUAHrz9LYBV79wYmGPAoj1i0GLZZScSC98/s4032/IMG_3469.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvY9xfnJMAZJs_kRtFrpPP-OSdzbDQZF6vg27cfh5WCiGzJzm9kHKqccQU4L22A6PXbud8OxnkmGHrg88jJx0uq8GSzHqgrqC0ZJxjFNT0pLtxB6TLmvqjvKuGNjJ6jJQSmZDqVt0rQNhhbD9MAunj2zUAHrz9LYBV79wYmGPAoj1i0GLZZScSC98/w640-h480/IMG_3469.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">동남각루 東南角樓</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We were a little confused in our orientation. But in retrospect, this was the part of the Suwon Fortress that was just near PalDalMun 八達門. Delighted we were to find what resemsbles a l</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">ocal vegetable market, blacksmith, cooking oil shops, spice shops, along the old street along the stream … it was kind of likea SiJang </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">시장</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> 市場. </span></p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MyOjZAEBhrEp6QMRC6LqVRj6AP3Y8YvhOaxg8ECiH3G5Uw8jmkIDwiS1EIKxtokyGhWs3S1RKiaocF7YxI7NKPAM3sgw9h7KvvEmOzM1dGQSduuA-XL3KeYHfVPI67ODUNCx_uZDudZHpuT-kH1EaoPYP9TQo9Cnrs5DcNMKAHNENqQKeYIEFjT_/s4032/IMG_3414.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MyOjZAEBhrEp6QMRC6LqVRj6AP3Y8YvhOaxg8ECiH3G5Uw8jmkIDwiS1EIKxtokyGhWs3S1RKiaocF7YxI7NKPAM3sgw9h7KvvEmOzM1dGQSduuA-XL3KeYHfVPI67ODUNCx_uZDudZHpuT-kH1EaoPYP9TQo9Cnrs5DcNMKAHNENqQKeYIEFjT_/w640-h480/IMG_3414.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And we saw an old fortress wall just beside the stream and we walked up to find DongNamGakRu (동남각루 東南角樓) just above the NamSuMun (남수문 南水門) the gate that straddles the Suwon stream (수원천 水源川). This DongNamGangNu was a little pavilion that was used for leisurely watching the city below during the ancient days.</span></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wvFZwYnFlPjcEf7-OSA5T-4-_wC3D38ccNlQxbJtFYCSj-dnSme0FR_bH0v17fSEqiXTliZp7q_eoBsRnDtkwtr0gjvrzC2ljl5U8cFTvoQu0OsLcBcFNdgS1g_Pc_RHQyP7l2mbvRN9qROjrOpKfas6dOlJUI64WBMvhchESvsVLaUpOj6ymbC2/s720/FL_20220610_0200.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wvFZwYnFlPjcEf7-OSA5T-4-_wC3D38ccNlQxbJtFYCSj-dnSme0FR_bH0v17fSEqiXTliZp7q_eoBsRnDtkwtr0gjvrzC2ljl5U8cFTvoQu0OsLcBcFNdgS1g_Pc_RHQyP7l2mbvRN9qROjrOpKfas6dOlJUI64WBMvhchESvsVLaUpOj6ymbC2/w640-h480/FL_20220610_0200.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The climb up the steps was merely a prelude to what we would be doing the next day on a fuller scale, but hahaha.. Serene was already kao-beh-kao-bu-ing liao. It was a very interesting mix, right on the wall of the fortress we could peer afar and see the Catholic church in the mid-ground. It was the classic Ancient-modern, East-West juxtaposition so famously mentioned time and time again in Korea.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZ3IhnxIPu4NpOcmWp-IGkmBHF-o3d6Lq8TbYAmw_Qa0gF_zHc2U9RWepS3pULqWwRrjYiecg3daG1NMGqqlwsyCAQ4V3LXFAqv-9iTQhF9AcZQXnqo5MsuJcLnwNr-UX9J9nRhiUfNlLwBgfhhvZ4Ggk27Wxc2_N_TJP-rBMwUodxiLnGzUxBTsp/s720/FL_20220610_0201.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZ3IhnxIPu4NpOcmWp-IGkmBHF-o3d6Lq8TbYAmw_Qa0gF_zHc2U9RWepS3pULqWwRrjYiecg3daG1NMGqqlwsyCAQ4V3LXFAqv-9iTQhF9AcZQXnqo5MsuJcLnwNr-UX9J9nRhiUfNlLwBgfhhvZ4Ggk27Wxc2_N_TJP-rBMwUodxiLnGzUxBTsp/w640-h480/FL_20220610_0201.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Hwaseong Fortress Museum 수원 화성박물관 水原華城博物館</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFVsZB3IkTAm9kdFzN2OQ9kWukkr98ZM8aazv9YvYOdxQH1mZMXEBHEJ6Jad_hZLr_49409fcf5r2Gkes9vqHoTc2Jl0rMs608RZP9EcNgUsj0q-uxyeTsYYxd7aQlbqv6RAMc8Gk16ba4yU3Fs2cAnzQ7UQeshH151JTrkeAoSVkrQJRHr14s51e/s4032/IMG_3492.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFVsZB3IkTAm9kdFzN2OQ9kWukkr98ZM8aazv9YvYOdxQH1mZMXEBHEJ6Jad_hZLr_49409fcf5r2Gkes9vqHoTc2Jl0rMs608RZP9EcNgUsj0q-uxyeTsYYxd7aQlbqv6RAMc8Gk16ba4yU3Fs2cAnzQ7UQeshH151JTrkeAoSVkrQJRHr14s51e/w640-h480/IMG_3492.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Hwaseong Fortress was commissioned and building started in January of 1974 and contruction was completed in September of 1796. And in 1997. Hwaseong Fortress was entered into UNESCO World Heritage Site. That the fortress was built in the Joseon dynasty by then King JeongJo not only to form a defence entity and for preparation of the (intended) move of the capital to Suwon, but also that he built this to house the remains of his respected father the late Crown Prince Janghyeon escaped us, until we read about it. <br /><br />Here, the middle of the city, Suwon Hwaseong fortress museum (수원화성박물관 水原華城博物館) was a lovely concept which illustrated the construction of the Suwon Hwaseong fortress and the history of Suwon from Emperor Taejong. Ah Li and I have always loved museums, all kinds of museums. And we found that in Korea, every city has at least one (or more) museum that was representative of the local history. Suwon Hwaseong Fortress was just one of them.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2ZSZMqY2hjRSbScEvmtZqPcPSOkabvc4hkgq35Sv7ajyYUetVMJB8Op1n3qETp2ifW8rV93lDPYf5r6aS0Om4phKG2C5Kgb5GWS-901KGpxbl7SLau6yF-Hi1cGpXZhdyuR9vpBP8NY3Xmi3y1XTXofixI8DsQeosYZljHLhZ3zTqR3lHXmrWNTf/s720/FL_20220609_0193.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2ZSZMqY2hjRSbScEvmtZqPcPSOkabvc4hkgq35Sv7ajyYUetVMJB8Op1n3qETp2ifW8rV93lDPYf5r6aS0Om4phKG2C5Kgb5GWS-901KGpxbl7SLau6yF-Hi1cGpXZhdyuR9vpBP8NY3Xmi3y1XTXofixI8DsQeosYZljHLhZ3zTqR3lHXmrWNTf/w480-h640/FL_20220609_0193.GIF" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This museum was not huge. And it was of just right a size for a slow 45 minutes walk-through. The photo on the entrance of how the Fortress surrounds the whole city of Hwaseong (the old name for Suwon) was magnificent. I couldn't help but sized it up and<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xD3tzMJCGj-MyE6IU5PvWtgcUxDu43BJePTM3DIIn6HSyrIiHS10YThjMG5wGpUsQ4T2zvla5ggv7d4FAkbKZ9Ggb6qDKTeCIjC98ZXdsSXWoFW_RacPQTO3QOvAO19uzD1UMdA-HCt-jsqxnqfS7j1pGwnjgjS4SLHDkt8LxKPw9dB57_yOF33-I5D1DDOTx2oCd3stzSf_d9MTk_FXDGUzsz8Cxu-9YfZFPjzt5FhtfIXOlcRJ6xLiXLOKT841fnX2cJKaze0yz5o7Mr76FssWnBPQK9L7TVi25zTKjEWOzyqARbPj8nVk0C8ELoAu6vHWMEhSnABAFENmUqovbjet0xNsYP2297Lmrh3pOq5HCz2D-RFepkHyyd3qQkpQX29mnDEbDY5SXP-IbrmYrurH9PGIAuCvG40l2-HXH5DsI1Qehjd0Cykn2MiE97l4ByQXA74GQ06-Qj5EyNkffqcLMd6XLJox23lE9_hCJOsVGh_WACNlLOPMB4sQbtc4p6XuZJCWs9asqKpNVOTX1kObjw8mVtiQ5hIZJePz2SSjy2d2OYALOnU-HSqzGTjjbz92ChA7_Cy-h9dcOy0trkamVS0jef4HO20UumACqoN_6j9wYE7uPW1QGQKUEbcgJ8RB-sBpq_NieVDgsZESUwmE3JK3z4yc3lHl651SdejkEGq23YRaEzjNpxnIo0j193EQebwlvhnnD7_Y2iL1SkgRh4BYOylOrBQfgtWx-T5If_5Ue9aZn0P9Y-kO=w2394-h947-no?authuser=0" target="_blank"> place it here</a> because I could imagine the sense of security as a city dweller I would feel if I were to be living in those days of old, with the city fortress guarded by soldiers.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSpu0RXpul4n0kmGuNrweMp2Y_1eruIkmauQad0Jyxb249ul3J0UVnHlPg5HbfeJu7LDaZnBO4Bp_ehamP34cZjxtswwVHyIygM_FCc2Jsxf95avoRx2dS6mcQZPLbfjHdKSlJSKjtSdC3bWQqwj-8popOhjYB_LBfb1IoDHMdbfDiIHe9ZNTTfS4w/s4183/Scan%2011%20Jun%202022%20at%2022.06.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1655" data-original-width="4183" height="635" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSpu0RXpul4n0kmGuNrweMp2Y_1eruIkmauQad0Jyxb249ul3J0UVnHlPg5HbfeJu7LDaZnBO4Bp_ehamP34cZjxtswwVHyIygM_FCc2Jsxf95avoRx2dS6mcQZPLbfjHdKSlJSKjtSdC3bWQqwj-8popOhjYB_LBfb1IoDHMdbfDiIHe9ZNTTfS4w/w1601-h635/Scan%2011%20Jun%202022%20at%2022.06.jpg" width="1601" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The miniature models were brilliantly made and three of us had a delightful time inside. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The construction of the fortress with heavy slabs of rocks using pulley systems and ingenious wooden instruments of lifting, all using man-power, was illustrated in detail. Even the<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ntz2qpDwsCWjvS5PkU3Ltw_RGHT1D28vQoVI2OumLpiUDFZGgAEqYUZCBVtQonTUkZJMsDWQD6JuDcPLMIUtkXM1Bt5WBPgtPwHVg_hs394U7GFvAbACeGnRqxc4CppO6XSRzdrP8Z8/w1263-h947-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank"> black and white photos</a> on display of <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SH3zl0wBjyQebRnt-xRHrZc-nbI_rHyVI4VCX3i8JBSqk5mZr6ydDZWWq0g6fH138QMwibuXIM9v--9RX8ZpGUIfExBtM1C1TFalWIlLGIUfMPw_S3BaUA0_KCyaV4IGYIYXwod7sOtWqCU4_NQXN7JTl5k6Z__0SWk2W40kAg_ww2WCW7fBPCMbXGMS7ATzmVbzUKy3cPozvK9F29NGHXtrBZ_8XWd7Xi049m4ICV9AQgSiCmJk5FhLRzjybIxrItmEqHa4ve78D-AM71M3vJUfz5nlPQxpyvQBvvVwnI-hAlBHK0hkB2nLxHW7e0z5dOkaTRvHiGmPAp0AcfE_HrCTwzRCzF0CZ5n5g0Of17mIUT3ivRaf-v0nGldHQEjvlEX8zvfJWlKTFeY5Z633HQqI6mo3UQVX3CjIILKMuZAguvULqr03xkCn1-naBzO7oyY9rHEFfa4yRxoD7dme-Y5vYujhXYN-w6DxpLAJi6HFjfLM4QbzjQjwdLj7h-69BMnXSm69taCG2kFksQl3hdIgAuotIKZSAF64z_59lZ3d7oODgP_RsRExAcibAzaGGzawqc7DuXC6zl5OStp0A69V4Xlxr0hKXuulVXinoH4wab8kk8Do302tgmGqKpsJxBaJ9Udc4hXwOnpneR3Ml4UgLMB8hpk-__wu_F41X5UPBWNARSHrmdreaJljNjGrGeLpmh9cEbLovGFEZCUQ0cBwyBAU5HdgnLVBoPYfxpXos3f5LNkoXN6drWBz=w711-h947-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">ancient Suwon </a>was a thrill to read and behold.</span></p><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicoz5EQatbTu2s8XRWYudS4hi9wQNRNZxXhkpon7oR5q3GLeNfQjmfltnr5VRGc31YN3zm6rVG7rvFFnBIcqwyg7dUbkQrMT8lYEqN0l-yoL4-M7atwNUT9WevqIeOssrwtFcxLPzBdtBhSJ25nQh6R36hOfDtJE6APfWBOC96l8wjvbCJVbtkXoEp/s4032/IMG_3505.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicoz5EQatbTu2s8XRWYudS4hi9wQNRNZxXhkpon7oR5q3GLeNfQjmfltnr5VRGc31YN3zm6rVG7rvFFnBIcqwyg7dUbkQrMT8lYEqN0l-yoL4-M7atwNUT9WevqIeOssrwtFcxLPzBdtBhSJ25nQh6R36hOfDtJE6APfWBOC96l8wjvbCJVbtkXoEp/w640-h480/IMG_3505.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Wah many workers must have died during the construction,”</span></b> I said.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Yah, can imagine thot time all the people working were slaves and workers who were malnourished but yet had to work very hard to carry all these,”</span></b> added Serene.</span></p></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/N-REAwOjZRKosxc4MCw9fu9ynem3wMMWxTWGijWsFRUODiTxs0XDgEN6n-vca5TEiW2EGZQuDTHRSUspMeouivZoAsXR_wKuxk0UYrPprAhnLQhZV5ADxQ4HSQQXU6ReuL0lqksa69j9rl09Wc39h2LMrCJuM1bAIOPUmGggIGd0k_4qVTJmWVRdZ0CCVM41dJxTAA7VLkDzVi-gHWA_l4qqckaj9McEJlyCwBC79QlB_OwQAk073PrKgRIhgRguDsFy1CLagfj2IJ5YhetzfWlvMIDAP3ZEqctG8JVdSjYSyYBWLK1G1L15aHYtt1OO6EBFRoTDI1vZXGxkaD5cVDOQuGfQ5oxnD6fBqVyX2TrwjRx-ispHeKNYVZXLf3K9r5yHLs7T2EoPCPiC6kitjUhfLHkVP2ypqGv2TnVYiAveXJtAwTbqmyUMhA7C5WhfANotzAoSOR7_3nFEeAeeFB1HC8ys4ALFivoy0LIqu7lGdgP6n2adWxTk2RuiaNw4ReHCSNRzAeVKK7s9P0RQGEXdJLob5bBvyp3-XKkEXfl56U0RWJRmvvZ-GDvVl2pSSfQTyLiBCP0yk_S7RUzCtek_fnl54vRmG2wjRmQKvscu8hK6-7HOHS0GpL4IA9eENARYdvOcdU_4GB8y7XOdmJSSmmb9oYewkGxA9EQZUhfOD4mPPUqKDDcr7Jz9z-yUEr7dH3lmHJbrT8ZrBajVZTsfvXGoXUcHC0Kq3g_Q8imPatbTrd90dDfAJSb5=s1820-no?authuser=0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1820" height="333" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/N-REAwOjZRKosxc4MCw9fu9ynem3wMMWxTWGijWsFRUODiTxs0XDgEN6n-vca5TEiW2EGZQuDTHRSUspMeouivZoAsXR_wKuxk0UYrPprAhnLQhZV5ADxQ4HSQQXU6ReuL0lqksa69j9rl09Wc39h2LMrCJuM1bAIOPUmGggIGd0k_4qVTJmWVRdZ0CCVM41dJxTAA7VLkDzVi-gHWA_l4qqckaj9McEJlyCwBC79QlB_OwQAk073PrKgRIhgRguDsFy1CLagfj2IJ5YhetzfWlvMIDAP3ZEqctG8JVdSjYSyYBWLK1G1L15aHYtt1OO6EBFRoTDI1vZXGxkaD5cVDOQuGfQ5oxnD6fBqVyX2TrwjRx-ispHeKNYVZXLf3K9r5yHLs7T2EoPCPiC6kitjUhfLHkVP2ypqGv2TnVYiAveXJtAwTbqmyUMhA7C5WhfANotzAoSOR7_3nFEeAeeFB1HC8ys4ALFivoy0LIqu7lGdgP6n2adWxTk2RuiaNw4ReHCSNRzAeVKK7s9P0RQGEXdJLob5bBvyp3-XKkEXfl56U0RWJRmvvZ-GDvVl2pSSfQTyLiBCP0yk_S7RUzCtek_fnl54vRmG2wjRmQKvscu8hK6-7HOHS0GpL4IA9eENARYdvOcdU_4GB8y7XOdmJSSmmb9oYewkGxA9EQZUhfOD4mPPUqKDDcr7Jz9z-yUEr7dH3lmHJbrT8ZrBajVZTsfvXGoXUcHC0Kq3g_Q8imPatbTrd90dDfAJSb5=w640-h333?authuser=0" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serene's shot</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUiRjy4qfCqQH-fyBi7wzT2WQa2URhzQcSJSY9JfccGk4DxBZxzw7Vtm6rVPzpaBKoGJh8_uIFiB8i0FPLwEfyfXH1ByBZTchp0CpAhzc_BZkSWi7ZyzLwxWBqIf184CSbV4I5PS0bDQB2JMHuF11jam6p7FVnfcDfEpqBPOe2Yf0b_qEt1HIx0lI/s4032/IMG_3521.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUiRjy4qfCqQH-fyBi7wzT2WQa2URhzQcSJSY9JfccGk4DxBZxzw7Vtm6rVPzpaBKoGJh8_uIFiB8i0FPLwEfyfXH1ByBZTchp0CpAhzc_BZkSWi7ZyzLwxWBqIf184CSbV4I5PS0bDQB2JMHuF11jam6p7FVnfcDfEpqBPOe2Yf0b_qEt1HIx0lI/w640-h480/IMG_3521.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Walking back to our parked car...</b></span></p></div><p>One of our happy habits, developed by this day in Korea, was to pop into the convenience stores and to see what kind of special cold coffee they had. We slipped into one of the CU stores. And encountered the very courteous store keeper. </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">CU Ajumma:<span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: x-large;"><b> “where are you all from?”</b></span></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Oh we hardly see Singaporeans here in Suwon,”</b></span> she replied when told where we were from. <b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: x-large;">“For the past 7 years I have never seen single Singaporean here. I mostly see Chinese - either Joseon people from China (朝鮮族) or Chinese who have been living here in Suwon. Sometimes I see Japanese but Singaporeans, no.”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">That was perhaps why she was very thrilled to see us, three Singaporeans finding our ways in Suwon, and buying coffees and cup noodles from her CU convenient shop. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In fact many of the local shop keepers were warm and friendly, like the SaJangNim of the chicken restaurant, the store keeper in the CU convenient shop, the Ajumma in the fruit shop where we bought a packet of grapes from? And the old Halmeoni SaJangNim of the Tteok shop where we bought the traditional tteok (rice cakes) from. They all curiously asked where we were from.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“You know,”</span></b> I said to Eomma Serene and Ah Li, <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“I really do think that Singaporeans are not too common here in Suwon. And here in Suwon, the feel and the vibes of the city is different from that of Seoul.”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In retrospect, I think actually many Singaporeans do travel to Suwon. Perhaps no where as many as to Seoul. Suwon is so flavourful a city that I am sure many would long to explore it. Especially so if Suwon's Hwaseong Fortress has been designated as a UNESCO World Hertiage Site. Perhaps in the past two and a half years, during Covid, tourists number has plunged.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“I think hor, after the long drive you all must be tired,”</span></b> reasoned Serene.<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b> “Let’s go check into the hotel first, and rest a while before we go out again lah.”</b></span></span></p></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Good idea.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Check in, we did, after pulling up into the wrong car park in the building next to the hotel, and after being frustrated by the failure to make payment for the wrong parking, we happily checked in and rested till 6:15pm. I was definitely glad that during spring the daylight hours are long in Korea, the sun rises at 5am something and sets at around 8pm, so we had plenty of daylight hours to roam about.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So we took a bus, and as expected, I made a wrong call to alight one bus stop earlier, and we had to exercise 1km worth of fat off from our bodies by walking to the Flying Suwon hot-air balloon..
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</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b>Flying Suwon... un-flew</b></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Before we even set foot upon Suwon, I promised myself that I would bring the ladies to fly up in thjis famous Suwon Balloon, just so that we could see the night city view from atop.</span></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9N0P954IBo5yneSW09HcPJwugOP4XEtlveqwBJFn-r28ovG1-XcndkFSRhaJ0KiOi624f4mGetP89BGuxnXOG84UB_l4HcBR6RKO_MOoki3nuL-zVO6RRD95MVEcNVjUbTygnf_g2-F0cHDWj8OliC-zuie-mivCiJmCkvW5zC5K92rYXmIZvSIF/s4032/camphoto_1254324197.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9N0P954IBo5yneSW09HcPJwugOP4XEtlveqwBJFn-r28ovG1-XcndkFSRhaJ0KiOi624f4mGetP89BGuxnXOG84UB_l4HcBR6RKO_MOoki3nuL-zVO6RRD95MVEcNVjUbTygnf_g2-F0cHDWj8OliC-zuie-mivCiJmCkvW5zC5K92rYXmIZvSIF/w480-h640/camphoto_1254324197.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The balloon that did not fly</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">When we arrived...</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“The balloon is not flying leh,”</span></b> said Serene when she saw the balloon anchored to the ground.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“I have a feeling it’s just a display set,”</span></b> said Ah Li.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Yah I agree. The real balloon must be somewhere behind,” </span></b>I replied. And not long after that, I got proven wrong when the friendly staff approached us and apologetically told us the balloon was not flying today because of non-ideal wind condition.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Failed attempt, this was. Why? Because I didn't check online if they were flying, or if they were not due to strong winds. </span> </p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpAi-I5E4RUOUtxJTC--CTID5xXQ3GJetgvaSpiQwV8ZO4Zngnb96fol72-x84Nyx3S8XB00ILj7yUjfhJHOWrb7SYqh1TNLGPJHKj0M5sc9K5c36pAhdX3cPwkFE5wTChqIKjncSG-DYuUakBFqMs1DMDAxP_0AUXZIhXaUimjszgliXujCxkSSJH/s720/FL_20220610_0202.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpAi-I5E4RUOUtxJTC--CTID5xXQ3GJetgvaSpiQwV8ZO4Zngnb96fol72-x84Nyx3S8XB00ILj7yUjfhJHOWrb7SYqh1TNLGPJHKj0M5sc9K5c36pAhdX3cPwkFE5wTChqIKjncSG-DYuUakBFqMs1DMDAxP_0AUXZIhXaUimjszgliXujCxkSSJH/w640-h480/FL_20220610_0202.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: x-large;">“내일은 어려울 것 같아요.”</span></b> (Tomorrow will also be difficult, I think), said the Suwon hot air balloon staff. “The wind is too strong for us to fly the balloon these few days. You may have to call before hand when you come next week.”</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Kwenchana,”</span></b> consoled Ah Li. </span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“There is always a reason for things happening,”</span></b> Serene’s usual <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/l_Da8WrHgXbPhlqXiS_854eC-r0h4dey0He8HuCDCV_IaPjS0pZLbC9iB2HwMCMM9EfSkD2Uhi69dDhqRPaf70prpEvdf7SWvxIpsxqA1P81YMc_jnvAFcRn9eScF6iqinWH2swJl5zGvScXqjAsvmV0MckLlSPIm0j-n8NfPeoeiJVYelIeDHck-zsfkTm01xJf0RSVxytd7TWpZ4lCosoQeUoFsbohx5zf3x3_I9Fkn4v4PgxGwikJcP8IYql59YhrX-1pxyI5p2J3ixHe_3XAQedspobdsYia99F6I1oUX4DKFxaUAkY_IOPjoZTtdWewCEXQezo7tKTz3p-ns9VYXGr-oRZOZ4orLVisuclkxgI1LjyfdipQQSREu_-AEZ5kI6efARkqG9tHSZ-MDO3zNSXlH18-uNLADjk_KczGrNWmWICiZbiQeTgi6kVlImjuRC6YEwWqp4Cv6ze3jH4u3Lsx0juwcVf1gEAIV3yBl7HG_7t_L4u1cPpr0hjy5oy0yLpCOc9lqIICCbC5BIfSV52qZBd6MZYGuJVGpxuv_4vK1nf5LxEIuWOisgnqW2UXJ2bPZ9c5U66How4Q087bk34piPhVIhN5cCim7aa5nc2gdvZreEujLj42N04sT3oLwVM5MbSyrBciG8uDzFD-e5_YlLqcx1_uwFKoZ7V1VngMPjFb-GRlVfLSFvEqoFZ2EaI8TDCto_u94YWHauzzHHxqkDNu6OfLsiwIvs8b5URdFThWDlEB40gt=w711-h947-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">explanation for everything</a>.</span></p></blockquote><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRJ7aiD-ofpaoVeiQlCTRalXnj-KlYZ-N_Fc1dnxfjr7xfW-7QCTncgtuqiS7nOJzV5ZYhNBQvqimEUApgCcXGDLaeHs-wFer7Urh-E4gDFqSmbt8ob_f9ZetZs0OkEqFEs0CYkkHd6PV0Cp3vXUKL2t-3QkzV_JjQD-5NRzyCvqrlly2YGqbWLjX/s4032/IMG_3568.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRJ7aiD-ofpaoVeiQlCTRalXnj-KlYZ-N_Fc1dnxfjr7xfW-7QCTncgtuqiS7nOJzV5ZYhNBQvqimEUApgCcXGDLaeHs-wFer7Urh-E4gDFqSmbt8ob_f9ZetZs0OkEqFEs0CYkkHd6PV0Cp3vXUKL2t-3QkzV_JjQD-5NRzyCvqrlly2YGqbWLjX/w480-h640/IMG_3568.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing up to the JangYoongMun 蒼龍們 but cannot enter cos closed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“It means unfinished business for we all. We may have to come back to Suwon again,”</span></b> this Ah Li ah… very clever talk.</span></p></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQDTorePpHQz4DER_7q2hWDRQ-nb5oliD9v7j6DX9oVFIYFpN3wteS7IM4LS7_l8PNFgHRBvBY9hrzKTv2T-VvAOW2V03CXIUsjMPQxBlhlDTLJ2q0keBpTmjBusYWnik1J_IGfUS42S53D01eej7be5Ia7SqfQpF4Ti5Zsn5HhqJLmfuijuCAoYR/s5564/IMG_2997.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2875" data-original-width="5564" height="509" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQDTorePpHQz4DER_7q2hWDRQ-nb5oliD9v7j6DX9oVFIYFpN3wteS7IM4LS7_l8PNFgHRBvBY9hrzKTv2T-VvAOW2V03CXIUsjMPQxBlhlDTLJ2q0keBpTmjBusYWnik1J_IGfUS42S53D01eej7be5Ia7SqfQpF4Ti5Zsn5HhqJLmfuijuCAoYR/w987-h509/IMG_2997.HEIC" width="987" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serene's pano shot of the beautiful sunset</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8mxetMFw0ECNXU2be6zpzpWccA_4qtBOu6aK9K-S0fiv-dCbKVUUfv5B18Wjd-6XtlGZ2GNg3Ch6kWRfXgpILoiC4CoIUM0tuB2QAA7FsoYgiA8fclunBffUT-BMNC11ExGB7gePfkqhHeHJYN0-oC34laC35AKpAZE3ZrKGGiPm-p4KLXIWHp7x/s5706/IMG_2994.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2804" data-original-width="5706" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8mxetMFw0ECNXU2be6zpzpWccA_4qtBOu6aK9K-S0fiv-dCbKVUUfv5B18Wjd-6XtlGZ2GNg3Ch6kWRfXgpILoiC4CoIUM0tuB2QAA7FsoYgiA8fclunBffUT-BMNC11ExGB7gePfkqhHeHJYN0-oC34laC35AKpAZE3ZrKGGiPm-p4KLXIWHp7x/w959-h470/IMG_2994.HEIC" width="959" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And it gave Serene more reasons to engage in her favourite activity - taking pano shots.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHGsG0Kh5QXsuqM2ulfieZRS335p0ItkCrs2CmqOYqFRvZ1plTNP6pYv9pE6SmoGelUdvR76yJFoE-kPWbJXsPM5NA1dAezdu-iwlqm5fewIm5qH8-XFhS9a-WAHGWmn627mbWc7JrWQk_rBnOn7Lt569rNnlg8MHR5at8u9kzMLGlvY4HyRge4uK/s4032/IMG_3595.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHGsG0Kh5QXsuqM2ulfieZRS335p0ItkCrs2CmqOYqFRvZ1plTNP6pYv9pE6SmoGelUdvR76yJFoE-kPWbJXsPM5NA1dAezdu-iwlqm5fewIm5qH8-XFhS9a-WAHGWmn627mbWc7JrWQk_rBnOn7Lt569rNnlg8MHR5at8u9kzMLGlvY4HyRge4uK/w480-h640/IMG_3595.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Despite it being a cool Spring night, the locals were dressed like it was summer.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But hey, it gave us a chance to walk through JangAnMun and explore a small part of the fortress in the evening and oh it was soooo beautiful at night with the lights. And it was crowded with locals here to exercise their legs and their cardiopulmonary systems after dinner. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilG_1Tg3DVyiE3x9ZbybQZK8DDI9ACVXwAFo1zx7S58LHYiduoh66KE_FlHW_ORsuptNEm5wUhXydmwpmqhBi8lgyL8_G16XrX682XwcIMyEfme4A3n0zEqbYZyFzho1CpnDElR9n6HsKiAu0e5CzOQOS2rtp8uaNfO7T7FnPQPsukxjpimDgFJqw5/s4032/IMG_3592.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilG_1Tg3DVyiE3x9ZbybQZK8DDI9ACVXwAFo1zx7S58LHYiduoh66KE_FlHW_ORsuptNEm5wUhXydmwpmqhBi8lgyL8_G16XrX682XwcIMyEfme4A3n0zEqbYZyFzho1CpnDElR9n6HsKiAu0e5CzOQOS2rtp8uaNfO7T7FnPQPsukxjpimDgFJqw5/w640-h480/IMG_3592.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have never seen a fortress wall so beautiful. Ever.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVzdTy7P9xE7OupzzMnrLA9e5hPnsb_PRRRk-AS-QZS8X9RoBWSox-8Fese9KZn1YOstlzVMmQtkAmHqAGPiaGfEoPwyym6vhxgndtFijKGDJQNdT3ZIkCazmVm7RizhvGwk9Bm1uMpsWG9CRv4_4UHNDVEZwjolJ8r-CRPr_W-yU1ksxI8vSiFuS/s4566/IMG_3001.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3504" data-original-width="4566" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVzdTy7P9xE7OupzzMnrLA9e5hPnsb_PRRRk-AS-QZS8X9RoBWSox-8Fese9KZn1YOstlzVMmQtkAmHqAGPiaGfEoPwyym6vhxgndtFijKGDJQNdT3ZIkCazmVm7RizhvGwk9Bm1uMpsWG9CRv4_4UHNDVEZwjolJ8r-CRPr_W-yU1ksxI8vSiFuS/w640-h492/IMG_3001.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah Li and I exploring the secret gate 暗門 안문</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Hwahongmun (화홍문 <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/J0pE1ug-VB_j_kvDyIAPBaGSiaYbJTYR0_NW12lrmLgWFTG7e1LXmbAv1TKVwwTUmk7RlEO_jZ3kDYX098zoZ6s1IFad8rj8OVhu8MvU6QQFv8LjPwDJoWOhYXWFEnLNAdsWDzn8r4VCG4nF7RlDnC4wDGBx5r7voEE_324l-cSzXcNWM3D-TgjTE_HyngRp6gdgOsg9SDlna41Ewbhw_zqEpms8DSNN2etnRZdT_qbaBrxYTq9vB5Ug4Ym0pdMydx95ut0d4E62c8NEcS6JfLSjCzHa1oa2KJWmPQaKKrolF_x_DVTWos7vp6il_zOuILrwyVKthAaP5QWnKJrd6gWrIjAWX3dWQTeDZH9Ld2Ju-4IQFJvtHrcnpi-cpuhmOnBCoos24BLaGHrwiXjR7sZcABWv_sjvUmXLN4XjQmJUXyvbR9Pr5JDuoEd6IG4a8Y5B6xMad1XXHpdSPPORmVmDXzFAPMDw7qUC6QlcBVXhX9rX2ePbQJWE-djQTrm-WRNojOBvcRqiZSyl4kPEEZLpHpaT4R5KiDMrEy6xY_Rn4wqoc5J96lOh-PDaqYfM5wTDPZHqBUW-6nOyXyLffzpWVXSa8MbOUhrSqrLqRUb4xOvt-OVrrXi0-siGvNy_Gr47Yiog2JkmB_0z1ouF-H1d63pyNuqCksfx0AfIoxaAef-uJE_0xS0YPDV32dxgxTtsAZtah2YBH1VVZXSXkITg_HTv0UJtuJEbTaC-ibLaaVdyx04jfZcdnrf-=w1263-h947-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">華虹門</a>) the gate with dome shaped openings below, that acted as a control for the Suwon Stream water flow, was our next destination. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXL5QtVBXLktdaJIesM-EK8lCrvIfOtdjhLY8_uutreDrzN1IPraGkfmCPTZ2fEmqUErGsQC8Tygqu4_wiRi2fmNtghVY7ccBHhgtSMr-iWMKA6vsAd_C3ZQlZyUT11hTxL2cUdt6zVolRfDQQslXKje5HQu5FNenuvZqcf5CIRGH7n1B7MclaI3q6/s4032/IMG_0095.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXL5QtVBXLktdaJIesM-EK8lCrvIfOtdjhLY8_uutreDrzN1IPraGkfmCPTZ2fEmqUErGsQC8Tygqu4_wiRi2fmNtghVY7ccBHhgtSMr-iWMKA6vsAd_C3ZQlZyUT11hTxL2cUdt6zVolRfDQQslXKje5HQu5FNenuvZqcf5CIRGH7n1B7MclaI3q6/w1005-h754/IMG_0095.HEIC" width="1005" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“We must see the nice light up on this HwaHongMun at night,” </span></b>I explained. </span></p></blockquote>And so we kept walking. Travelling with a rental car is great. It gave us the flexibility of parking the car at a spot, and then take the rest of the journey on feet, on bus or subway. Suwon is a great little city to <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IR6iN4z9PNyIvLBdKa_4P7-ymIibVbPn5d4NJKmMfleApaJs1qeHHLpcRWgiSrL17-B6K05idJDXB2jkQDGEhScanvx7hLjTUHkcGrNZ0nv5WySkgy7--g75Is_yh4OIORY-WnBTflWKL97-q8U8h2EqnzsdJ9go5Ij_3s_6cwVoAtwKkW9pXI7psEf4VIIImR10SoOwM1Iv5Zdz1CnhGv8NU8QnoEYk7ySUoytk4O-k4aAHEXRXn74n_PxTykhzD64X_C5Zmr4EDR1T1w2W4rajAjOOHnccw2fw37YxiZLkmrqu3ic5bX_7i1C2_iKY_svMcJghRvLcRVPcKwLv6fpZ5RzPFypZIr-ajyAH1_lobLCoMPzAIZXTrLUxbuH8zqgqxnHXnHC2Gxd2Bporhg0cE3J9Rkuq4O7DeHr3Fv6fPSJSYOZZHmi1lOSvYkmji1ZjdT_YIJoLEqv_HRDN_h0Cj1iFjDSSjiLhD25i-l-cEVnQ1dgath-BR5FvjcTuTySHl5PSXsqsM5Y5TxMRWILtS_LRD4dZ-8szmKPVXC9pJaJRuMdVP3qgIRhjZthTd9jsfpOYp_3tnZHoZS4u9o9FngxEax-QtW5x06Dgy5tfCF9oL2sLNumqt_Td6mXn7LsG7HHGhEKgUylTu0YgHOP86StWrSFcDWmRU5XwaxMMdQCyj-pwl4pZBeKLPiQ14tAT1bA8tOCYYp6ybzyP0hlS5JhMDPTrH23RDMMPiAsDtqvGttg7pNkA9BBh=w1263-h947-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">walk around</a>. And we see so many little <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/I_txr9K6InNg6MWnH7MYwOJOufV6qZfKY-c0IbZlFfVVoZntcOWmqFfdKoEYZva6xUvRQez5gzsfcPw9-FAh0g4Ykf5w9cV0l64zu1GfDnxR0UOeFH5oUyP-vw_v8rk_BNiZewJR7FUaQXS5_jcy1zdAMjw7XiLOz7LfC0maLrzhb1yNN_4FJCg6V31ZX5FNnDz7W5Tvb4uuv7mNGABU3DQvcG0qo0dvAxwrYrYveo68iqC4Ifd2sfK4_QPeq-cJO3--iqSskruju_qZxunmhc2wi76w2UEtvBU1c-21FO6329OpSgPx6dTJFXAzEkjZX5Ev48eVSNF5Ofg0FnalU3u6GnUZR0WFvBGSk6boCrR199KLGcyS2qSJPw2GWX9CD1pWvX3c2H4Ti7EOg2PtFXRRz5I1H_VrimbD5OTnA6QOd8cW8AhyqqGQgrvCXSGlVO4l8xpsVR75TxmYTORzUd2qs83o4vvVy7RpOIBYMHbyyCB4eAzDWOQRoK7_GCm-pGrK6Uy0TiBwbzMeBsUTtIHXZwz6v66jigm_PKid79tgEBjIq5v6nGlHryuUC_MJom_qrg-mrgpYir9tIZ9zgWo0UsivU-i3cEMdX4l3BgR3j_26pZp_fSchWlUisY06plEbrBMi1XGw40AYkcgAvd6DitIbJZjLJpYhV4FxF_vJkxZVlx9D_zXqMz760fjR3VbJVjTuORnPn5ckPKbpkKiylyPFv31e5obDViDq-6WccRbGCImlsXEt0Dsz=w1263-h947-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">flavourful typical shops </a>and alleys.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymTpb_zMAvKpg6qlCrlGiH10ae0DuxvuncgYb4ilxYTYU95A-P1qPWMKuH8OkRRX3YGDT0sfmV3XH7oSIzv1_rD3S0nT8q0XWzwQHa8yBDjtK2J7-bKZeopG9H_tBv2XkQDhNLdnj2-GzC4nhVMjIxBrIzU1kVDJBl36zedUtwhr3X2C2mXp6gj_R/s5724/IMG_3021.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2794" data-original-width="5724" height="613" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymTpb_zMAvKpg6qlCrlGiH10ae0DuxvuncgYb4ilxYTYU95A-P1qPWMKuH8OkRRX3YGDT0sfmV3XH7oSIzv1_rD3S0nT8q0XWzwQHa8yBDjtK2J7-bKZeopG9H_tBv2XkQDhNLdnj2-GzC4nhVMjIxBrIzU1kVDJBl36zedUtwhr3X2C2mXp6gj_R/w1258-h613/IMG_3021.HEIC" width="1258" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serene jolly-ly took her pano shot of HwaHongMun</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;">한판 삼겹살집 HanPan Samgyeopsal</span></b></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuIqQ0Tg936uXrej-S1362Ym7Hqfp-8jiSVwtoiu3S-CeBFxqw-ClQvcVwovsw3UQODjwBhymJ16Y0Y_Y85xVQMjAgBb135NHcUbWK9_S6QBAblnsdSpm0A2Ui4b9QmbunSCp1s1QUp5pmI1WujzdyUoQl26SOJe0rG3JnjRfYYPe1pfaDcKImu7-/s720/FL_20220610_0203.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuIqQ0Tg936uXrej-S1362Ym7Hqfp-8jiSVwtoiu3S-CeBFxqw-ClQvcVwovsw3UQODjwBhymJ16Y0Y_Y85xVQMjAgBb135NHcUbWK9_S6QBAblnsdSpm0A2Ui4b9QmbunSCp1s1QUp5pmI1WujzdyUoQl26SOJe0rG3JnjRfYYPe1pfaDcKImu7-/w640-h480/FL_20220610_0203.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Let’s walk 1.1km to our dinner restaurant, this one called HanPalSamGyeop 한팔삼겹 that is highly reviewed,” </b></span>I urged them and we walked through dark streets to the other side of Hwaseong fortress to arrive at a neighbourhood of restaurants. </span></p></blockquote><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9l-whGHK1ulG60bFN8QVE4Ua1J-KClrS7xh3KK6xcSlWWJT343kWvak4oehX-agpIyR-SojllpZWImghqbqcFO2V9tNjc53Fr5gC1tr_cjWBOhP2lA2Lbfp2g9txTJfebnAoDUwfYN3HjFYlSnk86MM6Zf7lspYoSzSF0Eh05wwAFvNakOcf4mhfX/s4032/IMG_3629.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9l-whGHK1ulG60bFN8QVE4Ua1J-KClrS7xh3KK6xcSlWWJT343kWvak4oehX-agpIyR-SojllpZWImghqbqcFO2V9tNjc53Fr5gC1tr_cjWBOhP2lA2Lbfp2g9txTJfebnAoDUwfYN3HjFYlSnk86MM6Zf7lspYoSzSF0Eh05wwAFvNakOcf4mhfX/w400-h300/IMG_3629.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erm.. we didn't eat this. Just passed by...</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">H</span></b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>anPalSamGyeop</b></span> was not bad. For 48,000₩ we had 200gm of SaengSamGyeopSal, 200gm of pork collar meat, and 200gm of pork cheek, with a bottle of Cass Beer and a bottle of soju.</span></p><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Totally jolly-ed, we walked back to buy buns from <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ftsKLk5VB_1QOWfEHdDNQfvyg9oNBf4GZpjdaZOOSzDtFIK77C1tOoBBcJj0EI0khPMzd77_J-vphs4fvBgZ2yc0H5SnDbw51wn9Rcw6uHR9-SauIWJoMcifu3cg0M5PgWCqjogypIiX9LnfeVtW8qkLOyYaPk9UCrveTEjUbC_px1ipUr962Q1l7kE8kxGFmCaWAJZ-RdStWRNNAdBZxaGJ0qa5WPD-ZRBcQExqQLWQLCnYDqc7zzdzRAXcO_KFpvAP7u25GhtVW8D4b-JorOSvkIA_o6BIwvEccbcGEx4KvkbebSdBFZuIeAha5vcfpj-JxNkgYeJ0AM-2VbsFHUz7fOQM5LoIGp4WyIiO3pHpkEw1YHhLnTgjz0Ob2j9QFg1nCx4cm34Jj58-R_jOL_esFvXHFM_5oHV7bitaVdHpbLvG2OA_n9EyplakxpYHfKKudQxjXgnksgWI6yQpCBmbb-cvHAYF6ubtQIrahTPKXH9syhLFGbQf3bWo6mPQZr_o1fHZYahEkWIA3LOby1pkEGMtpgCEmn5G1Zx4GGMu3Rsb9UmDfcTOIv16nXQra3UJpIZ14BhVR0_OCXhUG2Mn4sjf9YpLqz5qXDNh3iPhhRO_TYHQQ5J0sH2DqGcY94xNXeh117jgA5Md9uoX44CXfg5dn0xUBOUEQmkaiqmQdFhI1q5q7g3dB84toAst5nY02wSsznMZ3QCaUo8Zvms8-0J3VUlM4h23LUt_4hVj7mwuvyBjfaA-20Fo=w711-h947-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">Paris Baguette</a>, and Tteok from a traditional Tteok shop, which Ah Ali was so thrilled to have bought and to eat, and <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/k6ysFSDp9JKxaZIxvZsGqwRGCkNtLEqS3bj_qyDoD9JF0hnBlt4bX66qrZWMqDAxOsX0xqYKX3Pce5VkNvrwB5GnKAxZknIYttTXMof1IJRiLuSN5EcZqJDfknhuFdGxiW2y8f_nJCzTjjCkPRnf8fZZsa0Al9WKU5E9u8BeryNUhyNxQNHmB3D3rQhGbbClZX4yaV2YhendhrbGC457s6FDyTLPkt5b8LHBR9ZhSTc7Vf4wyuvNHDeRBpO7nHnJmUG0ISvFpey5xcXFf2ZdXIPT_sp70f5n3pqUpbubhum8p759z1_vw_o7Xf3JpjUbiaMBFSUJh3XOJy9Az8ikIIvZjaNesbC-OwuYfzQZvq6cYlpoy2VJyuN07qKwrwEPaBE_FipOcLRAZgZjEJmQ3h64POPt2_lvhpHn_2gPqTONpkcJziMt9CWY5PnjCM2o3QQHGncH1NtM5d5-QWL0EX-9cFl4yKTUlobBGTwFC3p9_0obuYqG5Z_wpv8F-nvSTDkf09Ik61qWzU-zUDvzGGP_8jcizqAf-5mhvtI5otGbF1YuMdW_FHXNPy9i8rEB50xYAb6JIWMXY42SRkHZG0WklqWpIwqPJ-VPzskmJEmyLB0ZebYAZx1qgKcyrukE0c_A_sjrO1BRLT872bn82L2-MJSG02HK99XRfb_30oqgIsW2dU-VETQVKqZAPEdRdbtlQHpXrmGdgENdU_r05esSuKAcqkH9ePmuek0HMRrBhMvnkQbHdVl8UpYL=w720-h540-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">bought fruits from a fruit stall</a>, and took a bus back. This time around the bus stop we stopped at was correct and we finally managed to <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIyLrGaoWqscK4PcCtn0X9cllvE0Qo_60jPg_i1s7hEA-pwUCY_KoeNFPPgY7LCjnioTQOpZyQrgjotJERSS9bWVAQI40WZTchE-TREYRR-2ilCPq_iye_82AYXZaE9iWuZALUB8RLqqY/w1263-h947-no/?authuser=0" target="_blank">walk back to our hotel.</a></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4PV4uy-ecQkAGyN01i6jPappQp8gGYjqv0Bu2zaxYP1qYuqrCZlQV91Ms9P56hwixNmqCyfYPyA_XUqXfnXrah6n1y8YEQR9EBAgJn11CUdVIj1xnwyD1JiFC0xaE9_ZF78vypdOyHgbUvMaI5nSTPxAuA1deks7rTHeqP4xJnv3Z1wP4UoBiJAz/s4032/IMG_3656.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4PV4uy-ecQkAGyN01i6jPappQp8gGYjqv0Bu2zaxYP1qYuqrCZlQV91Ms9P56hwixNmqCyfYPyA_XUqXfnXrah6n1y8YEQR9EBAgJn11CUdVIj1xnwyD1JiFC0xaE9_ZF78vypdOyHgbUvMaI5nSTPxAuA1deks7rTHeqP4xJnv3Z1wP4UoBiJAz/w480-h640/IMG_3656.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahem.. hey, did anyone say that they are coming to Dr Lim's clinic<br />(right on top of the photo) in Korea to do some beautifying body works...? LOL</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>And we took a bus from the bus stop outside JangAnMun back to our Korea Tourist Hotel right in the city hall of Suwon.</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcO5MOfNqh9-dtDpV4p834rUjNHPzpZV60fz1LRexGit2_1oXEIi9Y6z2dGcxr003DeU1H809nVvjqzsIie5H_1zCc0b_rnu4lv5oQXuxlbcOvB1IYN27WcnvGWIFLZmN_T-SuOKMfQdprpOpnRqfC-hw5SyMmg6NOAeWE07DvxVjXhIeo8qH-yhBq/s3955/IMG_3664.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2966" data-original-width="3955" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcO5MOfNqh9-dtDpV4p834rUjNHPzpZV60fz1LRexGit2_1oXEIi9Y6z2dGcxr003DeU1H809nVvjqzsIie5H_1zCc0b_rnu4lv5oQXuxlbcOvB1IYN27WcnvGWIFLZmN_T-SuOKMfQdprpOpnRqfC-hw5SyMmg6NOAeWE07DvxVjXhIeo8qH-yhBq/w843-h632/IMG_3664.HEIC" width="843" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /><span style="text-align: center;">Hmm.. I have always been confused by the multiple choice questions facing Korean pedestrians</span><br style="text-align: center;" /><span style="text-align: center;">and drivers. Not only are their zebra crossings multiple-choices, their traffic junctions</span><br style="text-align: center;" /><span style="text-align: center;">are also multi-lane multiple choice questions.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWVppXK91vZkiKN0URjE35FFNV-6Ravo9KrT5JfNW4QwD6edyvtc0rmegfeDqXeHrGz33Zts1PrQhjfbXxFny6b011gQQmWsMnKr5W4uKi_usYpNOPmShKTnT6uc0MLL8pzDVWeokHybgj3AmphqBYiguc5pKgIJZB3a1-uqjCKfsqzz0RiJOGxTw/s4032/IMG_3681.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWVppXK91vZkiKN0URjE35FFNV-6Ravo9KrT5JfNW4QwD6edyvtc0rmegfeDqXeHrGz33Zts1PrQhjfbXxFny6b011gQQmWsMnKr5W4uKi_usYpNOPmShKTnT6uc0MLL8pzDVWeokHybgj3AmphqBYiguc5pKgIJZB3a1-uqjCKfsqzz0RiJOGxTw/w640-h480/IMG_3681.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: medium;"><b>Multiple-choice Zebra Crossing </b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC" style="font-size: large; white-space: normal;">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large; white-space: normal;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo";"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: x-large;"><a name="6째날">6 째날: Day 6</a></span></b>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo";"><span style="color: #f9cb9c;"><a name="6 째날"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; font-weight: 400;">[14th May 2022. Saturday]</span></a></span></b></span></p><p><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Walk & Defend the Walls like a Korean soldier, Shoot arrows & Eat like a Korean soldier</b></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">After seeing parts of Hwaseong Fortress in the evening the night before, I was determined to explore more of HwaSeong Fortress in the day. According to all the blogs that I searched, HwaSeong Fortress is really not a tough climb, its perimeter was around 5.7km in a loop securing the centre of the city. And there were bastions, towers, and gates along that we could see and enjoy.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">These <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Q0P-JDsh7vd717hv-HKFHYyq1y53nsf-mGMWnKpmmIxDzR_MUyuh5QI9mhxynDo4iQa5KkJ5M2yHgDSpqP2y1pAPCQCyCd5rpEb05agxqemYv1eO9gVDyo3D56otsPoIet_wLE8LlZvqFSYYAHuUTukwkWxmYh_jj3FGUil3y0pRx-gjvb-8i1Kv3fd_GI2LMFMJ_eianO0bERumCpJsAKoJf9N0qNdDuVZ6dbu40j4xz22zmSXM8gCtt7ePEk4uaVK-8mPJnC9-RqOmuAQDN-0z7Eez4wQrEKp7JOc_J8sY2T857PQGW9JlS04GNTR2ZSlnzIOCXrEuWLl_RFVHhaLizWBmMrKLbX40E8FmGCF5t6bCVy3fDfT-VhcZpm_hfDP3DMKJqqY1OXyJ56dUfETDO3XbB-tmK0OJRm97j4O44eP5A45Cz3bBrhx1P9D75EynOAHPe6oqX1V4-zzS0xNqgDuELVk8FSibVl80cyvtPpOmsCcdFNBJ9QNK5cmb8XHYBGgEloRTo9RKcguw5chhklbME806UPBisR-w8rk_2uBYFstWekz7JcPmr-AfUD6mwJnopYOUieOanrMq7TnMXacFKj3iuAWY0I1MPg65oC8RD38-XwhfayE7Omn1ZvKdUlGrjrWaDhHIeX8JrsNJAhSPknApRHuTGkia3Z_typs0pu0LUtplVsLaiTnufDqP5Pm-nEkpYCZlTUr16H4VXotJpSaF_ypePxjTF8Ttn6HaSC4H7YIOeFTX=w1263-h947-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">two lazy pigs </a>huh.. promised to wake up at 9am, I myself got up at 8:55am, washed up, and busied myself <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VggRe0n1lVsgUo-A2YK7nFQ_Mum26SF-y-M15JOYqxwvpwQ8OZRjJ5PQnyGrB5qQCbawvgxEvsBkaVNsalTbr9tAp2j8lLNOZyTcpR7L5rc7AHc5jolebFbRjnPHGaO1PZuTXYrk0kq6VGzBG7_TPVhX9KJ4dnCxIue7OYREWWohobziUlleBLVgnOh2QgtSPRcA6NwxbftXL5JMlSczH7Gc9s7Z4cZpuDECPCSFC2bvxCGbOzc5DSzln0QQyco5NtTFyatRog4-c7vkjaRsoh-B-2DTfP6tZRH39A52u1usQ3iYvh3lgIvKckvLSELX7e46rRa4SdR5dM2s4NmeGbYEXIHzKhsDTKHgtZrpl4z18UCc-FS5b_vwm4SH8BaEM-BYbEQZ7NFozeLy1x01IZuIZG9jg8rg3onR3BRDYcInvr8NBn28fCtEa3x7wxBRiJ2MLpnaxK-fEvjA7QKOWRubP0pNJ7-bM2KM-QXU16j2fitvaSrsMLxfZ6FYFJsovwL0SzurVWcAoJxPYCLDkQKBvXbIU-MUNmahbvgYWNLCWkROm7HhPpSAZq02jO3d560RumuT6IgI2LxZG50F-8kA3oxlrVxYz5hAqe8q6ZKVYISNe_ECy9zZkCdX4NREkt1f6gflYKC6f-dQ-XXhcpgL4rgezpSJslaW0Q7oQ05B4_l40dO_VLaulzEIQIBWAALJwapMIgHpzcS1c0bKmRQBDxjW8SmGlbO5MvsG1gNd35WW5RAGkAsi1MLw=w1263-h947-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">preparing breakfast coffee and buns</a> and they both slept until 9:30am. Hahaha.. but hey holidays were supposed to be like this- if you are tired then just sleep in a little more lor.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9F2hqH9It1INAHFE6QpHE2DlKPEk4zdCmv2IGaJRvaagPi_B-ioH3vV68UHDlRM-XrvQK4YPTQX8VZTtlndz3rUOwKjsMku95NEs3S1UeQV3s3C7KbYQjHixm-IphU5tyuudgl0uVAx8RQfxveGTy4u3dao090zgneIhJCx0KYsQZbl3axBtNt8zy/s4032/IMG_3829.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9F2hqH9It1INAHFE6QpHE2DlKPEk4zdCmv2IGaJRvaagPi_B-ioH3vV68UHDlRM-XrvQK4YPTQX8VZTtlndz3rUOwKjsMku95NEs3S1UeQV3s3C7KbYQjHixm-IphU5tyuudgl0uVAx8RQfxveGTy4u3dao090zgneIhJCx0KYsQZbl3axBtNt8zy/w640-h480/IMG_3829.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the 연불대 練武臺 where the Emperor had his soldiers trained</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We drove the 5km to the spacious HwaHongMun public car park and it was a very right decision because later on as we walked we realised that the free parallel car parks along the roads hugging the Hwaseong fortress were jammed packed with cars heading in both directions and struggling to maneuvre out of each others’ way, not to mention parking the cars. It was a nightmare simply watching the Korean drivers.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnSvH1QopH1DETVPXPuo2GRHonBF8QeXHdtx_G0kJXTuIN4mFBAivttQwI0BQAIigCooprk2T67xQqTRkV2B_0111Reej28tdt5hGSzRo5jz5tHpewopDoED5IbiLjJjEVYuHSRuh4P0EvZbTmvN9s-Vfk_NTZ0X48606_l3i3IM-51UOZUBgcnE_T/s720/FL_20220610_0206.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnSvH1QopH1DETVPXPuo2GRHonBF8QeXHdtx_G0kJXTuIN4mFBAivttQwI0BQAIigCooprk2T67xQqTRkV2B_0111Reej28tdt5hGSzRo5jz5tHpewopDoED5IbiLjJjEVYuHSRuh4P0EvZbTmvN9s-Vfk_NTZ0X48606_l3i3IM-51UOZUBgcnE_T/w640-h480/FL_20220610_0206.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">There was a very friendly middle-aged official lady guide who was so nice to give us some touring advice and a <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Yp5zFdBq6YtubFRzHAaiPblim-eMyCwSXy5iagXcmaj_fy9ZjUPfKTweSiNIFzQZfTVWvMLhk1RYQprh-dnWeXBh1VX6kA0esPunLaonFh_hGPDSElehxuqpFcUHabH2SJTnua7QIW9t81z30NAy4PO0Qs3pXNY9DO9lqGYUeKTV1VHcN3sdTN_GVM2Ehmg-fJgQXorB_bQNAXN28-_mlkNTJxn0NM63Q0aV6_73nwtT2WeG5k47YKznZEWbk2ut5_3mtNTz7RdE5Ma2EOina0g6__0VL1VGkn1PpvQgBUB1A4cqHhCc14zuXGA-XWUbQv3OGrS9MzHxa2BCOGL1WedZgFJCwOIbdLMR4qs-7DmT8-M5J7o3tTwPAVOiOL2X5IetPA5slyiVcFKmEJtxPbcMMGQpX1BR3QTuR-gbsxAob0Rp2RFIFjXrThjEkwkJhUye8wUQ0o2WyUBf_LUx4D6OFGq84etBV2pZPspKzUPYNnpsFTeIYLa24g5h_41W2lutajJQc7EYlf648pBQI9YvDyGYfhntNuYgLc093QgAprgMNUj4tnE4k3kJxTcxWpx2CTQoI6nEr5CWwo0e1D5Z-Pjr-5366nkEfSBTpeDdUPW9m2zNp-8iWAA5rX8ae17D07eUqkCllLqXN8Aw3HMb7Xi8_ONUK0jwiILSGZtMLzDFiGD9klt7Qurr6kEbTRxpY7T2V-69t-mHY-6CxQy-yth0E61o-4HpPZsjCSsJ1gZWGAYD1CITmPs_=w1226-h947-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">map in Chinese</a> when we first arrived at JangAnMun (장안문 長安門) blur blur.. and not sure where to start, and we had to ask somebody… and surprisingly she could tell that we were Singaporeans by our accents and cheerfully spoke to us in Chinese and Korean.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Jua; font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">동</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">영</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">상 of the Archery</span></span>
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="484" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zhEARGyP1QQ" width="780" youtube-src-id="zhEARGyP1QQ"></iframe></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>No tickets for the tram-ride round Hwaseong... so just go for lunch first... </b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Hwaseong fortress was a flurry of activities and it received troves of visitors on this Saturday morning, the weekend of the Buddha’s Birthday Holiday (부처님오신날). We didn’t manage to buy tickets to the Hwaseong tram by the time we arrived at the YeonMuDae ticket booth (연무대 練武臺) because we arrived 5 minutes late and the staff went for lunch and by the time we had our lunch and came back the timing for the earliest tram was at 3pm. So decided to just walk the whole city wall after lunch, we did. Yet again, another perfectly good and correct, but super-tiring decision (for 엄마 Serene and Ah Li).</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFHam8zA45EDgzH8kjnC79V_WGwUiM51TExyTY6cE95AqjIum4TAqRWHTXfqFCoc6nF9shB4pKwaaQImtw6glsRSyfGRqAu8bXIwEXT_dwPI002MJlJigxOgrhZYaD2QL3Nu4WFnPvw3GFWI_KzjNwGEQK9wRMdK5_srvamkXvlvlx55XgEPMY5OH/s4032/IMG_3812.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFHam8zA45EDgzH8kjnC79V_WGwUiM51TExyTY6cE95AqjIum4TAqRWHTXfqFCoc6nF9shB4pKwaaQImtw6glsRSyfGRqAu8bXIwEXT_dwPI002MJlJigxOgrhZYaD2QL3Nu4WFnPvw3GFWI_KzjNwGEQK9wRMdK5_srvamkXvlvlx55XgEPMY5OH/w640-h480/IMG_3812.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The friendly SaJangNim whose NaengMyeon changed Ah Li into a NaegMyeon convert</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In our search for lunch before the fortress walk, we simply just walked down the old dongnae 동내 (neighbourhood) of old, old residences next to the fortress compound and tried to look for a restaurant. Surprisingly from in between some empty stores popped up a Naengmyeon restaurant -<b><span style="color: #fce5cd;"> “DaeJang Naengmyeon” 대장냉면</span></b>. Although she didn’t really like Naengmyeon, Ah Li got persuaded by us to give it a try. 알리가 냉면을 싫은데도 불구하고 그는 한번 먹어보기로 했다. The SaJangNim (surprisingly) again could tell, simply by looking at the way we dressed and perhaps our looks, that we were Singaporeans!
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I asked him: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“어떻게 아세요?”</b></span> [How did you know (we were Singaporeans)?]</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">He replied in halting English: <b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: x-large;">“I go Singapore ten times!”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Wah! No wonder!
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Deliciously we ate and Ah Li became a MulNaengMyeon 물냉면 convert after this meal.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“I wouldn’t have though that here in the middle of nowhere there would be such a delicious Naengmyeon reatauarant,” </b></span>said her.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Here he just simply caters to the local patrons, that would be enough. He doesn’t even need too much frontage to attract walk-in customers,” </span></b>I said.</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This Suwon Hwaseong fortress </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">수원화성</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">水源华城</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, beautifully constructed as a city Defence wall to protect the city of Suwon, previously known as Hwaseong </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">화성</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">華城</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, completed in 1796.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rfy1oi4fXaSaiLlJpF_EhsiwnGwOYm4WejnNxRh0Wyf7zgg1wEWBp9dbTlZ-uoKK5ubHLyupqTGYjeRjVbippLaU0pU2piJSCVd3fzjNdCX9mqBjeBSDZLvTPzJYbMG-tCNEROrsGdseb7AJenbwFLzjICfXCEMXERDXKoLm1O_dwEEeA3GJ5-uI/s720/FL_20220610_0207.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rfy1oi4fXaSaiLlJpF_EhsiwnGwOYm4WejnNxRh0Wyf7zgg1wEWBp9dbTlZ-uoKK5ubHLyupqTGYjeRjVbippLaU0pU2piJSCVd3fzjNdCX9mqBjeBSDZLvTPzJYbMG-tCNEROrsGdseb7AJenbwFLzjICfXCEMXERDXKoLm1O_dwEEeA3GJ5-uI/w480-h640/FL_20220610_0207.GIF" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">On this day, one day before Buddha’s Birthday, Hwaseong was full of visitors- almost all local Koreans, young and old, happily walking up and down with ease. Students came in droves to have the official guides bring them all over. Young men and women were seated on the grass having picnics in this lovely weather. We saw a couple of families of Ang Mohs too. I enjoyed the fact that the local Koreans would bring their whole family outing here, and enjoy and remind their young of the history of the place. Parents carrying their toddlers on their shoulders and actually climbing up the steep slopes of the castle wall, and even old Halmeonis and Halabeojis walking in couples, with their families, and in groups guided by official local guides, eagerly walking through every single gate.</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">“This kind of nice chilly weather with cool wind is what the Koreans would call </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">살살해</span></b></span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>,” </b></span>I shared with Ah Li. Indeed, the weather was so nice. Cool on this morning and we didn't have to wear any jackets, except perhaps for Ah Li, who always needs to feel 'toasty'.
</span></p></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP36Sf-u8ipPghP5a260-E5vdaINcnDpfp3RTZ7mCFSQ8A4MqwHzXKOQh0AgTmCLNOD_TR7pRGqNq1czLDqKNRM9gt1oIYCa-NZn6j77HUHjXIOzsZq6fRHQgotnVtyOJKhpWBpDW-POwCXpWWRSwYwHAmN0jjxPENYJ2dcYzYclDBMWUkzWxZAYfY/s4032/IMG_3832.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP36Sf-u8ipPghP5a260-E5vdaINcnDpfp3RTZ7mCFSQ8A4MqwHzXKOQh0AgTmCLNOD_TR7pRGqNq1czLDqKNRM9gt1oIYCa-NZn6j77HUHjXIOzsZq6fRHQgotnVtyOJKhpWBpDW-POwCXpWWRSwYwHAmN0jjxPENYJ2dcYzYclDBMWUkzWxZAYfY/w640-h480/IMG_3832.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We practiced like the soldiers of old to fire at the enemies downstairs.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Jua; font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">동</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">영</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">상 of the top</span></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="556" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4lmcQRFFncw" width="668" youtube-src-id="4lmcQRFFncw"></iframe></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We saw children, teenagers, </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">and adults candidly attempting archery (at 2000₩ S$2.20 for ten arrows) at YeonMuDae, and mothers cheering their children on for improving with every arrow they shot. The contagious enthusiasm with which the Koreans partook in the sport was really a sight to see. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzaFTjBqq7D5lOxXPnEO3oQPRv3lXjLenY4yXp7Pxu4EC3FbHdhEyiFK-IUc4diq8k5xvWHRSTrcwpkGiqhiY90DmaiSpSS8sVK_4miZXxhfDZr_tH5ctqfax3t4iQ19cl4sp67700v9fvSZnwKmD872izZ1yr_VQBqCdqO48VA1GuyetL2iIC4gY/s720/FL_20220610_0209.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzaFTjBqq7D5lOxXPnEO3oQPRv3lXjLenY4yXp7Pxu4EC3FbHdhEyiFK-IUc4diq8k5xvWHRSTrcwpkGiqhiY90DmaiSpSS8sVK_4miZXxhfDZr_tH5ctqfax3t4iQ19cl4sp67700v9fvSZnwKmD872izZ1yr_VQBqCdqO48VA1GuyetL2iIC4gY/w640-h480/FL_20220610_0209.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We started that 5.7km walk along the fortress walls and passed through
</span></p><ul><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">leisure pavilions called Gakru (각루角樓) - 동남각루 (東南角樓)동복각루 (東北角樓),
</span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Bastions called Poru (포루 炮樓)
</span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Watch towers
</span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Secret gates <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RFY_cg2ieDj6ca9w7cdEXfhaQhlykyvLKhuQoC9bZ2Y-W0Nwwja6xFP6_6Wu4i-SyRnni8ehe_KckVy0S79FAZi9tEE5AWsmO_1Gf3c41HH2e8Qt09g3eWhUtfg8omdhCpu5PfZVjSUsJ4BjTtNsafrtMQjkjmrA3gDo4L3Bswvi-fUVLe2x1VPNyZPg3cTAp2ylmSDjxz0n8aKP4Fxleevjyg6YtFoUWEdy3I_yq3Iju6OBqroEAiic3piEBGtz_QHcUk56JjKoXLRSsEvJGeOsgH9q4u5RSAxGrG5HlH3SlVx1MYtF5MMNbwRr0jcZ0MzkXV_hsT6OduFei272ZaewQBwL8fK6E0sMx1CmD4Tct75pRWjob39Lf29_Mk3bVPrFFw9m9YjU7hmbrFw97Dheo0GXwxFebTfHQgOWl3-djmdah4YlfyRJmjZ2oFvQKr5CLNbEmtamIKYd9_5BEdxe1dtCVZM13qqN3WJxp97ICoXGGWwmaReWBTewbZOHXeVL-IB07VhKvxnQj2UsSTBuzUIMQN_uhbe7l4lbtkMjjVu-rWE6hoqznaSBu9hvESazaUl74YxhKG-2tgA601VRBlbI0IJCUY0cozH7Fp4icx3VXZxCw3lMWpzdN1jxncZRXbpSUdcWW4N2zfgBF2UwdJDoCQg1gthgyy0W5k-_3vvawUZJu8B3sOlAf015XoRjj3-gMA-8MGpYSAXylTVW4dbPywhNVvv4Oa7eA-IlTPnNUHv5nYQzkIzz=w1263-h947-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">AmMun</a> (암문 暗門)
</span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">… and many other towers for defense and military re-enforcement
</span></p></li></ul><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3w9MB0RFGFvHph2IbYMnth6thBDuRznL-_EU4w5mGfABSG-OUJ9EOiD9lyp_gT9zU1pZGCn7y-uYrcninDBcZbFGAngtfye8wm5UVC7JpLOdONEW27_c9_aUqB9jrUMXvAGEuEB9Vw2LC0ojVvieU77ftaoiQzneByX8w3KSZd4K2VTeaZWZewAdQ/s3630/IMG_3891.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2722" data-original-width="3630" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3w9MB0RFGFvHph2IbYMnth6thBDuRznL-_EU4w5mGfABSG-OUJ9EOiD9lyp_gT9zU1pZGCn7y-uYrcninDBcZbFGAngtfye8wm5UVC7JpLOdONEW27_c9_aUqB9jrUMXvAGEuEB9Vw2LC0ojVvieU77ftaoiQzneByX8w3KSZd4K2VTeaZWZewAdQ/w640-h480/IMG_3891.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Resting the legs and lungs at the top...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiSR-h4HRXTCE4k_dwYQaDxs0oGjlIncv2lbwbenVcCJEDbJ8EODe2eCPN2lw85lflJm3tMklS7zkf6hrAFQaBHbgza2JL_1urIfgspNoPGM8UOmarQsuN263XK2T0Uz8wVF4c5cVc5R1f3jWYiQiFh8igF_hpwj8L3I9rk15-bwSfqMlQCSKDzGR/s4032/IMG_3893.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiSR-h4HRXTCE4k_dwYQaDxs0oGjlIncv2lbwbenVcCJEDbJ8EODe2eCPN2lw85lflJm3tMklS7zkf6hrAFQaBHbgza2JL_1urIfgspNoPGM8UOmarQsuN263XK2T0Uz8wVF4c5cVc5R1f3jWYiQiFh8igF_hpwj8L3I9rk15-bwSfqMlQCSKDzGR/w640-h480/IMG_3893.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the top</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I kept wondering to myself, with such steep and high steps and such steep slopes running up and down, the soldiers of the olden days must have had been very strong. And it came to my mind that many would have been injured badly falling down these high rocky steps in the dark of the night and when the rocks become slippery with ice in winter. Many lives must have been lost not only while constructing the fortress, but also in defending it.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Was the climb easy? Actually, not that bad lah. Really. Some parts were steep, and we kind of found ourselves like not moving up despite taking one step after another (a little bit of exaggeration here), but otherwise steep steps were generally manageable. Because the authorities have reconstructed the stone steps carefully and systematically to ensure safety.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhdiCbQMpUNetSe655ueuo6b86vcURvZcYnruS8idvhCNNfRzKb1MgMoBX6IPV8ofHRuJ78txi2vp0GlnMGjOdN6HcxpjWye93U3SlT9W05Jss2b4YC05YKGd9xUyrbPslVOx6fFgmUGirR8bWmlJ1iIVfLa_nwO_mS--u0hPOrUPd4Uy5zJJaflt/s5067/IMG_3072.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3157" data-original-width="5067" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhdiCbQMpUNetSe655ueuo6b86vcURvZcYnruS8idvhCNNfRzKb1MgMoBX6IPV8ofHRuJ78txi2vp0GlnMGjOdN6HcxpjWye93U3SlT9W05Jss2b4YC05YKGd9xUyrbPslVOx6fFgmUGirR8bWmlJ1iIVfLa_nwO_mS--u0hPOrUPd4Uy5zJJaflt/w640-h398/IMG_3072.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We ended at PalDalMun [Serene's favourite pano-shot]</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I reckoned we did around 8km of walking and climbing. It was really not too bad, because, in our past experiences, Serene and I realised that if we were to walk like this, day by day in Korea, we would actually burn off quite a bit of the delicious food we ate during our trips.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Wah this Hwaseong fortresse really killed me,”</span></b> said Ah Li after the whole walk was over. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“My calves are aching (still recovering from the climb up to Manisan) and I really died-ed…”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8B6i-5uZ6FbMmj0d1Pmxbr_yWd8wuUI88PCqbutX75PUMdNiRp2L_UeHe6ZHPEBh39CPYeaX26qPO9MhN8zEITlxkdRBf7irbdObepriK72nn-KUQg7meNY_WGg3vjQPJEi9zUgge2yafr8GH2ejibjOrr-qpZ1pjnJdIS3fr4zrIjp2D_R0O4AdE/s4032/IMG_3916.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8B6i-5uZ6FbMmj0d1Pmxbr_yWd8wuUI88PCqbutX75PUMdNiRp2L_UeHe6ZHPEBh39CPYeaX26qPO9MhN8zEITlxkdRBf7irbdObepriK72nn-KUQg7meNY_WGg3vjQPJEi9zUgge2yafr8GH2ejibjOrr-qpZ1pjnJdIS3fr4zrIjp2D_R0O4AdE/w640-h480/IMG_3916.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The SiJang at the round-about at PalDalMun</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />
</span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Along the way, Serene also kao-beh kao-Bu: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Wah lau eh. You sgtrekker again! Bring us walk up and down like that, so siong! I am very chuan ah, you know!”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Kwenchana,”</span></b> I reassured. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Like this you all would have burnt off that four mandu and the bowl of Nengmyeon we had for lunch.”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Ah Li was so tired that we scrapped the idea of going to DaeJanggeum Park, and decided to look for Bingsul. Found one we did near PalDalMun, but it was one of the most <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HlFsj87PYhpJU3NZ8Bv6mKl2FStV3qMM5tPlJFu8M1vcJadehiFsfn5htLv6ipBGMFFsyt4mRMSaiaMNJL7eUtt9bG2Vd3DEhp0JGt3QLt0W50J4eKKoRRYr_7djEV0RoQcR7f29PdhM-atAvGvkRJRp1HpGMFgZvPnstDLEffeROIki-8Lth1g8gKj0RQgw0JjhAMAhKtv-sSnThotkLygCEiR-LV_agIrZ7-L89kFXUjrDvL_yMC-S6N0-GCoIQgzFtizaKNeOISB8qbJV9RfJzNaotyqljXAPfh4ce-fiJ4FtFHz5akV88JWCguScZmCVgp-TRsbw5I31OVpjr_xdLKHvdu4ZIYl8BDHI6gZUWGMWlYmFU9QqrVqRLgPVIb8ehIp-kByt1587yg08oShfj2smMKA3zHU9cbp4DkuZ23TtA9U5F8WQ_4WyLfzqeb4ulAuf8-fT4DyuOA9n1X0h_BjfO6Me4Y3C92v-ZoHB93LZlklxAr7y7wdAtJs_vb0___dEhhT6KyQ-8tPaYaxFgK1M6FUB9XxjLSQCOflsulEsihrnxaJaEeekLExGkUP-3WB05BsifhiedccMxutdu9vXcOwvM8y3mRz0KC7IjzBiq3G11RoBbFTqeYG-zCttZYqlHoMNPQxpzF4IFl1NRqCXmpzROo4jNPvM95BzWRWa4Mu7zsftxM-iK-JzbIO0ZcgZYDX9SHTskWcKZaAteLQL810elwH9PJdawqmrOc9VqKopO7AI7cym=w1263-h947-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">terrible-tasting bingsul </a>- with rough ice flakes. Disappointed, we drove back to the hotel to sleep instead.
</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaRqN__6ZcxxPV67PaoDMNf3qoxBCbyBRNQ2lH0WSFFZetlyeELAGLaQuzlLa7mchHo64H8LWlYQ8kei_0iBQwWyL5-H0bnCROCYNrJKO_W4cjW9u4HqgK3ZsdnNmvS3RrqOB9gC-rJdlLy5Ycp74qrr8xZ4s_5QsHxHMRe-ndy3TGuQAihK504hlw/s1686/IMG_6877.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="1686" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaRqN__6ZcxxPV67PaoDMNf3qoxBCbyBRNQ2lH0WSFFZetlyeELAGLaQuzlLa7mchHo64H8LWlYQ8kei_0iBQwWyL5-H0bnCROCYNrJKO_W4cjW9u4HqgK3ZsdnNmvS3RrqOB9gC-rJdlLy5Ycp74qrr8xZ4s_5QsHxHMRe-ndy3TGuQAihK504hlw/w640-h358/IMG_6877.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">To the unlimited refill Samgyeopsal. 경기 수원시 권선구 서둔로269번길 2. (우) 16604(지번) <br />탑동 2-18</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And 6:30pm we got up and took a bus instead to an Unlimited Refill SamGyeopSal restaurant in TapDong 탑동 neighbourhood, about 20mins from our hotel.
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwEGA40DMb9z4hm7bN7PnJ6gHtUxfSUeJDzqjtQKU-MJdpOzEKeyoDTbZ-i_p0pfDp8JeGwjBen_ksLr0sKPn7v9bPrIT1XQQJcXWSOc9vh8YO5jXzcwwEv-k67RC0mHmCsEwH0E1xHHu7J9ijBhSklGTWnyA7vboeQL88aYIzmZIOvFwJIOCwjjZ/s720/FL_20220611_0210.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwEGA40DMb9z4hm7bN7PnJ6gHtUxfSUeJDzqjtQKU-MJdpOzEKeyoDTbZ-i_p0pfDp8JeGwjBen_ksLr0sKPn7v9bPrIT1XQQJcXWSOc9vh8YO5jXzcwwEv-k67RC0mHmCsEwH0E1xHHu7J9ijBhSklGTWnyA7vboeQL88aYIzmZIOvFwJIOCwjjZ/w640-h480/FL_20220611_0210.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKmkk8nkqHRBQY_X1iJHPEVYDEDfDUQaQTIGriWxXgDg0eV02v8RzUFWMd6QOP7VpAfqeyrFSOLJVH3Adc4ulbOcIJVAfoIOEivMpKPy9ycQGwWsGXfed6PfZZgd2HSTja8tPhR40k3V9MBKAMX0WUNa85B5AeKlGLtLB_DvYK3w8bI74kBchfoAI/s4032/IMG_3954.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKmkk8nkqHRBQY_X1iJHPEVYDEDfDUQaQTIGriWxXgDg0eV02v8RzUFWMd6QOP7VpAfqeyrFSOLJVH3Adc4ulbOcIJVAfoIOEivMpKPy9ycQGwWsGXfed6PfZZgd2HSTja8tPhR40k3V9MBKAMX0WUNa85B5AeKlGLtLB_DvYK3w8bI74kBchfoAI/w640-h480/IMG_3954.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This had very good review on KakaoMap and we were pleasant</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">ly surprised by the friendly Ajumma SaJangNim who changed our hot plate paper and who cheerfully introduced us to the various meats, all unlimited refill! She had not only Samgyeopsal 삼겹살, pork collar meat 목살, very tender and flavourful Kalbi Seasoned pork collar 갈비양념목살 and even duck slice 오리! What we found super delicious was two different flavours of Tteokbokki 떡볶이, tiny ones- one purple type that had yam fillings, and another white one that had cheese fillings.</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrbkdtFu6os2ZvHutgSo3-Ba2CI08u0Kh0yg_pwg1e1regeq_ju6XTzW83-Xj8bTsRCgH2QGRnsFsN2ibd7TAUo7-BJt3NKT5L8gTk0MGUKOJQyOzf4-DOVnTNQX44ep4JdzXgcnEQt7PFVXbNQ4_2sBbS_13PXPBinc0klgkGfIqcgqYShkJlaJA/s4032/IMG_0154.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrbkdtFu6os2ZvHutgSo3-Ba2CI08u0Kh0yg_pwg1e1regeq_ju6XTzW83-Xj8bTsRCgH2QGRnsFsN2ibd7TAUo7-BJt3NKT5L8gTk0MGUKOJQyOzf4-DOVnTNQX44ep4JdzXgcnEQt7PFVXbNQ4_2sBbS_13PXPBinc0klgkGfIqcgqYShkJlaJA/w640-h480/IMG_0154.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The usual Soju and Beer!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Wah, had it not been for KakaoMap’s recommendation and navigation we wouldn’t have come to this ulu ulu little neighbourhood to enjoy such a lovely meal,”</span></b> I remarked.</span></p></blockquote><br /><p>I have always loved venturing into those little SikTang run by Ajumma or Ajussi that are frequented by the locals. The best would be purely local patrons and noisy atmosphere and not one single word of English or Chinese... wah these would be the best! We could be assured of the most authentic of experiences.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Yah, this is really worth it!”</span></b> said Ah Li.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Wah I really love the seasoned pork collar meat and the purple tteokbokki.”</span></b> said Eomma Serene.</span></p></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs46lqji1IeriR7l_Da0x8xxNOlGZm5ryS5l5s_BX75UMxY-2MfACw-QqF23grVGeoIBIPIt8vdD5cFays6RVmypH4h53wp5KP5cQQdlnvjMZIz3XCqDgg0_bEkFpXhde0yDzbWOu8l6o/s1263-no/?authuser=0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1263" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs46lqji1IeriR7l_Da0x8xxNOlGZm5ryS5l5s_BX75UMxY-2MfACw-QqF23grVGeoIBIPIt8vdD5cFays6RVmypH4h53wp5KP5cQQdlnvjMZIz3XCqDgg0_bEkFpXhde0yDzbWOu8l6o/w640-h480/?authuser=0" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I knew Ah Li would not have enough of SamGyeopSal - so here we came.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">True. This little restaurant down a slope from the small main road on this evening had two ladies on the next table - apparently friends meeting after work, and another family of a young couple with their toddler daughter on the other side of us.. The Ajumma SaJangNim was surprised to see us three foreigners come into her restaurant. She thought we were foreigners living nearby but we told her we were actually tourists, and we came to her SikTang because we saw the good reviews.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Good restaurant, very friendly SaJangNim, and truly no cutting-corners good ‘ol delicious meat that makes a real down-to-earth gogi dinner.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></div></div><div><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><br /><br /></div><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo";"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: x-large;"><a name="7째날">7 째날: Day 7</a></span></b>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: small;">[</span><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small;">15th May 2022. Sunday.</span><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: small;"> <b>Vesak Day 부처님오신날]</b></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: small;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSczSST5SUKF7sHAw41IvjIcxNsNTBAx62BW8LTHS9VN7lGQc7N42EOdynC_3gV-W78yjrIEsX2BbM6RI4OjaDQRQT8hfv9Qm2PCzkOgjgDtH0rNtyba1Az19yPltoUYKoz8SfTjLw7og9F_zJxiMMh_VkIs3iFzOmKKXq2GsrY-dBa9bgcZKc8jTA/s960/FL_20220624_0253.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="960" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSczSST5SUKF7sHAw41IvjIcxNsNTBAx62BW8LTHS9VN7lGQc7N42EOdynC_3gV-W78yjrIEsX2BbM6RI4OjaDQRQT8hfv9Qm2PCzkOgjgDtH0rNtyba1Az19yPltoUYKoz8SfTjLw7og9F_zJxiMMh_VkIs3iFzOmKKXq2GsrY-dBa9bgcZKc8jTA/w640-h337/FL_20220624_0253.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drive from Suwon to 大長今 to Gongju</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: small;"><br /><b><br /></b></span></span><p></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>Oh, finally we acted in the period Korean Dramas! 古裝韓劇</b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Again, these two again dragged their waking up time. Haiyah… terrible lah. But it was ok. We decided after waking up that, heck, let’s just take a detour to the DaeJangGeum Park, one hour away from Suwon in Yonggin to see all the movie and drama filming background setups for all the famous period dramas we have watched.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Like so many of our friends who watch Korean dramas, there would inevitably be that few period dramas that catch the fancies of our eyes. And more likely than not, many of these are shot with the sets here in DaeJangGeum Park, owned by MBC. </span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"It sounds interesting," </b></span>I recalled the ladies talking about this when we were discussing it before the trip.</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">After we were all tired out by Hwaseong Fortress the day before and had to skip our planned trip to the Park the day before, I was thinking that we would have no choice but to give this a miss. But I was glad we made that on-the-spot decision to just go ahead and still go after we check out from our Suwon hotel. It turned out to be a correct decision as Gongju, the next small little city, turned out to be a quiet and relatively 지루한 city.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2uQmdGIn_nrDhB5d3KZ5OAR8M0N1MfGO5IwClCmDCCvhQegBxV3yL2Vl6OJnvqVig9MJ8S6FLqIJNcxZO_jUUoiUE2e8sBS1FU-c-qvJ3vPi3OIiVqZG60hidmnj5aDijKUwNPlJs-RyXirzWrmNAoT5c33mKJhoyBz8H8dYvHw3FZ5i7fODpwP6/s3801/Scan%2012%20Jun%202022%20at%2016.02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2308" data-original-width="3801" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2uQmdGIn_nrDhB5d3KZ5OAR8M0N1MfGO5IwClCmDCCvhQegBxV3yL2Vl6OJnvqVig9MJ8S6FLqIJNcxZO_jUUoiUE2e8sBS1FU-c-qvJ3vPi3OIiVqZG60hidmnj5aDijKUwNPlJs-RyXirzWrmNAoT5c33mKJhoyBz8H8dYvHw3FZ5i7fODpwP6/w818-h496/Scan%2012%20Jun%202022%20at%2016.02.jpg" width="818" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>DaeJangGeum Park 대장금 파크 大長</b></span><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: xx-large; white-space: pre-wrap;">今樂園</b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34tH5UVcAdt46bF9cU4LkIrvAM6fzhUjBuqIZkLs4OQGfbTr3oYz5h7k3w0BD2F55fDfAZ5e0n1kQXcdWtZW0te-NNMk1ANH4RkiOe5eBqLh838pL56OLzlI1A_OlIbfSJbMRu-ImEsTwvVnc_urYOL2L74FBxlKMSi5UOEk2Upj3n7VRuFcPoSHf/s3999/D0E58403-95E4-4BA4-B81D-803DF7955B86.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34tH5UVcAdt46bF9cU4LkIrvAM6fzhUjBuqIZkLs4OQGfbTr3oYz5h7k3w0BD2F55fDfAZ5e0n1kQXcdWtZW0te-NNMk1ANH4RkiOe5eBqLh838pL56OLzlI1A_OlIbfSJbMRu-ImEsTwvVnc_urYOL2L74FBxlKMSi5UOEk2Upj3n7VRuFcPoSHf/w833-h625/D0E58403-95E4-4BA4-B81D-803DF7955B86.jpeg" width="833" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shooting Korean Drama in DaeJangGeum Parl</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;"><br /></span></b></span></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Jua; font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">동</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">영</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">상 of 大長今파크</span></span>
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="536" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5TIXS1MAs6k" width="645" youtube-src-id="5TIXS1MAs6k"></iframe></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Boy was that a great decision. We arrived at 11:35am, just nice to buy a 9,500₩ per person entrance fee and a 3,000₩ per person buggy ride to go around with a brief guide.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-size: x-large;">"오늘은 혹시 촬영이 있어요?" </span></b>I asked the buggy guide if there was actual drama shooting on this day.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: x-large;">"아니요, 없어요,"</span></b> replied the lady buggy guide. Alamak... wasted. Otherwise it would have given us another anlge, another view point, to the many period dramas that we have watched.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“This was really quite a highlight,”</span></b> I thought, after the end of the visit. Agreed Eomma Serene and Ah Li.</span></p></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVidQ-oCGfPX7CF0CHWMN59hYqJkPN0chGscjaFAf5nQxsj7ZWM-Sf0JcfIw58Be-Uqvlt0hnmiW1kwxgReTcFniVL48K1ZHE6c8ihmYQruNg-0NkoYYSqllbMHBii1SWx2Xf3cfdGSDAdlx5pj50SqCkVb3vl86YjFn_HweP6gfamCatEkXSKuK6n/s720/FL_20220611_0211.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVidQ-oCGfPX7CF0CHWMN59hYqJkPN0chGscjaFAf5nQxsj7ZWM-Sf0JcfIw58Be-Uqvlt0hnmiW1kwxgReTcFniVL48K1ZHE6c8ihmYQruNg-0NkoYYSqllbMHBii1SWx2Xf3cfdGSDAdlx5pj50SqCkVb3vl86YjFn_HweP6gfamCatEkXSKuK6n/w640-h480/FL_20220611_0211.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps I imagined it or perhaps not, but many of the sets reminded me of scenes in the various period dramas I watched- the court where the judge ruled, the city main gate guarded by guards, the scholar's study room, the Emperor’s concubine chambers, the royal kitchen, the old market place in the old city, the nobleman’s grand home and courtyard, and so much more.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The few famous period dramas that Serene and I remembered, and reminiscence as we slowly pointed from one drama display board to another:
</span></p><ul><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Empress Ki
</span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The King’s daughter - Su Baek Hyang
</span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Moon Embracing the Sun</span></p></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXI6Bq14QeUUunxSicXYEbH3_f9KeiXZGnL3L7fpvBIY1WBh0P61irL0rWWVBCq7JYgeVvuvxMwLQ27EvQbVRB6xO0PBzmAhPcE4xv8mhxAiSqit1-KEc2T_shD78OhyTlyzg7DkAuoJIZO63o0RV1dSU2DT0s9Koa-MsA1p6eOFI3KiUTiaE6-ago/s7258/IMG_3085.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2204" data-original-width="7258" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXI6Bq14QeUUunxSicXYEbH3_f9KeiXZGnL3L7fpvBIY1WBh0P61irL0rWWVBCq7JYgeVvuvxMwLQ27EvQbVRB6xO0PBzmAhPcE4xv8mhxAiSqit1-KEc2T_shD78OhyTlyzg7DkAuoJIZO63o0RV1dSU2DT0s9Koa-MsA1p6eOFI3KiUTiaE6-ago/w1233-h374/IMG_3085.HEIC" width="1233" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here below was the main marketplace street in the period drama where the bad guy chases the hero on a horse</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We weren't sure if it was because this day was a huge public holiday in Korea - being Buddha's Birthday (Vesak Day in Singapore), the park was almost devoid of visitors. Only a very small handful of other people was in here with us. Strange, it was a Sunday and DaeJangGeum Park was a mere one-hour drive from Suwon, so I would naturally expect people to drive out here to walk around, and perhaps have some picnic. </div><div>Or... perhaps it was because of Covid, that had the visiting number drastically reduced? We could not tell. Whatever it was, we were determined to enjoy ourselves here in DaeJangGeum Park.</div><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxM9g7rj15hon0V-Xy1nCqhgGMArYjFsdHv-VDIZyC_bmvqD0pCij323N2Ga6Dq2DEA2ciE5MAAPVyaVfUxlVI--Xxq9NeJuRQzeGEswiHeslE7psr7HduyQ5e05X5m5umts7jRzmW_YcjMoz3vcJH7NqLPhn1vJmuWnGQ-AL_6rllrPtwWQsV0hgR/s6680/IMG_3088.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2395" data-original-width="6680" height="433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxM9g7rj15hon0V-Xy1nCqhgGMArYjFsdHv-VDIZyC_bmvqD0pCij323N2Ga6Dq2DEA2ciE5MAAPVyaVfUxlVI--Xxq9NeJuRQzeGEswiHeslE7psr7HduyQ5e05X5m5umts7jRzmW_YcjMoz3vcJH7NqLPhn1vJmuWnGQ-AL_6rllrPtwWQsV0hgR/w1206-h433/IMG_3088.HEIC" width="1206" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is where the evil Nobleman lives with his evil son.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="text-align: justify;">I really love my ARTBOX bluetooth tripod that has been with me for more than 4 years since I bought it from the Hongdae Artbox shop that few years ago during our previous trip with the children. So many years already and it still performs like magic, allowing me to shoot photos of ourselves as below. Nice!</span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYOZsSuvz8gtxboJ_ub2aIhAM_erZYpcaYepMUb8Ih2NSZeOMofhU0ZJqbUMas63_Rv5NKulE146MTMhWNDGvUDLB3iDWZuEKhQh5TYJmORFSg5_usVCYRmRdlade50mxf1rj0LK3TWb96LoI6J_sUcrw8dwJIR6C0rQTnVpqoNTLkcNpQvDpyWSK/s4032/IMG_4146.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYOZsSuvz8gtxboJ_ub2aIhAM_erZYpcaYepMUb8Ih2NSZeOMofhU0ZJqbUMas63_Rv5NKulE146MTMhWNDGvUDLB3iDWZuEKhQh5TYJmORFSg5_usVCYRmRdlade50mxf1rj0LK3TWb96LoI6J_sUcrw8dwJIR6C0rQTnVpqoNTLkcNpQvDpyWSK/w640-h480/IMG_4146.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before entering the Palace to meet the Emperor</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwL6WLm-DMUfqaXWU1xIsCDYXvDfFQHgOaR7hmBrGA1Nib4seiRchrCvbS1MbUBfammyTEsUGOpNRJ-vAVpNydLMT6joSjenWhRuomPCLNGN6OFkJABVqtmzCLrvm6VqaSIhSoZK89wbAhZVusFiTeuTP58sRoaWxX8w-y7luROmUvS2FTqQkaMvo/s6666/IMG_3116.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="6666" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwL6WLm-DMUfqaXWU1xIsCDYXvDfFQHgOaR7hmBrGA1Nib4seiRchrCvbS1MbUBfammyTEsUGOpNRJ-vAVpNydLMT6joSjenWhRuomPCLNGN6OFkJABVqtmzCLrvm6VqaSIhSoZK89wbAhZVusFiTeuTP58sRoaWxX8w-y7luROmUvS2FTqQkaMvo/w1188-h427/IMG_3116.HEIC" width="1188" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huh... how come today the Palace all the guards and the 宮女 on leave meh?</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"You know something," </b></span>I told Serene. <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b>"Every set we walk</b></span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b>to hor, we can easily think about which scene in which</b></span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b>drama could have been shot right here. Because for</b></span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b>example, in the court house, in the jail house, in the palace</b></span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b>or along the main street of the city where the marketplace</b></span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><b>was, they simply just decorated it differently and bingo,</b></span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><b style="color: #d0e0e3;">it would become a different background."</b></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #d0e0e3;"></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7MV9IvrwB7FBRGPiYWepmaPLBUE2t_28iVoAbOetC5F59nxyHuOzT00wzLRvyZHIhgFEdIe1p3L9ERMUGnk1Fp_KZKBCFthTtn2RCEckaxPEj73HNKGpcEKac75jweq-9goEfHSuxHLoW7xYOcfVINcaXxNKwDOjRExuiIGbTOh0dU9KnHd-KElg/s4032/IMG_4239.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7MV9IvrwB7FBRGPiYWepmaPLBUE2t_28iVoAbOetC5F59nxyHuOzT00wzLRvyZHIhgFEdIe1p3L9ERMUGnk1Fp_KZKBCFthTtn2RCEckaxPEj73HNKGpcEKac75jweq-9goEfHSuxHLoW7xYOcfVINcaXxNKwDOjRExuiIGbTOh0dU9KnHd-KElg/w640-h480/IMG_4239.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">This looks like a 客栈. And there was a family with young children taking this photo.</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">So we followed them too.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-size: x-large;">"And also, now that we start looking, we can see that the pillars and the many tiles on the floors are removable ones - so that the videographers and set producers can conceal wires, can connect their equipment to the power points, and looking up we can even see the light bulbs hidden in the lanterns" </span></b>noticed Ah Li.</div></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsqCTJ6WhfL2j8ZeZxlUq2h3TNwwOjxx1lQlDPoQC5ppsloqrOuIIVC_oufEuz5mRwDzpzCEOmiuS6kpNDDQJ_KiLvhv11RvmV80fKWld68b1v7Ss2JSJLi-0R9RMhUSowzXnf_avMb10Xzb-didQ4a00VL3DxQqxp7BQaPPpE9s1so2WzT1ZL5pF/s4032/IMG_4193.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsqCTJ6WhfL2j8ZeZxlUq2h3TNwwOjxx1lQlDPoQC5ppsloqrOuIIVC_oufEuz5mRwDzpzCEOmiuS6kpNDDQJ_KiLvhv11RvmV80fKWld68b1v7Ss2JSJLi-0R9RMhUSowzXnf_avMb10Xzb-didQ4a00VL3DxQqxp7BQaPPpE9s1so2WzT1ZL5pF/w640-h480/IMG_4193.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Didn't end up seeing the Emperor but found my long-lost same kind.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDNl1bXk3BySU7Htza00X8LAJ6yHohHQ3UG2wWrwgqKxkCUjYvtHxzF9_uSllWYUAT-VcbQXzIO9JmziF8C1pSPLnOjZP45CphMcf3ZrhliY4orrVueK3QFotNcxxiYT7T4s73dMrjNDSSyMwF5lMjtdxtv2KoeQLRH5mZ_LNjZ6Hoj-2mtnIGSXq/s4032/IMG_4189.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDNl1bXk3BySU7Htza00X8LAJ6yHohHQ3UG2wWrwgqKxkCUjYvtHxzF9_uSllWYUAT-VcbQXzIO9JmziF8C1pSPLnOjZP45CphMcf3ZrhliY4orrVueK3QFotNcxxiYT7T4s73dMrjNDSSyMwF5lMjtdxtv2KoeQLRH5mZ_LNjZ6Hoj-2mtnIGSXq/w640-h480/IMG_4189.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMLc9zr0W3s9vULpPgGH3HPnmFBjCySb1xWfqse3s-mltrAP8PtLN0Uuz1hqRbCrl0IgFDhcrTX1-c6Fh25IQEg5SvetNkNXYbMdlluH2HkZ6m3VlzdVVuTKxdjMhGw957SrYUxgpIrukLhYSYJ-zmF8b3pdlrtdVR5mvHQMrQC3d99d48zzVJPn7/s4032/IMG_4216.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMLc9zr0W3s9vULpPgGH3HPnmFBjCySb1xWfqse3s-mltrAP8PtLN0Uuz1hqRbCrl0IgFDhcrTX1-c6Fh25IQEg5SvetNkNXYbMdlluH2HkZ6m3VlzdVVuTKxdjMhGw957SrYUxgpIrukLhYSYJ-zmF8b3pdlrtdVR5mvHQMrQC3d99d48zzVJPn7/w640-h480/IMG_4216.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also found 엄마 and the 애기 的 same kind instead.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUedl58174rTHBE0vho0hFmbiscN2C1I2qY2MY7eugSyM1C4MEjfMr78VnJxnRviLpMPjbaZOyfYeTNrbWFgu_BW0lvY96ajts0I8XkfhIYz13f1kf6dM2p1L3XI13jG9979jYx0Hh4lkROrUGSR-EwcPWt21uHxwCN5HNDJgzLB4wqliKaAnQ5yXW/s720/FL_20220611_0212.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUedl58174rTHBE0vho0hFmbiscN2C1I2qY2MY7eugSyM1C4MEjfMr78VnJxnRviLpMPjbaZOyfYeTNrbWFgu_BW0lvY96ajts0I8XkfhIYz13f1kf6dM2p1L3XI13jG9979jYx0Hh4lkROrUGSR-EwcPWt21uHxwCN5HNDJgzLB4wqliKaAnQ5yXW/w640-h480/FL_20220611_0212.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hmmm... it really would have been eye-opening for us to have a team of the crew doing real-life shooting here. But without, we just had to make do with shooting the scenes ourselves. As could be understood, this interesting park was segregated into different buildings for different scenes. Also to cater for different teams if they were to come at the same time.<br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjupaOTKcvdcFSDbq3Z2CRvkMNV8FElz6IQlCC1_B4xNtS9buMinrQ1XGhxAX6wRn7PngeYl09p0Y7oCdLJwl-vkJ2MGC2x94dPiePjTyPw2t-VPPtihNtCCjNUcAbriVM_urjeKhcS6O1OmCewxZQH1TWiv7ifgqyQygjS52pG8d664MHhyIfSx2/s6482/IMG_3133.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2468" data-original-width="6482" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjupaOTKcvdcFSDbq3Z2CRvkMNV8FElz6IQlCC1_B4xNtS9buMinrQ1XGhxAX6wRn7PngeYl09p0Y7oCdLJwl-vkJ2MGC2x94dPiePjTyPw2t-VPPtihNtCCjNUcAbriVM_urjeKhcS6O1OmCewxZQH1TWiv7ifgqyQygjS52pG8d664MHhyIfSx2/w1169-h446/IMG_3133.HEIC" width="1169" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was where the famous scholar in the drama was educated as a Confucius scholar.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Wah.. what a surprise awaited us at the end of the walk - our favourite actors and actresses!</span></p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtaOr_uCvp7ITQB7I_1ZGqT_aF2ykM810-gP7ZxYyLY0LbAfQc8XzvZqr-YaG67lou3SH-v74wf4ymwmKbVJf2wxo0_dR8P9sOJtXDFTmqFzEZgADivLUbqXkOf0RyTkp3wl7FzQFL681EVDuCq65zfeWCm0jhnMAS2OSyLLxRGUgmo6Yrs6BNbVB7/s720/FL_20220614_0218.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtaOr_uCvp7ITQB7I_1ZGqT_aF2ykM810-gP7ZxYyLY0LbAfQc8XzvZqr-YaG67lou3SH-v74wf4ymwmKbVJf2wxo0_dR8P9sOJtXDFTmqFzEZgADivLUbqXkOf0RyTkp3wl7FzQFL681EVDuCq65zfeWCm0jhnMAS2OSyLLxRGUgmo6Yrs6BNbVB7/w480-h640/FL_20220614_0218.GIF" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b>Gongju 公州, the birthplace of Injeolmi, here we come!<br /></b></span><br /></div><div>With DaeJangGeum happily tucked under our sleeves, we moved out towards Gongju. <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We spent almost two hours in DaeJangGeum park without realizing it. We could have spent more time exploring another section of the set but decided</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> to start driving our way slowly towards Gongju. It was another one-and-a-half-hour drive through expressways and tunnels, generally smooth with some parts at 50km/h and other parts along the Expressway at 110km/h.</span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>So what was this thing about Injeolmi? </b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, to those who love to eat Bingsu, will be familiar with the original Injeolmi flavour Bingsu. What is Injeolmi? This is a traditional tteok (rice cake) made of pounded rice flour with soybean powder and it is delicious! Little did we know on this day we would discover the origin of Injeolmi and its history.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Arriving at Gongju</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivpqtOcFSBRKwN278uEtlqxl0qlgGNfShBlJDVXo3zT7LH2ecRUaZl3xznKlvij7UEXLxVH0eP-5cptBrMaHBvMUCK43UhzvE_yeYMiNK_nGBH5b4hA-QqbY3912J9a1amkOJ_bOJNC79nB3b0rHCoWJKUiucIq1M1PtKZzeCKhPvRfYpEqoK3R1U/s4032/IMG_4313.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivpqtOcFSBRKwN278uEtlqxl0qlgGNfShBlJDVXo3zT7LH2ecRUaZl3xznKlvij7UEXLxVH0eP-5cptBrMaHBvMUCK43UhzvE_yeYMiNK_nGBH5b4hA-QqbY3912J9a1amkOJ_bOJNC79nB3b0rHCoWJKUiucIq1M1PtKZzeCKhPvRfYpEqoK3R1U/w640-h480/IMG_4313.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The so-so-only Gongju Hanok</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Parking here in Gongju was even more lawless than in Suwon. And we could just park anywhere where there was an empty space. Not a bad thing, but we just had to find a good enough spot close enough to our Honghuiguan Hanok Guesthouse. The host received us without even needing to check our ID… Ah Li concluded that we were the only guests staying on this day. And we think she was correct.
</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkx83ouCUcf71D7WDb0kTVJV39APhl-G1Y_t3M1FLUjwstfCUVeJGjvy7gIwEVpcl5sHrQ-l_Iyb9DeZIKKojYl998SwhvodwytugytVJLJ7ox_v4OBQsTYxN7iTnKVCfaDgoSqw4z9ECFVyTyBWIPEsRxs0gIn8t729a-UNoPckrLWpQNdIhZdjQa/s720/FL_20220614_0219.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkx83ouCUcf71D7WDb0kTVJV39APhl-G1Y_t3M1FLUjwstfCUVeJGjvy7gIwEVpcl5sHrQ-l_Iyb9DeZIKKojYl998SwhvodwytugytVJLJ7ox_v4OBQsTYxN7iTnKVCfaDgoSqw4z9ECFVyTyBWIPEsRxs0gIn8t729a-UNoPckrLWpQNdIhZdjQa/w640-h480/FL_20220614_0219.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The Hanok room was cozy but small. But ok lah.. just nice to house three of us although Ah Li kept harping and harping on how nice and big the Suwon hotel room was.. haha..
</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCzokTGs6rLZDzuw6n97_FmvBFHz11cHvPUd9QQuMUBTMQ6Fnqlh2FXOqc3Xjh9qlWC6bCP_FA3hwdtWDI1z4XbXoq5H9WfC3PqFe57wsrukwxyEQcl0sW8SaByVZ0TBdRArdyVX-Nk2UFbtBD9nEQCJ3ZxHORHe0qOOvNDYDj3F0HdhAQpRgXGBF/s720/FL_20220614_0224.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCzokTGs6rLZDzuw6n97_FmvBFHz11cHvPUd9QQuMUBTMQ6Fnqlh2FXOqc3Xjh9qlWC6bCP_FA3hwdtWDI1z4XbXoq5H9WfC3PqFe57wsrukwxyEQcl0sW8SaByVZ0TBdRArdyVX-Nk2UFbtBD9nEQCJ3ZxHORHe0qOOvNDYDj3F0HdhAQpRgXGBF/w640-h480/FL_20220614_0224.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EUov9AiWVzNB6lH3V7L9k8EL5knK9v9QoggUI2bmbj4sxNbq4pzIDgkj3pBJCUTtskhKtG5ypzqMmZFmTUta8U5k9bu-aKlk0PbHoH8k0K1MqUIG2YpTpHqGkZXNcfAv5r8DQOwm5JjumXmy0n4EmWT377kHV4UBzH8CtJfO8ywfqM4i5eJX25O7/s4032/IMG_4340.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EUov9AiWVzNB6lH3V7L9k8EL5knK9v9QoggUI2bmbj4sxNbq4pzIDgkj3pBJCUTtskhKtG5ypzqMmZFmTUta8U5k9bu-aKlk0PbHoH8k0K1MqUIG2YpTpHqGkZXNcfAv5r8DQOwm5JjumXmy0n4EmWT377kHV4UBzH8CtJfO8ywfqM4i5eJX25O7/w640-h480/IMG_4340.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samgyetang restaurant</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch was a 흑삼삼계탕 黑參參雞湯 black ginseng Samgyetang in a restaurant set up in a lovely old Hanok, run by an Ajumma SaJangNim a few houses down the street.
</span></p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ngpMFwQZ9m2J2l8IU7RtlTFmvEBJA031VeGl78MuWqgXwKLk2EuPEdQWF3aoyuN86LJ6wqpgZaUZmhP2e-ZumCSv5mUiKh_IdEf8UPijl626iBZlLBhfhxcK4rYi1EHRQyfQI6UFpIEuNG5TYvCPJQV4A34wpKGdAgg2PlXzRRtqrNwSCy95Zk6X/s720/FL_20220614_0220.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ngpMFwQZ9m2J2l8IU7RtlTFmvEBJA031VeGl78MuWqgXwKLk2EuPEdQWF3aoyuN86LJ6wqpgZaUZmhP2e-ZumCSv5mUiKh_IdEf8UPijl626iBZlLBhfhxcK4rYi1EHRQyfQI6UFpIEuNG5TYvCPJQV4A34wpKGdAgg2PlXzRRtqrNwSCy95Zk6X/w640-h480/FL_20220614_0220.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“I like that the restaurant is so beautifully decorated,” </b></span>said Ah Li, referring to that authentic Korean Hanok atmosphere in the restaurant.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“I like it that when we eat, there are other locals eating in the restaurant as well, which means that this is for locals, and not targeting tourists,”</span></b> I replied.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Well, it’s not only that, but even the owners themselves eat in the restaurant,”</b></span> joked Ah Li, which was true because at that moment the SaJangNim and her son was also eating on the table behind us. This was an observation made when we were having meals in another SikTang earlier in Suwon. I like it this way. It made the whole place so much more homely.</span></p></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_kLfPgVuAwwzdrhW7wtqSvNIBREq3i5s3AIqF-rLfTTUaVRSMDUGGPdkUYZtYxLf4aWAIXn-aAlLx9QnT0rROZ36WDfRUO3U09RO870pTdP-5hXS0nPq7LosnjHReFHOJASxdTXaEUE0icEHoNH-jkVJ1qdrzq34n7dk5qrn9pb0xJPu7m5gaCC2/s4032/IMG_4344.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_kLfPgVuAwwzdrhW7wtqSvNIBREq3i5s3AIqF-rLfTTUaVRSMDUGGPdkUYZtYxLf4aWAIXn-aAlLx9QnT0rROZ36WDfRUO3U09RO870pTdP-5hXS0nPq7LosnjHReFHOJASxdTXaEUE0icEHoNH-jkVJ1qdrzq34n7dk5qrn9pb0xJPu7m5gaCC2/w640-h480/IMG_4344.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We walked across the road towards GongSanSeong fortress (공산성 公山城), and Ah Li and Eomma Serene looked up…
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Huh?! Climb that steep steps again!”</span></b> Serene kao-behed.</span></p></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqunuqkhArHHLXmtw0XEp8055JffxzebDUeE-WEdZBpoZLAPJV9MLVmBomrUj3oMMVeSAduIMYPH8XacHevFIUM4Y8rtz0oJIWptcu8JEForJjyA7gKXX1e_zoVbb_BPoBhyYEdFVd6UEhAC4ywQsqaakUXF8O5I2VWzomrMLOoTPaN6BUpiY51Rvt/s4032/IMG_4352.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqunuqkhArHHLXmtw0XEp8055JffxzebDUeE-WEdZBpoZLAPJV9MLVmBomrUj3oMMVeSAduIMYPH8XacHevFIUM4Y8rtz0oJIWptcu8JEForJjyA7gKXX1e_zoVbb_BPoBhyYEdFVd6UEhAC4ywQsqaakUXF8O5I2VWzomrMLOoTPaN6BUpiY51Rvt/w640-h480/IMG_4352.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But Ah Li just quietly accept the fact that we had to just make it up to that hill too and started her way up. Hahaha... I knew both of them had resigned to fate that their Korea trip was going to be full of mountains and slopes and steps.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ542h3i9m0kK5PKRGUIzXmTZ3cC3jlM74RotODPqg01ybvWUH_-aWiDxUFwFcSpyJzLpeD6e_lkt5OLUwLCCNdlIw9611f7rUDP1a35HqUP4T9opIQvVM5BDFIZcEBZ2gnQ7O9frUHXq3yxAqfCcfuqXnjfPhciI5vMJnOGVoa5BRTRo1UPH9ahe9/s4032/IMG_4355.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ542h3i9m0kK5PKRGUIzXmTZ3cC3jlM74RotODPqg01ybvWUH_-aWiDxUFwFcSpyJzLpeD6e_lkt5OLUwLCCNdlIw9611f7rUDP1a35HqUP4T9opIQvVM5BDFIZcEBZ2gnQ7O9frUHXq3yxAqfCcfuqXnjfPhciI5vMJnOGVoa5BRTRo1UPH9ahe9/w640-h480/IMG_4355.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But frankly, this GongSanSeong was really small compared to Suwon Hwaseong. We were glad to have walked up because up there we discovered a small write-up that detailed the history of Injeolmi - the famous Korean Rice cake covered with soya bean, red bean or sesame powder - that was my favourite flavour when it came to Bingsul.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbHIPQTtALk89S2qs-a1qK5qAMSBkGGvWll5U1bqZjBA260oR_qguMUyOrZ9yX09pvFIaWsscfh_AzPvRTjSu59aygWKdZ-wiYNfIDpQVQzSOXZCssvRa1-CNOP_jdRaysR30nW7fUGeUMQAbQ7W64gm1SVYG1ySyBab2TNEujAcINlZ5LpTgGU9h/s4032/IMG_4375.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbHIPQTtALk89S2qs-a1qK5qAMSBkGGvWll5U1bqZjBA260oR_qguMUyOrZ9yX09pvFIaWsscfh_AzPvRTjSu59aygWKdZ-wiYNfIDpQVQzSOXZCssvRa1-CNOP_jdRaysR30nW7fUGeUMQAbQ7W64gm1SVYG1ySyBab2TNEujAcINlZ5LpTgGU9h/w480-h640/IMG_4375.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Here was that story of Injeolmi, in scripted on the plate below the 雙樹亭:
</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>“</b></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>Gongju, the Birthplace of Injeolmi</b></span></span></p></div></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>Injeolmi is a type of Korean rice cake made by steaming and pounding glutinous rice flour cutting it into rectangular pieces and covering it with powder-most commonly soybean </b></i></span><i style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>powder but also red bean powder or black sesame seed powder. The legend behínd the name injeolmi dates back to 1624 when King Injo sought refuge at Gongsanseong Fortress during a revolt. As the king was fleeing to the fortress, a Mr. Im of a nearby village offered the king some cut rice cakes covered in soybean powder. The king hungrily devoured a few of the rice cakes, and said, ‘My, these are delicdous. They look like rice cakes, but what are they called?’</b></i></span></p></div></div></div></div></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>When no one could answer, the king said, ‘These rlce cakes ought to have a name, and it is strange that no one knows what they are called. Who Is it that made these rice cakes?’</b></i></span></p></div></div></div></div></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>They were made by Mr Im, someone replied.</b></i></span></p></div></div></div></div></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">‘</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">Mr. Im, you say,’ </span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">thought the King. </span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">‘ Mr Im's rice cakes are truly delicious (Jeolmi 절미 絕美).’</span></b></i></span></p></div></div></div></div></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>Since then, the rice cakes were called Imjeolmi. Over time,</b></i></span><i style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>the pronunciation of the word changed to Injeolmi as It is known today. It is also called "Gongju tteok’ (공주떡) meaning rlce cake of Gongiu by local residents.”</b></i></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8fxa0npvtqQ1ua-lKEnk-AuUkgWCE2SBd38XA6hrIVeg_BmKK71yS8py7E8laJn2iXLx5E8EKS918iOTnJWcjHzu29HeYz_BMsRpqF4SEKo4iivLDIjzT9_g-8rn-R8HbKZ07w-_GIQjWsdEoyhPET1zSFV4heVupOX-uaJ1FYeZ_T2bjKGK8FmR/s4032/IMG_4384.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8fxa0npvtqQ1ua-lKEnk-AuUkgWCE2SBd38XA6hrIVeg_BmKK71yS8py7E8laJn2iXLx5E8EKS918iOTnJWcjHzu29HeYz_BMsRpqF4SEKo4iivLDIjzT9_g-8rn-R8HbKZ07w-_GIQjWsdEoyhPET1zSFV4heVupOX-uaJ1FYeZ_T2bjKGK8FmR/w640-h480/IMG_4384.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So we were all delighted to find that one of our distant relatives in the past, a 林 씨, was the inventor of Imjeolmi (Injeolmi 林絕美) and now we could happily go order our Injeolmi Bingsu and devour it with pride!
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOX2o0Zuu0VqbiqUSb_SX-fEQgLm-KFbuEmRop84DEiC1LhqGfuy8DAUlP3ad21AGV4khDGVA_uYqOfhlEwy0DgjO1ktxx9s9gu2AC4wDBZHOcfBor50bK1P8DCbqk7ogbxU5YOaRugCuBu6De6CG8IT3IzEpNMFVLzj3iZL85YNAZzpAQpF3kDHfK/s4032/IMG_4390.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOX2o0Zuu0VqbiqUSb_SX-fEQgLm-KFbuEmRop84DEiC1LhqGfuy8DAUlP3ad21AGV4khDGVA_uYqOfhlEwy0DgjO1ktxx9s9gu2AC4wDBZHOcfBor50bK1P8DCbqk7ogbxU5YOaRugCuBu6De6CG8IT3IzEpNMFVLzj3iZL85YNAZzpAQpF3kDHfK/w640-h480/IMG_4390.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;">Ghost town after 6pm... this Gongju</span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Like the past few days, an afternoon rest even if it were for half an hour, lying in bed, was in order. Today was no exception. But by the time we got up and left the Hanok Guesthouse at 6:15pm we were disappointed to find that almost no shops were opened.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICNTfWARjna3yjsIbEWazW8f58xKXUUEYIuDGDcSDjpM5DKLaBJrLNI2JOTfstiUfHZmlO2t4aex8xwKU4nH6aTnvm8fjN9x3vR8z1lpFhvsy0M4We7xg4aggkBYS1Xk_SyQKUrhu5H84Fxk7UR2khAhY27VIpUSDQT4b0_HIzAA_Z64pg4_Bvxdl/s3999/E8512953-20A6-4FB0-8360-20397425045D.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICNTfWARjna3yjsIbEWazW8f58xKXUUEYIuDGDcSDjpM5DKLaBJrLNI2JOTfstiUfHZmlO2t4aex8xwKU4nH6aTnvm8fjN9x3vR8z1lpFhvsy0M4We7xg4aggkBYS1Xk_SyQKUrhu5H84Fxk7UR2khAhY27VIpUSDQT4b0_HIzAA_Z64pg4_Bvxdl/w640-h480/E8512953-20A6-4FB0-8360-20397425045D.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">If we thought Suwon was sleepy (which I subsequently admitted that mistake because we discovered that Suwon’s Rodeo street was just as bustling as Myeongdong in its heydays), then Gongju was almost a dead city… something close to that. Because after 5-6pm many of the shops were closed and the markets 시장 were shut, most SikTangs 식당 were shuttered at 8pm, and the streets were in darkness, with hardly anyone walking the streets.
</span></p></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5eifZWAvLxbF5iq9Xb4nKgHOklk479aMZf_sDzdWNy3yFrpv9X7aJkn6dFPJqFJZPBT3tXE0ju2ggT6Hp-8a7Ep-7oTvWgnWsCwuukGS1vZUj0gC-Fo0Won_VAsV7q9JgTcXmzeIXfBJfUFqsvTKk_obl2YTkwVxoPVW6M5qyoLizEBFPMV3lgVa/s3999/6CDEC486-FD7D-41DC-A4EE-3BC3AEC8AB51.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5eifZWAvLxbF5iq9Xb4nKgHOklk479aMZf_sDzdWNy3yFrpv9X7aJkn6dFPJqFJZPBT3tXE0ju2ggT6Hp-8a7Ep-7oTvWgnWsCwuukGS1vZUj0gC-Fo0Won_VAsV7q9JgTcXmzeIXfBJfUFqsvTKk_obl2YTkwVxoPVW6M5qyoLizEBFPMV3lgVa/w640-h480/6CDEC486-FD7D-41DC-A4EE-3BC3AEC8AB51.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>... But...</i></b></div></span></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRU3BHQeSbZDwV4_lTiroIzEMKfxJghTuh24cfpyOJtdHE1CHw002WgFueczUa0Z8_i1tKbGu8yJ8lDbp6siX3w1Sr5pF8BSHtjIi-UPO66_C17v7K-rbD35ywlUK2OCA8dlBZS_nQJnYPM0EM4yMMB2t-zhlCmyNzr533Kcb-z5UsgSe0hJBO-ze/s3999/7CF20F32-4A02-494B-95E6-56F545EE2741.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3999" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRU3BHQeSbZDwV4_lTiroIzEMKfxJghTuh24cfpyOJtdHE1CHw002WgFueczUa0Z8_i1tKbGu8yJ8lDbp6siX3w1Sr5pF8BSHtjIi-UPO66_C17v7K-rbD35ywlUK2OCA8dlBZS_nQJnYPM0EM4yMMB2t-zhlCmyNzr533Kcb-z5UsgSe0hJBO-ze/w640-h480/7CF20F32-4A02-494B-95E6-56F545EE2741.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div></div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56eXBcvPDNVEUmQXSiCuOxdn9hdLXT6cWKrsLTeuWObkPavJnqKO8XtUSsglpDWcgr1BD0fwZrDX_DKirMi0Wmtfv9PuTg5GZ_R3yMd2fCJw3a5qk0lOvHsC_jYC5arD594gAEFZjCWk6KBbbEpw25bhbMMbss-dnnx3v7Q_PffQ4vfeTRcJUu1W_/s5995/IMG_3142.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2668" data-original-width="5995" height="405" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56eXBcvPDNVEUmQXSiCuOxdn9hdLXT6cWKrsLTeuWObkPavJnqKO8XtUSsglpDWcgr1BD0fwZrDX_DKirMi0Wmtfv9PuTg5GZ_R3yMd2fCJw3a5qk0lOvHsC_jYC5arD594gAEFZjCWk6KBbbEpw25bhbMMbss-dnnx3v7Q_PffQ4vfeTRcJUu1W_/w913-h405/IMG_3142.heic" width="913" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a pano of the statue of King Muryeong</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><br /><br />Whatever remaining activities in this marketplace at about 7:30pm was what we could see along the main road. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4XRutpAE2_fixeDzlfZDGUJV60o10T_A_rJXA7zSXZPzH9PmD2REf-PAgacO3vLNYYyX6jtxDGkKoI7jFIA8-5c1ztYTrE6m_2G9pTixAOWpEJ8Qht2xvMeMUJes3KCS4Wm4hBypqlj3hlmhocAXWHvGIKb9b2WzMShT8MN3SklQMQIogV1Yw6c9/s720/FL_20220614_0223.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4XRutpAE2_fixeDzlfZDGUJV60o10T_A_rJXA7zSXZPzH9PmD2REf-PAgacO3vLNYYyX6jtxDGkKoI7jFIA8-5c1ztYTrE6m_2G9pTixAOWpEJ8Qht2xvMeMUJes3KCS4Wm4hBypqlj3hlmhocAXWHvGIKb9b2WzMShT8MN3SklQMQIogV1Yw6c9/w640-h480/FL_20220614_0223.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Walking slowly back to our Hanok,,,</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyzP0sjmzwvMN_LxONRFohfPdX1S29yYZkMT5v0bPwQk5x-UnF8dj3wECNQLM0IGlqjZ5P0yMExoL5hAnuP7Pu1qf1rdR6kVs8_ZAH7xkfWCCMnJdA-RuvIarwh03mDy1Dj7q7nM6FSVF2uLWW8urzXwtpHuTOed0Y230wRqZ9HB7H23T__oqdnil/s720/FL_20220614_0221.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyzP0sjmzwvMN_LxONRFohfPdX1S29yYZkMT5v0bPwQk5x-UnF8dj3wECNQLM0IGlqjZ5P0yMExoL5hAnuP7Pu1qf1rdR6kVs8_ZAH7xkfWCCMnJdA-RuvIarwh03mDy1Dj7q7nM6FSVF2uLWW8urzXwtpHuTOed0Y230wRqZ9HB7H23T__oqdnil/w640-h480/FL_20220614_0221.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So we ended up with no dinner because the SikTang were all closed. </div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;">"Let's go back to the Hanok and eat cup Ramyeon ba!"</span></b> said Eomma Serene.</div></div></blockquote><div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="527" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ga89npgt0rk" width="633" youtube-src-id="ga89npgt0rk"></iframe></div><div><br /></div>And we did just that. And slept in this cozy little Hanok room.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfDevtx74y5tMEuj7-y5Zh6SYxEet5uAdnZW8_f59GINXi37TCisWLmh075NKUZxbVyGtNZcDjn7Vrh1MLYp89zr1hHXMSp08zbc8qxFpSilk-m7xK1f_uontwfwdhlMAIJcys_jdjpWMh6c28O6o1-uqkNfxkl9Ssbtm5JCBt7OE6rZIjAJHmaRy/s4032/IMG_4501.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfDevtx74y5tMEuj7-y5Zh6SYxEet5uAdnZW8_f59GINXi37TCisWLmh075NKUZxbVyGtNZcDjn7Vrh1MLYp89zr1hHXMSp08zbc8qxFpSilk-m7xK1f_uontwfwdhlMAIJcys_jdjpWMh6c28O6o1-uqkNfxkl9Ssbtm5JCBt7OE6rZIjAJHmaRy/w640-h480/IMG_4501.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large; white-space: normal;"><br /></i></span></div><br /><br /><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo";"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: x-large;"><a name="8째날">8 째날: Day 8</a></span></b>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small;">[16th May 2022. Monday]</span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOM3AXKcCeW-cf6sy6UtnJ9KnxpDuHwbx7Rhv6bT_CXxt2hOVdOm-qeulEZGB0363596fsMLmpbbVvOLpxN08vORD6khAUXLVQLrKC2KstyMYesPQLVpYeQfc5GMC-U4fcVs4-Xwa-WhpSIIAD5ReApHj8VaiEVXANswbXeSJfBU7y-7zIj9MmwYR/s900/FL_20220624_0254.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="900" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOM3AXKcCeW-cf6sy6UtnJ9KnxpDuHwbx7Rhv6bT_CXxt2hOVdOm-qeulEZGB0363596fsMLmpbbVvOLpxN08vORD6khAUXLVQLrKC2KstyMYesPQLVpYeQfc5GMC-U4fcVs4-Xwa-WhpSIIAD5ReApHj8VaiEVXANswbXeSJfBU7y-7zIj9MmwYR/w640-h384/FL_20220624_0254.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drive from Gongju to the romantic Jeonju</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzbsYLyeGpPNMAIaaSmEEaET01czm7YexXwxM8Ud6KdKkNArBLcWHlIaTGXu9jxVUPt2YhfIsgWNQjFi6MiZmnLm4RlcYjhpCIv6_CNuv0DJmiAmmYoEm9LeuKXhTb8sdqUwCliobhRWr7ha7rgMoPGknFi2j5QyUgotjuBvLkJ2_JFjtlrsT_7Q-/s4032/IMG_4629.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzbsYLyeGpPNMAIaaSmEEaET01czm7YexXwxM8Ud6KdKkNArBLcWHlIaTGXu9jxVUPt2YhfIsgWNQjFi6MiZmnLm4RlcYjhpCIv6_CNuv0DJmiAmmYoEm9LeuKXhTb8sdqUwCliobhRWr7ha7rgMoPGknFi2j5QyUgotjuBvLkJ2_JFjtlrsT_7Q-/w640-h480/IMG_4629.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snacks & tteoks of all flavours!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small;"></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>A refreshing re-discovery of Gongju!</b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjFR_bz3d9ljvuw7I7kkCaYOx3Ev_-RvtAJZMG5oqZGtONicAbbyjxLjZ3q4QlKmthZZSQSPHDgY3BoGZgOYl6CEqPKOxP_87IHAfgQIqAIpEgppVjids8JnOOXkbrkxP6mYUYEBwMp0ImUR0s_aLeaPDHND857SEpLcPkjlKTHV9CRJon1-dbmIx/s4032/IMG_4631.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjFR_bz3d9ljvuw7I7kkCaYOx3Ev_-RvtAJZMG5oqZGtONicAbbyjxLjZ3q4QlKmthZZSQSPHDgY3BoGZgOYl6CEqPKOxP_87IHAfgQIqAIpEgppVjids8JnOOXkbrkxP6mYUYEBwMp0ImUR0s_aLeaPDHND857SEpLcPkjlKTHV9CRJon1-dbmIx/w640-h480/IMG_4631.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ajussi and Ajumma fashion!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh, what difference a night made. After we checked out of the so-so Honghuiguan Hanok in the morning we drove to 산성시장 Sanseong sijang (山城市場) and oh at 10am the whole place was totally alive with Ajussis, Ajummas, Halabeojis and Halmeonis! The locals were out in full force doing their grocery shopping and what an authentic experience it was.
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1apV-yYqghoy117mQzDIiSqmuFSehBropCl7-DO_N3pwGMlxFm4SyuZcpubvVc4eNA4UYqqt0Dv8pgxK6rsBCc7YWozObWVPtN7Zzyw7MHc1IEReyBcCKwkY8_YLQEWrupf7jHZA9ApUHTB5S_s2YeM5mVJDwzWF6jNacXJV_hfYXX7wE9_OSsw0f/s4032/IMG_4637.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1apV-yYqghoy117mQzDIiSqmuFSehBropCl7-DO_N3pwGMlxFm4SyuZcpubvVc4eNA4UYqqt0Dv8pgxK6rsBCc7YWozObWVPtN7Zzyw7MHc1IEReyBcCKwkY8_YLQEWrupf7jHZA9ApUHTB5S_s2YeM5mVJDwzWF6jNacXJV_hfYXX7wE9_OSsw0f/w640-h480/IMG_4637.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Jua; font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">동</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">영</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">상</span></span>
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="538" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VTC3dhduSAs" width="648" youtube-src-id="VTC3dhduSAs"></iframe></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We found the Rich man’s Tteok house (부자떡집) right at the market corner, and got our Gongju Injeolmi in original flavouras well as in red bean flavour. We were impressed to find that the prices of these local favourite snacks not that expensive, but one thing we found was that these rice cakes Tteok, they cannot be kept for too long. They would remain soft and fresh only for about one day. After that they started to turn hard and were no longer as tasty and as chewy. That was why tteok, if bought as a gift, must be bought FRESH, and delivered immediately.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdDA9nZNumZRDamOV25lBQtqbwUhB0XOBJhGh9O3m8CUc-a95F2gvS_zJrjdPZAV-e5oJpszyMFUx-JtZjW5q8YDhKkomywxSZnxK_FErkknyEk9oNV8vxYgPAwQ0lhXVcykZKpMGV0v1KPgDmpOO-4pqBPUYIQAmhqzAperxhrSZ-VlhqVM_yxjk/s4032/IMG_4655.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdDA9nZNumZRDamOV25lBQtqbwUhB0XOBJhGh9O3m8CUc-a95F2gvS_zJrjdPZAV-e5oJpszyMFUx-JtZjW5q8YDhKkomywxSZnxK_FErkknyEk9oNV8vxYgPAwQ0lhXVcykZKpMGV0v1KPgDmpOO-4pqBPUYIQAmhqzAperxhrSZ-VlhqVM_yxjk/w480-h640/IMG_4655.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BuJa TteokJib</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86HVMuyWCiZNQQxj79dzH5Zz6kXfr3RWXBoZayhP3P5rZjXjYjS6q77CeLFjMjzK3X2EVpOj35EZV3pgIDn8TaxBqga6iv6WpaSMwPF9Y5AXcYQKroRQSgmRctVZMRh1fzhAtg_cuYXQBAnRDdMcdYmkgRm6PkwFHCSkTx2_rSCGmppJhW7Mn5xFt/s720/FL_20220618_0226.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86HVMuyWCiZNQQxj79dzH5Zz6kXfr3RWXBoZayhP3P5rZjXjYjS6q77CeLFjMjzK3X2EVpOj35EZV3pgIDn8TaxBqga6iv6WpaSMwPF9Y5AXcYQKroRQSgmRctVZMRh1fzhAtg_cuYXQBAnRDdMcdYmkgRm6PkwFHCSkTx2_rSCGmppJhW7Mn5xFt/w640-h480/FL_20220618_0226.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Wow this Gongju Seongsan Sijang was such a great place for locals to buy not only food products but garments, seeds, primary produce as well as utensils, much like the wet markets back home in Singapore. Very thrilled we were, to be walking amongst the localfolks and being immersed in the cacophony of calls and bargainings in native Saturi,
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndlwbvbJzV5T2DP7aS9XdFGRiPXijO7Os9DNn7eGb7HoVqL8qhGEv4edR0NmHd1HG547tl5lSh7MIncqywzeauotdByah1tWuTuc8FQIoVrtuoRqMu3OmpMbbgZgTFyb4f3Kt52fwGqgM8ICePjPexlyachm-U2H_qcqOM4dEaEvkFyKpCrAMO3aE/s4032/IMG_0247.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndlwbvbJzV5T2DP7aS9XdFGRiPXijO7Os9DNn7eGb7HoVqL8qhGEv4edR0NmHd1HG547tl5lSh7MIncqywzeauotdByah1tWuTuc8FQIoVrtuoRqMu3OmpMbbgZgTFyb4f3Kt52fwGqgM8ICePjPexlyachm-U2H_qcqOM4dEaEvkFyKpCrAMO3aE/w480-h640/IMG_0247.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Time for a petrol refill before wqe head off to the next spot - Jeonju 전주 全州. Thankfully the GS petrol station was manned by a courteous young man and he helped me top up my petrol tank at 1,990₩ (S$2.16) per litre, still a good price compared to Singapore’s crazy petrol prices. This Hyundai Avante was such a fuel-efficient car. I probably only used two third tanks up till now. I could not imagine if I were to drive my 20 year old car here, wah it would have gurgled up petrol like a monster.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-large;">The Royal Tomb of King Muryeong of Baekje 百濟武寧王</b>
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaMKkf2hDM3xoi6S3X35HoKYAfvATVvnBrAcmuXTJZhPFQMO-uX3_9Fjn9qlwOA3TlKszXTNOMU97QToPT2soIDSjOTjlsoRsfQ5a2IuoKDx8_N9if5ZB5KxHh0UeNe7QzaGMQuFVlP9hGCwiUHa4mQXyP0DXlmhM45kKM7gNgbYHkqGVRb1B8pCPS/s4032/IMG_4690.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaMKkf2hDM3xoi6S3X35HoKYAfvATVvnBrAcmuXTJZhPFQMO-uX3_9Fjn9qlwOA3TlKszXTNOMU97QToPT2soIDSjOTjlsoRsfQ5a2IuoKDx8_N9if5ZB5KxHh0UeNe7QzaGMQuFVlP9hGCwiUHa4mQXyP0DXlmhM45kKM7gNgbYHkqGVRb1B8pCPS/w640-h480/IMG_4690.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Ok, now that we have our cup noodle breakfast in the Hanok and shopped the Gongju Sanseong Sijang, let’s go see how King Muryeong’s tomb looks like,”</span></b> I said.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiceKO-Aqg-yNOKsBy-1Ra6SuzhVZ-bNxlfmGA-wS7l2NEfZ96_FJCwz7bOfxycTCsJCklUZt_KLEaTrHv1zfz_xKjUdpyxFL_xQRBN8ZmpZOfKw00nG6XZBILBT3xOh-RdsZh1ybMeIkJ1y2slaXtplAfeN4vEWZxxP5OmtzDhY8meXZBWFAAx9CGx/s4032/IMG_4657.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiceKO-Aqg-yNOKsBy-1Ra6SuzhVZ-bNxlfmGA-wS7l2NEfZ96_FJCwz7bOfxycTCsJCklUZt_KLEaTrHv1zfz_xKjUdpyxFL_xQRBN8ZmpZOfKw00nG6XZBILBT3xOh-RdsZh1ybMeIkJ1y2slaXtplAfeN4vEWZxxP5OmtzDhY8meXZBWFAAx9CGx/w640-h480/IMG_4657.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The Royal tombs of Songsanri (성산리 宋三里) consists of the tombs of 13 royal families during the Baekje Ungin period (백제 웅진기 百濟熊期 475-538 A.D.) of which only 7 tombs remain due to looting during the Japanese colonial period. Tombs 1-4 were discovered in 1927, tomb no. 5 in 1932 and tomb no. 6 in 1933. King Muryeong and his Queen’s tomb was discovered most recently on the 15 July 1997, and these Royal tombs have been designated a UNESCO world heritage site.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBgCBi32Z9C58veYABhilr_tQQUgCAMaD2kYLLXtfvap8kREcZfm23nr9mb4FLQjXjt4f1u0GUH24ZxPan36IVlspd88tVt10NwDlV8L4ZZeoWDvrknH02M1Ev-4di6vrSNahzjmf7dbK_oLmBq47Gv7WOiBwUoQZh6c8vvrBIlIxo1U-HSLO006G/s720/FL_20220618_0227.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBgCBi32Z9C58veYABhilr_tQQUgCAMaD2kYLLXtfvap8kREcZfm23nr9mb4FLQjXjt4f1u0GUH24ZxPan36IVlspd88tVt10NwDlV8L4ZZeoWDvrknH02M1Ev-4di6vrSNahzjmf7dbK_oLmBq47Gv7WOiBwUoQZh6c8vvrBIlIxo1U-HSLO006G/w640-h480/FL_20220618_0227.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">King Muryeong (무령왕 武寧王, 462- 523 A.D) was the 25th King of Baekje, one of the three kingdoms during Korea’s Three Kingdom era (三國時代), when Baekja was fighting with Goguryeo and Silla for control of the Korean Peninsula. Here in his tomb, King Muryeong and his Queen were buried.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Baekje was well-recorded in history to have had a very good relationship with China and Japan, and was a conduit for Buddhism to pass from China to Japan. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">What little I knew of Baekje and King Muryeong were from that Korean period drama </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“The King’s daughter - Su Baek Hyang 제왕의 딸 수백향 帝王의 딸 手百香”, </b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">when I was crazily chasing that Korean actress Seo Hyun Jin’s drama. The drama really did depict the historical background of King Muryeong and the historical era and I was so happy to be here in Gongju, the location of the old capital Ungin of Baekje. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We were again pleased to see a group of primary school children led by their teachers on a tour of the Royal tomb, as well as several old couples taking their time touring the tombs.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“Again, climb?” </b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">asked Serene. But luckily she need not s for too long as the climb, though steep, was very short.</span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“</b></span><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">We are going to make it very relaxing today,” </span></b>I reassured, somewhat not generating some level of belief from them two.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLcVA4lX8WVLHxFUIRW2cvZUlhthnuvvqOq3sujTNkwfD_igyw0eCzpCDaeqKjc1dTJ8VD0PGjAwdIJ_PQOcYUW3fGn_3P8XPFy6KUQPjvfMPuwOp9-y-LnRIvFPO4hTb_vVnYTOSrX6hPal_oIA59gofbII0Yl_AAMbg9UG_xU3Dvoq0ACvTlazO/s6910/IMG_3183.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2315" data-original-width="6910" height="437" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLcVA4lX8WVLHxFUIRW2cvZUlhthnuvvqOq3sujTNkwfD_igyw0eCzpCDaeqKjc1dTJ8VD0PGjAwdIJ_PQOcYUW3fGn_3P8XPFy6KUQPjvfMPuwOp9-y-LnRIvFPO4hTb_vVnYTOSrX6hPal_oIA59gofbII0Yl_AAMbg9UG_xU3Dvoq0ACvTlazO/w1308-h437/IMG_3183.HEIC" width="1308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">From inside the tomb... (an exact replica for us to experience. The actual tomb is out of bounds, of course.)<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The Royal tomb took not much more than half an hour and we were soon on our way to Jeonju.</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“From here to Jeonju is 86km,” </span></b>said Ah Li. And she must have been tired from all the adventures from the last few days because somewhere along the drive she fell asleep.</span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Be careful! The speed limit is 110km/h!”</span></b> Serene was really good in doing her job. I have designated her the duty of looking out for speed limit signs and reminding me.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBm1y7LhPFXEC4OK9TTAub5a38pCc89Z_p5l0asoGhhC31wVVYPZxcWcbkLUflQoCbJs65-y4_b3R3gTfL54NtRymvewq5vJF0xKYd1ztUKEEZOJy1TM4B69jxz5_Kq2J2mRo8RmLM0NRqiQNDbARaKLx5NSg9dz-t2M6YG5OYM6MJC3n72B3n8t8/s1440/F8789E21-9559-415A-8988-F63804366CC1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBm1y7LhPFXEC4OK9TTAub5a38pCc89Z_p5l0asoGhhC31wVVYPZxcWcbkLUflQoCbJs65-y4_b3R3gTfL54NtRymvewq5vJF0xKYd1ztUKEEZOJy1TM4B69jxz5_Kq2J2mRo8RmLM0NRqiQNDbARaKLx5NSg9dz-t2M6YG5OYM6MJC3n72B3n8t8/w640-h480/F8789E21-9559-415A-8988-F63804366CC1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a romantic city Jeonju is!!!!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Oh Jeonju 전주 全州, the romantic city of Hanok!</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">One hour and a half, and we were there in Jeonju. We had to take a sharp turn down a steep slope before ending up in a maze of narrow streets in between clusters of beautiful Hanoks (한옥 韓屋 traditional Korean houses). But hor… by now we are really trained-Korean drivers already and we did manage to maneuvre our way through. Though 한옥 이야기 guesthouse’s SaJangNim was really friendly and he actually helped me drive the car to their own car park behind the Hanok. So convenient! The Hanok was beautiful and the room was spacious and Niang Serene and Ah Li were thrilled.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-LvBSSfrG6JGGxmnQowCROhyfn-bZKcvZTznm93_WeNaKLQvmnRdgPYd0x2Xt6DSRARFnRKM1J-ryl1GFhw4EnFFWUs8QQLI0tG8nXCpZhxPZ0mqIwkeIQLKGQJeqIdytAJOvHSu3_V07dQxR7uOaePNsoQTKvuZkYFz6FLijiqGc9TXYbX9aRVM/s4032/IMG_4700.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-LvBSSfrG6JGGxmnQowCROhyfn-bZKcvZTznm93_WeNaKLQvmnRdgPYd0x2Xt6DSRARFnRKM1J-ryl1GFhw4EnFFWUs8QQLI0tG8nXCpZhxPZ0mqIwkeIQLKGQJeqIdytAJOvHSu3_V07dQxR7uOaePNsoQTKvuZkYFz6FLijiqGc9TXYbX9aRVM/w640-h480/IMG_4700.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The courtyard of our Hanok Story Guesthouse</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Oh this is so much better than yesterday’s Hanok in Gongju,”</b></span> a relieved Ah Li exclaimed. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Got heater on the floor some more. And so much space! It’s like our Sea Moon in Wolmido!”</b></span></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The wonderful thing about this SaJangNim Mr Kim Ki Taek was not only friendly and helpful, he even took the trouble to hand us a map of Jeonju in English and pointed out all the sights in whatever English he could muster. This was a truly Hanok Experience, much unlike the day before in Gongju.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWBv5dvfK6_J5JDW1m76H5taO_R2Qkbi3R-ljus0P5IXrx5Y9_3wJTu1u9X9KOdFVs4KzGVGiGa7DiKPjKC0aJuBcGK0hPOTRgU-cz_bFbZY-HBKA8zC_yTYXHydg_nY1AnV9JEOKqhoX0am7zTDvCPT1G7AtFbJbJcsJLfFq8A-tSzy_1bJsRJ3q/s4032/IMG_4728.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWBv5dvfK6_J5JDW1m76H5taO_R2Qkbi3R-ljus0P5IXrx5Y9_3wJTu1u9X9KOdFVs4KzGVGiGa7DiKPjKC0aJuBcGK0hPOTRgU-cz_bFbZY-HBKA8zC_yTYXHydg_nY1AnV9JEOKqhoX0am7zTDvCPT1G7AtFbJbJcsJLfFq8A-tSzy_1bJsRJ3q/w480-h640/IMG_4728.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The big engulfing, swallowing-tree in Jeonju Hyanggyo</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>Jeonju Hyanggyo 전주향교 全州鄉校</b></span></span><p style="text-align: left;"></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Let’s go and have lunch first,”</span> commanded the Queen. </span></p></div></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrglnuUZmqu3S5RoIzsl6eCkRmoR1oZvZ8TeKN620msokHLKi1HcKSDg83sCOR9fDPbnG5Q0Zw51bgTGXmDCzGfYXwdzQ6rd5zJ-nVQ-HkApug1ItN-NNSkXNlkSADdNs1WTHpHsrwDW9CFBqNYBKTbqVyXSI1aov6rp7tuM-VfWmo5MeSTt4QcoIh/s4032/IMG_4712.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrglnuUZmqu3S5RoIzsl6eCkRmoR1oZvZ8TeKN620msokHLKi1HcKSDg83sCOR9fDPbnG5Q0Zw51bgTGXmDCzGfYXwdzQ6rd5zJ-nVQ-HkApug1ItN-NNSkXNlkSADdNs1WTHpHsrwDW9CFBqNYBKTbqVyXSI1aov6rp7tuM-VfWmo5MeSTt4QcoIh/w640-h480/IMG_4712.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">전주향교 Which literally means the kampong school of Jeonju</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So we walked down Hyanggyo-gil (향교길 鄉校道) towards the old Confucius school Jeonju Hyanggyo (전주 향교 全州鄉校). It was a small school compound that was (re-)built at this present location during the Joseon period in 1603. It has 99 rooms, a front Confucius Enshrinement hall, and lesson halls at the rear. Again, there were local Korean groups and parents bringing young daughters visiting on this warm Monday afternoon. Impressive.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYU9MEuAdekwIVG70EZjajAFS8axNEuTjqczynhaDxYWK1ebDsoMDdVAJh9J2g5axtwujoX-Q2WSuh3kie4xBIsWPlI3mb8joHXMtNfzrEn2ANgluzjEI7jEQCUTzyWjcCtdhhBTBTNHUvrvjRs3YjvuhPzuow1MVgDc9P-LIn6XTkPo3_UMHOIV3/s4032/IMG_4703.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYU9MEuAdekwIVG70EZjajAFS8axNEuTjqczynhaDxYWK1ebDsoMDdVAJh9J2g5axtwujoX-Q2WSuh3kie4xBIsWPlI3mb8joHXMtNfzrEn2ANgluzjEI7jEQCUTzyWjcCtdhhBTBTNHUvrvjRs3YjvuhPzuow1MVgDc9P-LIn6XTkPo3_UMHOIV3/w640-h480/IMG_4703.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Caveat Brush; font-size: large;">"Eomma sayang-hae!"</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I really appreciate that every city big and small in Korea has its own Hyanggyo (kampong school) that focussed on educating the people of the local district. Although sadly, up till much of the Joseon period, education was strictly a privilege for the Yangbang - the noblemen, the royalties, the scholars, the aristocrats. The vast majority of the common people, although they spoke the local Korean language, up till 1446, they had no written Korean language, and all the teachings and writings were done using Hanja, the Chinese characters. But somehow the use of Hanja wasn't ideal because it was different from the actual native Korean language grammatically and phonetically. Thus although the Koreans were a very traditional homogenous tribe of people education only started becoming more accessible to the common folks after King Saejong invented the Hangeul writing.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjbAYS5GMVN7eGfGAo0XVyxrsIQpPp-25I4HzQD0x30nLxltywN74u9JEAhe47gBar45viabjCjAl5wC3A0OnORktHxLuuquBLh03FUig9gkmADbroJVmQPLmOGKkdY-0kxL6_MAlykPnD3pu45F93sEMtQedj2_A2KohtknJKiWIxRGhIfzu4pWk/s4032/IMG_4885.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjbAYS5GMVN7eGfGAo0XVyxrsIQpPp-25I4HzQD0x30nLxltywN74u9JEAhe47gBar45viabjCjAl5wC3A0OnORktHxLuuquBLh03FUig9gkmADbroJVmQPLmOGKkdY-0kxL6_MAlykPnD3pu45F93sEMtQedj2_A2KohtknJKiWIxRGhIfzu4pWk/w640-h480/IMG_4885.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The delicious Naengmyeong specialty restaurant along Hyanggyo street</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Oh this Naengmyeon looks so delicious!”</b></span> Ah Li found this 냉면 예술 (冷面藝術 The art of Naengmyeon), and it didn’t disappoint. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Oh the Naengmyeon is sooo delicious! I didn’t know Naengmyeon could taste so delicious after our first visit to Korea years back when I found the Naengmyeon so tasteless.”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5owQ-K5gywgSyDIKPnWoAokW28JaYZ0UjL7nSkuqikBJQ1Mr-OCvP8V7M3aGuivyfkS5xy4favVXbFnfj_dFDRnYjS-PtDE5TdBl2WhlMJ58WaKKREx65-yRMRQQcafhh2ezPw67LiuYL5PcDOUujBXTHXf7eIDqGGi0W1p2b4v8modirEDKVF25e/s4032/IMG_4742.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5owQ-K5gywgSyDIKPnWoAokW28JaYZ0UjL7nSkuqikBJQ1Mr-OCvP8V7M3aGuivyfkS5xy4favVXbFnfj_dFDRnYjS-PtDE5TdBl2WhlMJ58WaKKREx65-yRMRQQcafhh2ezPw67LiuYL5PcDOUujBXTHXf7eIDqGGi0W1p2b4v8modirEDKVF25e/w640-h480/IMG_4742.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“And the seasoned pork is so tender, and the Naengmyeon hor, they use mee-sua to make and the soup is so tasty!” </b></span>added Serene. If the chef says it’s delicious, it cannot be otherwise.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TJgpTgv4SDEWC4Ejc_lVss9vZOnR6ALjblTXN8cf8igRIiJtbZXDgcYFXwX-tdDdTT1qydKDQhfOl7LZpJWqX0mIhDJTSaojq_RzJD-0EacVeFGPbZ8fv8QQjo7n-ocXLWPaN5yUAar81ut2yy3K0GCOFzn9LHUjWsc7K3ZOHzJc6IlNEVgUFzQR/s4032/IMG_4744.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TJgpTgv4SDEWC4Ejc_lVss9vZOnR6ALjblTXN8cf8igRIiJtbZXDgcYFXwX-tdDdTT1qydKDQhfOl7LZpJWqX0mIhDJTSaojq_RzJD-0EacVeFGPbZ8fv8QQjo7n-ocXLWPaN5yUAar81ut2yy3K0GCOFzn9LHUjWsc7K3ZOHzJc6IlNEVgUFzQR/w640-h480/IMG_4744.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZYPPPoz_9UGxYzwNNmKFvRcZQ1jHNjnDLI26d9boM4-rU1YkDwJEzm9yu9Jo-g01wnhD6oZMCcVpBXf75enzfsuuXw7uw4XbYtl-YIyGOqDcztH5Dg46JbG1vIIKFghNnu-n1Lz4UdgtaQ9tRpatqeZ9OY8FOVqwDmQ-g-MQWKkGhCCyRzkvG2c4/s4032/IMG_4791.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZYPPPoz_9UGxYzwNNmKFvRcZQ1jHNjnDLI26d9boM4-rU1YkDwJEzm9yu9Jo-g01wnhD6oZMCcVpBXf75enzfsuuXw7uw4XbYtl-YIyGOqDcztH5Dg46JbG1vIIKFghNnu-n1Lz4UdgtaQ9tRpatqeZ9OY8FOVqwDmQ-g-MQWKkGhCCyRzkvG2c4/w640-h480/IMG_4791.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Omokdae - Sup Sup Water lah!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I promised the two ladies that we will just go up the easy hill behind to Omokdae (오목대 梧木臺) only 76.5m high, easily accessible by some short steps. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAD6PVVHKVOa6tjduqcY9FWj7A31fpxjEhdZuE03qfZWebJX_OWVzHRN-nf18WhPp_rW7k3lwuyKMKRsD1_P175KrRXuT7rvbfCPXF8ELINVy4Ztyy0Yojhy_AAlm0Z1O_8J64FbHLOU6MMZorSh3yUBUMOOIlWI7d8Bw9a2vN1aIhS7OmNusnE21_/s720/FL_20220619_0230.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAD6PVVHKVOa6tjduqcY9FWj7A31fpxjEhdZuE03qfZWebJX_OWVzHRN-nf18WhPp_rW7k3lwuyKMKRsD1_P175KrRXuT7rvbfCPXF8ELINVy4Ztyy0Yojhy_AAlm0Z1O_8J64FbHLOU6MMZorSh3yUBUMOOIlWI7d8Bw9a2vN1aIhS7OmNusnE21_/w640-h480/FL_20220619_0230.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Somehow we walked and ask I carefully checked my KakaoMap I realised that we were near that special point that I marked along 오목대로 which was that little house perched at the top of a small hill, where Na Hee Do lived in the Korean drama <b><span style="color: #fce5cd;">“Twenty-Five Twenty-One”</span></b>. Even as we climbed the slope that Baek Yi Jin cycled up to deliver the newspaper to NA Hee Do’s home, there were a couple of groups of your girls and boys walking with us. We felt so excited, to be chasing the drama locations like the young fans, first time in our lives. Quite crazy.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjremFQpzlmRS1twX5W0eUkeC_j5ldqJOcGRRW91Hby3_vkkmX_h9bTAVdavVF0xC5gDT9Yt8fqU2zhKN-bryaGYlJ0WORZnmkSlrQ9pRjbaHUAEANStsnTluSST2kouiqDpOlN9YMSJyr8-RdGEQaf0Vdyad0zr6eF8S_eG68y5exeZMW4ZK2H33td/s720/FL_20220618_0228.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjremFQpzlmRS1twX5W0eUkeC_j5ldqJOcGRRW91Hby3_vkkmX_h9bTAVdavVF0xC5gDT9Yt8fqU2zhKN-bryaGYlJ0WORZnmkSlrQ9pRjbaHUAEANStsnTluSST2kouiqDpOlN9YMSJyr8-RdGEQaf0Vdyad0zr6eF8S_eG68y5exeZMW4ZK2H33td/w480-h640/FL_20220618_0228.GIF" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“You bluffed us again!” </span></b>complained Serene, when we next walked up to Omokdae. </span></p></div></blockquote><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It was not that bad actually, and at the top it was so breezy that we finally did what we have always wanted to, which was to just lay down on the cool wooden floor of the pavilion and enjoy the breeze, a ‘Food coma’ moment. And wow.. two other Ajummas were actually doing exactly the same thing on the opposite end of the floor. </span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“<b>Wah they are also lying down leh,”</b> </span>a surprised Serene said.</span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“I cannot believe you all,”</span></b> Ah Li rolled her eyes and took our photos.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWuW_apfLukBoY5oCLYPkIvmYRagZnwIyw5YbsAf_Gam7T30zTztKD9SzaGA9E7DxnreT9LMe1btyDw5VXA2uhCQgmAs5okFIsIMz4zqw85FKd-7JfkplJS4S04EsbG1h218ZUUumB0_L0R3M6QATHHo1szuI4XfK5Jx643IFIhhsBsfEMd3w-Pak/s720/FL_20220619_0231.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWuW_apfLukBoY5oCLYPkIvmYRagZnwIyw5YbsAf_Gam7T30zTztKD9SzaGA9E7DxnreT9LMe1btyDw5VXA2uhCQgmAs5okFIsIMz4zqw85FKd-7JfkplJS4S04EsbG1h218ZUUumB0_L0R3M6QATHHo1szuI4XfK5Jx643IFIhhsBsfEMd3w-Pak/w640-h480/FL_20220619_0231.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In our never-ending pursuit of Na Hee Do moments, we took another walk down from Omokdae to that famous little tunnel just beside 한벽당 where Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin had so much memories and where they bade good-bye… and we had to wait for our turn to have our s<a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/Qs_bYpLpioI" target="_blank">hots and videos taken</a>.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_6bUFwgjpZlw_RSGzobFFepJd6qG2SgmM51XeV2sd3P2dOSlBZwkQiY2Q0nf4HKoox-dCM088qhXbnrP8BDp_WE-eP5psh3t8-LNtPz9PZmjndri6u2zW1OjnIj1dGGc2wiaeoGSZFDq450RroUgAFs5L_oOzjeWPDCMUNv9U_Dyqk-cO58ZrYVo/s4032/IMG_4879.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_6bUFwgjpZlw_RSGzobFFepJd6qG2SgmM51XeV2sd3P2dOSlBZwkQiY2Q0nf4HKoox-dCM088qhXbnrP8BDp_WE-eP5psh3t8-LNtPz9PZmjndri6u2zW1OjnIj1dGGc2wiaeoGSZFDq450RroUgAFs5L_oOzjeWPDCMUNv9U_Dyqk-cO58ZrYVo/w640-h480/IMG_4879.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-small;"><b>We passed by a little temple and hey we were so happy to be able to 浴佛 as it was just after Vesak Day.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It was really warm, and Serene and Ah Li were tired, and they really complained.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>“Let’s go buy that fried chicken and then we go back Hanok <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">韓屋</span> and rest,”</b></span> </span>suggested Serene.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCWZBKH6br6J6eCnl66djHUHQEgQiOi0uaFUjDdySsReK23o3ElMWRGoOKuHfY3hEH7sctM-2i79T1gua7z8xxx-GAQK8-0BCsEd6ChAyvoDImIcCyPibRPOsbT5Z1seo4MpV56JS48I3tiQpwRcQlM9hJCN0pBd2Cg77yN_2-gc9gznPgmCcIfEn/s720/FL_20220619_0234.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCWZBKH6br6J6eCnl66djHUHQEgQiOi0uaFUjDdySsReK23o3ElMWRGoOKuHfY3hEH7sctM-2i79T1gua7z8xxx-GAQK8-0BCsEd6ChAyvoDImIcCyPibRPOsbT5Z1seo4MpV56JS48I3tiQpwRcQlM9hJCN0pBd2Cg77yN_2-gc9gznPgmCcIfEn/w640-h480/FL_20220619_0234.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And I brought them another long walk to the well-reviewed Hanguk DakJib (한국닭집) at Nambu Sijang to buy that fried boneless chicken (순살 후라이드 닭) 한 마리 2만2천원에 샀다. We all enjoyed it like crazy back in our Hanok, air-con turned on, floor heater turned on, showered, rested, and just kept eating seated on the wooden floor, and having our original Injeolmi as dessert.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVGc3GN45KCTw-Io8ARpS-o_n5uDbCETwRlK3srlnr7piVsyKtOKsShGXUBc8ZjagG1JVksxFcJ9LJ0-7UU7_lKii5C6-ATdRRJ0zNKMfE8hqUVPYRhrzp8SoRO0mEmyLyvelLAqtYlPhrnj016CC6LHeqV-wAw6lXYAQIGSksEE-vZh7GJgoWJVo/s4032/IMG_4755.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVGc3GN45KCTw-Io8ARpS-o_n5uDbCETwRlK3srlnr7piVsyKtOKsShGXUBc8ZjagG1JVksxFcJ9LJ0-7UU7_lKii5C6-ATdRRJ0zNKMfE8hqUVPYRhrzp8SoRO0mEmyLyvelLAqtYlPhrnj016CC6LHeqV-wAw6lXYAQIGSksEE-vZh7GJgoWJVo/w640-h480/IMG_4755.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>We were very very surprised by how flavourful Jeonju was. In Jeonju Hanok Village, everywhere we turned we were literally basked in the atmosphere of old. Old Korean streets, old Korean pavilions, old houses, old doors, old signs, old this old that. Wah.. no wonder the Koreans love to come to Jeonju to play.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEi7j1o52SuqGVYG-aXyJoB2EmI_chCJmWUCsKUf_VapMphXFNw0MJVmiXH0S1wdURpXBI4xmXnfpIjlls0lz_0p4PQDqtmbCxqXyujiwlxdYoDZg9v0Z57as6X4yajvUre-ooDGdngYoRfcXXz3cYNjUDxXoybHNwoHleGab_aANtiHJWfqg8-o7O/s4032/IMG_4882.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEi7j1o52SuqGVYG-aXyJoB2EmI_chCJmWUCsKUf_VapMphXFNw0MJVmiXH0S1wdURpXBI4xmXnfpIjlls0lz_0p4PQDqtmbCxqXyujiwlxdYoDZg9v0Z57as6X4yajvUre-ooDGdngYoRfcXXz3cYNjUDxXoybHNwoHleGab_aANtiHJWfqg8-o7O/w640-h480/IMG_4882.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJ7IxwhDrwEFtyP8juyXZa51-B65Sg9BrfDhv1HkCAuU1Hs3IGa7BdIJtDO6jvmzGcSy0me76gf3qp4m88SkLZgjCNE7MN2WZhrjLuxnXGRLiOpbrCjLSlvLS_pdPGd9AZR7B20iO4miinnjp11lURW_9Y2c6KihlgbTuKsG00UB6ozQ80HlKd4QO/s4032/IMG_4896.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJ7IxwhDrwEFtyP8juyXZa51-B65Sg9BrfDhv1HkCAuU1Hs3IGa7BdIJtDO6jvmzGcSy0me76gf3qp4m88SkLZgjCNE7MN2WZhrjLuxnXGRLiOpbrCjLSlvLS_pdPGd9AZR7B20iO4miinnjp11lURW_9Y2c6KihlgbTuKsG00UB6ozQ80HlKd4QO/w640-h480/IMG_4896.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even our Hanok guesthouse is flavourful. We loved it.</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Oh this floor and this mattress is so toasty, so comfortable to sleep,”</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"> </span></b>Ah Li’s favourite words, but despite them, she watched her iPad until 1am.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It was a tiring day. But then again, when was there no tiring day on this trip? Hahaha.. but we had fun. Especially this being our very first time chasing Korean drama shooting sites. That was really interesting. Lived until so old already then do this kind of things....</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo";"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: x-large;"><a name="9째날">9 째날: Day 9</a></span></b>
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small;">[17th May 2022.Tuesday]</span>
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Today I promise it will be a relaxing day,”</b></span> and I did keep that promise.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The breakfast was truly a lovely homemade breakfast of Kim (seaweed), kimchi, egg, Korean pancake rice and some other banchan. Hearty breakfast with freshly brewed coffee.
</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5XcgipHA7yKGDb8KQ4osyHUsonGXl_k1wY0cMrkoT1MAnk-aoQBQSB8NqeAV2l1Q5IOahBcfbYH5D2XUXKonPRSVKvqYF5wA0VRotIqwISuSbarwopVRA6pUliA8eWqmQcDMcyAb-NdrgLIwDBNDiv0DgXh1Gy42tBGXVdTAl1MHiPuvPixiZfZl/s720/FL_20220619_0233.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5XcgipHA7yKGDb8KQ4osyHUsonGXl_k1wY0cMrkoT1MAnk-aoQBQSB8NqeAV2l1Q5IOahBcfbYH5D2XUXKonPRSVKvqYF5wA0VRotIqwISuSbarwopVRA6pUliA8eWqmQcDMcyAb-NdrgLIwDBNDiv0DgXh1Gy42tBGXVdTAl1MHiPuvPixiZfZl/w640-h480/FL_20220619_0233.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delightful breakfast!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The SaJangNim even allowed us to use her dryer to dry our clothes. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Wanting to see how busy Nambu Sijang is, we cheon-cheon-hi walked that short 800m to arrive, but we were kind of surprised because at around quarter to 11am, it was actually quite quiet already, and Nambu Sijang was nowhere as crowded as Gongju’s Sanseong Sijang. But oh there were really quite a lot of things to see, fresh fruits, Samgyetang ingredients and all the chaplunk Ajumma things.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDADwmxaWqT7PEMfa7r66KPJrz9bbmTkLkLHRmq_03vRgf4emPzDqqVT3i8az_7JO5aS_7p7JBg0h5xptQJ6By4gxRJEfRbZET5PJcu0aOqqwZTPr93P2wxcl4e8YzrRnOuBEzGI7G28Rh-Cwed5aVfal0cW0UynkMi6VjzFue-wqKQx02j7CRJ-j/s4032/IMG_5051.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDADwmxaWqT7PEMfa7r66KPJrz9bbmTkLkLHRmq_03vRgf4emPzDqqVT3i8az_7JO5aS_7p7JBg0h5xptQJ6By4gxRJEfRbZET5PJcu0aOqqwZTPr93P2wxcl4e8YzrRnOuBEzGI7G28Rh-Cwed5aVfal0cW0UynkMi6VjzFue-wqKQx02j7CRJ-j/w640-h480/IMG_5051.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eomma and Ah Li busy buying SamgyeTang herb packets in this Jeonju Nambu SiJang</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“I am very interested in the spiky spiky herb thing,” </b></span>Ah Li was so intrigued by that EomNaMu 엄나무 thing that was used to make Samgyetang.</span></p></div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8P8l7He8WQAu3Pa_n3JwbvQLZuvncD2SI4fGSm9OnH0P7SC9Am-bdq17u5w-Y45F4NpHqib0na49kz_xyhnN_xca5t00p2E_qL3qnUnaHstmL_GXOP2f1TZzb8-OBHTDM8TMV0y1Ml7Z40OBfmL0_kqYPa8wGBNtzRtbKtdJjSkGBbEvelMjJZ7x/s4032/IMG_5052.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8P8l7He8WQAu3Pa_n3JwbvQLZuvncD2SI4fGSm9OnH0P7SC9Am-bdq17u5w-Y45F4NpHqib0na49kz_xyhnN_xca5t00p2E_qL3qnUnaHstmL_GXOP2f1TZzb8-OBHTDM8TMV0y1Ml7Z40OBfmL0_kqYPa8wGBNtzRtbKtdJjSkGBbEvelMjJZ7x/w640-h480/IMG_5052.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeonju Nambu Sijang at around the same time this morning was a little quieter than the Gongju Sijang</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6OY4ON08dVxG6XPZjbPsF_TSCuIcU07EQ3mLSeNWgilzlFkdojCoETt_b11KbHBmFQAzLPBYYRmJQQUT0iY49v6WW-w_TbqZAnQEnnITqjgpVqoz2h91uc_ATkWNtSnemY6pFsqL2ehDiUQaz8jJS03maSPlGyg6WziMM2nUKnQTFeH-kRD2slFB/s4032/IMG_5058.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6OY4ON08dVxG6XPZjbPsF_TSCuIcU07EQ3mLSeNWgilzlFkdojCoETt_b11KbHBmFQAzLPBYYRmJQQUT0iY49v6WW-w_TbqZAnQEnnITqjgpVqoz2h91uc_ATkWNtSnemY6pFsqL2ehDiUQaz8jJS03maSPlGyg6WziMM2nUKnQTFeH-kRD2slFB/w640-h480/IMG_5058.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Romi Rumi Bingsu</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOaMeryigUOj_NOhsqhDupDuoJ-Re2Rh0BZLzG4QOoNSVJiPEqipGrwRSnA6d4-qauZxTbXzKPDSGxxCVnpO_zZFOIT23VzzcB3ONONgw0Pm5EfzL_dCPZgtgUmPJ1N6ZO8fBj3oFTIQ-tUDR_0-LZ1rAWWjoJR-XjW9gEanBwv0d0j9olUg6pWh1/s4032/IMG_9561.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOaMeryigUOj_NOhsqhDupDuoJ-Re2Rh0BZLzG4QOoNSVJiPEqipGrwRSnA6d4-qauZxTbXzKPDSGxxCVnpO_zZFOIT23VzzcB3ONONgw0Pm5EfzL_dCPZgtgUmPJ1N6ZO8fBj3oFTIQ-tUDR_0-LZ1rAWWjoJR-XjW9gEanBwv0d0j9olUg6pWh1/w640-h480/IMG_9561.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The BEST bingsu</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">After we had a most delightful Bingsu of Injeolmi and red bean in a quaint little cafe called Romi Rumi 로미루미, we stepped out with the intention to make our way to the Jjimjilbang 전주한옥스파편짐찔방 further up at 어진길. It looked good and the staffs were friendly, but on this day although the female 세신사 was available the male SaeShinSa was resting. Ok lah, we could always try another Jjimjilbang in another city. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzwlK5WbCSZC6ksxgW7DFGrTNKMEWX6t0LYNzQiFh0sLBRziYteLKrHh_Q8Z_k-G1ydVAwOqpdmqmLfa77eF0P3tgbaat_J8xDYObEva2YMcnDmno59Oz5Bw74zhCyrUosB8vNoKrqmT_4E379CybqAv2EMHcP0mmVyYg3_NRvd6TuwfP8Pd7tHkc/s6036/IMG_3205.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2651" data-original-width="6036" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzwlK5WbCSZC6ksxgW7DFGrTNKMEWX6t0LYNzQiFh0sLBRziYteLKrHh_Q8Z_k-G1ydVAwOqpdmqmLfa77eF0P3tgbaat_J8xDYObEva2YMcnDmno59Oz5Bw74zhCyrUosB8vNoKrqmT_4E379CybqAv2EMHcP0mmVyYg3_NRvd6TuwfP8Pd7tHkc/w1005-h443/IMG_3205.HEIC" width="1005" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PoongNamMun smack right in the middle of Jeonju Hanok Village (of course, Serene's famous pano shot)</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Hey that one looks nice!”</b></span> pointed out Serene.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">She was right. Right in the middle of the roundabout was PoongNamMun (풍남문 豐南門), where we came across three young Singaporeans. I could tell, just from the utterance of one word from one of them. They were also touring Korea for two weeks, Zhou Wei, Jeanette and Bryan.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDm4Hl0XoA6aqOHHS_efMvVrdTE_emcf-gY-ysWw5-tRHt-E5_zco2BV28p2xRfie14I2ZvbKDUMkjnJMgn80iPsmIz7SIgtU-L2inuiQNBvExRqh2sTdjw44Xwp6aLOzdGPAr88IA_HGNQf6RbJ70ajtYYC7rjzM7kdIoM0vDN_Rdu4TYxOVb2om1/s4032/IMG_5077.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDm4Hl0XoA6aqOHHS_efMvVrdTE_emcf-gY-ysWw5-tRHt-E5_zco2BV28p2xRfie14I2ZvbKDUMkjnJMgn80iPsmIz7SIgtU-L2inuiQNBvExRqh2sTdjw44Xwp6aLOzdGPAr88IA_HGNQf6RbJ70ajtYYC7rjzM7kdIoM0vDN_Rdu4TYxOVb2om1/w640-h480/IMG_5077.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fried chicken again!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Shucks… da-bao-ed another fried chicken back to our Hanok for lunch? Yeah, that was exactly what we did upon Niang Serene’s suggestion, from 만년닭강정 along Taejo-ro. We seemed to enjoy eating deep-fried Korean chicken on the nice wooden floor in the Hanok room and echoing what Ah Li said, that this 후라이드 순살 닭 was very delicious, I personally found this one even tastier than last evening’s from Hanguk DakJib at Nambu Sijang.</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“I cannot eat already. You all finish it ah!”</b></span> commanded Queen Ajumma.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We ended up lying down and trying to gulp down the packet but could not complete it. </span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Ok ok.. I know what to do now,”</span></b> I suggested. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Forget about walking to the remaining two drama-shooting-sites. Let’s just drive because there are a little further apart and the weather is so warm.”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><p><br /></p><div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimSd72ugZlWzy9nQrazgTNokWhFXXcrEAGMKSRKHToIa21HftCs9LI1XsR5XhLinkXnhNVk4aK77sFCSinokvw0QcrVCNBT1VsxeYheh1OwFrvj8c_PA_fDgKP5SJL0qhDoCjBRp73qHY9jyZh15Qpg4ZeNOiUrH9-eSgtS3kt6vXzlXyARkpGjbF/s3336/2EB71DBC-30C5-45E2-BFD9-4218FAEB094F.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3336" data-original-width="2097" height="833" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimSd72ugZlWzy9nQrazgTNokWhFXXcrEAGMKSRKHToIa21HftCs9LI1XsR5XhLinkXnhNVk4aK77sFCSinokvw0QcrVCNBT1VsxeYheh1OwFrvj8c_PA_fDgKP5SJL0qhDoCjBRp73qHY9jyZh15Qpg4ZeNOiUrH9-eSgtS3kt6vXzlXyARkpGjbF/w523-h833/2EB71DBC-30C5-45E2-BFD9-4218FAEB094F.jpeg" width="523" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That famous Na Hee Do scene in the drama</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We were glad we drove because the first spot, that house from where Na Hee Do and her friends got into Baek Yi Jin’s car to depart for the seaside, was literally located in the middle of a quiet, abandoned old residential area and right there when we walked up that slope, after parking the car a short distance away, we found a group of young movers/workers sitting there resting from their work. They seemed to be surprised when we told them these steps just outside that very door were made famous in a drama and they kindly let us take our photos.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Jua; font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">동</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">영</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">상</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="595" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C2jgGrWsJUs" width="715" youtube-src-id="C2jgGrWsJUs"></iframe></div><p></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The second spot was Ahyeon Supermart. It was so a little hard to find, and we had to search, just like the abandoned house, for that spot. What was surprising was when we wanted to go into the convenience shop to buy something..</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0uLR7SJNIybbrOmQtXde_MpTZ6-EFoL8vuJCwxocJ2z_VnAqIa3yKvdFbg1_-EZFH9Mrl1m3ST0KhidhDfx5n2ark_bSB5vqxHonCZBQMRbv_HhILoNG31rcNbPQuwf5kaGCOXJmPicvCsPpQlmH6JIFMoFm8KLmf1Ais5MH7UfY3zsLtp0fLbef/s1514/3632F969-3DF2-4CEE-A919-37D505CD5E5E.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1514" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0uLR7SJNIybbrOmQtXde_MpTZ6-EFoL8vuJCwxocJ2z_VnAqIa3yKvdFbg1_-EZFH9Mrl1m3ST0KhidhDfx5n2ark_bSB5vqxHonCZBQMRbv_HhILoNG31rcNbPQuwf5kaGCOXJmPicvCsPpQlmH6JIFMoFm8KLmf1Ais5MH7UfY3zsLtp0fLbef/w608-h640/3632F969-3DF2-4CEE-A919-37D505CD5E5E.jpg" width="608" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here the female prefect said to the other boy: "말이 되는 소리를 해!"</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Annyeonghasaeyo, SaJangNim,” </b></span>we greeted the <i><b>really old </b></i>Halmeoni (grandmother) who still runs the convenient shop.</span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">She was so candid, <b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: x-large;">“Oh I don’t have things to sell,” </span></b>this old old granny she knew we were here for the photos. <span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“You can go ahead and just take the photos.”</b></span></span></p></div></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuL-QSw1VsaYGE4J3DzL2mR_2eYxhU0sDxRtmHEgxsBv9zVXih3lcywFY3UjzUCZYmL7JtZvvHBrcac_LRPQkJxq2fbZQEQIHQUPlV2Q89YJF_n8XAKgbVWLzOkuPwumGyrRia11cCUDqtFA9qCi41IbxYg4h1k0uUvvKLreyFSvWIbkS2G1qWd-53/s720/FL_20220619_0238.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuL-QSw1VsaYGE4J3DzL2mR_2eYxhU0sDxRtmHEgxsBv9zVXih3lcywFY3UjzUCZYmL7JtZvvHBrcac_LRPQkJxq2fbZQEQIHQUPlV2Q89YJF_n8XAKgbVWLzOkuPwumGyrRia11cCUDqtFA9qCi41IbxYg4h1k0uUvvKLreyFSvWIbkS2G1qWd-53/w640-h480/FL_20220619_0238.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This memorable scene where Na Hee Do asked for stickers from her friends.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So… many must have come this way for the exact purpose. Well, at least we knew we were in the right place.</span></div><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Jaman Mural Village</b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXRhJCtmPo-sL0MMZBpP8SIN3F7kFe3ms--BXlfXUpwlEh6JXLE90sW8qNrWU2avfguUOD5yij02lEkMZnjfgpCW-08222muuUoKM6IUbHsy17hglh5IrJOve8xXoqIDlICI0VX9nB_tS71wOAPq96wOFTcT8lSJqUINbKvvmsX-2rnotfTLg7tlI/s4032/IMG_5152.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXRhJCtmPo-sL0MMZBpP8SIN3F7kFe3ms--BXlfXUpwlEh6JXLE90sW8qNrWU2avfguUOD5yij02lEkMZnjfgpCW-08222muuUoKM6IUbHsy17hglh5IrJOve8xXoqIDlICI0VX9nB_tS71wOAPq96wOFTcT8lSJqUINbKvvmsX-2rnotfTLg7tlI/w640-h480/IMG_5152.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, job well accomplished and towards Jaman Mural Village we drove.
</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwVDkGfEx9VsKZCufpzyXv-8PfITF90hiv-kopFDBbSgT5VLnOw2rKL5ck_GzsKiSVV__k4UFBn-pc_AnuCB1K5bGkrdsKNxT2VcYnepFs4alPsKBIBSYoHY8PytALALiAEf8WGoqt0NguFTs5VZ547CvuOlOc4booM8XP3ZTC71K77hAV4KTWDq-/s720/FL_20220620_0239.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwVDkGfEx9VsKZCufpzyXv-8PfITF90hiv-kopFDBbSgT5VLnOw2rKL5ck_GzsKiSVV__k4UFBn-pc_AnuCB1K5bGkrdsKNxT2VcYnepFs4alPsKBIBSYoHY8PytALALiAEf8WGoqt0NguFTs5VZ547CvuOlOc4booM8XP3ZTC71K77hAV4KTWDq-/w480-h640/FL_20220620_0239.GIF" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This mural village was a tiny little one. Not really that many mural paintings, but the slope was also quite steep and we again found ourselves wondering, as we watched a Halmeoni walk up with a walnut stick, how these old folks make their way up and down on an icy wintry day.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">How long did it take us to walk around this Jaman Mural Village? Well.. including walking wrongly into someone's house's front yard and making a round... less than half an hour. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1lR4tTt-WEgWsuLjbvnwSZFzbEEXtWeZcHR2-kaJhX-6BUyXvhnWZS_r_pAzmerAJKP0_SNSn-fsm4gqT1ejv4cHR_9_kgQQdS2DbYZmfDkbfLcLWNQeTFM3OznY65YQ7Hpf6iXWPg-RbP0zcVv_Aj9Jb8JUeZxcHnNksfvFufUwqU3gqpUeLlAU/s4032/IMG_5183.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1lR4tTt-WEgWsuLjbvnwSZFzbEEXtWeZcHR2-kaJhX-6BUyXvhnWZS_r_pAzmerAJKP0_SNSn-fsm4gqT1ejv4cHR_9_kgQQdS2DbYZmfDkbfLcLWNQeTFM3OznY65YQ7Hpf6iXWPg-RbP0zcVv_Aj9Jb8JUeZxcHnNksfvFufUwqU3gqpUeLlAU/w640-h480/IMG_5183.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I think Koreans are really artistic people. And I could tell that the artists in them have plenty of spaces to express their creativity and there are so many mural villages all over Korea, each having its own unique characteristic.<br style="white-space: normal;" /><br style="white-space: normal;" /><br style="white-space: normal;" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></div><div><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Jeonju will never be complete without walking the whole of Taejo-ro 대조로 and Hyanggyo-ro 향교로, the main shopping and eating areas. This being the Jeonju Hanok Village, there was no high-rise. We could, thankfully, park back at the Hanok’s car park and walk right out to the shopping area. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-Azj6qgbzmk4pio_CSDobALVub35EHsbQsLB-rCbNZc3IIQTTOEjXxS3wXzaa7h458I49oykVBG_8Vdj12cnpaeRXFJHEqb4jaIkO6rLVAyPUbiE0_bDfnVlGj0pyZvuuAfC3Lx7PqGwNFlbAClrRQ9jSX9aHc_0z97R9JczjzHomucKG2WXX5VT/s720/FL_20220620_0240.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-Azj6qgbzmk4pio_CSDobALVub35EHsbQsLB-rCbNZc3IIQTTOEjXxS3wXzaa7h458I49oykVBG_8Vdj12cnpaeRXFJHEqb4jaIkO6rLVAyPUbiE0_bDfnVlGj0pyZvuuAfC3Lx7PqGwNFlbAClrRQ9jSX9aHc_0z97R9JczjzHomucKG2WXX5VT/w640-h480/FL_20220620_0240.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So intersting and so lively were the streets of Jeonju Hanok Village</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Taejo-ro and Hyanggyo-ro are at right-angle to each other. These two roads are very happening places and at mid-afternoon, they were really bustling with young ladies and young men in Hanbok strolling down the pavements. I was so awed by the grace with which they donned the traditional outfit and every young and not-so-young lady looked so beautiful in the satin wear. Just that this day was a little warm. I told the ladies that come winter we would try wearing Hanbok outdoors. Ah Li got attracted by a shop selling socks and accessories - a Knick knack shop, she said. And there were little things here and there that young ladies like her would like.
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>드디어, Hanbok Studio Photograph!</b></span></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We had a lot of fun walking Taejo-ro and since it was so fun, we might as well push the adventure further.. we walked into a Hanbok Studio called Areumcheonsa Studio 아름천사 (the beautiful angel) and the SaJangNim did a great job helping us select the couple Hanbok and the young photographer did a great job botoxing our faces. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbnnWwe7al-Y9vX9w3FgJ5Pxyu3a02iUHlUunkCXQ_loaeqh9sy1YNheT0lhdlIr02NREtEQihUlhpk81-eui4JZnlCBGGxIQ6TjWcmQ-_9wnSGh-m6zzQTC3JQuq2RMbs8Hlytd_dbhhTg8ReCOR0iE8vG_eGeEPsCbuT1Vb8eaAk76BMAhrOaTr/s4032/f46d5a1f0c7fac7e52f7a877fb83d549.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbnnWwe7al-Y9vX9w3FgJ5Pxyu3a02iUHlUunkCXQ_loaeqh9sy1YNheT0lhdlIr02NREtEQihUlhpk81-eui4JZnlCBGGxIQ6TjWcmQ-_9wnSGh-m6zzQTC3JQuq2RMbs8Hlytd_dbhhTg8ReCOR0iE8vG_eGeEPsCbuT1Vb8eaAk76BMAhrOaTr/w640-h480/f46d5a1f0c7fac7e52f7a877fb83d549.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That young photographer who did such a great job PP-ing until we both looked so young!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The end result was beautiful and for 46,000₩ (S$50) we got a beautifully printed shot and the original jpeg file. It was lovely. The young lady photographer (Ah Li suspected that she could be the SaJangNim’s daughter.. lol) even asked us to seat on the set and have Ah Li take our own photos using handphone while she spend some time photo-editing our picture. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEby5UiaEinClFgGNq98mh18H_BPP8SXifDKEYMaapNVYMl8pt31e9o48_21PHGGHscu46blQVPU8UOtf2nmLRYneyI9zF-E52GOS9HgwMNN-0GjUepys2PhaLBrt59TqxiTEGqZg9xeLa7u48Kml9vcgj_7GX9QaqMXIZ6hMez9hCxVzW_7KOP-Pa/s720/FL_20220620_0241.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEby5UiaEinClFgGNq98mh18H_BPP8SXifDKEYMaapNVYMl8pt31e9o48_21PHGGHscu46blQVPU8UOtf2nmLRYneyI9zF-E52GOS9HgwMNN-0GjUepys2PhaLBrt59TqxiTEGqZg9xeLa7u48Kml9vcgj_7GX9QaqMXIZ6hMez9hCxVzW_7KOP-Pa/w480-h640/FL_20220620_0241.GIF" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These were ALL Ah Li's 100 plus photos burst all the way.. !!!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">That was quite something. A wonderful experience and just what I have always wanted and what the Queen loved.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YwYvwIDH2qqfg63rveHuzF33qwamXGkllMgKqgio_w0PwNYqo7kpw6F0Z3w3Y3PXATj2Rh7UztXkLYBhGE8LzqGbnF0wAnnNGLhek3soVaqFhJaGeCN2LmOeXsVP3WUelHC0EeM3G1D8Co6tGaMYS0eiVx4EeZnvhmsgP79l7HSLGE3NTbE-xfGQ/s4032/IMG_9587.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YwYvwIDH2qqfg63rveHuzF33qwamXGkllMgKqgio_w0PwNYqo7kpw6F0Z3w3Y3PXATj2Rh7UztXkLYBhGE8LzqGbnF0wAnnNGLhek3soVaqFhJaGeCN2LmOeXsVP3WUelHC0EeM3G1D8Co6tGaMYS0eiVx4EeZnvhmsgP79l7HSLGE3NTbE-xfGQ/w480-h640/IMG_9587.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such a cozy, quaint little photo studio and their service was so good.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b>아니, 뭐? Caricature for all three of us?!</b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Now hor,”</b></span> I sprung another surprise. “<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>I want to walk into one of the painting artist booths and have three of us our caricatures painted,”</b></span> and there was just this very young male artist along the street whose drawings were very beautiful. </span></p></div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKy6lJ-_Oxm2KSaJ1c7ga_0zNcPE7LktOg-14dCLu7ZKsdL4ckXGycEvs2t3WWNbxxRy5_ML7fhRnw3YpGFmGq2BDIineYkcB3f5vGkKOk-m-t6BnGKb3GIHkgwEUKnd1KO7umwpmxxaMpJp6FNcQS-K5eKAlQ3orEQDHBCZKLQw-SNtyubacmFM2/s4032/IMG_5468.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKy6lJ-_Oxm2KSaJ1c7ga_0zNcPE7LktOg-14dCLu7ZKsdL4ckXGycEvs2t3WWNbxxRy5_ML7fhRnw3YpGFmGq2BDIineYkcB3f5vGkKOk-m-t6BnGKb3GIHkgwEUKnd1KO7umwpmxxaMpJp6FNcQS-K5eKAlQ3orEQDHBCZKLQw-SNtyubacmFM2/w640-h480/IMG_5468.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQ3ZuaFhKXFX205yQTa54eGmfVTYQc2zooXSnWgI4XYn6-rPTtFSlYDCLy5aWC5SpAQC_mBo0PZPFtvujPqWs1-slXyrsaGTlmlkWDd9fYgjgVzq8X9DijdHDw6q06JsZ1B1Ic_EVd5-LtHLcLcjrMrn8Rp6gQvCAot_8o_3IQIPyu8Azpdf2BFr6/s4032/IMG_5475.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQ3ZuaFhKXFX205yQTa54eGmfVTYQc2zooXSnWgI4XYn6-rPTtFSlYDCLy5aWC5SpAQC_mBo0PZPFtvujPqWs1-slXyrsaGTlmlkWDd9fYgjgVzq8X9DijdHDw6q06JsZ1B1Ic_EVd5-LtHLcLcjrMrn8Rp6gQvCAot_8o_3IQIPyu8Azpdf2BFr6/w640-h480/IMG_5475.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We sat down and he very carefully studied our features and made the sketches slowly one person after another. We didn’t know what to expect, but we just let the artist do his job and at the end of 45 minutes (wow, didn’t realise it took so long, it was really hard work), he did such a lovely sketch of three of us, that we were all held in awe! We loved it! He captured all our characteristics and our hair colour (sadly, mine was tinted with white strands) and Ah Li’s beautiful thick eye brows and Serene’s purple hair highlights as well as the tinted glasses we were wearing. I was totally impressed. What a memorable moment.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0VVPB1rexQc4TDt_qeHG4vIpRZqJxrueLNqUewlQI2RxztJUyiAGDeHDzsZ32oMMVd9svgHw3JG-NUAj85KEMOuVPgVLcjzU1jn0VMT3yw03RM-lO8Gn1YGcowhMahS-vet68-JAb8lSM-ZLl2xDLT4EKWCNMTgLjQ5iCMdUv4w9zUcLWq_XeMty/s4032/IMG_5478.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0VVPB1rexQc4TDt_qeHG4vIpRZqJxrueLNqUewlQI2RxztJUyiAGDeHDzsZ32oMMVd9svgHw3JG-NUAj85KEMOuVPgVLcjzU1jn0VMT3yw03RM-lO8Gn1YGcowhMahS-vet68-JAb8lSM-ZLl2xDLT4EKWCNMTgLjQ5iCMdUv4w9zUcLWq_XeMty/w640-h480/IMG_5478.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvKWKpaW4NmEJmu87dv1yWo7oslBlCFpw3O4bQbhnwXKrIlVxQCLebj8NC3M6VAi6xpQS-GzLPMLMmOeoDsE6AJumFp9qfxUne2l5NbtRc_w9ZCzF43J9IZwypctbpZBPVHqQZ6EFieVGVp2ez1erjjxj6pgzbmznwO-LN7i2uitKgVqzhsf-2PjD/s3417/Scan%2017%20May%202022%20at%2019.37.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3417" data-original-width="2424" height="926" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvKWKpaW4NmEJmu87dv1yWo7oslBlCFpw3O4bQbhnwXKrIlVxQCLebj8NC3M6VAi6xpQS-GzLPMLMmOeoDsE6AJumFp9qfxUne2l5NbtRc_w9ZCzF43J9IZwypctbpZBPVHqQZ6EFieVGVp2ez1erjjxj6pgzbmznwO-LN7i2uitKgVqzhsf-2PjD/w657-h926/Scan%2017%20May%202022%20at%2019.37.jpg" width="657" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: medium;"><b>와! 예쁘잖아!</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">By that time it was almost 7pm. And although the sky was not dark, we were all feeling tired. Even a hearty meal of nice traditional Jeonju Bibimbap with beef bulgogi didn’t manage to bring up our energy.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“I think we are so tired already, forget about the Makgeoli restaurant and the Jjimjilbang, we just go back to the Hanok to rest lah!”</span></b> suggested Serene. A good suggestion and gladly-followed.</span></p></div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8EeIKeTC2Yv5mA1vpgez2rpp4430oiCUQkPIwNnupwaDdWcSiB7OjJYA_NVHnFuIXk_ky6RyD90bA9N0G7oXNuei_9G-cAI3aGGFOLtk5m0Ygp639dedeyCXzRK1Zl3zOiwaWBPn7cvJ1e2_zjeZPX30QH5Wv46fwi9ARWk6lCftIBs_jqL0fLSJ/s4032/IMG_9608.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8EeIKeTC2Yv5mA1vpgez2rpp4430oiCUQkPIwNnupwaDdWcSiB7OjJYA_NVHnFuIXk_ky6RyD90bA9N0G7oXNuei_9G-cAI3aGGFOLtk5m0Ygp639dedeyCXzRK1Zl3zOiwaWBPn7cvJ1e2_zjeZPX30QH5Wv46fwi9ARWk6lCftIBs_jqL0fLSJ/w640-h480/IMG_9608.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeonju is famous of its BiBimBap. So come to Jeonju MUST eat BiBimBap one.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3V-LInJiNyOkK0d8fn83V_TOTzTXY9izbqcJeM0b-kPEUcpwHjKfQN-l840YoGT-C6gl_dA129U9wtjAsXMwv7b9AsFVHqZnBhr8g1uNKGEtf_3ZsOLgAI2Wy4jA43DknE7JzDmKe05H4IqqWLpoPVebU1kS56cjhFyXR5a1-P6C4j1SwoPaPIaON/s4032/IMG_5482.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3V-LInJiNyOkK0d8fn83V_TOTzTXY9izbqcJeM0b-kPEUcpwHjKfQN-l840YoGT-C6gl_dA129U9wtjAsXMwv7b9AsFVHqZnBhr8g1uNKGEtf_3ZsOLgAI2Wy4jA43DknE7JzDmKe05H4IqqWLpoPVebU1kS56cjhFyXR5a1-P6C4j1SwoPaPIaON/w640-h480/IMG_5482.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeonju famous traditional bibimbap</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVK-krsRzoEZS8Lf_-gSGA5diX7mV_xSfAjiFUGEB1SzerHuGSmm8R1I0bFvaI21id06kSTMtXalG6u3XvWHXlScWJdPxrYXzGBx5gL2XmTilRBM61TtvCebo4e0qZCOktDHUvgaI52EZKoAtYBTOmgioZcSZccmj7-q72a9630avkpxOvyjFY4syT/s4032/IMG_5483.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVK-krsRzoEZS8Lf_-gSGA5diX7mV_xSfAjiFUGEB1SzerHuGSmm8R1I0bFvaI21id06kSTMtXalG6u3XvWHXlScWJdPxrYXzGBx5gL2XmTilRBM61TtvCebo4e0qZCOktDHUvgaI52EZKoAtYBTOmgioZcSZccmj7-q72a9630avkpxOvyjFY4syT/w640-h480/IMG_5483.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh Ah Li loved this beef 冬粉 thingy...</td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Huh, why so funny ah.. here in Korea when we leave the room at 10am and come back at 6pm (something) we feel so tired. Why ah?”</b></span> wondered Ah Li.</span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Maybe the past few days very siong lah!”</b></span> Eomma Serene added. I think I agree with her. It was time to give ourselves a good rest. On this night.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNSJSTgELIBdkiz0p6ax4bR-WrjkESTYevCtejU3XVTSBd7XstqFEQljJKZ2NzUAT-yQyvuMuwAvNZbXzjy2VY-Lj0aQR2E66qQb1xLB-Uzqqchrie0x5HWrVueGfr0kBVt7HjZ7UfJUOldFjkEdhNJQ5ZsoQivMKUKhI861XfhlFIJyogD9vyKAT/s720/FL_20220619_0235.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNSJSTgELIBdkiz0p6ax4bR-WrjkESTYevCtejU3XVTSBd7XstqFEQljJKZ2NzUAT-yQyvuMuwAvNZbXzjy2VY-Lj0aQR2E66qQb1xLB-Uzqqchrie0x5HWrVueGfr0kBVt7HjZ7UfJUOldFjkEdhNJQ5ZsoQivMKUKhI861XfhlFIJyogD9vyKAT/w640-h480/FL_20220619_0235.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Intersting scenes in the Hanok</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></div><div><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo";"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: x-large;"><a name="10째날">10 째날: Day 10</a></span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small;">[18th May 2022. Wednesday]</span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">One last Tweny-Five Twenty-One spot before we leave Jeonju - that would be Na Hee Do’s favourite comic book rental shop. Made a few turns before we finally just parked the car and walked to the spot, just outside 전주교육대학교 along 서학3길. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrfFKCZPXAIePft7u4PFvKNUU-6jd5mwaYwfL6r7xlnPFIOBr6jh0c54QftKTY5VTuKbIF9ss4jYGDabqAWPv7zq7MdBgFt82P0Eq1r9S29XdQ0_FuUY7AQ8t6u_jkW_lZCDd8vcH0iptjqeyT9XVkygFwP7PnBC2g5K3IGs3LnRxfYhBtOBeJ1bl/s720/FL_20220625_0259.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrfFKCZPXAIePft7u4PFvKNUU-6jd5mwaYwfL6r7xlnPFIOBr6jh0c54QftKTY5VTuKbIF9ss4jYGDabqAWPv7zq7MdBgFt82P0Eq1r9S29XdQ0_FuUY7AQ8t6u_jkW_lZCDd8vcH0iptjqeyT9XVkygFwP7PnBC2g5K3IGs3LnRxfYhBtOBeJ1bl/w640-h480/FL_20220625_0259.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Wah this really made our day, although we left out that school scene where they turned on all the taps and sprayed water in the air, it was quite alright. That scene was most likely difficult to replicate, and thus we didn’t even attempt that.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Onwards to the bamboo forest of Damyang!</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgueDJsbBPFN3mMHYAVf6tCI8QQwICijY6T7jFBO1uCmE_1N0_ow5KuxCiPxQi8xf4y511nADMfSxQvGVpCkaIty8qMXBAH7QIZmTwQi6iAJL6No9hHsP8Zash6YvuC1lpc74Vhv7Ynlp0wriUMKuk-o0ISoubDhDGB0w-C9vICuUYKk7N3DETqDKH/s960/FL_20220624_0255.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgueDJsbBPFN3mMHYAVf6tCI8QQwICijY6T7jFBO1uCmE_1N0_ow5KuxCiPxQi8xf4y511nADMfSxQvGVpCkaIty8qMXBAH7QIZmTwQi6iAJL6No9hHsP8Zash6YvuC1lpc74Vhv7Ynlp0wriUMKuk-o0ISoubDhDGB0w-C9vICuUYKk7N3DETqDKH/w640-h360/FL_20220624_0255.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Jua; font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">동</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">영</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">상</span></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Another easy drive, one hour and nine minutes to Damyang-gun. After discussing, we decided that it would be better to drive to 죽녹원 (竹綠苑 Juknokwon bamboo forest) to satisfy our plan to visit that forest and eat the bamboo ice cream. So we arrived at (prnounced) <b><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Jungokwon Bamboo forest.</span></b>
</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2iHAlnJmtg3KvVj1oxoBq0_FiKMbwQNyACbRGiH9MpR5YlxwNtSGMrBAb906_TJYVCcuFlJU9f1QpusuI9NyhnV6H-1A_c592A3lu4UuU9y307_vXi7awpZXIcCmb6nMrrRJQlA5U42Eswfh1qhWC8GHh-vc-JDaJVovaihAtw3r1d5PUWbBo3BGL/s812/FL_20220625_0260.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="812" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2iHAlnJmtg3KvVj1oxoBq0_FiKMbwQNyACbRGiH9MpR5YlxwNtSGMrBAb906_TJYVCcuFlJU9f1QpusuI9NyhnV6H-1A_c592A3lu4UuU9y307_vXi7awpZXIcCmb6nMrrRJQlA5U42Eswfh1qhWC8GHh-vc-JDaJVovaihAtw3r1d5PUWbBo3BGL/w640-h426/FL_20220625_0260.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Although the car’s GPS couldn’t exactly pin-point the spot, we aga-aga managed to make our way to the car park and walked to our destination. The old Damyang Hyanggyo (담양향교 潭陽鄉校) was still well preserved and just right beside the entrance to the Juknokwon bamboo forest entrance.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">For 3,000₩ entrance fee we walked until we were contented and Serene pano-shot until she was satisfied and we walked down.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtOdEX2ZuHfRjo77QSTt5CLC1dY-chiMl2ccrtN0JzCWYTk6sRSW8FiBPN8wry2Ol4FQaDte0neFgFW_YKKlAeTSHl_zxXaKNbmaY1F1EIPrCSJGzLslTDXM30bTczjJWCeTBQCVDwOhKbk3gMmfPMp4f321isBfLrtu67rluBp8Elu2jJccsY8ei/s4032/IMG_5787.HEIC" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtOdEX2ZuHfRjo77QSTt5CLC1dY-chiMl2ccrtN0JzCWYTk6sRSW8FiBPN8wry2Ol4FQaDte0neFgFW_YKKlAeTSHl_zxXaKNbmaY1F1EIPrCSJGzLslTDXM30bTczjJWCeTBQCVDwOhKbk3gMmfPMp4f321isBfLrtu67rluBp8Elu2jJccsY8ei/w640-h480/IMG_5787.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relax and do nothing in Danyang Jungokwon Bamboo forest... literally.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Is Damyang Bamboo forest good?</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OutKUYcNmLkyr2Ptua6qk4iY8kihH8wFyY8HksokZ_hZmxOZluqM_PB4EXgq2toZI3J8H1a0rYwOoLgQTTnofYYGZ6DqxLKKzsmIz3g2fn7Lj3YME4AriFxAiPrGXL8snu1nEK0nf6refH6-nQXm1rrZ5KIKvm_tAsICMORbPwtbrzuQtjbCEgK1/s6292/IMG_3298.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6292" data-original-width="2542" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OutKUYcNmLkyr2Ptua6qk4iY8kihH8wFyY8HksokZ_hZmxOZluqM_PB4EXgq2toZI3J8H1a0rYwOoLgQTTnofYYGZ6DqxLKKzsmIz3g2fn7Lj3YME4AriFxAiPrGXL8snu1nEK0nf6refH6-nQXm1rrZ5KIKvm_tAsICMORbPwtbrzuQtjbCEgK1/w258-h640/IMG_3298.HEIC" width="258" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Well honestly, it is a been-there-done-that thingy. I wasn't sure seeing rows after rows of bamboos on a hill was that great. It WAS a unique experience. But I looked back and thought that it was a good experience to feel it when it's green. Perhaps, when the whole scene is white-out by snow during winter, it may be worth another visit to feel the wintry-feel.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #d9ead3; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-size: x-large;">Is Damyang Bamboo ice cream good?</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #d9ead3; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black;">Well, it tasted "Just like green tea" in Serene's own words. Another tick-in-the-box for us. </span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6sdEOcwGYetXxd2kH_k3h-yjje4Yp2FHDcRUhn8PXwXWmZBGaapgW0DQGKVoXXsAEuh4Mtp8NZEgIXEt8cQOFMVpjdgfpNkmDGfUbLMxDIRJFd1Jx388zejGB_ypQnYozeL2kprDDK7RxtrVIJeoGOaYxiMQ-BBe88bI8DInO9UcrZG48vmzHrWy/s720/FL_20220626_0261.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6sdEOcwGYetXxd2kH_k3h-yjje4Yp2FHDcRUhn8PXwXWmZBGaapgW0DQGKVoXXsAEuh4Mtp8NZEgIXEt8cQOFMVpjdgfpNkmDGfUbLMxDIRJFd1Jx388zejGB_ypQnYozeL2kprDDK7RxtrVIJeoGOaYxiMQ-BBe88bI8DInO9UcrZG48vmzHrWy/w640-h480/FL_20220626_0261.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>So far, driving in Korea...</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Driving in the little town of Damyang was relatively easier as traffic wasn’t heavy. By this tenth day, we have figured out quite a lot of things about driving in Korea. Incheon driving was not difficult but not easy because there would be impatient drivers from Seoul on the roads of Incheon tyring to hassle us. Suwon driving was a little harder because the traffic was heavy in many of the areas and we were struggling to get used to the traffic light signs at that point in time, and the small lanes of Suwon were a nightmare because so many cars were parked on both sides of those lanes narrowing the artery to only 30% opened. Gongju was fine because it was a quiet place. Jeonju was surprisingly quite easy, in parts because by then we had gotten used to driving in Korea and in parts because Jeonju drivers were REALLY so much more patient compared to their Seoul counterparts, and they would slow down and wait for us to pass before making their own ways. Damyang was the easiest - very few cars and the drivers were a little no-government when it came to traffic lights.
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So far we gathered that:</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul><li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Blinking lights were merely suggestions.
</span></li><li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Right turn on red- even the police car did that. So we were safe.
</span></li><li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Pedestrians walk over zebra crossings with fuzzy logic
</span></li><li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">When cars horn at you they were just merely saying hello
</span></li><li><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">When you want to thank someone behind your car, just tick-tock your hazard lights a couple of times.
</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;">JNW Minbak</span></b></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivshgibP7uLnNFl7yX8B4_ZDeSBV5zXfYQTXr4AEp45aj4QHJNVKMfRrNDXfEaKLIcxke_R8fA9PPl_CLbI_T0wHO1Vo9CZf6-yNEb8bD9Z-Xf8oR7psOpbLNeJ7u26gaOyv6fgJDQGZyjCLeYX5PTCRjTlrRwlvwpzEOqp5sTMkefad8ABGpKt8_2/s720/FL_20220626_0262.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivshgibP7uLnNFl7yX8B4_ZDeSBV5zXfYQTXr4AEp45aj4QHJNVKMfRrNDXfEaKLIcxke_R8fA9PPl_CLbI_T0wHO1Vo9CZf6-yNEb8bD9Z-Xf8oR7psOpbLNeJ7u26gaOyv6fgJDQGZyjCLeYX5PTCRjTlrRwlvwpzEOqp5sTMkefad8ABGpKt8_2/w640-h480/FL_20220626_0262.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">One lane-width small narrow road with 90 degrees L-shape bend...</span></b>
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I was looking forward to a nice Jjimjilbang experience in Damyang but in our unsuccessful search for a Jjimjilbang 8km away, we were led to narrow single carriage lanes in small little neighborhoods with almost right-angle turns that meant I could only drive straight in and hope no car would come in the opposite direction because I would not be able to reverse our car. I knew because we came to a dead end (almost) and we had to reverse but finally gave up and drove into an old Halmeoni’s house and porch illegally and made a 3-point turn. We did wave sorry to the Halmeoni.. we did.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Was it stressful? Well... to Oori poor Aegi, it was. To me... well, I knew somehow I would have to break some Korean law and drive into someone's front porch or front yard and make some illegal U-turn. Somehow we would make it out from there. All thanks to the defunct Jimjjilbang that was 'undergoing construction', according to one neighbour Ajumma...</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">If Gongju was sleepy, then Damyang was like a dead town.. because it turned even darker than Gongju came 7pm in the evening and the streets were really eerily quiet.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Why are there no one on the streets one ah?” </b></span>rightfully wondered Ah Li. </span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And she was correct. The only people who were still walking the streets were people going in and coming out of small little eateries and convenience stores, and people like us who drove on impulse into a Hanwoo (Hanguk beef) restaurant to have our well-deserved dinner after the Jjimjilbang failure. The slight deficiency in living H. sapiens traversing the pavements made the chilly evening appeared even colder, although the temperature was at a comfortable 14 degrees.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b>HanWoo Myeongga </b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>韓牛名家</b></span><br />
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqs7cRBsevrSvXV1OqTuPJ7xHsGM7qWZWOYqtjprDZJ_aTyiHWt3qgTrW9w-Ygk_3bpUd7oxlUs1CVAKK-Q2fUTE4NVpJaYq-sCx-J_mxC5q753QfhhO3OkPByC7xYPwgr0XJBjyJwwk6DmH9J4PQEThwJY3oKpb5b_2Bjv8NoEba3Rs4Uc5ije_6/s4032/IMG_5846.HEIC" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqs7cRBsevrSvXV1OqTuPJ7xHsGM7qWZWOYqtjprDZJ_aTyiHWt3qgTrW9w-Ygk_3bpUd7oxlUs1CVAKK-Q2fUTE4NVpJaYq-sCx-J_mxC5q753QfhhO3OkPByC7xYPwgr0XJBjyJwwk6DmH9J4PQEThwJY3oKpb5b_2Bjv8NoEba3Rs4Uc5ije_6/w640-h480/IMG_5846.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Wah this Hanwoo restaurant was really quite something. It had quite many groups of locals eating there- old men and women, and even the candidates for the local elections walking in to say hello to the us to vote for them in the coming election. Here in this restaurant I failed miserably in trying to order, because it was later that we realised that we had to buy our fresh beef from the butchery next door and bring it over and then they will cook for us. We did that finally, a tray of Hanwoo for 40,000₩, and brought it back and ordered a 250gm of Samgyeopsal at 17,000₩ (damn good price) and two bowls of 누룽지 (锅巴饭 the Chao-dar rice at the bottom of the pot) made into porridge.. 세팅비 per person was 2,000₩. The whole thing was quite an experience. Eating in a small little town where the waiters couldn’t understand us foreigners, and we had to depend on what little Korean we could muster to express ourselves, and where guests took off their shoes to enter the restaurant to eat, and where half way eating you get Election candidates wearing sash with their names and numbers (exactly like what we saw in the dramas) walking in to bow to you and ask for your support.. Siong. Made me understand my own language deficiencies.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDCfqpuvXzDkqyPyQzAvQlQw-fHH4DqtPtWjpLpPLZqV0i9xhnGROZMydkzdmfi60INE6jwusZBqic94C99VrGm_3_ZqP_IZGhbiBwEFL7tfF75QWhAyB9gNbmfuXhCSpdYut5qmC_T7lRiLhySLEuc0xJCUbcFC70je1HXiAipX4O3ph2TAgB719Q/s720/FL_20220626_0263.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDCfqpuvXzDkqyPyQzAvQlQw-fHH4DqtPtWjpLpPLZqV0i9xhnGROZMydkzdmfi60INE6jwusZBqic94C99VrGm_3_ZqP_IZGhbiBwEFL7tfF75QWhAyB9gNbmfuXhCSpdYut5qmC_T7lRiLhySLEuc0xJCUbcFC70je1HXiAipX4O3ph2TAgB719Q/w640-h480/FL_20220626_0263.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“After this dinner what we really need is a Bingsu at the original Sulbing dessert just a walk down the street,” </span></b>I suggested.</span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">After seeing all the shops closed at close to 8pm, Ah Li remarked jokingly: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“If hor.. if we walk down the street and find that even Sulbing is closed, then I am going to get out of Damyang!”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Fortunately we didn’t have to run out of Damyang. The Injeolmi Bingsu at Sulbing was not bad, it’s usual. But Ah Li said that we could have enjoyed it more had we had three servings of the condensed milk instead of only one, and Serene said it would have been nicer with more red beans and 料. We compared this 8,900₩ one to the first Bingsu we had in Suwon just beside Paldalmun gate (that ice flake was a sad sad Bingsu), and we compare this to the most delicious 11,000₩ red bean Injeolmi with all the flavors thrown in and all the ingredients at Romi Rumi in Jeonju, and our conclusion was that Sulbing has dropped to number 2, behind Romi Rumi.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This day was actually quite a relaxing day, compared to all the past days. In retrospect we could have just walked the bamboo forest then drove straight to Geokpohang the seaside town on the west coast. But then again we wouldn’t have known earlier. Next time we would know. Even walking around the neighbourhood yielded nothing more exciting than three cups of coffees and some gummy jelly, and all these were from the CU convenient shop, which seemed to be the most happening place in town.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Uh-oh... I forgot to book the next day's accommodation!</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>어떻하지?</b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Lying in bed this night. I thought and thought and felt something must have been amiss. And I found that oh it was that I’d forgotten to book the hotel for Geokpohang. I planned for the hotel but I told myself when I came to Korea and started having a local Korean telephone number I would book through the Korean hotel apps. And it totally slipped my mind, with all the excitement and adventure. By this hour that originally-planned Chaesukgang hotel was fully booked. And I tried unsuccessfully to book another accommodation and make payment through the App. Aiyah.. the Korean apps really were quite strict when it came to payment. All the payment options only catered to local cards and such.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">My last resort- I called the reception of a Pension located right beside the originally-planned hotel. The counter staff Ajussi was very courteous but he was all fully-Korean-ed, like everyone in this small little town of Damyang. As I confirmed my reservation with him and the details, all those room reservation words and expressions our SonSengNim taught us, bobbed up and down on the surface of my consciousness, some came out of my mouth, others sunk back inside, and I kept digging and digging for more expressions.. sigh, not bad lah. Still managed lah. 칠만원에 일 박을 예약했다. So funny lah… after everything was over, I turned around and asked Serene, who was looking at me, if she understood what I was talking about. She nodded her head. But I myself weren’t sure of what I was telling the man on the other side of the line., hahahaha!! That was funny. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">Now I finally understood why a local Korea phone number was useful, especially if we were on this kind of own-self own-time own-target driving trip. And I was glad we had one. </span></b>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo";"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: x-large;"><a name="11째날">11 째날: Day 11</a></span></b>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: small;">[19th May 2022. Thursday]</span>
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHsKDSYkPEA-6pH91tlWvDmwqiKRKA2qWsSIYB62BHcifKfsd058XME5SDxoEGG3YmUgmnDEjvENsPXmv8Gq0rFY18CREBQhR6XVT0foMVKY7HMcChjjihb08NYrFdPiAcjmCWid0sk-19t-qQ8UTrIh-9KZ-IjxOeGyXOv9GCQvztaJMkhdoyqZbC/s7208/IMG_3330.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2219" data-original-width="7208" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHsKDSYkPEA-6pH91tlWvDmwqiKRKA2qWsSIYB62BHcifKfsd058XME5SDxoEGG3YmUgmnDEjvENsPXmv8Gq0rFY18CREBQhR6XVT0foMVKY7HMcChjjihb08NYrFdPiAcjmCWid0sk-19t-qQ8UTrIh-9KZ-IjxOeGyXOv9GCQvztaJMkhdoyqZbC/w640-h197/IMG_3330.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serene's famous pano.. just that the boats nose got cut off a little... Kwenchana.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: small;"></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><b>Finally.. we were going to the west coast.. again!</b></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-tjzGJSZIlgtNcScA7-1BIbRZcV4fXPEBtZx1PHiAFr63bXehk04bZp7M8BTTBxW34M5MM0sSvPrvHvCdJ1HvDAS5yw56DLSv0U_T4yndAZH-m5XSBCtaSLMskucD1_L3e2Hx8YIx-vPhGxp5EEoPdvtPo-c2Q5RAhdF8T_lbpAL0FCUjDFLPrHy/s960/FL_20220624_0256.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="960" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-tjzGJSZIlgtNcScA7-1BIbRZcV4fXPEBtZx1PHiAFr63bXehk04bZp7M8BTTBxW34M5MM0sSvPrvHvCdJ1HvDAS5yw56DLSv0U_T4yndAZH-m5XSBCtaSLMskucD1_L3e2Hx8YIx-vPhGxp5EEoPdvtPo-c2Q5RAhdF8T_lbpAL0FCUjDFLPrHy/w640-h337/FL_20220624_0256.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drive from Damyang across to the west coast.. to the little coastal town of GeokPoHang<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As we drove out of Damyang and approached Gyeokpohang, the scenery changed. We felt as though we were transiting into a more Kampong area.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_Sd962JJOUiykt83C_btMW5dU6NvZJ3EbTw_OcN16yMjKvovKP8ooNbXNt7waASnaw9nqD_M8WYHWwV9dlE46oV-D7HP9M9Y2ZF53BMTG8xDuzTD2lt8z93mEB5_zOgEeUZ5j5pdjSutr1oHXCC8DBuV-gbeRuhsF1r7mkUmnMOvWwhGgwJ-2E4_/s4032/IMG_6123.HEIC" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_Sd962JJOUiykt83C_btMW5dU6NvZJ3EbTw_OcN16yMjKvovKP8ooNbXNt7waASnaw9nqD_M8WYHWwV9dlE46oV-D7HP9M9Y2ZF53BMTG8xDuzTD2lt8z93mEB5_zOgEeUZ5j5pdjSutr1oHXCC8DBuV-gbeRuhsF1r7mkUmnMOvWwhGgwJ-2E4_/w640-h480/IMG_6123.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lavender Pension</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Hey this feels like Ganghwado again,”</span></b> said Ah Li.</span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Yah, it’s like the Kampong in Chai Chee,”</b></span> added Eomma Serene.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1PbZwqIAL5VjqkrItVZACvkM0eVesCyPOdxkOb88uvbno3ce84wrVvIKdyU7u84PzYOMCJOuwTks0rpgYMa29ceBgGyjf2R1hFx1UFo1YkRDinio5pNJ9VUfzfWI-Np3K8qkbsLAiM7OdUmqQRUWsOBQ5hixn4E_VKZEQC3ROmErLZFtr7tLjg3h/s720/FL_20220626_0264.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1PbZwqIAL5VjqkrItVZACvkM0eVesCyPOdxkOb88uvbno3ce84wrVvIKdyU7u84PzYOMCJOuwTks0rpgYMa29ceBgGyjf2R1hFx1UFo1YkRDinio5pNJ9VUfzfWI-Np3K8qkbsLAiM7OdUmqQRUWsOBQ5hixn4E_VKZEQC3ROmErLZFtr7tLjg3h/w640-h480/FL_20220626_0264.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Every time it came to kampongs they all appeared like Kampong Chai Chee to Serene. Hahaha… but hor.. Gyeokpohang is really a flavourful little town. Really a small fishery town with a fish market Geokpohang fish market (격포항수산시장 格浦港水产市场). Here the locals would come for a weekend getaway or a couple of days of nice holiday in the many pensions (chalets) and enjoyed themselves on the fresh seafood at cheaper prices compared to in Seoul.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Jua; font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">동</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">영</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">상</span></span>
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6h3s6xAjFSN2pyLZmkiStfbJSJu0wdACe86IZ2sHCv3AnxdPW1rl8TsgrQ6KOP2DcmWgTaL6WbNw364_VpedhNzygbset2r0e9KEltro5O5VRd3xvxixk6heGp9syovb9eXzOTfcL6eBYF76jeADfjuUQr5pMYz-AxzSfH8PJds3vATkZLvCjDmW6/s4032/IMG_6121.HEIC" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6h3s6xAjFSN2pyLZmkiStfbJSJu0wdACe86IZ2sHCv3AnxdPW1rl8TsgrQ6KOP2DcmWgTaL6WbNw364_VpedhNzygbset2r0e9KEltro5O5VRd3xvxixk6heGp9syovb9eXzOTfcL6eBYF76jeADfjuUQr5pMYz-AxzSfH8PJds3vATkZLvCjDmW6/w640-h480/IMG_6121.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Oori poor little smart Hunday Avante... finally can rest a little before the looong trip the next day.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We arrived an hour and a half before our check-in time of 2pm. But we didn’t know how, we just talked and talked to the SaJangNim at the pension lobby and told him we were from Singapore and we were on a driving holiday, and despite he himself saying we needed to check-in at 2pm and we could go for lunch first, he ended up gladly giving us the key to our room immediately. That was very interesting. It was the second time it happened on this trip.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“I think if we can speak Korean to them they would happily accommodate,” </b></span>Ah Li observed. Yeah.. it’s true, it’s really all about striking a good vibe with the other party and getting friendly. Here in Korea the people really do 讲人情的吧.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoGeQwpEwjW1HimrYNNKAeugwxJxz6Yi836kIuf-_tDRY61JoPIhY-W2VCjjtZ4tiliEsLpj9JbF8FKh2VmHwK8uhFYjbM17XzgjfBQ9Sw6B5WPOky1wT81Oj5LpNt4YJi-7oJ7X08zqQDr4CN8CWMSybkbmsroB-D0blEz_l8-d3yefHmVav_QaD/s4032/IMG_0651.HEIC" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoGeQwpEwjW1HimrYNNKAeugwxJxz6Yi836kIuf-_tDRY61JoPIhY-W2VCjjtZ4tiliEsLpj9JbF8FKh2VmHwK8uhFYjbM17XzgjfBQ9Sw6B5WPOky1wT81Oj5LpNt4YJi-7oJ7X08zqQDr4CN8CWMSybkbmsroB-D0blEz_l8-d3yefHmVav_QaD/w480-h640/IMG_0651.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyday eat don't know what Korean ice cream</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;" /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLr26gfUBwN1PPbxVtzY1xNIops9dfhAwsgXnUqRtSqKTzFtUuM8zL6l8_v18rkRC9cav0l-1M1RKABHohJi9bU30QnSd_VVtQ1L63CB0Q8r3SSif8DDPIAM-OHPEnPKqofYyrfAxLUkxGb6lzzmG9Pp2IN8UBz9F0oUWGe8FKsADs-obFTTdWkaXh/s4032/IMG_5991.HEIC" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLr26gfUBwN1PPbxVtzY1xNIops9dfhAwsgXnUqRtSqKTzFtUuM8zL6l8_v18rkRC9cav0l-1M1RKABHohJi9bU30QnSd_VVtQ1L63CB0Q8r3SSif8DDPIAM-OHPEnPKqofYyrfAxLUkxGb6lzzmG9Pp2IN8UBz9F0oUWGe8FKsADs-obFTTdWkaXh/w640-h480/IMG_5991.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Geokpohang seafood market</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">There wasn’t much to do here aside from walking around the fish market and as Serene rightfully decided, we really didn’t know how to buy the fresh seafood, so we might as well just go to a Hwetjib (회집 sashimi restaurant) and order from there.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">That we did. Suddenly while we were walking a man ran towards us, catching us by surprise and handed us a name card and introduced his Hwetjib across the road, a very conspicuously located restaurant. We thanked him and continued walking until we came to a small street and saw patrons coming out at a small Hwetjib by the side. </span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“This one looks good,” </b></span>said Ah Li.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A man who just finished his lunch and who was coming out of the restaurant saw us peering at the pictures on the door, and gestured us to give it a try. Since he recommended we would just give it a shot. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HjqI1r704epl16xFX3QHwevmfBJCLKCTgtdJRvGANeIGBLYGOaYTTdruxZp037JBk0d2DjqU1tiog5VTdSgWiaJGw5y_wpocMBKI848PV78aICZY4dnptpLjwkwB8cPuur8VP5mLXRUgUkmaN5MuHcCxFRWfT7InSMw1JeLTwWYqWp1uxOdkhFCe/s720/FL_20220626_0265.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HjqI1r704epl16xFX3QHwevmfBJCLKCTgtdJRvGANeIGBLYGOaYTTdruxZp037JBk0d2DjqU1tiog5VTdSgWiaJGw5y_wpocMBKI848PV78aICZY4dnptpLjwkwB8cPuur8VP5mLXRUgUkmaN5MuHcCxFRWfT7InSMw1JeLTwWYqWp1uxOdkhFCe/w640-h480/FL_20220626_0265.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The female SaJangNim was most animated and she enthusiastically told us to take the medium size set because the initial one we wanted was too much for three of us. So we did. And for 십이만원 이 번 세트는, we had a most satisfying Hwe lunch- 꽃게 (flower crab), 광어화 (flat fish Hwe), 오럭 (Rockfish), 오징어(gochujang squid), 저게 (clams), 표고버섯 (Shitake mushroom) and a whole myriad of banchan.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Wah the crab is very sweet,”</span></b> exclaimed Serene. </span></p></div></blockquote><p> <span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This meal was unique in its very own way, and was a great Hwe and Haemul (해물 seafood) meal, absolutely on par with the Hwe meal we had in Ganghwado’s 용진횟집, and according to the SaJangNim, the clams 조개 were specially Gyeokpohang produced and not found elsewhere in Korea. Even the 오럭 fish was freshly caught. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Cutely this SaJangNim was so tickled by the fact that we came from Singapore that she revealed that she has been to Singapore twice. </span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Please keep this a secret,”</b></span> she said, as she gave us 서비스 (free of charge) a dish of three abalones 전복 and a huge bowl of 칼국수 (noodle soup with clams). We were truly spoilt here by the friendly SaJangNim. Sadly we had no chance to take a photo with her after the meal.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Satisfied, we walked back to our car.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“I think it would be better to eat at a restaurant which is so confident of its own quality that it didn’t need to run out and distribute name cards, but instead let its patrons do their word of mouth recommendations,”</b></span> I echoed Ah Li’s earlier observation.</span></p></div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9R5CZLC-Ile4lO7tzdMqEv2HFguhgiqj2mxUjtS7DV5SugvLgQOgPdu99x6lKWZ_oslbc2fs1RPHjYv9Ue0wnJLW-ycCeUuUAPiICSX-7-zmsIAHhhGhgWgKGt3zA0dWX8iDJal8hWNCxQRLEPQxq8AoMdqwdRPIyx9f6UFL3zJqQtP017T3TFPe/s4032/IMG_6104.HEIC" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9R5CZLC-Ile4lO7tzdMqEv2HFguhgiqj2mxUjtS7DV5SugvLgQOgPdu99x6lKWZ_oslbc2fs1RPHjYv9Ue0wnJLW-ycCeUuUAPiICSX-7-zmsIAHhhGhgWgKGt3zA0dWX8iDJal8hWNCxQRLEPQxq8AoMdqwdRPIyx9f6UFL3zJqQtP017T3TFPe/w480-h640/IMG_6104.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Chaeseokgang, just beside the port.</td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;">Chaeseokgang 彩石江 </span></b></p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6oSBuXxkgVRPOrC3Lz9qMiM7W1NGepMAYdHtnsnsc-9KD4IcCwYvcMTPqgEtJLgoG-F8AcViNtTHvmu9_Nd9yNRGVzoSi5wne-a_tp8A1_PVnDLVM0T_wEVUHRjgXyCjd4qd7bq2PM_n5fduypVs398hiT_Rr5gf54sY0uwot4hv397R9MxefqYM/s4032/IMG_6093.HEIC" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6oSBuXxkgVRPOrC3Lz9qMiM7W1NGepMAYdHtnsnsc-9KD4IcCwYvcMTPqgEtJLgoG-F8AcViNtTHvmu9_Nd9yNRGVzoSi5wne-a_tp8A1_PVnDLVM0T_wEVUHRjgXyCjd4qd7bq2PM_n5fduypVs398hiT_Rr5gf54sY0uwot4hv397R9MxefqYM/w640-h480/IMG_6093.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Chaeseokgang 彩石江 just beside the port...</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></div><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The naturally occurring geological thrust fault (they called it a reverse fault) due to earth’s crust moving. I really didn’t understand what it meant but the layers of the volcanic sedimentation could be seen on the side of the Chaeseokgang cliff (채석강 彩石江) with the water and wind-washed holes and formations. This peninsula called Byeonsan peninsula (변산반도 邊山半島) was created 100 million years ago when the volcanoes were very active here and there were dinosaurs even. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZEDejSZ8r1Bx0XxMRKGB_1JdpzWsUCsu3aOn7wbQ_CA1_mNF3dikZ5er_nAEPmbToJln9DBuMI4ASAFSz5wax5C-XMIHCneT_tvCyP2pWsyWb2MQzxsPtndZe-hrEMg5QLtXjovieZvuMpb0NVhopelWg7YF6ixUHp9xHYXpknlMuhjQ5zKvW--Rd/s960/FL_20220626_0266.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZEDejSZ8r1Bx0XxMRKGB_1JdpzWsUCsu3aOn7wbQ_CA1_mNF3dikZ5er_nAEPmbToJln9DBuMI4ASAFSz5wax5C-XMIHCneT_tvCyP2pWsyWb2MQzxsPtndZe-hrEMg5QLtXjovieZvuMpb0NVhopelWg7YF6ixUHp9xHYXpknlMuhjQ5zKvW--Rd/w640-h360/FL_20220626_0266.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Here at Gyeokpohang, the roads were quiet and relatively easy, and finally, we initiated Ah Li’s first drive on the road. And hey she actually did better than me in her spatial judgment of the car, as a driver sitting in the left-hand drive seat. Impressed, I was.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Ok, let’s cheon-cheon-hi drive ok, Ah Li,”</b></span> I told her. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Tomorrow will be a long drive so we take turns.. I drive some you drive some but as we approach Myeongdong I will drive. How about that?”</b></span></span></p></div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYI5zyQi79sfYUFDYFedZWk4CAaD-Qsxyru3Z-RTstmxESh10w2g-RzT_uHDvI-ZGJur-u234maPjFXhcDgdStkTRjnh4vNMQNsBlwJ9IHon83NodAQn_Ui0fAwxOzlvwZonbLlIb39Pc0V5OOvPcSwH6RCZOTGVhv9incKgp_nW7rwmGXFqRkqXZ/s4032/IMG_6118.HEIC" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYI5zyQi79sfYUFDYFedZWk4CAaD-Qsxyru3Z-RTstmxESh10w2g-RzT_uHDvI-ZGJur-u234maPjFXhcDgdStkTRjnh4vNMQNsBlwJ9IHon83NodAQn_Ui0fAwxOzlvwZonbLlIb39Pc0V5OOvPcSwH6RCZOTGVhv9incKgp_nW7rwmGXFqRkqXZ/w640-h480/IMG_6118.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I think that would be meaningful because I really wanted her to have a chance to try out the left-hand drive while we were here in Korea. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It was so slow-paced today that we even managed to take a two hours afternoon sleep and got up at 6pm to take a nice stroll to the seaside.</span></p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mWYtABOqCqzX79gq0SdBd2YA810sL0slB0axNn9aMJXfA3HKFgFGB-OJf9GShJZ7u_eLYQsQcKnfTnED-QNmIOH0vW5y9Lt0WMNpzZJeMUck6JMCtL_z-ZQjnTP3hStiUvCooXycmteCPMOO3IGz8-LJOI31nOsGK5vprwzr0ZzyYGbeoEzPzbLT/s7366/IMG_3366.HEIC" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2172" data-original-width="7366" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mWYtABOqCqzX79gq0SdBd2YA810sL0slB0axNn9aMJXfA3HKFgFGB-OJf9GShJZ7u_eLYQsQcKnfTnED-QNmIOH0vW5y9Lt0WMNpzZJeMUck6JMCtL_z-ZQjnTP3hStiUvCooXycmteCPMOO3IGz8-LJOI31nOsGK5vprwzr0ZzyYGbeoEzPzbLT/w640-h188/IMG_3366.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The seaside...</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“You mean, we are NOT going to, and we will not be eating later again?”</b></span> a shocked Ah Li plodded, when we decided it was time to retire for the evening. This aegi ah... forever was hungry one leh.. hahaha..</span></p></div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCl7yq4D1PtJBOin7-IZZtQLC7QqPNu2hZRLTmhe0UBvVQaUSJNKVOPSJDrVkDQ6dl7QtBDEcP9CHnReTy3v8D4r4ZGN_rgyCUZZ1Fg9jVwHLB3MytXC25diMFnANe5cLQgZL88lqoAKvArrfJYLhmETB71O_ryb2LtPJ4iZp8kQ_TWz6Mfqq89gf/s4032/IMG_0654.HEIC" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCl7yq4D1PtJBOin7-IZZtQLC7QqPNu2hZRLTmhe0UBvVQaUSJNKVOPSJDrVkDQ6dl7QtBDEcP9CHnReTy3v8D4r4ZGN_rgyCUZZ1Fg9jVwHLB3MytXC25diMFnANe5cLQgZL88lqoAKvArrfJYLhmETB71O_ryb2LtPJ4iZp8kQ_TWz6Mfqq89gf/w640-h480/IMG_0654.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Eat again? How can we eat? We are still so full from the huge Hwe lunch just now leh,” </b></span>replied Eomma Serene.</span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKP4EWdVE2wndexhXzTFikM80izmhx9ndbeWMHxiA-SHiriumEzpov91AamPruEPkdY4z6g-sQG3fMMeu6tdj-21Xn5K4h2ADDWbcHLlJNFtbgAX2AQCgJxM991mOC4Ow0aGKYgfCkN6kyNJcf-Fwb85VTVyzJgxNPunBJtMBuDcBfdcLRnxjczUvH/s4032/IMG_0655.HEIC" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKP4EWdVE2wndexhXzTFikM80izmhx9ndbeWMHxiA-SHiriumEzpov91AamPruEPkdY4z6g-sQG3fMMeu6tdj-21Xn5K4h2ADDWbcHLlJNFtbgAX2AQCgJxM991mOC4Ow0aGKYgfCkN6kyNJcf-Fwb85VTVyzJgxNPunBJtMBuDcBfdcLRnxjczUvH/w640-h480/IMG_0655.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Non-stop eating... Oori...</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Yah lor.. I can still feel all the Hwe swimming inside my stomach,”</span></b> me too.</span></p></div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZUGDY_mBNDv0MCzWP8b7Mkvt-Q4LCAuTjQekWhQYSM5eO01lr3CwG37gHwKmX0S6iF1ILmr2KkzGb71rdQGwrqvaYx5m6bAj7UcskHyZ91EkQs0Vz9NlZvcXTOT5tI5EPHxYQNR8SVZZtZhWYtTZeZjuxB3Uxp83e5IKkYO8LZw74Jkm8pvd1v72/s4032/IMG_6132.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZUGDY_mBNDv0MCzWP8b7Mkvt-Q4LCAuTjQekWhQYSM5eO01lr3CwG37gHwKmX0S6iF1ILmr2KkzGb71rdQGwrqvaYx5m6bAj7UcskHyZ91EkQs0Vz9NlZvcXTOT5tI5EPHxYQNR8SVZZtZhWYtTZeZjuxB3Uxp83e5IKkYO8LZw74Jkm8pvd1v72/w640-h480/IMG_6132.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But hor… Ah Li being Ah Li, her metabolic rate was super high one hor.. and at 7pm we ended up sitting inside the convenience store eating a boiled cup noodle with a piece of dehydrated egg and drinking zero-calorie ice tea. We were impressed by her power of consumption. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2e39wmmvJSxDeXRkdnK5YtOOXa2zPbcLG_xfx72a3wyAZSvQk9p8LXqI0NJ6LTXDzS1izOVUxTKmwVZW06P3kDlNl9wzFuGXz7XWVNvCFkPFxmx-GCbw0Yt2x7hpAVflil2gDVgbKjirDFpYNj2djNIvDU_h14CKO4BRkpzyi_3BwMXaTygt7oDKS/s4032/IMG_3380.HEIC" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2e39wmmvJSxDeXRkdnK5YtOOXa2zPbcLG_xfx72a3wyAZSvQk9p8LXqI0NJ6LTXDzS1izOVUxTKmwVZW06P3kDlNl9wzFuGXz7XWVNvCFkPFxmx-GCbw0Yt2x7hpAVflil2gDVgbKjirDFpYNj2djNIvDU_h14CKO4BRkpzyi_3BwMXaTygt7oDKS/w640-h480/IMG_3380.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><br /><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The next day we had a 3 hour plus drive of 270km from Gyeokpohang to Myeongdong. So we really rested early. </span></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo";"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: x-large;"><a name="12째날">12 째날: Day 12</a></span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">[20th May 2022. Friday]</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZ-iXS92trXwRZ3pW9mwPEOlI6yg1hx3MGN9iI2MsWcoph3gbvAC7ngM02agvjuuNUKJE8dP438elFDqLRg4wYBXeuTxdEuSjEHdpds34MBvlN6erWFkeeIPhlvWEZxYfEXk8R4ylrrgD06MEAfJX1ddOUqrNz4C6xKdng21m9RB7i-O669WXyihb/s812/FL_20220624_0257.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="812" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZ-iXS92trXwRZ3pW9mwPEOlI6yg1hx3MGN9iI2MsWcoph3gbvAC7ngM02agvjuuNUKJE8dP438elFDqLRg4wYBXeuTxdEuSjEHdpds34MBvlN6erWFkeeIPhlvWEZxYfEXk8R4ylrrgD06MEAfJX1ddOUqrNz4C6xKdng21m9RB7i-O669WXyihb/w640-h426/FL_20220624_0257.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the way almost 300km from GeokPoHang back to Myeongdong!<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><div style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;">Yay! 명동으로 돌아갔다!</span></b><br /></span><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; white-space: pre-wrap;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mNHM-YoulcluO72RRq2udYWkCDlzRac5KRgzIOZWAgaBO7Z6R6_M-AMGQ_s1mx_I7_Kuant_vHtg5vEu4vJ5Aiwij_9I8uahISlYCZt8lKnynVuD5kzW_0CN5jm56yXbmg-tk39yKihjKJ7GOOz-cyRcW7fzgfP9RL6JCe-9-edReBJFoO9ZDhLM/s4032/IMG_6204.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mNHM-YoulcluO72RRq2udYWkCDlzRac5KRgzIOZWAgaBO7Z6R6_M-AMGQ_s1mx_I7_Kuant_vHtg5vEu4vJ5Aiwij_9I8uahISlYCZt8lKnynVuD5kzW_0CN5jm56yXbmg-tk39yKihjKJ7GOOz-cyRcW7fzgfP9RL6JCe-9-edReBJFoO9ZDhLM/w640-h480/IMG_6204.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>Today we really drove. Actually, Ah Li was the one driving for the most parts - 250km... I merely did that last 20+ km going into Myeongdong, Seoul. Thinking back... this was precisely what we came out all the way driving in Korea for - to experience driving from the ulu ulu small town into the big city... and we did not really expect ourselves to end up driving INTO Myeongdong. But we were glad we did.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcOF-wgcyWWQzI6CMKuoM5JjcTsIjZjL6dZjgZ4ZWt2sXZq4cYKFjPy9dJnSTKbAuucQcVF5jVOAUpTGSq1pARqA95DiRkHTi2tJDQs6X1wQoYUGweY0HxAhD4XKoBNwB080rHqv8-j7utro2WWc-IiOKrSod1TYJy39Uim-pwupMCOOIKaY2kKYd/s4032/IMG_6212.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcOF-wgcyWWQzI6CMKuoM5JjcTsIjZjL6dZjgZ4ZWt2sXZq4cYKFjPy9dJnSTKbAuucQcVF5jVOAUpTGSq1pARqA95DiRkHTi2tJDQs6X1wQoYUGweY0HxAhD4XKoBNwB080rHqv8-j7utro2WWc-IiOKrSod1TYJy39Uim-pwupMCOOIKaY2kKYd/w640-h480/IMG_6212.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 公主 very lucky. Driving also got people feed her snacks one...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>This highway mostly allowed us to go at 110km/h. We realised that sometimes we just got fatigued. Thus Ah Li cleverly just activated the Cruise control and we just followed - overlook when we needed to, otherwise just stayed on the 'slower' right-most lane. But this time it was quite second nature to us already.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFQfepKJ0q3i078fjlkNr5a2Xau24sPm9Ctw7DWzo0ENB4a2JIirKxh9cROiH1V0R6uFtvpDtJpP3nJpZI885lDDgdbE2iZCvQoxjoJueKc6vnflHbDQJ2BwCLzGwZhCFG2Kx2I0QF7ZbLg3J8QIVcMkGOqUSW7i_bQ6nLghXPtXiikBbsE9Ssu9J/s4032/IMG_0661.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFQfepKJ0q3i078fjlkNr5a2Xau24sPm9Ctw7DWzo0ENB4a2JIirKxh9cROiH1V0R6uFtvpDtJpP3nJpZI885lDDgdbE2iZCvQoxjoJueKc6vnflHbDQJ2BwCLzGwZhCFG2Kx2I0QF7ZbLg3J8QIVcMkGOqUSW7i_bQ6nLghXPtXiikBbsE9Ssu9J/w640-h480/IMG_0661.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, yay! Can see Namsan tower already!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>Our friend Tom Yang said, when in Seoul, don't worry about missing a turn. Just trust the GPS and keep going and look for the next alternative turn. So we just told ourselves - Kwenchan - just keep missing turns after turns after turns.. And wah lau, we didn't know how many turns we missed, and never expected me to suddenly make a right turn and did a don't-know-what three-point-turn at some small little lane and go back to the main road again.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzfH284CW9Q6QCaklM6OMxMma9xJmQx_ng-0LTvHJ05JAlq7s17Ur81Czm_wcdxebTYcjRg_KAi7c_WIXn89To3gfV5oU1hEAz3H2fKYiqpDnd9HD4yrqQapUQImwGyDU0563fEBV4f9aMTDS3cQfM2YX1GvzeMcIjvriklBU2utngF-MliMRZBEo/s4032/IMG_0664.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzfH284CW9Q6QCaklM6OMxMma9xJmQx_ng-0LTvHJ05JAlq7s17Ur81Czm_wcdxebTYcjRg_KAi7c_WIXn89To3gfV5oU1hEAz3H2fKYiqpDnd9HD4yrqQapUQImwGyDU0563fEBV4f9aMTDS3cQfM2YX1GvzeMcIjvriklBU2utngF-MliMRZBEo/w640-h480/IMG_0664.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the incorrect turns.. looking for the right way...</td></tr></tbody></table><br />So, if I ask myself - <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: medium;"><b>"Is it difficult to drive in Seoul?"</b></span></div><div>Actually, the answer is - No. It's very similar to driving in Singapore. Really not much of a difference, Only thing is, the traffic signals, signs, and road signs took a little bit of getting used to. Otherwise, it is ok one.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; white-space: pre-wrap;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MKTTNjDyUKpv5QogSZzN2-w2b6BAMpctElciDcnkG8C0DtUBIgtnxn7UZHxusts6duUdwGUTV32NfgAvhCgs36xY772qC-sHLmoZWEBTU_mWmmSU4TBtaNHQ3HTP7Q8p1ytnDNkpyqEVEw59cm2PtQGbP6hd9qy7tdpp8tkAUxKYBDUcaZmAzA5B/s4032/IMG_0665.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MKTTNjDyUKpv5QogSZzN2-w2b6BAMpctElciDcnkG8C0DtUBIgtnxn7UZHxusts6duUdwGUTV32NfgAvhCgs36xY772qC-sHLmoZWEBTU_mWmmSU4TBtaNHQ3HTP7Q8p1ytnDNkpyqEVEw59cm2PtQGbP6hd9qy7tdpp8tkAUxKYBDUcaZmAzA5B/w640-h480/IMG_0665.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table><p style="white-space: normal;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd;">12:30pm.</span></b>
</span></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><p style="white-space: normal;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We arrived at the guesthouse in Myeongdong. The 초등학교 guard very kindly directed us to park in front of the guesthouse instead of at the side where there were CCTVs. Good man, he was.</span></p><p style="white-space: normal;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Knowing that parking in Seoul could be expensive, I chose accommodation that has got parking available (apparently they said they have). It wasn’t the best of accommodations, but hey.. it was just next to Myeongdong Subway station and has available free parking. Of course, Eomma and Ah Li kept laughing at me having to <i><b>courteously</b></i> communicate with the SaJangNim every few hours for the TV, for the aircon, for the warm water, and for the aircon again… I was glad I had a local Korean number that allowed me to try to practise understanding what the Korean SaJangNim was trying to explain to me.</span></p><p style="white-space: normal;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; white-space: pre-wrap;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TweyqOsH8E5jg_UjoJIAS-WALotbCmaC076PyHGKfTl3c8vvf8ISWG3FqKoZeiLChZNe0SyYVTgo-SXQ3ISpOwYpoSzDiwFiFjziju4I47mM-tPWeVTdL1Q8ONgeuY1EyT4Il0RTaw14WE6mvt31cYU8eUosEsZBH-JpanaqLxjiVG6V5QboSgM5/s4032/IMG_6228.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TweyqOsH8E5jg_UjoJIAS-WALotbCmaC076PyHGKfTl3c8vvf8ISWG3FqKoZeiLChZNe0SyYVTgo-SXQ3ISpOwYpoSzDiwFiFjziju4I47mM-tPWeVTdL1Q8ONgeuY1EyT4Il0RTaw14WE6mvt31cYU8eUosEsZBH-JpanaqLxjiVG6V5QboSgM5/w640-h480/IMG_6228.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The correct way to park the car - in front of the 집- the primary school security guard taught me one.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Problems solved. And we finally took our time to stroll down to collect 爷爷’s glasses and then go off for lunch.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDX54zR7ngSBABefnWtiI4_j_Cd-7ETs6P247PYVGCPQ197IVDT4ZN14tFZ0COHHqos72lePDIdfW65YNvA84kZEs4hJOXYN20BdKMDCO9p0Lwh5WsD2nkgZYFXuJlH-2npI9NaxjMWfQzysZTx1-eF0JcSKQMTR9ZugllL_kEXqBRjGhyUTm2tRP/s4032/IMG_3394.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDX54zR7ngSBABefnWtiI4_j_Cd-7ETs6P247PYVGCPQ197IVDT4ZN14tFZ0COHHqos72lePDIdfW65YNvA84kZEs4hJOXYN20BdKMDCO9p0Lwh5WsD2nkgZYFXuJlH-2npI9NaxjMWfQzysZTx1-eF0JcSKQMTR9ZugllL_kEXqBRjGhyUTm2tRP/w640-h480/IMG_3394.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“There is this restaurant we came to long time ago and I have always wanted to go back, it’s at the end of Myeongdong,”</span></b> I muttered.</span></p></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhpHHeYkv6IhjS6RqwNwmW5z-k0LmSTGoFpzFZrlBypCcAGF7fzgZuxyNj9OMGrE7GY5xTfJmklrmAAZv9mgh5qvpoX1cMKhyhkPaZgqB0jnL4xvgYzI9x7-f5MDmZSa3RGj4u1ziTHbxTolRaEI6Wf_pt0R1Is3wdkHYEFQyGLshFOQRHJtjO7DK/s4032/IMG_6261.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhpHHeYkv6IhjS6RqwNwmW5z-k0LmSTGoFpzFZrlBypCcAGF7fzgZuxyNj9OMGrE7GY5xTfJmklrmAAZv9mgh5qvpoX1cMKhyhkPaZgqB0jnL4xvgYzI9x7-f5MDmZSa3RGj4u1ziTHbxTolRaEI6Wf_pt0R1Is3wdkHYEFQyGLshFOQRHJtjO7DK/w640-h480/IMG_6261.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And we found the restaurant although it may have changed its name and it was currently called 감자탕, a franchise. Not bad, the cold don’t-know-what myeon was really cold and tasty, and the bibimbap for Ah Li and my 갈비갈국수 with 冬粉, that was so delicious. Despite Eomma kao-beh-ing that she was very full, we actually bought a Hotteok from that unfriendly Ajumma at the end of the street, that usual stall. Just for the sake of eating a Hotteok for 1,000₩.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="white-space: normal;" /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h-9XORNgnlPNiAlUr1Z70azJgy0xaKLJoJ2PUzEA25VZldPTi6zz_4-z5W1uRSnctrHcAu11JFbsAv5_eWL7qtrWxS_01CqUJi3Tu1iQHpVDh5TZBSS3gR-ugaNFTmtxJDuHbueqX3LmZ_QF2zOvw4Fd2VKDV0dEAUOlm0SzAwGz3C-YFOKkgT0C/s4032/IMG_3395.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h-9XORNgnlPNiAlUr1Z70azJgy0xaKLJoJ2PUzEA25VZldPTi6zz_4-z5W1uRSnctrHcAu11JFbsAv5_eWL7qtrWxS_01CqUJi3Tu1iQHpVDh5TZBSS3gR-ugaNFTmtxJDuHbueqX3LmZ_QF2zOvw4Fd2VKDV0dEAUOlm0SzAwGz3C-YFOKkgT0C/w640-h480/IMG_3395.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></div></span></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"Actually hor... haiyah, this Ajumma hotteok at the end of the street is really not the best hotteok yet,"</span></b> I still maintained. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"We only eat it because it is here and it is convenient to buy."</b></span></span></p></div></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"></span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In my heart, the most delicious hotteok was still the 3000₩ one by the Ajumma along one of the lorongs at Bukchon Hanok Village. Come winter we will definitely go there JUST to buy her hotteok.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOKpSKRjv84QfGpesVCs8aplC-tjz9r5EG5c1iQqs2Vi-PoVttCk3Em7gdBuwAOn92JTF6jmvsO__-NfrKu4bMppHzinbQ6k-rfdiwokvKP4I4xHKa_yavI476YJsQ03avNzTYak8RGqqwOTRyIlrVFBIq3uAB3HQokP9VR7-Ycm6BQMeGPKIgnQ9/s4032/IMG_6265.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOKpSKRjv84QfGpesVCs8aplC-tjz9r5EG5c1iQqs2Vi-PoVttCk3Em7gdBuwAOn92JTF6jmvsO__-NfrKu4bMppHzinbQ6k-rfdiwokvKP4I4xHKa_yavI476YJsQ03avNzTYak8RGqqwOTRyIlrVFBIq3uAB3HQokP9VR7-Ycm6BQMeGPKIgnQ9/w640-h480/IMG_6265.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The obligatory, almost-mandatory hotteok at Myeongdong.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="white-space: normal;" /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYsELO2DNHEyiAlLq-VrZ18wyAG7OdLuImcqRXr_Qh9wbT-vo3PB8od1h5T6Z72-8R9tFT7tHvQNy4gcaup-tLe6hhsmwcRLCavMB4A_ojguVZoq8zuuZcDdPcIZ4FcA-V4iedtbTX77lxYub05ye5pTvd700Jozq5o31yDe9tpI1lpHVYqXse0nZ/s4032/IMG_6269.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYsELO2DNHEyiAlLq-VrZ18wyAG7OdLuImcqRXr_Qh9wbT-vo3PB8od1h5T6Z72-8R9tFT7tHvQNy4gcaup-tLe6hhsmwcRLCavMB4A_ojguVZoq8zuuZcDdPcIZ4FcA-V4iedtbTX77lxYub05ye5pTvd700Jozq5o31yDe9tpI1lpHVYqXse0nZ/w640-h480/IMG_6269.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><br /><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"Let's find your socks!"</b></span></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Ah Li was super thrilled to find the precise socks that she had in mind- the exact design, and she wiped that store out of that design of socks. She did a 30+3 and finished off all the pairs of that particular design. This girl is just like her father.
</span></p><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; white-space: pre-wrap;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrsJ1soM0n0mcr4RgJ4aJ5LOs9yUP_TYHF3VkKINyWiRDfDTAtQdAFjb2PjL7UGhyqWLEkrNNNPW61mvhMYPwVagWXloOoZewMDfH39rWpthgFBChDjChwDt3CC7haaWexTvb3S9l17lIq6MvWHy5ImmEewZQsh8VHBFCdMDf-m2e6sKuHU2E9o4i7/s4032/IMG_6233.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrsJ1soM0n0mcr4RgJ4aJ5LOs9yUP_TYHF3VkKINyWiRDfDTAtQdAFjb2PjL7UGhyqWLEkrNNNPW61mvhMYPwVagWXloOoZewMDfH39rWpthgFBChDjChwDt3CC7haaWexTvb3S9l17lIq6MvWHy5ImmEewZQsh8VHBFCdMDf-m2e6sKuHU2E9o4i7/w640-h480/IMG_6233.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"This one doesn't have the socks that I want leh..."</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiaCWJblKPBIrSBDQS78X7AXrfZ8zzcIiE8SZr5Hav4paLHkIEjizBc-WpaKDeD0hifRc1bNP72UY3f1e7Sr7T0adzX0SkIcwVU2fznK0imuVbwJVS3dfwrf3nVZ-fRDNyhn4PlHY7b9OO-I4yxHAoogU9STHlnAxV2g3nDNtqClIhIcXSDwdgBAUS/s4032/IMG_6239.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiaCWJblKPBIrSBDQS78X7AXrfZ8zzcIiE8SZr5Hav4paLHkIEjizBc-WpaKDeD0hifRc1bNP72UY3f1e7Sr7T0adzX0SkIcwVU2fznK0imuVbwJVS3dfwrf3nVZ-fRDNyhn4PlHY7b9OO-I4yxHAoogU9STHlnAxV2g3nDNtqClIhIcXSDwdgBAUS/w640-h480/IMG_6239.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Ah Li found her socks!!!"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">"You know ah, Papa..." </span></b>said Ah Li. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>"</b></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>Last time the socks used to be 1,000</b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>₩</b></span> </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b> per pair - years back. But now it's 1,500</b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">₩ </span></b></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b> per pair. But not bad still, they give a 10+1 pair bonussing."</b></span></span></div></div></blockquote><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; white-space: pre-wrap;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SAvDqDTrNT4lfsGOs4EypiEDEMqrkZMN5-dWECoSqeDAjIXMQyD2pt9kvMQ4kBDcKBNDEyH6wwwDX0Rz9nzgny2rhMluEZIcmX5tOn0YEf0Z8CCl7lw0rDJPngZ1Sotzz55yorrIDYI9d-nHD6u4tbJy8MoBJ5Jn1BuqwwTftMx7rLgdcEXERTB1/s4032/IMG_6237.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SAvDqDTrNT4lfsGOs4EypiEDEMqrkZMN5-dWECoSqeDAjIXMQyD2pt9kvMQ4kBDcKBNDEyH6wwwDX0Rz9nzgny2rhMluEZIcmX5tOn0YEf0Z8CCl7lw0rDJPngZ1Sotzz55yorrIDYI9d-nHD6u4tbJy8MoBJ5Jn1BuqwwTftMx7rLgdcEXERTB1/w640-h480/IMG_6237.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We waited 12 days just to find this design.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I had a chance to chit chat with that SaJangNim and upon asking him if he has seen an increase in the number of Singaporean tourists, or even other tourists, he said not really. But he believed it was going to get better.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wk3YMnWhYGFRUvNH4swQR7nwGvc_gy-6TToMDwLCnS1RHL4qAJMTupayxmP0bvyyg2WsbAsgCCUUgycZcIMGeqQZyzumsyjxrv9QH5K0ASN2fPQAD0DjQubdEy2CNGEvpkf3kG820ypiW9V3z9LXKFCcWsIjYLQgacV7oqq04dAQ3B0kiEcKAcMX/s4032/IMG_6241.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wk3YMnWhYGFRUvNH4swQR7nwGvc_gy-6TToMDwLCnS1RHL4qAJMTupayxmP0bvyyg2WsbAsgCCUUgycZcIMGeqQZyzumsyjxrv9QH5K0ASN2fPQAD0DjQubdEy2CNGEvpkf3kG820ypiW9V3z9LXKFCcWsIjYLQgacV7oqq04dAQ3B0kiEcKAcMX/w640-h480/IMG_6241.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br />While Ah Li remembered this store for its socks, I remembered this ShaJagNim for being the only person on this trip who actually took the trouble, and was sincere in striking a conversation with (half-bucket) me discussing the local business, local economy, and tourist scene. I guess he was genuine in conversing, despite knowing that I was really not fluent in the language. Marvellous man, he was.<br /><br /><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Well on this day, the streets of Korea were a little more crowded than on our winter trip six months back but the rough percentage of empty shops was still the same. We felt that there was a definite betterment.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Here in Korea we tended to cave-in to their marketing and buy many sets, day after day, of 2+1 of cold Ediya coffees at 2,200-2,700₩ before the bonus and 1+1 of 꼬깔콘 Ggoggalkon, that Harry Potter sorting hat cone snack, and even 2+1 of ‘Zero calories’ ice bottles of ice tea- all from the many convenient stores.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Massage? Finally!</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This afternoon at 5pm Serene and I had a full body massage at Hakari massage 4F along Myeongdong for 38,000₩ for an hour, while Ah Li finally had some free time to roam around Myeongdong herself. It was a lovely massage and they even did wax soaking of our feet. At the massage, we met a young couple Johnson and Nicole who were here for a short holiday and who just returned from 4 days in Jeju. It was fun sharing with them our 25-21 experience (haha!). The SaJangNim of the Hakari massage told us a different picture from what the socks SaJangNim said. She expressed that she was beginning to see more Singaporean coming into Myeongdong. That was heartening to hear.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><br /></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-large;">GongPyeongDong Eel 呱呱叫店!</span></b></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5sz4iutfRHxVVbtIX4poPobg2I5xjlkTaeCG62_imcDrmE_ZKJVsxX7HKA7J56M-qDAS7YL7pAe0qe4iiMMHHWwix5lyLiCa4m7H7bK-QEQ50BWAYmD6D1orjfcS6PbAuUv3AKNHgW6opvZKE3XzVLlTAvFBArcDqOK1hw-el3UvD5k05o_31p6R/s4032/IMG_6304.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5sz4iutfRHxVVbtIX4poPobg2I5xjlkTaeCG62_imcDrmE_ZKJVsxX7HKA7J56M-qDAS7YL7pAe0qe4iiMMHHWwix5lyLiCa4m7H7bK-QEQ50BWAYmD6D1orjfcS6PbAuUv3AKNHgW6opvZKE3XzVLlTAvFBArcDqOK1hw-el3UvD5k05o_31p6R/w640-h480/IMG_6304.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Massage done, we walked through Myeongdong all the way to Jonggak to one of my favourite SikTangs - Gongpyeongdong 공평동 꼼장어 restaurant, and wow it was as always full of patrons queuing outside waiting for their tables. We whacked a 꼼장어 소금 구이 (salted sea eel), 불돼지 고기 (spicy pork gogi), 불막창 spicy small intestine) and an 안 매운 돼지 고기 (non-spicy pork gogi).</span></div><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjild94lkUhdnzYuGsxLGkAl-uSJLHkxXhNx8c-KuSg8BZG21U-VZxuuKIToFdvzfkzvkNtJmyjmBWvWRbBara5JQyVVjdM8me-HE11o5c3jUJO4K7XviRqsuUk6CgPc6ZPX5YsKwBaEBWjiIfcNgM5Srtz1KDM5aOqOM6QsH9Pp16ABoZhr1miDRgj/s4032/IMG_6287.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjild94lkUhdnzYuGsxLGkAl-uSJLHkxXhNx8c-KuSg8BZG21U-VZxuuKIToFdvzfkzvkNtJmyjmBWvWRbBara5JQyVVjdM8me-HE11o5c3jUJO4K7XviRqsuUk6CgPc6ZPX5YsKwBaEBWjiIfcNgM5Srtz1KDM5aOqOM6QsH9Pp16ABoZhr1miDRgj/w640-h480/IMG_6287.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But the time Serene and I whacked that two bottles of Cass and a bottle of Soju, we were both holding hard onto Ah Li to walk us back. Nostalgically we walked across the street to that Paris Baguette bakery to buy some cream pastries and within one hundred metres of walking out of the bakery, all three of us devoured our fresh cream cones. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZXrYBNOzloteTKAG3JeFW3OYQmL_0jq-lB2O2pkyRVSMs63S2WkxV-SDruvUy6pllIB-0EV7qM9SMEA52947mpqejnL0LN-ssuEekY-egmJKl9UJLdnBDuCLR702PT383UNnXCo5OtXSbwuPYzGDzi6o64Sm38_5wFjqyCSjwUkqvalGsjiQ9lm-/s4032/IMG_6296.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZXrYBNOzloteTKAG3JeFW3OYQmL_0jq-lB2O2pkyRVSMs63S2WkxV-SDruvUy6pllIB-0EV7qM9SMEA52947mpqejnL0LN-ssuEekY-egmJKl9UJLdnBDuCLR702PT383UNnXCo5OtXSbwuPYzGDzi6o64Sm38_5wFjqyCSjwUkqvalGsjiQ9lm-/w640-h480/IMG_6296.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><br /></span></div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Jiaklat. Very slowly, and a little unsteadily, we stumbled back through Insadong to Myeongdong. It was a really lovely walk because the weather was neither cold nor warm, it was just nice. And even Ah Li could do without her usual Uniqlo light down jacket. </span></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-PFxJ4f809Hul9UcBvfgurT8KW_8V5R7w8O9MDRyHSaiDWBgFP2IsvC_A1P5_DbvJsrNYRx-EuOWVywbvbTTZhZ7JMhmLljFW9L5milGzAkCiudrciKVEpnNsO9cwSNgjgl5rx8Y6xXK3GHnYYuffmqRp4P5ifFPCvwIo6mdLnYhGTZ-dma94vZp/s4032/IMG_6291.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-PFxJ4f809Hul9UcBvfgurT8KW_8V5R7w8O9MDRyHSaiDWBgFP2IsvC_A1P5_DbvJsrNYRx-EuOWVywbvbTTZhZ7JMhmLljFW9L5milGzAkCiudrciKVEpnNsO9cwSNgjgl5rx8Y6xXK3GHnYYuffmqRp4P5ifFPCvwIo6mdLnYhGTZ-dma94vZp/w640-h480/IMG_6291.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pxS7LDcNDIjiN-U-jk6DyyaeeH6N1vzIKdNMljrYcq6ED6z4KPpcKxi75UBqdmfMFUG23jykpCvcC3I7M_GrbMqsZlhydGUO26iuVTJXGON1gj_EWl99etOPV_fHJagmBzkS1G8nl5SP3zBhTnht35WhpLq53eXYQ23x3WM-B6go8YbINeJ8dRZW/s4032/IMG_6302.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pxS7LDcNDIjiN-U-jk6DyyaeeH6N1vzIKdNMljrYcq6ED6z4KPpcKxi75UBqdmfMFUG23jykpCvcC3I7M_GrbMqsZlhydGUO26iuVTJXGON1gj_EWl99etOPV_fHJagmBzkS1G8nl5SP3zBhTnht35WhpLq53eXYQ23x3WM-B6go8YbINeJ8dRZW/w640-h480/IMG_6302.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still so crowded... as always. Some brands will never fade.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYl-N-vVjbN3f0LsrnT95Glc3N0eSB8Tdy0UtDHUqC-tDvyKyRWVqeXM5YczUMIG170tijd7yWAU1Q-w1WIF4vua70Yvtnrw_KJP9_Je9-i0J3-wgE-Nk0GIrrPFkuCWbUp-Z3OVMeSQUpnVQOHuDbOIY_afwSVkmsKyYf97U-oBk87ZHpj8iYxnmw/s4032/IMG_3400.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYl-N-vVjbN3f0LsrnT95Glc3N0eSB8Tdy0UtDHUqC-tDvyKyRWVqeXM5YczUMIG170tijd7yWAU1Q-w1WIF4vua70Yvtnrw_KJP9_Je9-i0J3-wgE-Nk0GIrrPFkuCWbUp-Z3OVMeSQUpnVQOHuDbOIY_afwSVkmsKyYf97U-oBk87ZHpj8iYxnmw/w640-h480/IMG_3400.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><br /></span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6zqaoDjOvVPkm4bJEdTdM6AHpZEvj9tsYF6ZaOyPyA5Lc19IMM2JPWMZ4XZ8CYVsSLzn2G_umr-CdWpzOsVsmUGuzEpjMntfyIH678Vh3proxwu8KiG1fs8ARsIyRkv8pdWBgeic6BLMFMmGvwpPW5W0ShjIrb275wBkmy_9l-QvePsunyq4KDAJq/s4032/IMG_6311.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6zqaoDjOvVPkm4bJEdTdM6AHpZEvj9tsYF6ZaOyPyA5Lc19IMM2JPWMZ4XZ8CYVsSLzn2G_umr-CdWpzOsVsmUGuzEpjMntfyIH678Vh3proxwu8KiG1fs8ARsIyRkv8pdWBgeic6BLMFMmGvwpPW5W0ShjIrb275wBkmy_9l-QvePsunyq4KDAJq/w640-h480/IMG_6311.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}">This GongPyeongDong restaurant will forever bring back memories for me... for on our very very very first trip to Korea (in 2016? 2015?) we stayed in an AirBnB apartment just across the road, and we walked around this area, and we frequently bought our cream bbangs from the Paris Baguette here.. </span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2qwvfLgSiKZerXCMpKTRnMaTP_AJqRTyLhXVPQIJ9qRg1B6ARX4OxOyg3NLSRpFBrisGKEydtMGgt3WZAEl0uFU2Pk1yv8UnU9nBKBeJbMtHjmT-mMY_Acl8cNWayTRvTLvG9GrECHrIAjuh2sf-aqXLvRGGxj5FZTILm04wrbv5aEd3wnT-rORy/s4032/IMG_6313.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2qwvfLgSiKZerXCMpKTRnMaTP_AJqRTyLhXVPQIJ9qRg1B6ARX4OxOyg3NLSRpFBrisGKEydtMGgt3WZAEl0uFU2Pk1yv8UnU9nBKBeJbMtHjmT-mMY_Acl8cNWayTRvTLvG9GrECHrIAjuh2sf-aqXLvRGGxj5FZTILm04wrbv5aEd3wnT-rORy/w480-h640/IMG_6313.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Ah Li was happy to see Insadong as she could remember all the places she visited on her last visit 7 years ago. Insadong was definitely more crowded this time already. An apparent increase in human traffic, there was.</span></span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFdo3WBFJuzxhMoqprk4waPnmimSdOJwsYacRGXed0LFx27U0fp7oFzSEAz-JZPlYar2lWF7XgIU-e0tfa490SaRIqh3fSetqWLtD2gcTZAbustET4zXVteh8ULnL4NzhNly83cY2idqtsiGqMN5MshlN0nUkFkus1IMBkZ9279FIomywwCuedSzP/s4032/IMG_6314.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFdo3WBFJuzxhMoqprk4waPnmimSdOJwsYacRGXed0LFx27U0fp7oFzSEAz-JZPlYar2lWF7XgIU-e0tfa490SaRIqh3fSetqWLtD2gcTZAbustET4zXVteh8ULnL4NzhNly83cY2idqtsiGqMN5MshlN0nUkFkus1IMBkZ9279FIomywwCuedSzP/w640-h480/IMG_6314.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We found that usual Ajussi SaJangNim and his wife who ran the Gaolak (군밤 炒栗子, fresh and warm for 5000₩ a pack) store in the middle of Myeongdong. They actually recognized us from our winter visit and were their usual friendly selves.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">On this Friday evening the shops closed at 9pm, way better than the last round six months back. But Serene’s favourite Ajumma 오먹 stall was still closed. SPAO was opened but we couldn’t find anything that interested us, disappointingly.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Compared to any of us precious ten days, this day was really relatively relaxed. But it must have been because of our massage that Serene and I felt the soreness and an indescribable sense of fatigue in our lower limb muscles, very commonly post-massage.
</span></p><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
</span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo";"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: x-large;"><a name="13째날">13 째날: Day 13</a></span></b>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: small;">[21st May 2022. Saturday]</span>
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</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzg_ir4yrImmjKnc_Ipqd8j6ahUehpmcoHfP73Vdl64g8o7j3RrXucDi-NCDSP8CoAxzZYgQgeOEqsq0Cmu7k6JK1nNHHfNENc7mbbe_dNpfj0Q4VDk3XbvHf9NqfkVKQyqN8QjUY_H9Fb-31oqQOzW1u-CMjRYI_ocSV8L5Sw5k7a6SCvm-WJ4dwi/s4032/IMG_6337.HEIC" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzg_ir4yrImmjKnc_Ipqd8j6ahUehpmcoHfP73Vdl64g8o7j3RrXucDi-NCDSP8CoAxzZYgQgeOEqsq0Cmu7k6JK1nNHHfNENc7mbbe_dNpfj0Q4VDk3XbvHf9NqfkVKQyqN8QjUY_H9Fb-31oqQOzW1u-CMjRYI_ocSV8L5Sw5k7a6SCvm-WJ4dwi/w480-h640/IMG_6337.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Woke up to a nice guesthouse breakfast prepared by the SaJangNim personally, of toast with butter and jam and capsule coffee and sunny-side-up. We even brought breakfast into the room for the just-woken up Ah Li to have breakfast in bed. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: xx-large;">Namsangol Hanok Village.. </b><b style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo";"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;">to watch Korean wedding</span></b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZls9pGO7gNKpLvUhBF5Cj7L9nph7nB-Doq44IiBQbU8Gy6ixCH7XbLfXtUueFpOC99ZXelvoImRaU-QqdlzBRnXLUM5jWIBwDRNGCE1fIFIjanguN9nWhROd00gXyHIE3pZv7yJP0C3LJ6vwW9w9DK_EjGcxa1CBhP1U2QK2EJBlC-d0VZQDYRdlk/s4032/IMG_6358.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZls9pGO7gNKpLvUhBF5Cj7L9nph7nB-Doq44IiBQbU8Gy6ixCH7XbLfXtUueFpOC99ZXelvoImRaU-QqdlzBRnXLUM5jWIBwDRNGCE1fIFIjanguN9nWhROd00gXyHIE3pZv7yJP0C3LJ6vwW9w9DK_EjGcxa1CBhP1U2QK2EJBlC-d0VZQDYRdlk/w640-h480/IMG_6358.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">What were we going to do today? Our first destination was to Namsangol Hanok Village. What a coincidence this round when we visited there was actually an Ang Moh bride groom and a Korean bride who were holding their traditional Korean wedding ceremony there in one of the Hanoks, attended by their friends and relatives. We were very excited to have a chance to watch the couple bow and take sips from their traditional goblets. Imagine, an Ang Moh man and a Korean woman’s traditional wedding! We must have been very fortunate to actually have a chance to witness it.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Jua; font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">동</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">영</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">상</span></span>
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="527" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ot7ktRpikfQ" width="634" youtube-src-id="Ot7ktRpikfQ"></iframe></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Hongdae 에 가자!</b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhof_a8h22tXUBOOsXv9SJJUu3jxF2IY3SdYx2CtdnlYcYWQhWrwlZAQ6ck6oQh_0oqCEnRo-J1MVtsj1DWG6KDT_fjWvihQedwhiAS3UMi08iWqHZE83-GFUwQdOLJhPmyYMoBaJLFnvYSfRiRu7gEDvsnu2DU1X4MkdrIv_Vk_Rd5ONeLWcnwVx5L/s4032/IMG_6367.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhof_a8h22tXUBOOsXv9SJJUu3jxF2IY3SdYx2CtdnlYcYWQhWrwlZAQ6ck6oQh_0oqCEnRo-J1MVtsj1DWG6KDT_fjWvihQedwhiAS3UMi08iWqHZE83-GFUwQdOLJhPmyYMoBaJLFnvYSfRiRu7gEDvsnu2DU1X4MkdrIv_Vk_Rd5ONeLWcnwVx5L/w480-h640/IMG_6367.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">From Namsangol, we just took a subway to Hongdae. Wow Hongdae was truly happening and on this weekend it was full of young people, many many more than again our winter visit, and the street side door stalls were once again aplenty. Ah Li was running from one shop to another, handphone cover shops, airpod case shops, Serene was touring the hat shops and the ribbon shops. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWuZRV2jZXsnW79bGFT2m2lGsIsGTbcXb-b_Pvrd3hQIX718km1mpd31ogG2A1qTQYEFvsQCK49ev64K_TfJoPUTnHJJ2BqzYqzp8fBh9AUgMHnjGYc7yxv6ZwkMSZ6MUAjHxQp3gYUohTLPsl1i4lkdyfkIo2Clj7P_bP8_doD3rD6kQGcreu5qdA/s4032/IMG_6379.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWuZRV2jZXsnW79bGFT2m2lGsIsGTbcXb-b_Pvrd3hQIX718km1mpd31ogG2A1qTQYEFvsQCK49ev64K_TfJoPUTnHJJ2BqzYqzp8fBh9AUgMHnjGYc7yxv6ZwkMSZ6MUAjHxQp3gYUohTLPsl1i4lkdyfkIo2Clj7P_bP8_doD3rD6kQGcreu5qdA/w480-h640/IMG_6379.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We could see that Hongdae’s youthful vibes definitely appealed so much to the young lady and her eye lit up with every shop we came upon. Even a young man performing rap on the pavement of Hongdae with a crowd surrounding and watching him brought back the deja vu of what Hongdae should be. I was telling both of them how nice I would be, I wish if one day we could go back to the days without masks when everyone can walk on the streets and take MRTs and walk into shopping malls without wearing masks anymore. I hated wearing the mask because no matter how I adjusted them my glasses still got misted up.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4So3GYweKHsT3me569c5IluTlbxqwu6p475qvc1NiMtg97XaEPmmAegoBX2sKvJaX7iuzpAnNRvCZbDgcXdbfwSK0VR8JGQrxY_vRzzCfvkEXrPfqjg5rHueA3CqmuLRbGmeE-6IVskqEcUsg_iQ9V3usRWGIu3AZDjimahRQpcH0I0q1rtPO3c9e/s720/FL_20220724_0281.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4So3GYweKHsT3me569c5IluTlbxqwu6p475qvc1NiMtg97XaEPmmAegoBX2sKvJaX7iuzpAnNRvCZbDgcXdbfwSK0VR8JGQrxY_vRzzCfvkEXrPfqjg5rHueA3CqmuLRbGmeE-6IVskqEcUsg_iQ9V3usRWGIu3AZDjimahRQpcH0I0q1rtPO3c9e/w640-h480/FL_20220724_0281.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Artbox at Hongdae was one of the highlights and Ah Li and Niang went crazy inside there. I could see how exciting all these merchandise are to young people like Ah Li and even Daiso was to Ah Li and Niang Serene. With a sense of joy I watched them zig-zagged the isles of the shops among the Koreans. Actually this round we began to see many more Ang Mohs, some Indians, and also some who appeared to be like Indonesians or Malaysians. I could sense that things were starting to return back.</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Finally we can eat our Gimbap,” </span></b>I said, pointing to a Gimbap restaurant where we selves ordered a Gimbap, a cheese tteokbokki and udon. Really good student prices and delicious too. </span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“We don’t need to eat too much now first, this evening then we will have a more filling dinner.”</b></span></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But Ah Li and Eomma didn’t let up the chance to have a stick of Omeok each at the beginning of the street where the Ajussi and Ajumma run their street side stall, for 1,000₩ each.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrGRqUl2wMtDi_rNVwDShMLJ5wuM7PLeRJZU8GuhMqogMfX-nMwaLn3OhF06Rm2sR-VurTTxYHstEZCuqCAZvVWxtMdZ_nUP893A9PBm4iKCXhpYm7X5Q3o7stz9nVQuuzM4N0vrKNGBI2C3TV3cV2eJT8xQW6M-km-QgUziagzZddqU1X2cz5LkF7/s4032/IMG_6384.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrGRqUl2wMtDi_rNVwDShMLJ5wuM7PLeRJZU8GuhMqogMfX-nMwaLn3OhF06Rm2sR-VurTTxYHstEZCuqCAZvVWxtMdZ_nUP893A9PBm4iKCXhpYm7X5Q3o7stz9nVQuuzM4N0vrKNGBI2C3TV3cV2eJT8xQW6M-km-QgUziagzZddqU1X2cz5LkF7/w640-h480/IMG_6384.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Somehow hor… the bakery Tous les jours still drew us in and made us grab one whole loaf of long cream bread at 1450Cal and two fresh cream buns at 405Cal each.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“They should not have let me see the calories. Now that I see the calories I cannot eat it,”</b></span> joked Ah Li. But bought them we did, in preparation for tomorrow’s breakfast.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEota_nquUT8SvRgepothq9omXCvR-TClr1MQ_t3wheQ2FmdhqnUQVDUvWdOQ9RB5ZlXGpjFukqlmeyRrqKk8D2I1nKgRNzp0MsRNwJDfWLPhAF_7F2bKBhl9msYfwmjj7YICMD3qclXH12ZBjthu6jBq1awQzLxSm1e-p2Fzc6L8S3JiRkcLXK5T/s4032/IMG_3401.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEota_nquUT8SvRgepothq9omXCvR-TClr1MQ_t3wheQ2FmdhqnUQVDUvWdOQ9RB5ZlXGpjFukqlmeyRrqKk8D2I1nKgRNzp0MsRNwJDfWLPhAF_7F2bKBhl9msYfwmjj7YICMD3qclXH12ZBjthu6jBq1awQzLxSm1e-p2Fzc6L8S3JiRkcLXK5T/w640-h480/IMG_3401.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We knocked out for close to two hours in the afternoon. At 6:15pm we were out again on the streets of Myeongdong’s, starting from the Namsan side. Here the shops were smaller hardware houses, smaller SikTangs and convenient stores, while across the road the shopping area held bigger departmental stores. The big supermarket caught Serene and Ah Li in their whirlwind tour amongst the aisles and again Serene, expectedly, whacked packets of snacks for our drive to Incheon the next day.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglbB_Fcc4ztJ6AnujzscmaEHWxXOeXBJI86UmoNBPwz2a-8vSj25PciIdS0nsdv4HN7HSLkidrqrzLsaF7OdZaHeR0Co4uQU0OtNXj8ilKCyQhLEC0OKZz7130w1bauv1XDprhqKO6GArrTvzXFY_gnh-CeY_u76qlPniDuVCdm0xXsjHyCWwmVqZK/s720/FL_20220724_0282.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglbB_Fcc4ztJ6AnujzscmaEHWxXOeXBJI86UmoNBPwz2a-8vSj25PciIdS0nsdv4HN7HSLkidrqrzLsaF7OdZaHeR0Co4uQU0OtNXj8ilKCyQhLEC0OKZz7130w1bauv1XDprhqKO6GArrTvzXFY_gnh-CeY_u76qlPniDuVCdm0xXsjHyCWwmVqZK/w640-h480/FL_20220724_0282.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner was at 돈돼지, just right the periphery of Myeongdong. Reviews weren’t good as I read on KakaoMap, but surprisingly the SaJangNim services is very well and there were heaps and heaps of people eating inside and we ate a very satisfying bowl of 수두부개 (tofu jjigae) and two-person share of 생삼곱살(pork belly), 대패심겹살 (the roll roll Samgyeopsal) and beef gogi. The Sundubu jjigae jolted my memory to those earlier days when I enjoyed jjigae so much. And it was deja vu once again.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiINjCeEiG-_YMt9xUWbQIY44BQvCtmR_mwAP2DDElQDRATqQyEdZQM49WqclS2h9XgkG7HnQq2o1B8B87lvDQt4Bzbk7bqHio8zsLwH6rb31OCylVjuXHp8rvvwnUJ9XTPdjJxNspn87ezCdiu4XITlCOu3KEtuZEA2cqLJiLu6JhJL_1nrTIJ9K/s4032/IMG_6409.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiINjCeEiG-_YMt9xUWbQIY44BQvCtmR_mwAP2DDElQDRATqQyEdZQM49WqclS2h9XgkG7HnQq2o1B8B87lvDQt4Bzbk7bqHio8zsLwH6rb31OCylVjuXHp8rvvwnUJ9XTPdjJxNspn87ezCdiu4XITlCOu3KEtuZEA2cqLJiLu6JhJL_1nrTIJ9K/w640-h480/IMG_6409.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Wah that real Ajumma SaJangNim totally changed the way I feel about this restaurant. She was so friendly,”</b></span> said Ah Li.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxA_sgWb2xqq6MjDMi1yNwahPCiv4vSapyvIT4Md-D8LUDROgOdcu8nlA65DNUY6BOI-5BlCrYXxHsPBfJktIO35alEXxIbTtRIhKZ7Q0WMi4exNXprPqlRVkutall3A47AF91iZOF9yo2T6jkmSMS7FDm29SmxvpyYwOYJbT45xJDJuO91__4GtII/s4032/IMG_6424.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxA_sgWb2xqq6MjDMi1yNwahPCiv4vSapyvIT4Md-D8LUDROgOdcu8nlA65DNUY6BOI-5BlCrYXxHsPBfJktIO35alEXxIbTtRIhKZ7Q0WMi4exNXprPqlRVkutall3A47AF91iZOF9yo2T6jkmSMS7FDm29SmxvpyYwOYJbT45xJDJuO91__4GtII/w640-h480/IMG_6424.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KaeRanBbang - Egg bread from the streets of Myeongdong</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">계란빵 from the roadside store at 2,000₩ a piece blew both Ah Li and Eomma Serene’s minds for being so delicious.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the next day of adventure!</i></div></div><div><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div><div><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo";"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: x-large;"><a name="14째날">14 째날: Day 14</a></span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: small;">[22nd May 2022. Sunday]</span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNUdldeXkKkj38csCxIEidJHLHPuxoxKCREhalvkb-VZdatOp_sB-NFp37m0MYhE6F0Kc-TWRud5bkRv2HSYGzF70ztTSO_2_9fjeUU1d_WagX_kiCvNITICME__LdyiQ0tewVqb3gMBm3DLWL8FE8OGHJk8ccb8va72Y5NenY7uK6_gVYSDmkDEl/s720/FL_20220724_0285.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNUdldeXkKkj38csCxIEidJHLHPuxoxKCREhalvkb-VZdatOp_sB-NFp37m0MYhE6F0Kc-TWRud5bkRv2HSYGzF70ztTSO_2_9fjeUU1d_WagX_kiCvNITICME__LdyiQ0tewVqb3gMBm3DLWL8FE8OGHJk8ccb8va72Y5NenY7uK6_gVYSDmkDEl/w640-h480/FL_20220724_0285.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We all woke up to a nice and pleasant-weathered Sunday morning. The sun was, as usual, firing full blast all its ultraviolet bullets. The ladies decided to skip the in-house breakfast and we simply just ate our Tous les jours cream bbang and Ediya coffe mix.
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YfA06nHu20UAM3XKGd15FsClYipX7KVvpte9jXsY8UgxdYyVK33bTApbhN6ZRrJ3_fYl8bhuPpPQeGb7N3o7Po1qLzGTeEOh4L598cMDrbktzcJWQZu4PkRVg6c7bOvZE_eWe1TQPrdhUohbKc-QtPHOVqOdTaVafU-oS5tgUWSpgaryS0FsZy39/s4032/IMG_6427.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YfA06nHu20UAM3XKGd15FsClYipX7KVvpte9jXsY8UgxdYyVK33bTApbhN6ZRrJ3_fYl8bhuPpPQeGb7N3o7Po1qLzGTeEOh4L598cMDrbktzcJWQZu4PkRVg6c7bOvZE_eWe1TQPrdhUohbKc-QtPHOVqOdTaVafU-oS5tgUWSpgaryS0FsZy39/w640-h480/IMG_6427.HEIC" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast prepared by yours truly</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Korean’s 3-1 coffee cannot fight Singapore’s 3-1 coffee mix,”</span></b> concluded Ah Li, who has just completed a three month stint interning in Nestle. Well, if a good scientist declared that then it must be nothing but the truth.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Another truth was also, Ah Li’s 11-year-old pink zip-luggage somehow got torn along the way and we decided that it was time to get new luggage. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="white-space: normal;" /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjbqzxfZAVEm3SKj9i9a9c0AVCG8dA8PAaOCSH8LrMNZEW_Hx1TG94cM1nEBWEYDDTag2Kr1pvMva4KMpgC9lDQYn5zykJhld9mvRqCx05SGjyyV1MvntC4bn-ovsHfywDUX3V76pEO8jO7yZQdT7RJ7Q8ljxbDWhNsk_H7gYdAStwSpR-R0r3vqF/s4032/IMG_6449.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjbqzxfZAVEm3SKj9i9a9c0AVCG8dA8PAaOCSH8LrMNZEW_Hx1TG94cM1nEBWEYDDTag2Kr1pvMva4KMpgC9lDQYn5zykJhld9mvRqCx05SGjyyV1MvntC4bn-ovsHfywDUX3V76pEO8jO7yZQdT7RJ7Q8ljxbDWhNsk_H7gYdAStwSpR-R0r3vqF/w480-h640/IMG_6449.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">She has always set her mind on getting a Samsonite luggage ever since Serene and I used our Samsonite S’Cure spinner for many years and travelled all over. KakaoMap search directed us to the Lotte Departmental store Samsonite section and she bought herself her very own latest model, the newest blue Samsonite Tri-Tech Spinner, which was a real beauty and came with a double lock, and has ten year global warranty.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Ah Li, don’t worry about paying the price if it’s a little more expensive. We get to get tax refund for this, and also you will forever remember that this was your very unique Samsonite that you bought in Myeongdong, even fifteen years to twenty years down the road,”</b></span> I happily said.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5J8n5-B2AyQ6DEbkkn9D4YmppXAm37Uur7aojHpZNGQMmtZ8At8nuKtdJIu0fk5sUKaHS-mtirbG6IWCkXHwUeQWMORdBVNx5xwPTxZxZVzQqhm9lOUeWQhBiRNcARVUePFEFJ8QABAdtYNX3VMkAz99GU5OxZ7730MwhN641AO8cuPMmeTIwgMa5/s720/FL_20220724_0284.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5J8n5-B2AyQ6DEbkkn9D4YmppXAm37Uur7aojHpZNGQMmtZ8At8nuKtdJIu0fk5sUKaHS-mtirbG6IWCkXHwUeQWMORdBVNx5xwPTxZxZVzQqhm9lOUeWQhBiRNcARVUePFEFJ8QABAdtYNX3VMkAz99GU5OxZ7730MwhN641AO8cuPMmeTIwgMa5/w640-h480/FL_20220724_0284.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Yeongjeong island</span></b></span></p><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I could sense her joy in getting her one and only Samsonite and we finally were set to drive that one hour, 60km, from Myeongdong to Incheon Yeongjeong island, exactly where the airport was located. It was better this way because we would only be 2.5km away from the airport and we would easily get up the next morning and make it in time to return our car at terminal 1 of Incheon airport, do our tax refund, and board nicely in time.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8sAyhVbHcQpWvujJ6SM92bwz0Ze583VXj4y9etLZbQpBVIBoOsdnw4ebsJ5dFbwQstGT-5Rdz01_sYQzX6PHREhO055CDigmx5v5jTzNjLE7PUy4rU6ci_mmH6mA5wpeXNqDjp87V3vIIr7Iw01sX3QHQfaR7L4nP0kcbHQ5nrOrc2PTkRYe1zBqg/s4032/IMG_6485.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8sAyhVbHcQpWvujJ6SM92bwz0Ze583VXj4y9etLZbQpBVIBoOsdnw4ebsJ5dFbwQstGT-5Rdz01_sYQzX6PHREhO055CDigmx5v5jTzNjLE7PUy4rU6ci_mmH6mA5wpeXNqDjp87V3vIIr7Iw01sX3QHQfaR7L4nP0kcbHQ5nrOrc2PTkRYe1zBqg/w480-h640/IMG_6485.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guestel Sky World</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sky World was an interesting residence because next to it was a complex of shopping and eateries. Our serviced apartment SaJangNim, who originated from 天津, China, 30 years ago and was married to a Korean and finally became a Korean citizen, told us there has been so few travellers that many of the dining and shopping establishments in Paradise across the street have been closed. We did manage to find a Korean SikTang run by an old Ajumma who cooked up a Naemyeon, a Sundubu Jjigae, and a beef kuksu for us and gave us a free servicing of Gimbap!
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDquSApYcX0EqS3XakWTjB6yBQmMPJqanFlidTeQr3t0qrdVPGE7YaLbCw_YZ4WmsgOHtj0FiCbY4TTMLnaFfZ6ZK0iphX4Wu7BdfBC58TgOCqmhp9fIlP_m8ShknkLskNTgpfWmJFLQiD3Do8_rKuKgNPUTpL8SzeMVCZM1qwNfFx-8Zipbywqa41/s4032/IMG_6477.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDquSApYcX0EqS3XakWTjB6yBQmMPJqanFlidTeQr3t0qrdVPGE7YaLbCw_YZ4WmsgOHtj0FiCbY4TTMLnaFfZ6ZK0iphX4Wu7BdfBC58TgOCqmhp9fIlP_m8ShknkLskNTgpfWmJFLQiD3Do8_rKuKgNPUTpL8SzeMVCZM1qwNfFx-8Zipbywqa41/w640-h480/IMG_6477.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Yeongjeong island was supposed to be quite happening, from all that I have read on the Internet. But like what Ah Li said, if we were only in a city or a town for one day, or even two days, we may not have enough time to leisurely explore it. Well, it was 14 days into our adventure and we have done what we possibly could in our quest, so I believed in many ways we have been very contented.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;">or continue on for the rest of the adventure on this day!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Wolmido My Land Disco Bbang Bbang</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxRxah3FefP__kbX57OETY4qfjmTZ5YfI8tT5TArYkQSinGf7AR_llGsHkFWkrHA9j4hseAZ1WTNvEowyuimtUysSvr8VUO7TM-n0WC8g6x54HFB3oYAURbhWc9PZIdNuGGQCqntEEJouhBoGpHTSs9j54tx8EGeWliavMyjziiJFfGsS0Iu8lc5z/s720/FL_20220724_0286.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxRxah3FefP__kbX57OETY4qfjmTZ5YfI8tT5TArYkQSinGf7AR_llGsHkFWkrHA9j4hseAZ1WTNvEowyuimtUysSvr8VUO7TM-n0WC8g6x54HFB3oYAURbhWc9PZIdNuGGQCqntEEJouhBoGpHTSs9j54tx8EGeWliavMyjziiJFfGsS0Iu8lc5z/w640-h480/FL_20220724_0286.GIF" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Food coma didn’t really come after lunch on this day. I had one last quest, which was to do the Disco Bbang Bbang at My Land theme park in Wolmido. So we set off at 5pm for that 26+km drive, took a couple of wrong turns and ended up another 10+km on the highway including additional 1500₩ toll fee, and eventually arrived to find the whole theme park full of happily screaming and laughing young and older people.
</span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Wow… Wolmido is so crowded! It must be because it is a weekend!” </b></span>said Ah Li.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“The Disco Bbang Bbang thing looks so scary, I don’t want I don’t want I don’t want.. I will get syncope one.. I don’t want,”</b></span> Serene’s frown line deepened more than Saint Andrea’s Fault. </span></p></div></div></blockquote><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8-OpqBl6GS2TBFKbfSu0kZkXBTNSOzHRiCcvHw-wPNJCQmk56CwlIhOTLWm1ciRT67Wk1LifUiQMKB8IwMbUq-G5tQ3ZuZ8HvgAJyKzXj-NQ3U1v7zgWx_yTAwx9usmvljCsn7pzHz7rdRS-vUUB3IPld3Mw0aY2qJ8zD4Orwfq8HsY9rS_8EXvd/s4032/IMG_6542.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8-OpqBl6GS2TBFKbfSu0kZkXBTNSOzHRiCcvHw-wPNJCQmk56CwlIhOTLWm1ciRT67Wk1LifUiQMKB8IwMbUq-G5tQ3ZuZ8HvgAJyKzXj-NQ3U1v7zgWx_yTAwx9usmvljCsn7pzHz7rdRS-vUUB3IPld3Mw0aY2qJ8zD4Orwfq8HsY9rS_8EXvd/w640-h480/IMG_6542.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SCARED!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Poor Serene, I could feel her anxiety and so we decided to forfeit her ticket. It wasn’t that bad lah.. each Disco Bbang Bbang ticket was 6500₩. But just by having that ticket gave her elevated heart rates and plenty of worries for a long time while she stood on the steps leading up to the landing, that ticket definitely had done its job. Accomplished. Hahaha…
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #ea9999;">V</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">E</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">O</span></b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Jua; font-size: x-large; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">동</span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">영</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">상</span></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="518" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KthoPgUNRq4" width="623" youtube-src-id="KthoPgUNRq4"></iframe></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So Ah Li and I took the challenge. The Disco Bbang Bbang DJ had a real Korean flare of jamming up the atmosphere and making everyone on board the rolling and jerking disc suffer but still laughed his or her head off while in the process of suffering. He took special pain to one group by one group, teasing and torturing us, while being very observant in saying something funny after asking each group some questions. The five young Korean girls, who jokingly told the DJ that they were 13 and 15 years old (obviously not) were at their best classic expressive Korean style and were not shy in throwing themselves right to the centre of the disc and dancing to the beat of a popular song being played that moment, and I must say they danced very well done too!
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</span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Wow, in Singapore this would never happen,”</b></span> I shouted to Ah Li, who was holding to dear life beside me. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;">“Singapore’s young people would be too shy to even dance up here for every one to see!”</span></b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIWyJNJ_H2Jp63sboC6e-01l2B-e0Ps25oP3-2jEYEspxZ7co4Le9MrLDIhUvrephPAGqFIucRudnkAfnTbuIe7zz7knsKlSZOIqzUt6fB6r7YpAhLAPY3uEA0Xr6HZG-fEi2Dy1j20O_BmC0Dz38uvBRNeVK9UBP6NMbSjweiXuaPlMqSqLq-zHl/s4032/IMG_3432.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIWyJNJ_H2Jp63sboC6e-01l2B-e0Ps25oP3-2jEYEspxZ7co4Le9MrLDIhUvrephPAGqFIucRudnkAfnTbuIe7zz7knsKlSZOIqzUt6fB6r7YpAhLAPY3uEA0Xr6HZG-fEi2Dy1j20O_BmC0Dz38uvBRNeVK9UBP6NMbSjweiXuaPlMqSqLq-zHl/w480-h640/IMG_3432.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wah fun leh!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This Disco Bbang Bbang was a different type of adventure. It was not frightening like the Viking where you have your heart in your mouth with the weightless feeling when you were vertical. Here on the Diso Bbang Bbang, the fast spinning phase was actually a relief, we found later. The tough part came when the DJ purposely make the platform jerk strongly and our butts and legs would fling off our seats, with only our hands still holding on to the railing behind us, if we could hold at all. Some of the young men and young ladies couldn’t and actually got flung into the centre of the disc and were such a comical scene trying to scramble back onto their seats. One boy had to hug his girlfriend like crazy but still ended up dropping down towards the bottom side and hugged the safety officer instead, upon which the DJ joked <b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">“Oh perhaps you like boys?” </span></b>to our roaring laughter.
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</span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“I think luckily Eomma never came on board,” </b></span>I told Ah Li, who nodded.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“My arms are tired,”</b></span> she joked. </span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, her arms would be tired. I had to fling my leg across her knees so many times that my calf was painful. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZRJ_XrLzC5GZDxVanXT92vMJ7xi0KzZTv2A4dxpZNCksRG6kO3yrPXyAMFc6eE3sYQFFUfPsbPo-f5FrtJmb66y4ThpBf3czcz_AyNaHZ5R7HR4HQo0Cs-tToH3NqA6yAv0eJx9YB8xEFGDt-3c2c4Nhr3UaJgBTdenMP1xwaSC4KDyGURUQ9FtEm/s4032/IMG_6558.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZRJ_XrLzC5GZDxVanXT92vMJ7xi0KzZTv2A4dxpZNCksRG6kO3yrPXyAMFc6eE3sYQFFUfPsbPo-f5FrtJmb66y4ThpBf3czcz_AyNaHZ5R7HR4HQo0Cs-tToH3NqA6yAv0eJx9YB8xEFGDt-3c2c4Nhr3UaJgBTdenMP1xwaSC4KDyGURUQ9FtEm/w640-h480/IMG_6558.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Packet bingsu from 7-Eleven</td></tr></tbody></table></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><b>“I am so glad we did this,” </b></span>remarked Ah Li after the whole 30 minutes experience. Yes, unbelievable it was a full 30 minutes of crazy ride!</span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MP5Y3aykoC_ao-TrQe6RjGUyG7_-6HXCSTesjz0lfsN_BCyeduMMf-Vg47bysjqD_JCD54jZrQnxHwHk-RabpiEthK_c6mjRvOct64ikyNOzJujXiiXsxJWtW6b6jvlgzNf3l5FeKXmdu7m2q0qimR7abyrKiYTxHo0ZtQzJVbJpab-HlTclMPZb/s4032/IMG_6582.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MP5Y3aykoC_ao-TrQe6RjGUyG7_-6HXCSTesjz0lfsN_BCyeduMMf-Vg47bysjqD_JCD54jZrQnxHwHk-RabpiEthK_c6mjRvOct64ikyNOzJujXiiXsxJWtW6b6jvlgzNf3l5FeKXmdu7m2q0qimR7abyrKiYTxHo0ZtQzJVbJpab-HlTclMPZb/w640-h480/IMG_6582.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our large, large Guestel Sky World serviced apartment</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo";"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-size: x-large;"><a name="15째날">15 째날: Day 15</a></span></b>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: small;">[23rd May 2022. Monday]</span>
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It was the last day of our wonderful Korea trip.</span></p></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Ah Li: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Wah, we actually came in early May when it was relatively colder, and now third week of May we can actually feel the weather turning warm.”</span></b></span></p></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And she was right. The last few days have been relatively warmer and most of the time we just went around in T-shirts and jeans.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfVe_PoLYy5a-aoPhGv6hh3lhkputuykNOggo9ZjEkZ3lZnepybbD5mI6XTWvaO-yWdB4NnXvtdittTvImOYj2V9mIyJbg80YofwbGUJ5qCo-4twz6_iSBUX4l6KwoV_6K193uqFkx2Bfi47FeDygTohp6V2seBCDBIDoNKNVZbkgpYmzudKzjeEw/s4032/IMG_6588.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfVe_PoLYy5a-aoPhGv6hh3lhkputuykNOggo9ZjEkZ3lZnepybbD5mI6XTWvaO-yWdB4NnXvtdittTvImOYj2V9mIyJbg80YofwbGUJ5qCo-4twz6_iSBUX4l6KwoV_6K193uqFkx2Bfi47FeDygTohp6V2seBCDBIDoNKNVZbkgpYmzudKzjeEw/w640-h480/IMG_6588.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying home</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: x-large;">So how ah, this trip?</span></b><br /><br />This was an unexpectedly exciting trip, come to think of it, most of our trips were exciting because of a certain degree of uncertainty, a certain element of unpredictability. This trip was not an exception. We enjoyed it because we all were in the midst of all the crazy mistakes we made, and also because we had plenty of good laughs coming out of them. To be able to experience it and share the experience together was one of the more important things. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Like many of our trips, this was unforgettable to the <i>nth</i> degree.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZY2PBGzulnOwKXAhz7nb3-JAmZJ6Wa_UX21jD_KEEoXkskOS7ToKk5Wj59ID9PannNKI-7joO6QPIKu3c84kRBdqthNxfX1UMvXPTesi5D7JURKO-ogfys-GBcx6CtiM4uXIETF8JmNokK4YvxpKgzz-4DXbNv9JvYT_ODWis0kTBZFvTjBYXo_a3/s4032/IMG_6589.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZY2PBGzulnOwKXAhz7nb3-JAmZJ6Wa_UX21jD_KEEoXkskOS7ToKk5Wj59ID9PannNKI-7joO6QPIKu3c84kRBdqthNxfX1UMvXPTesi5D7JURKO-ogfys-GBcx6CtiM4uXIETF8JmNokK4YvxpKgzz-4DXbNv9JvYT_ODWis0kTBZFvTjBYXo_a3/w640-h480/IMG_6589.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally.. sigh...</td></tr></tbody></table><br />At least now Serene can say 'Zebra crossing 힁단보도' and 'The drink is free? 움료수가 무료예요?' properly in Korean. And Ah Li and I can say proudly that we have driven on the other side of the road. Although we may eventually forget many of the details we encountered on this trip, what ultimately will happen would be, the whole experience would be deeply embedded in our personal mesh of subconsciousness, to be again raised to above water level in the future when the time calls for it once more.<br /><br />Until our next Korean adventure.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Nanum Myeongjo; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/05/korea-west-coast.html#TOC">Click here to return to Table of Content.. </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Nanum Myeongjo"; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large; white-space: normal;"><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><br /><p><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-48397140541827144742021-12-22T02:20:00.299-08:002023-06-19T22:16:26.349-07:00The 미친 ones flew VTL into Korea <h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html"><b>A long-awaited, <br /></b><b><span> </span>most-enjoyed, <br /></b><b><span> </span><span> </span>ate-as-much-as-we-could-but-never-gained-weight<br /></b><b><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>.. AND walked-like-crazy Trip to Korea during Covid</b></a></span></h1><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799485706_ca0fbe07d2_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799485706_ca0fbe07d2_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />It has been simply too long since we set foot <i>out of</i> Singapore. That was exactly what a worldwide pandemic did to human beings - we were all confined within our own borders.
</span><p></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: large;"><b>To Travel.. or NOT to Travel?</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Several schools of thought emerged once we were about two years into Covid and as Singapore started to engage in Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTL) with various other countries. More recently on the 8 November 2021, Singapore announced its VTL with South Korea. People were thinking:
</span></p><ul><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">“Heck it. I don’t care how much is the plane ticket and how many PCRs I need to do before during and after the trip. I am definitely going to fly."</span></b>
</span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>“I am too worried about catching the Covid. No no no.. no way I am going to travel now.”</b></span>
</span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: medium;"><b>“Yeah.. ok I do want to travel. But.. I am not going to pay for all those PCRs ARTs and inflated plane ticket prices. No no no.”</b></span>
</span></p></li></ul><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So we had an interesting situation where the die-hards would be the first few to click “PAY” on the SIA’s website and AirBnB and Booking.com.. while the rest would take a seat on the side fences.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We were lucky because being one of the first few to click ‘Pay’ on the Singapore Airlines site we got our tickets at $931 each, still more expensive than usual, and the flight coming back to Singapore was a designated VTL flight.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">That the time when the VTL agreement between the two countries were warmly-inked and still cosy, the agreement was:
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><ul><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #b6d7a8; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>one pre-departure PCR 3 days before departure to Korea (estimated $125 each)
</b></span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #b6d7a8; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>On arrival PCR at a Incheon airport S$200 each
</b></span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #b6d7a8; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Day 6 / 7 ok Korea another PCR in a Korean government-approved hospital - for those staying in Korea 8 days or more estimated $200 each
</b></span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #b6d7a8; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>48 hours before departing back to Singapore, to do a professionally-administered ART in an approved Korean Hospital estimated $80 each
</b></span></p></li><li><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":100,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Upon arrival at Changi Airport, one last PCR. S$126</span></b>
</span></p></li></ul><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDjTj5MtMNWvBMXet4CFe9AxzRrESDRWtl_QAhkwJWxN8rzevokugktoBb2WxGpv0-YKaZq_bnrghm-s-JcAE7s33wNh1bHDunzP6T4mxp_YKRK__yfF14ps3pUoV6VYYTOkjkW3rP3FJZqLjuYGbCRzMqNWKAVnUhdteATQrHsG1-_zQXtfgJxmDI=s720" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="445" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDjTj5MtMNWvBMXet4CFe9AxzRrESDRWtl_QAhkwJWxN8rzevokugktoBb2WxGpv0-YKaZq_bnrghm-s-JcAE7s33wNh1bHDunzP6T4mxp_YKRK__yfF14ps3pUoV6VYYTOkjkW3rP3FJZqLjuYGbCRzMqNWKAVnUhdteATQrHsG1-_zQXtfgJxmDI=w334-h445" width="334" /></a></div></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Didn’t sound that bad to me. But to many, the number of pokes (PCR and ART) was too uncomfortable to bear. And the thick stack of certificates and forms to be prepared, for not only clearing customs but also for use throughout the whole trip, required a certain degree of organisation skill.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Out of nowhere Omicron came knocking and on the 18 Dec 2021, four days before we were to travel the Korean MOFA changed their requirements for Pre-departure PDT to be 48 hours (strictly) before take off, instead of the previous 3 days, and</span><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> <span style="color: #b6d7a8;">they added two more ART on day 3 and day 5 while in Korea (thankfully, self administered</span></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> and to have a photo of the kit taken with our passport, and then… nowhere to submit to but to just keep in our handphone.. *facepalm* And </span><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Singapore ICA added another 6 more ART post-arrival back in Singapore, of which two will be supervised in the Combined-Testing Centres.</span></b></div><p></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">The worst Pre-Departure experience, administratively.. haha</span></span></h2><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51791560033_d382dcc70e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51791560033_d382dcc70e_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good swab staff. But company-wise much remains to be desired.</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The Acumen PDTSwab.sg at Tampines One offered the cheapest pre departure swab at $107. But I realised 一分钱一分货. I had to postponed our PDT swab to a day later because of the new last minute Korean government’s ruling to shorten the 72hour predeparture to 48 hours predeparture - got to pay an additional $20 penalty per person- non-negotiable. OK lor.
</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">On the day of the swab, the staff could not find our records because they just changed the computer system. Finally they generated the manual barcode and did Serene and my very first PCR (quite comfortably, the swab staff she was good). But this was the beginning of the errors...
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799739338_188fc77778_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799739338_188fc77778_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But </span><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>on that night two hours before we were due to fly</i></span></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, the <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799611051_a601d9c4ef_k.jpg" target="_blank">Changi check</a>-in officer Shai noticed something amiss: </span><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Sir you PDT swab here on the certificate stated you all did them on 19 Dec 9am and 10am. This is not according to the new regulation. If you fly you have to be quarantined for 10 days in Korea.”</span></b></p><p><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Huh? We did ours on the 20th Dec at 3:30pm. That certificate date/time was the original appointment date that we cancelled and rebooked subsequently!”</b></span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Sir, I think you’d better call that swab clinic immediately,”</span></b> advised the security staff. It was 11pm.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">An urgent call to PDTSwab.sg’s emergency number and frantic urging to the lady on the other end got through the ammended new certificates emailed to me.. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">though I had to pay to have them printed in Changi Airport, and not to mention the stress it generated. Aiyah.. it was my fault.. I should have checked the certificate properly. I am sure there will be more chances of us travelling in the (near-to mid) future. But I also knew <b><i>who I will not go to</i></b> for a PDT swab.</span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally with much relief, Shai, the very kind check-in security staff handed each of us our <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799730378_fef7f9a775_k.jpg" target="_blank">Blue VTL lanyard for us to hang while we took the flight</a>. This lanyard would come in useful when the staff over in Incheon needed to check these when we took our AREX train from the airport. </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgx92kdxmS6XUqxUELuOCg_jlULC4NAxOVdj-SiX2wE5XVP3ArCNFfBxLKiQ3vmKnZ8afigT2sB6FQmMweanvxiA5S34zS1vJ0hGof6nGd3qYh--D8Vyx6HQ5YQ3-_sp2RRNthntcNwIx9XNY4gg6bF077Eqapk-4GdJIvYjCm7xQUWzZuw04yDgH7F=s720" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgx92kdxmS6XUqxUELuOCg_jlULC4NAxOVdj-SiX2wE5XVP3ArCNFfBxLKiQ3vmKnZ8afigT2sB6FQmMweanvxiA5S34zS1vJ0hGof6nGd3qYh--D8Vyx6HQ5YQ3-_sp2RRNthntcNwIx9XNY4gg6bF077Eqapk-4GdJIvYjCm7xQUWzZuw04yDgH7F=w434-h326" width="434" /></a></div><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Dela Gothic One;">And we flew</span>. We haven't seen the inside of a airport bridge for the longest time. We were so thrilled to be having the familiar dejavu feeling again. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799607671_8ee16bd98d_k.jpg" target="_blank">The flight was packed. Much more so than we expected</a>. Apparently, there were so many people travelling to Korea.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 -</span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day; font-size: large;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h1><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><a name="Day1">Day 1</a></span></span></h1></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: inherit;"><b>22 Dec 2021</b></span></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":1,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Arriving in Incheon</span></span></h2><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798662867_59e93ca9cf_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798662867_59e93ca9cf_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">All our White and yellow Traveller’s Health Declaration forms (and ...didn’t know what the other form were..) were duly filled and submitted to the respective counter, passed through customs.. took us about one hour, and we were out and had our luggage collected. </span><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798661092_9baa35f8d5_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798661092_9baa35f8d5_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The staff outside ushered us to the Incheon Airport clinic just outside the arrival lobby that did the on-arrival PCR swabs. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh84th7TY_ALjnVzR0hGam_HZkEqWxCFM4mj6XdLGr1yMBB4DPgR7x5-Ey7HjWYr2eyh6KD_5z2EB3VtN9efhKxVIBEr9WX1Cv_SRiLjJRhNwKDHmVM_sOL1njmhy9RQNgTdvZW4fZ8G1_QZQunFtJ5zBKsmqSvCi9Aw8vPFxhV7DWxbPQxegnujyyq=s1440" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="421" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh84th7TY_ALjnVzR0hGam_HZkEqWxCFM4mj6XdLGr1yMBB4DPgR7x5-Ey7HjWYr2eyh6KD_5z2EB3VtN9efhKxVIBEr9WX1Cv_SRiLjJRhNwKDHmVM_sOL1njmhy9RQNgTdvZW4fZ8G1_QZQunFtJ5zBKsmqSvCi9Aw8vPFxhV7DWxbPQxegnujyyq=w561-h421" width="561" /></a></div>At 174,000₩ (S$202) and just a single deep poke into one nostril at 10:30am, we were done and were left to wander on our own to the AREX All-Stop station at B1 level of Incheon airport. After <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Dela Gothic One;">topping up our old (AND still functioning!) T-Money cards to 20,000₩ with cash each at the top-up machine</span>, we bought each an AREX All-Stop train ticket cheaply at around 4,500₩ per person after the staff checked our VTL lanyards and we were on our way to Hongdae subway station.. next time we could easily take them AREX train instead. The Airport Shuttle buses we used to take were not in operations due to Covid. But compared to the prices, the Airport shuttle bus would cost 15,000W instead.</span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Hongdae Subway station</span></span></h2><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51839635894_56aeac8594_o.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="887" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51839635894_56aeac8594_o.gif" width="666" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Da-bao Eumok at the Hongdae subway station because the next few hours have to be quarantined in the AirBnB until our negative PCR result came out.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><br /></span></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Knowing that we would have to wait in our AirBnB until whatever time our Negative PCR results came out, we da-bao-ed Eomuk sticks (the yong-tau-fu sticks) at the Ajussi stall at the basement of the station and cup noodles and seaweed from the convenience stall. Out from exit 9 of Hongdae station I was really lost. I couldn’t really orientate myself yet, and had to carry that two heavy luggage up the wrong exit (exit 9) then back down again and up the correct exit (exit 8), and THEN roll these two huge luggage along the zig-zagging paved roads until we got closed enough to our Ok-Tab-Bang (Rooftop apartment , 옥탑방 屋塔房) all the way up fifth floor somewhere in the middle of Hongdae.
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A4Do9eMYgJg" width="840" youtube-src-id="A4Do9eMYgJg"></iframe></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">By the time our AirBnB host 민준원 씨 completed guiding us to the door of his apartment Serene and I were panting heavily outside the door.<span style="color: #fcff01;">
</span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Wah lau… so Chuan!"</span></b> what a way to start the trip. Hahaha…</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799602376_0101ef3388_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799602376_0101ef3388_k.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />The rooftop was private.. all for ourselves, which was good. I could peer far to the rooftops of almost all the low-rise buildings in the neighbourhood and also could see the shopping malls in the mid-ground. The weather was a mild and enjoyable negative 1.3 degree Celcius.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We had <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799730343_b280ab29f9_k.jpg" target="_blank">Spicy Cup Ramyeon with seaweed and the Eomuk for lunc</a>h and rested.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Daehan Minguk, after a hiatus of two years, felt somewhat unfamiliar… it was usually like that when we first arrived at a destination. We haven’t developed the feel, the ‘lingam’ yet. Under normal circumstances, travellers would immediate take to the streets to explore but travelling during the Covid era was just different. We were lucky to have 민준원 씨’s Korean handphone number for making our way through Customs and also for us to receive the Negative PCR results from Incheon Airport’s clinic. The results came at 3:05pm, four and a half hours after the swabs. Not bad at all.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800335395_8de21c85f3_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800335395_8de21c85f3_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I knew my plans. We took a <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799965209_2584eccbdd_k.jpg" target="_blank">30 minutes bus</a> to the <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800332740_a0a519a626_k.jpg" target="_blank">nearest Polyclinic. </a>(Hahaha!) Although the Korean </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800329835_6f5f08354e_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800329835_6f5f08354e_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mapo Public Health Centre</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">government has inked and approved of the VTL agreement with Singapore’s government, its execution hasn’t been so thorough such that all the local restaurants and shops were in the know. Thus it became necessary for travellers to bring our own Singapore issued, and (online) notarized printed hard copies of our three Covid shots to the local Public Health Centre known as 보건소 保健所 to have them converted to Local Korean certificates.</div></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Mafan… and according to the Telegram chat group, some Public Health Centres like the one in Dongdaemun were very helpful, and very efficient and fast in issuing the certificates - a mere 20 minutes - but it happened that the nearby one we went to, Mapo 보건소 was one of the less efficient one at that point. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8Ew32b6B-NDAjG9cl6Z11m5QQnTS-I62RIBkCSr2Bvfx-aG_thvrOf74CC-6rXpboFoZ8mQAUTR5i_6c4aYvPFY9P6D9Umabm-UaAKRG2bi4a6_aHZxb6DE322bFrYvX-G_Gja7UnN2Pl1iS5CxZ1eRF-JCelJ7AZ6NNmQnymspLiVtK_Lz8eSIM9=s1440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8Ew32b6B-NDAjG9cl6Z11m5QQnTS-I62RIBkCSr2Bvfx-aG_thvrOf74CC-6rXpboFoZ8mQAUTR5i_6c4aYvPFY9P6D9Umabm-UaAKRG2bi4a6_aHZxb6DE322bFrYvX-G_Gja7UnN2Pl1iS5CxZ1eRF-JCelJ7AZ6NNmQnymspLiVtK_Lz8eSIM9=w732-h550" width="732" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799725968_d2d1dc5c3c_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799725968_d2d1dc5c3c_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time we were inside a Korean polyclinic.</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Thus although we arrived at 4pm, the women counter staff inside stern-facely made sure our address indicated a nearby Mapo address and also that we had a local Korean telephone number through which they will SMS the notification for us to come back and collect it (the next day,<a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51837937048_c29b16753a_k.jpg" target="_blank"> said the man in the other counter)</a>. No emails allowed, no foreign phone numbers nor Kakaotalk allowed. 真麻烦… 但是,我们也明白啦。这是政府官方的保健所,也就好比我们新加坡的 polyclinic. 所以,对于他們來说,并没有这种义务為</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">旅客服務</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">。</span></div><div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799964844_f8d6869018_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799964844_f8d6869018_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This 마포구 Mapo-gu 보건소 was located somewhere in the middle of some local Elderly Care centre and near a neighbourhood building surrounded by some car mechanics. Serene and I loved these oldish, neighbourhood-ly areas that contrasted starkly to then usual tourist-trodden parts.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5aYGsUx_wIc" width="840" youtube-src-id="5aYGsUx_wIc"></iframe></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We walked around the car repair shops and then saw a 회 식당 (Hoe 회 pronounced as Hoay.. is the Korean name for raw meat, raw fish.. like the Japanese Sashimi). This would be our first attempt at entering and eating at the restaurant ever since our arrival. We haven’t had our Local Korean vaccination certificates yet but I would have to somehow wing it and try to convince the ShaJangNim to accept my Singapore vaccination certificates and then we will both dial the AnShimCall (안심콜 安心 Call). Apparently the name was called Fire King Hoei shop 불킹회점.
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799574211_c6f0672e32_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799574211_c6f0672e32_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We pushed the glass door but there wasn't anyone. The door was opened, but no ShaJangNim came. We left disappointed.. But something made us turn back. <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799582266_6fbd717aca_k.jpg" target="_blank"> A second attempt</a> and finally the <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799576391_42ee8041cd_k.jpg" target="_blank">ShaJangNim appeared.</a>
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Yeon Sung;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“안녕하세요!</span><span style="font-size: large;">”</span></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"> </span></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">您好!</span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Song Myung;">“안녕하세요. 식당 문이 열리나요?”</span> </span></b></span><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">您好。 食堂的门有开吗?</span></b></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Yeon Sung;">“네 네 그럼요. 문이 닫으면서 우리는 열렸어요.”</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"> </span></span></b></span><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">是的,当然。虽然们是关着的,但我们是开门营业的。</span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: x-large;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">“QR</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">코드찍어해주세요”</span></span></b><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Song Myung;"> </span>instructed the ShaJangNim. <span style="color: #9fc5e8;">请扫描你们的QR。</span>
</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800322075_659decf06a_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800322075_659decf06a_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ok my 'ahem' has to come liao..
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-family: Song Myung; font-size: x-large;">“시장님, 우리는 한국인 아니고, 싱가포르사람인데, 예방접종 확인서가 있어요.</span><b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Song Myung;">”</span><span style="font-family: Dokdo;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-weight: bold;">社长您,我们不是韩国人,是新加坡人,我们有预防疫苗注射证书。</span></span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not bad this female ShaJangNim allowed us to eat in <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798629507_955f334ca7_k.jpg" target="_blank">her premise.</a></span></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827931505_5f202e60fe_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827931505_5f202e60fe_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"My favourite HOEI (Sashimi)!"...We were pleasantly surprised by the presentation!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Wah.. both Serene and I had a most swell time enjoying one of the freshest Hoei we have ever eaten. Honest one. I was a little skeptical about eating sashimi while in Korea. But Serene die-die wanted to eat. And one of the most important things a man had to do was firstly to make his wife happy. <b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">A happy wife maketh a happy trip</span></b>. And I proved myself wrong and Serene completely right - Hoei in Korea was delicious! Fresh and really juicy.. and the raw crab was really sweet!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799712513_15629a5059_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799712513_15629a5059_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And I remembered during one of our Korean lessons, our SonSengNim said: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: medium;"><b>"Hoe in Korea is definitely cheaper than in Singapore because the ingredients are freshly-caught from the surrounding seas."</b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799954374_2f21c716d3_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799954374_2f21c716d3_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I simply could not let a chance slip without ordering my San-Nak-Ji (Live octupus)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: medium;"></span></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: medium;"><br /><b><br /></b></span></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">No doubt about it. The freshness was tip top. and the ShaJangNim, once she knew we were Singaporeans, was very hospitable. And when she knew we were Singaporeans who were learning the Korean language, wah lau eh.. she was so happy she kept talking to us in Korean. How can one not be totally immersed in such an environment and quickly had to level up...</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>~ <span style="color: #f4cccc;">A</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">N</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">I</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">M</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">A</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">T</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">I</span><span style="color: #ead1dc;">O</span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">N</span></b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Br9uuWSTeks" width="840" youtube-src-id="Br9uuWSTeks"></iframe></div><span style="text-align: center;">Take bus back to Hongdae</span><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">What a day. Time to go back to our OkTabBang and do what?... attend our online <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799567786_9b9ff4fdd7_k.jpg" target="_blank">Zoom Korean lesson.</a> Haha..</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>~ . ~</b></span></p></div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><b><span>Please click on the Enlarged, Boldened NEXT day's detail</span><span> <span>(and much more fun-filled</span><span>)</span></span><span> travellogue below to continue. </span></b></span></i><i style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: right;">Alternatively, just continue reading below, the brief summary of each day's travel:</i></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 -</span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></i></div></div></i></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">Day 2 </span><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: large;"><i style="font-weight: normal;">(brief account)</i></span></span></span></h1><p><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #d9ead3;">(</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Oops.</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">. you want to read the Detail Account instead? </span><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/of-korean-vaccination-certificates-and.html"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Here click this</span></a><span style="color: #d9ead3;">..)</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>23 Dec 2021</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The temperature stood at -1.4 degrees as we got up. In retrospect we would realise that this was a nice and warm temperature. On this morning it didn’t feel like that warm to us who took a bus 271 to Mapo-gu Public Health centre to receive our Korean-endorsed vaccination certificate.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/beI_B7_0xgM" width="840" youtube-src-id="beI_B7_0xgM"></iframe></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799636261_a9bf575e32_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799636261_a9bf575e32_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><br /></div>
</span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“How to tell them I want to collect my overseas vaccination confirmation certificate?” </span></b>asked Serene as we walked.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Song Myung; font-size: x-large;"><b>“</b><span><b>저는 해외 접종 확인서를 받고싶어요</b></span><b>…”</b></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"> 我要来索取海外预防疫苗注射确认书</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"> </span>and man, this Serene impressed me by the way she kept repeating this as we made our way. She was determined to ask the man or woman there this question.</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799644951_3c3bd1feb3_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799644951_3c3bd1feb3_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Asked she did, the female reception on the second floor and instantly she got gratification with our certificates. Actually it was later in the trip that we found that these certificates were important. Though it has been a month since this VTL-thingy was implemented, the local merchants and restaurateurs were not really updated so some of the Singapore travelers were denied admission into certain restaurants. But with this Korean certificate it lubricated things.</span><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798585782_66798361ef_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798585782_66798361ef_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Certificates in hand, we took the bus to Myeongdong. Annyeong, Myeongdong ah! Wow.. it’s been two winters since we were last here. And truly, poor little Myeongdong had suffered greatly. By my estimate, yeah… 40% of the shop spaces remained abandoned, and even the Nature Republic’s grass-laden facade, once a prominent landmark, had half of the grass dried and yellowed.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The flagship Uniqlo was no longer there. Human traffic on this Thursday late morning was quiet. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">한상문 씨 was manning the spectacle store while 김만중 and 김학중 were busy preparing coffee for their customers in Momo Cafe next door. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Were they surprised to see us!</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800244535_4f982c1cf4_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800244535_4f982c1cf4_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>“오랜만이에요!"</b></span> <span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>(It’s been a long time)</b></span> Serene candidly chirped to them all. She has been practicing this for the longest time. <span><b><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-size: large;">“</span><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">보고 싶어요!"</span></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"> </span></b></span><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(I miss you all)</span></b> 来了来了… 哈哈 Serene’s best Koreans were these few sentences.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">김만중’s Uncle 함상만 씨 was as professional as ever and I was silently glad when he found that mine and Serene’s eyesights did not deteriorate. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">He explained that even if I were to increase the degrees of my glasses it would do no good to my sight because at this moment our glasses would still allow us good vision for years more. Unbelievable, that’s why I like this man.</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: x-large;"><b>“요즘은 관광객이 거이 없어요."</b></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> (Nowadays there is almost no tourists)</span> he said, when I asked. Understandable. No one could travel in and out easily.<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: x-large;">“여기 온 외국인은 한국에서 살고 있는 외국인이에요.</span><span style="font-size: large;">"</span></span></b> <b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(Those foreigners who walked into the shop are those already living in Korea)</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It was true. Aside from ourselves there was only another old old Korean man who walked in and asked about something trivial of his pair of glasses.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799451596_2c142c4d61_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799451596_2c142c4d61_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5nsSCD1EYdg" width="840" youtube-src-id="5nsSCD1EYdg"></iframe></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Banpo Hangang Park</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799653461_86639209d8_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799653461_86639209d8_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The afternoon was still young. And we just wanted to make our way to Hangang just to stroll along the Hangang parks. Although because of Covid, the famous Banpo Hangang Park fountain has been stopped, we still took a bus to Banpo Big Bridge 반포대교 and leisurely strolled to the park. It wasn’t late but in winter the sun was already setting and it was streaming golden light at acute angles through The branches of the now wintry-naked trees. The sculptures within the park were most amazing and we spent our time like little boy and girl running around on a photography trip all over again.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799469706_471cfc497b_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799469706_471cfc497b_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I loved the fact that the Koreans loved exercising, running, brisk walking and cycling along the park even on a cold wintry evening.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">There was a banner hung across in the park that said <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Song Myung; font-size: large;"><b>“한강 공원에서 </b><b style="color: black;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">산책</span></b><b>하면서 사회적 거리두기 지키고 마스크도 쓰세요”</b></span>.. or something like that which literally meant <span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>“even strolling along the Hangang park please maintain social distancing and please wear your mask”.</b></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799824083_0f2fb06387_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799824083_0f2fb06387_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />And what do you know! All the cyclists we see were wearing masks even while cycling and ajummas were walking with masks on and young men and women running were masked too! Most impressive. I am not sure, but maybe in Singapore it is hot that’s why we have no choice but not to wear mask when we are running outdoors?
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">One thing hor about wearing masks in winter… those of us living in the hot tropics we never had to face this problem. Imagine, the temperature outside was already in the negative territory. And every exhalation brings out steam which condensed and fogged up our glasses. What more, those water droplets inside the masks get caught in between the fabrics and became icy cold. In no time we had pool of water inside the masks. Yucks! And no matter how I adjusted my glasses kept fogging up.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Shit, man. If I have to still wear masks in the winters to come, I will think many times!”</b></span></span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Back in Hongdae we had a wonderfully delicious bulgogi meal at the 인기가 많은 새 마을 식당. We were totally impressed by how popular this Saemaeul Siktang Hongdae branch was with the young students. We ordered soju, beer, three orders of different pork.. it came up to 48,000₩ (S$54). I would say for Singapore standard, it was on par with our country in terms of pricing for Korean barbecue. It was well known that dining in Hongdae was slightly cheaper than in other parts of Seoul like Myeongdong or Gangnam, because here they catered more to youngsters and university students.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3J6eMwH1oic" width="840" youtube-src-id="3J6eMwH1oic"></iframe></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Dar!”</span></b> cried Serene.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Simi?”</b></span></span></p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“I want to go sing karaoke! I want to eat the chicken across the road!”</span></b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“Wah lau you want so many things one shot. No. Tonight we just go to the Coin Noraebang to sing.”</b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799774189_e23b015305_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799774189_e23b015305_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />The 코인노래방 are such interesting little setups that anyone can just go in and for a small amount of money belt out to one’s heart’s content singing in a small cubicle. The ShaJangNim here was an ajusshi who was very courteous, and we were impressed that he actually checked our foreigner vaccination certificate, and for 5,000₩ (S$4.80) we had such a great time singing several of the many Korean songs that we wanted to sing back home but could find no karaoke on them.
</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Tomorrow night I want to come again!”</span></b> declared the young lady.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Ok onz! Tomorrow we will come again.”</span></b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We arrived back into our 옥탑방 to read with sadness, the news that the </span><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;">Singapore government will suspend the selling of VTL plane tickets entering Singapore with effect from 23rd December 2021 until 20th January 2022</span>.</b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> That was terrible news. Because just as the travelling sector was starting to pick up and people started to travel out of Singapore and foreigners started travelling into Singapore, the government literally pulled a hand-brake on this. So those who, say, wanted to travel to Korea for holiday but procrastinated in buying tickets, would have less than a day’s time to grab their plane tickets, which by the time had been jacked up to upwards of $1500-1700 per ticket, or totally forget about the idea of travelling to Korea until things settle.</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“You know, Dar,”</span></b> I told Serene. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“For all we know, we may be the last batch of travellers to Korea for a long while more until the government reinstate the VTL ticket sales.”</span></b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Yeah.. it is so unpredictable, this business of travelling.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">~.~</span></b></p><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span><b><span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Please click on the </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: medium;">Enlarged, Boldened </span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">NEXT day's detail</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-size: medium;"> <span>(and much more fun-filled</span><span>)</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-size: medium;"> travellogue below to continue. </span></b></span></i><i style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: right;">Alternatively, just continue reading below, the brief summary of each day's travel:</i></i></div><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 -</span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></b></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></i></div></i></div><div style="font-size: medium; font-style: normal; white-space: normal;"><br /></div></div></i></div></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Day 3 </span><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: large;"><i style="font-weight: normal;">(brief account)</i></span></span></span></h1><p><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #d9ead3;">(</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Not the summary?.</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> you wanted the Detail Account instead?<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/of-geongui-line-forest-park-and.html"> </a>oh </span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/of-geongui-line-forest-park-and.html">click this</a></span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/of-geongui-line-forest-park-and.html">..</a>)</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: inherit;"><b>24 Dec 2021</b></span></span></p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800087449_63745c62e8_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800087449_63745c62e8_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gyeongui Line Forest Walk</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Today I am going to bring you walk walk gai gai in this nice nice cool weather,”</b></span> I told Serene, waking up on a nice cool (not cold) Christmas Eve morning.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><p><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Gyeongui Line Forest Park </span></b></p><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800130375_e17de80075_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800130375_e17de80075_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Before we left for Korea I was already checking out where to walk in a more natural environment and this Geongui LineForest Trail 경의선 숲 길 came recommended. Just a short 10 minutes walk from our OkTabBang, we came to the beginning of the track and as the weather was cool, we were warmly clothed and strolled leisurely down. On our way we saw tall, young Korean men running, slim young Korean girls jogging, old men and women taking their slow morning walks, old grandfathers pushing their toddler grandchildren in strollers. The oldish buildings on each side were a nice contrast to the decommissioned daily track that has become the centerpiece of this 2km walk.
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799862553_a5476126d9_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799862553_a5476126d9_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799759624_466e989cab_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799759624_466e989cab_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And the end of it we turned left and plonked directly into the tiny lanes of the residential area.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Oh this is nice,” </span></b>I told Serene. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“I don't mind just walking zig-zag in this residential area.”</b></span></span></p></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800093454_a857072650_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800093454_a857072650_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The house we always saw in K drama.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“I just need some nice warm soupy food for breakfast,” </b></span>said Serene, hungrily searching for one of those ubiquitous SikTangs run by ajummas or ajussis.. and we found a nice cosy little one on the right side- 감나무집 곰탕… the very popular GomTang beef bone soup.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799751756_c05571a422_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799751756_c05571a422_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />This Ajumma was very up till date. One look at our Foreigner Vaccination confirmation certificate 해외 접종 확인서 (海外接种确定书)and asking us to make the AnShimCall 안심콜 (安心 Call) we were quickly seated and before long our 10,000₩ (S$12) per bowl of really delicious GomTang with the usual assortment of Banchan were served. Really tasty these were. We are our hearts out. So did a few of the middle-age men on the other tables. It was later then we found out that this place , the SikTang next to it called 감나무 기사 식당 (KamNamMoo drivers’ restaurant) caters to taxi drivers who would pop in for a quick and cheap meal. A meal like this could be had for S$12 a person, including plain water free flow, free flow banchan 반잔 side dishes which typically included kimchi, radish and occasionally bean sprouts. </span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bcOuFmF_e9k" width="840" youtube-src-id="bcOuFmF_e9k"></iframe></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The weather was lovely. Crisp cool air, not cold. Soaked in the peaceful residential area, we walked about less than an hour before arriving back at the Hongdae Entrance Subway station.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Off to Gangnam!</span></b>
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We laughed at ourselves secretly because despite visiting Korea so many times we have not made our way to Gangnam to view its splendour.
</span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Today we will just go gai gai at Gangnam!”</span></b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800132954_f2bc3253e7_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800132954_f2bc3253e7_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The Coex Subway station was easily reached. On this Friday Christmas Eve late morning, Coex was crowded.</span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Needing additional caffeine infusion, both of us headed up to ground level and grabbed a Cappucino (6,500₩) and Caramel Mochiato (also around 6500₩) and practised Korean with the friendly waitress at this Starbucks look-alike cafe called Tom N Toms Coffee, so interesting, almost everything was Starbucks-ish, right down to the logo design. Coffee was nice. And our energylevel was taken one notch up.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><b style="white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Bongeunsa 봉은사 奉恩寺</span></b>
</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800496545_7012be7380_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800496545_7012be7380_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The famous BongeunSa 奉恩寺 was a 100m away from the cafe. In front of us walked two ladies who, from their conversation, sounded like Taiwanese to me.</span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Wow this Bongeunsa looks exactly like the temple we visited the last time in Busan with Papa and Mama,” </b></span>exclaimed Serene.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800499310_bd31e8fbab_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800499310_bd31e8fbab_k.jpg" width="320" /></a><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Indeed the architectural design of 봉은사 奉恩寺 was almost similar to Beomeosa 범어사 梵鱼寺 in Busan. On this cool day, a slow stream of Ajummas and a couple of young ladies made their way to the altar, stopping to bow and pay respects to each Buddha on the side of the garden path.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A sense of peace permeated. I saw many colourful well wishes written on colour papers with tiny lanterns, and I wanted to do a set but sadly they could only accept cash. Too bad. Kwenchana.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">汉城江南的奉恩寺,与釜山的梵鱼寺,是历史悠久的韩国佛寺。史上朝鲜的帝王与历代文人都远来供奉。今日有缘到此,虽仅仅一会儿,但亦已满足了。我本身认为,有时候人生嘛,就是如此。旅行归旅行。但是偶尔在旅行路途之中,不知觉中步入一个景点,或身处一个环境,在不知不觉中产生一种顿悟,也是一种人生的体验。</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">或许,这次韩国之行,不就是与这一刹那心中的领会有缘吧。</span></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>COEX Mall and Starfield Library</b></span></p><p><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799792251_cd9fcd3207_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799792251_cd9fcd3207_k.jpg" width="320" /></a><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Slowly walking out from Bongeunsa and walking back down to Coex Subway station, we found ourselves benign drowned yet once again in the crowds of people thronging the underground station, and back into the reality of modern Hanguk. Upon the ground laid a blue path that indicated the way to the famous Starfield library, known as 별 마당. We have always seen Instagram posts of this but have never been here. With tingling anticipation it was, we made our way slowly along the blue path squeezing in between crowds.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">There were people, young and old, standing around this landmark gigantic ground to ceiling bookshelf, just staring in awe at it, and shooting wefies and exclaiming excitedly. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">For me, I would have loved to buy some Korean books back home. But this is too busy a place to be able to leisurely look through and choose a suitable one.</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b>“Wah.. hou-gok, hou-gok ah!" </b></span><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(Very stuffy in Cantonese)</span></b> kao-beh-ed Serene. It’s always like this. Outside in the open we were comfortable wearing all these layers in the cold, but after a while in the indoor, we start to feel the warmth over-bearing.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Ok let’s take the escalator up to ground floor and once we see an exit we will escape.”</span></b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Found we did, and once again immersed ourselves in the comfort of the outdoor cold. Actually my Serene she is quite cute. She had the initiative to bring a flask of hot tea wherever we went. And sitting down in the outdoor yard, we sipped tea and watched quietly the people going about their own businesses.</span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Actually hor, this Starfield Library really nothing much one hor?”</span></b> I remarked. To which Serene agreed. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Let’s take a bus to Gangnam subway station because I read that around the Gangnam station there are a lot of exciting shops, eateries, cafe and huge shopping malls and outdoor shopping lanes.”</span></b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798853207_0c6ea97715_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798853207_0c6ea97715_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">By bus. we arrived at the station, made famous by the singer Psy. Crazily Serene was half joking as she walked and danced that Psy Gangnam style dance. I laughed heartily because it was just so her.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">By this time on Christmas Eve, the streets were filled with people doing their last minute shopping. I guess Gangnam area would be very representative. Apart from a little half-underground Daiso where we happily bought a couple of silver Korean bowls and Korean cups, we didn’t feel the urge to go into any other shops. It was only about 4pm and the sky was darkening and the mercury started to drift downwards.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Enough of Gangam. And enough of stuffy subways on a cold winter evening. Happily we grabbed a 1 hour 7 minutes bus ride from Gangnam right back to Hongdae. Gradually we were enjoying ourselves commuting in buses. It was simple and really convenient and it was very cheap.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The main roads of Gangnam were 5-lane wide thoroughfares. And cars honked and sped along, a reflection of the Korean mentality of haste and impatience in their quest for perfection. Driving in Korea has always been described as hazardous. An attempt in imagining myself driving in the heart of Seoul brought about a deep feeling of unwillingness hahaha..
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">~.~</span></b></p><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; white-space: normal;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: right;"><i><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><b><span>Please click on the Enlarged, Boldened NEXT day's detail</span><span> <span>(and much more fun-filled</span><span>)</span></span><span> travellogue below to continue. </span></b></span></i><i style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: right;">Alternatively, just continue reading below, the brief summary of each day's travel:</i></i></div><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 -</span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;">Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></i></div><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: right;"><br /></div></i></div><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div></div></i></div></div></div></i></div></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b>Day 4 - Christmas Day! </b></span><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>(brief account)</i></span></b></span><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="color: #ffe599; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large;">(</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large;">sala?.</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large;"> Oh you mean the Detail Account, instead?<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/of-geongui-line-forest-park-and.html"> </a></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/whole-body-massage-in-korea-huh-are-we.html">click here</a></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/whole-body-massage-in-korea-huh-are-we.html">..</a>please)</span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="color: #ffe599; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>25 Dec 2021</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799516323_49311fc68f_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799516323_49311fc68f_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The mercury plunged to negative 13 this morning.. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We lazed in bed until almost 10am. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Now I finally understood what the rooftop is for. It was for me to try various combinations of layers of middle-layer, battery-operated warm middle layer, vest and outer down jackets…</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And after a few tries, I realise that wah today morning’s -13 degrees was no joke, and I had to go on full layers in order to feel comfortable.
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">“I want to go massage,”</span></b> </span>said Serene.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Huh, Gong simi ah?"</span></b> an amused me.</p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">"I said I want to go massage! </span><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">내가 마사지를 하고 싶다고 했어 </span><span><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">!</span><span style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">"</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;">Wah even Indirect speech in Korean also came out liao. Better obey the Queen. See beh jiaklat!</span></h1></blockquote><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800187759_e00aa3bcfe_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800187759_e00aa3bcfe_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Foot Shop, Donggyo-dong branch</td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Wah lau eh.. this girl ah. People go Bangkok to massage I can understand, but she comes to Seoul where to go massage? I have never massaged in Korea. But I found one. Let's go!</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802115885_6ecee3fd6e_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802115885_6ecee3fd6e_k.jpg" width="300" /></a><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Along the way Serene found a trendy triple storey fashion boutique with many young girls inside </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">shopping and found herself a fashionable pair of white young girl’s Korean sneakers. Good buy for 80,000₩. And they were comfortable too.</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">The Foot Shop 더풋샵</span></b></span></p><p><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800554600_8055e80c38_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800554600_8055e80c38_k.jpg" width="320" /></a><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Arriving at 더풋샵, climbed to second floor and a cosy, warm set up welcomed us. Once the staff heard that we are from Singapore she started speaking Mandarin to us. And with our overseas vaccination certificate checked, we were ready. 60 minutes 후면전신 케어 (后面全身 Care) at 50,000₩ we were ushered to changed and had our feet soaked.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The 사장님 herself was friendly and I guess nowadays having hardly any tourists her business was mostly local customers.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: x-large;">‘한국어 정말 잘 하시네요!”</span></b> She said.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Song Myung; font-size: large;"><b>“아니요, 아니요… 우리는 싱가포를에서 한국어 학교에 한국어를 배우고 있는 것이에요.”</b></span></span></p></blockquote></blockquote><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>我想也是吧。不是每天都有一对尝试讲着韩语的新加坡夫妇走进这按摩店里边吧…</b></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The ShaJangNim smilingly said that they opened daily. Before Covid, they would open from 11am to 2am daily. But with the restrictions nowadays they operated from 10am till 10pm. Interestingly this SajangNim she knew that the cost of living is high in Singapore and she was planning to go to Malaysia and buy a home in Malaysia to live there. Of course she was inquisitive to more information about doing that and we chatted. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Our male and female masseuse were Mandarin speaking sifu and wow did they do a good job! They kneaded our painful necks and backs so well we hadn’t had such great massages for a long time.</span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“我跟您按到手都没力气了,” </b></span>joked the male masseuse at the end of the 1 hour session. </span></p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b><span><span>“</span><span>진짜 시원해요!</span><span>”</span></span> </b></span>Serene said to the 사장님, using the newly-learned word for <b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">‘Shiok!’.</span></b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S-sSOObhfdI" width="840" youtube-src-id="S-sSOObhfdI"></iframe></b></div><b><br /><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Yoongane Dakgalbi 윤가네닭갈비 </span></b></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We decided to have lunch first before heading to the Hongdae Nanta Theatre. There was a Yoongane Hongdae Dakgalbi restaurant where one of the chat group members got rejected dining because she was a foreigner.
</span></p><p><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801730209_227a017b57_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801730209_227a017b57_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So this was our second time having Dakgalbi in our lifetime, the first time being a few years ago in Bangkok.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“<span style="font-family: Song Myung;">주꾸미 닭갈비</span> look nice,”</b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b> (Octopus and Chicken Galbi)</b></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> I suggested.<span><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"> “And this </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Song Myung; font-size: x-large;">불국사</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(cold buckwheat soup)</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"> looks nice too. I really want to eat the Nengmyeon.”</span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802096595_6ffb01321d_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802096595_6ffb01321d_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The pair of petite young Ang Moh girls behind us were enjoying their Dakgalbi and speaking in a Spanish-sounding language. They were very fluent in Korean too, Serene was so surprised to hear them speak.</span><p></p><p></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801507088_5224f3e988_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801507088_5224f3e988_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The Hongdae Nanta Theatre was merely a short walk from the Yoongane Dakgalbi shop. We did arrive at the building and the signboard did say Nanta Theatre. But neither taking the lift nor walking down the stairs (partially) to B2 were successful in finding Nanta. Only then we realised… oh there was no Nanta any more. It actually has closed down here in Hongdae. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sad.</span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801486848_6deaadc942_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801486848_6deaadc942_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So we walked back to our OkTabBang to take an afternoon nap instead. Hahaha..
</span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh it was cold at 5pm. Around -10 degrees and we walked out to just wander around Hongdae.</span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800104320_f0667ffac6_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800104320_f0667ffac6_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Just <span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b><i>‘…walked walked and see see and look look…’ </i></b></span>in Serene’s favourite words. Wow on this Christmas Saturday Hongdae was bustling with young people and young couples. We turned round and round and just soaked in the atmosphere.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799388221_a8a9231a6d_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799388221_a8a9231a6d_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />The whole Hongdae was abuzz with beautifully made-up mascara-ed eye lashes and sparkling eye shadow colours dressed in tiny mini-skirts and long knee-high boots… everywhere we turned. Made me wonder what steel legs these young girls were made of, that allowed them to tolerate the deep negative 10 degrees cold wearing only stocking..
</span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd;">“They would rather be super pretty in the mini-skirt and die from cold.”</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"> </span></b></span>remarked Serene.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><p><br /></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p></blockquote><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">“Dar I really want to dabao that fried chicken where we walked past last night,”</span></b> </span>insisted the young lady.</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> I thought this would be a great chance to force her out of her comfort zone…</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Ok of course you can dabao.. but 我考考你.. you your ownself order from the waiter in Korean and try,”</span></b> I challenged her and she took up the challenge. She must be hungry hahaha!!</span></p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"></span></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihf20LOIoazGSX2-G1OxXGYNjhBwuohZ3Tl0gNA0GmRTlgaogddRgEBcccnRV-8ozhj8Z1zZug6PTMxgkWV-Eh2iuAAGZYN9zODa5avpxQWpONY8wEVMWZlpP3c9xNnjps-R4BGAialnE/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihf20LOIoazGSX2-G1OxXGYNjhBwuohZ3Tl0gNA0GmRTlgaogddRgEBcccnRV-8ozhj8Z1zZug6PTMxgkWV-Eh2iuAAGZYN9zODa5avpxQWpONY8wEVMWZlpP3c9xNnjps-R4BGAialnE/w240-h320/image.png" width="240" /></a></span></b></span></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><b><span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">“<span>포장해</span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">도돼요</span></span><span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">?”</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"> </span></span></b><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: medium;">(Can I take away)</span></b></span> she asked the young waiter.</span><p></p></blockquote></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: large;">”네, 네… 뭘 드릴까요?”</span></span></b><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: medium;">(Yes, what can I get you?)</span></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> came through fast and furious reply from the waiter.</span></blockquote></div></blockquote><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">“</span><span style="font-family: Gaegu;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">마늘 닭 한 마리 포장해</span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">주세요</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">.</span></span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">”</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"> </span></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: medium;">(Garlic chicken please give me 一只)</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"> </span></b></span>Ok.. haltingly she said it. But hey not bad leh, REALLY not bad at all, this Serene!</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And she successfully ordered her own one whole chicken meal at 17,800₩, which we later on, happily devour back in the Rooftop! Happy supper with fresh green grapes.</span></p></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">“Actually hor.. if I were a poor young Korean student this chicken meal with one can of coke, a big whole grilled garlic chicken with lots of glutinous rice and some vegetables, would be enough for me to have for lunch and dinner.. maybe even longer.. maybe two days?”</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"> </span></b>said Serene, of this S$20.40 dabao. <span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>“Actually to save money if I were a young student here in Hongdae I would eat cup noodles every day even.. and do some simple cooking.”</b></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799357521_a1f9af86f3_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799357521_a1f9af86f3_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I still feel that in terms of eating, Singapore is cheaper than Seoul, though Hongdae is definitely one of the more affordable areas. Here in Seoul, a full meal with Banchan and drinks would set us off by at least 10,000₩ (S$12). But back home in an equivalent set up, say in a kopi tiam, you can get a bowl of wonton mee, or bak Chor mee for $5.50 and drink for $2. It will still total S$7.50. Still cheaper than here in Hongdae.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">The recent restriction by the Korean government in allowing only up to 4 persons to dine in restaurants and cafe, and to have the dining establishment close at 9pm actually dealt a major blow to businesses.</b>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">~.~</span></b></p><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; white-space: normal;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"></i><div><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: right;"><i><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><b><span>Please click on the Enlarged, Boldened NEXT day's detail</span><span> <span>(and much more fun-filled</span><span>)</span></span><span> travellogue below to continue. </span></b></span></i><i style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: right;">Alternatively, just continue reading below, the brief summary of each day's travel:</i></i></div><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 -</span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> -</b> </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></i></div><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: right;"><br /></div></i></div></div></i></div></div></i></div></div></div></i></div></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b>Day 5 </b></span></span><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>(brief account)</i></span></b></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="color: #ffe599; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large;">(</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large;">Oh?</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large;"> you wanted that fun & detail account?<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/of-geongui-line-forest-park-and.html"> </a>ok </span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/moving-to-north-korea-erm-north-of.html">click here</a></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/moving-to-north-korea-erm-north-of.html">..</a>)</span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="color: #ffe599; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>26 Dec 2021</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799311711_7993e72260_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799311711_7993e72260_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798395697_97800bc413_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798395697_97800bc413_k.jpg" width="93" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Hmmm.. this morning was still a freezing morning. The temperature stood at -15 degrees at 9:30am. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Next stop - Sophia Hanok Guesthouse, a traditional Korean House, where we would be spending the next three nights.</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Day 5 we did our own ART and Guai Guai kept the photos in our handphones.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apparently, despite our taking to public buses in Seoul, it was not recommended to bring our huge luggage into public buses, from what I searched, and from 민준원’s (our AirBnB host) advice. But hey.. Kakao Taxi App wasn’t bad at all in booking a taxi, even though not having a local Korean phone number meant I was not able to input a credit card as a form of payment into my Kakao App. Still, 18 minutes taxi drive and at 8,700₩ (S$10) was really not too bad.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Sophia Hanok - Bukchon</span></b></span></p><div><br /></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799307611_91b6b7a0e3_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799307611_91b6b7a0e3_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Bukchon 북촌 北村 has six hundred years of history as the residential area for the aristocrats and government officials, the upper class of Joseon dynasty known as the Yangban 两班. As such Bukchon has an unmistakable medieval feeling to its surrounding. </div></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It took us a while to drag our luggages to the correct spot. Much of the gratitude went to a very patient female boutique store 사장님, who took all of 5 minutes to show me exactly on the map how to walk.. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I walked out of the boutique to a shivering Serene.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Walking along Bukchon drew out a feeling of dejavu because a few years back we stayed in one of the traditional Hanoks here.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799694449_f6122cc5c0_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799694449_f6122cc5c0_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sophia Guesthouse was right at the end of an alley, an oldish little house with a central yard like 中国人的四合院. The owner Mr Lee welcomed us and told us: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“There, small room. Here big room for you. Service. </span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: medium;">(Service in Korean means free of charge</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">)”</span></b>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Today very cold,”</span></b> he said, and showed us the room.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b>
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AkoxxrXMMBI" width="840" youtube-src-id="AkoxxrXMMBI"></iframe></div><br /><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799437338_4c51b46be5_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799437338_4c51b46be5_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walked across to Insadong</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Walking along in the small alleys, the steam from the small cafe and 식당 meander in waves from the slits of the windows. Sunday noon, and Bukchon was asleep, saved for a small handful of locals wandering around and taking photos. Recently ever since the middle of 2010 when there was a surge of tourists invading upon Bukchon, the residents had been harbouring a great deal of displeasure. But the allure of the 600-year-old Bukchon was what drew tourist monies. Damned if they come and damned if they don’t. Walking along the small alleys, it was pretty eerily quiet that I felt a pang of sadness, for Covid had indeed haemorrhaged the tourism industry. </div></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Across the main road 율곡로 was cultural Insadong. The tourist information lady patiently searched for us but found all the money changers to be closed on this Sunday. Who could blame them? No tourists, no tourist money, and the locals were also no longer travelling. Thus we had to live another day without cash.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798325992_54e4eabf0c_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798325992_54e4eabf0c_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Insadong on a Sunday afternoon was a really sad affair. My memory of Insadong few years back was a bustling, noisy walking street with plenty of locals and tourists and the arts and traditional calligraphy shops doing brisk business. Fast forward to this day, a few shop owners selling 龙须糖 called out to us: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Singapore? Here this delicious!”</span></b>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We were impressed they could tell that we were Singaporeans.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Quite a dead town, was Insadong. On a cold afternoon, a nice warm meal of GomTang, Mandu 국 soup and makgeoli, pancake was a heart and body-warming affair.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>“Wow! This is the most delicious kimchi I have ever tasted,”</b></span> </span>said Serene.<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">“</span></span><span><b><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">And this Mandu</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">만둣국</span><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">is superb. And your GomTang </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Gaegu;">곰탕</span><span> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">i<span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">s also very delicious. The seafood pancake</span></span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">해물 </span><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">파전</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu;"> </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">matches with the magkeoli (rice wine) is perfect.”</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"> </span></span></b></span>Wah 우리 집사람 must have been really hungry. Hahahaha…</span></p></div></div></blockquote></blockquote><p> </p><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799257591_084f4f87de_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799257591_084f4f87de_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">along the peripheral road of Bukchon</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As much as Bukchon was dejavu, strolling along Insadong was as nostalgic. It brought back memories of our very first trip to Korea with the children and, at that tine Ah Sing was looking to visit art galleries in Korea. It’s strange how memories are such powerful links to the past and how they conjure emotional responses deep within.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The warm Ondol floor in the Hanok warmed us as we rested, and we were insulated from the harsh cold outside, until 5pm.
</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“I really want to slowly walk Bukchon, like the way that Seoul Walker took his two hour videos of heavy snow walking along the alleys of Bukchon like that,”</span></b> I told Serene.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right; white-space: pre-wrap;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799616069_47f416c649_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799616069_47f416c649_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">waiting for our Ajumma Hotteok</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;">But wah tonight was such a freezing night. Wrong time. But the execution was still carried out. Our USB hand warmer from Taobao that was so useful, placed inside a side pocket and having our hands holding it, as well the powerbank-operated heated vest from Coldwear at Plaza Singapura. Together with these, our Kickstarter SMOL down jacket and down vest completed the whole battle order. The only parts that were left still cold were our thighs and legs, only protected by Heatech’s ultra warm base layer and the outer layer of jeans. Hmmm.. tomorrow I need to add the woolen legging on top of the ultra-warm heatech to see how it works.</div></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798280352_0599acc2ec_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798280352_0599acc2ec_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Munching unto the steaming Hotteok</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}">Shivering through the cold, I was disheartened to see a semi-deserted Bukchon. There were cafes opening, bakeries opening, traditional siktangs opening where the workers were busy cleaning the kitchen, and bags and accessories and Hanbok (traditional Korean clothes) shops opening into the night. But aside from scattered groups of passers-by, mother and father with young child, girl friends walking arm in arm, there were hardly any customers.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b>“Let’s support the local industry leh,</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">”</span> </b></span></span>urged Serene, and we bought some buns and we even popped into a 黄生家칼국수 restaurant where Serene had a </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">사골칼국수</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> (牛骨汤面) and I ordered a 만두국 (馒头汤). I personally found the kimchi here spectacular. And we had such a wonderful meal this evening, that we didn’t mind bearing the cold walking back to the Hanok.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799219401_f9121d5de0_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799219401_f9121d5de0_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kalguksu at 黄生家 at the edge of Bukchon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">During this meal the ladies took our orders but failed to deliver. So we Chogiyo them.. Chogiyo!</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: x-large;">“뭘 드길까요?”</span></b> courteously asked the Ajumma.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: "Song Myung"; font-size: xx-large; white-space: pre-wrap;">“저는 이미 주문했는데 근대 음식 아직 안 왔어요.”</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And they apologetically delivered our ordered food to our dining table.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799227626_48e34dbd39_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799227626_48e34dbd39_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The famous Korean independence fighter Yu Gwan-sun</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s been well said that, living and being immersed in a culture is the best way to expose oneself to learning its language. Nothing could be more true in our case. Within these short five days, both Serene and I have gained so much in confidently expressing ourselves and attempting to find the appropriate words and phrases to suit the situation. </div></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798273512_4bd9aaf9d9_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798273512_4bd9aaf9d9_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dead town Bukchon.. only the cafe is still opened</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">From every Korean contact we learned and we continued to learn. Even sitting and stealthily listening to the young couple in conversation at the next table was a learning opportunity. Without subtitles we had to make out what the drama characters in the tv were saying, and faced with a continuous bombardment of quickly-spoken Korean from the cashier, the waiter, or even the Ajumma selling the Hotteok, we had to adapt fast and try to catch short segments of words that allowed us to guess what he or she was trying to, in such a friendly tone of voice, convey to us. Even our lovely Serene gained much confidence.</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">~.~</span></b></p><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; white-space: normal;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"></i><div><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: right;"><i><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><b><span><br /></span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: right;"><i><span><b><span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Please click on the </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: medium;">Enlarged, Boldened </span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">NEXT day's detail</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> <span>(and much more fun-filled</span><span>)</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> travellogue below to continue. </span></b></span></i><i style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: right;">Alternatively, just continue reading below, the brief summary of each day's travel:</i></i></div><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></i></div><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: right;"><i><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><b><span><br /></span></b></span></i></div><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: right;"><br /></div></i></div></div></i></div><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div></div></i></div></div></div></i></div></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Day 6 </span></b></span><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>(brief account) </i></span></b></p><p><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large; font-weight: 400;">(</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large; font-weight: 400;">Oh?</span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large; font-weight: 400;"> OK I know, the fun-filled description</span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large; font-weight: 400;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/of-pcr-and-gyeongbokgung-wonderful.html"> here</a></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large; font-weight: 400;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/of-pcr-and-gyeongbokgung-wonderful.html">..</a>)</span></span></b></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #ffe599;">27 Dec 2021</span></b>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #ffe599;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803916950_92a8a80bcb_z.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803916950_92a8a80bcb_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PCR in a Korean Hospital, anyone?</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801474567_996023d526_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801474567_996023d526_k.jpg" width="93" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Wah lau eh.. this morning was still cold at a negative 12.6 degree. But the Hanok was deliciously warm with the heated floor. It wasn’t that big a room, but it was sufficient for (again) a feel of the Hanguk traditional living.
</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801474847_6da379ea2c_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801474847_6da379ea2c_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We loved the way the SajangNim prepared our traditional Korean breakfast and served us in the cosy dining room just right next to our bedroom. It’s like we got ourselves an attached private dining room. The hearty meal was more than enough to last us till dinner.</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803194196_721f98ba73_o.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803194196_721f98ba73_o.gif" width="300" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Once again we braved the cold, walked down 한옥길 (Hanok street), took bus 704 four stations and arrived at 서대문역 for our Day 6/7 PCR at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital. Speaking about the in-Kore PCR, this Day 6/7 PCR is only required if one were to stay for 8 days or more. In the Singapore-Incheon VTL Telegram chat group, there were several hospitals highlighted: H-Plus Yangji hospital at Sillim, Seegene Medical, and one of them is this Kangbuk Samsung Hospital.</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The medical staff were efficient. We got our queue number, fill up simple forms, and then registered ourselves. The registration nurse spoke understandable English and again was super efficient because once she knew we were there for the Day 6/7 swab, she got everything organized. We waited only for a short while, seated in the waiting area, watching local Koreans coming for their PCR and even a couple of Ang Mohs here for theirs.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803927380_69aba6272b_o.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803927380_69aba6272b_o.gif" width="640" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">109,080₩ (S$125) and one poke in the throat and one more deep one in one nostril, and we walked out, exactly 39 minutes in total. Talk about fast service. Here it was even better and more efficient than PDTSwab back home in Singapore.
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802633353_9484e098dc_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802633353_9484e098dc_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Ok let’s just stroll leisurely from here down to Gwanghwamun and let’s visit Gyeongbokkung (once again) and just relax relax walk.”</span></b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803252615_e0a8352220_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803252615_e0a8352220_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Wah lau don’t say hor… it was really cold walking like that.. </span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Wah luckily we have the heated vest inside and the USB heater egg in our pocket,”</b></span> noted Serene. <b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“But hor.. even with these USB heater egg at maximum level 3 hor, when it is so cold outside, the egg doesn’t feel hot at all.. but hor.. once we go indoors wah the egg becomes super hot.</span></b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, we could imagine how cold it actually is outside.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803249655_65d274ea4b_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803249655_65d274ea4b_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b><span>“My ears are so cold that they are painful,”</span> </b></span>complained Serene. <span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Last time when we were in the mountains of Nepal, even when it was so cold it also wasn’t like that.”</b></span></span><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“Aiyah you old already lah.”</span></b></span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
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</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799542659_7b539463c7_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799542659_7b539463c7_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Gwanghwamun Square was all fenced up and heaps of sand and construction materials were inside. They were excavating this historical site for its archeological findings and they were planning to re-open this some time in 2022.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Gwanghwamun welcomed us with masked guards, and we made in right on time for the changing of guards. Gyeongbokkung was quite with few visitors. Aside from us, there was another young Ang Moh couple, and the rest were locals. Things hadn’t changed. Somehow I found ourselves more attuned to the buildings and more able to slowly explore, to find that the names of the various chambers and palaces named interestingly.
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</span></p><p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799874625_ee50bf3582_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799874625_ee50bf3582_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“This 殿 is named because it is used the Emperor is sick of listening to the governors and wanted to sit alone quietly to think and study. Here this 宫 is when the Emperor is sick of studying and wanted to look for his empress. Of course, if you see the name of this other 殿, it’s when he had enough of the emperor and wanted to look for concubine number 2. Oh and oh.. this one 财成门 is when the Emperor desired to tiok TOTO…”</span></b> I joked.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799280918_2427d111fe_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799280918_2427d111fe_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“And this one leh? Here this one was used when the Emperor wanted to have his Empress give birth to a dragon (a son),”</b></span> I added.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“Hahaha then these two? These two 宫 with the 双喜 words? Don’t tell me he used them when he had all his weddings with all his new wives?”</span></b> Serene quipped.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799509424_58c1bc9c1e_b.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799509424_58c1bc9c1e_b.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“맞아요!” </b></span>I replied.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We managed to survive until today day 6 with literally only about 20,000₩ (S$24) cash. The rates at the Singapore Money changers were not that good (S$1:850₩) and I could get better rates in Korea, I knew. Thankfully the money changer in Insadong that was closed yesterday Sunday was opened today.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"> </span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="532" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PZ7mGhuO4NM" width="640" youtube-src-id="PZ7mGhuO4NM"></iframe></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51839850710_d557841236_o.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51839850710_d557841236_o.gif" width="640" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Wow the exchange rates with that singular money changer in Insadong came back 863… wah better than anything I could get in Singapore. Happy!</span><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803515914_d049d492c4_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803515914_d049d492c4_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">For our this overseas trip, we used two Master Debit cards- one was Wise (previously known as TransferWise) for myself, and the other one was YouTrip for Serene.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Each of these debit Mastercards just needed to have me top up its value inside. Wise MasterCard’s advantage was when I PayNow into my card back home in Singapore, I already locked in the rates and the S$ got converted immediately into Korean ₩ and stored inside the card. Wise had another advantage as I could use it to transfer money directly from my card to anyone in the world’s personal bank. This I used for Kim Man Jung’s glasses payment because by doing so he will incur no credit card merchant admin charges. But there was a tiny admin fee on my side, but not significant compared to the merchant admin charges. Of course Wise could also be used as a normal Debit card to swipe at any shop.
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</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803156881_2decb8762a_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803156881_2decb8762a_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As for YouTrip, it was good because it stored my money as Singapore dollar, and only at the point of use then the amount was converted according to the exchange rate at that time.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So I gave Serene the YouTrip MasterCard to hold and every meal, every purchase and every transaction I made her pay. Actually it was an excuse… it was so that she would be forced to converse in Korean to the cashiers, the waiters and such. In this aspect the YouTrip card accomplished its mission perfectly.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803879695_0ffb519fae_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803879695_0ffb519fae_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Walking through Insadon I was really saddened to find that today Monday Insadong was dishearteningly quiet. We saw mainly old folks, old Halabeojis and old Halmeonis claudicating along the streets looking into windows. Even the usually bubbling Samziegil zig-zag Mall was dead.
</span><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">After a good nap in the Hanok (Good life, eh? Haha that was what travelling free and easy was supposed to be) we got up and went off agian.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803598399_709076a195_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803598399_709076a195_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Before our trip, our children, Kat and several other friends asked us what would we be doing in Korea, to which my answer was standard:<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: medium;"><b> “We will pretend that we are retired in Korea with a daily limit amount for expenditure (not restrictive, though) and we will behave as we live there as any Koreans, walk the small small streets of the dongs, eat all the local food and drink soju and beer at the local 식당s, pay exactly the same price as the locals pay… buy from the convenient stores and bakeries as the Koreans do, take the buses and Subway, and walked.. just like the men and women on the Hanguk Street… and importantly to attempt to communicate bravely in Korean with any Korean person anytime the opportunity arises, be him or her a driver, a passerby on the road, a student, a store-keeper, or the owner of the Hanok.. and just gar-gar whack Korean, from what we learned from our SonSengNim, and speak like the ways babies explore and learn.”</b></span>
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803204656_f9854e9a89_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803204656_f9854e9a89_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><br /></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“What?!?! So early! It’s only 4:50pm, not even 5pm you wake me up already?! For dinner? I am still very full leh!” </span></b>kao-beh the Empress.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p><div><div><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">공평동 꼼장어 GongPyeongDong Eel</span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799862335_7d89c96e5e_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799862335_7d89c96e5e_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />This 呱呱叫店 was what we were looking for, merely an 800m walk from our Hanok. On this day, the long long queue outside its premise in biting cold, standing next to charcoal warmer to keep its customer warm while queuing, was no more. Although there was no queue outside, once inside the unmistakable cacophony of melodious Korean floated from every table at an uninhibited level of decibels, both men and women, just like the way a local Korean SikTang should be. Hardly any foreigners come here one.</span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799225608_e9d463f7cf_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799225608_e9d463f7cf_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span>Once I told the waiter that we were Singaporeans and we had the foreign vaccination confirmation certificate, his face lit up and directed us to make the AnShimCall and quickly got us seated. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This time round with our ability to read the menu on the wall we placed our order very quickly - 석쇠불고기 (steel grilled beef), 꼼장어 (eel), and 불막장 (the distal end of the small intestine, grilled and seasoned). The one bottle of soju and one bottle of beer only brought out the aroma of the food even more. So we joined in the spirit of the restaurant in speaking loudly and jovially. </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799827085_7c379abca4_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799827085_7c379abca4_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />The one thing about this road side small restaurant hor.. its tables are placed, not only very near to each other, they were also very near the entrance so much that half way through eating we started feeling the cold seeping onto our body and the guy next table had to put on his outer jacket, and another young couple moved to a table further in. For us, not only our legs were cold , our hands were numbed. Thankfully we had the soju and beer to warm us up, and our USB egg and powerbank-heated middle best kept us going.
</span><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799059206_6c251913f8_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799059206_6c251913f8_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Walking back the cold seemed to have taken a back seat.. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">definitely because of the warm food and the body-warming soju and beer,</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> but as we walked there were still frozen pools of ice on the ground which we had to be careful not to slip on.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I took a lovely lovely HOT shower, especially so when the weather was so freezing on such a night, and we had the luxury of a warm ondol floor, and a warmed room so that my teeth did not chatter after the shower, like what always happened when I was in Nepal.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We slept early this night.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">~.~</span></b></p><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; white-space: normal;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-size: medium; font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"></i><div><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span><b><span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Please click on the </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: medium;">Enlarged, Boldened </span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">NEXT day's detail</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> <span>(and much more fun-filled</span><span>)</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> travellogue below to continue. </span></b></span></i><i style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: right;">Alternatively, just continue reading below, the brief summary of each day's travel:</i></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></i></div></i></div></div></i></div><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div></div></i></div></div></div></i></div></div><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Day 7 </span></span><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>(brief account)</i></span></b></h1><div><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large; font-weight: 400;">(even better if you'd like- the fun-filled account <a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/discovering-serenity-of-traditional.html">here</a></span><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large; font-weight: 400;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/discovering-serenity-of-traditional.html">)</a></span></span></b></span></b></div><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>28 Dec 2021</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803964825_f754a7f9b9_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803964825_f754a7f9b9_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Early this morning at 8:30am.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802289162_08909b76ab_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802289162_08909b76ab_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />“Breakfast is ready!”</b></span> called out the Hanok ShajangNim Mr Lee.</span><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b>“哇佬,每天早上一起来就是吃!”</b></span> remarked Serene.<span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"> <b><span style="font-size: large;">“Every day hor.. we just eat, and eat and eat and sleep and sleep and shit and shit…</span></b></span></span></p></div></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803965060_164753078e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803965060_164753078e_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Warm water, my Emperor!"</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It was cold. Still cold. Though a tad off the lows of -14 a couple of days ago. This morning the mercury stood at -8.1 degree and the weather forecast said he may snow tonight and be a little icy tomorrow.
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</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><span><b></b></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><span><b><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799778845_dcc2c34ab4_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799778845_dcc2c34ab4_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></b></span></span></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b><br />“What’s your plan today?”</b></span><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: xx-large;"> </span></span>asked <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799170803_376e654eb8_k.jpg" target="_blank">Serene</a> during breakfast.</span><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“I don’t know leh”</b></span> my answer.</span></p></blockquote><p></p><div></div><p></p><blockquote style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b>“Good! Then I am going back to sleep!”</b></span> this girl very naughty ah.</span></p></div></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802530957_825c48bf76_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802530957_825c48bf76_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Hmmm.. really didn’t know what to do today. Sometimes when one is on a free and easy holiday, if tine allows, it is never ever a bad thing to have one day when the mind doesn’t know what to do and where to go, and one would simply let nature take its course and let one’s feet do the walking. Today was just one of these days.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804214695_a62ac5705e_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804214695_a62ac5705e_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Our feet took us up the slope from the Hanok and up and up some more slopes as we strolled northwards towards the more mountainous part of Bukchon. Bukchon, interesting, was a village that was on the hill between Geongbokkung and Changdeokgung, a fact that was apparent to our gluteus muscles when we started climbing and Serene started Kao-beh-ing.</span><p></p><p><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“One of the reviews said that one of the best way to explore Bukchon is to get lost in it,”</b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> I shared with Serene. </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“Now with Kakao Map, it’s so easy.. we can walk and just walk along whichever alley or street and totally get lost.. Nothing that one glance at our Kakao Map App cannot re-locate our position.”</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803714518_b1c2cdaea5_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803714518_b1c2cdaea5_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">With that we walked up the hills and were impressed to find ourselves peering over some Hanoks below us and looking far upon the palaces and mountains. Wah.. what a view. </span><p></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We found all the Hanoks with their central courtyard and the ondol (warmed stone heated flooring) and maru (raised floor) very attractive. This ondol technique of having study rooms and bedrooms elevated by stone base that was heated up by piping steam from fires in the kitchen from cooking, was known to start during the Goryeo Dynasty in the 10th century. </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798089127_a44fbaafd3_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798089127_a44fbaafd3_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The maru was a raised wooden floor used mostly for room to host guests and it keeps air circulating beneath and kept the room cool during hot weather. The designs of the Hanok entered our hearts and we joked with each other each time we saw a beautiful hour with a central yard and rooms on each of the four sides of the yard. <p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“How? This one nice right? Want to rent this one and stay here?”</b></span></span><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799028571_5a5812521f_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799028571_5a5812521f_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Don’t want! This one is right up so high up in the hill, I walk also want to die already. The alley is so small car also cannot come in, and if I carry a heavy bag of groceries you want me to walk all the way up here. And each time I want to go market I got to 下山? 안돼!”</b></span> hahaha this Serene gave no chance.</span><p></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803718198_59cc51c488_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803718198_59cc51c488_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Though we didn’t manage to walk the whole of Bukchon and to explore every single alley, we did enough walking and I was totally satisfied, soaked in the tranquil medieval environment with many a touch of modernity.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Before long we found ourselves eating lunch again after a very heavy breakfast of bibimbap. At this hole in the wall SikTang we ordered 칼국수 knife cut noodle, 만돗국 Mandu soup, and 모든 만두 a mixture set of different Mandu. And we ate until our stomach felt so bloated we wanted to throw up when we stumbled back to our Hanok to take a much needed to rest.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804326340_95986f52a1_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804326340_95986f52a1_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“I feel like vomiting,”</span></b> I said, lying on the ondol.</div></span><p></p></div></div></blockquote><div><div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>“Hey me too leh,”</b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> admitted Serene.</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Jiaklat. This cannot continue. We needed to keep walking to burn off all these. So I told Serene ok, my plan for the evening was to walk from Bukchon, through Insadong, to Myeongdong. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Indie Flower; font-size: medium;">It was a pleasant walk, about 30 minutes, yes, but a lot of things to see many signboards to point out to each other and to read out loud to each other. Travelling in Korea was like this.. it was maximizing our exposure to the language visually, auditorily and having the perfect opportunity to mouth and vocalize the words we see. In short, every moment is a learning moment, every walk is a practice in reading, every turn is a chance in deciphering the meanings of the signboards, and every second is a Korean Language lesson for both of us. That was what young students experience when they get sent for exchange in another country - total immersion.</span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803961364_db9afcded0_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803961364_db9afcded0_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Serene was pleasantly surprised how near Myeongdong was from our Hanok at Bukchon. And she happily announced to 한상문 씨, 김만중 and 김학중 separately her newly-learned phrase:
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><h1><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">“</span><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">우리는 북촌에서 명동까지 걸어왔어요!</span><span style="font-size: large;">”</span></b></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: medium;"><b> (We walked and came to Myeongdong from Bukchon !)</b></span></span></h1></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As we talked, our conversation came to property prices and 김만중 said that the property prices in Seoul have doubled since Covid started, and that the prices of apartments in Mapo (and expensive area) is double that of a similar unit in Incheon.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>
</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b>Talking about cost of living…</b></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803719963_7b984da007_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803719963_7b984da007_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">在北村漫步的这一天,所见的景色,使我们回想起北海道冬天里小尊市或函馆市或甚至好比澳洲 Busselton 的那一种悠然寂静的风味。这北村的店铺都不外是美术点,画廊,韩服店,服装店等等与艺术有关联的。我们走着走着,心想,客人这么少,如何可以维持生意?上山下山,古色古香的韩屋景色尽入眼帘,很是吸引人。我们本身比较喜欢东方的冬天。红毛国家嘛就别说了。日本北海道和韩国北村,各有各的味道。但试想想,每天上山下山,爬上坡走下坡,客观来说虽然是一种健康的生活方式,但是对我们新加坡人来说,累坏了…哈哈哈。</span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="531" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lbHcDRtti0M" width="638" youtube-src-id="lbHcDRtti0M"></iframe></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">我问阿华:<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">”要是我们在这里长期生活,每天的费用会多少?如何减少开支?”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">阿华说:<b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">”早餐就自己煮,午餐可以在外面吃,晚餐呢也就回来家里煮来吃。这样的话,在外面吃的那一餐午餐就大概新加坡钱$30-40。”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">”这样的话,我们两个人在这里的开支每天大概还是要$100吧。还没包括祖屋子呢… 加上住宿的话,每天$200?哇佬… 不便宜 leh…”</span></b></span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">That evening consolidated one thing. It’s not impossible to live for an extended period of time in Korea, but we got to try to live and travel and eat as the locals do. And that is not considering medical expenses too. Because if we are not foreigners working here in Korea, holding the Alien Registration Card, then we don’t get to enjoy the medical treatment like the locals, who pay medical insurance. Food for thought…
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">~.~</span></b></p><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; white-space: normal;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-size: medium; font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"></i><div><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span><b><span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Please click on the </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: medium;">Enlarged, Boldened </span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">NEXT day's detail</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> <span>(and much more fun-filled</span><span>)</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> travellogue below to continue. </span></b></span></i><i style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: right;">Alternatively, just continue reading below, the brief summary of each day's travel:</i></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></i></div></i></div></div></i></div><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div></div></i></div></div></div></i></div></div><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Day 8 </span></span><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>(brief account)</i></span></b></h1><div><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large; font-weight: 400;">(this detail account more tok-gong.. click<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/myeongdong-annyeong.html"> here </a>& see.)</span></span></b></span></b></span></b></div><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>29 Dec 2021</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51797377515_338b0a9d46_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51797377515_338b0a9d46_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799710190_aa7b5349ed_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799710190_aa7b5349ed_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Last night I set my alarm and woke up at 3am just so that I could try to see the weather-forecasted snow. Disappointedly I went back to sleep, but in the morning the ground was glistening with newly-fell snow.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Aiyah.. Kwenchana ya.. the weather forecast said that on the 2nd January there will be heavier snow in the morning. If it was meant to be it will be.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798982831_2482c00204_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798982831_2482c00204_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />The Hanok Mr Lee told us we need to check out at 10am and sorry no choice because the part-timers need to come and clean the room. Ok lor.. chin chai lah. Actually we also didn’t mind because nothing else much more to do in Bukchon. Our original plan to walk from Bukchon to Myeongdong did not materialize because our two huge luggages were not so easy to roll on the very uneven tile-paved path. So finally right at the entrance of 한옥길 we flagged a Kakao Taxi. </span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">We chit-chatted with the old taxi driver and had a really good time, despite the journey being a short 10 minutes one.</span></b></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799338999_ab444a3b81_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799338999_ab444a3b81_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many Myeongdong shops gone.</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b><span>“Dar…”</span> </b></span>started Serene.</span><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“什么?”</b></span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span>“Dar, I want you to start talking to me in Korean from now,” </span>she said.</b></span></p></blockquote><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Huh? Wae?” </span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She suddenly kena tiok-gon-tao or something?</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"></span></b></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798031952_ec1be851c6_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798031952_ec1be851c6_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many shops closed.</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“I hear the way you talked to the taxi driver just now.. I also want to be able to speak Korean like you.</span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">” </span></b>wah this girl this time round hor, she was for real liao one eh…</span><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Ok onz!”</span></b></span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So cute ah.. my Serene. Sometimes hor her brain 'kong kong' but suddenly hor... maciam kena knocked on the head like that and suddenly wake up her ideas one leh! Best lah, my Dar!</span></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799102463_3a3854e379_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799102463_3a3854e379_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even Serene's favourite Ajumma tteokbokki closed down.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It's ok that we could only check-in at 2pm. We might as well just walk from Myeongdong through the usual Myeongdong streets, to City Hall 시청, and started from the beginning of Cheonggyecheon 청계천 (清溪川) all the way to Gwangjang market 广长市场.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799703820_682284a84f_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799703820_682284a84f_k.jpg" width="320" /></a><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We were finally able to experience for ourselves the sad state of the commercial shops in Myeongdong. Out of every 7-8 shops, about 3 were empty, with ‘임대’ (For Rental) signs in front. Serene was correct when she said about 40% were empty. She was so looking forward to her Myeongdong Ajumma street food stall but what we encountered was a skeleton of the old place, shutters half shuttered with thick layers of dust covering the steel table surfaces. Yupe. This Ajumma street food stall was one of the many victims too.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796926994_14c3e65f65_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796926994_14c3e65f65_k.jpg" width="400" /></a>It was a Wednesday morning and understandably Myeongdong’s streets were very empty. The weather was a warmish zero degrees. I was so happy being able to properly walk Cheonggyecheon that nice little revamped canal through euljiro that used to be a dirty canal. Young people and older men and women were exercising (surprise! At NOON leh!) along the stream. And a small handful of Ang Moh men were taking photos.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51797284195_2111d60802_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51797284195_2111d60802_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><br />
</span><p></p><p><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51797283870_68ee080c2b_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51797283870_68ee080c2b_k.jpg" width="320" /></a><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Wah if the weather were so lovely every day we could simply exercise any time of the day, right?”</b></span> I said.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">She agreed.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796733044_3659eac506_h.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796733044_3659eac506_h.jpg" width="320" /></a>Gwangjang market was still her own self from 4 years 10 months ago. For Gwangjang market, I believed nothing much had changed, as she had always been catering to the locals. The small little food stalls were still bustling with customers, the textile shops were still opened, almost nothing has changed. We even found that Seoul Mae-un-tang stall that we had so much fun eating in almost five years back. Although disappointingly that lady with whom we took the photo was no longer there, the food was just as great and from what I could remember, the prices had not changed.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804439975_912ff0ca45_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804439975_912ff0ca45_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The only price that was different was the strawberry. This trip we bought one packet at Hongdae for 9000₩ (S$10.45). But here at two separate stalls they were going at 15,000₩ (S$17.44) and 17,000₩ (S$19.76) respectively. Simply for the sake of reference… as we bought a similar pack of strawberry almost five years ago here for 7000₩ then. As what Kim Man Jung and Kim Hak Jung said, the property prices here in Seoul has doubled, but would essential commodity and foodstuff prices also jump so much? If indeed it would, then the serving of 매운탕 and 산낙지 at Seoul Mae-un-tang stall would no longer be selling for 24,000₩ and 15,000₩ respectively, but would be double that amount by now, five years down the road. Strange…
</span><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803838628_6ad50b6e8c_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803838628_6ad50b6e8c_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But actually, it wasn't Gwangjang market lah. The whole of Seoul had a rise in strawberry prices, we realised after that 15 days.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796390883_3de432df67_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796390883_3de432df67_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Still, as I explained to the Kim brothers and also the taxi driver, I strongly believed that the cost of living in Seoul was still slightly higher here in Seoul than in Singapore… if one compares the prices of properties, food, essentials etc.. however the public transport prices were comparable.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We really walked a lot hor.. this trip.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b>Sometime this afternoon on the 29 December 2021, the Korean government finally announced its tit-for-tat response to the Singapore government’s suspension of VTL Plane ticket sales on the 22 December 2021, by announcing that the Korean government will ALSO suspend sales of VTL plane tickets until the 21 January 2022. </b></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802764407_0e28bd14b7_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802764407_0e28bd14b7_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Man, honestly if this went on, we would be among the very last batches of Singapore tourists setting foot on Korean soil for a long time more to come! </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Our walk back from Gwangjang market meandered through the small lanes of what I have always called jokingly the ‘Balestier’ of Seoul- Eujiro, where there were many electrical appliances and lighting shops very much like our Balestier at home; and this round we also walked through some oldish market places very similar to Hong Kong, and before arriving at Myeongdong, a part of Chungmuro where the small street was lined with camera shops. I loved walking around with this young girl. She has always been a very daring one. And she would just zhao-cheong one, which was great when it came to travelling because if one had never daringly explored one would never discover.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796388483_2842c0c532_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796388483_2842c0c532_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In the evening we visited 한상문 씨 who carefully tuned and adjusted our new glasses and meticulously arranged everyone’s glasses in their respective package.. wah nice! Another two bags of glasses to bring home.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I told him that we thought around 40% of the shops in Myeongdong were closed, to which he replied that more than 50% of the shops have closed in Myeongong, and that Myeongdong is the most badly affected place in Korea.
</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="538" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ze_QgQoeaOE" width="647" youtube-src-id="ze_QgQoeaOE"></iframe></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Slowly walking through the Myeongdong streets on this evening we reminisce those good old days when a typical night like this Wednesday evening would have tourists from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand rubbing shoulders on these very streets, elbowing for space to enjoy their street food in from of the stalls run by busy and loud ajummas, and those days standing in the midst of the crowd we would hear conversations in various languages from countries around. It was a melting pot of tourists in those days. And in those heydays, Innisfree and Etude House and Nature Republic salesladies calling out in Mandarin to us to come in and buy. But now? No one gives as much as a glance at us.. <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>Myeongdong has lost a great chunk of her soul and her spirit. She is suffering, down with the malaise of melancholy that sees no cure in the near future…</b></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">~.~</span></b></p><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; white-space: normal;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-size: medium; font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"></i><div><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><b><span>P</span></b></span></i><i><span><b><span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Please click on the </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: medium;">Enlarged, Boldened </span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">NEXT day's detail</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> <span>(and much more fun-filled</span><span>)</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> travellogue below to continue. </span></b></span></i><i style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: right;">Alternatively, just continue reading below, the brief summary of each day's travel:</i></i></div></i><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></i></div></div></i></div><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: small;"><br /></div></div></i></div></div></div></i></div></div><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Day 9 </span></span><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>(brief account)</i></span></b></h1><div><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large; font-weight: 400;">(oh <a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/gangchon-rail-park-what-lovely-cold.html">click here</a> to take you to the detail account!)</span></span></b></span></b></span></b></div><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>30 Dec 2021</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794322293_0c2baa2da0_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794322293_0c2baa2da0_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796417734_e1574230c3_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796417734_e1574230c3_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“Dar Thursday morning hor, we got to wake up early ah, and take the subway early,” </span></b>I instructed.<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b> “We will be travelling to 김유정역 (金裕贞 Gimyujung station) that is two hours by subway and Korail train, and then we will have fun doing the Railway Bike ride along the old railway track of Gangchon (강존 江村 레릴바이크).”</b></span>
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796170138_0e8dc27fe0_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796170138_0e8dc27fe0_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Kakao Metro was great for taking the Subway and the Korail trains. And I was able to find the exact timing for the Korail train to Gangchon (because it only had 2-4 trains an hour).</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I recalled all these times when we were visiting Korea, especially the first few times, we were so lost, even in the middle of Jongro (my goodness!) and we didn’t even dare to step foot into Insadong because then we were frightened of getting lost. True, I remember the overwhelming emotion when everywhere around us were in Korean, and we just heard an unintelligible flow of lovely pitches and tones from passers-by.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794849520_c9f9f5e79a_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794849520_c9f9f5e79a_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This time around, Serene was totally different already lor… everywhere she went she would point out information for me, she would forewarn me of things that I missed or I should know, and she was the one ordering food and drinks and making payments and buying things.. sincerely I have always known that once we equipped ourselves with a new language (no matter what level, as long as we made an effort to slowly continue learning and not give up) we would have another tool, another instrument, in our hands to explore new places.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Although we still did stumble a little bit this round, even taking the subway/Korail with four changes of the train was ok. Korea’s subways were a little confusing at times because the direction of travel could literally mean taking a long flight of steps up or down and walking a big round to another side just to take the train towards the opposite direction.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="562" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sIqOZ3XBMlA" width="675" youtube-src-id="sIqOZ3XBMlA"></iframe>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It impressed me how convenient it was to travel this long two-hour journey and it cost us only 4000+₩ a person. We arrived exactly at Gimyoujong station at 10:11am, as predicted by Kakao Metro, and a right turn and two minutes walk and Gangchon Rail Park ticketing booth were there. Two days ago I bought the online ticket for a two-person ride for 35,000₩ (S$40.69) and the county staff straight away could scan my QR and issued us the ticket.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802782747_26395a33cf_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802782747_26395a33cf_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sitting outside at a table and eating our gimbap and sandwich breakfast, the very friendly cleaner lady urged us to go into the cafe:
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: large;">“추우시죠! 카페에서 들어가셔도돼요!” </span></b>(It’s cold outside here isn’t it. You may go into the cafe.)
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So nice of her. Anyway, must give it to Serene who meticulously prepared breakfast and all the hot and cold drinks to bring on this ride because the wind factor really drove the cold right into the bones, especially during the ride. It was touted to be a totally environmentally friendly ride because the track was a gentle downslope mostly and we just paddled and enjoyed the sceneries and the musical tunnels. I would have loved to have a snowy morning to ride through the wintry track but it was not to be on this day.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794088816_eaf2db0a8c_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794088816_eaf2db0a8c_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><span>“Wah lau eh.. thighs aching and left ankle aching ah,”</span> </span></b>complained Serene. Yeah lah.. we haven’t cycled for a long time liao mah..
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794083996_e8d11dfa4e_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794083996_e8d11dfa4e_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
</span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>“It’s so cold my feet are numb liao,”</b></span> she complained again</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“Yes lah. I also cannot feel my feet already,”</span></b> indeed that was true.</span></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794173983_e018e00d08_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794173983_e018e00d08_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite her kao-behing.. I actually thought this ride was quite a nice ride. Gangchon 江村 is in Gangwondo 江原道, a province north of Seoul. Its weather is also typically very cold and snowy. This journey 70km out of Seoul by train gave me plenty of the much-needed confidence to embark on future day trips out of Seoul, by ourselves on public transport, a form of travelling much preferred by us.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We ordered a medium size pork knuckle and a Jinro soju for lunch right across Myeongdong subway station in a highly-reviewed Jokbal SikTang called Tung-Tung-i Jokbal 뚱뚱이족발 (fatty pork knuckle).
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51793095072_4bc9503db1_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51793095072_4bc9503db1_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b><span>“Hmmm.. I still prefer the 满足 Manjok五香 Jokbal that day,”</span></b> </span>compared Serene.</span></p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“Ok tonight I will bring you to the Manjok Jokbal branch in Myeong-dong,” </span></b>I promised her. But somehow the small bottle of Jinro soju must have been quite strong as it knocked us both out, and we only left our room at 8pm to gai-gai along Myeongdong and to catch a glimpse of the Christmas lighting at Shinsaegae.</span></p></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></p><p><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804479850_1810ff540f_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804479850_1810ff540f_k.jpg" width="320" /></a><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Actually, the Christmas lighting at Shinsaegae was nothing much lah. Earlier a few days ago I remember Kim Man Jung was commenting that the people who would crowd around just to watch the Christmas lighting there was crazy.. or something to that effect.. and now I totally agree with him.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><span>“춥죠! </span><span>(It’s cold, isn’t it?!)</span><span>”</span> </span></b>nowadays Serene very clever to talk like the local Koreans already.</span><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>“Ok, let’s just walk zig-zag within Myeongdong and slowly make our way back to the hotel.”</b></span></span></p></blockquote><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794004021_af209e1c30_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794004021_af209e1c30_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">8pm. And Myeongdong shops were closing their doors already. On a Thursday evening, 8pm.. it was quiet. We walked by a whole row of empty shops with glass panels glaringly announcing “For rental”. We were heartened to see still several carts on the road selling steaming-hot Hotteok, sweet potato, chestnuts - all of which we bought one stall-cart after another stall-cart. In our own ways, we were also contributing to the economy here hahaha...
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We were also heartened to hear the way too familiar Singaporean accent amongst 2-3 scattered groups of young men and young women. Wah, heng ah.. still got Singaporeans out here. I thought we were the rare few.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> The world really needs to recover and get back in its feet. Personally, I really thought that the Singapore-Korea VTL was a great idea and that the whole world was watching closely to see how us two countries would successfully navigate this.. until sigh.. out of sudden both parties decided to pull the plug. Silly…</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802817232_608c5a6621_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802817232_608c5a6621_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><p style="text-align: left; white-space: normal;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">~.~</span></b></p></span></div><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; white-space: normal;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-size: medium; font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"></i><div><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span><b><span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Please click on the </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: medium;">Enlarged, Boldened </span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">NEXT day's detail</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> <span>(and much more fun-filled</span><span>)</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> travellogue below to continue. </span></b></span></i><i style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: right;">Alternatively, just continue reading below, the brief summary of each day's travel:</i></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></i></div></i></div></div></i></div></div></i></div></div></div></i></div></div></i></div><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></h1><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></h1><div><br /></div><h1><span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Day 10 </span></span></span></h1></div></div><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>(brief account)</i></span></b><div><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large; font-weight: 400;">(oh <a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/hking-round-namsan-loop-we-could-do.html">click here </a>to take you to the fun-filled account!)</span></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></div><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>31 Dec 2021</b></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794509350_9b6248247a_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794509350_9b6248247a_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></span></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“喂!Cannot wake up early early one ah, I say first ah!”</span></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> warned Serene the night before.</span></span><p></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Ok lor. 9:05am. Lazy bum, this girl.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802920607_55d10a7eeb_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802920607_55d10a7eeb_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Had a leisurely coffee mix and Pasir Baguette buns and bread breakfast in the room and then - Full Battle Order.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I knew today’s weather wasn’t going to be warm. It was around negative 8 degrees Celcius in the late morning. Thankfully we had our power-bank driven heated middle layer, SMOL middle vest, SMOL outer vest and our USB palm heater which Serene has come to call it her <b><i>beloved 鸡蛋 (heater egg)</i></b>, </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802925627_25690db08d_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802925627_25690db08d_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />AND I made her ditch her own small backpack and dumped everything onto my <b><i>Osprey trekking backpac</i></b>k … we had our whole thermal flask of coffee, a bottle of water, our extra breakfast which came in really useful, and whatever additional stuff.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802946857_a4e8c0d6bc_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802946857_a4e8c0d6bc_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In so many trips to Myeongdong and in going up to Namsan we have always taken the easy way through Hoehyeon (회현 </span><span data-tt="{"link":"https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%9C%83","paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">會</span><span data-tt="{"link":"https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E8%B3%A2","paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">賢</span><span data-tt="{"link":"https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%A9%9B","paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">驛</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">회현역). </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">There were travellers who have walked the Namsan Loop to explore the old Seoul City walls </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>(首尔城廓 서울성곽)</b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">. Time and time again we have watched the actors and actresses went up to these old City walls, sat there and had a drink of a can of beers while pouring their hearts out, yet we have never had the pleasure of visiting these old city/castle walls. In retrospect, these were not difficult to find. And there were many sections of these city walls scattered in the modern city of Seoul, just that we had to know where they were and just walked.</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804643115_379174c149_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804643115_379174c149_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />So walked today we did. I really didn’t know how far. But aga aga it was going to be about 6km… or slightly more.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Wah if the weather is so nice I don’t mind coming here and exercise and walk,” </b></span></span></span>said Serene, about 1km into the walk. <span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“Is this considered hiking or walking?”</span></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span>she asked.</span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Erm.. walking lah,”</b></span> I said.</span></p></blockquote></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803369877_5cf0ef371e_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803369877_5cf0ef371e_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Once again, young and old, men and women were brisk walking in the negative 7 degree morning. We saw several young men and women were huffing and puffing actually running pretty fast-paced up and down the undulating road. Some parts of this loop actually had pretty terrible gradient.. and there were cyclists on road bikes going up and down- amazing!
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“Wah how many degrees is this gradient ah?”</span></b> asked Serene.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803919061_4a89878784_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803919061_4a89878784_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />It was roughly about... 17-18 degrees? Wah this one this one.. easily 20 degrees gradient .. and the round just kept going up and up and up.. no respite one.. not like our Vigilante Drive back home in Kent Ridge and our Mount Faber, where there was short middle flattened parts for us to take a breather.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804261689_09bb0799ad_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804261689_09bb0799ad_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Truly along the last part leading right up to Namsan Tower, Serene even had to walk several steps and stop a while and then walk again. See beh pai seh… the old Ajummas and Ajussi just walked right up. Hahahaha..</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It was cold. Again the wind-chill factor was in full play and although initially I had to remove my middle SMOL down vest, but once up at the top I had to put everything back on because it was really cold.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51791368887_389caa162a_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51791368887_389caa162a_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Remembering that in deep cold, one of the most important thing was to keep our bodies well nourished and well hydrated. First thing we did, arriving at the top was to grab a bench in one corner of the Namsan tower little square and to sit down, spread our bread, eat and to drink our hot coffee. Cold.. cold.. cold.. but it felt really nice to have the warm food and beverage.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd;"></span></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803298677_fcea8e124b_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803298677_fcea8e124b_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></span></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><br />“Quick, let’s finish eating and go look for our old locks,”</span> </b></span>urged Serene.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As expected, try as we could, we could not. Either our old locks in the last two visits were removed as part of the regular clearance carried out by the staff, or the old ones we left over the years could have been buried underneath the hundreds of new ones.
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</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51791324992_5df6554ef9_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51791324992_5df6554ef9_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">深一层想,事实上,人生嘛不过就是如此。世事无常,若一味执着、迷恋,永远无法放下枷锁。回顾回顾,好多到此的人们,之前在栏杆所上的锁嘛,或许有一二,无法、也无缘保留,因此强求不得。觅不着,也罢了。深信,许多寻不见了锁头的人,亦是如此信念吧。我用我这十指冻僵了的、差不多无法使唤的手指,慢慢将这一回的新蓝、黑锁头配上一张新年的心愿,再次为我们生命的旅途,许一个新的愿望。祈福若干年后,当我们有缘再次归来,能够再寻得。</span>
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">没想到,在这2021年的最后一天,能够跟阿华两人漫步上南山上锁,绕着南山感受着韩国冬天的寒冷,享受着本地人们的日常活动,何尝不是一件好事。</span>
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</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“要是,要是有一天,我们有这种缘到韩国住上1、2个月.. 要是说嘛,住在刚才那个比较简单但依然处于市中心而还是挺方便的 Crib 49 般的小客房,每个星期绕着南山两、三次运动呼吸新鲜空气,如何?”</b></span> 我问阿华。</span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><div><p><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Gaegu;">”OK</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">呀,好啊</span><span style="font-family: Gaegu;">。”</span></b></span></span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“This is something like our Interim park at home right, running round and round it,” </span></b>I used the analogy.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>“This is more siong than our interim park leh,” </b></span>she argued.</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">OK lah actually not too bad lah. Just that some parts were a little steep but otherwise distance-wise it wasn't that bad, </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; white-space: pre-wrap;">话是这么说,但是我们心中都有数,韩国嘛,我们只喜欢春天,秋天与冬天。韩国的夏天真是太热太热了。</span></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51792319049_9f4f0500b8_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51792319049_9f4f0500b8_k.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The next time we come over Namsan Loop again, I was determined to try the smaller little tracks detouring from the main road. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">After such a nice long walk, I just had to reward that young, overworked girl. So onwards to Shijong we walked and made our way to her favourite Jokbal SikTang. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b>“还是满足的猪脚最好吃,下次我们不用点一半原味一半辣味的这一套,全部点原味的就可以了!”</b></span> Serene은 좋아하는 족할 식당이 만족 오향족발밖에 없었다.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b>”哇!我很饱了!吃不下了!”</b></span> Aiyah this Serene ah… again eat until cannot eat any more.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">~.~</span></b></p><div><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; white-space: normal;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-size: medium; font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"></i><div><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span><b><span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Please click on the </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: medium;">Enlarged, Boldened </span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">NEXT day's detail</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> <span>(and much more fun-filled</span><span>)</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> travellogue below to continue. </span></b></span></i><i style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: right;">Alternatively, just continue reading below, the brief summary of each day's travel:</i></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></i></div></i></div></div></i></div></div></i></div></div></div></i></div><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></h1><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></h1><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Day 11 </span></span><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>(brief account)</i></span></b></h1><div><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large; font-weight: 400;">(oh <a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/01/ihwa-mural-village-walk-through-k-drama.html">click here </a>to take you to the fun-filled account!)</span></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></div><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>1 Jan 2022</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807247031_5cc18f9a05_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807247031_5cc18f9a05_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chungmuro neighbourhood</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Wah day by day... as we continued to stay in Seoul, I kind of began to find it more and more challenging to find new things to do. Actually, it wasn't because there wasn't anything interesting here. Just that my mind was reaching a state of saturation.. perhaps fatigue had set in.. mental fog...
</span><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807247006_f804bd48d3_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807247006_f804bd48d3_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some old electrical shopping block</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">From the far corner of my mind, I remembered reading about this little Iwha Mural Village 이화벽화마을 (梨花), at the foot of Naksan (骆山). Falling victim once again to the adventure-seeking crazy self in me, I decided to walk from Myeongdong to Ihwa. It wasn’t that far. But it took some topo-ing and weaving through the old Bras Basah-like old parts of Chungmuro and KaKi Bukit-like parts of Jungro, transforming once again to the older Seoul of the 80’s and 90’s. The shops at the side were mostly closed on this New Year’s day of 2022, saved for some hard-working middle-aged workers who were busy refitting some shops.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807975030_d169913511_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807975030_d169913511_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />About 3-4km of walking north-East of and we arrived in Ihwa-dong. 이화동 梨花洞 did have quite some history to it. It was an old neighbourhood inhabited by the poorer segment of the population and the working class who chose to live in this part while working in the central parts of the city. It also housed refugees post Korean War. Though destined for demolishing and redevelopment in 2006, it was revamped and redecorated into a mural street by students and artists and it became a local attraction for Koreans as well as tourists. A small section of the old city wall 성곽 城廓 run along the edge of the village located at the foot of the 125m high Naksan.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808318480_e1654b019f_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808318480_e1654b019f_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><b>“Wei! You are not going to bring me to climb mountain again ah!”</b></span></span> kao beh-ed Serene.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“No lah. We will just walk to the edge of this Naksan Park (낙산공원 骆山公园) then we will just walk down the mural village,” </b></span>I promised.
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</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807902039_d9aaf728d6_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="800" height="229" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807902039_d9aaf728d6_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Ihwa Mural street itself really wasn’t long. Maybe say.. 500m or so. Some of wall paintings on the facade of the homes, others are quaint decorative shoes, pots, old scooters arranged outside other homes. If you’d asked me, I would say that what drawn me to this little flavourful village wasn’t the mural paintings.. but the two facts that it was a typical olden village we always saw in the drama with exactly the same type of old housing, narrow little alleys with steep steep slopes and steps leading up and up, and lined on both sides by those old iron gates often found in the dramas; and the second fact was that at the edge of the village we climbed to come upon a long stretch of the old Seoul city wall. </span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806628467_c1dd233d00_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806628467_c1dd233d00_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />I loved that as we walked slowly and panting (Serene, not me) up the oft-seen Korean drama slopey path, we were filled behind by a pair of old Halmoeni (grandmothers) who disappeared into another alley, and I loved that when we arrived at the top, we beheld a warm sight, a group of neighbours (Ajussis and Ajummas) sitting outside their homes and chit-chatting… in apparent oblivion to the mess happening in the metropolitan city below them. It was like travelling to a tiny hamlet in time.. back to perhaps the 80’s, the 90’s…
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806631932_0cc65badf8_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806631932_0cc65badf8_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Dar, I am so happy to have found this neighbourhood. I am also very happy that we decided to explore this little dong,” </span></b>I happily said. “Would you like to live in a little home like this by the side of the slope?”
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;">“No!”</span></b> declared the young girl. *Alamak*!
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808320640_dfc4cc7beb_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808320640_dfc4cc7beb_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Setting off from the hotel at around 10:30am, but the time we finished exploring and walked down along 율곡로 19길 栗谷路, Serene was really complaining that her plantar fasciitis was acting up. </span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807949459_0241a40cac_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807949459_0241a40cac_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Korean drama scene</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We found a 선지해장국 식당 run by two Ajummas and had a surprisingly cheap (in Seoul) meal of 선지해장국 鲜鱼解酒糖 that had plenty of 猪血 inside at only 6000₩ (S$7) a bowl. I was impressed by the Ajummas who not only recognized our Overseas vaccination confirmation certificates but the serving Ajumma even remarked that “wow you have gotten three shots each?”</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806630702_5b14e7e44c_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806630702_5b14e7e44c_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">climbing up the alley</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Probably the booster Covid shot was something not that widely done yet at this point in Seoul, but we knew that the Korean government is already pushing hard for the third shot for its citizens.</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808318620_5aa7eac45d_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808318620_5aa7eac45d_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808318215_abc03ffecc_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808318215_abc03ffecc_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Wah.. didn’t realised that the walk up and down the slopes of the old village took so much out of our lower limbs. By the time we arrived back in the hotel, our legs were painful. Shucks.. this was terrible. So out of conditioning. 안되겠다…
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We attempted with a bit of detouring and more walking, to visit the Seoul History Museum near 서대문 incurring plenty of wrath from the old lady. But we found the glass doors shuttered. I could not believe it. A museum in Seoul, and they were closed on a public holiday?! 말도 안된다…</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">That evening we had a most most wonderful dinner with 김만중 at our usual haunt in Myeongdong, 왕비집 王妃家. Nice. Warm. Memorable dinner ‘twas.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">~.~</span></b></p><div><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; white-space: normal;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-size: medium; font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"></i><div><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span><b><span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Please click on the </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: medium;">Enlarged, Boldened </span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">NEXT day's detail</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> <span>(and much more fun-filled</span><span>)</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> travellogue below to continue. </span></b></span></i><i style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: right;">Alternatively, just continue reading below, the brief summary of each day's travel:</i></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></i></div></i></div></div></i></div></div></i></div></div></div></i></div><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></h1><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></h1><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></h1><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Day 12 </span></span><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>(brief account)</i></span></b></h1><div><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large; font-weight: 400;">(oh <a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/01/a-journey-through-seouls-history.html">click here </a>to take you to the fun-filled account!)</span></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></div><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>2 Jan 2022</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Last night it snowed in the early hours of the morning. But I was so tired that I didn’t even bothered to wake up to watch the snow at 3am or 6am. We just slept through until 9:30am, 10am.. just tired lah.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807588256_90c39ea5b6_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807588256_90c39ea5b6_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">“… I look so tired hor…” </span></b>agreed Serene when she saw herself in her photo.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808326675_b9e8b55821_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808326675_b9e8b55821_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Two caramel macchiato and we were off taking a bus from 삼일대로 towards 서울여사박물관 정료장… 6 bus stops away. Wah this Seoul History Museum hor.. wah really really something. I was so glad we went.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807603396_523fd539d2_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807603396_523fd539d2_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />It was all about the history of Seoul, how Seoul was during the Joseph period from 1392 to 1863, and it vividly exhibited paintings, history snippets, literatures, official records and writings, and audio-visual displays and a magnificent 3D model of the present Seoul landscape. I spent plenty of time peering over the 3D landscape lit model pointing out to Serene where we started off.</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807712278_568dfb4a4b_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807712278_568dfb4a4b_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Man, I would easily spend half a day here. This was that historical part of Korea that I have forgotten to explore. There are quite a number of museums in Seoul, and I made a mental note to visit more museums and dedicate more time to museum visits in our future trips.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807708268_832efbe8c8_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807708268_832efbe8c8_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807956204_12e4dbff8e_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807956204_12e4dbff8e_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />It was heartening to see a mother bringing her sons and explaining to them about their country’s history. And I was so happy to see three old men walking along and pointing to the exhibits and discussing animatedly what 조 and what 종…
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807713758_37d7fcc103_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807713758_37d7fcc103_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />I simply left the bored Serene sitting in the lobby of the museum playing her handphone game while I slowly explored the exhibits and stood for minutes on end just watch the videos and reading the words.. slowly. Very slowly. I believed had I been here two years back, I may not have gained as much as I had on this very day, all thanks to our Korean language 선생님’s effort in teaching us.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807602416_4543625f31_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807602416_4543625f31_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Not only did I finish the section on Seoul’s history during the Joseph period, I also visited the exhibits on the urban planning professor Kang Byeong Ki who designed Seoul’s infrastructure. Sincerely I should have minimally read up more before I visited the museum and stood and internalised all these information. Never mind. It was meant to be. This simply meant that there has to be another visit, another time.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807956689_ec39c9af99_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807956689_ec39c9af99_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />As we ended our Seoul History Museum late we decided to scrap the Nanta theatre did today and push on to tomorrow. Instead we took a Subway to GOTO Express Bus Terminal to search for the 800m biggest underground shopping centre that impressed us so much. Man, we really got ourselves a little confused taking the Subway to GOTO Mall. Why? I think I was just too over-confident. I used to remember it as GOTO Express Bus terminal. I wasn’t sure but I saw the name Express Bus Terminal station and I assumed that one the only one and the same. I turned out to be indeed similar but just that we kinda approached it from another end, the Exit 1 side and arrived at the more modern part of it. Thankfully Kakao Map didn’t fail me and after catching the GPS again and just walking a couple of hundred metres either down to arrive back at the GOTO Mall we knew. It hasn’t changed too much. The store were all filled and none were empty, demonstrating fine resilience in local domestic spending as GOTO Bus Exchange fully and successfully lived on local consumption. This season they were selling all women fashion and mostly winter clothes. I told Serene: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Aiyah. If we were to spend three months here to enjoy the winter then we Will stick up your winter clothes here.</span></b></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807602816_3d021f19d5_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807602816_3d021f19d5_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />GOTO Express Bus Terminal being unchanged, the Ajumma stalls were still going at 10,000₩ but not many make boutique wears. The small SikTang at the end of the 880m underground shopping mall were still there. But the stalls have changed hands from a few years ago.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808329520_81ddfe4014_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808329520_81ddfe4014_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Things really were meant to be. I amazed myself with my perseverance. Last afternoon we missed Seoul History Museum because it was closed on 1st January 2022 but yet today we pushed on to visit. </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And in a similar vein, we pushed on to take a bus from the museum after we finished at around 2pm to make our way to 이모네곱창 Imone Gobchang (姨母Aunty’s intestine restaurant) in Chungmuro 충무로 忠武路 which was highly recommended by Mango Plate. But.. as expected, the Aunty was closed on Sunday! Kana-Sai!! Good things were never meant to be achieved on the first attempt. Kwenchana! Tomorrow we will try again.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807603561_bcdc7cc74f_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807603561_bcdc7cc74f_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But we did managed to dabao fried chicken from the chicken street in Myeongdong. This round we tried the other shop 오빠 닭 Oppa chicken, and we purposely closed the original flavor.
</span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I was amazed by Serene’s determination to order in Korean: <span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“치킨 이거 하나, 이거 하나 포장해주세요,”</span> she tried again. This time successful!</span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh this 오빠 닭 hor.. the taste was beautiful- we both devoured the chicken completely and the beer and the cola that evening in our hotel room. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">One thing that was lost from the streets of Myeongdong was the all too-familiar Sulbing Korean Dessert restaurant. We tried but couldn’t find it. Only after confirming with the Tourist information ambassadors standing in Myeongdong that we realised that Sulbing chain in Myeongdong was closed again due to poor business. But apparently Sulbing was still opened in Chungmuro. Kwenchana. Tomorrow we will try Imone Gobchang and Sulbing in Chungmuro.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b>“Wah I got plantar facilities,”</b></span> kao-beh Serene while walking back to the hostel. My shoulder also is having shoulder-itis, neck got Nexk-itis and the arm I have arm-itis. Every where also painful.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">~.~</span></b></p><div><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; white-space: normal;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-size: medium; font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"></i><div><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span><b><span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Please click on the </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: medium;">Enlarged, Boldened </span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">NEXT day's detail</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> <span>(and much more fun-filled</span><span>)</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> travellogue below to continue. </span></b></span></i><i style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: right;">Alternatively, just continue reading below, the brief summary of each day's travel:</i></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></i></div></i></div></div></i></div></div></i></div></div></div></i></div><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></h1><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Day 13 </span></span><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>(brief account)</i></span></b></h1><div><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large; font-weight: 400;">(oh <a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/01/a-leisurely-day-strolling-dongdaemun.html">click here </a>to take you to the fun-filled account!)</span></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></div><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>3 Jan 2022</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807708373_3349fb8f4d_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807708373_3349fb8f4d_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I was excited about waking up and going to Nanta Theatre today and going to eat my 이모네곱장 in Chungmuro.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808328390_a00fe36908_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808328390_a00fe36908_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />But sigh.. Nanta wasn’t meant to me. I checked their performance days and found that they were opened only Thursday, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Today being Monday, they were closed. Aiyah.. really 没有缘. Kwenchana… at least it meant that we will have to make another trip once again to watch the hilarious Nanta Theatre performance.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807596401_6e68414a82_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807596401_6e68414a82_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />It was 48 hours before departure, and we walked the 800m to Euljibareun clinic to have an ART done with English certificate for the purpose of PDT (pre-departure testing). The staff were really efficient, spoke good English and were able to understand my halting Korean, and very quickly registered us, and they swabber very quickly called our names and swabbed each of us, one nostril all the way deep inside.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808327255_d2391315c1_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808327255_d2391315c1_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jongro</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Most coincidentally but not surprisingly, we met another two groups of Singaporeans in the clinic, Carol and another couple Albert and Bon. I was so thankful to have met them and spoke because Carol reminded me to do the Singapore Health Declaration submission online before flying back. I totally missed this one, perhaps being so focussed on all these post Singapore-arrival ARTs and having to book the Day 3 and Day 7 ARTs in the CTC.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807957264_0516f034e0_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807957264_0516f034e0_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jongro Shin-jin Market</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Not knowing exactly where to go, we simply wandered eastward towards Dongdaemun. Originally wanting to visit Dongdaemun Design Plaza but we ended up at the old city gate Dongdaemun 东大门 itself. </span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806643092_d87e06d29a_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806643092_d87e06d29a_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Wah hey.. you know.. we haven’t never been to this Dongdaemun city gate before. I am glad we just walked to here,”</b></span> I shared. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Forget about that Dongdaemun Design Plaza. That one is better viewed at night with all its lighting effects. Let’s leave that one for another visit in the future.” </b></span>Wah.. I am starting to be very 随缘. If have then have. If don’t have them Kwenchana.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807711648_88f2836ec1_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807711648_88f2836ec1_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dongdaemun!</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The slow saunter down to Dongdaemun took us ambling along a bustling old-fashion part of Euljiro to Jongro… almost like back to the old Chinatown areas with old Ajussis, Ajummas, Halaboejis and Halmoenis running their small shops and stalls and old customers going about their daily shoppings. Although the place was different from back home, but the feeling was nostalgically similar. Until 东大门 and the edge of Dongdaemun City Wall Park 东大门城廓公园 we ventured but not beyond. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807961854_3584b23142_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807961854_3584b23142_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />It was time for my highly awaited lunch at Imone Gobchang, the pig intestine restaurant in Chungmuro. But I could not understand why it remained closed after our second attempt today! The words and the door still clearly displayed that they would be open 11am until 12 midnight (granted, now that it was Covid, maybe up till 9pm 吧), and that their break was 2-3pm. But our timing was just right. Yet.. the door cold-heartedly locked us out. Even exploring the street up and down found no other Gobchang stalls opened.<p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807958584_cabe355bf1_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807958584_cabe355bf1_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Aiyah you! 认命了吧!”</b></span> said Serene.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“哎呀,好吧好吧!要是真是这样的话,我就只好认命了。真的是不明白,要吃一个 곱창 都这么重重阻饶。”</span>
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Exhaustedly we staggered back to the hotel and snored for about two hours plus.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806644727_7f4f67b1a3_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806644727_7f4f67b1a3_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kampong Dueji Village</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometimes while travelling, we would like to attempt to find some of the local eateries that were frequented by the locals, instead of finding internationally famous ones, or those that had tourists foot-printed all over. A frustrating attempt to search for some of the local haunts failed whenever I entered Myeongdong as a search filter on Mango Plate, the local foodie App. Google and Kakao Map were a little not that useful because those shops that were closed due to Covid and poor business, didn’t show up as ‘Closed’ on these two. But in Mango Plate, their operating statuses were accurate indicated. Earlier we tried walking up a third floor 소고기식당 to find a big lock on the glass door, again another victim.</span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807714978_ab49fae282_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807714978_ab49fae282_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kampong Dueji Village</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Kakao Map led us walking zig-zag into some small alleys of 을지로 seeking this highly-reviewed 을지육점 for my SamGyeopSal. But strangely we were exactly at that spot but just couldn’t find the SikTang. Looking around led us nowhere near any signboard that depicted the words 을지육점 乙支肉店. So we ended up choosing one little restaurant called 시골돼지촌 (Kampong Dueji village). Prices were very reasonable and we ordered three portions of 생갈메기살 猪排肉 pork rib, 생목살 pork collar and 생오겹살 五花肉, one 된장찌개, one Cass beer and one soju. It was a chilly night and these nice food really warmed us up for walking down the street post dinner.</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The Ajumma ShaJangNim was also really friendly.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: large;">“QR 코드를 여기 찍어주세요.”</span> As usual she pointed to the QR scanning machine.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Song Myung; font-size: large;"><b>“우리는 싱가포르 사람인데 해외예방접종 확인서가 있어요.”</b></span> now we have practised to much that it was easier to come out of our mouths.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">“Wah just now not many customers one.. but after we came in suddenly many people came in hor.. I think it is because it is after work lah,”</span> observed Serene.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“The taste not so 香 leh,”</b></span> I said.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">“It’s not bad lah,”</span> said the Chief Chef. Ok if the chef said it was good then it must be good.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808331195_fce2fd0c23_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808331195_fce2fd0c23_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />At least I knew my mind and body were in splendid states after this lovely dinner, exactly just like how the local Koreans loved to have nice warm meal and alcohol and get a little tipsy and warmed up, and we just walked and walked. Secretly I knew I was going to bring Serene to have Sulbing, that bing su chain that we loved so much, but had disappeared from the face of Myeongdong. One of its other surviving branches were still in operation in Chungmuro, and that was where I was heading to.
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</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Gastronomically satisfied, we stepped out to find it snowing. Not much, just a little, but enough for us.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807956444_fd092eed54_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807956444_fd092eed54_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>“눈이 왔어요!”</b></span> exclaimed Serene.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Haha yes, it had started to snow. Like what the weather forecast predicted.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">~.~</span></b></p><div><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; white-space: normal;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-size: medium; font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"></i><div><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span><b><span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Please click on the </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: medium;">Enlarged, Boldened </span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">NEXT day's detail</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> <span>(and much more fun-filled</span><span>)</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> travellogue below to continue. </span></b></span></i><i style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: right;">Alternatively, just continue reading below, the brief summary of each day's travel:</i></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></i></div></i></div></div></i></div></div></i></div></div></div></i></div><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></h1><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Day 14 </span></span><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>(brief account)</i></span></b></h1><div><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Permanent Marker"; font-size: large; font-weight: 400;">(oh <a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/01/finally-got-to-eat-gobchang-and-please.html">click here </a>to take you to the fun-filled account!)</span></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></div><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>4 Jan 2022</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808330635_cce02c06dc_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808330635_cce02c06dc_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Wah we slept until 10am again today! A full 10 hours of slumber. Either this trip was really tiring or the winter weather too sleep-inducing and the Korean food too soothing.. whatever the reason, when there was no need to wake up early, we literally slept in. See beh jiaklat.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b>“What are we going to do today?” </b></span></span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Wah lau.. if one is on holiday in an overseas country and woke up one day asking this question… then either one was too shagged and too tired, or one really had exhausted all destinations.. most likely the former in our case. Hahaha..
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807597206_b02903222b_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807597206_b02903222b_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />I knew my Serene was aching. Shoulder aching, neck aching..
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">“I have plantar faciitis, shoulder-itis, neck-itis, leg-itis…</span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">”</span></b> see beh 可怜, this young girl. 旅一个行,就全身痛。
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch time. We walked to the spectacle shop and found that 함상문 씨 was serving customers. We stepped over to Momo Cafe and hey.. 김만중 and 김학중 were both busy and there were quite a few groups of customers inside. Wah.. good good.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808329735_cbb075bfb3_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808329735_cbb075bfb3_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Ok, Dar.. let us do this. We will recce from Myeongdong station to take Subway to Seoul station and check if there were escalators or elevators to make it easier for us to bring our luggage down tomorrow,”</b></span> important was to ascertain the feasibility of solely using the subway, now that the Airport shuttle bus was no longer in operation.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808327530_4782ef763d_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808327530_4782ef763d_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">And we found to our delight, there being an escalator at Myeongdong Exit 7 that allowed us to transport our heavy luggage down. We simply needed to walk through a small part of the Myeongdong underground shopping mall to arrive at the subway entrance and walk a short flight (well, two flights) down to the subway platform for the subway train to Seoul Station. Once at Seoul station, we just needed to exit the train and walk to near exit 15 and there was a lift to go up to B1 where we could follow the sign to walk to AREX train. If we had been on Asiana air or Korean air, we would be able to check in our luggage right there instead of at the airport. But it was fine. The next day we would try.
</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807710903_65741720ae_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807710903_65741720ae_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But one thing for sure.. from Myeongdong station to Seoul station and then transfer to the AREX (All stop) train to Incheon airport terminal 1, was totally feasible. Saved me the headache of having to take a taxi.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We tried walking around Seoul station on the ground level and found Seoul Sation tower (mainly office), Seoul Square Mall (mainly restaurant). Another trip, another day we would explore Seoul station area more. I was, we were, still more taken by the more traditional parts of Seoul.
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Ok Dar, let’s go back and see if Gana Building 7th storey Happy Skin massage is opened or not.. let’s ask Kim Man Jung to book an appointment for us to massage,”</b></span> I finally relented. Hahaha..</span></p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b>“Wah, JinJja?! Kamsahabnida, Chagiya!”</b></span> now Serene was happy, really happy, knowing that a nice massage was awaiting..</span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><div><p><br /></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Ok Dar, there is one thing I really really need to do, otherwise 我不死心. I want to eat the Gobchang (pig intestine) at 중로신진시장 Jungro Shinjin Shichang, where yesterday the Ajumma welcomed us but we couldn’t stay to eat,”</b></span> I announced. Of course Serene couldn’t say no.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b>“I am a little hungry now,”</b></span> she said.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“No problem. Later at the SikTang even if you cannot eat much we will order just a little.”</b></span> I reassured her.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">From Dongdaemun Subway station we retraced our steps back toward the 줄로 신진시장. I was so thrilled to find the store that we saw the day before.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808327235_04b6dbfa3c_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808327235_04b6dbfa3c_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> I explained to the SajangNim that because we didn’t have time yesterday we could eat but today we had to come back to eat Gobchang.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">At the end we ordered 막 창 (small intestine) for 26,000₩. And wah.. this one was one of the most delicious thing I have eaten in Hanguk. Even Serene also devoured her share of the Gobchang.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The hard-of-hearing SajangNim and the SaMoNim were pretty relaxed this Tuesday noon and we were the only customer in their SikTang.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Song Myung; font-size: large;">“사장님, 죄송합니다. 카드고 계산해도 돼요?”</span> (SajangNim, may I pay with credit card?) I asked, after realizing that I had only 6,000₩ cash left on me.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: large;"><b>“현금 없어요?”</b></span> The SaMoNim asked. I shook my head to admit that we had no cash. She agreed. Good.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">For 26,000₩ (S$29.80) we had one of the most delicious meals in Seoul - MakChang 막창. Even Serene ate much more than what she originally intended to.
</span></p></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">“Wah the seasoning is so delicious,”</span> said her.</span></p></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807709538_72c0f60752_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807709538_72c0f60752_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Arriving back at Momo Cafe at 2:45pm, we were just in time for our Full Body Aroma oil massage at 7th storey Gana Building. The Korean (this time was really just two very experienced Korean Ajummas) introduced the 80,000₩ aroma oil massage for 80 minutes, and boy did we totally enjoyed it!
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The hot stone and oil massage was nothing like we had ever had. A nice warm foot soak, followed by lying face down and the Ajumma masseuses kneaded our backs, shoulders, necks, legs, thighs and arms. I especially enjoyed the hot stone 온돌 massage. The Ajummas really put in plenty of strength and kept asking us ‘Kwenchaneu-seyo’. We went back to our hotel blur-blurred and seh already.
</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808333705_9775dd014e_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808333705_9775dd014e_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Dinner time, and we had a most lovely 소고기 at SoonWoo Black restaurant, with 김만중. Another nice dinner, nice chit chat and more story-sharing, talking about populist Korean government, about army National service, about Bitcoin, about charts, about vaccinations, about travelling, about businesses.. many things to talk.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">When asked about if we would come back during Autumn or Winter this year I replied 김만중: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“복권에 탕점된다면 꼭 다시 외양돼요.”</b></span> (If we strike lottery we will definitely have to return).
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">~.~</span></b></p><div><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: normal; white-space: normal;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-size: medium; font-style: normal; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"></i><div><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span><b><span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">Please click on the </span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-size: medium;">Enlarged, Boldened </span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">NEXT day's detail</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> <span>(and much more fun-filled</span><span>)</span></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;"> travellogue below to continue. </span></b></span></i><i style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: right;">Alternatively, just continue reading below, the brief summary of each day's travel:</i></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></i></div></i></div></div></i></div></div></i></div></div></div></i></div><h1><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Day 15 </span></span><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>(brief account)</i></span></b></h1><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>5 Jan 2022</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/01/huh-so-quick-go-home-already.html"><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large;">Click here for the home run summary... hahaha!</span></a></span></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">D E T A I L T R A V E L L O G U E - </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Black Han Sans; font-size: x-large;">D a y b y D a y</span></div><br /><p> We had to die die collect our Overseas Vaccination Certificate confirmation in Korean...</p><div><h1><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><a name="Day2">Day 2</a></span></span></h1><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>23 Dec 2021</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799911994_48c7720dc1_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799911994_48c7720dc1_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The temperature stood at -1.4 degrees as we got up. In retrospect we would realise that this was a nice and warm temperature. On this morning it didn’t feel like that warm to us who took a bus 271 to Mapo-gu Public Health centre to receive our Korean-endorsed vaccination certificate.</span></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #93c47d;"><b>Please click on each of the Days below to go into the detail, and fun-filled videos and photo travelogue for that day</b></span>. <span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> <b>Join us as we continue our Travel in Korea!</b></span></span></p><div style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></i></div></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799627201_35cfcccd9f_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799627201_35cfcccd9f_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Again, took bus to Mapo polyclinic!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
</span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“How to tell them </span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">I want to collect my overseas vaccination confirmation certificate?</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">” </span></b>asked Serene as we walked.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span style="font-family: Song Myung; font-size: x-large;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">“저는 해외 예방</span></b></span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">접종 확인서를 받고싶어요…”</span></b></span></span><b style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: medium;">我要来索取海外预防疫苗注射确认书 </span></b><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">and man, this Serene impressed me by the way she kept repeating this as we made our way. She was determined to ask the man or woman there this question.</span></p></blockquote><p> </p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b> </p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/beI_B7_0xgM" width="840" youtube-src-id="beI_B7_0xgM"></iframe></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800001059_b920d5965e_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827313033_b6c7001383_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />Asked she did, the female reception on the second floor and instantly she got gratification with our certificates. Actually, it was later in the trip that we found that these certificates were important. Though it has been a month since this VTL-thingy was implemented, the local merchants and restaurateurs were not really updated so some of the Singapore travelers were denied admission into certain restaurants. But with this Korean certificate, it lubricated things.</span><p></p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800372865_2ee6e42830_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827838188_79af732cf7_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800011424_828146bb43_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800011424_828146bb43_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />Certificates in hand, we took the bus to Myeongdong. Annyeong, Myeongdong ah! Wow.. it’s been two winters since we were last here. And truly, poor little Myeongdong had suffered greatly. By my estimate, yeah… 40% of the shop spaces remained abandoned, and even the Nature Republic’s grass-laden facade, once a prominent landmark, had half of the grass dried and yellowed.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The flagship Uniqlo was no longer there. Human traffic on this Thursday late morning was quiet.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798585782_66798361ef_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827931285_91fcb6a7df_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />한상문 씨 was manning the spectacle store while 김만중 and 김학중 were busy preparing coffee for their customers in Momo Cafe next door.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: large;"><b>Were they HAPPY to see us!</b></span>
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800244535_4f982c1cf4_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51826258152_7252068549_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800244535_4f982c1cf4_k.jpg" target="_blank">Han Sang Mun our ever trusty optometrist. 항상문 씨, 우리 안경선생님.</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“오랜만이에요!</span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">"</span></b> <span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>(It’s been a long time)</b></span> Serene candidly chirped to them all. She has been practicing this for the longest time. <span><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“보고 싶어요!"</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-large;"> </span></b></span><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(I miss you all)</span></b> 来了来了… 哈哈 Serene’s best Koreans were these few sentences.</span></p></blockquote><div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796388558_fa1990c011_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796388558_fa1990c011_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">김만중’s Uncle 함상만 씨 was as professional as ever and I was silently glad when he found that mine and Serene’s eyesights did not deteriorate.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">He explained that even if I were to increase the degrees of my glasses it would do no good to my sight, because at this moment our glasses would still allow us good vision for years more. Unbelievable, that’s why I like this man.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: x-large;"><b>“요즘은 관광객이 거이 없어요."</b></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b> (Nowadays there is almost no tourists)</b></span> he said, when I asked. Understandable. No one could travel in and out easily.<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: x-large;">“여기 온 외국인은 한국에서 살고 있는 외국인이에요."</span></span></b> <b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(Those foreigners who walked into the shop are those already living in Korea)</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799497206_c468d91f72_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799497206_c468d91f72_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MOMO Cafe</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It’s true. Aside from ourselves there was only another old old Korean man who walked in and asked about something trivial of his pair of glasses.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Even for the cafe, we are only busier during lunch, otherwise it’s still quiet.”</span></b> explained 김만중, whose entrepreneurial spirit drove him and his older brother 김학중 to take over an empty unit next door (previously a 麻辣 shop), redecorated and redesigned it all by themselves and their father, took up the barista course and set up <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799891484_d87b5a101e_k.jpg" target="_blank">this MOMO Cafe</a>. His coffee and pastries were magnificent! We loved it.</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">How I wish things would soon go back to where it was. At least something resembling the past. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And it was amazing how 김만중 was able to, through his computer system, retrieve our 아버지 and 어머니’s record.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“여기 있어요!”</span></b> Serene was so excited to find 爸爸妈妈’s old records. 妈妈 had her glasses (most likely thrown away accidentally by 爸爸) lost. So we made one as close to the one she made two years ago accordingly to her records, and for 爸爸, we replaced some of his 老花 lenses. Serene and I made <span style="font-family: Dela Gothic One;">couple glasses</span>! Hahaha..</span></p></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799506796_51b3b63782_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799506796_51b3b63782_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seollongtang and Samgyetang! Yummy!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Our first proper lunch since arriving in Korea, was that Ajumma SikTang 食堂 across Gana Optical. And wah, this Ajumma was really good. She must have been well-versed about travellers from Singapore not having the QR code. We had one nice Seollongtang and one nice Samgyetang here and we were ready to go!</p><p> </p><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">Banpo Hangang Park</b>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799460611_408c60a54d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="717" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799460611_408c60a54d_k.jpg" width="955" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5nsSCD1EYdg" width="840" youtube-src-id="5nsSCD1EYdg"></iframe></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800387595_3d137f34cb_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827313518_f947568891_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">How to get to Banpo Hangang Park? By bus of course. Arrive at Banpo Big Bridge</span><br style="font-size: x-small;" /><span style="font-size: x-small;">반포대교 盤浦大桥</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The afternoon was still young. And we just wanted to make our way to Hangang just to stroll along the Hangang parks. Although because of Covid, the daily and nightly famous Banpo Hangang Park fountain display show has been stopped, we still took a bus to Banpo Big Bridge 반포대교 </span><span style="text-align: center;">盤浦大桥</span><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">and leisurely strolled to the park. It wasn’t late but in winter the sun was already setting and it was streaming golden light at acute angles through. Traffic on the bridge was heavy, and with the sun so low it kinda gave us the feeling like it was rush hour when people were driving back home... only thing was, this was Covid, and many people in Korea were still working from home.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798708467_a784308337_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798708467_a784308337_k.jpg" width="240" /></a><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The branches of the now wintry-naked trees. The sculptures within the park were most amazing and we spent our time like little boy and girl running around on a photography trip all over again. Around 4:30pm in the evening, the sun was low in the horizon and there wasn't too many park users, except for the few. And we literally had the park to ourselves and we roamed to our hearts' desire, and set up tri-pod and shot to our eyes' content. Serene had a crookedly-naughty time action-liao-liao all the way with the sculptures... hahaha got to give it to her to come up with all these actions.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799469706_471cfc497b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="712" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799469706_471cfc497b_k.jpg" width="949" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800031849_28c2d2a4aa_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="707" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800031849_28c2d2a4aa_k.jpg" width="944" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800186715_854d0776f8_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800186715_854d0776f8_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Masked even doing chin-ups</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />I loved the fact that the Koreans loved exercising, running, brisk walking and cycling along the park even on a cold wintry evening. </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">There was a banner hung across in the park that said <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: large;">“한강 공원에서 산책하면서 사회적 거리두기 지키고 마스크도 쓰세요”</span></b>.. or something like that which literally meant <b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">“even strolling along the Hangang park please maintain social distancing and please wear your mask</span></b>”.</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And what do you know! All the cyclists we see were wearing masks even while cycling and ajummas were walking with masks on and young men and women running were masked too! Most impressive. I am not sure, but maybe in Singapore it is hot that’s why we have no choice but not to wear mask when we are running outdoors?
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799804483_038921d61b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799804483_038921d61b_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">One thing hor about wearing masks in winter… those of us living in the hot tropics we never had to </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799824083_0f2fb06387_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799824083_0f2fb06387_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />face this problem. Imagine, the temperature outside was already in the negative territory. And every exhalation brings out steam which condensed and fogged up our glasses. What more, those water droplets inside the masks get caught in between the fabrics and became icy cold. In no time we had pool of water inside the masks. Yucks! And no matter how I adjusted my glasses kept fogging up.
</span><p></p></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Shit, man. If I have to still wear masks in the winters to come, I will think many times!”</b></span></span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was much later, after much suffering, that I learned from Kim Man Jung that alamak.. I should have used those anti-fog solutions/sprays that the Koreans all use to prevent their glasses from misting up. Well, at least the next time we would know. It was also after we returned from Korea that our Korean language SonSengNim taught us <span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span style="font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: large;">안경은 김이 서리다 glasses misted up</span>.</span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799588303_2842e1b015_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="845" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799588303_2842e1b015_k.jpg" width="634" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799812884_1a01fb0d86_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799812884_1a01fb0d86_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">“My atas condominium in Socho"</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"></span></span><p></p>To be very candid, the feeling I had when walking through these blocks of modern, beautiful condominium at 서처구 Seocho (瑞草区) was exactly like walking through some of the high-class exclusive apartments around Orchard Road back home in Singapore. It probably would be any young Korean person's dream to live in one of these, but I also tend to think it would be one big nightmare to do so too, financial burden-wise.<p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799445151_e533baae4c_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799445151_e533baae4c_k.jpg" width="480" /></a><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Back in Hongdae...</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799566968_cc593dc911_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="705" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51826896562_d05a7316d0_k.jpg" width="940" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting outside Saemaeul SikTang, Hongdae.. a good place to unwind with bulgogi, soju and beer... Jinjja.</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799566968_cc593dc911_k.jpg" target="_blank"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></a></div></span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b><b style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></b></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3J6eMwH1oic" width="840" youtube-src-id="3J6eMwH1oic"></iframe></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800144040_a1d2cb16e0_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800144040_a1d2cb16e0_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />We had a wonderfully delicious bulgogi meal at the 인기가 많은 새 마을 식당. We were totally impressed by how popular this Saemaeul Siktang Hongdae branch was with the young students. We ordered soju, beer, three orders of different pork.. it came up to 48,000₩ (S$54). I would say for Singapore standard, it was on par with our country in terms of pricing for Korean barbecue. It was well known that dining in Hongdae was slightly cheaper than in other parts of Seoul like Myeongdong or Gangnam, because here they catered more to youngsters and university students.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799772349_2b4973f49c_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51826258072_9edbdf13a6_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></div>I didn't know what she wanted. But I was glad she wanted it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Dar!”</span></b> cried Serene.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Simi?”</b></span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“I want to go sing karaoke! I want to eat the chicken across the road!”</span></b></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>“Wah lau you want so many things one shot. No. Tonight we just go to the Coin Noraebang to sing.”</b></span></p></blockquote><div><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The 코인노래방 are such interesting little setups that anyone can just go in and for a small amount of money belt out to one’s heart’s content singing in a small cubicle. The ShaJangNim here was an Ajusshi who was very courteous, and we were impressed that he actually checked our foreigner vaccination certificate, and for 5,000₩ (S$4.80) we had such a great time singing several of the many Korean songs that we wanted to sing back home but could find no karaoke on them.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ixsEgpS2PAo" width="840" youtube-src-id="ixsEgpS2PAo"></iframe></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Tomorrow night I want to come again!”</span></b> declared the young lady.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Ok onz! Tomorrow we will come again.”</span></b></span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We arrived back into our 옥탑방 to read with sadness, the news that the <b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;">Singapore government will suspend the selling of VTL plane tickets entering Singapore with effect from 23rd December 2021 until 20th January 2022</span>.</b> That was terrible news. Because just as the travelling sector was starting to pick up and people started to travel out of Singapore and foreigners started travelling into Singapore, the government literally pulled a hand-brake on this. So those who, say, wanted to travel to Korea for holiday but procrastinated in buying tickets, would have less than a day’s time to grab their plane tickets, which by the time had been jacked up to upwards of $1500-1700 per ticket, or totally forget about the idea of travelling to Korea until things settle.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“You know, Dar,”</span></b> I told Serene. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“For all we know, we may be the last batch of travellers to Korea for a long while more until the government reinstate the VTL ticket sales.”</span></b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Yeah.. it is so unpredictable, this business of travelling.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: large;"><b>Next stop... click below.</b></span></p><p><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/of-geongui-line-forest-park-and.html" style="text-align: right; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: large;">Day 3: Of Geongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></i></b></a></p></div><br /><br /><p>A Leisurely Gyeongui Line Forest Walk and the oh-so-delicious Gomtang, Bongeunsa and well... 그냥, Gangnam...</p><p></p><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><a name="Day3"><b>Day 3</b></a></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: inherit;"><b>24 Dec 2021</b></span></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800087449_63745c62e8_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800087449_63745c62e8_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Today I am going to bring you walk walk gai gai in this nice nice cool weather,”</b></span> I told Serene, waking up on a <a href="<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UiX0YN1MItY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>" target="_blank">nice cool (not cold) Christmas Eve </a>morning.</span></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Continue reading below to follow our adventure on this day.</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> If you wish to jump forward to any other parts, please click on each of the Days below to go into the detail, and fun-filled videos and photo travelogue for that day</span></b></span>. <span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> <b>Join us as we continue our Travel in Korea!</b></span></span></p><div style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></i></div></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798446672_5b83b8a1a0_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798446672_5b83b8a1a0_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aVP-KWuRnb4" width="840" youtube-src-id="aVP-KWuRnb4"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799752696_9d0b4ffee6_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827313388_a42b1fdd92_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Before we left for Korea I was already checking out where to walk in a more natural environment and this Geongui LineForest Trail 경의선 숲 길 came recommended. Just a short 10 minutes walk from our OkTabBang, we came to the beginning of the track and as the weather was cool, we were warmly clothed and strolled leisurely down. On our way we saw tall, young Korean men running, slim young Korean girls jogging, old men and women taking their slow morning walks, old grandfathers pushing their toddler grandchildren in strollers. The oldish buildings on each side were a nice contrast to the decommissioned daily track that has become the centerpiece of this 2km walk.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800081914_c483b42622_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="664" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827313393_96357c26a0_k.jpg" width="885" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And the end of it we turned left and plonked directly into the tiny lanes of the residential area.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800093454_a857072650_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="651" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800093454_a857072650_k.jpg" width="867" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wasn't this so typical.. this house just at the edge of Gyeongui Line Forest park? We always see houses like this in drama...</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799853653_968ecbb96f_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51826257167_b5061780e2_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Half underground apartment, anyone?</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Oh this is nice,” </span></b>I told Serene. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“I don't mind just walking zig-zag in this residential area.”</b></span></span><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“I just need some nice warm soupy food for breakfast,” </b></span>said Serene, hungrily searching for one of those ubiquitous SikTangs run by ajummas or ajussis.. and we found a nice cosy little one on the right side- 감나무집 곰탕… the very popular GomTang beef bone soup.</span></p></blockquote><div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799751756_c05571a422_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="655" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799751756_c05571a422_k.jpg" width="873" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798795667_6b458d69ad_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798795667_6b458d69ad_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />This Ajumma was very up to date. One look at our Foreigner Vaccination confirmation certificate <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">해외 접종 확인서 </span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(海外疫苗注射确定书)</span></b> and asking us to make the AnShimCall <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">안심콜 (安心 Call)</span></b> we were quickly seated and before long our 10,000₩ (S$12) per bowl of really delicious GomTang with the usual assortment of Banchan were served. Really tasty these were. We ate our hearts out. So did a few of the middle-aged men on the other tables. It was later then we found out that this place, the SikTang next to it called 감나무 기사 식당 (KamNamMoo drivers’ restaurant) caters to taxi drivers who would pop in for a quick and cheap meal. A meal like this could be had for S$12 a person, including plain water free flow, free flow banchan 반잔 side dishes which typically included kimchi, radish and occasionally bean sprouts. </span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799740226_17508efb53_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="681" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827546939_a42e1f0853_k.jpg" width="908" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Up till today, Serene is still talking about THIS GomTang meal!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bcOuFmF_e9k" width="840" youtube-src-id="bcOuFmF_e9k"></iframe></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><br /><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">Off to Gangnam!</span></b></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798812472_7170e11ca8_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798812472_7170e11ca8_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />The weather was lovely. Crisp cool air, not cold. Soaked in the peaceful residential area, we walked about less than an hour before arriving back at the Hongdae Entrance Subway station. </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We laughed at ourselves secretly because despite visiting Korea so many times we have not made our way to Gangnam to view its splendour. </span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Today we will just go gai gai at Gangnam!”</span></b></span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Coex Subway station was easily reached. On this Friday Christmas Eve late morning, Coex subway station was crowded.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800125289_0757fd834e_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800125289_0757fd834e_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom N Tom's Cafe</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Needing additional caffeine infusion, both of us headed up to ground level and grabbed a Cappucino (6,500₩) and Caramel Mochiato (also around 6500₩) and practised Korean with the friendly waitress at this Starbucks look-alike cafe called <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799905983_438428e63b_k.jpg" target="_blank">Tom N Toms Coffe</a>e, so interesting, almost everything was Starbucks-ish, right down to the logo design. Coffee was nice. And our energy notched up.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Bongeunsa (Bongeun Temple) 奉恩寺</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The very friendly waitress at Tom N Toms explained to me that the famous historical temple Bongeunsa </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">奉恩寺</span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> was only about 100m walk from right outside the cafe. The weather was only mildly negative, so it was a lovely walk in the crispy air. </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">In front of us walked two ladies who, from their conversation, sounded like Taiwanese to me.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800496545_7012be7380_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800496545_7012be7380_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We loved the serendipitous atmosphere in Bongeunsa. It was peaceful, an oasis of calm in a maddening ring of modernness surrounding it. Despite just a few tens of metres away from the main noisy road once we stepped into its compound it was quiet. A typical Korean Buddhist Temple, run by quietly-cheerful volunteers who checked our Overseas vaccination certificates.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800133704_64bd7dc1b2_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51826257532_817821446e_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What every parent would hope for...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800132954_f2bc3253e7_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827931240_66d41c0122_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What every parent would pray for...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Wow this Bongeunsa looks exactly like the temple we visited the last time in Busan with Papa and Mama,” </b></span>exclaimed Serene.</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799893238_6965045f34_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799893238_6965045f34_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />Indeed the architectural design of 봉은사 奉恩寺 was almost similar to Beomeosa 범어사 梵鱼寺 in Busan. On this cool day, a slow stream of Ajummas and a couple of young ladies made their way to the altar, stopping to bow and pay respects to each Buddha on the side of the garden path.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">A sense of peace permeated. I saw many colourful well wishes written on colour papers with tiny lanterns, and I wanted to do a set but sadly they could only accept cash.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800504630_d69aca8b51_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800504630_d69aca8b51_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: justify;">我站在大殿前方往内望。 本师释迦摩尼佛与大愿地藏王菩萨供养在寺庙的大堂里。双手合十,心中默默地念... 这段日子,幸苦的都幸苦了、煎熬的都煎熬过来了、开心的、喜悦的,令人感到欣慰的都一一兑现了。我心想,唉,虽然我从来不觉得我老,但头上丝丝的白发多少从外面看起来,也不再是年轻了。身体的健康问题,一不注意时也是会突然而至的。就好比這次出國前兩個星期,突然間頭痛得很嚴重。也不知爲什麽。可能是壓力很大吧。還好掃描等等都OK。阿彌陀佛。</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: preserve;">我望着释迦摩尼佛,想着想着.. 肩膀上的负担或许也是应该卸下了吧.. 近来身体我频频给予自我警告,再加上刚刚在Facebook 上看到一位好久没见到的病人- 一位50出岁的女病人,在国外忙忙碌碌突然脑出血而病倒在病床上,顿时紧绷着的肩膀也松了一点。</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: preserve;">汉城江南的奉恩寺,与釜山的梵鱼寺,是历史悠久的韩国佛寺。史上朝鲜的帝王与历代文人都远来供奉。今日有缘到此,虽仅仅一会儿,但亦已满足了。我本身认为,有时候人生嘛,就是如此。旅行归旅行。但是偶尔在旅行路途之中,不知觉中步入一个景点,或身处一个环境,在不知不觉中产生一种顿悟,也是一种人生的体验。</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;">或许,这次韩国之行,不就是与这一刹那心中的领会有缘吧。</span>
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>COEX Mall and Starfield Library</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Slowly walking out from Bongeunsa and walking back down to Coex Subway station, we found ourselves benign drowned yet once again in the crowds of people thronging the underground station, and back into the reality of modern Hanguk. Upon the ground laid a blue path that indicated the way to the famous Starfield library, known as 별 마당. We have always seen Instagram posts of this but have never been here. With tingling anticipation it was, we made our way slowly along the blue path squeezing in between crowds.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799792251_cd9fcd3207_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799792251_cd9fcd3207_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">There were people, young and old, standing around this landmark gigantic ground to ceiling bookshelf, just staring in awe at it, and shooting wefies and exclaiming excitedly.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">For me, I would have loved to buy some Korean books back home. But this is too busy a place to be able to leisurely look through and choose a suitable one.</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Wah.. hou-gok, hou-gok ah!" </b></span><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(Very stuffy in Cantonese)</span></b> kao-beh-ed Serene. It’s always like this. Outside in the open we were comfortable wearing all these layers in the cold, but after a while in the indoor, we start to feel the warmth over-bearing.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Ok let’s take the escalator up to ground floor and once we see an exit we will escape.”</span></b></span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Found, we did, and once again immersed ourselves in the comfort of the outdoor cold. Actually my Serene she was quite cute. She had the initiative to bring a flask of hot tea wherever we went. And sitting down in the outdoor yard, we sipped tea and watched quietly the people going about their own businesses.</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Actually hor, this Starfield Library really nothing much one hor?”</span></b> I remarked. To which Serene agreed. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Let’s take a bus to Gangnam subway station because I read that around the Gangnam station there are a lot of exciting shops, eateries, cafe and huge shopping malls and outdoor shopping lanes.”</span></b></span></p></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798848362_74331824b5_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827930815_acddd3009b_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">It was sooooo cold waiting for the bus outside we had to hide inside</span><br style="font-size: small;" /><span style="font-size: small;">the bus-stop with </span><b style="font-size: small;">heated</b><span style="font-size: small;"> seats!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Bus 146 and 7 stops later, we arrived at the station, made famous by the singer Psy. Crazily Serene was half joking as she walked and danced that Psy Gangnam style dance. I laughed heartily because it was just so her.</span><p></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">By this time on Christmas Eve, the streets were filled with people doing their last minute shopping. I guess Gangnam area would be very representative. Apart from a little half-underground Daiso where we happily bought a couple of silver Korean bowls and Korean cups, we didn’t feel the urge to go into any other shops. It was only about 4pm and the sky was darkening and the mercury started to drift downwards.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827546569_c381d58500_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827546569_c381d58500_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Enough of Gangam. And enough of stuffy subways on a cold winter evening. Happily we grabbed a 1 hour 7 minutes bus ride from Gangnam right back to Hongdae. Gradually we were enjoying ourselves commuting in buses. It was simple and really convenient and it was very cheap.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799798331_7992772ac5_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799798331_7992772ac5_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The main roads of Gangnam were 5-lane wide thoroughfares. And cars honked and sped along, a reflection of the Korean mentality of haste and impatience in their quest for perfection. Driving in Korea has always been described as hazardous. An attempt in imagining myself driving in the heart of Seoul brought about a deep feeling of unwillingness hahaha..
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Hey... it's snowing outside the bus!"</span></b> said Serene, as we enjoyed the scenery from the bus. Oh it really was. But tiny bit only it snowed and it didn't last long. So 可怜,we both. So gian to see snow, but here in Seoul, it was really cold but people didn't usually have plenty of snow, unless it was a snow storm like exactly one week ago before we came, and also in Febuary 2021.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>[EDIT: It did have plenty of snow in the winter of 2021. One week before we arrived in Korea, Seoul had two days of heavy snow fall, and exactly one week after we left, another two days of snow storm that covered everything in white and made the ground all slippery and icy.]</b></span></p><p><br /></p><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799808736_6278bc79fd_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799808736_6278bc79fd_k.jpg" width="148" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />That night.. the weather registered still a not-so-warm level... No wonder we were trembling outside at Gangnam while waiting for the bus. After simply just a couple of days we learned something very important. Taking an MRT (or known as subway in Korea) in winter was tough because when we kept our winter clothes on, inside the subway train the heated environment would make us sweat, and when we came up to the cold, the glasses would start to fog up once again. But taking a bus was different. We were encouraged to open the windows at intervals and the breeze and the atmospheric temperature meant that there wasn't such dramatic change.. we'd much prefer taking a bus.</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Warm, heated floor at the OkTabBang...</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was so comfortable stepping on the heated floor of the Rooftop apartment that we simply enjoyed this feature during winter. The temperature during winter here in Seoul was just as freezing, if not more, than when we were in Nepal. But the extra measures the Koreans took (since way before modern times) to give themselves some form of heated comfort in their building structures, made all the difference. We found the floor so warm we even laid our base layers on the floor to air them, and warm them up...<b> the next day everything was dried.</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827931815_1687203dc2_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827931815_1687203dc2_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No wonder they needed no dryer in winter...</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Next Stop... Click below</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/whole-body-massage-in-korea-huh-are-we.html" style="text-align: right;"><b><i>Day 4: Full Body Massage in Korea - Huh, are we crazy?!</i></b></a></span></p><p><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">The Foot Shop 더풋샵 - for full body massage, and Hongdae, Hongdae and more Hongdae...</span></b></p><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b><a name="Day4">Day 4</a></b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="color: #ffe599; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>25 Dec 2021</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800554600_8055e80c38_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800554600_8055e80c38_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799808666_8465e5ea5c_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799808666_8465e5ea5c_k.jpg" width="93" /></a></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />The mercury plunged to negative 13 this morning. </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We lazed in bed until almost 10am. </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now I finally understood what the rooftop is for. It was for me to try various combinations of layers of middle-layer, battery-operated warm middle layer, vest, and outer down jackets…</span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Continue reading below to follow our adventure on this day.</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> If you wish to jump forward to any other parts, please click on each of the Days below to go into the detail, and fun-filled videos and photo travelogue for that day</span></b></span>. <span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> <b>Join us as we continue our Travel in Korea!</b></span></span></p><div style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><div style="text-align: right;"><i style="text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></i></div></div></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And after a few tries, I realise that wah today morning’s -13 degrees was no </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">joke, and I had to go on full layers in order to feel comfortable.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798443332_4fb0d0889a_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798443332_4fb0d0889a_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b><span>“I want to go massage,”</span></b> </span>said Serene.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Huh, Gong simi ah?"</span></b> an amused me.</p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><h1><span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">"I said I want to go massage!</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: xx-large;">내가 마사지를 하고 싶다고 했어 </span><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><span style="font-family: Gaegu;">!</span><span>"</span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">Wah even Indirect speech in Korean also came out liao. Better obey the Queen. See beh jiaklat!</span></h1></blockquote></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wah lau eh.. this girl ah. People go Bangkok to massage I can understand, but she comes to Seoul where to go massage? I have never massaged in Korea.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800187759_e00aa3bcfe_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800187759_e00aa3bcfe_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Foot Shop, Donggyo-dong branch</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So searched I did. And hey... there were plenty of good reviews about ‘The Foot Shop 더풋샵’ at 동교점. That’s about 300+m away from our Rooftop and is just across the road from our Pork knuckle 만족 오행 족발 last night. Ok. I wasn't sure really.. but the reviews by the local Koreans really looked good. And I knew she had some here pain there pain shoulder pain, plantar fasciitis pain... so ok lah.. Let's walk there! 가자 Kaja!</span></div><div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;"><b>"Eh my this black colour Ajumma slip in shoes I bought from Shein.. it's too lose and doesn't hold well in this winter,"</b></span> </span>complained the Queen. </span></div></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802115885_6ecee3fd6e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827547404_4ed993cdfb_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wah lau eh.. people bought shoes online and people bought shoes online, but she had to do this to me. But she was clever, she chose to come to Korea to buy a new pair of shoes. Had it been in Thamel, Kathmandu, wah... I would tell her sorry I buy you a pair of fake trekking shoes ba. </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Along the way Serene found a trendy triple-storey fashion boutique with many young girls inside shopping and found herself a fashionable pair of white young girl’s Korean sneakers. Good buy for 80,000₩. And they were comfortable too.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801750974_d2b269aa42_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827203731_514dd29f08_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Queen's brand new fashionable white Korean sneakers!<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Increasingly, we were seeing many many MANY young teenagers, young fashionable ladies, and some slightly less-youing ladies wearing min, medium-mini and super-mini skirts in this freezing weather. Every time we saw a couple of them we could not take our eyes off because we were dumbfounded. How they TAHAN-ed one ah? I really didn't know. Better ask Serene the Queen to go buy one pair and try it out. Maybe here in Korea, their miniskirts have something special built into them...</p><p><br /></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">The Foot Shop 더풋샵</span></b><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Arriving at 더풋샵, climbed to second floor and a cosy, warm set up welcomed us. Once the staff heard that we are from Singapore she started speaking Mandarin to us. And with our overseas vaccination certificate checked, we were ready. 60 minutes 후면전신 케어 (后面全身 Care) at 50,000₩ we were ushered to changed and had our <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799946368_1847cf482d_k.jpg" target="_blank">feet soaked</a>.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The 사장님 herself was friendly and I guess nowadays having hardly any tourists her business was mostly local customers.</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: x-large;">‘한국어 정말 잘 하시네요!”</span></b> She said.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Song Myung; font-size: large;"><b>“아니요, 아니요… 우리는 싱가포를에서 한국어 학교에 한국어를 배우고 있는 것이에요.”</b></span></span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>我想也是吧。不是每天都有一对尝试着讲着韩语的<a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800187599_358281b2b1_k.jpg" target="_blank">新加坡夫妇</a>走进这按摩店里边吧…</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800554600_8055e80c38_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827930760_b89db751ad_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Today Christmas Day you are also opened?”</b></span> I asked in my halting Korean.</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">She smilingly replied that they opened daily. Before Covid, they would open from 11am to 2am daily. But with the restrictions nowadays they operated from 10am till 10pm. Interestingly this SajangNim she knew that the cost of living is high in Singapore and she was planning to go to Malaysia and buy a home in Malaysia to live there. Of course, she was inquisitive to more information about doing that and we chatted.</span></p></div><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799947953_6c44b91fca_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799947953_6c44b91fca_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Our male and female masseuse were Mandarin speaking sifu and wow did they do a good job! They kneaded our painful necks and backs so well we hadn’t had such great massages for a long time.</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“我跟您按到手都没力气了,”</span></b> joked the male masseuse at the end of the 1 hour session. </span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: xx-large;"><span><span>“</span><span>진짜 시원해요!</span><span>”</span></span></b>Serene said to the 사장님, using the newly-learned word for <b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">‘Shiok!’</span></b>.</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Just before we left, the ShaJangNim was so helpful she even called Nanta Theatre to check what time they had their shows. But sadly the one she called was the Myeongdong one, the Hongdae one... well, we would only find out a couple of hours later that it may have fallen victim to Covid.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Just walking around Hongdae...</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S-sSOObhfdI" width="840" youtube-src-id="S-sSOObhfdI"></iframe></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801750594_3cf4e1607a_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801750594_3cf4e1607a_k.jpg" width="93" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We decided to have lunch first before heading to the Hongdae Nanta Theatre. There was a Yoongane Hongdae Dakgalbi restaurant where one of the chat group members got rejected dining because she was a foreigner. We walked around and saw all the youngsters on long down jackets. Man, it must have been cold... and a check with the temperature App did show that wow, it was still not that warm... negative 9.1 degrees Celcius on this afternoon.</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Oh this was a very familiar part of Hongdae where we were walking along. We were here a few times in our previous visits. But somehow, this time round, the 心情 was very very relaxed. I was sure the fabulous Full Body Massage had a lot to do with this.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801507088_5224f3e988_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801507088_5224f3e988_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Wah how come so much haze over there ah?” </b></span>I was astonished to see, in the distance, very hazy atmosphere. And suddenly screaming ambulances and fire engines zoomed past us. It actually turned out that a shophouse nearby caught fire..</span></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Yoongane Dakgalbi 윤가네닭갈비 </span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801730209_227a017b57_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827994203_cda0ec392c_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></b></div><p></p><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So this was our second time having Dakgalbi in our lifetime, the first time being a few years ago in Bangkok.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>“<span style="font-family: Song Myung;">주꾸미 닭갈비</span> look nice,”</b></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b> (Octopus and Chicken Galbi)</b></span></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> I suggested.<span><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">“And this </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Song Myung;">불국사</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"> </span></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(cold buckwheat soup)</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"> looks nice too. I really want to eat the Nengmyeon.”</span></b></span></span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The pair of petite young Ang Moh girls behind us were enjoying their Dakgalbi and speaking in a Spanish-sounding language. They were very fluent in Korean too, Serene was so surprised to hear them speak.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802115655_e80124d108_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51826257147_153eabfea6_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Ajumma really good. She kept wanting to try to order in Korean.. each order was a learning experience.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>In search of yet another Victim of Covid - Nanta Hongdae Theatre</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801487138_5dfb1c6f44_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801487138_5dfb1c6f44_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Searching and searching.. just on the right of this shop was where the fire was earlier.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801486848_6deaadc942_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801486848_6deaadc942_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Hongdae Nanta Theatre was merely a short walk from the Yoongane Dakgalbi shop. We did arrive at the building and the signboard did say Nanta Theatre. But neither taking the lift nor walking down the stairs (partially) to B2 were successful in finding Nanta. Only then we realised… oh there was no Nanta any more. It actually has closed down here in Hongdae.</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827930755_7aeb99640e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827930755_7aeb99640e_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sad. This Nanta Hongdae theatre must be one of those who died of severe complications from Covid in the ICU without even regaining consciousness. I even went to the Hongdae Tourist Information Centre to asked, but the lady didn't know how long Nanta Hongdae Theatre had died.<br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So we walked back to our OkTabBang to take an afternoon nap instead. Hahaha.. Rest again?! Were we on holiday or were we on holiday? Well, that was the thing about going on a really easy holiday by ourselves. We had perhaps one event in the morning, then we would rest and sleep and recharge and then we would see if there was anything else interesting as a second highlight for the evening. So that was it - <span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b>wake up, gai-gai, eat, sleep, wake up, gai-gai, eat and then finally sleep again.</b></span>
</span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800121280_670351827d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800121280_670351827d_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyday walked this path back to OkTabBang</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799735099_b28e3c7683_b.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799735099_b28e3c7683_b.jpg" width="93" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />Woke up around 5pm and wow it was cold. Around -10 degrees. Wow that was cold. By now Serene was already very good at judging how much to layer on. All she needed was to ask me<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"> "How many degrees now?"</span></b> And on these evening with the mercury hovering at <b><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">영하 9.9도</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> </span></b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">零下</span></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> 9.9</span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">度<a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800094895_20b614eb96_k.jpg" target="_blank"> </a></span></span><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828022723_6317e01cd6_k.jpg" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: Shadows Into Light; font-size: large;">she was dressed like this.</span></b></a><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Just </span><b style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">‘…walked walked and see see and look look…’</span></i></b><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> in Serene’s favourite words. Wow on this Christmas Day, Saturday, Hongdae was bustling with young people and young couples. We turned round and round and just soaked in the atmosphere. </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Tried to find that Spoa departmental shop that we could see from our Rooftop but just couldn’t find it when we were walking on the ground. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800104320_f0667ffac6_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800104320_f0667ffac6_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The whole Hongdae was abuzz with beautifully made-up mascara-ed eye lashes and sparkling eye shadow colours dressed in tiny mini-skirts and long knee-high boots… everywhere we turned. </span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Made me wonder what steel legs these young girls were made of, that allowed them to tolerate the deep negative 10 degrees cold wearing only stocking.. </span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">“They would rather be super pretty in the mini-skirt and die from cold.”</span></b> remarked Serene.</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Walked past a Pojang Macha and wanted to dabao some food but I remembered aaarrrgh we had no Korean cash and had to give up that idea. </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">There was no money changers around. The only money changer shop we found was closed. I didn’t think there was much use for money changers this period. </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Shocking was also the fact that Innisfree here in Hongdae had not many masks. But a few shops away Etude House had plenty of selections and Serene happily snatched them up at 15,000₩ for 10 pieces + 10 pieces.</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“</span></b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>Careful don’t overload our luggage weight ah…” </b></span>I had to warn the young lady.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>“I am surprised Innisfree doesn’t have too many masks,”</b></span> </span>mused Serene.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“I heard on the web that Innisfree did T do too well because of Covid,” </b></span>I said. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“But apparently other cosmetic houses were not so hard hit.”</b></span></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Garlic Chicken 마늘 지킨</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799472263_7c8ecce2ac_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51826257962_3903704cfd_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Po-Jang-Hae-ju-sae-yo - "Please let me Da-Bao."</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799472263_7c8ecce2ac_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">“Dar I really want to dabao that fried chicken where we walked past last night,”</span></b> </span>insisted the young lady.</span><p></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> I thought this would be a great chance to force her out of her comfort zone…</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Ok of course you can dabao.. but 我考考你.. you your ownself order from the waiter in Korean and try,”</span></b> I challenged her and she took up the challenge. She must be hungry hahaha!!</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><b><span style="font-family: Hi Melody; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">“<span>포장해</span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">도돼요</span></span><span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hi Melody; font-size: x-large;">?”</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: medium;">(Can I take away)</span></b></span> she asked the young waiter.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-family: Yeon Sung;">”네, 네… 뭘 드릴까요?”</span> </span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(</span></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: medium;">Yes, what can I get you?)</span></b> came through fast and furious reply from the waiter.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><b><span style="font-family: Hi Melody;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;">“<span>마늘 닭 한 마리 포장해</span></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">주세요</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">."</span></span></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: medium;">(Garlic chicken please give me 一只)</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"> </span></b></span>Ok.. haltingly she said it. But hey not bad leh, REALLY not bad at all, this Serene!</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And she successfully ordered her own one whole chicken meal at 17,800₩, which we later on, happily devour back in the Rooftop! Happy supper with fresh green grapes.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799713114_59c2dbaa98_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799713114_59c2dbaa98_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">“Actually hor.. if I were a young Korean student this chicken meal with one can of coke, a big whole grilled garlic chicken with lots of glutinous rice and some vegetables, would be enough for me to have for lunch and dinner.. maybe even longer.. maybe two days?”</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"> </span></span></b>said Serene, of this S$20.40 dabao. <span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: medium;"><b>“Actually to save money if I were a young student here in Hongdae I would eat cup noodles every day even.. and do some simple cooking.”</b></span></span></p></div></blockquote><p><br /></p><p> </p><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Huh? Not enough still? Still want late night coffee?</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798401162_1d59d9082c_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798401162_1d59d9082c_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">People always said that in Korea, the coffee and cafe cultures were strongly entrenched as part of their daily lives. <span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;"><b>The recent restriction by the Korean government in allowing only up to 4 persons to dine in restaurants and cafe, and to have the dining establishment close at 9pm actually dealt a major blow to businesses.</b></span> Even back home in Singapore, we were allowed up to 5 persons to dine in (of course gradually we arrived at 5 persons) but there was no restriction in time.</span></p><p>Still, just around 7-8pm, the cafes were <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799357521_a1f9af86f3_k.jpg" target="_blank">bustling</a>.<br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799349861_2e2634e3f5_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799349861_2e2634e3f5_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Thinking back at The Foot Shop massage SaJangNim’s words.. I still feel that in terms of eating, Singapore is cheaper than Seoul, though Hongdae is definitely one of the more affordable areas. Here in Seoul, a full meal with Banchan and drinks would set us off by at least 10,000₩ (S$12). But back home in an equivalent setup, say in a kopi tiam, you can get a bowl of wonton mee, or bak Chor mee for $5.50 and drink for $2. It will still total S$7.50. Still cheaper than here in Hongdae.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799704174_2c9ae3eff4_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799704174_2c9ae3eff4_k.jpg" width="93" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />Luckily we had our late hot coffee to keep our bodies warm... Because that night... wah it was really cold with the temperature registering a<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b> Negative 14.1 degrees.</b></span> Serene asked me how cold was this.. I told her... well, we could compare this to that fateful early morning at Dingboche, along Everest Base Camp trek when we all were in full battle order, ready to trek out...</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">So what did Koreans do when the temperature plunged?</span></b><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So cute wor.. our RoofTop Terrace host texted us to <span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><b>turn on all the water taps and the kitchen faucets, as well as the showerhead, and let a slow trickle of water run at all times</b></span>. </span>Hmmm? Why ah? He explained that as the weather was so cold, this was to prevent the pipings from choking up with ice. Wah... such attention to details, even down to the water piping... Of course, for us who spent our whole lives in the Tropics, we never had to deal with these. But here it was a real problem.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Next stop... Click below..</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/moving-to-north-korea-erm-north-of.html" style="text-align: right; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><b><i><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Day 5: </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</span></i></b></a></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p> Emigrating to our Traditional Hanok in Bukchon!</p><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b><a name="Day5">Day 5</a></b></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="color: #ffe599; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>26 Dec 2021</b></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799311711_7993e72260_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799311711_7993e72260_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional Hanok!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798395697_97800bc413_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798395697_97800bc413_k.jpg" width="93" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hmmm.. this morning was still a freezing morning. The temperature stood at -15 degrees at 9:30am. The past couple of days we had been donning not only our Ultra-Warm Heatech base layers, but also our power-bank-heated middle vests, our normal T shirt, our SMOL down middle vests and our SMOL down outer jackets. We had to put aside the more fashionable trench coats for a more practical and warm set-up.<br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Next stop - Sophia Hanok Guesthouse, a traditional Korean House, where we would be spending the next three nights.</span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Continue reading below to follow our adventure on this day.</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> If you wish to jump forward to any other parts, please click on each of the Days below to go into the detail, and fun-filled videos and photo travelogue for that day</span></b></span>. <span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> <b>Join us as we continue our Travel in Korea!</b></span></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p></p><p></p><div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: right; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Bye Bye OkTabBang!</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We were again to do our own ART and to take a photo of these with our passport. There was no instructions to upload these to any official Korean website.. so we just do it and Guai Guai kept the photos on our handphone.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799701854_7ae72fc1d0_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827689733_f0c99aaaad_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bade one last bye bye to our Rooftop Terrace.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799701829_db1b01cfcf_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827689718_9b8d749b3d_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Apparently, despite our taking to public buses in Seoul, it’s not recommended to bring our huge luggage into public buses, from what I searched, and from 민준원’s (our AirBnB host) advice. Thinking about carrying the heavy luggages down the steps of Hongyik University Entrance Subway Station was not our most preferred and thus the last resort. But hey.. Kakao Taxi App wasn’t bad at all in booking a taxi, even though not having a local Korean phone number meant I was not able to input a credit card as a form of payment into my Kakao App. Still, 18 minutes taxi drive and at 8,700₩ (S$10) was really not too bad.</span></p></blockquote><p> </p><div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799700819_985bb322f0_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799700819_985bb322f0_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One last check.. HEY! Not supposed to wear shoes inside the OkTabBang!</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">Sophia Hanok - Bukchon <span style="font-family: Yeon Sung;">북전</span> <span style="font-family: Yeon Sung;">北村</span></span></b></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_VaYhLJ-C_0moE-JQ3cumsADW7IJkc9KddyHXUBvnw-dFiDl_dD52bl-KjxcX2sWKb-pEx2Dca92wwEtGlMIyUJdkNKF9by4NsR8G5R6JN6APtVHezjWwd-Bdy96qbQf9xkC_XERSHM8OeaRR-qUkeNKixI3lIDIr-aF0WagscpmPQERYFaBuxJY4=s640" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="552" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_VaYhLJ-C_0moE-JQ3cumsADW7IJkc9KddyHXUBvnw-dFiDl_dD52bl-KjxcX2sWKb-pEx2Dca92wwEtGlMIyUJdkNKF9by4NsR8G5R6JN6APtVHezjWwd-Bdy96qbQf9xkC_XERSHM8OeaRR-qUkeNKixI3lIDIr-aF0WagscpmPQERYFaBuxJY4=w414-h552" width="414" /></a></div><br />Bukchon 북촌 北村 has six hundred years of history as the residential area for the aristocrats and government officials, the upper class of Joseon dynasty known as the Yangban 两班. As such Bukchon has an unmistakable medieval feeling to its surrounding. </span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We knew one of the best ways to experience it was to be right in the midst of this old village staying in one of the <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799309181_872654c674_k.jpg" target="_blank">old traditional houses</a>, called Hanok 韩屋.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799673899_7c58424cee_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827689723_7044a5430b_k.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />It took us a while to drag our luggages to the correct spot. Much of the gratitude went to a very patient female boutique store 사장님, who took all of 5 minutes to show me exactly on the map how to walk.<span style="font-family: Dokdo;">.</span><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Yeon Sung;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;">“여기에서 이렇게 가시고 여기 내리시고 베스칸을 보시면, 계속 이 쪽으로 가시는데 이니스프리 지나시고, 오른쪽으로 가시면 됩니다.”</span></span>
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">By the time I walked out of the boutique store, Serene was already shivering out on the street and kao-beh-ing.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Luckily for me, the SaJangNim had pointed out the 24 Emart, the Baskin Robbins and the Innisfree shop as landmarks for me. </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Walking along Bukchon drew out a feeling of dejavu because a few years back we stayed in one of the traditional Hanoks here. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802266072_782162d7f0_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802266072_782162d7f0_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside our Hanok...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799451453_b8e1eeae25_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799451453_b8e1eeae25_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside our Hanok</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Although when we were first re-introduced to the little bedroom we kinda were a little taken aback.. it was like a cultural shock all over again.. but soon the memories of sleeping in an Ondol-Bang came back to us.. and we literally warmed up to the room quickly.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798380177_6b967ab0e0_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827204336_29aa82f475_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In our Hanok bedroom...</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799627689_34dee7ab01_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799627689_34dee7ab01_k.jpg" width="93" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sophia Guesthouse was right at the end of an alley, an oldish little house with a central yard like 中国人的四合院. The owner Mr Lee welcomed us and told us:<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b> “There, small room. Here big room for you. Service. "</b></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>(Service in Korean means free of charge)</b></span></span><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Today very cold,”</b></span> he said, and <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799694449_f6122cc5c0_k.jpg" target="_blank">showed us the room</a> and the <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799327171_89cdc52b98_k.jpg" target="_blank">attached private bathroom.</a></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />He was absolutely right... it was super cold on this day. If a Korean said that it was cold, it could not be anything else but cold.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"> </span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AkoxxrXMMBI" width="840" youtube-src-id="AkoxxrXMMBI"></iframe></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /><br />Right up till this stage we literally had <b><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Indie Flower; font-size: medium;">only about 5000W cash</span></b> on us. Barely enough to buy a couple of Hotteoks. <br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827547509_294a83bf35_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827547509_294a83bf35_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walked across the short distance from Bukchon to Insadong.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801812899_5bf2dcea89_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801812899_5bf2dcea89_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bukchon Klaguksu restaurant in Insadong</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Walking along in the small alleys, the steam from the small cafe and 식당 meander in waves from the slits of the windows. Sunday noon, and Bukchon was asleep, saved for a small handful of locals wandering around and taking photos. Recently ever since the middle of 2010 when there was a surge of tourists invading upon Bukchon, the residents had been harbouring a great deal of displeasure. But the allure of the 600-year-old Bukchon was what drew tourist monies. Damned if they come and damned if they don’t. Walking along the small alleys, it was pretty eerily quiet that I felt a pang of sadness, for Covid had indeed haemorrhaged the tourism industry.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798325992_54e4eabf0c_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798325992_54e4eabf0c_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch at Bukchon Kalgukgsu!</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799279041_114928edbf_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799279041_114928edbf_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kalguksu</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Across the main road 율곡로 was cultural Insadong. The tourist information lady patiently searched for us but found all the money changers to be closed on this Sunday. Who could blame them? No tourists, no tourist money, and the locals were also no longer travelling. Thus we had to live another day without cash. </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Insadong on a Sunday afternoon was a really sad affair. My memory of Insadong few years back was a bustling, noisy walking street with plenty of locals and tourists and the arts and traditional calligraphy shops doing brisk business. </span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799399813_85fad80510_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827546959_40aab11979_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Rock Salt;">MAKGEOLI</span>? IN the middle of the day?!</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Fast forward to this day, a few shop owners selling 龙须糖 called out to us: </span><b style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Singapore? Here this delicious!”</span></b></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We smiled at the two young men manning the stall and nodded our heads. I was impressed they could<br /> tell we were from Singapore - we all in masks, and not speaking a single word as we passed, but perhaps it was our dressing that let the kittens out? We didn't buy any from him, sadly.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"> </span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/52WJNzwbabI" width="840" youtube-src-id="52WJNzwbabI"></iframe></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Quite a dead town, was Insadong. On a cold afternoon, a nice warm meal of GomTang, Mandu 국 soup and makgeoli, pancake was a heart and body-warming affair in this restaurant called Bukchon Kalguksu.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b>“Wow! This is the most delicious <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799399973_5c43e457c6_k.jpg" target="_blank">kimchi</a> I have ever tasted,”</b></span> </span>said <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801470992_c45ed3ade1_k.jpg" target="_blank">Serene</a>. <span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">“</span><span><b><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">And this </span><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798330797_130aedc06c_k.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">Mandu</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></a></span><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798330797_130aedc06c_k.jpg" target="_blank">만둣국</a></span><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798330797_130aedc06c_k.jpg" target="_blank"> 馒头汤</a></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">is superb. And your <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799279041_114928edbf_k.jpg" target="_blank">GomTang </a></span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Gaegu;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799279041_114928edbf_k.jpg" target="_blank">곰탕</a></span><span> </span></span><span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">is also very delicious. The seafood </span><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799643174_bb517f162f_k.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">pancake</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></a></span><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799643174_bb517f162f_k.jpg" target="_blank">해물 파전</a></span></span><span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;"> <span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">matches with the magkeoli (rice wine) is perfect.”</span></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-large;"> </span></span></b></span>Wah 우리 집사람 must have been really hungry. Hahahaha…</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><br /></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">As much as Bukchon was dejavu, strolling along Insadong was as nostalgic. It brought back memories of our very first trip to Korea with the children and, at that tine Ah Sing was looking to visit art galleries in Korea. It’s strange how memories are such powerful links to the past and how they conjure emotional responses deep within.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798311492_b69e945d12_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798311492_b69e945d12_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Traditional Hanok - 소피아 Guesthouse</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Had a great nap in our Hanok room, as the floor was warm and we were insulated from the harsh cold outside, until 5pm.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“I really want to slowly walk Bukchon, like the way that Seoul Walker took his two hour videos of heavy snow walking along the alleys of Bukchon like that,”</span></b> I told Serene.</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799616659_4e7ed3da7c_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827931255_23b1567da5_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">Waiting for the Ajumma to prepare our special Red Bean Hotteok<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827313303_0d71ca1363_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827313303_0d71ca1363_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: justify;">But wah tonight was such a freezing night. Wrong time. But the execution was still carried out. Our USB hand warmer from Taobao was so useful, placed inside a side pocket and having our hands holding it, as well the power bank-operated heated vest from Coldwear at Plaza Singapura. </div></span></div></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800431917_e380b9cc89_h.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="540" height="200" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51800431917_e380b9cc89_h.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Together with these, our Kickstarter SMOL down jacket and down vest completed the whole battle order. The only parts that were left still cold were our thighs and legs, only protected by Heatech’s ultra-warm base layer and the outer layer of jeans. Hmmm.. tomorrow I need to add the woolen legging on top of the ultra-warm heatech to see how it works.</div></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798309267_6c64c1f46d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798309267_6c64c1f46d_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead town Bukchon</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827313293_b2e4ecab81_o.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51827313293_b2e4ecab81_o.gif" width="400" /></a></div></div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Shivering through the cold, I was disheartened to see a semi-deserted Bukchon. There were cafes opening, bakeries opening, traditional siktangs opening where the workers were busy cleaning the kitchen, and bags and accessories and Hanbok (traditional Korean clothes) shops opening into the night. But aside from scattered groups of passers-by, mother and father with young child, girl friends walking arm in arm, there were hardly any customers.</span><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"> <b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">黄生家</span></b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b> </b><span style="font-family: Nanum Myeongjo;"><b>칼국수</b></span></span>
</span></p><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd;">“<span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Let’s support the local industry leh,”</span></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"> </span></b></span>urged Serene, and we bought some buns and we even popped into a 黄生家칼국수 restaurant where Serene had a </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space-collapse: preserve;">사골칼국수</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (牛骨汤面) and I ordered a 만두국 (馒头汤). I personally found the kimchi here spectacular. And we had such a wonderful meal this evening, that we didn’t mind bearing the cold walking back to the Hanok.</span></p></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801744084_16079b0795_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801744084_16079b0795_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p> </p><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">During this meal, the ladies took our orders but failed to deliver. So we Chogiyo them.. Chogiyo!
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: x-large;">“뭘 드길까요?”</span></b> courteously asked the Ajumma.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Song Myung; font-size: x-large;">“저는 이미 주문했는데 근대 음식 아직 안 왔어요.”</span></span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And they apologetically delivered our ordered food to our dining table. Actually, the service staff in Korea are generally very good, and very efficient.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799941555_787b7a4898_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799941555_787b7a4898_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It’s been well said that living and being immersed in a culture is the best way to expose oneself to learning its language. Nothing could be more true in our case. Within these short five days, both Serene and I have gained so much in confidently expressing ourselves and finding it a little easier in at least attempting to find the appropriate words and phrases to suit the situation. From every Korean contact, we learned and we continued to learn. Even sitting and stealthily listening to the young couple in conversation at the next table was a learning opportunity. Without subtitles, we had to make out what the drama characters on the tv were saying, and faced with a continuous bombardment of quickly-spoken Korean from the cashier, the waiter, or even the Ajumma selling the Hotteok, we had to adapt fast and try to catch short segments of words that allowed us to guess what he or she was trying to, in such a friendly tone of voice, convey to us. Even our lovely Serene gained much confidence.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Indie Flower; font-size: x-large;"><b>Next Stop...</b></span></p><p><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/of-pcr-and-gyeongbokgung-wonderful.html" style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large;"><b><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Day 6: </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</span></b></span></i></a></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p> Day 6 PCR and.. Snow in Gyeongbokgung!</p><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><a name="Day6">Day 6</a></span></b>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #ffe599;">27 Dec 2021</span></b>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799172556_a194eb16e5_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799172556_a194eb16e5_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geongbokgung</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801474567_996023d526_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801474567_996023d526_k.jpg" width="93" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wah lau eh.. this morning was still cold at a negative 12.6 degree. But the Hanok was deliciously warm with the heated floor. It wasn’t that big a room, but it was sufficient for (again) a feel of the Hanguk traditional living.</span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803580489_1dad0c251f_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803580489_1dad0c251f_k.jpg" width="400" /></a>
</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Continue reading below to follow our adventure on this day.</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> If you wish to jump forward to any other parts, please click on each of the Days below to go into the detail, and fun-filled videos and photo travelogue for that day</span></b></span>. <span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> <b>Join us as we continue our Travel in Korea!</b></span></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"></p><div style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></div>
</span><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801569958_f6ce04589e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801569958_f6ce04589e_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wah.. Hansik for breakfast leh - our first breakfast in the Hanok.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801469272_5c72239480_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51801469272_5c72239480_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />We loved the way the SajangNim prepared our traditional Korean breakfast and served us in the cozy dining room just right next to our bedroom. It’s like we got ourselves an attached private dining room. The hearty meal was more than enough to last us till dinner.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802177850_b1bb8298ad_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802177850_b1bb8298ad_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />What? What did one of you out there asked? Oh about the Hanok Bedroom? Oh comfortable of course it was.. small, but cozy and the Ondol 온돌 (warm-stone) floor was ooooohhh... just so lovely to sleep. Erm.. just don't let the ShaJangNim come into our room and inspect it. Because had he.. maybe we would have to check out a few days earlier. Hahahaha!</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Once again we braved the cold, walked down 한옥길 (Hanok street), took bus 704 four stations and arrived at 서대문역 for our Day 6/7 PCR at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital. Speaking about the in-Kore PCR, this Day 6/7 PCR is only required if one were to stay for 8 days or more. In the Singapore-Incheon VTL Telegram chat group, there were several hospitals highlighted: H-Plus Yangji hospital at Sillim, Seegene Medical, and one of them is this Kangbuk Samsung Hospital.</span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803553214_235eca6bce_o.gif" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803553214_235eca6bce_o.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Registering for our PCR in Kangbuk Samsung Hospital</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“Dar, I think hor… let’s forget about Seegene Medical for our PCR because it’s further away. Since Kangbuk Samsung is only 2km away let’s just take a bus there and do there,” </span></b>I suggested.</span></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803916950_591432aefd_o.gif" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803916950_591432aefd_o.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Confirmation of details and making payment</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The medical staff was efficient. Once we told them we were Singaporeans they immediately ushered us to get a queue number, fill up simple forms, and then registered ourselves. The registration nurse spoke understandable English and again was super efficient because once she knew we were there for the Day 6/7 swab, she got everything organized. We waited only for a short while, seated in the waiting area, watching local Koreans coming for their PCR and even a couple of Ang Mohs here for theirs.</span><p></p></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828905827_5c07d31676_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828905827_5c07d31676_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And finally... doing the poke.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">109,080₩ (S$125) and one poke in the throat and one more deep one in one nostril, and we walked out, exactly 39 minutes in total. Talk about fast service. Here it was even better and more efficient than PDTSwab back home in Singapore. <br /></span><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"></blockquote><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“Ok let’s just stroll leisurely from here down to Gwanghwamun and let’s visit Gyeongbokkung (once again) and just relax relax walk.”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wah lau don’t say hor… it was really cold walking like that..
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830204229_a36b69f206_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830204229_a36b69f206_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking just passing by the outside of Seoul History Museum... on our way to Gwanhwamun</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831869183_7d3983f302_b.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831869183_7d3983f302_b.jpg" width="320" /></a><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Wah luckily we have the heated vest inside and the USB heater egg in our pocket,”</b></span> noted Serene. <b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“But hor.. even with these USB heater egg at maximum level 3 hor, when it is so cold outside, the egg doesn’t feel hot at all.. but hor.. once we go indoors wah the egg becomes super hot.”</span></b></span></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828905732_695877521b_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828905732_695877521b_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>“Yah lor… it’s like that one. So you can imagine how cold it actually is outside.”</b></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> I replied.</span></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803240751_bc09392571_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803240751_bc09392571_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along Gwanghwamun Square</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b><span>“My ears are so cold that they are painful,”</span> </b></span>complained Serene. <span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Last time when we were in the mountains of Nepal, even when it was so cold it also wasn’t like that.”</b></span></span><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“Aiyah you old already lah.”</span></b></span></p></blockquote><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Gwanghwamun Square was all fenced up and heaps of sand and construction materials were inside. They were actually doing major re-building of Gwanghwamun Square. 좋은 생각이다. During Covid, the best thing is to rebuild so that everything will be just nice for recovery. <b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;">[EDIT: Oh AFTER visiting the Seoul History Museum a couple of days later then I realised that they were actually EXCAVATING Gwanhuamun Square - part of Yukcho because they have discovered important artifacts from history there.. how exciting!]</span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"> </span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PZ7mGhuO4NM" width="840" youtube-src-id="PZ7mGhuO4NM"></iframe></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Interestingly, perhaps it was just us, but walking along any streets in Seoul, one main road with all the buildings on both sides appeared no different from another main road at another part of Seoul. They all looked the same and I was thinking to myself, if I were to be plonked right in the middle of any part of Seoul, a typical road like this, I would be lost without my Kakao Map.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803249805_eb4c74285b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803249805_eb4c74285b_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">Gyeongbokgung <span style="font-family: Song Myung;">경복국</span> <span style="font-family: Black And White Picture;">景福宫</span></b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799572079_a7e54ad600_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799572079_a7e54ad600_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829861076_e347a9e74a_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829861076_e347a9e74a_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Gwanghwamun welcomed us with masked guards, and we made in right on time for the changing of guards. Gyeongbokkung was quite with few visitors. Aside from us, there was another young Ang Moh couple, and the rest were locals. Things hadn’t changed. Somehow I found ourselves more attuned to the buildings and more able to slowly explore, to find that the names of the various chambers and palaces named interestingly. </span><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803965125_25457ff88f_3k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="800" height="177" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803965125_25457ff88f_3k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama by the Queen of Panorama</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830204014_cc294fc77c_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></a></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>“This 殿 is named because it is used the Emperor is sick of listening to the governors and wanted to sit alone quietly to think and study. Here this 宫 is when the Emperor is sick of studying and wanted to look for his empress." </b></span></span></p></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829861106_3507b0082b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829861106_3507b0082b_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"></span></span></p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>"Of course, if you see the name of this other 殿, it’s when he had enough of the emperor and wanted to look for concubine number 2. Oh and oh.. this one 财成门 is when the Emperor desired to tiok TOTO…”</b></span> I joked.</span></p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830204014_cc294fc77c_k.jpg" width="480" /></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“And this one leh? Heard this one was used when the Emperor wanted to have his Empress give birth to a dragon (a son),”</span></b> I added.</span></p></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830583645_458d8737bf_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830583645_458d8737bf_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was COLD in Gyeongbokgung.</td></tr></tbody></table></span></b> </blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><b style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“Hahaha then these two? These two 宫 with the 双喜 words? Don’t tell me he used them when he had all his weddings with all his new wives?”</span></b> Serene quipped.</blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“맞아요!”</span></b> I replied.</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Jokes aside, I have always found visiting Gyongbokgung to be quite an overwhelming experience - each and every single time I was there. So far I was guilty of merely precursory walking on the grounds of the palace. This palace and all its chambers and halls had tonnes of history I made myself a promise that the next round when we visit Gyeongbokgung again, it would be after I have read and understood as much as I could of the history, and spending half a day there instead of one hour. I really didn't want to 走马看花 again.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830203729_5879da82e4_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830203729_5879da82e4_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So true. Probably it would be a while before you start seeing Singaporeans again.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>The National Palace Museum of Korea</b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I remembered having a great time on our last visit into the museum. But on this day, the Queen was kind of not interested. So we skipped this and played with the 十二生肖 outside.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831901546_691c87f83d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831901546_691c87f83d_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828905492_ff6b7756c0_k.jpg" target="_blank">龙</a>~<a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829860946_95851d5e1f_k.jpg" target="_blank">虎</a>争斗<a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828905482_f3255d313c_k.jpg" target="_blank">公鸡</a>跳,</p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828905487_066bf53c3d_k.jpg" target="_blank">牛</a>~<a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829860961_aed5c1e8d5_k.jpg" target="_blank">马</a>不对<a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828905397_f0e6c20680_k.jpg" target="_blank">老猴</a>逃。</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831952506_7f9042b402_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831952506_7f9042b402_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Similarly, I promised myself on our next trip we will spend at least a couple of hours inside the National Palace Museum. </div><div><br /><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Onwards to Insadong...</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We managed to survive until today day 6 with literally only about 20,000₩ (S$24) cash. The rates at the Singapore Money changers were not that good (S$1:850₩) and I could get better rates in Korea, I knew. Thankfully the money changer in Insadong that was closed yesterday Sunday was opened today.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828905407_410c0b400b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828905407_410c0b400b_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Insadong was famous for its arts and culture shops. But perhaps because of that its current visitors are the older generation.</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: Song Myung;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>“사장님, 싱가포르 달러를 한국원으로 환전하고싶어요,”</b></span> </span>wah steady liao.. the Korean that our SonSengNim taught us finally got use liao. <b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Song Myung;">“지금 환율은 얼마나죠?”</span> </span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Just hum-tum lah. And the rates came back 863… wah better than anything I could get in Singapore.</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829975713_bef202173d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829975713_bef202173d_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perhaps the younger ones still come but on this day we see mainly older patrons.</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So far up till this day we have been using two Master Debit cards- one was Wise (previously known as TransferWise), and the other one was YouTrip.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Each of these debit Mastercards just needed to have me top up its value inside. Wise MasterCard’s advantage was when I PayNow into my card back home in Singapore, I already locked in the rates and the S$ got converted immediately into Korean ₩ and stored inside the card. Wise had another advantage as I could use it to transfer money directly from my card to anyone in the world’s personal bank. This I used for Kim Man Jung’s glasses payment because by doing so he will incur no credit card merchant admin charges. But there was a tiny admin fee on my side, but not significant compared to the merchant admin charges. Of course Wise could also be used as a normal Debit card to swipe at any shop.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829975653_0a3c466f02_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829975653_0a3c466f02_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">As for YouTrip, it was good because it stored my money as Singapore dollar, and only at the point of use then the amount was converted according to the exchange rate at that time. So far YouTrip’s exchange rates were fantastic, ranging from 1:869 to 1:871. Way better than any credit card could offer.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So I gave Serene the YouTrip MasterCard to hold and every meal, every purchase, and every transaction I made her pay. Actually it was an excuse… it was so that she would be forced to converse in Korean to the cashiers, the waiters and such. In this aspect the YouTrip card accomplished its mission perfectly because by Day 6 my Serene could order almost anything and could ask for payment for almost anything, in Korean liao.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829860861_6eaa3624c9_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829860861_6eaa3624c9_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The once crowded Samziegil was merely a single digit percent of its old self on this day.</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Walking through Insadong to look for (probably the only one surviving in Insadong) that Money changer, I was really saddened to find that today Monday Insadong was dishearteningly quiet. We saw mainly old folks, old Halabeojis and old Halmeonis claudicating along the streets looking into windows. Even the usually bubbling Samziegil zig-zag Mall was dead.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">What was so wonderful about travelling in winter, again to remind ourselves, was: 1. We got to eat aplenty. 2. Because the weather was so freezing cold we usually clawed back to our AirBnB or Hanok and grabbed a couple of hours of nap, then we roamed out again. 3. We invariably slept really early, aga aga 9-10pm and we woke up relatively late at 9am.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Good life, eh? Haha that was what travelling free and easy was supposed to be.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803274703_22e5738e66_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803274703_22e5738e66_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">仁寺洞这里也下雪呢!</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Before our trip, our children, Kat and several other friends asked us what would we be doing in Korea, to which my answer was standard:<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: medium;"><b> “We will pretend that we are retired in Korea with a daily limit amount for expenditure (not restrictive, though) and we will behave as we live there as any Koreans, walk the small small streets of the dongs, eat all the local food and drink soju and beer at the local 식당s, pay exactly the same price as the locals pay… buy from the convenient stores and bakeries as the Koreans do, take the buses and Subway, and walked.. just like the men and women on the Hanguk Street… and importantly to attempt to communicate bravely in Korean with any Korean person anytime the opportunity arises, be him or her a driver, a passerby on the road, a student, a store-keeper, or the owner of the Hanok.. and just gar-gar whack Korean, from what we learned from our SonSengNim, and speak like the ways babies explore and learn.”</b></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803879695_0ffb519fae_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803879695_0ffb519fae_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go back Hanok to sleep first before we move out again.</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Although it was only a short 6 days till this day, our constant exposure every second, sights and sounds, significantly consolidated our Korean vocabularies and sentence structures because we were forced to think how to ask or how to say before we verbalise. And our confidence level ramped up a few notches, most improved was my Serene. The astonishing amount of confidence she exuded belied her apparent ignorance and finally I could tell myself even if I let her loose with a debit card in Seoul she could easily get food, her herself filled, buy warm clothes and take bus and take subway and make her way back to our hotel or apartment.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802266037_64cf7876aa_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802266037_64cf7876aa_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dressed up to go gai gai again!</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div><b style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“What?!?! So early! It’s only 4:50pm, not even 5pm you wake me up already?! For dinner? I am still very full leh!” </span></b><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">kao-beh the Empress.</span></div><p></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803339233_3732f76e4b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803339233_3732f76e4b_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Queen said she was still full. But her ears are not 听话. They are freezing (quite funnily so) <br />so we bought a pair of 5000W ear muffs.</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Dinner at Gongpyeongdong </b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>공평동장어 公平洞鳗鱼店</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="color: black; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="color: black; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: collapse;"> </span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/32leM3tjH50" width="840" youtube-src-id="32leM3tjH50"></iframe></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">But of course, if the Emperor says go, no one can say no. Still, a cold late afternoon and again sky was darkening.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I promised Ah Li and Fann we would go look for that 呱呱叫店, a local Korean siktang that was near Jongro where all the children and ourselves had a most unforgettable meal of bulgogi on a deep-freezing night in December 2015. It was so memorable that we had always wanted to find our way back but never succeed until recently Ah Li and I searched on Google Map and found its location along Jongro, this restaurant called 공평동 꼼장어 (GongPyeongDong Eel).
</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799484129_b5a98eeb72_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799484129_b5a98eeb72_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh this restaurant brought back so much memories.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was merely an 800m walk from our Hanok. On this day, the long long queue outside its premise in biting cold, standing next to charcoal warmer to keep its customer warm while queuing, was no more. Although there was no queue outside, once inside the unmistakable cacophony of melodious Korean floated from every table at an uninhibited level of decibels, both men and women, just like the way a local Korean SikTang should be. Hardly any foreigners come here one.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829860856_3b1bbf5d6c_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829860856_3b1bbf5d6c_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">At 5:30pm the sky was dark like the deep of the night and the bulgogi restaurant was full of patrons all talking at the too of their voice.. totally Hanguk Style. We were the only foreigners… but we were foreigners who could communicate a little one ok… When again as usual I told the waiter <span style="font-family: Song Myung; font-size: large;"> <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>“우리는 싱가포르 사람이에요. 해외 접종 확인서가 있어요.”</b></span></span> (We are Singaporeans and we have the foreign vaccination confirmation certificate) the waiter’s face lit up and directed us to make the AnShimCall and quickly got us seated.
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832284199_035c1ff98b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832284199_035c1ff98b_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This time round with our ability to read the menu on the wall we placed our order very quickly - 석쇠불고기 (steel grilled beef), 꼼장어 (eel), and 불막장 (the distal end of the small intestine, grilled and seasoned). The one bottle of soju and one bottle of beer only brought out the aroma of the food even more. So we joined in the spirit of the restaurant in speaking loudly and jovially. Our outer jackets and middle layers were safely covered up in big transparent plastic bags that they provided to each of us, to reduce seeping of the fumes and smell into our clothes. As thoughtful as always.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799194638_419bafddeb_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799194638_419bafddeb_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The one thing about this roadside small restaurant hor.. its tables are placed, not only very near to each other, they were also very near the entrance so much that halfway through eating we started feeling the cold seeping onto our body and the guy next table had to put on his outer jacket, and another young couple moved to a table further in. For us, not only our legs were cold, our hands were numbed. Thankfully we had the soju and beer to warm us up, and our USB egg and power bank-heated middle best kept us going. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gugi; font-size: xx-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">춥죠! </span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Being here at <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>공평동 꼼장어 본점</b></span> started flashes of memories of our first trip with the children. Kairen and Fann made all the bookings and arrangement we just followed. That was in Dec 2015. Wow indeed swept through like a hurricane. Walking deep inside Insadong and weaving through Bukchun, and meandering even Hongdae that was relatively newer to us, we discovered so many scenes of nostalgia.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799059766_4408ac5337_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799059766_4408ac5337_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799428249_a1a175afdc_k.jpg" target="_blank">Walking back</a>, the coldness in the air seemed to have taken a back seat.. but as we walked there were still frozen pools of ice on the ground which we had to be careful not to slip on.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I took a lovely, lovely HOT shower because the night before it was so cold (and the warm water in our room wasn’t working) that I decided to do a Nepal style of skipping the showering last night. Today the hot water for the shower was back! IT was especially so when the weather was so freezing on such a night, and we had the luxury of a warm ondol floor, and a warmed room so that my teeth did not chatter after the shower, like what always happened when I was in Nepal.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We slept early this night.
</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Indie Flower; font-size: x-large;"><b>Next Stop...</b></span></p><p><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/discovering-serenity-of-traditional.html" style="text-align: right;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Day 7: </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</span></span></i></b></a></p><p> <span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div><h1><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><a name="Day7">Day 7</a></span></span></h1><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>28 Dec 2021</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803964825_f754a7f9b9_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803964825_f754a7f9b9_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Early this morning at 8:30am.</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829861261_5c64dbbe8e_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829861261_5c64dbbe8e_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second Hanok Day traditional breakfast.</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b><br />“Breakfast is ready!”</b></span> called out the Hanok ShajangNim Mr Lee.</span><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b>“哇佬,每天早上一起来就是吃!”</b></span> remarked Serene. <b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;">“Every day hor.. we just eat, and eat and eat and sleep and sleep and shit and shit…”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803602501_a917745c80_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803602501_a917745c80_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />What she said was quite true. But she left out the major part that we also walked and walked and walked.</span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span></span></span></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Continue reading below to follow our adventure on this day.</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> If you wish to jump forward to any other parts, please click on each of the Days below to go into the detail, and fun-filled videos and photo travelogue for that day</span></b></span>. <span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> <b>Join us as we continue our Travel in Korea!</b></span></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></div></span><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828905852_fd8a3661e5_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828905852_fd8a3661e5_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the fact that my Queen brings me hot water every morning.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">While having breakfast, 김만중 Kakao-Talked us our Negative PCR results for the test done the day before.
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-size: large;"><b>“It’s really cold today,”</b></span> he texted.<b><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">“Please be careful.”</span> </span></b>So thoughtful of him.</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799174628_87991a1517_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799174628_87991a1517_k.jpg" width="93" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />It was cold. Still cold. Though a tad off the lows of -14 a couple of days ago. This morning the mercury stood at -8.1 degree and the weather forecast said he may snow tonight and be a little icy tomorrow.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: x-large;">“What’s your plan today?”</b>sked <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799170803_376e654eb8_k.jpg" target="_blank">Serene</a> during breakfast.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“I don’t know leh”</b></span> my answer.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"></div><p></p><blockquote style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>“Good! Then I am going back to sleep!”</b></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> this girl very naughty ah.</span></p></blockquote></blockquote><div><p><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">漫步</span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">北村</span></span></b></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hmmm.. really didn’t know what to do today. Sometimes when one is on a free and easy holiday, if tine allows, it is never ever a bad thing to have one day when the mind doesn’t know what to do and where to go, and one would simply let nature take its course and let one’s feet do the walking. Today was just one of these days.
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830449563_410af70612_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830449563_410af70612_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Our feet took us up the slope from the Hanok and up and up some more slopes as we strolled northwards towards the more mountainous part of Bukchon. Bukchon, interesting, was a village that was on the hill between Geongbokkung and Changdeokgung, a fact that was apparent to our gluteus muscles when we started climbing and Serene started Kao-beh-ing.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830678004_a69be37b33_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830678004_a69be37b33_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829378962_568b6eae71_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51829378962_568b6eae71_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></b></span></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b><br />“One of the reviews said that one of the best way to explore Bukchon is to get lost in it,”</b></span> I shared with Serene. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Now with Kakao Map, it’s so easy.. we can walk and just walk along whichever alley or street and totally get lost.. Nothing that one glance at our Kakao Map App cannot re-locate our position.”</b></span></span><p></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830584100_61ea057d64_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830584100_61ea057d64_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">With that we walked up the hills and were impressed to find ourselves <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51798089127_a44fbaafd3_k.jpg" target="_blank">peering over some Hanoks below us </a>and looking far upon the palaces and mountains. Wah.. what a view. My good friend Michael urged me to go hike up Bukhansan. But upon Serene’s fierce resistance this plan died a natural death. Perhaps next time.
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830584125_99e54088d4_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830584125_99e54088d4_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We kept coming upon <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803598341_0e4b7f532d_k.jpg" target="_blank">upslopes after upslopes</a> with every turn we took until we realised that hey this is not going to be easier. Might as well just grit our teeth and keep climbing. So continue kao-beh-ed the Queen did while she activated her long-unused gluteus muscles. I was looking at some official-looking government building compound when I turned back and saw her <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804321875_3fe87d5fb7_k.jpg" target="_blank">drawing on a frozen windscreen</a> of a car. This girl ah.. at the most unexpected times she would do the most unexpected things one.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828905687_eecb99a108_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828905687_eecb99a108_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Hey, take a photo of our reflection inside the mirror,"</b></span> commanded the Queen at one of the <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804318320_64bb68ef9f_k.jpg" target="_blank">flats after a climb</a>. I kept checking my Kakao-Map and I was very impressed to find that even the small small little alleys were correctly reflected in the map. Only thing was, of course, one must read the map in 한글 lor. But it was really quite a exhilarating experience, topo-ing among the small little 胡同 골목 of the village. </span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"> </span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lbHcDRtti0M" width="840" youtube-src-id="lbHcDRtti0M"></iframe></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We found all the Hanoks with their central courtyard and the ondol (warmed stone heated flooring) and maru (raised floor) very attractive. This ondol technique of having study rooms and bedrooms elevated by stone base that was heated up by piping steam from fires in the kitchen from cooking, was known to start during the Goryeo Dynasty in the 10th century. The maru was a raised wooden floor used mostly for room to host guests and it keeps air circulating beneath and kept the room cool during hot weather. The designs of the Hanok entered our hearts and we joked with each other each time we saw a beautiful hour with a central yard and rooms on each of the four sides of the yard</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830583995_9e98f0cabd_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830583995_9e98f0cabd_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803609353_cadfc24465_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803609353_cadfc24465_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b><br />“How? This one nice right? Want to rent this one and stay here?”</b></span></span><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Don’t want! This one is right up so high up in the hill, I walk also want to die already. The alley is so small car also cannot come in, and if I carry a heavy bag of groceries you want me to walk all the way up here. And each time I want to go market I got to 下山? 안돼!”</b></span> hahaha this Serene gave no chance.</span></p></blockquote><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But at the foot of the mountain we did come across one really lovely Hanok that was very near the main road and the main junction and was nestled in a quiet corner by itself. Wah, this one we did.. kind of... 마음에 들었다.</p><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830678009_ea92a3a227_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830678009_ea92a3a227_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830583970_bbdd2c9981_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830583970_bbdd2c9981_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We didn’t manage to walk the whole of Bukchon and explore every single alley. But we did enough walking and I was totally satisfied, soaked in the tranquil medieval environment with many a touch of modernity. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wanted to find a Hanbok Studio but most of the shops were Hanbok Rental shops and not Hanbok Photography Studios. Found one in Insadong and that one charged an exorbitant price. Found another studio in Bukchon and was happy with the price but within our Kakao Talk correspondence, I realized that for that price they will not give us the original RAW file but instead a downsized processed file and some prints. Ah.. forget it lah. I think I could just set up my own lights at home and do the job... we already have all the necessary equipment at home. hahaha...
</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803959829_9511311fd7_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803959829_9511311fd7_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time in our lives we acted like young cute Korean girls... and boys.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I can understand why. The business has been poor and thus the photo studios had to struggle to make ends meet. But honestly for professionally-shot portraiture of us as a couple wearing Hanbok, no lah... I won’t pay that kind of exorbitant prices, as much as I would like to support the local Korean professional artist community. Kwenchana.
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802537862_bb62373172_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802537862_bb62373172_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Strangely we found ourselves eating lunch again after a very heavy breakfast of bibimbap. <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803718888_ed9e5b183a_k.jpg" target="_blank">At this hole in the wall SikTang</a> we ordered 칼국수 knife cut noodle, 만돗국 Mandu soup, and 모든 만두 a mixture set of different Mandu. And we ate until our stomach felt so bloated we wanted to throw up when we stumbled back to our Hanok to take a much-needed rest.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“I feel like vomiting,”</span></b> I said, lying on the ondol.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Gaegu;">“</span><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Hey me too leh,”</span></b></span> admitted Serene.</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Walking to Myeongdong...</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804326245_87cb089067_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804326245_87cb089067_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Jiaklat. This cannot continue. We needed to keep walking to burn off all these. So I told Serene ok, my plan for the evening was to walk from Bukchon, through Insadong, to Myeongdong. </span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Indie Flower;"><b>"It was a pleasant walk, about 30 minutes, yes, but a lot of things to see many signboards to point out to each other and to read out loud to each other. Travelling in Korea was like this.. it was maximizing our exposure to the language visually, auditorily and having the perfect opportunity to mouth and vocalize the words we see. In short, every moment is a learning moment, every walk is a practice in reading, every turn is a chance in deciphering the meanings of the signboards, and every second is a Korean Language lesson for both of us. That was what young students experience when they get sent for exchange in another country</b></span><b> </b>-</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Caveat Brush;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">total immersion.</span></span></i></span><b>"</b></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I could see that Serene was slowly getting the hang of reading and understanding faster, and verbalising her sentences quicker. </span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b><span>"I need to read more, and listen more. You really need to speak to me more in Korean,"</span> </b></span>once again she said. Yes, <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799778845_dcc2c34ab4_k.jpg" target="_blank">she is starting to study</a> more, although in her own very special way -<span style="font-family: Caveat Brush;"><i> <span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>learning by Osmosis.</b></span></i></span></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803719963_7b984da007_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803719963_7b984da007_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Serene was pleasantly surprised how near Myeongdong was from our Hanok at Bukchon. And she happily announced to 한상문 씨, 김만중 and 김학중 separately her newly-learned phrase:
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><h1><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">“</span><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">우리는 북촌에서 명동까지 걸어왔어요!</span><span style="font-size: large;">”</span></b></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: medium;"><b> (We walked and came to Myeongdong from Bukchon !)</b></span></span></h1></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sitting down in MOMO Cafe and sharing about Options trading over coffee with the two brothers, I naughtily took that opportunity to practise using economic and financial investment terms that I could squeeze out of my brain and incorporate these into Korean sentences. We were just sharing with them the learning of this special Options strategy and that I was so convinced by it and been relatively successful with it that we got our daughters to attend the course and even my young nurses to attend the course so that they can attain financial independence.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Yeon Sung;">“Options?! 위험한 것 조?”</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"> </span></span></b>asked the 35 year old elder brother 김학중.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Yes only if you leverage massively.”</b></span></span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">As we talked, our conversation came to property prices and 김만중 said that the property prices in Seoul have doubled since Covid started and that the prices of apartments in Mapo (an expensive area) is double that of a similar unit in Incheon.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b>Talking about cost of living…</b></span>
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop"; font-size: large;">在北村漫步的这一天,所见的景色,使我们回想起北海道冬天里小尊市或函馆市或甚至好比澳洲 Busselton 的那一种悠然寂静的风味。这北村的店铺都不外是美术点,画廊,韩服店,服装店等等与艺术有关联的。我们走着走着,心想,客人这么少,如何可以维持生意?上山下山,古色古香的韩屋景色尽入眼帘,很是吸引人。我们本身比较喜欢东方的冬天。红毛国家嘛就别说了。日本北海道和韩国北村,各有各的味道。但试想想,每天上山下山,爬上坡走下坡,客观来说虽然是一种健康的生活方式,但是对我们新加坡人来说,累坏了…哈哈哈。</span>
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">我问阿华:<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">”要是我们在这里长期生活,每天的费用会多少?如何减少开支?”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">阿华说:<b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">”早餐就自己煮,午餐可以在外面吃,晚餐呢也就回来家里煮来吃。这样的话,在外面吃的那一餐午餐就大概新加坡钱$30-40。”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">”这样的话,我们两个人在这里的开支每天大概还是要$100吧。还没包括祖屋子呢… 加上住宿的话,每天$200?哇佬… 不便宜 leh…”</span></b></span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803961389_cb930ef9d4_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803961389_cb930ef9d4_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having lunch today in one of the cheapest hole-in-the-wall SikTang in Bukchon 7000W per person (for a bowl)<br />The Mandu combo was more expensive.</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">That evening consolidated one thing. It’s not impossible to live for an extended period of time in Korea, but we got to try to live and travel and eat as the locals do. And that is not considering medical expenses too. Because if we are not foreigners working here in Korea, holding the Alien Registration Card, then we don’t get to enjoy the medical treatment like the locals, who pay medical insurance. Food for thought…
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Next Stop....</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/myeongdong-annyeong.html" style="text-align: right; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><b><i><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Day 8: </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Myeongdong... Annyeong!</span></i></b></a></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"> </span>
</span></p><p> Finally moved to Myeongdong...</p><div><h1><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><a name="Day8">Day 8</a></span></span></h1><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>29 Dec 2021</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796508503_7c49f6a896_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796508503_7c49f6a896_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favourite Gwangjang market restaurant</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830447783_b0e9f13e74_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830447783_b0e9f13e74_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />Last night I set my alarm and woke up at 3am just so that I could try to see the weather-forecasted snow. Disappointedly I went back to sleep, but in the <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799109028_b479a2a1c6_k.jpg" target="_blank">morning the ground</a> was <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799137148_f7919cde56_k.jpg" target="_blank">glistening with newly-fell snow.
</a></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802645817_75491ab4cf_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802645817_75491ab4cf_k.jpg" width="93" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />Aiyah.. Kwenchana ya.. the weather forecast said that on the 2nd January there will be heavier snow in the morning. If it was meant to be it will be. Anyway today's weather was.. WARM at negative 1.9 degrees.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Continue reading below to follow our adventure on this day.</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> If you wish to jump forward to any other parts, please click on each of the Days below to go into the detail, and fun-filled videos and photo travelogue for that day</span></b></span>. <span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> <b>Join us as we continue our Travel in Korea!</b></span></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p></p><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">Bye Bye Hanok!</span></b></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799716235_ca074c9c09_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799716235_ca074c9c09_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828905507_e556157139_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828905507_e556157139_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our third Hanok Day breakfast</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />The Hanok Mr Lee told us we need to check out at 10am and sorry no choice because the part-timers need to come and clean the room. Ok lor.. chin chai lah. Actually we also didn’t mind because nothing else much more to do in Bukchon. Our original plan to walk from Bukchon to Myeongdong did not materialize because our two huge luggages were not so easy to roll on the very uneven tile-paved path. So finally right at the entrance of 한옥길 we flagged a Kakao Taxi.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space-collapse: preserve;">우리가</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space-collapse: preserve;">한국말</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space-collapse: preserve;">할</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space-collapse: preserve;">수</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space-collapse: preserve;">있는</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space-collapse: preserve;">싱가포르</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space-collapse: preserve;">사람이라서</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space-collapse: preserve;">이</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space-collapse: preserve;">기사님은</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space-collapse: preserve;">많이</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space-collapse: preserve;">놀랐다</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">. 10분만의 짧은 택시노정에서 우리는 기사님에게 호텔부터 음식값과 한국에 살고 있는 중국인의 생존력인까지 많이 이야기했다. 그분은 계속 우리가 한국말 잘하신다고 해서 우리 좀 paiseh 이었다. 그 택시 요금은 5,900₩만이라서 정말 합리적이었다.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b><span>“Dar…”</span> </b></span>started Serene.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“什么?”</b></span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span>“Dar, I want you to start talking to me in Korean from now,” </span>she said.</b></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Huh? Wae?” </span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">She suddenly kena tiok-gon-tao or something?</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“I hear the way you talked to the taxi driver just now.. I also want to be able to speak Korean like you.</span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">” </span></b>wah this girl this time round hor, she was for real liao one eh…</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Ok onz!”</span></b></span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So cute ah.. my Serene. Sometimes hor her 머리가 아무것도 없어도… 갑자기 maciam kena knocked on the head like that and suddenly wake up her ideas one leh! Best lah, my Dar!
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"> </span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ze_QgQoeaOE" width="840" youtube-src-id="ze_QgQoeaOE"></iframe></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830335181_9afbddda04_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830335181_9afbddda04_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Not wanting to waste that three and a half hours while waiting to check in at 2pm, we opted to just continue our usual 산책하다 and just walked from Myeongdong through the usual Myeongdong streets, to City Hall 시청, and started from the beginning of Cheonggyecheon 청계천 (清溪川) all the way to Gwangjang market 广长市场.
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830335166_a5d7de34b0_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830335166_a5d7de34b0_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We were finally able to experience for ourselves the sad state of the commercial shops in Myeongdong. Out of every 7-8 shops, about 3 were empty, with ‘임대’ signs in front. Serene was correct when she said about 40% were empty. She was so looking forward to her Myeongdong Ajumma street food stall but what we encountered was a skeleton of the old place, shutters half shuttered with thick layers of dust covering the steel table surfaces. Yupe. This <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799102463_3a3854e379_k.jpg" target="_blank">Ajumma street food stall was one of the many victims</a> too.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830335171_29055c2b26_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830335171_29055c2b26_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830186027_adbf4da2ba_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830186027_adbf4da2ba_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830679794_18e20c6390_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830679794_18e20c6390_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The economy has to quickly get better, tiok-bo?"</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Seoul City Hall</b></span></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799096323_59859232e0_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51799096323_59859232e0_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seoul City Hall - nostalgic</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br />Cheonggyecheon</b></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831931515_409abeaa97_o.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831931515_409abeaa97_o.gif" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was a Wednesday morning and understandably Myeongdong’s streets were very empty. The weather was a warmish zero degrees. I was so happy being able to properly walk Cheonggyecheon that nice little revamped canal through euljiro that used to be a dirty canal. Young people and older men and women were exercising (surprise! In the middle of the day!) along the stream. And a small handful of Ang Moh men were taking photos.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830559527_ba26a4318b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830559527_ba26a4318b_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Wah if the weather were so lovely every day we could simply exercise any time of the day, right?”</b></span> I said.</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">As she agreed, she had to <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796771863_ff9b688046_k.jpg" target="_blank">stop to remove her outer down jacket</a> and just continued walking in her middle layers because she felt so warm from walking that 2.1km from 청계광장.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831508011_57804cdde5_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831508011_57804cdde5_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Luckiest Guy; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Gwangjang Market!!</span><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796925439_426f1d79b9_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796925439_426f1d79b9_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Gwangjang market was still her own self from 4 years 10 months ago. For <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796675078_cec7257749_k.jpg" target="_blank">Gwangjang market</a>, I believed nothing much had changed, as she had always been catering to the locals. The small little food stalls were still bustling with customers, the textile shops were still opened, almost nothing has changed. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803839388_d04c21421e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803839388_d04c21421e_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seoul MaeoonTang</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We even found that Seoul Mae-oon-tang stall that we had so much fun eating in almost five years back. Although disappointingly that lady with whom we took the photo was no longer there, the</span></span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"> </span>food was just as great as it was<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2892/32910741136_0ac3852257_k.jpg" target="_blank"> on the 16th February 2017</a><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span></span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">and from what I could remember, </span><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803605786_7a4bfbaaac_k.jpg" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;" target="_blank">the prices had not changed</a><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> from when we were there in </span><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2017/02/romantic-seoul-winter-sonata.html" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;" target="_blank">February 2017.</a></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796757919_deed30e69b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796757919_deed30e69b_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic pose - flash back to 5 years ago in 2017!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830559522_df4fd87394_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830559522_df4fd87394_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The only price that was different was the strawberry. This trip we bought one packet at Hongdae for 9000₩ (S$10.45). But here at two separate stalls they were going at 15,000₩ (S$17.44) and 17,000₩ (S$19.76) respectively. Simply for the sake of reference… as we bought a similar pack of strawberry almost five years ago here for 7000₩ then. As what Kim Man Jung and Kim Hak Jung said, the property prices here in Seoul has doubled, but would essential commodity and foodstuff prices also jump so much? If indeed it would, then the serving of 매운탕 and 산낙지 at Seoul Mae-un-tang stall would no longer be selling for 24,000₩ and 15,000₩ respectively, but would be double that amount by now, five years down the road. Strange…
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">[Edit: after visiting the supermarket at Myeong-dong and finding that they sell the same bigger package of strawberry at 14,900₩, I finally concluded that perhaps the market prices for fresh strawberries were high this season. So Gwangjang market prices were still in line with the normal market standards.]
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830559502_c2b7bc6299_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830559502_c2b7bc6299_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every day every where must find Korean Gaolat to eat...</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Still, as I explained to the Kim brothers and also the taxi driver, I strongly believe that the cost of living in Seoul is still slightly higher here in Seoul than in Singapore… if one compares the prices of properties, food, essentials etc.. however the public transport prices are comparable.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Wah, not bad hor,”</b></span> I said to Serene. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“We really walked a lot hor.. this trip.”</span></b></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“Yah lah.. because I am a good supporter mah,”</span></b> there she went again… hahaha.</span></p></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><b style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sometime this afternoon on the 29 December 2021, the Korean government finally announced its tit-for-tat response to the Singapore government’s suspension of VTL Plane ticket sales on the 22 December 2021, by announcing that the Korean government will ALSO suspend sales of VTL plane tickets until the 21 January 2022. </b></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Man, honestly if this goes on, we would be among the very last batches of Singapore tourists setting foot on Korean soil for a long time more to come! </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Our walk back from Gwangjang market meandered through the small lanes of what I have always called jokingly they ‘Balestier’ of Seoul- Euljiro, where there were many electrical appliances and lighting shops very much like our Balestier at home; and this round we also walked through some oldish market places very similar to Hong Kong, and before arriving at Myeongdong, a part of Chungmuro where the small street was lined with camera shops. I loved walking around with this young girl. She has always been very daring one. And she would just zhao-cheong one, which was great when it came to travelling because if one had never daringly explored one would never discover.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the evening we visited 한상문 씨 who carefully tuned and adjusted our new glasses and meticulously arranged everyone’s glasses in their respective package.. wah nice! Another two bags of glasses to bring home.
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796391268_71b4c9ab36_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796391268_71b4c9ab36_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: x-large;">“40%이라고 하셨어요?”</span></b> he replied when I remarked that we thought around 40% of the shops in Myeongdong was closed. <b><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: x-large;">“50%이상이에요! 한국에서는 가장 안 좋은 것이 바로 명동이에요. 왜냐하면, 외국인 없으니까, 가계들 다 닫았어요.”</span></b> <span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: medium;"><b>(More than 50% of them shops have closed in Myeongong. In Korea, Myeongdong is the most badly affected place. Why, because there are no foreigners, the shops have all closed.).</b></span></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><b><span style="font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">“</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">지금 한국에서 가장 안 좋은 곳은 바로 명동이에요!”</span></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: medium;"><b>(In Korea, the worst place is Myeongdong now.)</b></span></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Slowly walking through the Myeongdong streets on this evening we reminisce those good old days when a typical night like this Wednesday evening would have tourists from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand rubbing shoulders on these very streets, elbowing for space to enjoy their street food in from of the stalls run by busy and loud ajummas, and those days standing in the midst of the crowd we would hear conversations in various languages from countries around. It was a melting pot of tourists in those days. And in those heydays, Innisfree and Etude House and Nature Republic salesladies calling out in Mandarin to us to come in and buy. But now? No one gives as much as a glance at us.. Myeongdong has lost a great chunk of her soul and her spirit. She is suffering, down with the malaise of melancholy that sees no cure in the near future…
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large;">Next Stop...</span></p><p><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/gangchon-rail-park-what-lovely-cold.html" style="text-align: right;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Day 9: </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</span></span></i></b></a></p></div></div></div></div><div><p> </p><p> <span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><h1><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><a name="Day9">Day 9</a></span></span></h1><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>30 Dec 2021</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794568444_3e4eda7150_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794568444_3e4eda7150_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gangchon Rail Park</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796417724_709d154266_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796417724_709d154266_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“Dar Thursday morning hor, we got to wake up early ah, and take the subway early,” </span></b>I instructed.<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b> “We will be travelling to 김유정역 (金裕贞 Gimyujung station) that is two hours by subway and Korail train, and then we will have fun doing the Railway Bike ride along the old railway track of Gangchon (강존 江村 레릴바이크).”</b></span></span></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Continue reading below to follow our adventure on this day.</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> If you wish to jump forward to any other parts, please click on each of the Days below to go into the detail, and fun-filled videos and photo travelogue for that day</span></b></span>. <span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> <b>Join us as we continue our Travel in Korea!</b></span></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p></p><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div>
</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831623333_6a39086f9a_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831623333_6a39086f9a_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The wonderful thing about this Ajumma hor, is that she will kao beh kao boo, but in the end she will continue her full support for me.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Kakao Metro App and the Kakao Map App were two fully-used Korean Apps this trip. The Kakao Map allowed me to locate literally every restaurant, every SikTang (식당 食堂), hotel, buildings, and any destinations. I tried Navet map.. but somehow I found that the Kakao series of Apps worked so much better for me. I could literally locate a place and, like many other navigation apps, navigate to that destination, with exact information about arrival and timing of buses, subways (yes Kakao Map also gives the navigation details for Subways and buses, in addition to walking!).
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kakao Metro is great for taking the Subway and the Korail trains. And I was able to find the exact timing for the Korail train to Gangchon (because it only had 2-4 trains an hour).
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832969211_c2d930fe08_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832969211_c2d930fe08_k.jpg" width="800" /></a><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kakao Taxi는, was great for booking a taxi, though we only used it once.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The good thing about the Kakao Apps was, we can switch to English too. But… I just left everything in Korean, even for Serene’s handphone because I needed her to get used to reading the language and to be more confident in deciphering information in the Korean language.</span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I recalled all these times when we were visiting Korea, especially the first few times, we were so lost, even in the middle of Jongro (my goodness!) and we didn’t even dare to step foot into Insadong because then we were frightened of getting lost. True, I remember the overwhelming kind of emotion when everywhere around us were in Korean, and we just heard an unintelligible flow of lovely pitches and tones from passers-by.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830649617_aac2e5498d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830649617_aac2e5498d_k.jpg" width="800" /></a>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This time around, Serene was totally different already lor… everywhere she went she would point out information for me, she would forewarn me of things that I missed or I should know, and she was the one ordering food and drinks and making payments and buying things... sincerely I have always known that once we equipped ourselves with a new language (no matter what level, as long as we made an effort to slowly continue learning and not give up) we would have another tool, another instrument, in our hands to explore new places.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">… it was quite some years back when we were able to bring the whole family to navigate in Hokkaido with whatever little Japanese we could muster (hahaha.. yes, a language is like this, the lesser we use it, the more it will disappear from our memories).
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Although we still did stumble a little bit this round, even taking the subway/Korail with four changes of the train was ok. Korea’s subways were a little confusing at times because the direction of travel could literally mean taking a long flight of steps up or down and walking a big round to another side just to take the train towards the opposite direction.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It impressed me how convenient it was to travel this long two-hour journey and it cost us only 4000+₩ a person. We arrived exactly at Gimyoujong station at 10:11am, as predicted by Kakao Metro, and a right turn and two minutes walk and Gangchon Rail Park ticketing booth were there. Two days ago I bought the online ticket for a two-person ride for 35,000₩ (S$40.69) and the county staff straight away could scan my QR and issued us the ticket.
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830559517_f67aab71a1_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51830559517_f67aab71a1_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Weather is cold, Hearts are warm, Coffee is hot..."</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sitting outside at a table and eating our gimbap and sandwich breakfast, the very friendly cleaner lady urged us to go into the cafe:
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: x-large;">“추우시죠! 카페에서 들어가셔도돼요!”</span></b> <b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: medium;">(It’s cold outside here isn’t it. You may go into the cafe.)</span></b></span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51793131817_62fd14ee34_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51793131817_62fd14ee34_k.jpg" width="93" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />So nice of her. Anyway, must give it to Serene who meticulously prepared breakfast and all the hot and cold drinks to bring on this ride because the wind factor really drove the cold right into the bones, especially during the ride. It was touted to be a totally environmentally friendly ride because the track was a gentle downslope mostly and we just paddled and enjoyed the sceneries and the <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794088816_eaf2db0a8c_k.jpg" target="_blank">musical tunnels</a>. I would have loved to have a snowy morning to ride through the wintry track but it was not to be on this day.
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831713408_d0fbecd03c_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831713408_d0fbecd03c_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><span>“Wah lau eh.. thighs aching and left ankle aching ah,”</span> </span></b>complained Serene. Yeah lah.. we haven’t <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794204683_1d3442e3d8_k.jpg" target="_blank">cycled for</a> a long time liao mah..</span></p></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794083996_e8d11dfa4e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794083996_e8d11dfa4e_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really quite enjoy this view.</td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>“It’s so cold my feet are numb liao,”</b></span> she complained again.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“Yes lah. I also cannot feel my feet already,”</span></b> indeed that was true.</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831978764_a539b28df4_o.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51831978764_a539b28df4_o.gif" width="640" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Despite her kao-behing.. I actually thought this ride was quite a nice ride. Gangchon 江村 is in Gangwondo 江原道, a province north of Seoul. Its <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794457604_c053fe9c66_k.jpg" target="_blank">weather is also typically very cold and snowy</a>. This journey 70km out of Seoul by train gave me plenty of the much-needed confidence to embark on future day trips out of Seoul, by ourselves on public transport, a form of travelling much preferred by us.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"> </span>
</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sIqOZ3XBMlA" width="840" youtube-src-id="sIqOZ3XBMlA"></iframe></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We ordered a medium size pork knuckle and a <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794413714_f9bb57b105_k.jpg" target="_blank">Jinro soju </a>for lunch right across Myeongdong subway station in a highly-reviewed Jokbal SikTang called Tung-Tung-i Jokbal <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51793096632_93b4dbe4bc_k.jpg" target="_blank">뚱뚱이족발</a> (fatty pork knuckle).
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51793095072_4bc9503db1_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51793095072_4bc9503db1_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b><span>“Hmmm.. I still prefer the 满足 Manjok五香 Jokbal that day,”</span></b> </span>compared Serene.</span></p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“Ok tonight I will bring you to the Manjok Jokbal branch in Myeong-dong,” </span></b>I promised her. But somehow the small bottle of Jinro soju must have been quite strong as it knocked us both out, and we only left our room at 8pm to gai-gai along Myeongdong and to catch a glimpse of the Christmas lighting at Shinsaegae.</span></p></blockquote></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794373399_c212a2329e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794373399_c212a2329e_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Actually the Christmas lighting at Shinsaegae was nothing much lah. Earlier a few days ago I remember Kim Man Jung was commenting that the people who would crowd around just to watch the Christmas lighting there was crazy.. or something to that effect.. and now I totally agree with him.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51793057622_e40799570c_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51793057622_e40799570c_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6Fm2BqrYvKixU1vG2t66JvqAlKW0ajD57qW8XHICYsx2AsNgaKUnHdIizJiZJWUT2AwpsSJXhTEpgyF7YMTTEz1b5XAUyJOEAO2nyBmXp6yLYJnLSde_x3OUdlxzDOg2BKBSpG6SJkpUXmTZetipRrEF8l1kRL_PuvQOtRYqIrSILxpomHs7q4lp0=s450" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6Fm2BqrYvKixU1vG2t66JvqAlKW0ajD57qW8XHICYsx2AsNgaKUnHdIizJiZJWUT2AwpsSJXhTEpgyF7YMTTEz1b5XAUyJOEAO2nyBmXp6yLYJnLSde_x3OUdlxzDOg2BKBSpG6SJkpUXmTZetipRrEF8l1kRL_PuvQOtRYqIrSILxpomHs7q4lp0=w122-h122" width="122" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shinsaegae Christmas</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><span>“춥죠! </span><span>(It’s cold, isn’t it?!)</span><span>”</span> </span></b>nowadays Serene very clever to talk like the local Koreans already.</span><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>“Ok, let’s just walk zig-zag within Myeongdong and slowly make our way back to the hotel.”</b></span></span></p></blockquote><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803871503_1b2f506039_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803871503_1b2f506039_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Actually the Christmas lighting.. weh, so-so only lah...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803891983_2782866169_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803891983_2782866169_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't see got several people in the photo.. it was actually a very quiet night in Myeongdong.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802841132_aaaaa7b4e7_k.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802841132_aaaaa7b4e7_k.jpg" width="93" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />8pm. And Myeongdong shops were closing their doors already. On a Thursday evening, 8pm.. it was quiet. We walked by a whole row of empty shops with glass panel glaringly announcing “For rental”. We we heartened to see still several carts on the road selling steaming-hot Hotteok, sweet potato, chestnuts - all of which we bought one stall-cart after another stall-cart. In our own ways we were also contributing to the economy here hahaha..
</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51833786905_c3ee6221aa_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51833786905_c3ee6221aa_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We were also heartened to hear the way too familiar Singaporean accent amongst 2-3 scattered groups of young men and young women. Wah, heng ah.. still got Singaporeans out here. I thought we were the rare few.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51833786910_508c61343e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51833786910_508c61343e_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804515065_9918acf361_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804515065_9918acf361_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />“<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Hey you also noticed several groups of Ang Moh travellers, some Indian travellers too, didn’t you?”</span></b> I asked Serene. Ok these were all good signs. The world really needs to recover and get back in its feet. Personally I really thought that the Singapore-Korea VTL was a great idea and that the whole world was watching closely to see how us two countries would successfully navigate this.. until sigh.. out of sudden both parties decided to pull the plug. Silly…</span><p></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
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</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large;">Next Stop...</span></p><p><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/hking-round-namsan-loop-we-could-do.html" style="text-align: right;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Day 10: </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></span></i></b></a></p><p> </p><p> <span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><h1><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><a name="Day10">Day 10</a></span></span></h1><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>31 Dec 2021</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51792500788_c0ba0d4fd1_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51792500788_c0ba0d4fd1_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For the first time we never take escalator & cable car up.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><b style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“喂!Cannot wake up early early one ah, I say first ah!”</span></b><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> warned Serene the night before.</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804016163_d0cfec3742_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804016163_d0cfec3742_k.jpg" width="93" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />Ok lor. 9:05am. Lazy bum, this girl.
</span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Had a leisurely coffee mix and Pasir Baguette buns and bread breakfast in the room and then - Full Battle Order.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I knew today’s weather wasn’t going to be warm. It was around negative 8 degrees Celcius in the late morning. Thankfully we had our power-bank driven heated middle layer, SMOL middle vest, SMOL outer vest and our USB palm heater which Serene has come to call it her <b><i>beloved 鸡蛋 (heater egg)</i></b>, AND I made her ditch her own small backpack and dumped everything onto my <b><i>Osprey trekking backpac</i></b>k (wah heng ah! I made the correct decision to bring this one instead of my Boeringer Ingelheim blue study back bag)… we had our whole thermal flask of coffee, a bottle of water, our extra breakfast which came in really useful, and whatever additional stuff.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Continue reading below to follow our adventure on this day.</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> If you wish to jump forward to any other parts, please click on each of the Days below to go into the detail, and fun-filled videos and photo travelogue for that day</span></b></span>. <span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> <b>Join us as we continue our Travel in Korea!</b></span></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p></p><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802921532_62fcd6c690_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802921532_62fcd6c690_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Namsan Loop? Very easy. Start right outside our hotel.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Truth to be told, in so many trips to Myeongdong and in going up to Namsan we have always taken the easy way through Hoehyeon (회현 </span><span data-tt="{"link":"https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%9C%83","paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space-collapse: preserve;">會</span><span data-tt="{"link":"https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E8%B3%A2","paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space-collapse: preserve;">賢</span><span data-tt="{"link":"https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%A9%9B","paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space-collapse: preserve;">驛</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">회현역), and by the Escalator and the Cable car. I still remember earlier on in our previous visits, it took me a while to figure out how to get to Namsan Tower, with the maps in Korean, and me having to read and digest what some other bloggers described. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802920567_dc89948cfe_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802920567_dc89948cfe_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Just aga aga walk in that direction of the Namsan Tower.. and we will eventually get there one lah.."</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802920577_1b2df38fa8_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802920577_1b2df38fa8_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">There were travellers who have walked the Namsan Loop to explore the old Seoul City walls </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>(首尔城廓 서울성곽)</b></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">. Time and time again we have watched the actors and actresses went up to these old City walls, sat there and had a drink of a can of beers while pouring their hearts out, yet we have never had the pleasure of visiting these old city/castle walls. In retrospect, these were not difficult to find. And there were many sections of these city walls scattered in the modern city of Seoul, just that we had to know where they were and just walked.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51793894413_4b74305a12_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51793894413_4b74305a12_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Tiok liao.. Tiok liao.. can see the Tower.. Must be correct!" Haha..<br />No lah.. that is old-fashion method. Nowadays we have KakaoMap.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So walked today we did. I really didn’t know how far. But aga aga it was going to be about 6km… or slightly more.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802925627_25690db08d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802925627_25690db08d_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802920607_55d10a7eeb_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="1168" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51802920607_55d10a7eeb_k.jpg" width="1558" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This relatively cheap Guesthouse called Crib49.. it caters to young students.. but honestly it's nestled in a lovely position, just that it is up a steep slope.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Actually hor... there are many routes of assault on the Namsan Park Road 남산공원길, the main road upon where one does the Namsan Loop. Upon examining our KakaoMap, this was the way we walked up. We came to the Restaurant and the Toilet and then continued eastward on our walk.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832785792_737aaeace1_h.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="800" height="772" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832785792_737aaeace1_h.jpg" width="1369" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803300347_0e2c87622d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="800" height="759" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803300347_0e2c87622d_k.jpg" width="1606" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, this was the lovely restroom and starting point for our walk.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51833690008_f3ef51995e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51833690008_f3ef51995e_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I remember reading about the various temples that one would come across in the walk on Namsan Loop. I was so looking forward to visiting at least one of these temples. But apparently because of Covid, they did restrict the number of visitors. I guess, never mind, the time would come for us to visit one of these temples, the next round we walk around Namsan.</div><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804643115_379174c149_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="624" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804643115_379174c149_k.jpg" width="832" /></a></div><p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803919061_4a89878784_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="623" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803919061_4a89878784_k.jpg" width="831" /></a></div><p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>“Wah if the weather is so nice I don’t mind coming here and exercise and walk,” </b></span></span></span>said Serene, about 1km into the walk. <span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><b style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“Is this considered hiking or walking?”</span></b><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span>she asked.</span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Erm.. walking lah,”</b></span> I said.</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804896740_b2bfdff3f1_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804896740_b2bfdff3f1_k.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Once again, young and old, men and women were brisk walking in the negative 7-degree morning. We saw several young men and women were huffing and puffing actually running pretty fast-paced up and down the undulating road. Some parts of this loop actually had a pretty terrible gradient.. and there were cyclists on road bikes going up and down- amazing!
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834313995_c9bdce593e_o.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="609" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834313995_c9bdce593e_o.gif" width="813" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slowly walk towards the top of Namsan.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span></p><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;">“Wah how many degrees is this gradient ah?”</span></b> asked Serene.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Wah I would say.. about 17-18 degrees? Wah this one this one.. easily 20 degrees gradient .. and look look they all just keep going up and up and up.. no respite one.. not like our Vigilante Drive back home in Kent Ridge and our Mount Faber, where there were short middle flattened parts for us to take a breather.”</span></b></span></p></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804169266_73ae45393b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804169266_73ae45393b_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804261689_09bb0799ad_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="606" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804261689_09bb0799ad_k.jpg" width="807" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832636622_7614b9c912_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="598" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832636622_7614b9c912_k.jpg" width="797" /></a></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Truly along the last part leading right up to Namsan Tower, Serene even had to walk several steps and stop a while and then walk again. See beh pai seh… the old Ajummas and Ajussi just walked right up. Hahahaha..
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804352933_33b08544b8_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804352933_33b08544b8_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was cold. Again the wind-chill factor was in full play and although initially I had to remove my middle SMOL down vest, but once up at the top I had to put everything back on because it was really cold.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804595179_ed34ef0a52_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="690" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51804595179_ed34ef0a52_k.jpg" width="920" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51833689933_14536c4918_b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="800" height="693" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51833689933_14536c4918_b.jpg" width="926" /></a></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Remembering that in deep cold, one of the most important thing was to keep our bodies well nourished and well hydrated. First thing we did, arriving at the top was to grab a bench in one corner of the Namsan tower little square and to sit down, spread our bread, eat and to drink our hot coffee. Cold.. cold.. cold.. but it felt really nice to have the warm food and beverage.
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834313940_6a7eb8d47c_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="756" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834313940_6a7eb8d47c_k.jpg" width="1008" /></a></div><p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"> </span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o9mEIToY85w" width="840" youtube-src-id="o9mEIToY85w"></iframe></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834313935_c987e44db4_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="614" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834313935_c987e44db4_k.jpg" width="819" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></span></p><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">“Quick, let’s finish eating and go look for our old locks,”</span> </b></span>urged Serene.</span></p></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834313920_cdbff5fefc_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="614" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834313920_cdbff5fefc_k.jpg" width="819" /></a></div><p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51833931934_f2ca82e6cb_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="614" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51833931934_f2ca82e6cb_k.jpg" width="819" /></a></div><p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">As expected, try as we could, we could not. Either our old locks in the last two visits were removed as part of the regular clearance carried out by the staff, or the old ones we left over the years could have been buried underneath the hundreds of new ones.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832636592_142ecac6d3_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="1349" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832636592_142ecac6d3_k.jpg" width="1798" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b>深一层想,事实上,人生嘛不过就是如此。世事无常,若一味执着、迷恋,永远无法放下枷锁。回顾回顾,好多到此的人们,之前在栏杆所上的锁嘛,或许有一二,无法、也无缘保留,因此强求不得。觅不着,也罢了。深信,许多寻不见了锁头的人,亦是如此信念吧。我用我这十支冻僵了的、差不多无法使唤的手指,慢慢将这一回的新蓝、黑锁头配上一张新年的心愿,再次为我们生命的旅途,许一个新的愿望。祈福若干年后,当我们有缘再次归来,能够再寻得。</b></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51833973224_d6c74986c6_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51833973224_d6c74986c6_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #ead1dc;">没想到,在这2021年的最后一天,能够跟阿华两人漫步上南山上锁,绕着南山感受着韩国冬天的寒冷,享受着本地人们的日常活动,何尝不是一件好事。
</span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“要是,要是有一天,我们有这种缘到韩国住上1、2个月.. 要是说嘛,住在刚才那个比较简单但依然处于市中心而还是挺方便的 Crib 49 般的小客房,每个星期绕着南山两、三次运动呼吸新鲜空气,如何?”</b></span> 我问阿华。</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>”OK呀,好啊。”</b></span></span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“This is something like our Interim park at home right, running round and round it,” </span></b>I used the analogy.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>“This is more siong than our interim park leh,” </b></span>she argued.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Well, true. This is perhaps more siong in that some parts the gradients are more steep, but if you just count the distance, it is about the same right? Some more, the weather is so nice, I am sure we can just keep going and going right?”</span></b></span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop; font-size: large;"><b>话是这么说,但是我们心中都有数,韩国嘛,我们只喜欢春天,秋天与冬天。韩国的夏天真是太热太热了。</b></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51791251314_e50ac3ea53_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51791251314_e50ac3ea53_k.jpg" width="93" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />There were two or three smaller tracks that detoured from this main road, smaller trails that I wanted originally to attempt. But the surfaces were patched and the path sipped sharply downwards in the first part, and I was forbidden to go by my dear worried wife. Hahaha..
</span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I made up my mind, the next time when we come back to do the Namsan Loop again, we will prepare ourselves properly with the necessary footwear and do these small little trails.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikGL9TP-IJrwCeHP14vsVcqTuUdeHKxdEW3cYJrCYpg2ZEHBTynVl_is18bKybLQSS-DJdf3o3lB_0aG0H6218RglfVlzuiq_sB4-51WBFZGMvtx1SPvaYF4Fix356UygqpY5PYMfMcKDJVCLcO3kNfbVqAcrECii8DZKJN0zExJ-a00ZPjCxA9s1E=s720" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="664" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikGL9TP-IJrwCeHP14vsVcqTuUdeHKxdEW3cYJrCYpg2ZEHBTynVl_is18bKybLQSS-DJdf3o3lB_0aG0H6218RglfVlzuiq_sB4-51WBFZGMvtx1SPvaYF4Fix356UygqpY5PYMfMcKDJVCLcO3kNfbVqAcrECii8DZKJN0zExJ-a00ZPjCxA9s1E=w886-h664" width="886" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Originally I also wanted to take Serene up to hike the 900m Bukhansan. But seeing how our fitness is, it was perhaps a much better idea to leave this itinerary for another trip.. if the VTL were to be reinstated ever again. Of course I am confident. Still, I personally am of strong conviction that eventually both Serene and I would be able to explore Bukhansan and the other </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":2}" style="font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">sans</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> of Daehan Minguk.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832706707_82cb38f429_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832706707_82cb38f429_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51790991227_be6c82301f_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51790991227_be6c82301f_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">After such a nice long walk, I just had to reward that young, overworked girl. So I to 시청 we walked and made our way to her favourite 족발 식당.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5OrzNt26zcs5fxIIB98gQCRlmbUKGCBzPZacrbgRlV758JiNK4bIQRa7QEbekwVJS1V7ycsloBWrGsRLmGpWjnxg3BVBv4RiluyXcuvIlSPdLU_oz6gfRtxhtABJZWqlykaKDEuldkA4CNJTRUYqU3UPP_wJqWRysBW_B3wi6GFfr0akWy9ZF9XI2=s1440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5OrzNt26zcs5fxIIB98gQCRlmbUKGCBzPZacrbgRlV758JiNK4bIQRa7QEbekwVJS1V7ycsloBWrGsRLmGpWjnxg3BVBv4RiluyXcuvIlSPdLU_oz6gfRtxhtABJZWqlykaKDEuldkA4CNJTRUYqU3UPP_wJqWRysBW_B3wi6GFfr0akWy9ZF9XI2=s16000" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803371092_64eae0861a_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803371092_64eae0861a_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803371092_64eae0861a_k.jpg" target="_blank">Manjok Jokbal at Sijong</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b><br />“还是满足的猪脚最好吃,下次我们不用点一半原味一半辣味的这一套,全部点原味的就可以了!” </b></span>Serene은 좋아하는 족할 식당이 만족 오향족발밖에 없었다.</span><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>”哇!我很饱了!吃不下了!”</b></span> Aiyah this Serene ah… again eat until cannot eat any more.</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803370872_1296027a77_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51803370872_1296027a77_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1},"fontHints":1}" style="font-weight: bold; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Our final 9km Namsan Loop - SkyPark Myeongdong 3- Crib 49 guesthouse - 와룡묘 卧龙庙- 南山 tower - 백범공원 白凡公园 - 颂礼门 송례문 颂礼门 (also known as Namdaemun 南大门) - 满足五香 족발 本店(시청 市厅店).</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large;">Next Stop...</span></p><p><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/01/ihwa-mural-village-walk-through-k-drama.html" style="text-align: right;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Day 11: </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></span></i></b></a></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><h1><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><a name="Day11">Day 11</a></span></span></h1><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>1 Jan 2022</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807902039_d9aaf728d6_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="800" height="287" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807902039_d9aaf728d6_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Starting from this day I was beginning to feel more and more, the effects of having been living in the same place such that one would struggle to find things to do. It was just a tiny bit of decision-making in play, that in the tiniest way indicated to myself that this would be precisely the type of dilemma one would experience eventually.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Continue reading below to follow our adventure on this day.</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> If you wish to jump forward to any other parts, please click on each of the Days below to go into the detail, and fun-filled videos and photo travelogue for that day</span></b></span>. <span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> <b>Join us as we continue our Travel in Korea!</b></span></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p></p><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834417159_e275a9ee83_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834417159_e275a9ee83_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div><br /></div><p>One of the most exhilarating experiences in travelling free and easy on one's own was, having absolutely no idea where to go, or how to get there, or perhaps merely a vague inkling of the plan of action... how one would simply take that first step out and just started walking.</p><div>I could imagine in the good old days of medieval times when human beings only had the sun, the moon and the stars to take bearings from, they simply had to hop onto a truckload of faith in where they would venture forth, not knowing where they would arrive at, or if they would even arrive there in a single intact piece at all.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807360858_d601d71e2a_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807360858_d601d71e2a_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Of course we modern human beings had our lives made so much easier with GPS-directed Apps on everyone's handphone. It now actually worked the other way round - one had to take a leap of faith by NOT turning on the App but merely walk aga aga according to ones internal compass. That was where the fun was. <br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834176293_997d80a41c_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834176293_997d80a41c_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So for the highlight of this day, I vaguely... vaguely recalled, from the far corner of my mind, reading about this little Iwha Mural Village 이화벽화마을 (梨花), at the foot of Naksan (骆山). Falling victim once again to the adventure-seeking crazy self in me, I decided to walk from Myeongdong to Ihwa. It wasn’t that far. But it took some topo-ing and weaving through the old Bras Basah-like old parts of <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806290182_7dd4bfff85_k.jpg" target="_blank">Chungmuro</a> and KaKi Bukit-like parts of Jungro, transforming once again to the older Seoul of the 80’s and 90’s. The shops at the side were mostly closed on this New Year’s day of 2022, saved for some hard-working middle-aged workers who were busy refitting some shops.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834176443_5e3ff45ade_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834176443_5e3ff45ade_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">While crossing the road we decided to venture up to an overhead bridge kind of platform where they had old shops in an old electrical supermarket kind of set up.. I really reminded me either of the old Funan centre, or the old People's park, or Bras Basah or anything akin to that. But on this holiday, no one was opened.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807607104_eba2b08905_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807607104_eba2b08905_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like Bras Basah</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807607099_351e7e3abf_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807607099_351e7e3abf_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like People's Park.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span><p></p><p>Most part of the journey to Ihwajang was flat. But once we came close, the gradient of the road started to take a tilt upwards. Times like these human beings would: either just laugh it off and walk in whichever direction he fancied, or check his much-folded map (in today's scenario, the KakaoMap App in the handphone) and try to figure where to head next.</p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807654503_c78028bacb_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807654503_c78028bacb_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serene: "So where now? How to get there?"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">About 3-4km of walking north-East of and we arrived in Ihwa-dong. 이화동 梨花洞 did have quite some history to it. It was an old neighbourhood inhabited by the poorer segment of the population and the working class who chose to live in this part while working in the central parts of the city. It also housed refugees post Korean War. Though destined for demolishing and redevelopment in 2006, it was revamped and redecorated into a mural street by students and artists and it became a local attraction for Koreans as well as tourists. A small section of the old city wall 성곽 城廓 run along the edge of the village located at the foot of the 125m high Naksan.
</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834796400_6a9bc99a45_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834796400_6a9bc99a45_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Ah yes! Here! We have arrived!"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834060606_d0dfdd25b1_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834060606_d0dfdd25b1_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Ok just climb up this direction can already."<br />Serene: "Don't bluff me ah!"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I have only seen some of the mural paintings online. And I really didn't know what to expect, and I was not even sure it was worth taking all the trouble to walk here and explore. Uncertainty was either the fear of unknown that incapacitated a <i>homo neanderthal</i>, or the spark of energy that propelled the <i>homo sapien</i> forward in his quest of the uncharted. Perhaps that was the main reason why the <i>homo sapiens</i> survived to outshine till this day while the <i>homo neanderthals </i>went extinct (hahaha joking only). I do like to think of ourselves as the latter, though admittedly one's appetite for the unknown usually increased with lessening burden on one's shoulder as one aged.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51833948397_34735be545_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="800" height="564" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51833948397_34735be545_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mixture of old and older and oldest....</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807701763_068892e9fa_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807701763_068892e9fa_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me: "This is the entrance to Naksan Park. Walking up here we will reach to top of Naksan."<br />Serene: "NO NO NO!"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806630502_f6c0a05a8e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806630502_f6c0a05a8e_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very interesting.. this "Live Well 学院</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: #9fc5e8; float: right; font-weight: bold;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807588301_6434188ef1_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807588301_6434188ef1_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No mountain!</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>“Wei! You are not going to bring me to climb mountain again ah!”</b></span></span> kao beh-ed Serene.</span></p></blockquote><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“No lah. We will just walk to the edge of this Naksan Park (낙산공원 骆山公园) then we will just walk down the mural village,”</span></b> I promised.</span></p></blockquote><p> </p><p><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807698983_a4a6c51f1a_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807698983_a4a6c51f1a_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ihwa Mural street itself really wasn’t long. Maybe say.. 500m or so. Some of wall paintings on the facade of the homes, others are quaint decorative shoes, pots, old scooters arranged outside other homes. If one looked carefully one would discover many tiny little artistic additions to the worn-off walls and paintworks. </span></p><p><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806629322_be905d5d3f_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806629322_be905d5d3f_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It was a case very much like Bukchon. The residents living here were impoverished, and community and institutional assistance were administered to revive this place. But as the artists and students got more and more enthusiastic in decorating the dong, the increase in the number of visitors drew the wrath of the residents until in 1994 some residents defaced two of the popular mural paintings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">On this quiet New Year Day of 2022, Serene and I were the only travellers from outside.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834176313_75423f4bfe_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834176313_75423f4bfe_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div>If you’d asked me, at the end of the day after we have climbed up and explored Ihwajang, I would say that what'd drawn me to this little flavorful village wasn’t the mural paintings.. but the two facts that it was a typical olden village we always saw in the drama with exactly the same type of old housing, narrow little alleys with steep steep slopes and steps leading up and up, and lined on both sides by those old blue/green iron gates often found in the dramas; and the second fact was that at the edge of the village we climbed to come upon a long stretch of the old Seoul city wall. </span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834060566_c43ee2c1b7_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834060566_c43ee2c1b7_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I loved that as we walked slowly and panting (Serene, not me) up the oft-seen Korean drama slopey path, we were followed behind by a pair of happily-chit-chatting old Halmoeni (grandmothers) who disappeared into another alley, and I loved that when we arrived at the top, we beheld a warm sight, a group of neighbours (Ajussis and Ajummas) sitting outside their homes and chit-chatting… in apparent oblivion to the mess happening in the metropolitan city below them. It was like travelling to a tiny hamlet in time.. back to perhaps the 80’s, the 90’s…
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834417009_353915b698_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834417009_353915b698_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">After we finished off most of the wall murals, I thought to myself that was about all to Ihwa Village. Little did I know that another spark of brilliance would open up another totally uncovered part of the dong to us - I pointed to a very narrow stairway and gestured to Serene "Let's go here!" and took joy in seeing her frown form on her forehead.<br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"> </span>
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="519" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RxIB9CxOfQQ" width="624" youtube-src-id="RxIB9CxOfQQ"></iframe></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I don't remember seeing any residential area like this in my life. The haphazardly-arranged alleys and walls of varied plasters and bricks and the zig-zagging fashion the stairs decided to meander. As we explored, we came upon scenes after scenes after scenes that kicked up dusts of memories from our minds - memories of various scenes in all the Korean dramas we have watched.<br /></span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><br /></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834796525_d8f097f3ed_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834796525_d8f097f3ed_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serene: "WAH LAU! You BLUFF-ed me!"</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Where the actresses (acted by Shin Hae Sun, the famous actress who did Mr Queen) ran back home after the quarrel with her lover in another drama, and climbed up the long flight of steps to her home right on top of a large slanting wall... ;where another female character, my first love, actress Choi Kang Hee, lived in the little rented apartment right on top of a steep slope in her role in "Protect the Boss".</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835486884_31da98e967_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835486884_31da98e967_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDphlel7CDbCn51xA4g33HbhgzMG8THgAQ8N-K8Lll3X4_Sj30laePC_FFLT8qxqtQis6TAwhBpjhMsPftsZvdjv1Lvzr4yxRl8sG-5rCZZ9yoYkxCk1-Ebq6HMdSQ022AQpvC4shZqjLJoKeHyBJ4a9bLQRxo5suw2J-teO4-Zb_fg8LLRwjoBmKF=s450" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDphlel7CDbCn51xA4g33HbhgzMG8THgAQ8N-K8Lll3X4_Sj30laePC_FFLT8qxqtQis6TAwhBpjhMsPftsZvdjv1Lvzr4yxRl8sG-5rCZZ9yoYkxCk1-Ebq6HMdSQ022AQpvC4shZqjLJoKeHyBJ4a9bLQRxo5suw2J-teO4-Zb_fg8LLRwjoBmKF=w108-h108" width="108" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Happy Dreaming</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />... Where the 40-year old actress, Gong Hyo Jin, who acted as the psychiatrist in "It's Okay that's Love" sat on the old city wall with the psycho author each with a can of beer in hand and talked - wow that scene was so deeply etched in my mind...<br /></span><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835995350_16580c2ea5_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835995350_16580c2ea5_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><br /><p>... where the handsome 1971-born actor Ji Jin-Hee buddily-hugged his female ex-comrade in the secret service on the slope road in the drama "Undercover" and unfortunately got seen by his wife in her friend's car...</p></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835995540_4e7e2182c7_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835995540_4e7e2182c7_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div><br /></div>.. and oh.. where the Josoen Physician <span face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "PingFang SC", "Hiragino Sans GB", "Microsoft YaHei", "WenQuanYi Micro Hei", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; text-indent: 28px;">许任 </span>stood beside a tree and sent himself to the future in the medical series 名不虚传 Live up to your name... (of course each time he died he would be transformed back to Joseon)..</div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835131901_3b87f7d2f7_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835131901_3b87f7d2f7_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><p><span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9Wp0iEIPfDqEx8J9mRMzhlV9OvRqEDnNNOugw4YQBqeHL-4kbptdpElk66nprsfWRiLap5qmpD7HC6i3LWWzGo8GD33TDIiDwHhmugdS2rh0-VA0oa1vKMiDZdVARHtzWdbmgPGqk2BigrK2lXgeSl_Z6MfpXCLyrQWUE4RdgyEgJohcOROvIBnAO=s450" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9Wp0iEIPfDqEx8J9mRMzhlV9OvRqEDnNNOugw4YQBqeHL-4kbptdpElk66nprsfWRiLap5qmpD7HC6i3LWWzGo8GD33TDIiDwHhmugdS2rh0-VA0oa1vKMiDZdVARHtzWdbmgPGqk2BigrK2lXgeSl_Z6MfpXCLyrQWUE4RdgyEgJohcOROvIBnAO=w97-h97" width="97" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The tree</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span><br />We actually set off this morning from the hotel at around 10:30am, but by the time we finished exploring and walked down along 율곡로 19길 栗谷路, Serene was really complaining that her plantar fasciitis was acting up. It was amazing how the Koreans could live with the steep slopes. It was certainly through no fault of their city planners because Korea's geography was literally all mountains (The US Marines and GI Joes in the Korean War would attest whole-heartedly to that) and even the eldest Halmeoni and Halabeoji would slowly but steadily walk up and down with gluteus and quadricep muscles that were not accustomed for use in Singapore-swelling people like Serene and I. </span><p></p></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834484457_ca9f17e40f_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834484457_ca9f17e40f_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQYB9SV15OGZDgGATLn3I4Xcdcc3o7D9qKVu1wGs7ByHV-s8e8GPi5Nl2MRTUrvtFMh2PI91XwWD53ioOkszXTbvpnFGD3FtVtoOu855HGCjjQyMCkxCpab1w6eem6PEqfjvKdCBqVdoRbWVe4Cq9dOH1SSb7OQfG68igLv4PhQgWyqa9sy9bYtRVK=s450" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQYB9SV15OGZDgGATLn3I4Xcdcc3o7D9qKVu1wGs7ByHV-s8e8GPi5Nl2MRTUrvtFMh2PI91XwWD53ioOkszXTbvpnFGD3FtVtoOu855HGCjjQyMCkxCpab1w6eem6PEqfjvKdCBqVdoRbWVe4Cq9dOH1SSb7OQfG68igLv4PhQgWyqa9sy9bYtRVK=w114-h114" width="114" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dropped glasses also didn't know</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: justify;">But I enjoyed thoroughly the walk, the climb and the anticipation of what scene was to appear on each turn. At the top of the slope we came to <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808320795_9eecaca99a_k.jpg" target="_blank">NaksanSeonggwakGil 骆山城廓街</a>. This would be as close to the top of Naksan as we would, on this day. The peak of Namsan was to our left. I would leave that destination for another trip with the Queen, when she would be a better physical condition.</div></span></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“Dar, I am so happy to have found this neighbourhood. I am also very happy that we decided to explore this little dong,”</span></b> I happily said. <b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">“Would you like to live in a little home like this by the side of the slope?”</span></b></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>“No!”</b></span> declared the young girl. <span style="color: #783f04;"><b><i>*Alamak*!</i></b></span></span></p></blockquote><p style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835615159_9432bfc82a_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835615159_9432bfc82a_k.jpg" width="800" /></a> </p><p style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Well, what she said was true too. I carefully studies the steps and the serrated ground, and I could not imagine if the floor was ice-locked and slippery, how would the old people walk up and down without falling? I dare not imagine ourselves doing that without the snow-studs on the shoes. For the purpose of this trip we actually brought two pairs of unused ice/snow-studs in our backpack, and on this day they were stored carefully on the outside pocket of my backpack, waiting to be whipped out at any instance of icy and slippery floor. The only ice that we saw in the village on this day was <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807947074_ca9e1b8f5b_k.jpg" target="_blank">this poor little chunk of ice</a>- in Korean in winter, ice formed in the outdoor usually finds it difficult to melt away because throughout the whole day the temperature stood in the negative territory.</p></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835545578_00b082945e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835545578_00b082945e_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> We found a <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807950049_f46db2cf4a_k.jpg" target="_blank">선지해장국 식당</a> run by two Ajummas and had a surprisingly cheap (in Seoul) meal of <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807699178_09598cc091_k.jpg" target="_blank">선지해장국 鲜鱼解酒汤 </a>that had plenty of 猪血 inside at only 6000₩ (S$7) a bowl. I was impressed by the Ajummas who not only recognized our Overseas vaccination confirmation certificates but the serving Ajumma even remarked <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“wow you have gotten three shots each?”</b></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Probably the booster Covid shot was something not that widely done yet at this point in Seoul, but we knew that the Korean government is already pushing hard for the third shots for its citizens.</span></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836165560_616b568c41_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836165560_616b568c41_k.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Talking about Haejangguk 해장국, this Haejangguk was the famous Hang-over soup that all Koreans love to eat after they drank themselves silly on alcohol, We didn't know how Haejangguk woekd until our Korean SonSengNum explained to us that in Korea, people believe that you cure the hangover by eating. So then wah the Koreans would have this type of Haejangguk lah, that type of Haejangguk lah.. and so on and so forth. Hmmm... if Serene and I were to live in Korea hor, I think every morning we would both need to drink each a huge barrel of Haejangguk leh.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835545558_b2e1a3794d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835545558_b2e1a3794d_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>YAY! I want to visit the Seoul History Museum!</b></span><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We attempted with a bit of detouring and more walking, to visit the Seoul History Museum near 서대문 incurring plenty of wrath from the old lady. But we found the glass doors shuttered. I could not believe it. A museum in Seoul, and they were closed on a public holiday?! 말도 안된다…
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834484442_e4e1fb86f6_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834484442_e4e1fb86f6_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wah.. didn’t realised that the walk up and down the slopes of the old village took so much out of our lower limbs. By the time we arrived back in the hotel, our legs were painful. Shucks.. this was terrible. So out of conditioning. 안되겠다…
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807587281_fb31744327_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807587281_fb31744327_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">That evening we had a most most wonderful dinner with 김만중 at our usual haunt in Myeongdong, 왕비집 王妃家. Nice. Warm. Memorable dinner ‘twas.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large;">Next Stop...</span></b></p><p><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/01/a-journey-through-seouls-history.html" style="text-align: right;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Day 12: </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</span></span></i></b></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: xx-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a name="Day12">Day 12</a></span></p><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>2 Jan 2022</b></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">An invigorating trip for the history buff...</span></b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807603396_523fd539d2_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807603396_523fd539d2_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807713758_37d7fcc103_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807713758_37d7fcc103_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seoul History Museum</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Last night it snowed in the early hours of the morning. But I was so tired that I didn’t even bother to wake up to watch the snow at 3am or 6am. We just slept through until 9:30am, 10am.. just tired lah.</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Oh you look tired today!”</b></span> said 김만중 when he saw Serene in the morning.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Yah hor… I look so tired hor…” </b></span>agreed Serene when she saw herself in her photo.</span></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p> </p><p></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Continue reading below to follow our adventure on this day.</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> If you wish to jump forward to any other parts, please click on each of the Days below to go into the detail, and fun-filled videos and photo travelogue for that day</span></b></span>. <span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> <b>Join us as we continue our Travel in Korea!</b></span></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p></p><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}"><br /></span></div><br />
</span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Yeon Sung;">“어제 어디에 다녀오셨어요?”</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"> </span></span></b>asked 김만중.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu;"><b>“우리는…”</b></span> </span>replied Serene. Actually she is as really not bad.. slowly improving day by day. <span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu;"><b style="font-size: xx-large;">“</b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>우리는 낙산하고 이화벽화마을에 갔어요.</b></span></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: xx-large;"> </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: medium;"><b>(Yesterday we went to Naksan and Ihwa Mural Village)</b>.</span></span><span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;"><span> </span><span style="font-family: Gaegu;"><span><b>많이 걸어서 지금 너무 아파요!</b></span><b> </b></span></span><b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: medium;">(Because we walk a lot now a lot of pain)</span></b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">”</span></span></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1DzLn2DiPra7Zi9v5SSqfncCutjZzPhxx0jY3fFM7BFA7LUckdjpOIu-1qT2L42nxFR5rLlbDFXIRCe-oTWgd8D7SPS2DQsgXhRLXoQV0TZ-ouAb4exX7AXwhSfQZnmHaTv0aRjhqNyjObgfVykxvMxgBdVBzceXdOc4qcsS4z9RdizkPhiukns9C=s450" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1DzLn2DiPra7Zi9v5SSqfncCutjZzPhxx0jY3fFM7BFA7LUckdjpOIu-1qT2L42nxFR5rLlbDFXIRCe-oTWgd8D7SPS2DQsgXhRLXoQV0TZ-ouAb4exX7AXwhSfQZnmHaTv0aRjhqNyjObgfVykxvMxgBdVBzceXdOc4qcsS4z9RdizkPhiukns9C=w98-h98" width="98" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Serene & Kim ManJung</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Yeon Sung; font-size: x-large;"><b>“어디에 아프세요?”</b></span> smilingly he asked.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Gaegu;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“<b>다리가 아프고 어깨도 아파요</b></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>.</b></span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span><b>(Leg is painful shoulder also painful)</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><b>.</b>”</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-weight: bold;"> </span></span>slowly 김만중 half-helped, half-dragged these words out of Serene’s mouth. Hahaha.. language is like that one leh, hor... Have to force ourselves to keep speaking and keep practicing it, then can we begin to even sound anywhere near comprehensible.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“When we first went to the Public health centre 보건소, </span></b></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgi5BxSVVuPRYwd23L4CegkwQDxFHBLssavVin2xe0Rwf_zSfcwyOZJPncVu9w1MZR6OymSDaxrpuBR1SgqBbE2TxOHkVaUU7Mdsr0-pNTDcvm7l-SVz4DBE_c8oyjW0bEXtgRnHtSLovjgmR-qiB0hWtMYsmDfRVlfVFMZHlJHNZLiUmMA-BYS9qNW=s450" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgi5BxSVVuPRYwd23L4CegkwQDxFHBLssavVin2xe0Rwf_zSfcwyOZJPncVu9w1MZR6OymSDaxrpuBR1SgqBbE2TxOHkVaUU7Mdsr0-pNTDcvm7l-SVz4DBE_c8oyjW0bEXtgRnHtSLovjgmR-qiB0hWtMYsmDfRVlfVFMZHlJHNZLiUmMA-BYS9qNW=w94-h94" width="94" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Serene & Kim ManJung</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><br />Serene was practising on her own to ask the reception:</span></b><span style="font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"> </span><span style="color: #fce5cd;"><i>'</i></span></span></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><i>우리는 해외예방접종 확인서를 바고 으싶어요.'</i></span></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> <span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>(We want to receive our foreign overseas vaccination confirmation certificate)</b></span> <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>which will show our third dose, the booster dose.”</b></span> I explained to 김만중. </span><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">After that he started training and digging her:<span style="color: #d9d2e9;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Yeon Sung;"> “you must say this.. 저는 백신을 산 차 다 맞았어요.</span> </span>(I have received all my three vaccinations<span style="font-size: large;">.”</span></b></span> And he was very good and patient.. he waited and repeated until Serene could said the words smoothly.</span></p></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807946414_f3d74dc5a6_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807946414_f3d74dc5a6_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Two caramel macchiato and we were off taking a bus from 삼일대로 towards 서울여사박물관 정료장… 6 bus stops away. Wah this Seoul History Museum hor.. wah really really something. I was so glad we went.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Seoul History Museum (again!)</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After the previous day's failure to visit this Seoul History Museum, I somehow HAD to make another trip there. So dragged Serene I did, and I must say despite her brain being mostly 空空 of academical information most of the time, she did try her best to accommodate me and accompany me in viewing the exhibits until her 'Hou-Gok Hou-Gok' (stuffiness) took the better of her and she had to move out to the big lobby to take big breaths of cold air. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835784144_9d775dd20b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835784144_9d775dd20b_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Being so immersed in history, and with her people so intuned with her own history, Korea has plenty of museums. I would slowly plot out my attack on the historical museums but for this trip I decided at least one museum would be worth the visit. And Seoul History Museum it was.</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808326825_2450233bdd_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808326825_2450233bdd_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />Here the exhibit was all about the history of Seoul, how Seoul was transformed from Hanyang to Hanseong during the Joseph period from 1392 to 1863, and it vividly exhibited paintings, history snippets, literature, official records and writings, and audio-visual displays and a magnificent 3D model of the present Seoul landscape. I spent plenty of time peering over the 3D landscape lit model pointing out to Serene where we were on various days, on the 3D model. Man, I would easily spend half a day here. This was that historical part of Korea that I have forgotten to explore for a long time. I made a mental note to make allowances for more museums and to dedicate more time to each museum visit in our future trips.
</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834760637_545bb4fcf0_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="701" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834760637_545bb4fcf0_k.jpg" width="935" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836441950_541ae881f6_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="699" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836441950_541ae881f6_k.jpg" width="932" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />So the exhibits displayed historical notes on the Imjin Waeran 1594 (the first war waged on Korea by the Japanese), the Byungja Horan 1636 (the second war waged by Manchu), and how that totally wrecked palatial and residential architecture in Seoul and how they would meticulously restored over the decades and with each ruling emperor. It also remarked how these wars changed the way the military evolved to better defend the country.</span><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;"><i>"<b>Establishment of the Capital Defense System - </b></i></span><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;"><b>Capital City and the Four Cities</b></i> </span></blockquote></blockquote></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Handlee;"> </span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">The militar<i>y system that was structured to defend the whole country </i></span><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">by dividing them into Owi (Five Commands), promptly collapsed with </i><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">the Japanese invasion in 1592. Realizing that a capital defense system </i><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">was far more important than border defense, Joseon installed the </i><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">Eoyeongcheong (Royal Guards Command), the Chongyungcheong </i><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">(Command of the Northern Approaches), the Sueocheong (Command </i><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">of the Southern Approaches), the Geumwiyeong (Capital Garrison), and </i><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">the Hullyeon Dogam (Military Training Command) to defend the capital. </i><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">During King Jeongjo's reign, Yusubu (Special Magistracies) dedicated </i><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">to military administration and protecting the capital, were installed in </i><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">Gwangju and Suwon, which completed the Four Yusubu system along </i><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">with the existing Yusubu in Gaeseong and Ganghwa. Hence, the defense </i><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">system to protect the capital, centered around Hanyang with the four </i><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">cities as the outside strongholds, was reorganized,by the late 18th </i><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">century, the four Yusubu were collectively called the Sado (Four Cities). </i><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">The area occupied by the capital and the Four Cities corresponds to the </i><i style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee;">modern-day Seoul Capital Area." - exhibit, Seoul History Museum.</i></span></p></div></blockquote></blockquote><div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807708268_832efbe8c8_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807708268_832efbe8c8_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It showed ancient maps of Korea with indications of the major cities. It was very interesting to see how these cities remained similarly-named till today.</span></p><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee; font-size: x-small;"><br /><br /></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee; font-size: medium;"><b>"In early Joseon, more than 100,000 people lived within the walls of the capital. Whatkind of people resided in Hanyang?</b></span></blockquote><div><div><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div><div><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee; font-size: medium;">First, there were people from Gaegyeong, the capital of the previous Goryeo dynasty, who were closely involved in the founding of the Joseon Dynasty. They were subsequently incorporated into the ruling class of the new state and joined the populace by relocating to Hanyang. However, the existing residents were evicted from the capital. Residents within the walls of the capital were granted a different status from people hailing from outside districts, which resulted in differences in taxation. While residents within the capital walls were exempt from military duty, the grain tax, the local tribute tax, and forced labor in lieu of taxes, which were imposed on the residents of outside districts, residents did have to pay land and housing taxes and provide the latbor necessary to maintain the walled city.</span></div></div><div><div><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee; font-size: medium;">It was during the late seventeenth century that Hanyang started to transform into a commercial city. During this time, a commodity money economy developed in Hanyang with the enactment of Daedongbeop (Uniform Land Tax Law) and the circulation of metal currency, and a trading system mediated mostly by currency was established. People with no particular skills or resources flooded into Hanyang as they were able to sell their labor. By the late eighteenth century, there was a sharp rise in commercial development, and major ports in Gyeonggang, such as Mapo, Seogang, and Yongsan, became commercial centers. Along with commercial development, growth in privately-managed handicrafts provided people with luxury goods of the finest quality such as gold, silver, and jade craft. As a result, Hanyang's population soared, and merchants, artisans, and wage laborers made up the majority of the city's citizenry." - exhibit, Seoul History Museum.</span></div></div></blockquote><div><span face="SFUIText, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: -0.37px;"><br /></span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834715997_d78914e3c4_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="800" height="658" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834715997_d78914e3c4_k.jpg" width="928" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green words by me</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It also interested me to see how the Joseon geographer drew the ancient map of Hanyang (the old Joseonian name of Seoul) and how they segregated the city to its various parts, that until today still was represented similarly - North, South, East and West. If one day I were to slowly explore, I would try to see where each of these parts would correspond to in the modern Seoul city.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836397160_64c0a5f4da_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="800" height="656" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836397160_64c0a5f4da_k.jpg" width="925" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese words and English words by me.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p>The interesting thing about Hanyang was, it had five palaces, according to geomancy principles. Despite being totally destroyed during the wars, they were restored and further strengthened. A good plan of action for the future would be to take one palace a day and slowly work one's way through each palace. Another singularly important place was the Academic institution of Seonggyungwan 成均馆 that I really really wanted to visit but I totally forgot about this one. Its historical location is currently Seongyungwan University, which I believed still bears the <b>historical hall Daeseongjeon (대성전, 大成殿)</b>, which unlike most of Seonggyungwan, was not destroyed by the Japanese during the war.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807956204_12e4dbff8e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="800" height="599" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807956204_12e4dbff8e_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I vividly remember this historical institution for the 孺子 in the old Joseon Dynasty as depicted by the actress Park Min Young in the drama series 'The Scandal of Seonggyungwan'.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834715967_94842fd13e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="568" height="777" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51834715967_94842fd13e_k.jpg" width="551" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OK one day I will do all these one by one.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p>In the olden days of Joseon, the Yangban caste and the scholars studied and wrote mainly in Hanja 汉字. And the primary written language of Sungkyunkwan was hanja. Kind Sejong invented hangeul in 1443 for the main purpose of the mostly illiterate people and indeed Hangeul did solve the widespread illiteracy of the common people at the time, but it did not become the primary language of study because the literary elite believed that the difficult hanja was more sophisticated. I was surprised to learn when I read that despite the popularisation of Hanguel it was considered a threat by many in the upper class to their status as literary scholars, leading them to resist its implementation. Thus for all the scholars in Seonggyungwan, hanja still remained the only form of written language for official learning and promotion through government ranks.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee; font-size: medium;">"Gwanghwamun square is a historical space that has served as a political, admin-istrative and cultural center since the Joseon dynasty. The square has recently attracted intense interest more than ever. The State Council of Joseon site that had come to light through excavation surveys was designated as Historic Site No. 558 in 2020, and the square reconstruction project, which is currently taking</span></div><div><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee; font-size: medium;">place amid great public interest and cooperation, is set to finish in April next year (2022) In response to this, for the first time, Seoul Museum of History, the National Palace Museum of Korea and National Museum of Korean Contemporary History have come together, and each museum holds an exhibition, under the title - 600 Years of Gwanghwamun; Three Stories -, exploring the Gwanghwamun area in-</span></div><div><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee; font-size: medium;">cluding the square and its history. Seoul Museum of History firstly opens up the story with the exhibition, Yukjo Street: The Symbolic Street of Hanyang. The ex-hibition aims to trace Yukjo Street, which has remained its position as a core civic center throughout 600 years since Hanyang became the capital city of the Joseon dynasty and the officials who walked along the street. We hope audienc-</span></div><div><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Handlee; font-size: medium;">es have a meaningful time at the exhibition while experiencing the timeless historical value of the Gwanghwamun square." - exhibit, Seoul History Museum.</span></div></blockquote><div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I simply left the bored Serene sitting in the lobby of the museum playing her handphone game while I slowly explored the exhibits and stood for minutes on end just watch the videos and reading the words.. slowly. Very slowly. I believed had I been here two years back, I may not have gained as much as I had on this very day, all thanks to our Korean language 선생님’s effort in teaching us.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Not only did I finished the section on Seoul’s history during the Joseph period, I also visited the exhibits on the urban planning professor Kang Byeong Ki who designed Seoul’s infrastructure. Sincerely I should have minimally read up more before I visited the museum and stood and internalised all these information. Never mind. It was meant to be. This simply meant that there has to be another visit, another time. 박물관 (博物馆), 박물관… 일찍 갔어야 됐는데… <span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>“이번에 서울역사박물관에 다녀보니까 신나던데요.”</b></span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>~ </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">D</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span> ~ <span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Click</span> <i>below</i> <span style="color: #d9d2e9;">to</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">enjoy!</span></b><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"> </span>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="663" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_Tw300ec_iU" width="798" youtube-src-id="_Tw300ec_iU"></iframe></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I was heartening to see mother bringing her sons and explaining to them about their country’s history. And I was so happy to see three old men walking along and pointing to the exhibits and discussing animatedly what 조 and what 종… </span></span></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><b>GOTO Express Bus Terminal Underground Shopping Mall</b></span></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">As we ended our Seoul History Museum late we decided to scrap the Nanta theatre did today and push on to tomorrow. Instead we took an Subway to 고속버스터미널 to search for the 800m biggest underground shopping centre that impressed us so much. Man, we really got ourselves a little confused taking the Subway to GOTO Mall. Why? I think I was just too over-confident. I used to remember it as GOTO Express Bus terminal. I wasn’t sure but I saw the name Express Bus Terminal station and I assumed that one the only one and the same. It turned out to be indeed similar but just that we kinda approached it from another end, the Exit 1 side and arrived at the more modern part of it. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836442030_ac76e2ff43_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="691" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836442030_ac76e2ff43_k.jpg" width="921" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Thankfully Kakao Map didn’t fail me and after catching the GPS again and just walking a couple of hundred metres either down to arrive back at the GOTO Mall we knew. It hasn’t changed too much. The store were all filled and none were empty, demonstrating fine resilience in local domestic spending as GOTO Bus Exchange fully and successfully lived on local consumption. This season they were selling all women fashion and mostly winter clothes. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835820518_962830a527_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="696" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835820518_962830a527_k.jpg" width="928" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I told Serene: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Aiyah. If we were to spend three months here to enjoy the winter then we Will stick up your winter clothes here."</b></span></span></p></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835820523_4afcdfe913_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="691" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835820523_4afcdfe913_k.jpg" width="921" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">GOTO Express Bus Terminal being unchanged, the Ajumma stalls were still going at 10,000₩ but not many make boutique wears. The small SikTang at the end of the 880m underground shopping mall were still there. But the stalls have changed hands from a few years ago.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835708636_7e13cea0bd_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="686" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835708636_7e13cea0bd_k.jpg" width="915" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Things really were meant to be. I amazed myself with my perseverance. Last afternoon we missed Seoul History Museum because it was closed on 1st January 2022 but yet today we pushed on to visit.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And in a similar vein, we pushed on to take a bus from the museum after we finished at around 2pm to make our way to 이모네곱창 Imone Gobchang (姨母Aunty’s intestine restaurant) in Chungmuro 충무로 忠武路 which was highly recommended by Mango Plate. But.. as expected, the Aunty was closed on Sunday! Kana-Sai!! Good things were never meant to be achieved on the first attempt. Kwenchana! Tomorrow we will try again.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807603561_bcdc7cc74f_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807603561_bcdc7cc74f_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">But we did managed to dabao fried chicken from the chicken street in Myeongdong. This round we tried the other shop 오빠 닭 Oppa chicken, and we purposely chosed the original flavor.
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I was amazed by Serene’s determination to order in Korean: <span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>“치킨 이거 하나, 이거 하나 포장해주세요,”</b></span> she tried again. This time successful!</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Oh this 오빠 닭 hor.. the taste was beautiful- we both devoured the chicken completely and the beer and the cola that evening in our hotel room.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">One thing that was lost from the streets of Myeongdong was the all too-familiar Sulbing Korean Dessert restaurant. We tried but couldn’t find it. Only after confirming with the Tourist information ambassadors standing in Myeongdong that we realised that Sulbing chain in Myeongdong was closed again due to poor business. But apparently Sulbing was still opened in Chungmuro. Kwenchana. Tomorrow we will try Imone Gobchang and Sulbing in Chungmuro.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Wah I got plantar facilities,”</span></b> kao-beh Serene while walking back to the hotel. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"</b></span><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">My shoulder also is having shoulder-itis, neck got Neck-itis and the arm I have arm-itis." </span></b>Every where also painful. Except her head.. I gently knocked on ber head her head must have been gong-gonn- and 머리가 임무도 없어요.</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><br /><b><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large;">Next Stop...</span></b></p><p><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/01/a-leisurely-day-strolling-dongdaemun.html" style="text-align: right;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Day 13: </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></span></i></b></a></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><h1><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><a name="Day13">Day 13</a></span></span></h1><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>3 Jan 2022</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806644887_1612f83a45_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806644887_1612f83a45_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dongdaemun</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I was excited about waking up and going to Nanta Theatre today and going to eat my 이모네곱장 in Chungmuro.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">But sigh.. Nanta wasn’t meant to me. I checked their performance days and found that they were opened only Thursday, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Today being Monday, they were closed. Aiyah.. really 没有缘. Kwenchana… at least it meant that we will have to make another trip once again to watch the hilarious Nanta Theatre performance.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Continue reading below to follow our adventure on this day.</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> If you wish to jump forward to any other parts, please click on each of the Days below to go into the detail, and fun-filled videos and photo travelogue for that day</span></b></span>. <span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> <b>Join us as we continue our Travel in Korea!</b></span></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p></p><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></div><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was the day for the 48-hour pre-departure ART before we flew back to Singapore. It had to be a professionally administered one. And close monitoring on the Telegram Chat group determined that for us the closest and the easiest would be Euji Bareun Clinic around Jongro and it cost around 45,000W, one of the cheaper ones around. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835285972_2861fc2ba8_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835285972_2861fc2ba8_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Again we walked. Here in Seoul we found it interesting to find zebra crossings with multiple criss-crossing zebra lanes, not different from the alleys in the village. And while we were confused how to walk in the beginning after a while we realised that when the lights turned red for the cars, they turned red on all sides and pedestrians may cross along ANY of these criss-crossing zebras located right at the traffic junction.<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807715088_4a0ba9be7d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807715088_4a0ba9be7d_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Want to criss-cross? Suit yourself!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835079102_520c2facd4_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="652" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835079102_520c2facd4_k.jpg" width="326" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />Eulji Bareun clinic, 800m from our hotel, wasn't difficult to find. For the purpose of PDT, we needed the English certificate. The staff were really efficient, spoke good English and were able to understand my halting Korean, and very quickly registered us, and the swabber very quickly called our names and swabbed each of us, one nostril all the way deep inside.
</span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808330680_485bbce43c_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808330680_485bbce43c_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Most coincidentally but not surprisingly, we met another two groups of Singaporeans in the clinic, Carol and another couple Albert and Bon. I was so thankful to have met them and spoke because Carol reminded me to do the Singapore Health Declaration submission online before flying back. I totally missed this one, perhaps being so focussed on all these post Singapore-arrival ARTs and having to book the Day 3 and Day 7 ARTs in the CTC.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807598241_49b486ebfc_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807598241_49b486ebfc_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Eujibareun clinic apparently also does plastic surgery one wor</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Not knowing exactly where to go, we simply wandered eastward towards Dongdaemun. Originally wanting to visit Dongdaemun Design Plaza but we ended up at the old city gate Dongdaemun 东大门 itself. Once again, we were immersed in old-time Seoul, like the Geylang of Singapore, the Balestier, and Sungei Road back home.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836967115_2328127a24_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836967115_2328127a24_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This slow saunter down to Dongdaemun took us ambling along a bustling old-fashion part of Eujiro to Jongro… almost like back to the old Chinatown areas with old Ajussis, Ajummas, Halabeojis and Halmoenis running their small shops and stalls and old customers going about their daily shoppings. Although the place was different from back home, but the feeling was nostalgically similar.</span></p><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><br /></p></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806643092_d87e06d29a_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806643092_d87e06d29a_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We were assaulted from all sides by sights, sounds, fumes of workers, men and women, working fast and furious pushing trolleys and carts of huge pile of textiles, boxes and rushing their way along the pavement. Here they were working and the rhythm of the city was so palpable. It didn't take much to forget ourselves drifting through the cacophony of noises.</span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836967110_ec803e6e95_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836967110_ec803e6e95_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Until 东大门 and the edge of Dongdaemun City Wall Park 东大门城廓公园 we ventured but not beyond. It was time for my highly awaited lunch at Imone Gobchang, the pig intestine restaurant in Chungmuro. But I could not understand why it remained closed after our second attempt today! The words and the door still clearly displayed that they would be open 11am until 12 midnight (granted, now that it was Covid, maybe up till 9pm 吧), and that their break was 2-3pm. But our timing was just right. Yet.. the door cold-heartedly locked us out. Even exploring the street up and down found no other Gobchang stalls opened.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We stumbled into a traditional market called Jongro Shinjin Shijang. Again, almost like the Gwangjang market it was, but selling slightly different things. The food stalls were tempting. And we walked past an Ajumma who introduced us her Gobchang... but alas we didn't stop to eat, because we were still aiming to find Imone Gobchang. I would regret not stopping for her Gobchang later that night.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835285947_99881f1e78_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835285947_99881f1e78_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>We could see many of the skilled workers plying their trades along Jongro, and also within the shijang. These scenes reminded me of the Korean drama 'Designated Survivor 60 days' where the acting-President of Korea played by the actor Ji Jin-hee was fighting for the rights of the traditional market workers.</p><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807714383_e9315b0808_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807714383_e9315b0808_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I knew we would buy nothing from them, but still, I would love to just walk along and to let the atmosphere filter through my body.</p><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808331240_88d88b44e6_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="800" height="610" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808331240_88d88b44e6_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Wah hey.. you know.. we haven’t never been to this Dongdaemun city gate before. I am glad we just walked to here,”</b></span> I shared. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Forget about that Dongdaemun Design Plaza. That one is better viewed at night with all its lighting effects. Let’s leave that one for another visit in the future.”</b></span> Wah.. I am starting to be very 随缘. If have then have. If don’t have them Kwenchana.</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807959914_0589537d79_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807959914_0589537d79_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />Yet again, we topo-ed our way to Imone Gobchang at Chungmuro. BUT it was closed! The day was correct, the timing was also correct. But they were simply... closed! </span></p><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Aiyah you! 认命了吧!”</span></b> said Serene.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“哎呀,好吧好吧!要是真是这样的话,我就只好认命了。真的是不明白,要吃一个 곱창 都这么重重阻饶。”</b></span></span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Don't tell me that Imone Gobchang was also a victim of Covid? Could not be could not be.. because this small little SikTang catered to the locals. They are totally not tourists-depending. Sigh... </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Exhaustedly we staggered back to the hotel and snored for about two hours plus.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836586669_c10b5ec1f7_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="800" height="437" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836586669_c10b5ec1f7_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835285962_9bebbc88ff_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51835285962_9bebbc88ff_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sometimes while travelling, we would like to attempt to find some of the local eateries that were frequented by the locals, instead of finding internationally famous ones, or those that had tourists foot-printed all over. A frustrating attempt to search for some of the local haunts failed whenever I entered Myeongdong as a search filter on Mango Plate, the local foodie App. Google and Kakao Map were a little not that useful because those shops that were closed due to Covid and poor business, didn’t show up as ‘Closed’ on these two. But in Mango Plate, their operating statuses were accurate indicated. Earlier we tried walking up a third floor 소고기식당 to find a big lock on the glass door, again another victim.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Dinner of SamGyeopSal at Chungmuro</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kakao Map led us walking zig-zag into some small alleys of 을지로 seeking this highly-reviewed 을지육점 for my SamGyeopSal. But strangely we were exactly at that spot but just couldn’t find the SikTang. Looking around led us nowhere near any signboard that depicted the words 을지육점 乙支肉店. So we ended up choosing one little restaurant called 시골돼지촌 (Kampong Dueji village). Prices were very reasonable and we ordered three portions of 생갈메기살 猪排肉 pork rib, 생목살 pork collar and 생오겹살 五花肉, one 된장찌개, one Cass beer and one soju. It was a chilly night and these nice food really warmed us up for walking down the street post dinner.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjphwhi6q_HHobxMhLwmPdfEtn13OtZD32wHIN8cRUNQ-1z_FNKi8K4RIZEuh-w1oV_4oj2TOntYSlpatZJGVgVZg0VR8ohdSFaroSvLS3RxlBJhtdRQjihcXlwm6TJiwhA3AYOCvdveqQhDSQgftpgwDR2lU6VGdsMrdBnY5JL8_SCxSqMgNINVRRZ=s1440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="622" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjphwhi6q_HHobxMhLwmPdfEtn13OtZD32wHIN8cRUNQ-1z_FNKi8K4RIZEuh-w1oV_4oj2TOntYSlpatZJGVgVZg0VR8ohdSFaroSvLS3RxlBJhtdRQjihcXlwm6TJiwhA3AYOCvdveqQhDSQgftpgwDR2lU6VGdsMrdBnY5JL8_SCxSqMgNINVRRZ=w830-h622" width="830" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Ajumma ShaJangNim was also really friendly.<b><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></b></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Song Myung; font-size: large;"><span>“QR 코드를 여기 찍어주세요.</span>”</span> As usual she pointed to the QR scanning machine.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Dokdo; font-size: x-large;">“우리는 싱가포르 사람인데 해외예방접종 확인서가 있어요.”</span> now we have practised to much that it was easier to come out of our mouths.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Wah just now not many customers one.. but after we came in suddenly many people came in hor.. I think it is because it is after work lah,” </b></span>observed Serene.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“The taste not so 香 leh,”</span></b> I said.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“It’s not bad lah,”</span></b> said the Chief Chef. Ok if the chef said it was good then it must be good.</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">At least I knew my mind and body were in splendid states after this lovely dinner, exactly just like how the local Koreans loved to have nice warm meal and alcohol and get a little tipsy and warmed up, and we just walked and walked. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Korean Dessert Sulbing in Chungmuro</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmQprvvLCV_joBu2ESN1Kzdwi1FTPQX27nsrXV3U80kLejGXaqMmZwrPgQjhBhi-yYGfqFxPXJqr04rX0Gz9ZpF9Q_dLDuCD6RQPcfy-wRg_AffOlNB55Uf1SjGRzxQ4emqW8PZolSty-K1FU3Lkw6vhzOH4lrKWWUA1z9LvUhVrSkoGoqOsc6wJI4=s1440" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmQprvvLCV_joBu2ESN1Kzdwi1FTPQX27nsrXV3U80kLejGXaqMmZwrPgQjhBhi-yYGfqFxPXJqr04rX0Gz9ZpF9Q_dLDuCD6RQPcfy-wRg_AffOlNB55Uf1SjGRzxQ4emqW8PZolSty-K1FU3Lkw6vhzOH4lrKWWUA1z9LvUhVrSkoGoqOsc6wJI4=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Secretly I knew I was going to bring Serene to have Sulbing Korean Dessert, that bing-su chain that we loved so much, but had disappeared from the face of Myeongdong. One of its other surviving branches were still in operation in Chungmuro, and that was where I was heading to. We were very thrilled to finally find it. Hey, it's not every day that one would be able to share a bowl of wonderful PatBingsu leh. And having so much beautiful memories of Korean Dessert Sulbing in the past, a trip to Korea would be kind of missing something, if we hadn't had a bowl of Injeulmi Bingsu, even if it was in the deep cold of winter.
</span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Gastronomically satisfied finally, we stepped out to find it snowing. Not much, just a little, but enough for us. </span></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgD4J2nRV-1l6WacQ9BvkEFVJrCnslMhrKotQUdT8Rah6aGBetpVuPxWBn4VpmZCmwFpC-gfWWbFMl7ko4YUqCr95bHHp3Oo-J79pDXcnzwV2RMMxPR4iiQghf0gQUtmfkJMe56f5M7qL6jExTV1RqjIHf4-GUorgTVhof6ILghKxDdNO_vD-BX2I7g=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgD4J2nRV-1l6WacQ9BvkEFVJrCnslMhrKotQUdT8Rah6aGBetpVuPxWBn4VpmZCmwFpC-gfWWbFMl7ko4YUqCr95bHHp3Oo-J79pDXcnzwV2RMMxPR4iiQghf0gQUtmfkJMe56f5M7qL6jExTV1RqjIHf4-GUorgTVhof6ILghKxDdNO_vD-BX2I7g=w629-h473" width="629" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Effects: me! Snow in the background: real!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Gaegu; font-size: x-large;"><b>“눈이 왔어요!”</b></span> exclaimed Serene. </span></p></blockquote><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhpCsVlWy4qDMgcEWFaTpotjqyAykIvxtYBxtn5K_4oI7htnl8M_MbAdz-ZC5nCDH2ol7zaU-FihF6qeYcNTxMULHV4Ps27C-J7wyrJipms2hdWkk2BoV7nCWRZ3v1bsSEGHyMA1kaLpKpeyq8wfwHrPGLMe7L8qD0LHdUHo0vYWHh_lQpjOdvrvci=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhpCsVlWy4qDMgcEWFaTpotjqyAykIvxtYBxtn5K_4oI7htnl8M_MbAdz-ZC5nCDH2ol7zaU-FihF6qeYcNTxMULHV4Ps27C-J7wyrJipms2hdWkk2BoV7nCWRZ3v1bsSEGHyMA1kaLpKpeyq8wfwHrPGLMe7L8qD0LHdUHo0vYWHh_lQpjOdvrvci=w638-h479" width="638" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Effects: me! Snow on her clothes - real!</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Dokdo; font-size: x-large;">이렇게 길위에 가면서 눈을 보는 것이 우리 싱가포르 사람들한테 신나는 일이었다. 눈이 조금만 와도 괜찮다고 생각했다. 이 것밖에 아무것도 필요없었다고…</span></span></p><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4Cdk07mBG7D4RJx7dJIP18XQ5NmD4C0lU_r9C1g3sR1yBu6TGWKaaNAHwF0OTc3cFOZIKCA7ZNa1WHPnbT9ZLrEypWOcitovcQwSrFUtSDyvNXmDBMzFSf1haCO15IH42fuOZbqGNBLuREBv6ln5TkM8HAj8Lj3ZdcIFOqYp4xLWkl-4xxpZeRW8p=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4Cdk07mBG7D4RJx7dJIP18XQ5NmD4C0lU_r9C1g3sR1yBu6TGWKaaNAHwF0OTc3cFOZIKCA7ZNa1WHPnbT9ZLrEypWOcitovcQwSrFUtSDyvNXmDBMzFSf1haCO15IH42fuOZbqGNBLuREBv6ln5TkM8HAj8Lj3ZdcIFOqYp4xLWkl-4xxpZeRW8p=w474-h632" width="474" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Effects: me! Snow on her clothes - definitely real!</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807712818_18628a2d1a_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807712818_18628a2d1a_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A final adjustment of the frame.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Next stop...</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4}}" style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/01/finally-got-to-eat-gobchang-and-please.html" style="text-align: right; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><b><i><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Day 14: </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</span></i></b></a></span></p><br /><br /> <br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p> </p><h1><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><a name="Day14">Day 14</a></span></span></h1><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>4 Jan 2022</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807964249_a298a54407_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807964249_a298a54407_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"style":0,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wah we slept until 10am again today! A full 10 hours of slumber. Either this trip was really tiring or the winter weather too sleep-inducing and the Korean food too soothing.. whatever the reason, when there was no need to wake up early, we literally slept in. See beh jiaklat. </span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“What are we going to do today?” </span></b></span></p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"></span></b></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807710903_65741720ae_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807710903_65741720ae_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Finally ate one more time myChungmuro Gobchang</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wah lau.. we asked ourselves this question again? if one is on holiday in an overseas country and woke up several days starting to ask himself or herself this question… then either one was too shagged and too tired, or one really had exhausted all destinations.. most likely the former in our case. Hahaha..</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">I knew my Serene was aching. Shoulder aching, neck aching..
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: justify;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“I have plantar faciitis, shoulder-itis, neck-itis, leg-itis…” </span></b>see beh 可怜, this young girl. 旅一个行,就全身痛。</span></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Continue reading below to follow our adventure on this day.</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> If you wish to jump forward to any other parts, please click on each of the Days below to go into the detail, and fun-filled videos and photo travelogue for that day</span></b></span>. <span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> <b>Join us as we continue our Travel in Korea!</b></span></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p></p><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Caveat Brush; font-size: x-large;">It was the second last day of our Korea trip. We just wanted to keep things easy.</span></span><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Recce our luggage attack route for tomorrow...</span></b></span></div><div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Lunch time. We walked to the spectacle shop and found that 함상문 씨 was serving customers. We stepped over to Momo Cafe and hey.. 김만중 and 김학중 were both busy and there were quite a few groups of customers inside. Wah.. good good.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Ok, Dar.. let us do this. We will recce from Myeongdong station to take Subway to Seoul station and check if there were escalators or elevators to make it easier for us to bring our luggage down tomorrow,”</span></b> important was to ascertain the feasibility of solely using the subway, now that the Airport shuttle bus was no longer in operation.</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">And we found to our delight, there being an escalator at Myeongdong Exit 7 that allowed us to transport our heavy luggage down. We simply needed to walk through a small part of the Myeongdong underground shopping mall to arrive at the subway entrance and walk a short flight (well, two flights) down to the subway platform for the subway train to Seoul Station. Once at Seoul station, we just needed to exit the train and walk to near exit 15 and there was a lift to go up to B1 where we could follow the sign to walk to AREX train. If we had been on Asiana air or Korean air, we would be able to check in our luggage right there instead of at the airport. But it was fine. The next day we would try.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">But one thing for sure.. from Myeongdong station to Seoul station and then transfer to the AREX (All stop) train to Incheon airport terminal 1, was totally feasible. Saved me the headache of having to take a taxi.
</span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Of course the option of taking a taxi from our hotel, two subway station stops to Seoul Station to take the AREX was the second easiest. And it wouldn't cost much too. But honestly if one wanted to travel like the locals, then one must really try to think like the locals, and really maximize public transport. </span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">We tried walking around Seoul station on the ground level and found Seoul Sation tower (mainly office), Seoul Square Mall (mainly restaurant). Another trip, another day we would explore Seoul station area more. I was, we were, still more taken by the more traditional parts of Seoul.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>OK massage booked....</b></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Ok Dar, let’s go back and see if Gana Building 7th storey Happy Skin massage is opened or not.. let’s ask Kim Man Jung to book an appointment for us to massage,”</span></b> I finally relented. Hahaha.. I knew this surprise would make our Queen overjoyed, and it did!</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Wah, JinJja?! Kamsahabnida, Chagiya!</span></b>” now Serene was happy, really happy, knowing that a nice massage was awaiting..</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Despite still being busy at the cafe, we gotten 김만중 to book an appointment for us at 3pm. Whole body massage.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Daejon Gobchang at Shin-jin Market</b></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Ok Dar, there is one thing I really really need to do, otherwise 我不死心. I want to eat the Gobchang (pig intestine) at 중로신진시장 Jungro Shinjin Shichang, where yesterday the Ajumma welcomed us but we couldn’t stay to eat,”</b></span> I announced. Of course Serene couldn’t say no.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“I am not really hungry now leh,” </b></span>she said.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“No problem. Later at the SikTang even if you cannot eat much we will order just a little.”</span></b> I reassured her.</span></p></blockquote><p> </p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808326550_747076a98d_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808326550_747076a98d_k.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">From Dongdaemun Subway station we retraced our steps back toward the 줄로 신진시장. I was so thrilled to find the store that we saw the day before.</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836318272_491a94433f_o.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="598" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836318272_491a94433f_o.gif" width="798" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span></span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Dokdo; font-size: x-large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Dokdo; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807710443_ef606e3e54_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51807710443_ef606e3e54_k.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Dokdo; font-size: x-large;">“사장님, 어제 우리 지나갔는데 근데 시간이 없어서 못 먹었어요. 오늘은 꼭 와야 돼요!”</span> I explained to the SajangNim that <span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>because we didn’t have time yesterday we could eat but today we had to come back to eat Gobchang.</b></span></span><p></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">At the end we ordered 막 창 (small intestine) for 26,000₩. And wah.. this one was one of the most <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51808327235_04b6dbfa3c_k.jpg" target="_blank">delicious thing </a>I have eaten in Hanguk. Even Serene also devoured her share of the Gobchang.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51837268331_44b482442d_o.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="602" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51837268331_44b482442d_o.gif" width="803" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The hard-of-hearing SajangNim and the SaMoNim were pretty relaxed this Tuesday noon and we were the only customer in their SikTang.</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Dokdo; font-size: x-large;">“사장님, 죄송합니다. 카드고 계산해도 돼요?”<b> </b></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><b>(SajangNim, may I pay with credit card?) I asked, after realizing that I had only 6,000₩ cash left on me.</b></span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Song Myung; font-size: large;">“현금 없어요?” </span>The SaMoNim asked. I shook my head to admit that we had no cash. She agreed. Good.</span></p></blockquote><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806644207_d3fe425532_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806644207_d3fe425532_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />
</span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">For 26,000₩ (S$29.80) we had one of the most delicious meals in Seoul - MakChang 막창. Even Serene ate much more than what she originally intended to.
</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Wah the seasoning is so delicious,” </span></b>said her.</span></p></blockquote><p> </p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51837620804_dbec9486ee_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51837620804_dbec9486ee_k.jpg" width="800" /></a>
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-large;">Hot Stone Massage at Happy Skin!</span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Arriving back at Momo Cafe at 2:45pm, we were just in time for our Full Body Aroma oil massage at 7th storey Gana Building. The Korean (this time was really just two very experienced Korean Ajummas) introduced the 80,000₩ aroma oil massage for 80 minutes, and boy did we totally enjoyed it!
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The hot stone and oil massage was nothing like we had ever had. A nice warm foot soak, followed by lying face down and the Ajumma masseuses kneaded our backs, shoulders, necks, legs, thighs and arms. I especially enjoyed the hot stone 온돌 massage. The Ajummas really put in plenty of strength and kept asking us ‘Kwenchaneu-seyo’. We went back to our hotel blur-blurred and seh already.
</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51838002220_c3c5cd126f_o.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="605" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51838002220_c3c5cd126f_o.gif" width="806" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Dokdo; font-size: xx-large;">“이렇게 마사지를 싱가포르에서 해본 적이 없어요, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(we have not had such massage before in Singapore)”</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> </span></b></span> I told the Ajumma Masseues.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Dokdo; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“마사지를 시작했을 때, 좋다고 생각했는데, 근데 마사지할수록 더 좋아졌어요. </span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: inherit; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>(When we first started the massage, I thought that was good. But the more we massaged the better it became)</b></span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Dokdo; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;">.”</span></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806640292_12920d5149_b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="450" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806640292_12920d5149_b.jpg" width="800" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-large;">SoonWoo Black 한우 beef</span></b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806641882_6e2b7c2498_b.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806641882_6e2b7c2498_b.jpg" width="180" /></a></span></div><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br />Dinner time, and we had a most lovely 소고기 at SoonWoo Black restaurant, with 김만중. Another nice dinner, nice chit chat and more story-sharing, talking about populist Korean government, about army National service, about Bitcoin, about charts, about vaccinations, about travelling, about businesses.. many things to talk.
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806640032_3f098e68cb_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806640032_3f098e68cb_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Truly delicious Hanoo.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51838003435_1f5b0ecb8e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51838003435_1f5b0ecb8e_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">When asked about if we would come back during Autumn or Winter this year I replied 김만중: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Dokdo; font-size: x-large;">“복권에 탕점된다면 꼭 다시 와야돼요.”</span> <b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(If we strike TOTO we will definitely return).</span></b>
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</span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Next Stop...</b></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="font-family: Permanent Marker; font-size: x-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2022/01/huh-so-quick-go-home-already.html" style="text-align: right;"><b><i>Day 15: Huh?! So quick..? Go home already?!</i></b></a></span></p><p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></p><p></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: Reggae One; font-size: x-large;">終於要回到熱帶新加坡的現實裏頭了。</span></p><p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: georgia; font-size: xx-large; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a name="Day15">Day 15</a></span></p><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>5 Jan 2022</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #ffe599;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Dela Gothic One; font-size: x-large;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>The Trip of Aga-Aga-ration...</b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #ffe599;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806640737_f330af18b5_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51806640737_f330af18b5_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: black;">Yes, got to fly back home already liao lah. Want to siam also cannot siam liao. Time is up, and it's time to say bye bye liao.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #ffe599; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></p><p></p><p></p><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><p style="font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Continue reading below to follow our adventure on this day.</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> If you wish to jump forward to any other parts, please click on each of the Days below to go into the detail, and fun-filled videos and photo travelogue for that day</span></b></span>. <span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> <b>Join us as we continue our Travel in Korea!</b></span></span></p><p style="font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p style="font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: collapse;"></p><p style="font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: collapse;"></p><p style="font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p style="font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p style="font-size: medium;"></p><p style="font-size: medium;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">Table of Content </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">目录 </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;">-detail daily travellogue</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day1">Day 1 - </a></span><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Travelling to Korea during Covid?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day2">Day 2 -<b> </b></a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Korean Vaccination certs, Bulgogi & Noraebang</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day3"><span style="font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;">Day 3 <b>-</b></span></a><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Single Day; font-weight: bold;">Of Gyeongui Line Forest Park, GomTang, Bongeunsa and just.. Gangnam</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day4">Day 4 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Full Body Massage in Korea.. Huh, are we crazy?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day5">Day 5</a> - </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Moving to North Korea (erm.. North of Korea) - only a short distance.. to Bukchon only!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day6">Day 6 - </a></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Of PCR and Gyeongbokgung.. Wonderful Palace and.. oh, snow!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day7">Day 7 - </a></span><span style="color: #d9d2e9; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Discovering - the Serenity of Traditional Bukchon</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day8">Day 8 -</a></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "Hachi Maru Pop";"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Myeondong... Annyeong!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day9">Day 9 - </a></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Gangchon Rail Park - what a lovely, COLD, WINDY morning paddling trip!</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day10">Day 10 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: Single Day;">Hiking round Namsan Loop - we could do this everyday leh!</span></b><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day11">Day 11 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Single Day;">Ihwa Mural Village - a walk through K-drama ...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day12">Day 12 - </a></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><b>A journey through Seoul's history through Joseonian eyes...</b></span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day13">Day 13 - </a></span><b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Single Day;">A leisurely day strolling Dongdaemun.. and hitting several brick walls...</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day14">Day 14 - </a></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Finally got to eat Gobchang, and please the Queen with Happy Skin Massage!</b></span><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Single Day;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: Hachi Maru Pop;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-ones-flew-korea-during-covid.html#Day15">Day 15 - </a></span><span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-family: Single Day;"><b>Huh? So fast go home already?!</b></span></span></div></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The timing was just nice. Despite us being a little lost trying to get to the AREX train entrance and trying to find the correct train to take, we arrived 1 hour 50 minutes before departure. That is a feat. At least we now knew that even without a taxi, without the airport shuttle bus, but just purely based on subway and AREX trains, we could always arrive in time for our departure.</div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51837620789_8df15a2279_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51837620789_8df15a2279_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The customs clearance was nothing out of the usual. No fuss. Easy. Covid hadn't made things too much worse, actually.</div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">The only thing that made us wait was when we arrived back in Changi Airport. The PCR queue was long and on that day the counter staff were all complaining that the system was very lagging. So we waited quite a bit in the hot and stuffy tent outside the airport to have our swabs. The result came very quickly, we did it at 5pm and by 8:05pm we had our email results already. That was efficient! And we were able to return to work the very next day!</div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51837280076_90c7b8e035_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51837280076_90c7b8e035_k.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><br /><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">This trip was truly one of the great trips. There would never be one trip that was better than another, each trip being good in itself. But the few reasons that I could think of that made this trip so good was:</div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><ul><ul><li>We simply went with little planning - all in my head and my handphone in bits and pieces. No concrete itinerary. I read here and there over the weeks, <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><span style="font-family: Dela Gothic One;">and just... aga-aga travelled</span>.</span></li><li>Importantly we start flying once VTL opened and we hadn't been away for exactly two years, and we were able to make the Christmas and New Year holiday back to Korea. Were we worried that Covid would derail our plans? Well, no.. we <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Dela Gothic One;">simply aga-aga-ed that the timing was right.</span></li><li>We really travelled as much as possible like the locals- our T-Money card was in FULL FORCE with subways and buses.</li><li>We walked as much as possible like the locals - true! This trip was really a gluteus and quadriceps-busting trip.. how to walk? We<span style="color: #d0e0e3;"> <span style="font-family: Dela Gothic One;">just aga-aga lor.</span></span></li><li>We ate as much as possible in the local SkiTangs (Restaurants 食堂) - yes, as ulu as possible would be the best way to eat. Yupe, <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Dela Gothic One;">we just aga-aga saw and aga-aga ate.</span></li><li>We did the long-awaited Namsan Loop, and boy did we exercise, man- climbing up Namsan and Naksan and whatever slope that came. <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Dela Gothic One;">Yes, we aga-aga-ed the distance and just aga-aga direction and walked.</span></li><li>Museum! Of course, a bit of history was always good for a holiday trip.. because of the time, I <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Dela Gothic One;">could only aga-aga view the exhibits.</span></li><li>Local food - yes... I think we did our best in eating as many types of local dishes as possible. Of course one could never cover everything. But hey... there will forever be another trip. So, we <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Dela Gothic One;">aga-aga searched for all we could and, aga-aga ate.</span></li><li>Soju and Cass beer - this trip we were good in drinking in abandonment - not drunk, we never got tipsy this trip - but we at least had a soju (mine!) and a Cass beer (Serene's) almost every meal. That was a record in itself. Not a lot of alcohol, <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Dela Gothic One;">but just... aga-aga drank.</span></li><li>Pastries - oh, the Cream Baangs and the strawberry puffs and all the pastries we bought and ate for Paris Baguette, The Queens Bakery and all those boutique bakeries that the Koreans were so famous for!</li><li>We saw with our own eyes the local neighbourhoods, the olden Bukchon.. and we discover much more of Seoul than we had ever in our previous trips. So we <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Dela Gothic One;">aga-aga had an idea</span> that should we one day spend a couple of months in Korea during retirement, where we could spend our time.</li><li>We utilised our KakaoTalk App, KakaoMap App, KakaoMetro App, KakaoTaxi App to their fullest. And even plotted route on the KakaoMapp app in preparation for the Namsan Loop hike. That was on-the-job training. Everything on the handphone App was simply.. aga-aga one: <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Dela Gothic One;">aga-aga think this is the bus number</span> just get on, <span style="color: #d0e0e3;"><span style="font-family: Dela Gothic One;">aga-aga walk this alley and then topo</span>.</span></li><li>AND we did these mostly in the local languages. Not only me, but also Serene. This was a truly levelling-up for us in our two and a half years of learning Korean language. Our Korean SonSengNim has prepared us well, and we have plenty to thank her for that. But when we were on the ground, we could do no better but <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Dela Gothic One;">just aga-aga read and make out the meanings of the signboards, and aga-aga spoke to the locals.</span></li></ul></ul></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">So if I was asked to summarise our trip in one word, this word would have to be the <span style="color: #d0e0e3; font-family: Dela Gothic One;">Trip of AGA-RATION.</span></div><div style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></div></div></span></span></div></div></div></div>
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Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0365-8 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea37.5531707 126.92189429.2429368638211571 91.7656442 65.863404536178848 162.0781442tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-12664195627130974752019-08-25T00:15:00.005-07:002020-08-05T08:26:14.221-07:00The beginning of a new journey<b><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;">Saint Petersburg ~ </span></b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><i><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">"How selfhood begins with a walking away, And love is proved in the letting go." </span></i></b><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">- C Day-Lewis.</span></b><b> </b></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow;"><i>25 August 2019 - 4 September 2019</i></span></b><br />
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孩子大了,总是要放手让他们自己走自己的路。每一个孩子的路都不一样的。当然,每一孩子的性格,想法,兴趣都有所不同。身为父母亲,能为他们做的,就只是帮一点忙把路给铺得平坦一点。再多呢,就帮不到了。<br />
这个正昂也真是有他的一套。有他自己的看法。很好!有这样的胆识,我们当然一定会尽力支持。<br />
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<span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: x-large;"><b>Sending off dinner</b></span><br />
<b>24th August 2019</b><br />
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One day before we were to fly off. It was so nice of 姑姑故丈and 阿欣 to have bought all the local food for dinner, to send 正昂 off, because he probably won't get a chance to eat these for a long time to come. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">难忘的一餐!</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">Day 1. Off we go on Qatar Airway</span></b><br />
<b>25 August 2019</b><br />
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St Petersburg, here comes father and son! We were very lucky we decided to reach the airport much earlier to check in because apparent this Qatar airway flight was overbooked and at the check in counter, the nice Korean service staff asked us if we would like to change to another flight on Lufthansa flying to Frankfurt arriving one day later. Man, that would set our schedule back! Luckily this very nice Korean lady must have appreciate my Korean announcement to Serene "북잡해요!" (which meant 'crowded' in Korean) and smilingly squeezed two seats out for both of us to take the original flight. Very heng ah, we both!<br />
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Ready to board liao!<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
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We really didn't know what to expect on this journey. None of us have been to the Russian Federation. We had so much difficulty with getting both our Russian visas done. After hearing so many horror stories, we decided to get a company to do for us. Luckily we did, because there were spelling mistakes in his Russian name (I must say Zheng Ang was very sharp to have picked it up) and we rejected all the notarised, translated and certified documents and had them re-do for us. Thankfully all the documents came back in time a week before we left. in retrospect I was glad we corrected all the spelling mistakes because Russia Federation is such a sticky, beaurocratic country that we would have gotten plenty of trouble with the incorrect name. The price for the visas and all the translation and notarization, legalization, certification of his certificates came up to slightly more than $2k. Not cheap. But these were necessary preparations.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7 hours 40 minutes flight from Singapore to Doha, and a 2 hours 15 minutes transit in Doha, followed by a 6 hour 10 minutes flight from Doha to Saint Petersburg</td></tr>
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The plane trip took as through <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48649461227_322e8df6a1_k.jpg" target="_blank">Doha</a> and then to St Petersburg.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>Arriving in Pulkovo Airport, Saint Petersburg.</b></span><br />
<b>10pm, 25th August 2019</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21;"><b><br /></b></span>
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The weather was a nice 17 degrees. It was the deepest part of summer.<br />
We had no troubles with the immigration. Our luggage arrived with us, and we breezed through the Green 'Nothing to Declare' Channel with nary a look nor a check from the customs officers. Good. Again, see beh heng ah!<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21;"><br /></span>
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Multiple research on Trip Advisor prompted us to just use a Yandex taxi (the Russian version of Grab), and for 608 Roubles (about S$12) we got a taxi to take us that 40 minutes drive in the dark to Vasiliesvsky island, where our Demidov Bed and Breakfast mini hotel was located right beside the Vasileostrovskaya Metro station and within walking distances of the Saint Petersburg State University admission office, the local banks and the local Telcom branches.</div>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>My Plan</b></span></div>
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One of my very good Taiwanese classmates in our Korean class asked me to check out Saint Petersburg because she also wanted to travel there one day, and our good Francis Chia reminded me to die die must go and see all the palaces, the churches, the museums, the royal gardens. One of my very good patients she told me when I am in St Petersburg I must try the Georgian restaurants there because they are very famous there.</div>
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Well, my actual plan was - I wasn't going to do a single bit of sight-seeing at all. I knew that I had to be very laser focussed on this trip because we would be facing plenty of uncertainties, we would be feeling our ways blind-folded through a system that we had never had any experience with, and which we knew would be full of its own idiosyncrasies, a system that would not be remotely similar to what we were so familiar with back home, or in any Commonwealth country, or any English-speaking country. We had tasks to accomplished. Not being a common destination of study for Singaporeans, and not having too many Singaporeans who have walked down this path to set down the trail, the process of getting him into Russia and getting him to university was a huge question mark. I had to just have faith that Zheng Ang's Russian language was good enough for all the missions in hand. And I really wasn't sure if I was prepared for it. </div>
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So I told Zheng Ang: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Son, when we are in Russia, every day is an adventure. We will take it each step as it comes, ok?"</b></span></blockquote>
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My plan was very simple - First 5 days 4 nights we would stay in Vasilievsky Island, where Saint Petersburg State University's admission office was, and where we would register him, get his chest X ray done here, buy his Russia SIM card, open his Russian bank account and importantly remit money into his Russian account and initiate the process of paying the school fees. </div>
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For the next 6 days and 5 nights, we would travel westward to spend these days in Petergof (or also commonly spelled in the Germanic form Peterhof, the House of Peter), where we would check into the dormitory and settle him in, because that would be where his Faculty of Applied Mathematics campus would be, just a short walk from his dormitory.</div>
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Sounded simple, right? Hah.....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was so easy to use the Yandex App to call for a Yandex taxi. And for S$12 for that 40 minutes ride it was really good. The driver was from Uzbekistan, but of course he spoke Russian.</td></tr>
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I knew Zheng Ang had learned quite a bit of Russian from his months of studying under his Russian teachers back in Singapore but it was the first time I heard him speak the language. And man, was I glad that he could speak the language. Honestly, I would not have been so certain to just come father and son, had I not had the confidence of his linguistic capabilities. And he has proven me right many a time here in Saint Petersburg. Of course, he was still new, but he could get by. And what was more important, every day he was learning new terms and new grammars.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">T</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">h</span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">e</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">V</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">i</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">e</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">o...</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>Demidov Mini Hotel Bed and Breakfast</b></span><br />
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We were here for serious business. As per my usual practice, I didn't believe in spending huge amount for accommodation. Here smack right in the middle of Vasilievsky was Demidov, at $65 a night, with breakfast. We were happy. The only thing was - we needed to carry our luggage three storeys up to the hotel. But hey, nothing that two big muscular men couldn't do.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clean, simple. Down to earth. No-nonsense classic Russian style. We like.</td></tr>
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And we slept.</div>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>Day 2. A day of unexpected to-ing and fro-ing.</b></span></div>
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<b>26 August 2019</b></div>
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5:30am the sky already started to light up, as it was summer.</div>
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The younger man woke up very early <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48648957178_05a5df68a8_k.jpg" target="_blank">6am something</a>, and was already <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48649309191_f0cdca1eac_k.jpg" target="_blank">changed</a> even as I was still laying in bed rubbing my eyes struggling to wake up.</div>
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The part time night receptionist Margarita was very shy initially but later she turned out to be so helpful as we needed advice and help.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Our very lovely receptionist at Demidov, Margarita, who is working part time here and studying her Masters in the university because her stipends is only 3000 roubles a month (36000 rubles a year, S$765) for her education so she needs to work to pay for her studies. </td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">8:30am</span></b>. Ok, just nice. We timed ourselves to walk the 20 minutes walk to the school's admission office to reach there just before 9am.<br />
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It was not cold. But cooling. 13 degrees in the morning.<br />
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The streets of Saint Petersburg's Vasilievsky was not crowded and there wasn't much traffic. It's buildings, according to Zheng Ang, were very Byzantine, because they were modelled after the Byzantine periods of the Roman Empire, taken from the Eastern Capital Constantinople.<br />
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As we walked we were impressed to see many buildings having plaques and plaster figured of famous poets or writers or musicians or artists who lived and grew up in the buildings, or where they did their works. No wonder people said that Saint Petersburg was called the Cultural Centre of Russia. In fact Tchaikovsky himself was made famous here in St Petersburg.<br />
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The Nebo (pronounced NieBa) River ran across Vasilievsky.<br />
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I told the young man: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Ok, we both definitely need to wear jackets today because it's our first day and we have to look presentable. Cannot any how wear T-shirts and such."</span></b></blockquote>
And he very guai. He followed me.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Walking along the embankment to number 13 to register.</td></tr>
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It was really so predictable that the unpredictable should stumble upon us so fast. We arrived at 8:45am to realise that the government departments in Russia start work at 10am. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"OK, let's walk 15 minutes up to the nearest Sberbank to see if we can set up a bank account for you first before we walk back to register you for admission,"</span></b> I said.</blockquote>
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But alas, it wasn't meant to be. With no student pass, no letters, all the acceptance letters from emails were not valid for account opening. And the very very pretty young Russian Sberbank counter staff simply could not understand English and Zheng Ang had not enough of Russian finance terminologies to communicate.<br />
By the time we walked back at 10am, we were number 38 in the queue. I was very impressed to see many foreign students from Russian-speaking ex-USSR states. And several PRC Chinese with their agents guiding them. The PRC Chinese students were good - the fact that they had a Russian-speaking agent (also a PRC Chinese himself or herself) to bring several students at a time, really lubricated the whole process.<br />
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The wait was not long. Just about two hours. And 7/8 of the time I didn't knew what was happening. Only Zheng Ang's spattering Russian managed to get us through the whole process.<br />
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Honestly, if you asked me, I would say this - Here, the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing and neither of them knows what the middle hand is doing, and the left hand says go to the middle hand and the right hand says go do the X ray, while the middle hand is instructing the registrant to immediately go to Petergof and stand outside some the door for another three hours' wait only to be chased out because of incomplete form, and had to return the next day for the same process.</div>
<div>
What was more interesting, the whole process was marred by human mistakes that made us take the long trip to and fro twice. I knew it was going to be like that. But I didn't know it was going to be <b><span style="color: yellow;">like that</span></b>.</div>
<div>
That night, Zheng Ang received an email from the University's admission department.</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Papa, hey they said they gave me a wrongly named bank payment instruction form. It's under the name of a Mongolian student. They have emailed me the correct form! I was frantically checking everything but I couldn't understand this part on the form that was why I missed out the mistake in the name."</span></b></blockquote>
Zheng Ang was really meticulous in scrutinising every single piece of document to make sure it was correct and that he understood what they were for. But still, the barrage of information definitely was overwhelming, for a new Russian learner. Fortunately, Margarita the night staff was very kind to help us print out the correct Bank Payment instruction form. I looked at the incorrect <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48648930273_10e1b87b11_h.jpg" target="_blank">form with the Mongolian name</a> and shook my head...</div>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">So what do we do now?</span></b></div>
<div>
Simple. So we die die had to take that 58km trip down straight away to Petergof to the Dormitory to get registered there. That really screwed up my plan. I was only planning to go to Petergof on day 5. No choice. We had to postpone the Chest X ray till tomorrow, and hope that when we came back this evening the bank would still be open for us to open an account for him. The quicker we opened the account the better, because I urgently needed to fund the account to pay the fees.</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Ok, let's do this, Zheng Ang,"</span></b> a quick run through in my mind and I made the decision. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"It's 12pm something now. We will go MegaFon shop at the Metro station to buy you a Russian SIM card because I anticipate that when you register with the bank, and with the dormitory they would want a Russian phone number, then we quickly grab lunch at the McDonald's opposite and then we call for a Yandex taxi to go down to Petergof where we will search for your Professor and then the Dormitory."</span></b></blockquote>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>MegaFon!</b></span></div>
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Luckily MegaFon's customer service guy was English-speaking, a Warcraft fanatic, and it took him less than 15 minutes to get Zheng Ang's MegaFon SIM card activated and he now had a Russian phone number. I went straight for MegaFon because I read that it was one of the better Telcom, slightly more pricey, but had good coverage and good plans. At 600 roubles (S$12.70!!!!!!) a month, he had unlimited 4G data, and he had 20Gb of free data to personal hotspot to his laptop and other devices. Where to find this kind of plan in Singapore at such prices?!?!?!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;">MegaFon saved the day!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>McDonald's!</b></span></div>
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Eating McDonald’s outdoor in summer is really nice! One Big Mac Meal and one McChicken meal all in? S$7.50 ONLY for two full meals!!! Honestly, Zheng Ang had done his homework well. He already told the whole family that living cost in St Petersburg is only about 50% of Singapore. And so far he had proven himself correct.<br />
Everything was cheaper compared to back at home.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>Onwards to Petergof!</b></span><br />
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Life is such an adventure. The Russian red tapes really threw us literally out of their rooms and our planned schedule out of the window. So many unexpected twists and turns in registering, and having to make a sudden long trip to Petergof, only to find ourselves <b><i>later on</i></b>, once again thrown out of room 106 after a long three hours standing wait...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Yandex taxis abound and are very efficient. Just like our Grab at home</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">Department of Applied Mathematics Campus, </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">Saint Petersburg State University, Petergof</span></b><br />
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I got a rude shock when the taxi dropped us off at what appeared to be rather deserted old-looking buildings from a different era. They looked more like buildings from an old Soviet horror movie rather than a University that had yielded 9 Nobel Prize winners and 3 Fields Medallists.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">半個人影都沒有。為何?因為是學校假期呀!</td></tr>
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Zheng Ang seemed to know his way. I could only follow him. Google map was really a wonderful tool, even in this part of the world.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">Meeting Professor Nina Peterovicha Dorofeeva,</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">Director of the Preparatory Course,</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">Department of Applied Mathematics.</span></b><br />
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Professor Nina was such a motherly figure. She was very very warm and friendly and she kept speaking to Zheng Ang in Russian, but to me, she used English. Patiently she instructed us what to do the next step before showing Лим Чэнг Анг (yupe, now Zheng Ang finally has a Russian name) his classrooms.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"You must now immediately go to the Dormitory Block 10, Room 103 and after that Room 106 to get your migration registered and get your permanent Dormitory pass,"</b></span> exact instruction from Prof Nina.</blockquote>
<b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: yellow;">T</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">h</span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">e</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">V</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">i</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">e</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">o...</span></b><br />
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Then we started towards the dormitory<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">The newly crowned 'Чэнг Анг' walking to the dormitories.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Boo boo after boo boo after boo boo...</span></b><br />
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So we came to a very crowded corridor full of foreigns students. It was hot and stuffy and the phone signals could not come through in this corridor. We waited in the line for room 103. We waited for about 45 minutes and when it came to our turn, the plump black-faced lady inside took a look at our documents and straight away chased us out - alamak! We actually should have queued up in the line for room 106 BEFORE we go to Room 103. Welcome to France!<br />
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The following 3 hours was spent waiting standing in the stuffy corridor for the lady in room 106. These young men and young ladies from other parts of Russia, from Belarus, Turkey, Uzbekistan and eastern bloc countries show true grit in have a lot of patience in their perseverance in waiting. They were just as frustrated. I didn't expect them to have as much patience as me, a grown up old man. But they proved me wrong!</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This young lady in white said: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“we already waited three hours, we are not going to give up now. If we come back another day there will be more students.”</span></b></blockquote>
I admire their maturity, their grit, their strength in character. Only those who grow up in places that are less privileged (than those of us back home in Singapore) will develop hardier characters like these. No wonder the Russians, the Central Asians, the Eastern Europeans are such stoic people. Good for ‘green-housed’ Singaporean young people to come and experience the difference.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very patient young men and ladies.</td></tr>
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Here in these old buildings of the old USSR era, every room, every corridor is made up of thick walls and heavy metal doors. In fact most are. Especially so in the faculty buildings themselves, the research laboratories, the classrooms, every single one of these are literal bomb-shelters, designed to protect the professors and students and researchers from a direct nuclear bombardment from the US of A during the Cold War period. No wonder our phone signals couldn't penetrate the re-inforcement. Here inside I had absolutely no phone signal.<br />
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Finally our turn came. The grumpy lady took one look at Zheng Ang's form and pointed out that the dates were not filled up. The school admission department ladies should have filled up the dates but they didn't. Professor Nina could have filled up the dates, but she must have missed them out. Even Zheng Ang's desperate call through to Professor Nina on her handphone and passing her to speak to the grumpy lady did no good. They were stickers for formality. The dates HAD TO BE WRITTEN by the administrative staff otherwise they would not accept it. Welcome to Frankfurt!<br />
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So we were thrown out of room 106.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"OK Zheng Ang,"</span></b> I sighed. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"We have done our best. We will take the long taxi ride back to Vasilievsky now. Then tomorrow morning we will go and do your chest X ray exactly at 8am when the X ray centre opens, then we will taxi immediately over to Prof Nina to let her fill in the dates and initial the form, then we will come back and queue up outside room 106 again."</b></span></blockquote>
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Well, really a long day from Vasiliesvky to Petergof and then back to Vasilievsky. Only managed to accomplish registering, and meeting the director of the preparatory course and buying a MegaFon SIM card. Dormitory was a total failure, setting up of bank account was a failure because we haven’t had student letter yet. Shucks.. what an adventurous day.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Day 3. </span> <span style="color: yellow;">Again Petergof. </span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">Hopefully today would be better.</span></span></b></div>
<b>27 August 2019</b><br />
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It was actually Margarita’s last day of work. She was so helpful to help us print out the correct bank payment form. A really nice and gentle young Russian girl. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Margarita was so happy to see us father and son and since it was her last day she offered to take a wefie with us and using her own handphone some more.</td></tr>
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<div>
But for us, it was another long and tiring day. We rushed to do the chest X ray first thing in the morning. The Fluorogrqphy centre recommended by the school was at Vosstaniya 1, right next to Plochad Vosstaniya Metro station.<br />
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To save time we took a Yandex taxi and reached there just nice at 8am. We were the third in the queue. For 350₽ (S$7.44) and only a five minutes wait for the X ray report was ready. That, was really efficient. So it seemed to me that the private organisations in Russia - MegaFon, this private X ray centre lah, all could actually be very efficient.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">waiting for the X ray report.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A library en route to Petergof</td></tr>
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<br />
Man, this travelling 58km to and fro just to settle some documents seemed to be the norm in Russia. They would not even blink an eye to make that distance to have some dates filled in and the paper signed. Of course, for Singaporeans living in such a small country, everything was so near. We took things for granted. Thus, here in Russia where land is so expansive, it required a total transformation of mindset to perspective on <i><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">distance</span></b></i>.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OK, first thing was to look for Professor Nina to have the form dated and signed.</td></tr>
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<div>
Professor Nina was just ushering another two new students from China when we stepped into her office. She welcomed us warmly. Forms filled. And we darted towards the dormitory.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bus stop just outside the dormitory. This would be where Zheng Ang would take his bus to change to the train to go to city centre in the future.</td></tr>
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<div>
But first we needed to conquer room 106. With apprehension we entered the high-security dormitory where we both had to use our passports to get an access card each.</div>
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Here, block 10, room 106.</div>
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<div>
Today, the grumpy lady was less grumpy. And she allowed us and the Turkish boy (behind Zheng Ang) to enter first because we waited in the queue yesterday and she promised today we just needed to walk right in. And boy, were we glad we actually had the X ray done this morning because she asked for it. Had it been yesterday we would have died on the spot because we hadn't had the X ray done. The reason why we didn't do the X ray in Singapore was because they needed it to be in Russian, and had we done it in Singapore (although easily done) the report would have to be translated to Russian. So we decided - forget it, enough of translating documents in Singapore - we will do the chest X ray in Russia.</div>
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<br />
And within a short few minutes, Zheng Ang finally got his permanent access card! One room down. Now, over to room 103.</div>
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<b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: yellow;">T</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">h</span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">e</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">V</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">i</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">e</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">o...</span></b></div>
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Oh man! Finally he gotten his permanent Dormitory access card and the room key. Phew, one obstacle down.<br />
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Room 103's plump lady was less grouchy this day, said Zheng Ang. He was again pumped out of room 103 because she told him to get over to Block 12 to get some documents first. Haiyah... this was getting more and more complicated. We never knew what would come our way next. One room would direct us to another room over in another block which will in turn direct us to yet another room in another block. This was getting quite interesting.<br />
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Zheng Ang, I will sit down outside here while you go back into room 103 later ok?"</b></span></blockquote>
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FINALLY (again. This whole trip was full of 'Finallies'). The plump lady in room 103 gave him his migration registration of residence in the Dormitory form. Man, this piece of paper was soooooo precious. Immediately we took it back to Professor Nina.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Now you walk to the other side of the faculty, to the Faculty of Physics where you must look for room 208 to buy your school health insurance," </span></b>instructed Professor Nina.</blockquote>
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Huh...? Why was I not surprised? I think by then I had become blase about the whole thing. I expected to be pumped from one station to the other station, and then further to another station. The Faculty of Physics was quite a walk. And room 208 was not easy to find. And the elderly receptionist at the entrance, though very nice, she was not really able to direct us. So we found ourselves walking through corridors of the Nuclear Physics department with heavy metal door with huge Radiation signs on each door. It WAS truly of the old Soviet era.<br />
I almost gave up. But the son persisted and took another turn, believing strongly that room 208 was definitely somewhere. Fortunately for us, his patience paid off. We found another old lady called Elena who was in charge of health insurance and for 5600 rubles (S$117) a year we paid of the insurance and gotten two pieces of papers which she insisted that Zheng Ang never to lose.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finding the Faculty of Physics</td></tr>
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Clever boy. Saved us another trip on another day to this huge ulu bomb shelter building.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The man and his Faculty of Applied Maths.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">Lunch back at Vasileostrovskaya metro station</span></b><br />
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Wah... man. Now dormitory permanent access card obtained. Room key obtained. Dormitory registration of residence form obtained. The correct Bank payment instruction form printed.<br />
We hadn't had a proper meal for one and a half days. And I told Zheng Ang we deserved a real proper meal. So back to Vasiliesvky island once again we headed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Yandex taxi ride from Petergof back to Vasilievsky</td></tr>
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We found a restaurant serving beef and lamb next to the metro station and we just whacked. It came up to about S$10+ per person but we had a really nice meal.<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b>Adventure opening up a Russian Bank Account... </b></span><b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: x-large;">Сбербанк</span></b><br />
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Zheng Ang was adamant about opening an Alfa bank, because one of his friends used Alfa bank. I was personally keen to do Alfa bank because it was a private bank. We found a branch but eventually the bank account opening was a failure because the very nice Russian-speaking man told us that for state universities the state banks will do a better job because privately-owned banks like Alfa bank will charge a hefty commission when helping us pay our school fees.<br />
So we had to go back to Sberbank (Сбербанк) where the day before that extremely pretty but stern-faced Russian girl who rejected us <b><i><span style="color: #f4cccc;">happened</span></i></b> to serve us again.<br />
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Look, Zheng Ang. We are going to do this. Because anything involving financial matters, we have to be really precise and we cannot be uncertain, I am going to ask if they have an English-speaking staff to assist us. When it comes to money, we better be exact."</b></span></blockquote>
This time round we were lucky, because we were welcomed by a nice young officer could speak English. And after understanding what we needed, he explained all our intentions to the pretty female colleague. With the help of the English interpreter she managed to swiftly set up Лим Чэнг Анг’s Sberbank account. And she even helped Чэнг Анг set up his Bankomat (ATM) card that doubled up as a Mastercard debit card with no annual subscription fee. And she <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">finally smiled at us</span></i></b>... wow, what a lovely Russian smile.<br />
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Pretty, high nose bridge, blonde, long droopy eye lashes- classic Russian beauty who spoke ONLY Russian.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were so happy to have successfully set up his Sberbank account that we just had to take a wefie in the bank</td></tr>
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After a long session with the pretty female Russian counter girl, getting his account settled and understanding how to use the mobile app. Now this Sberbank's mobile app was really excellent and it allowed the users to do everything and anything with it. In fact, in my humble opinion, it was even better than our DBS mobile app. They had PayNow-like features and cashless payments abound.<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b>Remitting money into Russian bank...</b></span><br />
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This had been the one solitary nightmare that had haunted me for months. I tried all kinds of ways and asked around. Majority of the Singapore banks did not deal with Russian banks because our good friend Mr American President declared Russian banks to be sanctioned banks.<br />
And many remittance companies including Western Union did not and could not assist in remittance of money into Russian banks.<br />
Citibank account holders and HSBC account holders could do so, but not without plenty of trouble by a round about way, incurring huge administrative fees, and at poor exchange rates.<br />
So how could I transfer money to his Russian account?<br />
Finally, the answer came from a very reliable global remittance service called <b><span style="color: yellow;"><i>TransferWise</i></span></b>. Very fast, very reliable, had a presence in Singapore, and within just a day, the exact amount I remitted was safely in Zheng Ang's bank account, and their exchange rate from Singapore $ to Roubles was excellent. For example, remittance of S$10,000 would only incur a fee of say, around S$92, but the exchange rate was the current S$1 = 47.8 roubles while if we were to do this with banks the exchange rate would be S$1 = 42 roubles. We literally save 10%. Thus if, for example, we sent $10,000 we would have saved $1000 by using Transferwise.<br />
Exactly as promised, 18 hours after I remitted the amount on my mobile, Zheng Ang's Sberbank mobile app alerted him that the money is in his account already. That was marvellous!<br />
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To celebrate, we had a sumptuous Georgian dinner at Tamarisi Georgian restaurant. It was really delicious. And at half price of what we would have paid in Singapore- had Sashlik, Dolma, Kachapuri and Spicy and Georgian coffee. Man, we were drained and pure-tired out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tamarisi Georgian restaurant</td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: yellow;">T</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">h</span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">e</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">V</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">i</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">e</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">o...</span></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Kachapuri- a kind of pastry meat with bread. This one has cheese and wow it was really delicious! Pork Shashlik. Oh lovely! Dolma- pork and beef mixed together in soft leaves and eaten with sauce. This one really delicious!</td></tr>
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S$20 per person for all these food and drinks. We were heartily-fed and deeply-satisfied. After two intense days, we really needed to knock out already.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>Day 4... a more relaxed day.</b></span><br />
<b>28 August 2019</b><br />
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We woke up late and had a leisurely breakfast. So far we had been living on cashless payment and it was about time we had some real hard roubles cash in hand. Any bank was supposed to be able to do money exchange in Russia. So we walked to the nearby Alfa Bank hoping to change my Euro to Russian Roubles but I was taken aback when the lady just said no no no no and refused to serve us.<br />
We walked to another bank - Russian Standard bank. That nice lady looked at the €500 euro note, saw a small tear and straight away rejected my money.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">“I’m sorry there is a small tear on your €500 note and we cannot accept this note,” said this nice lady at Russian Standard Bank.</td></tr>
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So how? As always, the state bank Sberbank to the rescue lor! Over there no question asked. The lady just scanned my €500 made sure it was legit and gave me my Russian roubles. I really find that the customer service standard in Sberbank much better than in the other banks although it is supposed to be a state-owned bank.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;"><b>Taking the metro to Vosstaniya...</b></span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Ok, Zheng Ang, now that we have some cash, let's explore the city central where in the future you can come and buy things, electronics, clothes and whatever, ok?"</b></span></blockquote>
The metro was fast. And for 47₽ (S$1) we can take as many stations as we want. It’s charged per entry one leh!<br />
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正昂Чэнг Анг was surprised. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Papa, it’s only S$1 per entry, no matter how many stations you take. This is fantastic! I can travel as far as I want to!” </span></b></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Their Metro is fast and smooth, clean. Like any modern metro.</td></tr>
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We walked around and enjoyed the nice sunny late morning weather. There were more people in the city centre and more shops.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Souvenir shop next to Plochad Vosstaniya Metro station. I learned finally that some places merely waving the credit card to pay wirelessly doesn’t work. I need them to insert the card into the terminal and use the chip to pay then it will be successful.</td></tr>
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While we were buying things, at exactly 11:30am, Zheng Ang's Serbank App on his mobile gave him a notification - the remitted money was all in his account!<br />
As I emphasized once again, this TransferWise was really a very reliable remittance service. Great! Time to pay school fees! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking to Sberbank at Ploschad Vosstaniya</td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Papa, let't not go back to the Sberbank at Vasileostrovskaya. Let's try one of the Sberbank branch offices here at Ploschad Vosstaniya," </span></b>suggested Zheng Ang. Hey that was a good idea!</blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Сбербанк (Sberbank) Vosstaniya very good branch and very helpful staff. Payment was easy with the Bankomat/Mastercard Debit card.</td></tr>
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Sberbank customer service staff at the Sberbank Vosstaniya branch were fantastic! Three of the ladies were English speaking and they knew exactly how to help us pay the school fees into his State University and they were exacting in helping us amend some errors in his passport number and helping us convert his name in the bank to the Russian Cyrillic name so that in the future he will have no more issues. Such professionalism. I am beginning to find Sberbank such a good bank to use!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Very professional customer service officers who can speak English in Сбербанк Vosstaniya. Good job!</td></tr>
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In fact, Zheng Ang was already texting one of his friends who was also going to start a course in Moscow University all these important information and all our experiences, sharing with him what we have learned these few days.<br />
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That was all we needed to do on this day - just pay the 272,000 roubles (S$5780) school fees for the semester. A commission fee of S$30 was charged. But that's reasonable. Phew! One more obstacle down.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking the metro two stops back to Vasileostrovskaya.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">Back to Vasiliesvky...</span></b><br />
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Lunch was a simple take away KFC. Here the KFC and McDonald is half the price of Singapore. And everywhere we go we can use Apple Pay to pay anything! We were pleasantly surprised how cashless Russia is. With them working together with Huawei to develop 5G I told my son he will have the honour of being the first in the family to be using 5G technology in no time here in Saint Petersburg. </div>
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Ordering for KFC is similar to for McDonald's - we use the touch screen big panel and pay using cashless method. Russia is such an amazing country. Like China, almost everything is cash less transaction. The locals pay by their hand phones. Apple Pay is the norm in all groceries, supermarts, malls, restaurants, even many many small shops. We were truly very surprised how advanced Russian’s cashless payment system is. Thus moving forward when he is in the dormitory he will make plenty of payments with his Apple Pay.<br />
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Our lunch!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Evening...</span></b><br />
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This evening the young man purposely wanted to go down to the supermart and test out his Apple Pay with the current phone case with his dormitory access card clipped inside. And the Apple Pay worked! Good job! And he accidentally found many different flavours of his favourite Black Monster drink that are not available in Singapore and the prices of the Monster drinks are 74₽ (S$1.50) much cheaper than in Singapore. Literally half the price. The potatoes are S$0.20 for one kg of potatoes and the tomatoes and vegetables everything is in tens of cents tens of cents. He was delighted. He could do plenty of cooking in the dormitory and save a lot of money.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">24 hours groceries shop in Saint Petersburg.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">9.99₽ (S$0.20) for one kilogram of potatoes. How cheap can it get? Well he found his buckwheat! We had it for breakfast this morning at the hotel.</td></tr>
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Dinner back in Demidov...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Special flavour Monster drinks and instant noodles.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">Day 5. Ok, time to move over to Petergof!</span></b><br />
<b>29 August 2019</b><br />
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It’s time to take the long drive to Petergof where Saint Petersburg State University’s department of Applied Mathematics’ campus is located.<br />
Russia is such a huge country that Saint Petersburg State University literally can locate its different faculties 50-60km away from each other.<br />
Petergof is really a sleepy little Kampong. It used to be where the Summer Palace of the Tzar was located. But this was also where the top brains of the Russian physicists, mathematicians, scientists, nuclear physicists chemical engineers all were working and doing their researches.<br />
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We were early. 11am, the cleaning lady was still cleaning up the room.<br />
I spoke to Anastasia, the manager on the phone and told her no problem, we would just leave our luggage here and we would walk to the university to get our administration done.</div>
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Another 1.3km walk from Cottage to the Faculty of Applied Mathematics. .. including walking through small wooded paths, that would be unlit at night. What an interesting place. I told Zheng Ang this kind of environment was what the famous Charles Darwin lived in during his time - woke up for breakfast, did some studying, and some research, write some papers. Then late morning for a nice walk in the park and think through his theories in his mind. Then come home for lunch and take a good rest, after which he would do some more reading and writing and examination of his specimens, before having dinner and perhaps a nice relaxing evening of reading. And retire to bed. The peaceful life of a scholar.</div>
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Here the faculty buildings all looked like time stood still in the 70’s during the Cold War period. Each building is rectangular, no-nonsense. And every classroom is made from thick walls with thick iron doors. The buildings and the dormitories were literally bomb shelters. And each building and each faculty was located a certain distance away. The Soviets could not afford to lose their top brains to a nuclear bombardment from the USA during those days. So they were all scattered. Walking through the hallways and the corridors of the university and the dormitory transforms me into scenes that I watched in movies where the KGB physicists were working intensely in their laboratories, all hidden in highly secured buildings.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">At the faculty of Applied Mathematics there were some old what looks like Howitzer guns still sitting in the backyard. Relics from the Cold War?</td></tr>
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And I could imagine the floor where I was standing was literally where all these activities were taking place decades ago. But time has changed. Russia is now no longer the USSR, which as a child, I was still used to calling them Soviet Union, and to which I still harbour a sense of fear as an all-powerful communist state. Never would I imagine one day I will be here, standing right here, witnessing something really out of the world. Here. In Petergof. The old Leningrad.</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Professor Nina, Zheng Ang’s course director, was such a welcoming and motherly figure. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Keep speaking in Russian,”</span> </span></b>she urged the young man. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Try not to use English. And you shall improve leaps and bounds.”</span></b> She encouraged.</blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Prof Nina Peterovicha Dorofeeva</td></tr>
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Mathematicians worldwide were not awarded Nobel prizes. For mathematicians their top award equivalent of the Nobel prize is the Fields Medal. But from all its other faculties, Saint Petersburg State university has produced half a dozen of Nobel prize winners. I personally believe the Russian system of education is unique and is certainly something to be reckoned with. This should really be interesting.<br />
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Professor Nina warned: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“The department of mathematics is one of the most difficult one in the world. This department has produced several Fields Medallists over the decades.” </span></b></blockquote>
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<b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: yellow;">T</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">h</span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">e</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">V</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">i</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">e</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">o...</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>The Dormitory</b></span><br />
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The official name for the dormitory is called <b><span style="color: yellow;">The Petrodvorets Student Halls of Residence.</span></b> The dormitory at Botanicheskaya encompasses six blocks 14 storey oldish buildings and another outer ring of blocks of dormitory, with oldish Soviet lifts. Security level is very strict. Every visitor needs a temporary pass obtained only with passport, and every student has his or her own permanent pass. The rooms can only be entered by tapping the pass and after that opening with a key, as a double security.<br />
The accommodation was simple and basic. Two students to a room. Two rooms to a unit that shares a toilet and one shower. So four students from all foreign countries will be staying together. Simple, no frills no nonsense Russian practicalness. This is where they train their top brains with precise Russian strictness.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Wah my room is on the top floor 14 storey. It’s really a penthouse!”</span></b> Said the young man.</blockquote>
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Need to tap the access card to enter the unit. High security one, don’t play play.<br />
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After tapping the access card to enter the main door, now he has to use te key to open the door to his room, which houses two students.</div>
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But the inside is bare minimum. Basic. Nothing fanciful.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zheng Ang and his bed</td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: yellow;">T</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">h</span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">e</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">V</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">i</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">e</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">o...</span></b><br />
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One shower, one toilet - to be shared among four students.<br />
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Living in the halls were always like this. It reminded me of my time when I was living in King Edward VII Hall at NUS as an undergraduate. But of course, out here in Russia, one is in an alien environment, unfamiliar people, totally out of one's comfort zone in terms of the extreme changes in climate during the four seasons, and plenty of things to learn about how to adapt. But adapt he will, I am sure.<br />
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He was delighted they have a hot plate cooker and a working oven in the kitchenette two doors away!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Now I can cook and bake!” </span></b></blockquote>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>Now, to explore the nearby Lenta supermarket...</b></span><br />
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Dormitory inspected. Now we would walk the 1.3km from the Dormitory to the nearby Lenta, a 24 hour-supermarket chain in Russia. Apparently this is were most of the students here do their grocery shopping. Some more walking.</div>
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Walking the gravel road named ‘Wide Road’ from the dormitory to Lenta supermart. Many of the Russian students and foreign students were also walking down carrying heavy 4 litre bottles of waters, groceries but they gallantly trudged on. These are really strong-willed young men and young women. Difficult to find in the modern day world. But in this part of the world, these are hungry young people who would be those pushing their own boundaries.<br />
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The sun was scorching hot and I was surprised how hot summer was in Petergof. I brought base layers, middle layers and outer fleece in anticipation of a colder kind of weather. But wow, I was feeling the full force of the sun and after the third day I was just in T-shirt and jeans all the way.</div>
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Lenta was pretty well-stocked. They had fresh vegetables, many many different types of cheese, meats of all kinds, fish vacuum-packed, dried food, utensils, almost everything.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">This Russian counter staff was very cute. She was kinda amused by Zheng Ang’s rusty Russian but she was very kind to help him point out how to fill up the form to become a Lenta member. She kept laughing at him.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Papa, all these prices are so many cheaper. At least 60% of what we pay in Singapore, some local products are even cheaper. But I must first become a member of Lenta," </span></b>said Zheng Ang. And so for a 20 cent fees he signed up as a Lenta member and forever he would enjoy the special prices of Lenta membership.</blockquote>
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We did not buy much for our first visit to Lenta - just a broom for his room, some cold pizzas and sandwiches for us to feed ourselves tonight, and two bottles of Fantas and two bottles of plain water. On hindsight we should have prepared for breakfast the next day. But we hadn't even checked into the cottage yet, thus it slipped our mind.<br />
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The raw wilderness of Petergof. Walking. Being out in the open. Be one with Nature. That was what being an undergrad in Petergof seems to be about.<br />
With our exploration of the dormitory and Lenta over, NOW we were really ready good to go. My job was almost done. 99% done. Now everything else left was all up to the young brilliant man already. He has to adapt, to learn, to leap, to stand out, to persevere, to keep his mental strength as strong if not stronger than all the other equally hungry foreign students who come from less privileged backgrounds and less privileged countries -Belarus, Iraq, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, PRC China and Central Asia countries. There were even students from South Korea , USA and Indonesia! What a melting pot!</div>
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Here in Petergof, according to the Health Insurance lady, there was no Singaporean. So he was the only Singaporean here.</div>
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Walking back to the cottage was a delightful affair. Zheng Ang kept calling out <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Wow! Papa have you ever seen such huge 蒲公英 (dandelions)! And look at these! These are called bluebells!"</span></b> like a small little boy. He was so drawn by the flowers and the leaves.</blockquote>
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Walk and walk and walk and walk. The Russians don’t lose out to Koreans when it comes to walking. But in Russia the only difference is- their land are all flat land. There are no slopes no mountains no hills, no slopes, unlike in Korea.</div>
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It was about 4pm when we did our check in into the cottage. And it was a really nice fully-equipped room with kitchenette, microwave, stove - everything one needed to cook. The only thing was - we had nothing to cook.<br />
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We had only our sandwiches and two pizzas which we devoured for dinner. Breakfast would need to be postponed to a later time the next day.</div>
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For this day, we had done enough and we just needed to rest.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pactising his Russian on the instruction note in the cottage wall.</td></tr>
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This was the height of summer. And daybreak was around 5:20am and the sun finally went down at around 8:30pm. Thus at 8:15pm, it was still bright. We were surprised to see Russian boys and father playing football outside at 8pm something!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Ok Papa,”</span></b> 正昂 said. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Tomorrow, I am going to transfer my whole big floppy luggage full of things to the dormitory. Most of my stuff we will bring over and I will leave some little bit in the cottage and we will move them slowly over the next two days.”</b></span></blockquote>
Sounds good. I like it that the young man is making decisions himself and telling me what to do. And he spent the night packing his luggage and deciding what to bring over the next day and what to leave in the cottage meanwhile.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">Day 6. Moving most of the stuff over to the dormitory.</span></b><br />
<b>30 August 2019</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Well we found wheat flour... we found some spaghetti, some coffee powder, there was sugar and salt...</td></tr>
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Early morning we woke up automatically as the sun shone through the windows. No alarms. Nothing. Man, I haven’t woken up naturally like this, well-slept, well-rested for a long time. But we had no food. However we found some flour in the kitchen and I don’t know how he did it but this talented <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48648957693_b06ee6e0e7_k.jpg" target="_blank">young man made bread for me</a>! Bread and coffee for breakfast! Man, his years of working in Long John Silver, in a Japanese Restaurant as a chef assistant, and as a baker in a Pita bakery really paid off. He can cook up almost anything from nothing! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">And he made his bread from dough!</td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Papa, here is bread for your breakfast. It’s not Pita because I don’t have yeast. But can eat lah."</span></b> And hey!!! It’s nice! I cannot believe that he actually made bread for me for breakfast when we did have anything at all!</blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">Ok, let's go!</span></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">That long, non-ending road to the Faculty of Applied Mathematics from our ulu ulu cottage in the Kampong.</td></tr>
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So we walked that long long Russian Kampong road through the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and then all the way to the dormitory, and plonk the whole stuff there. It’s summer. But at 10:30am in the morning it was still nice and cool and one can walk in t shirt and jeans. But at 2pm it will be hot and one can actually become sweaty. Of course this place has an extreme of temperatures. Come winter it will be very cold. Zheng Ang later found out from a China student who was doing the same preparatory course last year, that during winter the mercury could plunge to negative 20 degrees Celsius.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">This Zheng Ang ah... I think he is really suited to the 荒芜的郊外. He is so captivated by all the plants and vegetation’s and kept pointing them out to me.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">The Petrodvorets Hall of Student Residence</span></b><br />
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Today we had just one last document to acquire. I really didn't understand what it was, but Zheng Ang said it was some kind of registration of residence in the Dormitory. So many documentations required in Russia I was also blur.<br />
So I waited while he disappeared into room 103 again to wait in a short queue of about 8 students...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Wah the Russian girls have very colour full hair hor....</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are Russian girls, all speaking in Russian.</td></tr>
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As I sat down and looked around, I caught sigh of so many young Russian girls and boys, probably only in their teens, <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48649315336_f0c7dd4b2e_k.jpg" target="_blank">all very young</a>, from different cities and states of the Russian federation.<br />
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“I think I must be one of the older students around here,”</b></span> said Zheng Ang.</blockquote>
Well... our Zheng Ang will be 23 years old in half a years’ time. Ok lah. He definitely won’t be the youngest.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Ok! Finally a registered Russian! Hahaha!</td></tr>
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Ok man! 成功啦! Finally gotten the proof of registration of dormitory. 真是麻烦,这么多 red tape. But ok. Today there are many more students and many are Russian boys and girls from other cities and states of the Russian Federation who are coming to study here and to stay in the dormitory here. Interesting. It was really very interesting to see the various typical features of Russian boys and Russian girls, different from the Germanic, different from the Anglo-Saxons, the Russians are a Slavic people and their facial features and body structures are different.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“You know, Papa...” </span></b>Zheng Ang said. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“We all Singaporean also have our own look. One look you can always tell, and we can easily pick out our own Singaporean people. Somehow we are different from the China Chinese or the Taiwan Chinese or any other Chinese.”</span></b></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Yes you are right, son.”</b></span> I agreed. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“I think although our ancestors were from southern China but somehow the environmental influence, the life style, the climate, the weather, the sun, the food, our inter-mixing of blood in our country.. that made Singaporean Chinese look different from a PRC Chinese. We behave differently, we dress differently. We also think differently. It’s evolution.”</span></b></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“But even though my great grandparents were from China directly, you think just three generations would have made such great difference?” </b></span>he asked.</blockquote>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“I don’t know, Zheng Ang.”</b></span> I mulled. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“My personal theory is, yes evolution can take place very quickly especially in this modern world.”</b></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking up to Corpus (block) 12</td></tr>
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I like to observe how Zheng Ang studies his room and quietly goes through his mind what he needs to improve the conditions, what he needs to do, to clean, to adjust. Quietly staring out the window, I know he is just, in his own way, getting a concrete idea of what to buy from Lenta later.<br />
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He was wondering about the laundry and the dryer. We knew they had it somewhere. But I jokingly pointed out this ledge and told him, worst comes to worst he can always dry his clothes here. But eventually he found out, right at the back of the blocks there was a laundry service and for S$5 he can pass the whole week 5kg of laundry to the laundry lady who would carefully wash and dry his clothes for him. Problem solved. Especially come winter when it will be hard to dry clothes.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;">Back to Lenta...</span></b><br />
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We shopped and bought three to four days worth of food from Lenta and walked back to our cottage.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">The young man having a swell time doing his shopping buying ingredients for his cooking.</td></tr>
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We bought 30 eggs, 4 blocks of butter, one big packet of bacons at only S$5, a few pizzas, two big bottles of Zheng Ang's favourite Fanta lemon, one packet of spaghetti, one bottle of instant coffee powder, a bottle of milk, a huge dough of bread - well enough for the next 2-3 days I guess.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">80 cents for huge pumpkin! Anyone?</td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Papa, have you ever seen tomatoes so red ever before?”</span></b></blockquote>
True hor... these tomatoes are really red! I am sure they are not genetically modified by local farmer-grown ones.<br />
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And on our way back on the next street, I refused to walk left out of this road make two right turn, a long distance to our cottage. We actually bashed through the woods instead of taking the proper road. This father is crazy! And the son also LL followed.<br />
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I told Zheng Ang <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Come son, let’s just bashed through this thick wood and bushes and see if we can emerge from just outside our cottage.”</span></b></blockquote>
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So we bashed our way through undergrowth, thick woods, and branches and up a slope to reach our cottage from the other lane because if we had to make the walk out and the u turn back it would have been really far. It was two days later that I found a much more pleasant and easier short cut path in the woods when I walked back myself. Haha.. that one needed no bashing through branches.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Just emerged from the thick woods. Bashed through, SAF soldier style.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;"><b>丰富的自煮晚餐...</b></span><br />
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Now that Zheng Ang had his yeast, and flour and whatever other ingredients, he was able to make dough to heat up into pita. Just that because the weather was cold, the dough did not rise as quickly as back home in the tropics.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zheng Ang's pita dough!</td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: yellow;">T</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">h</span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">e</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">V</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">i</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">e</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">o...</span></b><br />
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To be able to eat fresh pita with egg and bacon, in such a foreign country, made by my own son, was a 福气. Seeing how meticulous he was in rolling his doughs and making sure they rise, was an eye opener for me.<br />
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As I father, I am guilty of spending too much time at work, trying to earn for the family, that I actually didn't spend enough time with the children. Not as much as I really should. There was so much that I have missed out. Only to find out later how good they have become, and how grown-up they are. I missed a great chunk of that. The fault is no one's but my own.<br />
At this point in my life, I look around at all my children and I heave a sigh of relief. I know every single one of them will make his or her own way in life, of course not without obstacles. And as parents that is what we are there for... hopefully to smoothen out some of these bumps along the path. But the children are tough cookies, every single one of them. And I am proud of every one of them.<br />
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For my part, I actually fried omelette and made spaghetti and bacons. I couldn't believe it. <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48648946233_88886c64c2_k.jpg" target="_blank">I hadn't cooked </a>for don't know how many years already and finally here in this ulu little kampong, we found ourselves having to survive. Really, luckily I had Zheng Ang with me.<br />
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It was a relaxing evening. Zheng Ang was again deep in his own thoughts. I knew he had many things to think about, and certainly many a worry about different aspects of study and living in Petergof. He even started to watch Russian drama on his handphone just so that he can quickly grasp some new words, although he hated drama. Of course, his usual game playing, as boys will always one lah.<br />
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<b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: yellow;">T</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">h</span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">e</span> <span style="color: #ead1dc;">V</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">i</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">d</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">e</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">o...</span></b><br />
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And rare was there opportunities like these when father and son talked and talked and talked the whole night...<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>Day 7. He goes exploring on his own.</b></span><br />
<b>31 August 2019</b><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Ok, Papa. Today ah, I am going to go on my own to clean up the room and the bathroom and the toilet. I will go to Lenta to buy some things first and then I will try to clean up as much as I can. If possible I will also clean up the oven and the stove in the kitchen so that I can use it,"</span></b> determined was Zheng Ang.</blockquote>
He didn't need me to go along. Well, a man has to do what a man has to do.<br />
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So off he went early in the morning after breakfast.<br />
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leaving me to spend literally the whole day in the cottage alone.<br />
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This young man was really very cute. Again he demonstrated his child-like nature when he saw goats and took photos to show us.<br />
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Hey, I saw 羊 on my way to Lenta leh!" </b></span>he wrote on the Telegram Family group chat. He knew the sisters would be excited about them.</blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"OK I bought another bucket, and a memory foam pillow and some cleaning detergent," </span></b>he Telegramed.</blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All his own photos taken with pride to show how clean a job he did.</td></tr>
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And when he arrived at the room and closely examined the conditions, he uttered a gasp in Telegram...<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Oh No No No!"</span></b> referring to the dirty-ness of the room.</blockquote>
Without me realising it, Zheng Ang has grown up to be quite a clean and tidy man. Throughout this trip he would complain that I use the toilet dirtily and the floor rugs are soaked with water. He would also re-wash and re-hang the utensils in the proper fashion, after I do it the wrong way. And after a while, he would remarked that we really needed to use one of the bags as trash in the cottage room. I like the OCD-ness with which he went about clearing things. That was a sign that I could be sure he would keep his belongings properly too.<br />
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So cleaned up his room he did. Really cleaned it up, this young man, while his roommate was still missing in action, with only his luggage representing him, lying quietly on the other bed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course, he loved buckets, for they are the tools with which would work.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">How to keep all these important documents secure?</span></b><br />
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This was also a question that had been plaguing my mind from day one. Yes, of course the original document itself was the most important one. But we definitely do need to scan copies of each of these and store it somewhere.<br />
And it just happened that Zheng Ang left the 1Tb external hard disk that I bought him at home just before we flew off. But I think still, a scanning software on his iPhone and a cloud subscription would be ideal for the young man.<br />
Personally I use <b><span style="color: yellow;">Scanner Pro App </span></b>on my iPhone and I subscribe to Dropbox. For him, right here in Petergof, we downloaded and purchased the Scanner Pro App, and I purchased and subscribed to a Lifetime subscription of <b><span style="color: yellow;">Koofr Cloud 250Gb</span></b> for US$69.90.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"That will last me many years, Papa,"</span></b> said the delighted young man. And he started scanning all his important documents and pushing them all up into his cloud and sending me links to these documents. I was impressed how quickly he was able to do all that.</blockquote>
I am relieved we solved that part.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>Day 8. Last minute scramble for a safe...</b></span><br />
<b>1st September 2019</b><br />
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Zheng Ang was really adaptable. By the second day he already made a couple of new friends - an Iraqi guy Martin who was doing his Masters in computer programming, and a China guy who was also doing his Masters, in Applied Mathematics. Both of them were very helpful and gave him plenty of advice. And the China guy Bruce Su even gave him some text books! How lucky could he be?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zheng Ang showed us the text book he gotten from Bruce Su.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">Getting a safe for Zheng Ang...</span></b><br />
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I spent the whole morning in the cottage. But somehow I could not find myself settling down until I complete just one last task for him - to get him a safe. The dormitory had no drawers with lock, nor any form of safe-keeping for passports and money and such.<br />
Apparently all the students just keep their important documents in their rooms and lock up the rooms that was all. Upon asking, Professor Nina reassured us that there was no need to be worried as the students had NEVER lost anything here. I would certainly believe her, because here in Petergof, it was such a small town that no one would care nor walk into your house even if you left your door wide open. Such was the loveliness of a little place.<br />
Still, as Singaporeans, we tended to be a little more kiasu. And I just had to get a safe for him to keep his passport, his important documents and his extra cash.<br />
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We tried going online to order but they could not deliver. So my plan was to take a Yandex all the way back to Vosstaniya city central (58km away) and check out the Galeria shopping mall where they were supposed to have everything.<br />
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As the Yandex taxi driver drove across towns after towns I was surprised to see many towns that had some kind of town centre with huge shopping malls and hardware stores and such. Hey.. perhaps I didn't need to go so far back to City Centre. So I showed the Yandex driver a photo of a safe, and used Google Translate to explain my purpose. This guy was good. Straight away he knew where to go and he drove me to a mega hardware store called Maxidom and even gestured to me he will wait for me in the car park while I go in and check with the information counter. I found just the safe I wanted for 9959 roubles and boy was I happy! I came right back and he was smiling and waiting at me. And he saved me a lot of trouble and a lot of time by being so helpful. He drove me back to the dormitory and I gave him a double tip. He was so happy. But what he didn't know was I was happier! Win-win!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With his help, he saved me effort, time and money! Great Yandex driver Yanenko Aleskey Pavlovich!</td></tr>
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Zheng Ang carried the heavy safe all the way up and was relieved he could fit it just beneath his table. Later he moved it to behind his door and plonked his huge luggage on top of it. Clever boy!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh the safe fits nicely under his table!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not bad lah. Not big enough to keep the laptop but good enough. It was a key lock so that we didn't have to worry about battery running flat and all that. It would never die on us.</td></tr>
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Now my job was really done. I left Zheng Ang to himself in the dorm and I slowly walked back to the cottage, enjoying the nice coolness of the later afternoon.<br />
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As my adrenaline started to drain from my system, it began to dawn upon me that the time had come for me to leave him soon. Yes, he has grown into a big man, and bigger than me in many ways. It was time.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">Day 9. A short trip to the nearby town for lunch.</span></b><br />
<b>2nd September 2019</b><br />
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At 10:30am Zheng Ang had a Russian proficiency test to gauge his grasp of the language so that the professor could properly allocate the students into the corresponding groups. He was quite happy with the test - he could do about 80% of the questions on grammar and vocabulary. Russian is a complicated language with 12 forms of conjugates for each verb.. or something like that. And its nouns also had genders - female and male. We had always had confidence in him, his quickness in picking up languages and the profoundness of his thoughts in mathematics questions.<br />
I met him at the faculty after his exam and we went for lunch together.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zheng Ang at his faculty</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Zheng Ang, yesterday as I was travelling in the Yandex, I passed by this small town only 3km away from your dormitory, and it was really a town centre where there was a shopping centre - another Lenta, marketplace, groceries, hardware shop, barber, dentist, book shop, internet shop, fitness centre, furniture shops, clothes departmental stores and shoes shops! You can just take a bus 210 nine stops and you will arrive here. I wanted to show you the place today. Let's go have lunch there ok?"</b></span></blockquote>
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And so a Yandex taxi we took, for 131 roubles (S$2.70) we arrived and had a wonderful lavash lunch at Shaverma. We ordered THREE lavash and a coffee and a tea - cos I knew he would be hungry. For a total of 680 roubles ($14) we really ate until we were both full, until Zheng Ang had to da bao half a lavash back to his room.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Papa, you know ah.. for a person like me who has worked so long in the F&B industry, I know exactly the prices of different restaurants, eateries and meals. A meal like this would be in the range of about S$26 back home, but we are only paying $14 now here,"</span></b> remarked Zheng Ang.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48664524881_a8878bcd7d_k.jpg" target="_blank">He really enjoyed the lavash</a>. He said it was delicious and the french fries with the garlic sauce! In his own words - those were 'REAL garlic sauce!'.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Papa, I really want to say thank you for planning our trip so well," </span></b>said Zheng Ang during lunch. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"You gave ourselves ample time to come early and do all the registration and banking so that we didn't have to rush. Today one hour before the examination was due to start, there were still foreign student streaming into Professor Nina's office, rushing to register themselves!"</span></b></blockquote>
I was really touched by his sincere words. I was also glad we gave ourselves enough time, not for the registration, but just for ourselves to be together for once in a long time.<br />
It would be many moons before we can spend a time like this together again, father and son.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48664177658_31c5c09d63_k.jpg" target="_blank">Outside the dormitory gate</a></td></tr>
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We parted way at the dormitory gate for the second last time, and as he waved bye bye to me, I stood there and my eyes followed him as he slowly walked until he disappeared into the buildings...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zheng Ang waving bye bye to me as he made his way back to the dormitory.</td></tr>
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It was time to give him some space for himself. And thus on the last two nights, we stayed apart - he in the dormitory and I, 1.3km away in the little cottage. On this evening, the Yandex weather app notified me that tomorrow would be a <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48666268366_1cffb137e1_b.jpg" target="_blank">colder day and it would be raining</a> the whole day. At 7:10pm, I walked out of the cottage, thinking whether I should hazard another walk to visit him just once more for the day. But I decided against it, as the security room female clerks would have gone home. I ended up just walking outside along the gravel road.<br />
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The sun would not set until around 8:20pm during summer. I just wanted to take in the sight and remember this scene here, right outside the cottage.<br />
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In the good 'ol olden days, whenever a child left his or her parents, they would never know when they would next see each other again, or at all. In those times, reunion would always be in terms of years or even decades. In my heart, I was just glad that in this modern world, reunion would be a mere 20 hours of plane ride. Any time. And telecommuncation technology made keeping in touch a simple swipe of the screen. But still, human beings were creatures of emotions and belonging. Booking into an Army Camp, or going back to the hostel in the campus back in Singapore, we all would be still standing on the same piece of soil, and we all would be somehow physically connected.<br />
But here, 9000km away, one would not be connected through soil. It was overwhelmingly a continent away. I guess those were just random thoughts going through the mind of a father leaving his child soon. The gradual lowering of the sun, and the impending dusk did little to help uplift the mood of the moment.<br />
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That night, I did my best to sleep.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">The Last Day</span></b><br />
<b>3rd September 2019</b><br />
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The last ten days with Zheng Ang simply flew by in a blur. At times it was painfully slow, at times the hours just rocketed. We have accomplished so much in such a short span of time. In my heart, I knew he was ready. He had settled down, mentally and physically and I think we have done and prepared ourselves in anticipation of most of the things that were to come. The only thing I wasn't exactly ready for, was my own 不舍得的心情.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool, green, Petergof</td></tr>
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Our whole family had confidence that he will be happy here as this environment was just so conducive to his style of learning. 9000km away from home he will be staying all by himself, but with new-found friends, and new found inspiration for his education.<br />
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I saw no castle, no cathedral, no palace, no royal garden and no bridge opening and closing in these ten days. But what I saw was a side of my son, a mature, grown-up, meticulous, serious side of him. A resemblance of me when I was at his age, albeit a more reserved version of me. And I believe in these days he also saw a side of me which he may not have seen, as I imparted what I knowledge I could to him. I was happy to have the chance to laugh over movies we watched in the aeroplane, to laugh together in so man occasions when he tried making bread out of nothing, and when we both cocked up some small little things. And to worry together when things didn't go right, and to think together the solutions to the problems- just father and son.<br />
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It was a colder day this morning at 15 degrees, just as forecasted. As I stood outside the door of the cottage, I let my body feel the cool, crisp air and enjoyed the green around me. I could imagine myself, as a 22 year old young man, in such a peaceful and serene environment, with nothing much to do but to enjoy my beloved studies. What a joy it would have been!<br />
Now, fully confident of his grit, I am finally reassured. I knew this would be his playground, his battleground, if karma shall have it, for the next few years. With the rosary Serene, I, Ah Li and Fann bought him from the shop beside St Peter's Cathedral, I was sure he would be praying every day every night with it, to give him the strength that he needed.<br />
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He had been starting to study for the past few days and nights already, the textbooks from his new-found friends and some of the mathematics textbooks. I was sure he would finish these in no time, knowing him so well. In my heart, I hope he could get right up on track immediately and gain the confidence to start taking bigger steps before he started running.<br />
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A last heave of breath, and my mind was calmed. As Cecil Day-Lewis wrote in his poem 'Walking Away' -<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><i>How selfhood begins with a walking away,</i></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><i>And love is proved in the letting go.</i></span></b></div>
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I was glad to have one more chance to visit his dormitory, spend some time to <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48670639242_75d0e3afae_k.jpg" target="_blank">chit chat,</a> have a good look at how well he has <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48670641362_331d2d1a85_k.jpg" target="_blank">cleaned up the room</a>, and both walked to Lenta to buy him a <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48670476131_443166d80f_k.jpg" target="_blank">multi-cooker</a> ad have a <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48670467511_601c3786eb_k.jpg" target="_blank">sushi lunch</a> before I leave him.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"正昂啊," </span></b>I told him as we had one last lunch together before I Yandex to the airport. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"I want you to have this watch and wear it every day. Whenever you look at it you will think of me. And whenever you miss the family, we are just one simple Telegram or Whatsapp conference call away. Any time, even if we are 5 hours ahead."</span></b></blockquote>
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When my Yandex taxi came, I chugged the luggage into the boot, and gave him a long hug. As the taxi drove off, I left him as he started back towards the dormitory, waving at me, slowly becoming smaller and smaller. 眼送着他的身影越来越小,车窗外的雾水和车内的泪水,都混在一起了。</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><font face="arial" size="6">EDIT:</font></b></div><div><b>31 July 2020</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Almost one year after Zheng Ang left for Russia, we have been in constant contact with him onZoom dinner and Telegram text. On this day he Zoom dinnered with us to celebrate his, Yeye and Fann's birthday. We were all very happy to see him and talk to him..</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="798" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d7QQlE_J4Zo" width="960" youtube-src-id="d7QQlE_J4Zo"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>He was telling us that he was very busy with applying for the next semester. We all missed him so so much and we were so gald to see him on Zoom - live - from 9000km away!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50040202783_d5591d3f55_3k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="738" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50040202783_d5591d3f55_3k.jpg" width="1179" /></a></div><div><br /></div>
Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0St Petersburg, Russia59.9342802 30.33509860000003858.916101700000006 27.753311600000039 60.9524587 32.916885600000036tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-47174395814033691782018-12-08T00:00:00.000-08:002019-01-14T02:25:27.651-08:00Annapurna Base Camp 8-22 Dec 2018<b style="color: yellow; font-size: xx-large;">An adventure trip of adventures...</b><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>ABC 8-22 Dec 2018</b></span></div>
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There is always a tour of duty when it comes to most anything, trekking in the Himalayan ranges not withstanding. Annapurna Base Camp is just one of those commonly trekked parts. It makes no sense for us not to trek ABC before we progress further.<br />
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And boy was I pleasantly surprised and happy to have on board with our small group, Jacalyn Chung, our good cycling kaki, and Shu Ning, Fann’s best friend; not to mention Nicole, who finally managed to find the time to join the Wong family for this trip, to experience together all the emotional roller coasters - serenity, exuberance, suffering, pain, fear and more that the mountains invariably served.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Kathmandu has become more affluent, with more cars and more buildings and the people wear more stylishly, like adidas and all,” </span></b>remarked Jacalyn as she beheld the Road side scenes on our way to Kathmandu Garden Home. Her last trek to Poon Hill was in 2007. </blockquote>
The USD has strengthened against the Nepali Rupee. While last year this time US$1 would exchange for around 90 NPR, this year US$1 could fetch 111 NPR. Understandably the local merchants had to jack up their prices for their merchandise due especially for tourists like us.<br />
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Certain things remained similar. A 5Gb Data plan under Ncell still goes for 1050 NPR. But the stall keeper charged us an extra 300 NPR for the SIM cars which I didn’t remember having to paid for last year. So for NPR 1350 (S$16.80) we got everybody a 5Gb Ncell SIM curd, whole for some of us we paid 1800NPR (S$22h inclusive of the SIM card for a 16GB plan. Well, still not too expensive. The stall keeper reassured us, despite my insisting that NTC is better for Annapurna, that NCell has improved its service and now has signal all the way up to ABC. Well since he was so dead sure we might as well believe him. It proved retrospectively deadly wrong. <b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;">NEVER buy an NCell SIM card for ABC. Moving forward, it will only be NTC SIM cards for us in the future, even for EBC region.</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“I told him if we get no signal in ABC I will come back and kick his buttock,” </b></span>I joked to Darric and Kong Wan.</blockquote>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-1-8-dec-2018.html">Day 1 </a></b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: yellow;">Click to go into the day's story</span></i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-1-8-dec-2018.html">Arriving in Kathmandu</a></b></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">8 Dec 2018</span></b></div>
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It's the time of the year again. No matter how much we suffered on our prevoius treks, we somehow still found ourselves ending up in Kathmandu, yet again. It is always great to be back into her embrace and back to the dusty alleys and small flavourful rows of shops, with motorbikes zooming haphazardly pass in all directions. Of course, a visit to Serene's shop (B&B Himalayan Trading) just a few doors down from Mountain Delights' office, is obligatory, and the acquisition of some cold wears before the trek begins. This round, Ram took special care of all of us, and loaned us quite a lot of equipment. That was really good.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-2-9-dec-2018.html">Day 2 </a></b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;"><b><i>Click to go into the day's story</i></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-2-9-dec-2018.html">Fly in to Pokhara & start trekking from Nayapul to Hille</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">9 Dec 2018</span></b><br />
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After a significant delay in Kathmandu domestic airport due to poor visibility in Pokhara, we finally were on our way on board the small Buddha Air plane to the gateway town west of Kathmandu. We literally hit the ground running - the minibus drove us to the starting point at Nayapul and soon we were on our way on the trek. Babu's plan was for us to reach Tikedhunga on this day. But the two hours plane delay meant that we could only trek as far as Hille for the day, 20 minutes short of Tikedhunga. But that was good enough for the first day...<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-3-10-dec-2018.html">Day 3 </a></b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: yellow;">Click to go into the day's story</span></i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-3-10-dec-2018.html">The tough trek from Hille to Ghorepani</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">10 Dec 2018</span></b><br />
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Starting the trek on this day from Hille instead of Tikedhunga meant we had a longer distance to cover. But by itself, the trek from Tikedhunga at <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">1480m</span></i></b>, up the steep 500m ascent to Ulleri at <i><b><span style="color: yellow;">1960m</span></b></i> and finally crossing the Ghorepani gate and arriving at our Sunny Guesthouse at <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">2874m</span></i></b>, meant that the more 1400m ascent and covering a horizontal distance of 14.7m was tough. It took us about nine and a half hours to arrive at Ghorepani, by that time most of us were really tired. Memories came flooding back to those of us who have trekked this part previously. And many dejavu moments were encountered. A tiring day like this really needed to be balanced by an early night's rest, because we needed to gather at 5am the next day for our climb to Poon Hill before we commence the ACTUAL trek from Ghorepani to Tadapani. It was no wonder that many of us started feeling winded, even though it was only the second day of the trek...<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-4-11-dec-2018.html">Day 4 </a></b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i><span style="color: yellow;">Click to go into the day's story</span></i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-4-11-dec-2018.html">Early morning Poon Hill trek... followed by the trek from Ghorepani to Tadapani.</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">11 Dec 2018</span></b></div>
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Poon Hill was definitely one of the highlights of the trek. To be able to see all the peaks up at <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">3210m </span></i></b>at sunrise was a great morale booster, especially for the few of our team members who were new to the trek. Half expecting a tough trek once we descended back to Ghorepani, had our breakfast, and commenced our day's journey, I was pleasantly surprised by the serenity, the almost mystical feel to the great part of the first half of the day's trek as we walked through Rhododendron forests, through misty ridges, and in the cool, quietness of the morning. Serene got her E. coli food poisoning and poo-ed in her trekking pants that early morning, and had to miss Poon Hill. But she soldiered on for the rest of the day's trek after an injection and starting on antibiotic. In my memory, the day's tough part was the sharp descent down to Banthanti River and the sharp up to Tadapani. Seven hours and fifteen minutes and 11.9km after we started, we arrived at one of the most magnificent sunset views at Tadapani at <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">2630m.</span></i></b> A long day indeed. But a very enjoyable day of trekking.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-5-12-dec-2018.html">Day 5 </a> </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-5-12-dec-2018.html">Tadapani to Chhomrong - trekking in the freezing cold of the shady valley</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">12 Dec 2018</span></b><br />
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Chhomrong was at a lower altitude of <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">2170m</span></i></b>. I really secretly disliked the idea of giving back all the altitude that we painstakingly surmounted. But the Himalayan ranges were just like that - you gained some, you lost some. 10.2km horizontal distance hiked and seven hours in total, we set food on the soil of Tadapani. The night before, Babu reassured us that, after the two cold cold nights in Ghorepani and Tadapani, our night in Chhomrong would be milder as it was at a lower altitude. But alas, it wasn't that much a difference. I had a good laugh when Jacalyn complained that it was sooooo cold at Lucky Guest House when she tried to take a hot (or rather, cold) shower at the guesthouse. Ah Li was starting to having her own symptoms of food poisoning with severe gastric cramps, and had to receive her injection and medicine at Chhomrong...</div>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-6-13-dec-2018.html">Day 6 </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-6-13-dec-2018.html">Chhomrong to Dovan.. oh man, it's starting to be really cold.</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">13 Dec 2018</span></b><br />
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After a whole day of trekking in the woods the day before, on this day, we really found ourselves totally immersed in the deep deep valleys and surrounded by the shades of the tree canopies. The sky was overcast and the cumulus clouds were thick and dark above us. It was a cold and eerie day. I really disliked trekking in the shades of the valleys because there was no sun, and it was cold. The fact that there was not enough sunlight to power our solar panels didn't help. As we trekked, we could see that the dark rain clouds were gathering strength and covering the peaks. By the time we made the sharp descent and sharp ascent up to Sinuwa at <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">2360m</span></i></b> we were breathless from the climb. Another 2 hours to the village of Bamboo at <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">2335m</span></i></b> brought us face to face with our first rainfall of the trek. And boy did it rain! We made it just in time to the guesthouse in Bamboo for lunch while waiting for the rain to peter off. It was a cold day. Made worse by the rain and cloudy gloomy sky. There wasn't any sight of the warm sun. Dhovan (also known as Dovan or Dobhan) at <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">2600m</span></i></b> was our final destination for this day. I could still remember stumbling into Dovan to see a very rudimentary guesthouse and preparing myself for a miserable cold and wet night. I didn't recall any one even mentioning showering from this point onwards...<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-7-14-dec-2018.html">Day 7 </a></b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i><span style="color: yellow;">Click to go into the day's story</span></i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-7-14-dec-2018.html">Dovan to Deurali. Unbearably, un-showerably cold... I forgot how much I hated the freezing weather...</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">14 Dec 2018</span></b></div>
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Throughout the trek, I remembered Darric and Kong Wan recalling themselves shivering in the deep cold of Deurali during their last trek to ABC on their previous trips. And the impression stuck in my head. I knew Deurali was going to be freezing. The equivalent of the rain in Dovan the day before was the snow in Dovan. What a swell day we had on this day's journey, especially after the village of Himalaya, when the terrain finally opened up and we began to encounter a snowy landscape. Almost immediately after Himalaya, we came upon frozen ice on the trails. Man, was I glad we all brought our shoe spikes because they all finally became life-saving for us. Deurali at <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">3200m</span></i></b> meant we made a net ascent of 600m on this day and finally went above 3000m (apart from that day we hit 3210m at Poon Hill). The climb was tiring and the exertion made us breathless because of the thinner air, and for a great part we were still shrouded in the forest. But later on after Himalaya we were finally out in the open, and my heart opened up. However, the sunlight was still severely lacking, and most of our power banks were only at 2 bars even after a whole day of trek with the solar panels fully opened. 9.6km horizontal distance and four and a half hours of trekking made this the shortest trek in the whole trip. We arrived at Deurali early for once. And even had a chance to take a nice afternoon nap...<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-8-16-dec-2018.html">Day 8 </a></b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i><span style="color: yellow;">Click to go into the day's story</span></i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-8-16-dec-2018.html">Deurali to Annapurna Base Camp - The final push.</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">15 Dec 2018</span></b><br />
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A freezing sub-zero morning with a surprisingly clear sky greeted us this morning. From the word go, it was snowy trek almost all the way Deurali upwards. Babu instructed us to don our shoe spikes right from the beginning and that was definitely the correct call, without which our progress would have been painfully slow having to ice skate across frozen paths. The weather was hovering around the freezing point throughout the day. Ah Sing's SMUX friends whom we met the day before told of snow storms and negative 18 degrees temperature when they were at ABC just two nights earlier. The mountain gods must have been very kind to us on this fateful day as we enjoyed the icy trail with no slippage and mounted both Machhapuchchre Base Camp and our final destination at Annapurna Base Camp at <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">4130m</span></i></b>. The sight was breath-taking, being in the basin of ABC with all the famous peaks surrounding us 360 degrees. I doubted if anyone was complaining. This WAS the sight that we trekked days for to behold. And after 12.8km and 7 hours and 20 minutes, finally we made it.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-9-16-dec-2018.html">Day 9 </a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-9-16-dec-2018.html">Annapurna Base Camp to Dovan - The mad push to descend...</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">16 Dec 2018</span></b></div>
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Mountain trekkings were like these. One would descend the distance of two days of ascending trek in one day. Sometimes even more. The weather had turned a little warmer over the past couple of days, and the snow-covered grounds we had on our way up was now snow-free. Descending was SUPPOSED to be faster than ascending. But not when we had to detour because of avalanche, and when the team was tired. It was a delightful push, albeit a mad one, to try to make it to Dovan for lunch and finally to settle down that evening at Bamboo. Despite the best of plans, oft things did not work out as per scheduled. We only manage to grab a late lunch at 2pm plus at Himalaya and the decision (sadly) was made to call it a day at Dovan at <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">2600m</span></i></b>, 15.2km horizontal distance and 8 hours and 20 minutes later. Going down to Bamboo would have meant another one and a half hours more of trekking at Singaporean pace that would mean trekking in the dark. By this time, merely 3 days after we last set foot on Dovan, the guesthouses were already shutting down for winter. Out of 3 or 4 guesthouses, only one was left opened. And the whole place was deathly quiet, except for us and another few straggler trekkers...<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-10-17-dec-2018.html">Day 10 </a></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-10-17-dec-2018.html" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4901/46405398672_8ebc266c7f_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i><span style="color: yellow;">Click to go into the day's story</span></i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-10-17-dec-2018.html">From Dovan back to Jhinu.. wah, what a relief!</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">17 Dec 2018</span></b></div>
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From Dovan <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">2600m</span></i></b> downwards towards Chhomrong, we had to pass by Bamboo <span style="color: yellow;"><i><b>2335m</b></i></span> where a few days ago we were hiding from the sudden downpour. 13.km and 8 hours of trekking again in the valleys and back in the thick Rhododendron woods with the sun right in front of us meant, again, no charging on the solar panels on our backs. We were resigned to that fate by then, whatever little sunlight that hit the panels would suffice just to take us another day more to charge whatever we could. The only thing that made us keep pushing was the thought of the famous hot spring in Jhinu <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">1736m</span></i></b> to soothe our aching muscles and joints. Talking about the power of motivation...<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-11-18-dec-2018.html">Day 11 </a></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-11-18-dec-2018.html" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7840/45732555554_f05e4310f5_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i><span style="color: yellow;">Click to go into the day's story</span></i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-11-18-dec-2018.html">Jhinu back to Sauli Bazaar.. even the last day was not exactly a relaxing trek ok!</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">18 Dec 2018</span></b></div>
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It was warm at this altitude. No longer had we the snow, the cold nor the frozen icy trail. The thick down jackets were off and the middle and outer layers were mostly hanging tied to our waists. Most of us were trekking either in T-shirts or one base layer on top. Instead of going through the Gurkha village of Ghandruk, Babu opted to skirt around the mountain and walk us along the tiny narrow but delightful trails on the side of the slopes. A lovely weather for a nice loooooooong trek. To motivate us, Babu announced that he would get the bus to come up higher at Sauli Bazaar to fetch us instead of making us walk all the way back down to Nayapul. However, we were shocked to find ourselves still trekking 12.7km horizontal distance. But the pace was definitely faster, as there was much lesser ups and downs, merely Nepali flat. We made the distance in a short 4 and a half hours, just nice to cross the finishing line at Sauli Bazaar for lunch. What a lovely end to our ABC trek!<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-12-19-dec-2018.html">Day 12 </a></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-12-19-dec-2018.html" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4904/46460764321_f6d63568c4_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i><span style="color: yellow;">Click to go into the day's story</span></i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-12-19-dec-2018.html">Pokhara.. and what a day in the sky!</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">19 Dec 2018</span></b></div>
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Back to the warm civilisation of Pokhara. Compared with dirty, dusty Kathmandu, Pokhara is a slightly more organised and developed town. Without a doubt Pokhara's economy runs on tourism and even myself and the children, who last stepped foot on Pokhara's soil 6 years ago, found that it has changed. Now it is inundated with Chinese restaurants, and many shop displays were adorned with Chinese words, and shop keepers would shout out; "你好!" whenever we walked past. Pokhara has changed. It is no longer the Pokhara that Kong Wan and Ai Lin knew 19 years ago; not the Pokhara that Serene, myself, the children and Jacalyn knew 6-7 years ago. And perhaps not even the Pokhara Darric knew a few years back. But one thing hasn't changed. Pokhara paragliding is still a famous activity here. And Nicole suggested that we all really should take to the sky...<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-13-20-dec-2018.html">Day 13 </a></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-13-20-dec-2018.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4823/31520955747_9cd038dd8b_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i><span style="color: yellow;">Click to go into the day's story</span></i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-13-20-dec-2018.html">Pokhara back to Kathmandu.. White water rafting on the Trishulli River!</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">20 Dec 2018</span></b><br />
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I must set the record straight. Kong Wan was the brilliant one who highly recommended doing a Grade 3 white water rafting on Trishulli (Trisuli) River. The last time he and Ai Lin did the same was 19 years ago, when Trishulli was still a Grade 4 course. To those of us who never did white water rafting ever before, our concept of water rafting was 'row row row' in the river water for half an hour or forty-five minutes then job done. But were we in for a shock, and a very cold one at that. We found only one raft in the river - ours. Because it was winter and hardly anyone did water rafting during winter, except for those who were a little short-short in the brain, and/or those who were ignorant of what to expect. Three full hours of freezing walls of water, with constant fear of falling out of the craft, some mad paddling to quickly escape some rapids, a lovely outdoor Dal Bhat buffet self-serviced lunch over a fireplace, plus a long long bus ride back to Kathmandu in the dark - all made this day a very memorable one.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-14-21-dec-2018.html">Day 14 </a></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-14-21-dec-2018.html" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7877/32587910638_db0d14db8d_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i><span style="color: yellow;">Click to go into the day's story</span></i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/abc-day-14-21-dec-2018.html">Kathmandu. A tour of Boudhanath Stupa.</a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">21 Dec 2018</span></b></div>
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We have always enjoyed visiting Boudhanath Stupa. To those who were new to this magnificent stupa, it was an eye opening visit. Secretly, for myself (and maybe even Kong Wan), I researched and knew Boudhanath was THE place to find a good Tibetan singing bowl. It would not be the cheapest place, but at least the quality would be assured. My dream came true here in Boudhanath, thanks to our lovely girls.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">In summary</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>... A trip of adventures</i></span></b><br />
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It never occurred to my tiny little narrow mind that Nepal was more than just trekking. It was a country that offered much in outdoor activities. I must really thank Kong Wan and Nicole for injecting the additional paragliding (recommended by Nicole) and water rafting (highly recommended by Kong Wan) activities into what originally was meant to be merely a trekking trip.<br />
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I was very happy to be able to embark on the trek with each and everyone in the team, to be able to make it up to our destinations despite several suffering from joint pains and, as described by Jacalyn, ‘muscle pain like knife stabbing though the thighs...’. And as always, gritting our teeth through the deep cold at Deurali and Annapurna Base Camp with Kong Wan, who hated the cold as much as I did. I was relieved to see how independent the children were in surmounting all the usual issues during the trek- cold, fatigue, slippery ice, illnesses and (different) food. In my heart I knew they were ready for any future trek. Impressive were new trekkers like Shu Ning and Nicole who adapted very quickly and tolerated the conditions well with little complaints. More impressive was Jacalyn who showered us with her laughs, her humorous verbal jabs and her Ipoh snacks, all of which lifted our spirits during the tough times. Despite her hoping for a helicopter that never landed, each time she sighted the red choppers in the air, she made it across the finishing line at Sauli Bazaar, and became a certified Annapurna Base Camper.<br />
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Although they were icings in the cake, the paragliding and water rafting activities were gigantic glaciers of icing, in no way any lesser than the trek itself. And they made the adventure complete.<br />
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As we dined with Ram on the evening before we departed, and Kong Wan and I inundated him with questions in our quest for more information regarding future higher conquests, our hearts were at ease, knowing that for this year, everyone’s job was done.<br />
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Till our next trek.</div>
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Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0Kathmandu 44600, Nepal27.7172453 85.323960527.6047838 85.162599 27.829706799999997 85.485322tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-36274084399595874632018-11-23T16:56:00.002-08:002018-12-05T05:44:35.981-08:00Discovering the Spirit of Iran<span style="color: yellow; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Seeing an ancient world with modern eyes</b></span><br />
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To many who read widely reports by 'external' media, Iran is a country with inextricable link to terrorist organizations, and has been under pressure from the international community for its nuclear development. And with Trump’s recent pulling out of the nuclear treaty with Iran and sanctioning on countries from purchasing crude oil from Iran, this country has once again been brought to the forefront of international attention.<br />
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Many have expressed disbelief and reservation about my decision to take this trip to the ancient land of Persia.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">“Trust me. It’s one of the safest countries and the people are so friendly you will never believe it,” </span></b>reassured Adrian.</blockquote>
And the deal was done.<br />
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In retrospect, this was one of the best trips we have ever embarked on. I was fortunate to have with us on this trip David and Kong Wan. And eventually we discovered to our pleasant surprise that a few more of our ex-trip-mates like Jeffrey, Shun Jie and Ron were also with us.<br />
Having the pleasure to meet and interact with all the other new-found trip mates on this trip was one of the most satisfying aspect, on my own part, as I learned as much from them as I did from the travelling.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: medium;">Pre-Iran Bangkok trip</span></b><br />
As fate would have it, the trip had to be started from Bangkok because Adrian wanted us to fly from BKK to Tehran.<br />
So Serene and I had a couple of days of eating at Lek Seafood, praying at the Four Face Buddha, shopping at Rot Fai Srinakarin market and massage at The Grand (cheap and good!).<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><i>[I have compiled a collection of videos and photos from many of our teammates. Where possible I have given credit to the photographers, but if I am unable to remember whose shots they belonged to, please accept my apologies in advance.]</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-1.html">Day 1 </a></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-1.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="800" height="243" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4887/45274438885_e5b7b5f59f_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mahenistan Raheb Hotel, Tehran</td></tr>
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<span style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-1.html">~ Tehran: setting foot on the ancient soil of Persia for the very first time.</a></b></span><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #ffe599;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-1.html">10 Nov 2018</a></span></i></b><br />
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The problems with first days of trips are always a severe lack of inspiration when it came to shooting. However, being present on the soil of one of the cradles of civilsations was intoxicating in its very self. Throughout this first day, we kept pinching ourselves to remind that we were not in a dream.<br />
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<span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-2.html">Day 2</a></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-2.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="635" height="320" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4872/46187026101_75843156f0_b.jpg" width="254" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: large;">Arga Bozorg Mosque, Kashan</span></b></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: large;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-2.html">~ Kashan: our first taste of Persian Bazaar, Persian mosque & Persian merchant house</a></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-2.html">11 Nov 2018</a></b></i></span><br />
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Kashan is another city south of Tehran. It is a more laid-back version of the capital. My first impression of Kashan was the captivating Kashan Bazaar. Simple, authentic, flavourful. And the simple, down to earth locals who are oh so friendly to us. One of my favourite cities in Iran.<br />
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<span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-3.html">Day 3</a></b></span><br />
<span style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-3.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="212" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4851/45105315985_fa7f82b7a7_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-3.html">~ </a><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-3.html">Esfahan: Exploring the ancient village of Abyaneh & the magnificent Naqsh e Jahan Square</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-3.html">12 Nov 2018</a></b></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-4.html">Day 4</a></b></span><br />
<span style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-4.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="212" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4807/46187378401_0c93278284_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-4.html">~ Esfahan: The longest day - Khajou bridge at 4am, Chehelsotun and man, were we lucky to accomplish the remote village of Sar Agha Seyed Village</a></b></span><br />
<i><b><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-4.html">13 Nov 2018</a></span></b></i><br />
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<span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-6.html">Day 5</a></b></span><br />
<span style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-6.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4885/46136968222_68573c01a6_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-6.html">~ Vazarneh: In search of the Ancient Silk Road in the desert - Kharghouri Rabbit Caravanserai</a></b></span><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-6.html">14 Nov 2018</a></span></i></b><br />
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<span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-6_25.html">Day 6</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-6_25.html">~ Pigeon Tower for shit. Yazd: running amok in the 4000 year old village of Kharanagh; keeping quiet in the Tower of Silence.</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-6_25.html">15 Nov 2018</a></b></i></span><br />
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<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-6_25.html"><img alt="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-6_25.html" border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="800" height="145" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4820/32129699638_dc3a09851c_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-7.html">Day 7</a></b></span><br />
<span style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-7.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4874/45268801154_3e03e20bb5_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-7.html">~ Shiraz: First time in 20 years - Rain, rain, rain... on a day of UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Pasargadae, Necropolis, Persepolis & Shah Cheragh Shrine.</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b><i><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-7.html">16 Nov 2018</a></i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-8.html">Day 8</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-8.html">~ Onwards to Kerman: Soaking in the pink of Nasirolmok Mosque and totally in peace within Ali Ibn Hamzeh Shrine.</a></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b><i><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-8.html">17 Nov 2018</a></i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-9.html">Day 9</a></b></span><br />
<span style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-9.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="320" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4847/46138003132_0debda86ca_b.jpg" width="213" /></a></span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-9.html">~ Embraced by the medieval Arg e Reyan; and a looooooooong journey in an attempt to tempt Afghanistani bandits by shooting star trail in the Kalut desert!</a></b></span><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-9.html">18 Nov 2018</a></span></i></b><br />
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<span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-10.html">Day 10</a></b></span><br />
<span style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-10.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="605" height="320" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4861/46138247282_9d7354cdc2_b.jpg" width="241" /></a></span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-10.html">~Kerman: Kerman Bazaar... where foreigners are a strange sight.</a></b></span><br />
<i><b><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><a href="https://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/iran-day-10.html">19 Nov 2018</a></span></b></i><br />
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<span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-large;"><b>Day 11</b></span><br />
<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4880/31055039017_49be86d61e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4880/31055039017_49be86d61e_b.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-large;"><b style="font-size: x-large;">~ Back to Tehran... Bazaar-ing in Tehran before going home.</b></span><br />
<i><b><span style="color: #fff2cc;">20 Nov 2018</span></b></i><br />
<br />Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-92159252369209148722018-07-15T00:00:00.000-07:002018-08-03T02:05:14.924-07:00Nubra Valley Medical Volunteer work - a trip of discoveries<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: yellow;">Ladakh</span><span style="color: #f4cccc;">... up north to where life is simple(r).</span></span></b><br />
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My good friend Haw Chou texted me three weeks prior to the departure in mid July for this most meaningful trip of medical work up north in Nubra Valley, and I took up his offer within a second. And of course, the rest was academic history.<br />
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Serene and I have always wanted to go to Ladakh, after hearing stories from our good trekking and cycling friends Charles and Seng Keong how tough the terrain was when they were trekking up to Stok Pass above 5000m. But this trip was different. It was for volunteer medical work, organised by FEM Surgery. Still, it was an opportunity for me to do three things:<br />
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<li>Be with my good friend since Primary school to go on a meaningful trip</li>
<li>Have a chance to taste Leh, Ladakh and even better, to have a chance to experience the northernmost villages - among the Nubra Valley- and up all the way to Turtuk at the Indian-Pakistan border.</li>
<li>Finally, to see how I like working in a pro-bono kind of work with the locals like this, in preparation for my retirement plan to be a village doctor in some small mountain village with Serene by my side.</li>
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So the stage was set, although I was totally blur blur about how to go about it. All I knew was to just follow everyone and do what I was instructed to do.<br />
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<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: yellow;"><b>Day 1, 15 July 2018</b></span></span></a><br />
<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><b>[Click to go in to our adventure on the first day- from Singapore to New Dehli to Leh]</b></i></span></a><br />
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We first arrived in New Delhi and immediately took a domestic flight to Leh, Ladakh on the same day. Arriving at 3500m altitude at Leh presented with little a problem, because of the well thought-out prophylaxis with Dexa and Diamox by Dr Felicia Tan. Vicky and gang were really efficient in the preparation and we were all instructed in detail.<br />
Leh was a delightful little town, and Stok Palace Heritage Hotel was a lovely place to stay. Interestingly, this day turned out to be a busy day, in between rushing to stock up on medicine by buying all the Indian generics from the pharmacy in Leh central opposite the SNM Hospital, for our long trip into Nubra Valley the next day, and struggling to either find some wifi connection to stream, or better yet, grab a chance somewhere somehow, to watch the Final of the World Cup 2018 between France and Croatia... <a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html">Read the story..</a><br />
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<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/nubra-valley-medical-expedition-day-2.html"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: yellow;"><b>Day 2, 16 July 2018</b></span></span></a><br />
<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/nubra-valley-medical-expedition-day-2.html"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><b>[Click to go in to our adventure on the second day - on our way to Nubra Valley]</b></i></span></a><br />
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An early morning departure from Stok Palace at Leh started us on the 6 hour jeep journey up 130km to the village Hunder at Nubra Valley in Northern Ladakh. The highlight was of course the 5600m Khardun-La. The terrain of Ladakh was really barren and mountainous - bounded by the Ladakhi ranges and the Karakoram ranges - the Trans-Himalayan ranges. This was very different from the Himalayas that we were so familiar with. It had a different charm of its own.<br />
As much many of us were lulled by the lullaby of the mountains on this 6 hour trip, we were drawn by the serenity of Nubra Valley, at the altitude of around 3050-3100m, upon our arrival. A last minute one hour forty minutes dash from Hunder to Sumur to survey our medical site in Samstanling Gompa was fruitful... at least it prevented us from having to see patients while squatting on low stools or sitting on muddy floor, in a stuffy tent without electricity the next day. <a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/nubra-valley-medical-expedition-day-2.html">Read the story...</a><br />
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<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_23.html"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: yellow;"><b>Day 3, 17 July 2018</b></span></span></a><br />
<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_23.html"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><b>[Click to go in to our adventure on the third day - Time to Work!]</b></i></span></a><br />
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This was exciting. Finally we got to get our hands dirty. I was taken aback when Vicky and Jeanette placed a bottle of alcohol hand sanitiser on each of our table. But later on I finally realised its purpose. But heck lah.. I didn't use it for my own hands, but more to sterilise the one and only spoon I have to examine the patients' throats.<br />
Adrenaline-gushing action drove me all the way until I finished the very last patient for the day. It was fun. Honestly, seeing patients of very different characteristics, very different needs and very different symptoms from what I usually encountered back at home. I thought I knew the mountain people. But now I finally understood how little I understood of their medical needs. From now on I would be better prepared if I were ever to be up in the mountains again. Thinking back, this further reinforced my concept of how different people from different parts of the world view diseases and illnesses. What constitute a medical condition in one country would be simply accepted as a norm in another country, and vice versa. A meaningful day for me. <a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_23.html">Read the story...</a><br />
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<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_43.html"><br /></a>
<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_43.html"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: yellow;"><b>Day 4, 18 July 2018</b></span></span></a><br />
<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_43.html"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><b>[Click to go in to our adventure on the third day - Meeting the Dalai Lama!]</b></i></span></a><br />
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Serene and I had always said that we would be so emotionally overwhelmed if one day we ever were to meet His Holiness personally that tears would flood our eyes. Our hopes to meet The Dalai Lama were dashed the night before when we had to work over time and missed His Holiness when he completed his teachings and had to retire.<br />
It was either by a stroke of miracle, or more likely plenty of string-pulling by Felicia, that we were given a second chance to bid a fleeting hello to Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, on this day before he flew off.<br />
It was a down to earth experience for me. Not those thunderous, emotionally-overflowing, momentous moments in my life. But rather, a simple, old man to a young man meeting of hearts and connecting of hands moment. In this short few seconds, I discovered to my happiness, that the Dalai Lama is just as human as me myself, a human working hard for the good of his people, for the good of all sentient beings, and even at the ripe old age of 90 years old, is still standing tall and smiling broadly, with his heart opened wide for everyone. A human being full of wisdom, yet full of humility. A role model for myself to strive towards...<br />
So did Serene cry? Nah.. she was too busy taking a selfie of herself and His Holiness to have time to cry. <br />
Everyone was grateful for the chance to meet His Holiness. And we worked our guts out for the rest of the day seeing the Ladakhis. <a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_43.html">Read the story.</a><br />
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<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_97.html"><br /></a>
<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_97.html"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: yellow;"><b>Day 5, 19 July 2018</b></span></span></a><br />
<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_97.html"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><b>[Click to go in to our adventure on the third day - A Day of Adventures!]</b></i></span></a><br />
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Felicia called it exercise cut on this third day in Nubra Valley, because the Dalai Lama had ended his teaching and most of the villagers had gone home. So we had an extra day here. What would be the best to do on a free day? <br />
Roy, Bikky and gang decided that their adventure for the day would be to discover where that little stream would lead to further up the mountain. He was dead sure it would end up at a waterfall and was he correct! <br />
The rest of us, who had to scratch the itch of being so near the Indian-Pakistani border, just HAD to take up Dorje and RK Pandey's offer to discover the border village of Turtuk, the last frontier before we step foot into Pakistan. This historical Baltistani village was truly charming. And it STILL had a king within a palace, a king who hosted us and patiently took his time to explain a little bit of his family history to this bewildered bunch of Singaporeans. <a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_97.html">Read the story...</a><br />
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<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_6.html"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: yellow;"><b>Day 6, 20 July 2018</b></span></span></a><br />
<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_6.html"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><b>[Click to go in to our adventure on the third day - Bye Bye, Nubra Valley!]</b></i></span></a><br />
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Our medical job all done, our medicine almost depleted (almost, except for the Buscopan, Stemetil and Azithromycin.. yes, I know, Vicky.. all my fault), we hopped back on the jeeps and turned southwards back towards Leh. <br />
This time round we skirted the Kharlung-La and went east of Khardung, winding along and around the old glacier value where we finally saw pastures, greenery, grass and yaks. Yes, surprisingly yaks.<br />
This time round we really slept almost all the way in the 4WD, and only came out for a short picnic lunch on one of the pastures, where our good Vicky was back towards a highly-provoked and angry yak that stamped its hoofs and acted in going to rush forward to horn us down.<br />
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This was the greener side of the Ladakhi range. It was a short day. And it ended with us finally returning to Leh. But before that we visited a shelter home for stray dogs where May and the bunch of good souls rendered some help. Being back in Stok Palace was a huge luxury for us, not only because of the lovely accommodation, but of course also because of the availability of WIFI, courtesy of the always-accommodating waiter and staff, Vinny, who gave us his personal hotspot from his mobile. And once again, we were finally connected to our world at home. <a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_6.html">Read the story...</a><br />
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<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_74.html"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: yellow;"><b>Day 7, 21 July 2018</b></span></span></a><br />
<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_23.html"><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><b><span style="color: #fce5cd;"></span></b></i></span></a><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><b><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_74.html">[Click to go in to our adventure on the third day - A Day of Palace, Stupa and Monastery</a></b></i></span><br />
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To me, this was another day of highlights. Being in Leh, Ladakh meant that one should never miss the opportunity to venture further and explore its heavily Tibetan-influenced Buddhism culture. With Bikky and Dorje by our sides, we were brought to the majestic Thiksey Monastery, and visited the restored Shey Palace, belonging to the Namgyal Royal family, and then to the magnificent Shanti Stupa. Our trip today ended at the highly-recommended buzzling Leh Bazaar where we could lay our hands on quite a few souvenirs. I found that sight and sound of Leh Bazaar very unique and I was sure we all had a great time there. To top it up, dinner at the Bon Appetit was the icing on the chapati for us. We were tired by the time we finished. And we were to fly back to New Delhi the next day for a few hours transit before flying back to Singapore. <a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_74.html">Read the story...</a><br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">In summary...</span></b></span><br />
The Diamoxes finished, the Urea Breath test kits donated to the monastery by FEM Surgery, some winter wear donated to the orphanage in Ladakh through our kind guides, and we all dragged ourselves onboard the flight home, stomachs all swirling full of a week worth of Indian spice, curries, naan, yogurts and chapatis.<br />
This was not only a chance for me to be part of the volunteer group spearheaded by FEM surgery, but also an important opportunity, while without internet connections to our modern world, introspect deeply within myself and ask some important questions that I would otherwise not have to time to, at least not back home in Singapore when every moment was spent occupied (by what? Don't ask me because I don't know).<br />
For the chance to experience this, both Serene and I were eternally grateful to Felicia, Vicky and FEM Surgery for organising it, and so graciously inviting us along. And for the chance to interact with every single one in the team, and for learning from each, I am thankful to all.<br />
Lay Hong asked me: <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>"Will you do it again?"</b></span><br />
My answer was immediate: <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>"Certainly!"</b></span><br />
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A most memorable trip. One that would last Serene and I our whole life time.<br />
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<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0Ladakh Range, 19420134 784.8022114999999985 36.691406 63.1977885 119.308594tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-36840509888573400992018-02-13T23:00:00.001-08:002022-01-25T07:17:29.212-08:002018 汉城迎春清晨步、首尔庆年白日眠近年来,春节时期频频往外飞。不但国外游玩,而越游越久,甚至索性也把孩子们的爷爷奶奶也一块儿带出国喜庆另一种过年的气氛。<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/dgJ1G4-5OReTi-AuGGll1OPBElzU1PTAFyBMZAUrK_B70eRrOqntn55oFpS192ZdEgLuMdZ8_KbbzUK-_x1zShV-POf-MNRiGdj0Wo8zkfoixLOrU40PaSIzEmGJM8bggc7lUQdOZpWjKeHMVscCWX5st-yG-hKUKdUV60_HtQwAd3GBK4vzuQJEuv1Mjlf1doK-CMWUWXw79EMoX7EvpoJ6ilbtQn_mjmGG5-d92b8I-20yEciIOtWZVPAsn4t4e3q0ETswpKJtbpeG9xim-p-k1yucHdZQf7kLlWTVWuVwn12omgAyj151luyhDEYxdhYovTf_ymCV92UvjncOknQdNPSPcS2JE7BDCVSlozNnFdavgM1AWbc3vnBGEXpp2GtTQIA8Jxap1hCGw68jL0C_bVVRdb-kRFPAPKDPsIYU1HM0B2RDTiSU5hO5A5k2KJEAPLSZcBylTVrNNldE8in-nxsFQBoTuwqZnYBBxUYdrAWvr1GwVM5eRGKHHIkQPfF0WuHhHvjB-pHdYuAztUwbusKmdDApGvxI9Ms7aJbh8MYPKwkRUbsf-izZey-UBBQjnhsMRMUeLQQQ3_0aLZ_Zhqgm0qFpYa-yMiJ36lw6mj51F8Fl6cLd321qUakFcFoIRclsGMRue8dE7YzBJ6XrBhFnV2IXIw=w920-h692-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="920" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/dgJ1G4-5OReTi-AuGGll1OPBElzU1PTAFyBMZAUrK_B70eRrOqntn55oFpS192ZdEgLuMdZ8_KbbzUK-_x1zShV-POf-MNRiGdj0Wo8zkfoixLOrU40PaSIzEmGJM8bggc7lUQdOZpWjKeHMVscCWX5st-yG-hKUKdUV60_HtQwAd3GBK4vzuQJEuv1Mjlf1doK-CMWUWXw79EMoX7EvpoJ6ilbtQn_mjmGG5-d92b8I-20yEciIOtWZVPAsn4t4e3q0ETswpKJtbpeG9xim-p-k1yucHdZQf7kLlWTVWuVwn12omgAyj151luyhDEYxdhYovTf_ymCV92UvjncOknQdNPSPcS2JE7BDCVSlozNnFdavgM1AWbc3vnBGEXpp2GtTQIA8Jxap1hCGw68jL0C_bVVRdb-kRFPAPKDPsIYU1HM0B2RDTiSU5hO5A5k2KJEAPLSZcBylTVrNNldE8in-nxsFQBoTuwqZnYBBxUYdrAWvr1GwVM5eRGKHHIkQPfF0WuHhHvjB-pHdYuAztUwbusKmdDApGvxI9Ms7aJbh8MYPKwkRUbsf-izZey-UBBQjnhsMRMUeLQQQ3_0aLZ_Zhqgm0qFpYa-yMiJ36lw6mj51F8Fl6cLd321qUakFcFoIRclsGMRue8dE7YzBJ6XrBhFnV2IXIw=w920-h692-no" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As always Roydon very guai. Always made sure he sent us off at the airport.</td></tr>
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前年,我们带了孩子到伦敦过春节。去年开始扶了老爷爷奶奶到曼谷。玩得他们老人家兴致勃勃。今年2018年的春天,我早在11个月前就已经计划好并订了飞机票以及明洞住宿,让孩子们及两位老人家能度过一个难忘的新年。<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/blBFcpsGWsdMyP4e5dkMGrlbkyBsBgrag16_xWTkjgBX1JCidrrwdTmoq3FRAHfjx225R-Y5M2GKEplPzUbDd-g-1N-Xroe1AqTs4kCiMAMX6kB2NveRI_I_JtS0nXlPwawKu9YUTJ65FnfAF8ARUsYmJ_9xeVqzHek2-5T39W8arcmNl4OwZzRVl9KxrH-beiXud_96E4pCIuFysRVCBSa0TNLF7rgWAu0dThdRb2L_thRigR-sXmjxwZJZGzJdBTskbZvJzzJqxZUbfrZvXdd78jh4LZDZYhLx0t066hJfZ6Bgj8hW8VgjCr6lfX3K5FBL8tzNbWgIHUNQ6tZdLiZhgggJgXQ26ex7p0cRASn2gw3aTFRXeK5Ouah7vo4SvT-jNuZIOm--yHBtzSyOH4mo--txLURf92I3m49hU5OTqMjZk_J9K3P0dsCLW_8HtFKx8TJFhKY_eAYsNCE5sfQwEww0-eR5zcPhAIv3r_uN9YMjAlVNAcAYmXue-S2pf8_xiTuOWUPUOA26JZN5k-RNAC_XipFPZ8p8H01qAOn1zs582zss-tPGGDUCGGHBWr_MYtqkvqZEQTCbSUP-y1hZgNaZ2P9Dlasv1aLk33uta3NUNYBoi--vjHWYkaZjbKPZEeXq-aiYF4rm1C-UVn-F9TGXE5_MvQ=s893-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="893" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/blBFcpsGWsdMyP4e5dkMGrlbkyBsBgrag16_xWTkjgBX1JCidrrwdTmoq3FRAHfjx225R-Y5M2GKEplPzUbDd-g-1N-Xroe1AqTs4kCiMAMX6kB2NveRI_I_JtS0nXlPwawKu9YUTJ65FnfAF8ARUsYmJ_9xeVqzHek2-5T39W8arcmNl4OwZzRVl9KxrH-beiXud_96E4pCIuFysRVCBSa0TNLF7rgWAu0dThdRb2L_thRigR-sXmjxwZJZGzJdBTskbZvJzzJqxZUbfrZvXdd78jh4LZDZYhLx0t066hJfZ6Bgj8hW8VgjCr6lfX3K5FBL8tzNbWgIHUNQ6tZdLiZhgggJgXQ26ex7p0cRASn2gw3aTFRXeK5Ouah7vo4SvT-jNuZIOm--yHBtzSyOH4mo--txLURf92I3m49hU5OTqMjZk_J9K3P0dsCLW_8HtFKx8TJFhKY_eAYsNCE5sfQwEww0-eR5zcPhAIv3r_uN9YMjAlVNAcAYmXue-S2pf8_xiTuOWUPUOA26JZN5k-RNAC_XipFPZ8p8H01qAOn1zs582zss-tPGGDUCGGHBWr_MYtqkvqZEQTCbSUP-y1hZgNaZ2P9Dlasv1aLk33uta3NUNYBoi--vjHWYkaZjbKPZEeXq-aiYF4rm1C-UVn-F9TGXE5_MvQ=s893-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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我与Serene俩对韩国明洞特有独钟。游过了济州岛,到过了 Gurye。可首尔的活力气息、人潮的节奏,加上路人阴阳桑去特别明显的韩语对话连连入耳,完完全全把自己浸汝在一个韩剧环境里。</div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b>但是韩国人也过春节的呀!怎么能够去韩国过年呢?</b></span></div>
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这是一个往往返返时时刻刻涌于我脑里的一个大问题。好多朋友病人都皱起眉头,以怀疑的眼神回应我的计划。好几位韩籍病人亦强调韩国人对过春节这传统非常注重。一过年就是好几天的。好比中国人过年一般。</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“韩国二月会冷吗?”</b></span>奶奶担心地问。</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>”OK的啦。好比冷气坏了一般。凉凉的啦。” </b></span>有时候还是别说老实话。不然老人家会吓坏了。我还记得2017年我跟 Serene 到明洞是,晚间温度下降至零下10度呢!</blockquote>
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今年我不断观察首尔天气的趋向。还算不错。白天大概5-6度,晚上大约零下7-8度。早两、三个星期,在一月内当时是首尔最冷的时候。那一个时候,零下十多度加上又下雪,应该是挺享受的。虽然二月比较温一点,但也无妨,带着老人家,还是暖一点比较适当。</div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b>2018年2月13日</b></span></div>
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我们第一回乘搭韩国的Asiana 班级。11个月前以一人$670一张机票订了。在春节期间 super peak period 这价钱算是非常不错啦。况且我直接与 K-Guesthouse 的항길주 Hwang Gil Ju 联络,一晚一间房S$80,也十分优惠。</div>
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星期二下午工作至3点,终于收工啦!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6Gwa7tNW4CqqLqI-laEHEIheRGeer1nPw0CeRebZLUgYXowEsgf0MalOVHxlrYe8Qw51lPZHZM_qQi3SJjaeqJJ66Ld6NejEYdqOayGzs1qKBI-b4Bh9lh_NTUUT_hzmbRlYslRWzYc/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6Gwa7tNW4CqqLqI-laEHEIheRGeer1nPw0CeRebZLUgYXowEsgf0MalOVHxlrYe8Qw51lPZHZM_qQi3SJjaeqJJ66Ld6NejEYdqOayGzs1qKBI-b4Bh9lh_NTUUT_hzmbRlYslRWzYc/w859-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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我通常喜欢漏夜飞往首尔。那六个小时十五分钟的班机,睡得好的话,一醒来就天亮了。这回爷爷奶奶也真的是睡得不错。<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikglMSL6wp6DjeUwycvaACfnJXD3Bbqs_YEuDvMndQwZ-3YZUzXFBrbwgBuchf3odrvBxu6-veLS7u9_Zqf53JQPSgyOQYJis18Pb72ZXZAOS6kQcAjWzWrKRlQTTxrLOHtvfiN4W_1ho/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikglMSL6wp6DjeUwycvaACfnJXD3Bbqs_YEuDvMndQwZ-3YZUzXFBrbwgBuchf3odrvBxu6-veLS7u9_Zqf53JQPSgyOQYJis18Pb72ZXZAOS6kQcAjWzWrKRlQTTxrLOHtvfiN4W_1ho/w859-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/LxdiRyEwD501wmY-3jeMGCuO0Hm51XNuwOF7THT7Fwtm8vb31irlkThpg1IjmYbcODcanQ9dMsq1M_6y_8MVklDbrNSSKfBvIEBRvrfOKc8mcgor4G2FgW-68AR0kIf-GH4envvT5cXBcPr55BCX5hXqq6nD4B713f1yf3HpDTSFDB-G8byvbaBswlyFe4EvYozWtQ98lO87IemPXgZcLmd0V5J-otyXvttrBTspLeuTgz34a87OGqzrSR4yCOxHw5Eq7QZvMrgcDStGe5-5B-GiKZra9Uz5PklgmkmUOpcEPlY5WfBMHUTrsAUGu7ZQkb1siF6-MRw1OmgCoHyc0Mu-wexDFN4Ig5CMA2dixI_HofmYswxI-y9jbCCdk8hyrsobdJI8MX7dIeK3Td5ngbk4IfgCDLWRxpL0ie1Aq3-9VJQR-QdQ-6tY3PZ--N9WIxYmGoim5QobFFuXP3QMc2yyy5PFlqjptWVWqa3HWhoytChmV85HyK3svNP7A86PmfvzwYZBVY6G3oCTliqy9pmiv8KyzbO_jyxsFP-TAzHKZQPw3JUBx2Ctri7UYzICj_Rjg_wf7mVpp1R-B99qMlyD2EwkPoaoddENoaBi=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/LxdiRyEwD501wmY-3jeMGCuO0Hm51XNuwOF7THT7Fwtm8vb31irlkThpg1IjmYbcODcanQ9dMsq1M_6y_8MVklDbrNSSKfBvIEBRvrfOKc8mcgor4G2FgW-68AR0kIf-GH4envvT5cXBcPr55BCX5hXqq6nD4B713f1yf3HpDTSFDB-G8byvbaBswlyFe4EvYozWtQ98lO87IemPXgZcLmd0V5J-otyXvttrBTspLeuTgz34a87OGqzrSR4yCOxHw5Eq7QZvMrgcDStGe5-5B-GiKZra9Uz5PklgmkmUOpcEPlY5WfBMHUTrsAUGu7ZQkb1siF6-MRw1OmgCoHyc0Mu-wexDFN4Ig5CMA2dixI_HofmYswxI-y9jbCCdk8hyrsobdJI8MX7dIeK3Td5ngbk4IfgCDLWRxpL0ie1Aq3-9VJQR-QdQ-6tY3PZ--N9WIxYmGoim5QobFFuXP3QMc2yyy5PFlqjptWVWqa3HWhoytChmV85HyK3svNP7A86PmfvzwYZBVY6G3oCTliqy9pmiv8KyzbO_jyxsFP-TAzHKZQPw3JUBx2Ctri7UYzICj_Rjg_wf7mVpp1R-B99qMlyD2EwkPoaoddENoaBi=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">抵达首尔时大概上午7点。冷到爷爷奶奶 buay tahan!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/fVkAtkUZMoWoss1-P31j6eosfmi87LmYEFmRvXBb7RuNG-rFGBowfP6AmyB8YTDzfLngVJFh_0DE0j-xzVibUFI03nZCy0Xsp1rVxAM9eE68orjO7o79M1qDV3UNmlecTbKJpHyXtTXwJhMsWsQpPCkY27cXVYYpYQhzbvaQBBVU3sPQMT3BNLB1cj-sHYxlfKr3FY-G_TTovKUfuBsroWkpi7DhoWngSvqVqPdNyCl1px6fviQIRZgbx_ywelIyL4jIy_IIymFlxVMqMx2Pfh3iCalZ6iw4FwrmQ2z83YIBRBVbgyBQ_hN87n_bg1tytB0mhb4q-Jn0lyk46JIb1Bn32CXqhyBunuHf9CtpmlxeOEDlL7oBKnthLhd3jl_Kb--4rX5o31sTRnLnd8RtGXC5mtQhR5qoN5bDwwinVuz8DAPlbzgCRB3Lk8kgctdP7GQXPrQ8XTdURs_6GQ2XMojpUbrOt3E4jeEZ_E05jTfkj11GAwDCN1fgnaEWaXt2_VsycwN2H7ke_sCCHgUjFXJL59kV9jcUVO7wr3aE4qsgGi8ZruHo9vItFAiEnEakmeyOH3RXHhTftCDZEUFhkrBPFqbbfYWdufc2Pl7EvCXj3Ej-TV-VIkvocPKSeoY-Bjc1Be9XXz7-Nz-cKl1AFy7Wh39HzupC=w967-h645-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="967" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/fVkAtkUZMoWoss1-P31j6eosfmi87LmYEFmRvXBb7RuNG-rFGBowfP6AmyB8YTDzfLngVJFh_0DE0j-xzVibUFI03nZCy0Xsp1rVxAM9eE68orjO7o79M1qDV3UNmlecTbKJpHyXtTXwJhMsWsQpPCkY27cXVYYpYQhzbvaQBBVU3sPQMT3BNLB1cj-sHYxlfKr3FY-G_TTovKUfuBsroWkpi7DhoWngSvqVqPdNyCl1px6fviQIRZgbx_ywelIyL4jIy_IIymFlxVMqMx2Pfh3iCalZ6iw4FwrmQ2z83YIBRBVbgyBQ_hN87n_bg1tytB0mhb4q-Jn0lyk46JIb1Bn32CXqhyBunuHf9CtpmlxeOEDlL7oBKnthLhd3jl_Kb--4rX5o31sTRnLnd8RtGXC5mtQhR5qoN5bDwwinVuz8DAPlbzgCRB3Lk8kgctdP7GQXPrQ8XTdURs_6GQ2XMojpUbrOt3E4jeEZ_E05jTfkj11GAwDCN1fgnaEWaXt2_VsycwN2H7ke_sCCHgUjFXJL59kV9jcUVO7wr3aE4qsgGi8ZruHo9vItFAiEnEakmeyOH3RXHhTftCDZEUFhkrBPFqbbfYWdufc2Pl7EvCXj3Ej-TV-VIkvocPKSeoY-Bjc1Be9XXz7-Nz-cKl1AFy7Wh39HzupC=w967-h645-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The airport shuttle bus 6015 never failed us.</td></tr>
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上午6点着陆于仁川机场。凭着我们的经验,搭了一辆6015的巴士,一小时后就到了明洞站。信不信,虽然真正的 check in 时间是下午两点,但是六楼房间有空位,九点钟我们就有得 check in 了。太妙啦!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/uWVKXoU6X29I2-JEPRZJpKNzjzCURaVvhuIG4tIaUwA7SddUMYSftEpbMdb7rQrYwJuDleQLx128DY1XOHGyHk7ayJtEzSWc7pPeZ4Q_7l_Y7Oanr3jDLrW9rO7AxWIN4aKLYwgnDbaNu-pv8Zgzmp_V_L9hb7Jy6XF2_uiLVM5BaQy8VGw6VA5HlSWBBnjIRTdacYtfV27teKNkyVBxmjCM0gdAv1PZKmxe081F6aBjf5Mevblo2a-j2NuWLqwaysWzlzmyeaY9b6JWSGsvSsItJrtIk8ZAX3MjzffTO-2Er2fzsATZw4QzGBLk7RbWbzkE4_alGGSQj5pUO_htHnd7-WcrJ7PVMtdscK2_xep4QLT1AIEbaBBLo014CQBk7Eka4gIatKZvIYrnTCAX2oKazRfCLFyycy7jrjh3FCPc-TG6PxyFkzZUXACSa8fMiUI6hv6TDFq4kZIKbMocft_cji9WEAIIs2QN-Qs16pF9mAJDGPC8fVojHRsB_Hu67OtchcM7-kzG1JsSTRODvlsbv7sg-hSgOrYMoYX-OXXX73qBusP6yaZq35ASShW9PYgmoakD8N_JYzpeszecL5_1OpnHOBCg1liqIZFXs1lP4GhESU2-CrGKyD2jY-7U5fL4LL5AITmgW4ywDAi076mYCTzhC9Cy-Q=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/uWVKXoU6X29I2-JEPRZJpKNzjzCURaVvhuIG4tIaUwA7SddUMYSftEpbMdb7rQrYwJuDleQLx128DY1XOHGyHk7ayJtEzSWc7pPeZ4Q_7l_Y7Oanr3jDLrW9rO7AxWIN4aKLYwgnDbaNu-pv8Zgzmp_V_L9hb7Jy6XF2_uiLVM5BaQy8VGw6VA5HlSWBBnjIRTdacYtfV27teKNkyVBxmjCM0gdAv1PZKmxe081F6aBjf5Mevblo2a-j2NuWLqwaysWzlzmyeaY9b6JWSGsvSsItJrtIk8ZAX3MjzffTO-2Er2fzsATZw4QzGBLk7RbWbzkE4_alGGSQj5pUO_htHnd7-WcrJ7PVMtdscK2_xep4QLT1AIEbaBBLo014CQBk7Eka4gIatKZvIYrnTCAX2oKazRfCLFyycy7jrjh3FCPc-TG6PxyFkzZUXACSa8fMiUI6hv6TDFq4kZIKbMocft_cji9WEAIIs2QN-Qs16pF9mAJDGPC8fVojHRsB_Hu67OtchcM7-kzG1JsSTRODvlsbv7sg-hSgOrYMoYX-OXXX73qBusP6yaZq35ASShW9PYgmoakD8N_JYzpeszecL5_1OpnHOBCg1liqIZFXs1lP4GhESU2-CrGKyD2jY-7U5fL4LL5AITmgW4ywDAi076mYCTzhC9Cy-Q=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">这么巧!我们跟奶奶的旧同事陈老师同时同巴士抵达明洞!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b>旅游节目安排</b></span></div>
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自由旅行就是好在这一点。一切随自己的时间。累嘛就迟点起身,若有精神就花多点时间在外头。景点一切随缘。我们在 Guesthouse 碰到一群从马来西亚来的年轻人。他们说每天的行程是:<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“靠着感觉走!”</b></span> 潇洒哉!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/4Z5r26lJwkin9mIP0scX-n3eVx8txO6FeNSnfNNgDpBDOFJA8Hkd59JDTeLXC2FlRVCqFAxaHspxFJji1dlo9skju5Of5qc5eO8Q2w9QMwY3Ypc5j_Sg_0yGgUVQ_6iNkW-NpFZ1rS_Pxu9977QGkC87D8HYzHKtVtyB8dqWngBal6M56gn0oSU214wLi6s4Jl8KaXVDmNWvJ3MDISlTJC9ysCXHNV88fNRjxOnGIyJiadgBlxjdSM-a-ytW5fk7tKcAnhzeZbM-kG9goYMhl357MLkMRWk_j6R3WpMcTBaDyzvNoBc4a7x75ePs7Fj068BLZAreL66XPsO-bh7hOSYU8lS9R3ESGCk3R5oHwIZQ_q03f7ljYxUqGGx63iYhC5bCrLZMlJ-7JSfS6zhWRXOkZ9UsaKM9jwxY03ASqjD6904KAu8102g3KZpFR14pA6YSMC_yGHCb0MfZ6Neu42zoThk4sybmho9ZIPR1RFCB_VXI9UXvKVzgMWPxNqhIAiMj9T0QkdOlKFiltq9S-UJl7x9Jwnt5qYrXcrx7hp9y4hTZFRp8Uu7hcUBtyAm-zyBuNy9OvkWY_U16QF5YFZ6s6BucXfcxpFeYa2Qa1E2SlPjtMJTtkpL6Fm_hjfj7kWgFSAQKKk-A2CRRyXQIUILbSM_efzXCdQ=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/4Z5r26lJwkin9mIP0scX-n3eVx8txO6FeNSnfNNgDpBDOFJA8Hkd59JDTeLXC2FlRVCqFAxaHspxFJji1dlo9skju5Of5qc5eO8Q2w9QMwY3Ypc5j_Sg_0yGgUVQ_6iNkW-NpFZ1rS_Pxu9977QGkC87D8HYzHKtVtyB8dqWngBal6M56gn0oSU214wLi6s4Jl8KaXVDmNWvJ3MDISlTJC9ysCXHNV88fNRjxOnGIyJiadgBlxjdSM-a-ytW5fk7tKcAnhzeZbM-kG9goYMhl357MLkMRWk_j6R3WpMcTBaDyzvNoBc4a7x75ePs7Fj068BLZAreL66XPsO-bh7hOSYU8lS9R3ESGCk3R5oHwIZQ_q03f7ljYxUqGGx63iYhC5bCrLZMlJ-7JSfS6zhWRXOkZ9UsaKM9jwxY03ASqjD6904KAu8102g3KZpFR14pA6YSMC_yGHCb0MfZ6Neu42zoThk4sybmho9ZIPR1RFCB_VXI9UXvKVzgMWPxNqhIAiMj9T0QkdOlKFiltq9S-UJl7x9Jwnt5qYrXcrx7hp9y4hTZFRp8Uu7hcUBtyAm-zyBuNy9OvkWY_U16QF5YFZ6s6BucXfcxpFeYa2Qa1E2SlPjtMJTtkpL6Fm_hjfj7kWgFSAQKKk-A2CRRyXQIUILbSM_efzXCdQ=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really hungry at 9am. Luckily we could grab a nice full breakfast at the guesthouse!</td></tr>
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没想到家人全都肚子饿了。还好,Guesthouse 自助早餐还允许我们煎蛋、泡咖啡、烘面包、吃玉蜀黍片配鲜奶。我心里偷笑。这位 Guesthouse 管理员 Gil Ju 也闭一只眼睛、不与我们计较,随我们去吃到够。<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/eypKm02r2KzIYfFQJVEH5OvHw3sMA2nuhDwT7PMXFGPaHlCnif_QNnR6K3T_G6khJIYVc8-xnLfw_4A8Db_beVFLCV6wyZlqXJegEQWq28qfWJ8u4_e4KotTzAmMtSPpVKI6FRg9Kdydl0e45FcyWnntGGvovHpq5XBYSer2pOKkZGigKCFn57DwrA1su8_hTHZLXWqDEuCIKJBiR6mbGPbX2E-hyQ-jCMzwWUQ9F1ftXTXoV83tg0F-TY0kIqRw0bmJTKvz8EJ4yC5_C8a-Abg-bks70mrucG8vjt942mpvJ8hqiP-xvAmL4q2loh4ZO1nx7ER3BbAuSCN1KfX6LOd2aSg7VmMBU6WeqgTtt3AQqGrsyJWRzVm2jwudxkdDXezUF4prKGI0pYyjzmz3lSz9AH7UZnqQFulYemb85zvkXlGxQNUHDxR0GhAt_4JL1VxO4FNjxAteMQU6LWj6k6BGFf_7kook890JTnuU4ruI5qh4Sf5Z4RzG7aL1LtAwAWQNExAUS81IDoXiCtcwMKlnrkwsWunDvNgabYgG7cWfuCLghFMNKyem5trhGv6JOeTgDiU_WhoS925LKpioI_wKrrlARXjh5Ax9Mr9Z=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/eypKm02r2KzIYfFQJVEH5OvHw3sMA2nuhDwT7PMXFGPaHlCnif_QNnR6K3T_G6khJIYVc8-xnLfw_4A8Db_beVFLCV6wyZlqXJegEQWq28qfWJ8u4_e4KotTzAmMtSPpVKI6FRg9Kdydl0e45FcyWnntGGvovHpq5XBYSer2pOKkZGigKCFn57DwrA1su8_hTHZLXWqDEuCIKJBiR6mbGPbX2E-hyQ-jCMzwWUQ9F1ftXTXoV83tg0F-TY0kIqRw0bmJTKvz8EJ4yC5_C8a-Abg-bks70mrucG8vjt942mpvJ8hqiP-xvAmL4q2loh4ZO1nx7ER3BbAuSCN1KfX6LOd2aSg7VmMBU6WeqgTtt3AQqGrsyJWRzVm2jwudxkdDXezUF4prKGI0pYyjzmz3lSz9AH7UZnqQFulYemb85zvkXlGxQNUHDxR0GhAt_4JL1VxO4FNjxAteMQU6LWj6k6BGFf_7kook890JTnuU4ruI5qh4Sf5Z4RzG7aL1LtAwAWQNExAUS81IDoXiCtcwMKlnrkwsWunDvNgabYgG7cWfuCLghFMNKyem5trhGv6JOeTgDiU_WhoS925LKpioI_wKrrlARXjh5Ax9Mr9Z=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
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Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0Myeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea37.55998 126.9858295999999937.534806 126.94548909999999 37.585154 127.02617009999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-27904408082528388622017-11-30T07:00:00.000-08:002018-08-03T02:57:27.660-07:00Everest Base Camp Trek Part 7 ~ Back to Kathmandu for R&R<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;"><b>Part 7 ~ Kathmandu at last. And a lovely tour of Swayambunath Temple.</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-7-back-to.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-7-back-to.html" border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="800" height="235" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4729/25590946828_fbb943c11b_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swayambaunath Temple, Kathmandu.</td></tr>
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Somehow, connections of the boss of Namaste Lodge gotten us a second flight out of Lukla despite the huge backlog of passengers from a whole day of delayed flights. Those of us on the second flight managed to make it back to Kathmandu early. But the other half of our group who were scheduled for the third flight were delayed and left on cold Lukla for another four hours because of poor weather in both Lukla and Kathmandu.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: yellow;">[In this Travellogue, I have tried my best to credit all the photos to their respective photographers, and I tried my best to recall verbatim what members said during the whole trip. Most events are as I could remember them. Those who have expressed clearly to me their wishes not to have their photos shared online I have post-processed the photographs so that their faces are pixelated to protect their privacies.]</span></i></b><br />
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<b style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-large;">Table of Contents:</b><br />
<ol>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-epic.html">EBC Trek Part 1</a> </span></b>~ An epic adventure. Kathmandu to Lukla. Lukla to Phakding. Phakding to Namche Bazaar. Acclimatisation in Namche Bazaar.</li>
<li><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-2-from.html"><b><span style="font-size: large;">EBC Trek Part 2</span></b></a> ~ The air got thinner & the body got more tired. Namche Bazaar to Tengboche & Debuche. Debuche to Dingboche. Acclimatisation in Dingboche.</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-3.html">EBC Trek Part 3</a></span></b> ~ The Final Push. Dingboche to Lobuche. Lobuche to Gorak Shep and to EBC and back to Gorak Shep. </li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-4-highest.html">EBC Trek Part 4</a></span></b> ~ Kala Patthar</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-5-return-of.html">EBC Trek Part 5</a></span></b> ~ The unrelenting march from day to night - Gorak Shep to Periche. Another long day to night march from Periche to Namche Bazaar.</li>
<li><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-6-back-to.html"><b><span style="font-size: large;">EBC Trek Part 6</span></b> </a>~ No matter how tired... just go into Cruise-control mode walking from Namche Bazaar to finally arrive back in Lukla in the dark, yet again.</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-7-back-to.html">EBC Trek Part 7</a></span></b> ~ Flying back to Kathmandu. Rest and Relax in Kathmandu and flying home!</li>
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">EBC TREK Day 13 ~ </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">Kathmandu, finally!</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;">30 Nov 2017</span><br />
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Flying back to Kathmandu from Lukla sounded straight forward enough. But by now we had come to realise that in Nepal, even the most straight-forward-looking path was a whole lot of zig-zags and ups-and-downs. The day before, the planes couldn't fly, and all the Ang Moh trekkers were stranded in Lukla. So we had a full day of backlog.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">"I always can trust Ram because he knows the boss of Namaste Lodge very well, and Ram has connections with the boss of Namaste Lodge who has connections with the airport controller at Tenzing-Hillary Airport who has connections with Tribhuvan airport controller, who in turns has connections with all the airline owners...." </span></b>explained Adrian to me.</blockquote>
In short, we ended up taking the second and third flight out of Lukla.<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">The </span><span style="color: yellow; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;"> </span><span style="color: yellow; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">The non-straight-forward, zig-zag flight back to Kathmandu</span></span><br />
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So, <b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">7:27am</span></b>, us in the first group boarded our Summit Airline flight. Smooth-sailing all the way back to Kathmandu! Er... nope. What do you mean 'nope'?<br />
About 15 minutes into our flight, the pretty air stewardess stood up and announced:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"We apologise. We cannot land in Kathmandu because of poor weather there. We are now diverting to Pokhara airport, until we can fly again"</b></span></blockquote>
Wow! Travelling in Nepal was always an adventure.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diverted from Lukla to Pokhara, and then flew from Pokhara back to Kathmandu.<br />
Got our money worth of propeller plane flight time. [Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
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Thankfully we were only stranded in Pokhara for half an hour or so, before flying back to Kathmandu.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/qafBzJOX6vCoz9Sh_OoS51jDcTjriJQF8esONfo0-Qu-EBHFvpz3tWlD8k4oKzJitGzaPaKO4FlVb6lDBXMLHEHhbIpX2stp8SiXBDvYyOx8H5Rbujxnu9k8ff0RYyuwAp8nN0TAgf9N6majyqUvhD3D7DCC2n-r8au00JbMRA7iM3knoXV4RHtbnYZhiUAN3z_CDVHi8944NrhpclFuqaLhGz9JJymXSQEskkyeXqQ9I17wquu7fHK0l3UTe8XKtYPTvl5_F_UAGIwUQHh0vIG2UiLg6_C3l-tlCwwpjMhB3RgfSaarzVE0STsGjMcysn_fl3N8slb-pZJxunUk33228lT4vbeZRlL-yqaRrW2EbiemLIhmhnr_AiV4Sjw84JT1j3E0qbK3_kmXVZsd61z3vpCe6k7SjXwSfxWZ4b4x6xVokDpOk4WWAnOzCd9KeQeIMcY0M5VxlrV4TOFRIu4fVAFCP6oEjQCYFGqp_QBtjLlfngOtg499ZTXie9qxFKItogXVpSlIGagHOmrzlVSmI0fjyBWRvVJDdTsooBpV6F1SgSpcBxNdfJE-uEhZBxOlCk6ngFDisqDzNcpys3pAeGe1dZIszRVsGJWWb1KwypBUOCwdNdBeUQxhUJ8pAao7AegVZzSpmxXBhX3z8rQl0oLvtf7b=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/qafBzJOX6vCoz9Sh_OoS51jDcTjriJQF8esONfo0-Qu-EBHFvpz3tWlD8k4oKzJitGzaPaKO4FlVb6lDBXMLHEHhbIpX2stp8SiXBDvYyOx8H5Rbujxnu9k8ff0RYyuwAp8nN0TAgf9N6majyqUvhD3D7DCC2n-r8au00JbMRA7iM3knoXV4RHtbnYZhiUAN3z_CDVHi8944NrhpclFuqaLhGz9JJymXSQEskkyeXqQ9I17wquu7fHK0l3UTe8XKtYPTvl5_F_UAGIwUQHh0vIG2UiLg6_C3l-tlCwwpjMhB3RgfSaarzVE0STsGjMcysn_fl3N8slb-pZJxunUk33228lT4vbeZRlL-yqaRrW2EbiemLIhmhnr_AiV4Sjw84JT1j3E0qbK3_kmXVZsd61z3vpCe6k7SjXwSfxWZ4b4x6xVokDpOk4WWAnOzCd9KeQeIMcY0M5VxlrV4TOFRIu4fVAFCP6oEjQCYFGqp_QBtjLlfngOtg499ZTXie9qxFKItogXVpSlIGagHOmrzlVSmI0fjyBWRvVJDdTsooBpV6F1SgSpcBxNdfJE-uEhZBxOlCk6ngFDisqDzNcpys3pAeGe1dZIszRVsGJWWb1KwypBUOCwdNdBeUQxhUJ8pAao7AegVZzSpmxXBhX3z8rQl0oLvtf7b=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well at least Lai Peng could say that she had been to Pokhara. [Photo: Alex]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Poor things were our second groups who were all still stranded in Lukla airport because of poor weather on both sides, for another four hours. The weather turned colder and colder as they continued sitting at Tenzing-Hillary Airport.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/npkQRvDXq_RN0JX05RPeVnOTrWF9fzg16ncADmVrHphPzEUKTSk2x9dF2q_EcbZW8BND97oayXpnV2klvWPKprqbCStVQFQiXgqb_qMLNB4rxFJsUVIkqeW2QtA1SuaEmymEFuwcgSnJFrTIJGsvUUl7iui5o_LWogY4Q0UVyGzwbAZ-bDYzL0E_Ma3vVwVEYgbgxWvYbzw33B1L_oUMexngWv33E_KNAORgd8Liqx8b-qrc7dm7wkGwavQfZkg5ymdNx8ZsuP4zgr-JQ8xctsQdkAQjpvwkHIVvvZNdZCJ8lZX9-sXRhGBKH8F17uFM-0wjFyN8iNR2nMFD617BPf31KcConow_AoFW9bOCCtU-zE5GzdsGYzcDA2xSJxk_i0vhfQMouPm32E8wnetLrTbTaqFqhMTKBi5t3MIAQ3WmsEjJsEIcWkrljOTAMDpiQgbRa0C_nBZWLUz5D1TtiLh0gybRVe7g8p51iRSqqL_4Tnolw_r1oM_6je4OvKypS_CvxdZksh3nGLHbpIkqsooP0b6W1ZP_obenXWJwifELW1gJnFHtTPvoi0SBstlxsfCoLKpglfxBoQNysjlRHU54hcoEyipT7A08Z2ZY28Uenw4bd_8UDPHn_8EVVgyXEcfqDA6EiqLparEnc-TE8on5xl3hr7VpQg=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/npkQRvDXq_RN0JX05RPeVnOTrWF9fzg16ncADmVrHphPzEUKTSk2x9dF2q_EcbZW8BND97oayXpnV2klvWPKprqbCStVQFQiXgqb_qMLNB4rxFJsUVIkqeW2QtA1SuaEmymEFuwcgSnJFrTIJGsvUUl7iui5o_LWogY4Q0UVyGzwbAZ-bDYzL0E_Ma3vVwVEYgbgxWvYbzw33B1L_oUMexngWv33E_KNAORgd8Liqx8b-qrc7dm7wkGwavQfZkg5ymdNx8ZsuP4zgr-JQ8xctsQdkAQjpvwkHIVvvZNdZCJ8lZX9-sXRhGBKH8F17uFM-0wjFyN8iNR2nMFD617BPf31KcConow_AoFW9bOCCtU-zE5GzdsGYzcDA2xSJxk_i0vhfQMouPm32E8wnetLrTbTaqFqhMTKBi5t3MIAQ3WmsEjJsEIcWkrljOTAMDpiQgbRa0C_nBZWLUz5D1TtiLh0gybRVe7g8p51iRSqqL_4Tnolw_r1oM_6je4OvKypS_CvxdZksh3nGLHbpIkqsooP0b6W1ZP_obenXWJwifELW1gJnFHtTPvoi0SBstlxsfCoLKpglfxBoQNysjlRHU54hcoEyipT7A08Z2ZY28Uenw4bd_8UDPHn_8EVVgyXEcfqDA6EiqLparEnc-TE8on5xl3hr7VpQg=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loading up the van.. on our way back to Kathmandu Garden Home</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Ok, let's go look for some place for lunch,"</b></span> suggested Adrian.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Sounds good. Adrian you go where, we just follow you lor."</span></b></blockquote>
So we ended up at Hotel Mandap this restaurant for some steaks and chicken and some more flavourful food since we had been so deprived up in the mountains.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/a7XSyfx7Z9nvY9KAGSMh8jTX37hoUE0Ywpx6X4I44sA5zwJYDAVZf8D94Eg3FEfFjfrdTP6mTyM8hFuetUxns9qrn6V-aooF8HP1dvLE3Qf2aXJKOO2dNGicSirjUv914qXpcGIWioZfNpyDHy8yKCUaWcphrsKJOtSsrq4jTfxlD10291C66ouHDgz_OP5IsMXK6LeuZMdgTxQ67IfuEpyu2nVJQeBQMVhgzg7rQxRKX2J08q25tnHiHN7-9TNVAsu0kjFLp2tuQWFClfANWxeqVUu1g7g4yy57wMNRlBBQAWxK41iD5tY2VoGHjbEfPxE7i4G-ghBFn4Uvg0EtQmzlB0yEbSTYgolzIVydgivpYs2GuO3FKy9Ie70mC3VcasG0PXThcYl9OVAHMfYkvDDNBYpWp8UqK-bR0xcHWX-1EJd-oB_dzDpm-KLqig29fFNbZdE0L_2LJ-YJD2Wlhcy2vmf1Cm3WRRlygjNruW5_YdCZQTAPa2UyXjuda730z6lr28qL-TzwSZfHvSWxbcSJnIpbdP4ZtnOr-Wbf0qMA73T3escq9e7UFST6Udn6R0PwIileOM1hYt2dXwBX7eszxzB5G6ZrTpyxhxnQ-uU2LjXRCJwl1353cPvtq8o0AJeTCD14f8pOSSavf654QPqmvtxBdUjBjw=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/a7XSyfx7Z9nvY9KAGSMh8jTX37hoUE0Ywpx6X4I44sA5zwJYDAVZf8D94Eg3FEfFjfrdTP6mTyM8hFuetUxns9qrn6V-aooF8HP1dvLE3Qf2aXJKOO2dNGicSirjUv914qXpcGIWioZfNpyDHy8yKCUaWcphrsKJOtSsrq4jTfxlD10291C66ouHDgz_OP5IsMXK6LeuZMdgTxQ67IfuEpyu2nVJQeBQMVhgzg7rQxRKX2J08q25tnHiHN7-9TNVAsu0kjFLp2tuQWFClfANWxeqVUu1g7g4yy57wMNRlBBQAWxK41iD5tY2VoGHjbEfPxE7i4G-ghBFn4Uvg0EtQmzlB0yEbSTYgolzIVydgivpYs2GuO3FKy9Ie70mC3VcasG0PXThcYl9OVAHMfYkvDDNBYpWp8UqK-bR0xcHWX-1EJd-oB_dzDpm-KLqig29fFNbZdE0L_2LJ-YJD2Wlhcy2vmf1Cm3WRRlygjNruW5_YdCZQTAPa2UyXjuda730z6lr28qL-TzwSZfHvSWxbcSJnIpbdP4ZtnOr-Wbf0qMA73T3escq9e7UFST6Udn6R0PwIileOM1hYt2dXwBX7eszxzB5G6ZrTpyxhxnQ-uU2LjXRCJwl1353cPvtq8o0AJeTCD14f8pOSSavf654QPqmvtxBdUjBjw=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch at this Mandap Restaurant place.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>FINALLY!</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Group 2 arrived back in Kathmandu! </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/OqvH6P114mIxFS7OUkFCjSQRklskhfQX2fR2WJ7R3QqtRBJqEwxkxh_Shu-na_GJNreyf3Dlvz8HrFmH-0VzXroPRKPxMRVyGHF7doVdACo7XyCNJCv6z6P8WhxsNJjIlw19EYjZjY18Jnge7LQP1qPmF2nAfinnsqmwmdy15X3tiunRmPVjfXxdPtom9Zs6KFAh3X8D728LBjgACYbR5Y3PbM5r85qZa6dw-UaFXyCSVYcEKrGPGD_WwXYcm3hVK-YprAvGDTZiaXqgjIfbbETApTjVyi_JbjHFp_rHmdZZRoeZq6XjGzYagZVTfADjKr1_ueN6Qxu4Zs-AuPwDYeXxqwxgocJ6LztOxupFtXP2C9WnIncyNfZlr9QnjnK-3_SOtcKwhVqP54bPllEi2vnH7aKh_AZfT5gliPEpP_qpqIpq1mzmOGnrxhDI3dgRQ_oj-NBWOBbCGHviJEIxzWTl8Z0a54vvvZR3uKe0DqoKsLMvGJah55M8WvM_mfhnx_6UE3eg6MsC6irIZkeEhGLf3ewcxaevHGiEWEFGlhQxNDRlZLKlwhoVQcxdqYE3tlD3tzqu3OoAo1ag1DI7SPfmmvDTKClGtIN6MnPK_mDh2FVKB29xz1VjMBd1dYEtAO9zbTftT5-S0GNYGd68TXRhGBDP0PPv=w967-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="966" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/OqvH6P114mIxFS7OUkFCjSQRklskhfQX2fR2WJ7R3QqtRBJqEwxkxh_Shu-na_GJNreyf3Dlvz8HrFmH-0VzXroPRKPxMRVyGHF7doVdACo7XyCNJCv6z6P8WhxsNJjIlw19EYjZjY18Jnge7LQP1qPmF2nAfinnsqmwmdy15X3tiunRmPVjfXxdPtom9Zs6KFAh3X8D728LBjgACYbR5Y3PbM5r85qZa6dw-UaFXyCSVYcEKrGPGD_WwXYcm3hVK-YprAvGDTZiaXqgjIfbbETApTjVyi_JbjHFp_rHmdZZRoeZq6XjGzYagZVTfADjKr1_ueN6Qxu4Zs-AuPwDYeXxqwxgocJ6LztOxupFtXP2C9WnIncyNfZlr9QnjnK-3_SOtcKwhVqP54bPllEi2vnH7aKh_AZfT5gliPEpP_qpqIpq1mzmOGnrxhDI3dgRQ_oj-NBWOBbCGHviJEIxzWTl8Z0a54vvvZR3uKe0DqoKsLMvGJah55M8WvM_mfhnx_6UE3eg6MsC6irIZkeEhGLf3ewcxaevHGiEWEFGlhQxNDRlZLKlwhoVQcxdqYE3tlD3tzqu3OoAo1ag1DI7SPfmmvDTKClGtIN6MnPK_mDh2FVKB29xz1VjMBd1dYEtAO9zbTftT5-S0GNYGd68TXRhGBDP0PPv=w967-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By the time group 2 flew back to Kathmandu, Ah Tan already fell almost asleep liao. [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Evening came, and we simply just enjoyed walking along the streets of Thamel and having fun.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/KVP7_nkqSAXMsO4MCmOXW_T4zhwSA21RnLPCv4eHdrLhCEH0LjAYBvM_0ktDOp1B86XJuKVMPSnB-gVdvPOlqHhFBXTBbcANnaZH_2nhh1oQ7aqJGElu2TWiAQ13mkID1tpLTpTwB8m8JAtwBWs_MDyhVkhyuLdkpj3BmGIDY3KbZbeKSmfPUkU9Ev8f2eE493e11NFi9TXKHSdeZrC2mu7IFE2BeVlFeROiTPLGL2YO3Zd1VB3Tx8-JGY14UheSjU1gPB2o89qZQ4hZZefnTyRbWZnLKmfAqpTGhODycge29CmuxB3Aigkm4nhREAX9A36D69CUWK75C9VQ-LZQbzRwocVVnLzHuAfwdWzbgyeToztUo3nlt4C7jJ_zUKQ9AAC8HEoaCUjJwS0GS5Qszd2G8ID5_nxyJU2H6e9usL1sbC10njTNjOx7BPF4r8WxYwS_yFcmKAefCMCIdB0U2jg6OwygHaXCAmO9JNiD0hXa1pb7JVD73KO8r493WXuhWgSywaO3wJwyQ7a3r1wQT0jgVIJVBAXQH-Aor8sJ0PGeSLHjxYGIf9avDvpmk014PnaajypAcbZLzpmN_JgnN1T9c4dBSqx7mQy1CRUg6ymj185GU1K3hw7pW_0yj5meJg64uD0_Q5R2czTaVx030BQ3agVhNSa4uQ=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/KVP7_nkqSAXMsO4MCmOXW_T4zhwSA21RnLPCv4eHdrLhCEH0LjAYBvM_0ktDOp1B86XJuKVMPSnB-gVdvPOlqHhFBXTBbcANnaZH_2nhh1oQ7aqJGElu2TWiAQ13mkID1tpLTpTwB8m8JAtwBWs_MDyhVkhyuLdkpj3BmGIDY3KbZbeKSmfPUkU9Ev8f2eE493e11NFi9TXKHSdeZrC2mu7IFE2BeVlFeROiTPLGL2YO3Zd1VB3Tx8-JGY14UheSjU1gPB2o89qZQ4hZZefnTyRbWZnLKmfAqpTGhODycge29CmuxB3Aigkm4nhREAX9A36D69CUWK75C9VQ-LZQbzRwocVVnLzHuAfwdWzbgyeToztUo3nlt4C7jJ_zUKQ9AAC8HEoaCUjJwS0GS5Qszd2G8ID5_nxyJU2H6e9usL1sbC10njTNjOx7BPF4r8WxYwS_yFcmKAefCMCIdB0U2jg6OwygHaXCAmO9JNiD0hXa1pb7JVD73KO8r493WXuhWgSywaO3wJwyQ7a3r1wQT0jgVIJVBAXQH-Aor8sJ0PGeSLHjxYGIf9avDvpmk014PnaajypAcbZLzpmN_JgnN1T9c4dBSqx7mQy1CRUg6ymj185GU1K3hw7pW_0yj5meJg64uD0_Q5R2czTaVx030BQ3agVhNSa4uQ=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having fun in Thamel in the evening</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And the girls really REALLY wanted to give Adrian a surprise - his mandatory favourite Fanta Orange as his usual Nepali ritual. This ritual went way way back 9 years ago when he first did ABC with Melvin.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/l9w2W3Qj6O3_QfTFydUuZAjoEHTpy4INjw-2wT_YCiBUkGx_1vrEBbZFe_mSx2pZmWd0QKmKhAkjm_pgc_SxgIIf-m72KDB5yHBSS0J07LGi0hGdISvcn98gIVHdwpIt-Weo9DCYRaJp4mGgAfjuxZAw-Hs_wJllcYlgXbDSQ_-etVnqBBKQTnCL6JEgGdb7w9ui2NsPQ-UtvfH1NJLMBqUKItxQ_4rI4n8RocIOfpOi_H8AOP0uLogK3NaaPrNKsvlO__tT_CvnxIwLTgB_T6c7QcrYiGrytTzcyR4ZL5wSA7Q0k7FjbWOldMu1P7iwEXwUH-eip6EtN5Bjru24_qK31QG9zbpa211p5uSHH0FgW59u82BRh6Bqy9yCliSwWrHcTZ8A7gOY3WIg1HHG0MQ_-nDwerjns-uDcXedNk0xhoxAp455a31qQs1um1kxE137QJiP1Ej0xiIGfRCEc1v6z3Fv90M0p0tvkSLbT7iXEvWLjXLPi1EEMkaF3bwE6VDeYj8qAei7U602QUF1QqZaMruE2iiEwWtw23ADkzynApp7_GRvq6FEr--Xy5-ryDDijL4Acgk74iC1W2TG2051vmjgIPvX4ULJUSjEcB_Hn962HyQa9pkyQ-M11LssmFgmFRVUJH9MOXL3klMP3G4HHMEQD2Fzpw=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/l9w2W3Qj6O3_QfTFydUuZAjoEHTpy4INjw-2wT_YCiBUkGx_1vrEBbZFe_mSx2pZmWd0QKmKhAkjm_pgc_SxgIIf-m72KDB5yHBSS0J07LGi0hGdISvcn98gIVHdwpIt-Weo9DCYRaJp4mGgAfjuxZAw-Hs_wJllcYlgXbDSQ_-etVnqBBKQTnCL6JEgGdb7w9ui2NsPQ-UtvfH1NJLMBqUKItxQ_4rI4n8RocIOfpOi_H8AOP0uLogK3NaaPrNKsvlO__tT_CvnxIwLTgB_T6c7QcrYiGrytTzcyR4ZL5wSA7Q0k7FjbWOldMu1P7iwEXwUH-eip6EtN5Bjru24_qK31QG9zbpa211p5uSHH0FgW59u82BRh6Bqy9yCliSwWrHcTZ8A7gOY3WIg1HHG0MQ_-nDwerjns-uDcXedNk0xhoxAp455a31qQs1um1kxE137QJiP1Ej0xiIGfRCEc1v6z3Fv90M0p0tvkSLbT7iXEvWLjXLPi1EEMkaF3bwE6VDeYj8qAei7U602QUF1QqZaMruE2iiEwWtw23ADkzynApp7_GRvq6FEr--Xy5-ryDDijL4Acgk74iC1W2TG2051vmjgIPvX4ULJUSjEcB_Hn962HyQa9pkyQ-M11LssmFgmFRVUJH9MOXL3klMP3G4HHMEQD2Fzpw=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls said they wanted to buy a Fanta Orange for uncle Adrian as a surprise!<br />
Because it has always been a ritual for him and Melvin to buy a Fanta Orange in Nepal<br />
even if it cost him S$10 up in the mountains.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One part of Thamel where I found most unforgettable was this little narrow and covered alley not far down from our hotel. We had to pass through this alley every day every night in order to get to the other parts of Thamel. And this alley was shared between pedestrians, trolleys and motorbikes. Most interesting feature of Nepali urban planning.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2RSAUSItmnlS4pRMKKOIihzz3oU0bEJITs-0tu8oVYbNxduE2I_TnLLjrVWX9H3eOaVLdYMe0V_OBp6uqqYEo6yNWMwjx9mFzCXa53pQ6eSgfwbGmzG4_-8Jo0WRmd5HrgKkyCE-894/w483-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2RSAUSItmnlS4pRMKKOIihzz3oU0bEJITs-0tu8oVYbNxduE2I_TnLLjrVWX9H3eOaVLdYMe0V_OBp6uqqYEo6yNWMwjx9mFzCXa53pQ6eSgfwbGmzG4_-8Jo0WRmd5HrgKkyCE-894/w483-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That small little covered alley where human siam motorbikes & bikes siam human.</td></tr>
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For memory's sake, I even took a shot of Google map where the red drop pin marked the alley. To my surprise, Serene's shop - that B&B Himalayan Traders shop where we bought plenty plenty of stuff from, was also on this map, not far from that little alley.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Red Pin marks where the small alley was in relations to Kathmandu Garden Home</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">EBC TREK Day 14 ~ </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">Swayambunath Temple</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;">1 Dec 2017</span></div>
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Since we were fortunate not to be stranded at Lukla for another day, our itinerary went on as planned. Swayambunath Temple had always been one of my favourites, together with Boudhanath as well as Baktapur. But we only had enough time for one place.</div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">The </span><span style="color: yellow; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;"> </span><span style="color: yellow; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">A very relaxing day touring Swayambunath and shopping in Thamel (again!)</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">[Photo: Alex]<br />
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On this morning, the weather was nice and warm in Kathmandu, and the visitors to Swayambunath were almost as many as the monkeys there.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">[Photo: Lai Peng]<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">[Photo: Lai Peng]<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">[Photo: Lai Peng]<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
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I had always enjoyed walking along and browsing in the shops of Swayambunath and bargaining with the sellers. There were a few things that I would love to buy home as souvenirs. And thankfully we managed to get some good prices for them.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/uVI412cD7B2ZnTIaHTt7mVwnV5r5wEMrjCDV_8lJBqJJDmuOgDwieeoCM6zg4gpFKieJxxJz7E2ZIq6hmQpMfnBh2JeNT1Vx6bWoNeH0rZhOVCDf9sI6JlwwWwodL0BrNPUvj38f13YtE79bbeyBgnbUtpbjVDLEvyWQ74GFdVAGxM6p2JmmSfecPf-WmRpRUM0LgtmuP385giD3vnhyRGq9PEOcCQuW-momfiT4UT86lV2-n-cTePBtfRN2Ywex0xar7H6QLQWZLViRs6DHAXk0Nel_dR6rk7bR85tJJlxYYLfoq8jq4wOkfx4xjQpTR9uW-MQ9By1DfKDQbFFt1jqAOkuseQNdf0JoamhHa3GoFVXbDfqbzwNsOUTbAttVLExhPvhOGBYAlLaHUGPUvoR61qrgibVnJqhxkhigAMkzmUq158ksk3ndGWJtxTh-VvGLivVrMkEcIWi9tt-dXzoY_LN7BV3zTty1r1_yt-hUhdenfBD51ZIvGw5468XFmuiCIIA0XBoy1awzyEIRXEsM42KYehO7NbjFUGIyapLKBQY5TFz9h3hq4JvIdDmGblzuVhQmvHAqG1V-U8zE_MJL8bBZdbSTPShsEhu84PwtsA95H1vdsEQbhSd2pihTZShWPhfLpamFupYtlGETHZ4qs1Fv11WF=w1003-h488-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="1003" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/uVI412cD7B2ZnTIaHTt7mVwnV5r5wEMrjCDV_8lJBqJJDmuOgDwieeoCM6zg4gpFKieJxxJz7E2ZIq6hmQpMfnBh2JeNT1Vx6bWoNeH0rZhOVCDf9sI6JlwwWwodL0BrNPUvj38f13YtE79bbeyBgnbUtpbjVDLEvyWQ74GFdVAGxM6p2JmmSfecPf-WmRpRUM0LgtmuP385giD3vnhyRGq9PEOcCQuW-momfiT4UT86lV2-n-cTePBtfRN2Ywex0xar7H6QLQWZLViRs6DHAXk0Nel_dR6rk7bR85tJJlxYYLfoq8jq4wOkfx4xjQpTR9uW-MQ9By1DfKDQbFFt1jqAOkuseQNdf0JoamhHa3GoFVXbDfqbzwNsOUTbAttVLExhPvhOGBYAlLaHUGPUvoR61qrgibVnJqhxkhigAMkzmUq158ksk3ndGWJtxTh-VvGLivVrMkEcIWi9tt-dXzoY_LN7BV3zTty1r1_yt-hUhdenfBD51ZIvGw5468XFmuiCIIA0XBoy1awzyEIRXEsM42KYehO7NbjFUGIyapLKBQY5TFz9h3hq4JvIdDmGblzuVhQmvHAqG1V-U8zE_MJL8bBZdbSTPShsEhu84PwtsA95H1vdsEQbhSd2pihTZShWPhfLpamFupYtlGETHZ4qs1Fv11WF=w1003-h488-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And Ah Li and I finally found our tiny prayer wheels and the little turtle she wanted to buy for Nainai.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/riyQSY2KeT6QEy37X5dqB6E5MtercgWvxjT-ubkee5CqiBww5FRv8FdXY0CvJcvACsAPLGi2CEIMvVahe9Bq7Sxj21i2FJGjPTTEXSRyOM6hl1gMnY4wf0bDjghAYUa3cq08qeKqceNwncnaVK0eXOy_JCvgVDtuG7DzA8B-3IoA0ot2I2NZ6Ctxllus4nx3tak9EHcC_0JFSpcoHk3NhDGWPgsnZ5FomG3l7DR7mOdnRiaVZelrrA2Pe47MBUN4b7vj2-q0OPDs7rgEPCb9a_YIKnmqN8uwZXp_4bOxjKq69AVGeoKwjSAARzGHrjeW2Kvw1wSzVIdlbfElUVyTy9qhkbHOWZYYANcQSIDEmbEsbyL7rv247X84rapbJqRC_17nI3B9TH8FcJazUOt5H8GCcpF32_AbtN9Vh5SBqinFxbIsJxaMjKRAqfHt1ssVMR0g9WpQ_FXP4yw0S7iT52GdBpvbUjbTFufEI5oilZ3YFhosHEnNvdEpMM8MXY8dDv4lOY5HETNiiRpNB600Lb8A6V8tNsWcQyjXkx_2Ie71IFEe9Dtr-91wsTAed0ryg8qHjwBBX2apF-hZakV_hn7J01HZ1EA-BoCGx9farRlBEaUl7URFcvOg70iZHt-319CeiC0cN5DxudQL6i4JD-wTzZZjwQBIkw=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/riyQSY2KeT6QEy37X5dqB6E5MtercgWvxjT-ubkee5CqiBww5FRv8FdXY0CvJcvACsAPLGi2CEIMvVahe9Bq7Sxj21i2FJGjPTTEXSRyOM6hl1gMnY4wf0bDjghAYUa3cq08qeKqceNwncnaVK0eXOy_JCvgVDtuG7DzA8B-3IoA0ot2I2NZ6Ctxllus4nx3tak9EHcC_0JFSpcoHk3NhDGWPgsnZ5FomG3l7DR7mOdnRiaVZelrrA2Pe47MBUN4b7vj2-q0OPDs7rgEPCb9a_YIKnmqN8uwZXp_4bOxjKq69AVGeoKwjSAARzGHrjeW2Kvw1wSzVIdlbfElUVyTy9qhkbHOWZYYANcQSIDEmbEsbyL7rv247X84rapbJqRC_17nI3B9TH8FcJazUOt5H8GCcpF32_AbtN9Vh5SBqinFxbIsJxaMjKRAqfHt1ssVMR0g9WpQ_FXP4yw0S7iT52GdBpvbUjbTFufEI5oilZ3YFhosHEnNvdEpMM8MXY8dDv4lOY5HETNiiRpNB600Lb8A6V8tNsWcQyjXkx_2Ie71IFEe9Dtr-91wsTAed0ryg8qHjwBBX2apF-hZakV_hn7J01HZ1EA-BoCGx9farRlBEaUl7URFcvOg70iZHt-319CeiC0cN5DxudQL6i4JD-wTzZZjwQBIkw=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ah Li and I were happy to bargain the price of this small prayer wheel down to 150NPR.<br />
[Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfTIHH6GjWxtbRJdRqGRG_kh9IvKlTZCbbfet6brQz-4RduWhTEo8G5QzU49sELAxTId1vhkggaVpX9xfF-3nenLVMdBj1acCf_5aMQT-FV3CuH4ZGPsaUteLgxL64uDUI70dvqUZYHA/w484-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfTIHH6GjWxtbRJdRqGRG_kh9IvKlTZCbbfet6brQz-4RduWhTEo8G5QzU49sELAxTId1vhkggaVpX9xfF-3nenLVMdBj1acCf_5aMQT-FV3CuH4ZGPsaUteLgxL64uDUI70dvqUZYHA/w484-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/VyAXRO977W-uTbGSRhFh5PURCxvitkduSgh5zDZ_9allvxMNVifdznOYw1kRZvlJS-E9rxQhnaJ_YwzDk8xzLfpRslrZi_o-gagRGpMARWW9PQM6wn-2BZy4F9Eg9TEpsVOyFCLhzvtPqS1nWjbdDf7RoC_jTkL-pb6aQ2iN2jOMzdL9xMlVlpPJG1L_xcumAymQynw3tPpOHC66OcDZlX0RDaFaMsYDQkn0vQBJ6MOFwfXR9ofZTf1LSrgHwvLPNnDGTwUBqpEGrHkSWqDdtZbderkjnw4jRFoVpZFpWc68XRZxOIP34r14WMOtaF0b91pNU6yZvHCuRFEAJhuAfXxtTT2LtnPA_5xPQQGADvtc_HHQIrQ6m6mwkrlOrL5N9ny5c02YV2uAVKBrTtvyeQUDqDTyXK0HWNmVIZxDAnj-rSFcA0joJxZ6An4JXB-QXHWfKwluU3nleqtbXeS8L-4IRkv1fDzzVlia2aYOQvOEXLGytU_YGKxdXCQllTYiW-w9y5kvQzwDV_jsyXsrTzVfnrnSiP3qZuLdWLfESCHq-iKPx5jscZzn6nPxWZwyhGwoeSE2i0FUSStISkQ7OlsIGQ7Td1u6QB8yCEVkHXsj33RZpgvz5mCte9wxCUtWIJEVzN1cxw9kMEjyvgAAWMiKQhNqX_Iz=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/VyAXRO977W-uTbGSRhFh5PURCxvitkduSgh5zDZ_9allvxMNVifdznOYw1kRZvlJS-E9rxQhnaJ_YwzDk8xzLfpRslrZi_o-gagRGpMARWW9PQM6wn-2BZy4F9Eg9TEpsVOyFCLhzvtPqS1nWjbdDf7RoC_jTkL-pb6aQ2iN2jOMzdL9xMlVlpPJG1L_xcumAymQynw3tPpOHC66OcDZlX0RDaFaMsYDQkn0vQBJ6MOFwfXR9ofZTf1LSrgHwvLPNnDGTwUBqpEGrHkSWqDdtZbderkjnw4jRFoVpZFpWc68XRZxOIP34r14WMOtaF0b91pNU6yZvHCuRFEAJhuAfXxtTT2LtnPA_5xPQQGADvtc_HHQIrQ6m6mwkrlOrL5N9ny5c02YV2uAVKBrTtvyeQUDqDTyXK0HWNmVIZxDAnj-rSFcA0joJxZ6An4JXB-QXHWfKwluU3nleqtbXeS8L-4IRkv1fDzzVlia2aYOQvOEXLGytU_YGKxdXCQllTYiW-w9y5kvQzwDV_jsyXsrTzVfnrnSiP3qZuLdWLfESCHq-iKPx5jscZzn6nPxWZwyhGwoeSE2i0FUSStISkQ7OlsIGQ7Td1u6QB8yCEVkHXsj33RZpgvz5mCte9wxCUtWIJEVzN1cxw9kMEjyvgAAWMiKQhNqX_Iz=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/HyYwcj5ohQam4nE0lz8hznDDvL7JtfHCjk70fQaEmMRe5DxDxopjrIo3W6aWkhfGwFFbTgKSwx4-i3_M56yu5kp0IfQ9bcieSF1020aPlcPQ70JvDQW-1qsrTM7igP5DYnHBPH3uGBS3qQCf2IovLXYCnxza85CrU8olgJbt9s2ye89spYNqaIr_K1soe7gqi1-bMG_CjyfKtTCmyroJP7B9xCiLGplTmiGTdG4R0Uazmho5cl6si9CXxJY0BScmhn0bNHlbF0L7KSW6p3AjAGqLGHAgh0YLwvffs43rhonXoCpOEgXsas849L5cZzDbFQZdD2eYMM7o3Bop6blOohyJt-yQygVq-JedIARZ9PGbeHSz96knucbwktutWZM6AOt-vI1Ta7hCzEu1ZO6uucX0mViB8XVGUBYuIf-gKTONYaE8wiuq1Qz-vDSEtdWoL9tV0Pc0ZyBehirBJlXRuklSsGpQwCZuqK3XArs4MJnMogD4Gx8NSJ88E1yU6CKL7_UAxUjBRRdG27lvcIwYyjJMzrPgNi47w6oHXO1OddutZZe7xgNjoiGRuJn5zbskJYtZPy8Vdf2iagwuHqXmAnbByGFgZHYN5Crbq6ie3fZsxLmcIkIlfmSlsLKBHXafBjln7aDtOm7WPpY4FPuSk56MJ3HQVNVk=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/HyYwcj5ohQam4nE0lz8hznDDvL7JtfHCjk70fQaEmMRe5DxDxopjrIo3W6aWkhfGwFFbTgKSwx4-i3_M56yu5kp0IfQ9bcieSF1020aPlcPQ70JvDQW-1qsrTM7igP5DYnHBPH3uGBS3qQCf2IovLXYCnxza85CrU8olgJbt9s2ye89spYNqaIr_K1soe7gqi1-bMG_CjyfKtTCmyroJP7B9xCiLGplTmiGTdG4R0Uazmho5cl6si9CXxJY0BScmhn0bNHlbF0L7KSW6p3AjAGqLGHAgh0YLwvffs43rhonXoCpOEgXsas849L5cZzDbFQZdD2eYMM7o3Bop6blOohyJt-yQygVq-JedIARZ9PGbeHSz96knucbwktutWZM6AOt-vI1Ta7hCzEu1ZO6uucX0mViB8XVGUBYuIf-gKTONYaE8wiuq1Qz-vDSEtdWoL9tV0Pc0ZyBehirBJlXRuklSsGpQwCZuqK3XArs4MJnMogD4Gx8NSJ88E1yU6CKL7_UAxUjBRRdG27lvcIwYyjJMzrPgNi47w6oHXO1OddutZZe7xgNjoiGRuJn5zbskJYtZPy8Vdf2iagwuHqXmAnbByGFgZHYN5Crbq6ie3fZsxLmcIkIlfmSlsLKBHXafBjln7aDtOm7WPpY4FPuSk56MJ3HQVNVk=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
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There were so many angles in Swayambunath and it would take a whole full day just to roam and explore every angle. But our tour could only allow us limited time. But it was good enough. I had a field day with my iPhone 7 Plus, and Kai Sing had his iPhone X.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/Dgn-YBdLn_naLRyB9cFs07gPlIwA2jbHHME4htdjRB9yLNjHbw7_Qc7kuI6qs6R5Zm8FrKND8GnCVSFv4toemlHJ0xB3ZA2emnDpONSLvMcy_fQJ9bv8mRRawQaX4cnIhJHTchvUXPdWonfwXg_8cInI5Pjiiszddf4LvhF9wwhVkKsedDJYanon3cK1qLbZUJXqq3JV1ZFsBqmZivwcQ1YywWRLxw6ZdO4ei3hDaS_qy3uBZsKBJl7SzEmxaMhg3rREsTEZXlGgQo3KQivRgzaailLjAnJkRGNS_4MFEF027AXkZx6cKWYKczBRfgWwATNnS1EpQu0NGgFQJ3iGyVC6EsJf3QuPkOSp5YkS9z0AhRcvS2WTgT6lfWbLgcK-sWpIYKQ9Iufxlj35FxPw0n8yy8jcEkHJ1GVZJcgv8hzI5qjdDfi8uVpRVIKQZHcKKkViLKSc1NIlxiR49KSPfX_n9Q6Ifz9KAzhKFJ0voDaSikqk_nflCbUuRlcMgo0AmV3zfDgfDmVxy_3h-22u5EXdqCYGUa0oF7kbaIsp1-rlzWi0n1lKpcBZt-kvvzsdrNJK6n4AJnef2OCJWG4wW3v6UcKyLvoscq777RYqGCqFNTwZqkhTAZbrbbkJe1JpzFx5j4oj07t8s-zbObE1C4h67SL4fq21PQ=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/Dgn-YBdLn_naLRyB9cFs07gPlIwA2jbHHME4htdjRB9yLNjHbw7_Qc7kuI6qs6R5Zm8FrKND8GnCVSFv4toemlHJ0xB3ZA2emnDpONSLvMcy_fQJ9bv8mRRawQaX4cnIhJHTchvUXPdWonfwXg_8cInI5Pjiiszddf4LvhF9wwhVkKsedDJYanon3cK1qLbZUJXqq3JV1ZFsBqmZivwcQ1YywWRLxw6ZdO4ei3hDaS_qy3uBZsKBJl7SzEmxaMhg3rREsTEZXlGgQo3KQivRgzaailLjAnJkRGNS_4MFEF027AXkZx6cKWYKczBRfgWwATNnS1EpQu0NGgFQJ3iGyVC6EsJf3QuPkOSp5YkS9z0AhRcvS2WTgT6lfWbLgcK-sWpIYKQ9Iufxlj35FxPw0n8yy8jcEkHJ1GVZJcgv8hzI5qjdDfi8uVpRVIKQZHcKKkViLKSc1NIlxiR49KSPfX_n9Q6Ifz9KAzhKFJ0voDaSikqk_nflCbUuRlcMgo0AmV3zfDgfDmVxy_3h-22u5EXdqCYGUa0oF7kbaIsp1-rlzWi0n1lKpcBZt-kvvzsdrNJK6n4AJnef2OCJWG4wW3v6UcKyLvoscq777RYqGCqFNTwZqkhTAZbrbbkJe1JpzFx5j4oj07t8s-zbObE1C4h67SL4fq21PQ=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">iPhone 7 Plus.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPsa1zQx5UHHqLx-q4X1mcTmKCQapWXIDFF9PAHkN708LzDCGS0_QMUvF8O8moDnn1vJ3HQqc5xj_g91UwG8AUyMCPcG0cDTxpTNp4oHlEQcFZQSEc-MX0M0Wq2vFt-fwjIcyZbnXNCw/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPsa1zQx5UHHqLx-q4X1mcTmKCQapWXIDFF9PAHkN708LzDCGS0_QMUvF8O8moDnn1vJ3HQqc5xj_g91UwG8AUyMCPcG0cDTxpTNp4oHlEQcFZQSEc-MX0M0Wq2vFt-fwjIcyZbnXNCw/w859-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">iPhone 7 Plus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikKYzWAZgVq5SLx9-xj-xG2J5MaBHAzspngrd-_IOO4MD9f73rd4fCPzYPBS7thaSJ9IRnrIt8s1CZ0zDZdnpkpnlhi9_25Q87Md6aJRVnKn_C0xNBLApN9plg80Kb8RrLb0AufcZTlGU/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikKYzWAZgVq5SLx9-xj-xG2J5MaBHAzspngrd-_IOO4MD9f73rd4fCPzYPBS7thaSJ9IRnrIt8s1CZ0zDZdnpkpnlhi9_25Q87Md6aJRVnKn_C0xNBLApN9plg80Kb8RrLb0AufcZTlGU/w859-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this shot with Kai Sing. He and I we have always been as enthusiastic about the mountains as possible.<br />
His advice on nutrition and training was important to my preparation for this trek.</td></tr>
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I particularly looked forward to coming to this huge statue of Buddha here at Swayambunath. It's the signature features of this temple and I always loved to take a shot here.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnPqgC83sMtTo_G69aEjxvPhcVo-G2g34c3yPcM0Gx1AGg5LT_zhdNj4lW3y3h4f1ZJP4Gv4v1LdT1SxFDgIRAmFxXqaiM5W5aWjj18jXXZNlqHDVsBGtNpu9wtf1lheELHTgcyElmQg/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnPqgC83sMtTo_G69aEjxvPhcVo-G2g34c3yPcM0Gx1AGg5LT_zhdNj4lW3y3h4f1ZJP4Gv4v1LdT1SxFDgIRAmFxXqaiM5W5aWjj18jXXZNlqHDVsBGtNpu9wtf1lheELHTgcyElmQg/w859-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The signature Buddha statue at Swayambunath,</td></tr>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/esHwh42NsQdUL47Z554i3m-ktWPsRM9RjvGjL-fg14yT3F7uxMEdym_6CcTB-8g6sRzKVn2FxRubibGBYySAVvRhPo3c4fXjtezBFa0yIMLQhcpFSDvvqfOAv2ZMn5blrH1ay_zgSCGDmKRRIny3lkqC0PiZqiKLLF3JmcxiHe-EZ_voFcjAEP7L-Cvq2GH000RQR98DUa1CzPtdL_SwK9DrbhJcjI58oh5rlzQffug4q1I5oCrAB0Ga3VqFLNrmoRMhA_9nMrWb6agoRDDBt57jcQiLuk__98eJkHDUsMb53aUPdU1OE8pTd3a9yr4HLz7brUDSAxZKUKHNKnbXsvllCDzt1JWGLwEAnzH90dmkTchBxr18FvWoXnF41CIb7PgBWqnT_-st721wkOVgDtZQGORPCMVhsNManDBRR30aXGZpyduo52jpBpebpmJmhcO2Oh0GziQrEgINAD43dA4L3sXm55edbd1MHOGjYDfHbu_VrnPQdrIDncszkiu7_2no4clsRahp9viYuvT0p5tCzUCw6Rqx4gMqQp7u0mX05455I40SdRPDzGAbl1uKgXtSVzLiOHF5yUxTluaIULyTIIQdGFcqtiP7HKxkE-0-m1d5D4OhiarQSpQ8AuANu8UD1xSeF-Ew18rt0w_slEaFEB56d7y6eg=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/esHwh42NsQdUL47Z554i3m-ktWPsRM9RjvGjL-fg14yT3F7uxMEdym_6CcTB-8g6sRzKVn2FxRubibGBYySAVvRhPo3c4fXjtezBFa0yIMLQhcpFSDvvqfOAv2ZMn5blrH1ay_zgSCGDmKRRIny3lkqC0PiZqiKLLF3JmcxiHe-EZ_voFcjAEP7L-Cvq2GH000RQR98DUa1CzPtdL_SwK9DrbhJcjI58oh5rlzQffug4q1I5oCrAB0Ga3VqFLNrmoRMhA_9nMrWb6agoRDDBt57jcQiLuk__98eJkHDUsMb53aUPdU1OE8pTd3a9yr4HLz7brUDSAxZKUKHNKnbXsvllCDzt1JWGLwEAnzH90dmkTchBxr18FvWoXnF41CIb7PgBWqnT_-st721wkOVgDtZQGORPCMVhsNManDBRR30aXGZpyduo52jpBpebpmJmhcO2Oh0GziQrEgINAD43dA4L3sXm55edbd1MHOGjYDfHbu_VrnPQdrIDncszkiu7_2no4clsRahp9viYuvT0p5tCzUCw6Rqx4gMqQp7u0mX05455I40SdRPDzGAbl1uKgXtSVzLiOHF5yUxTluaIULyTIIQdGFcqtiP7HKxkE-0-m1d5D4OhiarQSpQ8AuANu8UD1xSeF-Ew18rt0w_slEaFEB56d7y6eg=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
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Of course, Ah Sing and the rest of the gang were very taken by the many monkeys in this temple and could not stop taking shots after shots of these primates.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4729/25590946828_2cf285dc55_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4729/25590946828_2cf285dc55_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4729/25590946828_fbb943c11b_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kong Wan taught me how to do this.</td></tr>
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Kong Wan was really keeping his eye out for unique angles and doing magic with his phone. He had quite many lovely shots.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4638/39430119372_fa3284e13a_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4638/39430119372_aee8151b10_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serene's panoramic shot</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My fish eye handphone lens</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serene's shot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/FUsP1hmnSC9grXN2ptLVj8B7i_G8jvE4hxj9-8Bl2v7WYPst9DSmi_-clo1CMb8l508WVek41jnD4dkBqkNb7P_MX0LwWvDMHsb5qolgpslf9Qa60NMBCbO-DS-0cQzazqBMnnw_58FVZV_WOCe6jpN_KANvJV3YrbLvL7m0_CqRgRR8BldE4LWa7kr6PYggyB58ur3qhalgpavwFXRoFSoncA8UAbwiGN0Zf8zOW55A3v-TTr42_S8VJf14Fak7p_7Ha8UYena7YUORAjTMfFaQLG8QyWoEg9tv1rmuVeoA3qaN6OWyaTwwIhMh4hwEvKjI0pBAm5hx30CGgTq74W5O3-INL0rYWOABjAfbCoPhQsEvbYOgWX_JmDCElq4akA4hPpah5z8mtKdj4b_LbHwrE33s4MlycQCFATv37qtUiysPFM4lSKDhWCwzWdsCskp-bgDJQYBapo3KXCT-yyhx6mcz0GVmQ3X4goYhm_zfR6GTFsZIYLg9gKIrpOpwSw8Ro0Z0OTyF_H61cW__AQnEEjomsK3qYuCl7EOp69rNxU0eoEBEs6Om7WNsKMEOdE6qUgdOMtdmFIC0WTXF6hISSAoYuyQbz-qIi1L0-uAyUzi7y8-V_0-bvFzX00DlIBnGTSWn4HDg3_wqa737qwKf3fBOWY5P=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/FUsP1hmnSC9grXN2ptLVj8B7i_G8jvE4hxj9-8Bl2v7WYPst9DSmi_-clo1CMb8l508WVek41jnD4dkBqkNb7P_MX0LwWvDMHsb5qolgpslf9Qa60NMBCbO-DS-0cQzazqBMnnw_58FVZV_WOCe6jpN_KANvJV3YrbLvL7m0_CqRgRR8BldE4LWa7kr6PYggyB58ur3qhalgpavwFXRoFSoncA8UAbwiGN0Zf8zOW55A3v-TTr42_S8VJf14Fak7p_7Ha8UYena7YUORAjTMfFaQLG8QyWoEg9tv1rmuVeoA3qaN6OWyaTwwIhMh4hwEvKjI0pBAm5hx30CGgTq74W5O3-INL0rYWOABjAfbCoPhQsEvbYOgWX_JmDCElq4akA4hPpah5z8mtKdj4b_LbHwrE33s4MlycQCFATv37qtUiysPFM4lSKDhWCwzWdsCskp-bgDJQYBapo3KXCT-yyhx6mcz0GVmQ3X4goYhm_zfR6GTFsZIYLg9gKIrpOpwSw8Ro0Z0OTyF_H61cW__AQnEEjomsK3qYuCl7EOp69rNxU0eoEBEs6Om7WNsKMEOdE6qUgdOMtdmFIC0WTXF6hISSAoYuyQbz-qIi1L0-uAyUzi7y8-V_0-bvFzX00DlIBnGTSWn4HDg3_wqa737qwKf3fBOWY5P=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/pdge60AsH2HLZG9AUncus2w1UbC1L_mspm7bkdi5nHwqo714aKDRTE3_t68Q_e7iAH4QtnjZNNS7l0jFkzZvIYd7P4qdpWjxAHoErdPEYVtivquXc-UzCAq9Lsp4DXP7-ZnGnyt90g_a42lCg71InU_fJzL-dZ0OxvpQfRehKklKlIlkWm4t6F9_tzmXFNINL_xZAN2ikEyh0Rcx-e8lzMwmPcioVizS8IbCdSDZ-1ixH0Kh88BRCWAdau_eZwsTWE8p_W_9fo-PvfGLD24U8ZdCV1v1H9LLvkgZkfoHjSN5T54TmUK72GU17otg_mYeBVi9inRuNDAdzZUnTEiuz-N6uFVIOPc1sttRV84Wyh6vROryYIM3PXRbBE_dXJ-9DlW0SG2J5zwuGiiuhqZaJe4mBqPcOdqlFtyF9Xd3HJ5N5Ebjqo0ZI03oLRC3cJturRx7gMgUm516D2NvBExjuFtmpzgGcK_7DF0RuvxZzuiyiNb_4pSRb1KYMBgrUSCTBiS0zXMRRfZpYJ6Z0_OUSGTb8aD8Nues5iYbYaWopV-oQDYdIqfkHPUBWX_8tm9K7YscZr6ilJy1i5-umTqncbSeI0l_-LutGtY3Tr4uFaBP8k1iTaX015zekHj9znslPFbUKegRkG0T_wtQyh33paEmN1b0sHP5=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/pdge60AsH2HLZG9AUncus2w1UbC1L_mspm7bkdi5nHwqo714aKDRTE3_t68Q_e7iAH4QtnjZNNS7l0jFkzZvIYd7P4qdpWjxAHoErdPEYVtivquXc-UzCAq9Lsp4DXP7-ZnGnyt90g_a42lCg71InU_fJzL-dZ0OxvpQfRehKklKlIlkWm4t6F9_tzmXFNINL_xZAN2ikEyh0Rcx-e8lzMwmPcioVizS8IbCdSDZ-1ixH0Kh88BRCWAdau_eZwsTWE8p_W_9fo-PvfGLD24U8ZdCV1v1H9LLvkgZkfoHjSN5T54TmUK72GU17otg_mYeBVi9inRuNDAdzZUnTEiuz-N6uFVIOPc1sttRV84Wyh6vROryYIM3PXRbBE_dXJ-9DlW0SG2J5zwuGiiuhqZaJe4mBqPcOdqlFtyF9Xd3HJ5N5Ebjqo0ZI03oLRC3cJturRx7gMgUm516D2NvBExjuFtmpzgGcK_7DF0RuvxZzuiyiNb_4pSRb1KYMBgrUSCTBiS0zXMRRfZpYJ6Z0_OUSGTb8aD8Nues5iYbYaWopV-oQDYdIqfkHPUBWX_8tm9K7YscZr6ilJy1i5-umTqncbSeI0l_-LutGtY3Tr4uFaBP8k1iTaX015zekHj9znslPFbUKegRkG0T_wtQyh33paEmN1b0sHP5=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
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I just wanted to try out the fish eye lens on my iPhone 7 Plus.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKrhTfnlRKZPvhXboK2HgpVQCvVo_ohI2GxcjxV5n7ey7mSayV0Mfd4jIMzPR_a6w_Nh-l2BrtPYWq0NVv1y2_xtLBJmBTPnbXSJ_Et1O6wXTJdx57w0QAUsHc6VDNnbOeUqgNr-OlvI/w483-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKrhTfnlRKZPvhXboK2HgpVQCvVo_ohI2GxcjxV5n7ey7mSayV0Mfd4jIMzPR_a6w_Nh-l2BrtPYWq0NVv1y2_xtLBJmBTPnbXSJ_Et1O6wXTJdx57w0QAUsHc6VDNnbOeUqgNr-OlvI/w483-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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Serene caught a nice shot of a monkey here.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FR_ZFlta8jSoYAxlQzSA7mL3lmG29UujTYHrKQ3lOEn8dFtxXqZp5LZI5wej24xGoHC09fPv_eWVv6TlDHizPBBFjTi9VcCOo0EQ-yZyyCJoniSR114PgjtqQQMLPgMxZckel_nbxvqUl5s38OTvPG2xhE95FQooY262xYKbatRaTD05ifrTT0PKKX7DCFTpQ2h3aDDOvA8bVHPGRL1ESHc7Huslslj3qZnd8B0w69qGwD9T7GVENrPwQJ5p1JeT6z5x1B2nMQUFDxlL_vK_2x7aHHLsEq_GF66ENTm4HmWo_YRbFOqTx2WbRe7po0fPKgdBbqRmqN1qkUqm8NBdUy84GIIqCA4zBIJT0EqCgYCW7QUoLSAU401PoKfOPy7_d-KdcTTjwB8USeiyBjoP33GUZ9JbJrnzhm0_3PT7gNDQ7O3gl9ABCYCKObVJUxC4iJt2xehqLnQJMhnyAF7gH5UYDg5GV5b4PMrp-c6P4dmYwjnnWclpIr_lG5no6qUbV_mv2SF9XJtW55hF0Rx0FLhPWXdqvwpYjOzaVpmwBkGZhUdKC6ww18J_KlxHJ-1jIaqfE3maP5YXkjK8ncZXOx9IHxruWZPrbrR23A7GJHE8uc00KhS6JGdUgR3WNAmc1i627pDU8kCn1cysPZ8rsaUCTqgmBl9=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FR_ZFlta8jSoYAxlQzSA7mL3lmG29UujTYHrKQ3lOEn8dFtxXqZp5LZI5wej24xGoHC09fPv_eWVv6TlDHizPBBFjTi9VcCOo0EQ-yZyyCJoniSR114PgjtqQQMLPgMxZckel_nbxvqUl5s38OTvPG2xhE95FQooY262xYKbatRaTD05ifrTT0PKKX7DCFTpQ2h3aDDOvA8bVHPGRL1ESHc7Huslslj3qZnd8B0w69qGwD9T7GVENrPwQJ5p1JeT6z5x1B2nMQUFDxlL_vK_2x7aHHLsEq_GF66ENTm4HmWo_YRbFOqTx2WbRe7po0fPKgdBbqRmqN1qkUqm8NBdUy84GIIqCA4zBIJT0EqCgYCW7QUoLSAU401PoKfOPy7_d-KdcTTjwB8USeiyBjoP33GUZ9JbJrnzhm0_3PT7gNDQ7O3gl9ABCYCKObVJUxC4iJt2xehqLnQJMhnyAF7gH5UYDg5GV5b4PMrp-c6P4dmYwjnnWclpIr_lG5no6qUbV_mv2SF9XJtW55hF0Rx0FLhPWXdqvwpYjOzaVpmwBkGZhUdKC6ww18J_KlxHJ-1jIaqfE3maP5YXkjK8ncZXOx9IHxruWZPrbrR23A7GJHE8uc00KhS6JGdUgR3WNAmc1i627pDU8kCn1cysPZ8rsaUCTqgmBl9=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
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While Ah Sing took another shot of another one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/AnGfeSuXunPAP4sjMJI9YrcOTi6CRzdX-X-e7mBzUtC2JeFhgKwF8qhPCPofTsqHPMMBGIQo_xiLXj0PDH4bBlSv95ETOtV-tup3CbF1T7l_ARugszSSFbVbb0b-WPsg_rEth4btnTImJrKgPEygk_afOWRtsLlm-PQeCfvUQ_fHWH6E1wpjmHAxzH3tsPN_ipj7yHfdhiSLfOnHx59CD-K5iF_o1yu3KBZTdYqAC7L8M8YjoXPZinnQg5XROsDZ13Hkmso7pH6i3Tae1SGWtulmaqHzh8G0e_ebsRpIVVKp6uQbWw7dGBB_WSbn8KQ-jPI7zpczVS2fy6z6RqtMHJNz3Xto7dXP04KE_3GUTMPNedcmKNsB_xIAYkjRXMOlTuWeFhmYxb5D7KZCJgE5hDjMZM7X979q8ryETbBFu_uTz62IyfauTFU9urva5TdctRBkYHczClnuFNAUJsnEhu2gSVnMNqOBSgw4QXJrUt5Y-2oWtnj1sQe2Ow81xH5Oo6S0aC0WpNHUliRUHoQzWqEU-yn-yGleMgoLCorX26F2nHJDk78_VFgCWJjD2Jl06nj6P-cESW43S2eR9jTxjW7WnY9_wuOyIm2XjBYIur-5627cddbRR6KsLFnNLEbZT31B2gf5I0_Zp_qDipJCLNgUqJFTdG-b=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/AnGfeSuXunPAP4sjMJI9YrcOTi6CRzdX-X-e7mBzUtC2JeFhgKwF8qhPCPofTsqHPMMBGIQo_xiLXj0PDH4bBlSv95ETOtV-tup3CbF1T7l_ARugszSSFbVbb0b-WPsg_rEth4btnTImJrKgPEygk_afOWRtsLlm-PQeCfvUQ_fHWH6E1wpjmHAxzH3tsPN_ipj7yHfdhiSLfOnHx59CD-K5iF_o1yu3KBZTdYqAC7L8M8YjoXPZinnQg5XROsDZ13Hkmso7pH6i3Tae1SGWtulmaqHzh8G0e_ebsRpIVVKp6uQbWw7dGBB_WSbn8KQ-jPI7zpczVS2fy6z6RqtMHJNz3Xto7dXP04KE_3GUTMPNedcmKNsB_xIAYkjRXMOlTuWeFhmYxb5D7KZCJgE5hDjMZM7X979q8ryETbBFu_uTz62IyfauTFU9urva5TdctRBkYHczClnuFNAUJsnEhu2gSVnMNqOBSgw4QXJrUt5Y-2oWtnj1sQe2Ow81xH5Oo6S0aC0WpNHUliRUHoQzWqEU-yn-yGleMgoLCorX26F2nHJDk78_VFgCWJjD2Jl06nj6P-cESW43S2eR9jTxjW7WnY9_wuOyIm2XjBYIur-5627cddbRR6KsLFnNLEbZT31B2gf5I0_Zp_qDipJCLNgUqJFTdG-b=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Ah Sing]</td></tr>
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Kong Wan cleverly video-ed a monkey picking up dunno-what from the ground and enjoying his snack.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video by Kong Wan of the famous monkey at Swayambunath.</span><br />
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Here near the entrance of the temple was a little pond where one could buy a stack of old Nepali coins and try his or her best to throw the coins into the pot just at the foot of the Buddha. I managed to get one in! I hope my wish would come true!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/qff6VY79lrI9x3YDA0gLDkeR7ksGHkz9itw8CGpIIKhvF89H4Har0XNu575M2rGVkHPV4yDeOcJLcnkfe6Dzdx3PUH7Xh45rR5yz8mKlsvdxbWarmFT1GmHP9BcX_CVuFBDJIVfASbEQeV4ezKMSNwQODRANW6bSwhYcbepBtRZL213Ne6h-9bPSp50bEb--iRPUsBI2PHhIp6C_1UaxDoFP2Nrw7AHIt28H2B291hK2XokD52zDE25LhlYJ1Db53eBoe2RSQeYTFGEvBx7lDGvcQr2LDIxDd0YYsUElwuNC3qyz2_lYIk1XPSdBbGigzQhlJF1K57Ie9GgEg2_4H5d3Bwc2ID2_BCcbC4X6MDUWqrtt2MqVj-6XHiPLy_GwUU976om3mM5wqRU94ffDz4Vt3D5ujeAYOLGZC5i1ozfJ3JSKq9VikmKey2THwUL2UirvWaWYN-0fQCD8Sr5NXVxTdIaLtTVKwoF5T_XCLLfaq-y--gc8qaOwxCUIl0SBc7RWar8VQJbBbf4TqSPWUrxBIJA-S_3xFBHKhbat6qhnzjnr1LbaYE-uT8EaBQKWPvzRj7mvjRCTAaN422sQfcj1fj4flVYrHmo35PfUdtf-7LKjpO8sZdBQBcr3tp9TETKcOCbqhXt507tuTcGJr6TJgq31E_7b=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/qff6VY79lrI9x3YDA0gLDkeR7ksGHkz9itw8CGpIIKhvF89H4Har0XNu575M2rGVkHPV4yDeOcJLcnkfe6Dzdx3PUH7Xh45rR5yz8mKlsvdxbWarmFT1GmHP9BcX_CVuFBDJIVfASbEQeV4ezKMSNwQODRANW6bSwhYcbepBtRZL213Ne6h-9bPSp50bEb--iRPUsBI2PHhIp6C_1UaxDoFP2Nrw7AHIt28H2B291hK2XokD52zDE25LhlYJ1Db53eBoe2RSQeYTFGEvBx7lDGvcQr2LDIxDd0YYsUElwuNC3qyz2_lYIk1XPSdBbGigzQhlJF1K57Ie9GgEg2_4H5d3Bwc2ID2_BCcbC4X6MDUWqrtt2MqVj-6XHiPLy_GwUU976om3mM5wqRU94ffDz4Vt3D5ujeAYOLGZC5i1ozfJ3JSKq9VikmKey2THwUL2UirvWaWYN-0fQCD8Sr5NXVxTdIaLtTVKwoF5T_XCLLfaq-y--gc8qaOwxCUIl0SBc7RWar8VQJbBbf4TqSPWUrxBIJA-S_3xFBHKhbat6qhnzjnr1LbaYE-uT8EaBQKWPvzRj7mvjRCTAaN422sQfcj1fj4flVYrHmo35PfUdtf-7LKjpO8sZdBQBcr3tp9TETKcOCbqhXt507tuTcGJr6TJgq31E_7b=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/64nU0aBBh3mxwOQxs2r9Xvy-WlcAP4BZbAm4Szf3N21r2dc03s6mZE6aCWv_hmoD8t_VVfMamJz4sK3Q5Uj6ijjMEVPlwRqPlURd3s9k7AnhntiCb1xpyiZRHw_i2agVBF9HXZepC3yxB2ELeDPmsjqi8Qj1ope2vY1rTeYK_3mmKzENIKD1raVvBqhoCDnxcKNm7xzTBtYo8WGeYQVatjzlONqD4lj8DcjmzoSGH_zo0gZmWllxcscR575hVbUzr1GOwLQniE58rIVc47tiSShxzJ-xeja22R0EFkWIURmIWxxKGTYVYQpjU4tmSkfO4T4cUn0xkJIO5bavUsQ0GdMJPhmFWqmy-5-m2spvWH5-094HQnmdlUKliMTpCozPBYbrFPC1l3DF4L8cDwd7BdwAVbEdrFUd7MmQli-99UywaG3htz_xCXd7c2GVs3Ht58j9t7DSIPNgjox4MlN2VM_n4OCjnhp5UBZWkHvHt8znq4uytVIp8nYR-0cKkZcdUwivSMh1GvDvBVUdPtcgb5rSt2SihB7FoJTC1YBCVvgAf256BHX0tXwo7NY33rAqtKaBgFnFud5Hzi4xW0X_jWe3APkj1OVUPCJTmPwVCQWIRMaoa4HpZVx9xhT9bbUTt3qHklaPg9xyhWmQOGSVPldcU20FHSTS=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/64nU0aBBh3mxwOQxs2r9Xvy-WlcAP4BZbAm4Szf3N21r2dc03s6mZE6aCWv_hmoD8t_VVfMamJz4sK3Q5Uj6ijjMEVPlwRqPlURd3s9k7AnhntiCb1xpyiZRHw_i2agVBF9HXZepC3yxB2ELeDPmsjqi8Qj1ope2vY1rTeYK_3mmKzENIKD1raVvBqhoCDnxcKNm7xzTBtYo8WGeYQVatjzlONqD4lj8DcjmzoSGH_zo0gZmWllxcscR575hVbUzr1GOwLQniE58rIVc47tiSShxzJ-xeja22R0EFkWIURmIWxxKGTYVYQpjU4tmSkfO4T4cUn0xkJIO5bavUsQ0GdMJPhmFWqmy-5-m2spvWH5-094HQnmdlUKliMTpCozPBYbrFPC1l3DF4L8cDwd7BdwAVbEdrFUd7MmQli-99UywaG3htz_xCXd7c2GVs3Ht58j9t7DSIPNgjox4MlN2VM_n4OCjnhp5UBZWkHvHt8znq4uytVIp8nYR-0cKkZcdUwivSMh1GvDvBVUdPtcgb5rSt2SihB7FoJTC1YBCVvgAf256BHX0tXwo7NY33rAqtKaBgFnFud5Hzi4xW0X_jWe3APkj1OVUPCJTmPwVCQWIRMaoa4HpZVx9xhT9bbUTt3qHklaPg9xyhWmQOGSVPldcU20FHSTS=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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After Swayambunath, and back in Thamel, Alex and Lai Peng gave me a surprise gift - my very own -shirt with my name embroidered on the sleeve - the half closed eyes of wisdom of Buddha! One of my favourite symbols! Gracias!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/7aIKKAvdlXaMDEOjnFXGD_ZQ-UjpdFzvL3fOqTX4K9Y7YQu8RfVigzImz82HCQuGc2jn1j7-dI-rG3TlmPgkbT8cPssdSTxsfDWUDSvVA-dgMCKuJde-Z8-VhF_AEA_WjQOg5jm4U6Woa22SNFEDd5-NHcOtn5OcLclh8_vC4XQqazKwNwULaImDgyHct9luMfUnDmJLztbJUOGyWSMIPEkBtSVESefaoacs7Onupeijy35eMAKbxrtNvSVWI9BmN6G9-cxxbZs18DZXf40-EHRlIFWw8FNYbWEUbvyp-v-C330tpNtQhd41fheyYoxsjdRAgE2JZph4y_Xim9tUeIrDI6mwrOhENtJrWW6AdY9TMcEq4KX8eKjhSll8vybAqZjXGm2n2CF9aj93BfVsoK0R6Csb6p6UkecZ1dTqvjAAodZcaede71CR91LPnrWLPe6hpP7Tz4W0GuIRtJVswDbp3H40FjGvOTC_db5qd2VpIFhrYczdIx3Isls4r_g9VcB9jF_9pYQ6dVobcw2EqPyr3fL5UczFMGzT_PiMX4XxIk2QORFrWo7m7u5_8KNb3tqtF1eDnYJxkMyi-Fuy9nSbZlf2hybpvWnjA5eiHffGHck9nLb08A3-aJarfQQk5CdcLDnlkUgfXOnBQRRBsoxMWd8G2ZLn1g=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/7aIKKAvdlXaMDEOjnFXGD_ZQ-UjpdFzvL3fOqTX4K9Y7YQu8RfVigzImz82HCQuGc2jn1j7-dI-rG3TlmPgkbT8cPssdSTxsfDWUDSvVA-dgMCKuJde-Z8-VhF_AEA_WjQOg5jm4U6Woa22SNFEDd5-NHcOtn5OcLclh8_vC4XQqazKwNwULaImDgyHct9luMfUnDmJLztbJUOGyWSMIPEkBtSVESefaoacs7Onupeijy35eMAKbxrtNvSVWI9BmN6G9-cxxbZs18DZXf40-EHRlIFWw8FNYbWEUbvyp-v-C330tpNtQhd41fheyYoxsjdRAgE2JZph4y_Xim9tUeIrDI6mwrOhENtJrWW6AdY9TMcEq4KX8eKjhSll8vybAqZjXGm2n2CF9aj93BfVsoK0R6Csb6p6UkecZ1dTqvjAAodZcaede71CR91LPnrWLPe6hpP7Tz4W0GuIRtJVswDbp3H40FjGvOTC_db5qd2VpIFhrYczdIx3Isls4r_g9VcB9jF_9pYQ6dVobcw2EqPyr3fL5UczFMGzT_PiMX4XxIk2QORFrWo7m7u5_8KNb3tqtF1eDnYJxkMyi-Fuy9nSbZlf2hybpvWnjA5eiHffGHck9nLb08A3-aJarfQQk5CdcLDnlkUgfXOnBQRRBsoxMWd8G2ZLn1g=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Lai Peng]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Ok, I have ordered plenty of KFC for everybody. Gather at the lobby 1:15pm for KFC feast!" </span></b>Whatsapped Adrian. And we all did not miss that chance to dig our fingers into some Nepali KFC!</blockquote>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Later that late afternoon and that evening...</b></span><br />
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We went exploring and found a small little shop that sold the EBC T-shirts for only 300 NPR per shirt.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/EaSOX0qGYqolylrL9I3AdpxWHD9latFykTURPLb2dd51MQ-f1k83gEU4y1sa4aXDaHX-4dSaRw5xGVlNoCPHz69RgpmRjblc2_J96F_x98Zd-6poX73Xy5aeMvIg-wWOPyJvpIlzOrCq_QJ-TaAk1-PT5t-DnlSrLj4Q7iqc-fTwtu7jGNyK2cNYXwxRUf2R8to93djevFxhIwcEvrSt0TsdxrBHbm52kvSfulPvnktNU3NJiKQG9jBXGpiF0-kds3PeWHV0pMN06ZJp-rBjnyR3TjHolypIgqH7gXrevErRwpVDliv6Wlfkwg4Wdu1FbIcbfesenYdv1QeW5ba62Cs8yDeDDW2xpzCj7IXrTYOLUd0OppPWbp1V1uI9CwtlamChvCOGbCYFggpOFQVcH2yuqkqdCWX-uJuX0hNHFCFhVhEtavZhOtM5sj23TZTo12NZh3NWIeEB-RDsiqxLsT2Md4-HwNjcr2r4a096HTguqo6LDb1mb622IVM_3MwCRk07DiCHhpmzwQiOa_FrEaroJvo8Cf4yISh6KjcdnswW6HlBQQsBcjPKZOipcf9eLsI4hkHyivesqsDFBd-lYhNe4y2pgwE02ygskNd-k5BGu1p3FyEDZ0bdlRHOkV4OcaIeb8se4eupTAL4iccgkI0kqC4BtMSchA=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/EaSOX0qGYqolylrL9I3AdpxWHD9latFykTURPLb2dd51MQ-f1k83gEU4y1sa4aXDaHX-4dSaRw5xGVlNoCPHz69RgpmRjblc2_J96F_x98Zd-6poX73Xy5aeMvIg-wWOPyJvpIlzOrCq_QJ-TaAk1-PT5t-DnlSrLj4Q7iqc-fTwtu7jGNyK2cNYXwxRUf2R8to93djevFxhIwcEvrSt0TsdxrBHbm52kvSfulPvnktNU3NJiKQG9jBXGpiF0-kds3PeWHV0pMN06ZJp-rBjnyR3TjHolypIgqH7gXrevErRwpVDliv6Wlfkwg4Wdu1FbIcbfesenYdv1QeW5ba62Cs8yDeDDW2xpzCj7IXrTYOLUd0OppPWbp1V1uI9CwtlamChvCOGbCYFggpOFQVcH2yuqkqdCWX-uJuX0hNHFCFhVhEtavZhOtM5sj23TZTo12NZh3NWIeEB-RDsiqxLsT2Md4-HwNjcr2r4a096HTguqo6LDb1mb622IVM_3MwCRk07DiCHhpmzwQiOa_FrEaroJvo8Cf4yISh6KjcdnswW6HlBQQsBcjPKZOipcf9eLsI4hkHyivesqsDFBd-lYhNe4y2pgwE02ygskNd-k5BGu1p3FyEDZ0bdlRHOkV4OcaIeb8se4eupTAL4iccgkI0kqC4BtMSchA=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
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And further down the road, we came to B&B Himalayan Traders, that Serene's shop run by Binot. This man must have earned plenty of money from our whole group.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Ik6hJNuzWZBb6DfTYQESfspzatkjlSp-iOFiMU8GKJwZIzU8-S1CAnfXD3mQcjmtBnbPRg3ll73DtSaeNb32eX-AlWbQ5hfh58U7p9w3a5DDGDBCA1xWsTrgk-bwsxwL1TBhTTKlow3iZn6KZCwhJ-pcT8TO1KYH3nUWmqQyX2IoL7eK4n1lvy3bqNT_tMe237VZZI6M6GPcu5ZmsAgm6BL_HiwlKmse708TY7v8l-gaTxPfOqFZyPqYoGI_OpSZnMeH1lQVXoj7f2e2a9G9KgpFRLK2WJsJqjRJaBlxWclhZxw0UycHhzpUwmXwBLadq8txt0B9Kwmc328IRp7qX0jNnozwApT81AMFyMLoX7lqV2ucTb8132RtMSKmlQbKy4BTM-9FHglUNUwnFRYgLkl9ZMI0zFGkY0PGU1Kr3vMuJ1q8-lSwaln2KygfNi9S_Prh7fL-leTTPPiNEKM5p7Yx2VfLs4mA_9_5viPoEJxnhDEl_VMzB8KP6JiGF8ORVdnvLdit3Oi7dM_4nIS1CgkHJ0oirpvkhTcCFcMZHKUNcPiDrahbt7fgaPtXiJSOf5S1s3cBRe7dxqg61AVxEbe5C6EE3eJlwiBDTAjuxmZo6RocYK95oBpq0Ru22fOQaP3OGxI612aI2tuxLgTt5JExtHD_45w_4Q=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Ik6hJNuzWZBb6DfTYQESfspzatkjlSp-iOFiMU8GKJwZIzU8-S1CAnfXD3mQcjmtBnbPRg3ll73DtSaeNb32eX-AlWbQ5hfh58U7p9w3a5DDGDBCA1xWsTrgk-bwsxwL1TBhTTKlow3iZn6KZCwhJ-pcT8TO1KYH3nUWmqQyX2IoL7eK4n1lvy3bqNT_tMe237VZZI6M6GPcu5ZmsAgm6BL_HiwlKmse708TY7v8l-gaTxPfOqFZyPqYoGI_OpSZnMeH1lQVXoj7f2e2a9G9KgpFRLK2WJsJqjRJaBlxWclhZxw0UycHhzpUwmXwBLadq8txt0B9Kwmc328IRp7qX0jNnozwApT81AMFyMLoX7lqV2ucTb8132RtMSKmlQbKy4BTM-9FHglUNUwnFRYgLkl9ZMI0zFGkY0PGU1Kr3vMuJ1q8-lSwaln2KygfNi9S_Prh7fL-leTTPPiNEKM5p7Yx2VfLs4mA_9_5viPoEJxnhDEl_VMzB8KP6JiGF8ORVdnvLdit3Oi7dM_4nIS1CgkHJ0oirpvkhTcCFcMZHKUNcPiDrahbt7fgaPtXiJSOf5S1s3cBRe7dxqg61AVxEbe5C6EE3eJlwiBDTAjuxmZo6RocYK95oBpq0Ru22fOQaP3OGxI612aI2tuxLgTt5JExtHD_45w_4Q=w483-h644-no" /></a></div>
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Further down along Thamel, we simply enjoyed ourselves devouring whatever the girls came upon. They were really hungry for real food, after the trek. And I let them have the liberty and the luxury of buying whatever they wanted.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_97pQtSV3IscWa16uIEqK9v8MDHNNoTeWEv2iU-r79R3xoh2JzK5FktWyVKoxXFHb0lxpo_iJmI0Cy8DysakcOdUFJt3UcVh2KNIkV0xKEGpVzcHj3xByxVV26_pTbetRycdqAXDRF1I/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_97pQtSV3IscWa16uIEqK9v8MDHNNoTeWEv2iU-r79R3xoh2JzK5FktWyVKoxXFHb0lxpo_iJmI0Cy8DysakcOdUFJt3UcVh2KNIkV0xKEGpVzcHj3xByxVV26_pTbetRycdqAXDRF1I/w859-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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And even Ah Sing had a go on a motorbike! This girl was fantastic!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/mI0LwITvrEkzP4YpiiPrlFCgHIXTx64lqlFrFSzHMyxXXDwSw7lObjOno_B3n72SPT6ojExDK9eyykEB1Z84aok4Wi438wuCvCbT8mmjaxtf6o6llM1DEGQCbGzj2-asqNksVcLNF0OTvYS1Ib9lPGDLXdel7AY1tsFfKdpbL9ZbC36UzuH2-Ec0gt1w33kiaxzXL0DbyZN9F1NERZOZCfl3oNoykZcJccq5XQppJZjuWfCm243urOdzcXef6yJACECeyXTyU6yR3tpdXlScPN-FNCkDqChzfsFKZyfRRCZMrQqwj64ZnYTJNK06foPuMcucqdvOtw7mcYzye-6vfm_3l8MV6WtuV4D-xOldnLQ6OJUKn1qP2ilmR8oKkjCI4iOtQ_3xxsheMo-YsApdHsVOoiM5DTd2sXbBqtj2Xbt2rfeq-gwANAdkYk19c8-XJjKU8k8UyR6D72oTN1y5_vhPJM2BvwX-LzZbsV0glXRddArx_Z8Cs5fZder7v-Bu2yo_laA-3lQhORqnljiP2oMd6ethPgsNhhWE-9J9GrBB0SQRjlt9nsSZfEZKPFjSSF5QTMb5WQLHou0BOsS2LrQDR8W_PlB_shGFUt24cwGztdHVEO4oKMHI5UgUvqvKn7eqXovhux4MZ_z6DcOgEa02pPRexzKuGA=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/mI0LwITvrEkzP4YpiiPrlFCgHIXTx64lqlFrFSzHMyxXXDwSw7lObjOno_B3n72SPT6ojExDK9eyykEB1Z84aok4Wi438wuCvCbT8mmjaxtf6o6llM1DEGQCbGzj2-asqNksVcLNF0OTvYS1Ib9lPGDLXdel7AY1tsFfKdpbL9ZbC36UzuH2-Ec0gt1w33kiaxzXL0DbyZN9F1NERZOZCfl3oNoykZcJccq5XQppJZjuWfCm243urOdzcXef6yJACECeyXTyU6yR3tpdXlScPN-FNCkDqChzfsFKZyfRRCZMrQqwj64ZnYTJNK06foPuMcucqdvOtw7mcYzye-6vfm_3l8MV6WtuV4D-xOldnLQ6OJUKn1qP2ilmR8oKkjCI4iOtQ_3xxsheMo-YsApdHsVOoiM5DTd2sXbBqtj2Xbt2rfeq-gwANAdkYk19c8-XJjKU8k8UyR6D72oTN1y5_vhPJM2BvwX-LzZbsV0glXRddArx_Z8Cs5fZder7v-Bu2yo_laA-3lQhORqnljiP2oMd6ethPgsNhhWE-9J9GrBB0SQRjlt9nsSZfEZKPFjSSF5QTMb5WQLHou0BOsS2LrQDR8W_PlB_shGFUt24cwGztdHVEO4oKMHI5UgUvqvKn7eqXovhux4MZ_z6DcOgEa02pPRexzKuGA=w483-h644-no" /></a></div>
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That evening, before dinner, we simply just relaxed on the balconies of our hotel.. here Patrick and Kc Tng having a good time chatting..<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sOc4lSIX4Ykwye3FkbXTb6-3ig0mMi8OoArYJx7SOPHpGa5JfLVt4tD9s5jSR_bwR7LV3GzsS0y4pEgTOJC9nGy9IbvQuqI8-mN0GlnWwbaK3bwIuUzz42mJgqUxay0a_-bGaQiMRpM/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sOc4lSIX4Ykwye3FkbXTb6-3ig0mMi8OoArYJx7SOPHpGa5JfLVt4tD9s5jSR_bwR7LV3GzsS0y4pEgTOJC9nGy9IbvQuqI8-mN0GlnWwbaK3bwIuUzz42mJgqUxay0a_-bGaQiMRpM/w859-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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... and Lai Peng and Alex unwinding out at their veranda.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/l0MV2JiZKiE2lk4aOjbupK9aPHAyqN_SDGZNMN1RNOzrE6_8yxCbVT9GPI5m_FmFzO1OCD0Su8YPjvYM1_0pgPv0a3D-14YuQgWMq9ptYsnP0a7Tj5yO02D4DMPvs20kj-6CuprKP7UmPD6onagSHibPAGctd1tDlkS5tnudKrlEFmPZCKRrtOI-g2NflyRUja1EEAcQQVS6RjdC78NIqVsD8ntEVjSr7uXLdYNiC2Vx0_7Ki0Oq6wKyNJxU0tZoCiMXcuZwO7JoYIB3s4c4bBpxJU33klWqQNGiDXjzv57ZgKFYQzCb4Aqk8q--tedueeDMYftdZlbLo9XppTgoLeSHjq_f6ZcNIzPaILcVbD2eHkDbvQzn6o_vDKxR6funp9Q8VI3oh1EzOYJj1RnHeOZpiFno_80q5ab-kzzZJwUBzAhvdAkGIRLfIAPceozowqDLh0_hX5P7hJ2_l9TL_6dNN3VQe_5arZLzdQiuYjaJ5eJzh0QfSfnfU8InfNB3BoEOrS_XFEFpMbXDIrOdxmXkDnv6UNreNkmjaeERGMzK-cYL-0f2in5V68LzLMHX9P1n1AazE-vv_lIb-0av-uJi4mrUl7kcjdRde9dwUqruCTwARItCi0i4sp5bBAugXhTTSgNeu8zbjldv0jRkg5kcLdqQ1b5UQg=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/l0MV2JiZKiE2lk4aOjbupK9aPHAyqN_SDGZNMN1RNOzrE6_8yxCbVT9GPI5m_FmFzO1OCD0Su8YPjvYM1_0pgPv0a3D-14YuQgWMq9ptYsnP0a7Tj5yO02D4DMPvs20kj-6CuprKP7UmPD6onagSHibPAGctd1tDlkS5tnudKrlEFmPZCKRrtOI-g2NflyRUja1EEAcQQVS6RjdC78NIqVsD8ntEVjSr7uXLdYNiC2Vx0_7Ki0Oq6wKyNJxU0tZoCiMXcuZwO7JoYIB3s4c4bBpxJU33klWqQNGiDXjzv57ZgKFYQzCb4Aqk8q--tedueeDMYftdZlbLo9XppTgoLeSHjq_f6ZcNIzPaILcVbD2eHkDbvQzn6o_vDKxR6funp9Q8VI3oh1EzOYJj1RnHeOZpiFno_80q5ab-kzzZJwUBzAhvdAkGIRLfIAPceozowqDLh0_hX5P7hJ2_l9TL_6dNN3VQe_5arZLzdQiuYjaJ5eJzh0QfSfnfU8InfNB3BoEOrS_XFEFpMbXDIrOdxmXkDnv6UNreNkmjaeERGMzK-cYL-0f2in5V68LzLMHX9P1n1AazE-vv_lIb-0av-uJi4mrUl7kcjdRde9dwUqruCTwARItCi0i4sp5bBAugXhTTSgNeu8zbjldv0jRkg5kcLdqQ1b5UQg=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I bought another four sets of the NorthFace trekking fleeced-lined trekking pants that you bought earlier on,"</b></span> said Adrian.</blockquote>
Man, the shop owner Binot really had his business made. He had better give us big discount when we next get back to him on our next trip.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/0JFqZ1zTgHlIVwJdInwekynhYVgUAN_R5uJwMEr1R7Fg4Bm61VDOY_ENoEp4CmmzHeeJtAYwK3PmzxGrzW1eikeguxR_XfEmcvcegvdVz7ccEJT82xXI3jIdvorTaMuNRUlFHB0Bd3T2wJqzHWsb0JUXwAOxNcyEFCEvhzFjxuu84nHINSbdPQZkXlmpxtvbEYIJsbaJ3PDlPgtpkeVIh5_rgWcJ4ZxBefqhvL37BSRvixGdDzjLyk6GMy8e-lul5ThIASzNrHgsbW190zmxg4yCR87YST1SGXf1Wnr2nsEeuxPZHGrzdf6JdIDcG9SpfA_rXi80tfczOwKJ8ydcyldTW84Q5tqX4siX2_qp-gDRMziJxSsBK3AW9RnJni4mkokkCT9U54NrzDpUAwGFepuL3ih_W2bVYZFfJQfmlMSupBt1DsyEkrZ1yybeeTVeajFDUKRCwvfAi84b-sqGMy5qAMGSjUhcF9lBapmrnxqKJdJmhSx6vBp14DOpyH_pOwn_aCHGfc5Fk8QSLjHkppM-xW6R42HA8QiQ5vca829mO8YU11Kbqkllcbxbn69cfLYzL9utdAjPlhlKUD_qzD2a2iH__HLToFJI-slRa8gIEoL6by1pEtOxefQMboTBodAqdz1EQRuwbFgenFzlL7fJVT7zGnIIFQ=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/0JFqZ1zTgHlIVwJdInwekynhYVgUAN_R5uJwMEr1R7Fg4Bm61VDOY_ENoEp4CmmzHeeJtAYwK3PmzxGrzW1eikeguxR_XfEmcvcegvdVz7ccEJT82xXI3jIdvorTaMuNRUlFHB0Bd3T2wJqzHWsb0JUXwAOxNcyEFCEvhzFjxuu84nHINSbdPQZkXlmpxtvbEYIJsbaJ3PDlPgtpkeVIh5_rgWcJ4ZxBefqhvL37BSRvixGdDzjLyk6GMy8e-lul5ThIASzNrHgsbW190zmxg4yCR87YST1SGXf1Wnr2nsEeuxPZHGrzdf6JdIDcG9SpfA_rXi80tfczOwKJ8ydcyldTW84Q5tqX4siX2_qp-gDRMziJxSsBK3AW9RnJni4mkokkCT9U54NrzDpUAwGFepuL3ih_W2bVYZFfJQfmlMSupBt1DsyEkrZ1yybeeTVeajFDUKRCwvfAi84b-sqGMy5qAMGSjUhcF9lBapmrnxqKJdJmhSx6vBp14DOpyH_pOwn_aCHGfc5Fk8QSLjHkppM-xW6R42HA8QiQ5vca829mO8YU11Kbqkllcbxbn69cfLYzL9utdAjPlhlKUD_qzD2a2iH__HLToFJI-slRa8gIEoL6by1pEtOxefQMboTBodAqdz1EQRuwbFgenFzlL7fJVT7zGnIIFQ=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This stall owner Binot must have made a fortune out of us.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/i_yQvEsQbEY-IW76lADGAx2FTMgBK0LIE5qyqvXFgbeJl9XkLKEjZqgR0D3CTcQi0zaRRSJjkXXcyKibJvFxz2jrqct_np8fArh9x45x1mW2FNBTCMkZogt968smxitzCTzaUTB464PY7LVLi1diT-taKPJbbjROt3V0kxSV8eVL6ixn5tUFErrHY0r1sWfTudb8ix5jMwzx8VRkV653be-x-Z1jNgLeM7UIcQFrzgKtBeLoalnchabVWskshHFZ3kQvozSsgOSv0RtzWK1ZSJTPswHA8UYx32IO5LLT95u10XN5HPveLt89sCDz-L-C2Jdr_6mZYbZ9mEWOvBJGsAnZnGaFa28ev0UKfVEL0BbpyVFMbXUJMVqyQtgpQnjB3USurcqoyn4ygxROeBW9ArtTTyvVPz6Z84HFWsa4T7ACDdHk48SwZQozyFbM_G-w56-n_LJC9NcDPyEmZUR9h3Zkoahm49ICNeA89M_2FAU8FpPErUd9uSdNsV0mJnCjB1dK1PdFKO4KviTXxiis7dJ7TAf2fdairZi3aN_bOgVP2pgEqbd9_QY1aQiKgM82G1ZU80SQKQeeOe7dKg8Hg7VCz-8bugvcPB9wdwJXZ33hrkliORUClLcp8EZgcht8nsY08BSMxrw4don8RKzdYGMbiklo5Cy3pA=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/i_yQvEsQbEY-IW76lADGAx2FTMgBK0LIE5qyqvXFgbeJl9XkLKEjZqgR0D3CTcQi0zaRRSJjkXXcyKibJvFxz2jrqct_np8fArh9x45x1mW2FNBTCMkZogt968smxitzCTzaUTB464PY7LVLi1diT-taKPJbbjROt3V0kxSV8eVL6ixn5tUFErrHY0r1sWfTudb8ix5jMwzx8VRkV653be-x-Z1jNgLeM7UIcQFrzgKtBeLoalnchabVWskshHFZ3kQvozSsgOSv0RtzWK1ZSJTPswHA8UYx32IO5LLT95u10XN5HPveLt89sCDz-L-C2Jdr_6mZYbZ9mEWOvBJGsAnZnGaFa28ev0UKfVEL0BbpyVFMbXUJMVqyQtgpQnjB3USurcqoyn4ygxROeBW9ArtTTyvVPz6Z84HFWsa4T7ACDdHk48SwZQozyFbM_G-w56-n_LJC9NcDPyEmZUR9h3Zkoahm49ICNeA89M_2FAU8FpPErUd9uSdNsV0mJnCjB1dK1PdFKO4KviTXxiis7dJ7TAf2fdairZi3aN_bOgVP2pgEqbd9_QY1aQiKgM82G1ZU80SQKQeeOe7dKg8Hg7VCz-8bugvcPB9wdwJXZ33hrkliORUClLcp8EZgcht8nsY08BSMxrw4don8RKzdYGMbiklo5Cy3pA=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here was the shop just next to that familiar little small alley. They sold badges.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/QXZ_-7B10MxYu1Om-hAZqpl4HBUUu7tuxJdy4Oaj6YgeM4GgJBiqkeDZi508t5iUIqjd06XMSyORVEylZkaWOnBTcVhyRUp8C3qgWgfBLPq_cPNFYsM9U3SNDgxpnZhmb0tqEtpFEJjhG9shaKX3UYM3uu-PpP84wCYPf7LV73sSmVFYwZ4lGvVW7s43IHyVIBT0imZ2RbsBbxMazfc4btRbmCPC144Pt-q6vM0Pt1Xmamnne_VcEa_qDqKCekjVexM3u33hu60Q5ydG1MrKKqYNsTsfBx4HuKts_U9naGYj6sjnZ8hGjiWaQVGx7f0g2fwLeotS4R_yVAinHY2MBN6OOvpD5D9KsyTL_oFoZujrcs49B5wmejtZbOgSAe4VlPsN1WPjYprZC1_ky7npepBkptWqYodaIibY-oVr3ej-kxOqrL_mmpzDMoLilA-HUKMbFPCKQb7cd5OkGWir7mSJlkiXxJNmicJAjnuyB1s2HPkkTRqkv0YlXVKk_aze2Rs-TWcAp0LXxqWn9eCYSnCGxXIof28qjvVDSn2ua6gwzflhAd7xEblA4Gk0vS6wH0LRnoUgp3MStymv2mz1RYm-Gcej8x-lUQUIZpXFTBM9ooh5h8mV5f9MrKrERLk78cZjXhMBCkq7EhrL3IMhcP01hO9VzmiTOw=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/QXZ_-7B10MxYu1Om-hAZqpl4HBUUu7tuxJdy4Oaj6YgeM4GgJBiqkeDZi508t5iUIqjd06XMSyORVEylZkaWOnBTcVhyRUp8C3qgWgfBLPq_cPNFYsM9U3SNDgxpnZhmb0tqEtpFEJjhG9shaKX3UYM3uu-PpP84wCYPf7LV73sSmVFYwZ4lGvVW7s43IHyVIBT0imZ2RbsBbxMazfc4btRbmCPC144Pt-q6vM0Pt1Xmamnne_VcEa_qDqKCekjVexM3u33hu60Q5ydG1MrKKqYNsTsfBx4HuKts_U9naGYj6sjnZ8hGjiWaQVGx7f0g2fwLeotS4R_yVAinHY2MBN6OOvpD5D9KsyTL_oFoZujrcs49B5wmejtZbOgSAe4VlPsN1WPjYprZC1_ky7npepBkptWqYodaIibY-oVr3ej-kxOqrL_mmpzDMoLilA-HUKMbFPCKQb7cd5OkGWir7mSJlkiXxJNmicJAjnuyB1s2HPkkTRqkv0YlXVKk_aze2Rs-TWcAp0LXxqWn9eCYSnCGxXIof28qjvVDSn2ua6gwzflhAd7xEblA4Gk0vS6wH0LRnoUgp3MStymv2mz1RYm-Gcej8x-lUQUIZpXFTBM9ooh5h8mV5f9MrKrERLk78cZjXhMBCkq7EhrL3IMhcP01hO9VzmiTOw=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And I bought several to remember.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZu3thkgjvz7P6F5hyQdlHYbryduK_kxIjq1RngkerArtRO-NXN1HzToi06fo4fDwsEv_JitI2apL_5Q7lHkbA8C4pak9HE7A5RTBF-CdALiGA8PU6EuEUQWs5jpKZPou_4V48MHP6vk/w800-h600-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZu3thkgjvz7P6F5hyQdlHYbryduK_kxIjq1RngkerArtRO-NXN1HzToi06fo4fDwsEv_JitI2apL_5Q7lHkbA8C4pak9HE7A5RTBF-CdALiGA8PU6EuEUQWs5jpKZPou_4V48MHP6vk/w800-h600-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My trekking boots looked like they had gone through a lot over the past 14 days.</td></tr>
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<div>
<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">EBC TREK Day 15 ~ </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">Finally flying back home to Singpapore</span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="color: yellow;">2 Dec 2017</span></div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>9am.</b></span><br />
Our luggage were all consolidated and we all gathered at the front court yard of Kathmandu Garden Home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/PTXM6oQxsBNSxMetdVrsoheZmlTxx9HLTK4j6T2oLBKIb0hz9NL9RgAu8SxRIsB4qILOekL3wIE8O-Wy1_fusUixKc5DESOk5SOcujJSn4oC0hYk-cNueUHrmlaje-rfTtkQ_j2D794hUsBITQPFu6KwxRIdAn75PbnxqdTVgkRx4x11vw6XJ4rr30OwQsgwn069DJ7C69IzAQtGmWyOVMTZn859Unj6FyNEI1WmYoGoI6FKpUVDinVLpDmzogG5zRNZFH86eOTmJWEGUz90sBPWxNASYlot_HrpOaO0OZ2Qvf6KGCqtIRmY0-be_JWiWU5Nea4yXs9EhvR8dUzliiBpAN4qES1zupxG5t88HzTEE491k9aNGobd6TKuKNWEMDTyMaHLPtPhpFv9VA8Iu-CBXFx8r0AEDX43-8VgwrSANQ7mcEVX0B0m4cE2QkWU3y_UCfa8Ti-UXji9nuD0fG5KXbLif2F-m8ZnifkNvc3w9wcZBYXJJn0iPjb4CcShntVwK1DRpHYBwhlunhwTcv1dAH37YC2sKAQES3By9u_QyGl2MTZDy3qD3SxElzOoTtvWng13xY02wGDJGHZk0gunf_9jDxrN5BAYVJBNEX0HEGxVo1z_sGzJQI2-p9Rr5DTtCzIoiSntxBefrLBTN69UQ78v0X82=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/PTXM6oQxsBNSxMetdVrsoheZmlTxx9HLTK4j6T2oLBKIb0hz9NL9RgAu8SxRIsB4qILOekL3wIE8O-Wy1_fusUixKc5DESOk5SOcujJSn4oC0hYk-cNueUHrmlaje-rfTtkQ_j2D794hUsBITQPFu6KwxRIdAn75PbnxqdTVgkRx4x11vw6XJ4rr30OwQsgwn069DJ7C69IzAQtGmWyOVMTZn859Unj6FyNEI1WmYoGoI6FKpUVDinVLpDmzogG5zRNZFH86eOTmJWEGUz90sBPWxNASYlot_HrpOaO0OZ2Qvf6KGCqtIRmY0-be_JWiWU5Nea4yXs9EhvR8dUzliiBpAN4qES1zupxG5t88HzTEE491k9aNGobd6TKuKNWEMDTyMaHLPtPhpFv9VA8Iu-CBXFx8r0AEDX43-8VgwrSANQ7mcEVX0B0m4cE2QkWU3y_UCfa8Ti-UXji9nuD0fG5KXbLif2F-m8ZnifkNvc3w9wcZBYXJJn0iPjb4CcShntVwK1DRpHYBwhlunhwTcv1dAH37YC2sKAQES3By9u_QyGl2MTZDy3qD3SxElzOoTtvWng13xY02wGDJGHZk0gunf_9jDxrN5BAYVJBNEX0HEGxVo1z_sGzJQI2-p9Rr5DTtCzIoiSntxBefrLBTN69UQ78v0X82=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-mdKT_SZsolWT07zfUPvAmTNn-_mlmcq51juiPeFlsULMVNg8O7maFIgOruPr2oTYmbVGw1UfVPQQ2WD2mOvei9PJpDzFLbKPD0lz7kvxXs7Nn_iLKgPBZk8OV4_RPFZZKIqJnDPvd0/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-mdKT_SZsolWT07zfUPvAmTNn-_mlmcq51juiPeFlsULMVNg8O7maFIgOruPr2oTYmbVGw1UfVPQQ2WD2mOvei9PJpDzFLbKPD0lz7kvxXs7Nn_iLKgPBZk8OV4_RPFZZKIqJnDPvd0/w859-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sigh.. Can don't go back home?</td></tr>
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Ram hadn't changed much over the past 6 years, except for that little bit of extra fat around his waist. Hopefully we will see him again soon for a next trek to Nepal.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/jWfeevLiHZaqNRdBr34kTvcAK2QffRoelSlesIcYykyTpZxAZRQB1Gmgkr5cq2I9_vR_MIcfHgpvofjS5HvtXXZDacDzuMeK4lQK7K_shpn1yv0y4Hl8Oda3O7OhYlkJCIBUKAo4t-RDVe3cEva9jqO8SfZG2rzlEaCJQHhazqKIbD-jqLYD49-8z6DVfAXOqHGqUcjjaUiYGGVB0p-UfMxio_ERPVCp6TNNJJGb5J-6_0eMVXcYdz254ViHqBFJY_rGJAJdzz5zfpQxpKCB2PzwlJgOkKdvleEfd7-ENTboS-nMo3m5r2kIVXVoJcQcH8fVUbBtxYGDHmzXgN3yHaYac6x8vLFYf_XMZ3YCNxt6m4HzuD2kiSX_Uz6HEBpFQnfHz4I230HeqnSj5pm07q1Aupg4REhug48X9vAMYbdwIZ01MoGF5CKuwnqJuscxR6ABNZLXRsaRTJR4uFHb5e8vxG1vMy31EgxwVJxOYnlkyUBa613xQBONjwtlUr0L_UHxWmEZ9qaMOi7HuMuSjztm6jVdzsFSPnsytAGFitPzkTvs0UkQ9WUgfT1YDC6HBAmMzfkCtsaJgGzzI0THtmyMl5kSDLiv3E1B2pfJgRDsUkHcNY7WPi11VBtUR9oeyeZwGAHsyr-alFjG9jeL7RhkBpayGb9TBA=w450-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/jWfeevLiHZaqNRdBr34kTvcAK2QffRoelSlesIcYykyTpZxAZRQB1Gmgkr5cq2I9_vR_MIcfHgpvofjS5HvtXXZDacDzuMeK4lQK7K_shpn1yv0y4Hl8Oda3O7OhYlkJCIBUKAo4t-RDVe3cEva9jqO8SfZG2rzlEaCJQHhazqKIbD-jqLYD49-8z6DVfAXOqHGqUcjjaUiYGGVB0p-UfMxio_ERPVCp6TNNJJGb5J-6_0eMVXcYdz254ViHqBFJY_rGJAJdzz5zfpQxpKCB2PzwlJgOkKdvleEfd7-ENTboS-nMo3m5r2kIVXVoJcQcH8fVUbBtxYGDHmzXgN3yHaYac6x8vLFYf_XMZ3YCNxt6m4HzuD2kiSX_Uz6HEBpFQnfHz4I230HeqnSj5pm07q1Aupg4REhug48X9vAMYbdwIZ01MoGF5CKuwnqJuscxR6ABNZLXRsaRTJR4uFHb5e8vxG1vMy31EgxwVJxOYnlkyUBa613xQBONjwtlUr0L_UHxWmEZ9qaMOi7HuMuSjztm6jVdzsFSPnsytAGFitPzkTvs0UkQ9WUgfT1YDC6HBAmMzfkCtsaJgGzzI0THtmyMl5kSDLiv3E1B2pfJgRDsUkHcNY7WPi11VBtUR9oeyeZwGAHsyr-alFjG9jeL7RhkBpayGb9TBA=w450-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And on this day... Malaysia Airlines finally flew us home. But not without losing Serene's luggage yet again, when we arrived back in Singapore. Such was the reputation of Malaysia Airline and KL International Airport cargo handling.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/n1IlSNF_6vTYrLgSduxI6essyIB1Sts0V6CQfXFFeXOOJZiGRTy4hwA9uyi1bVEd8XoGI_V1GC-Mgl9g_fInULUBPiKJBgaBZhtpfyQ7yflxF9sSAhlE1DbQJVNd-Fce1PgVz52t-uhwXiJvY3cFyiR5v8EuFPwv8KGGnngAYha_sb1Vo6baxL6sZn_Wj9hYFIDkrzAMkF2w4K90fKWst37DtwnqDNh1wg24s4oLMVYhPj7KMIN1w0yki0gUtuZyF1CyQF7kbAFiSug0MG9gJoY6XDQy5qsi7IS__3pq2eJkARVMzB2nVSrAqyYa7LEWni6bqCDVU00agrMbgme1X_MKF9KOfR4qz2lrcC7OZjuWPnYT5-Tm_AVvAySuoS4ToMPWkyPCEt34xAjKh8ByxcD1FI1OoT7OOoKWNebVxGmLQ0CzijAcrmtOYIHQxL0O92lMcbIrjhrAOZ-_wZoNFPA2Jb8N3r5oH8zl6kP8EIkXqAbVyeV2cWCl3zp95EK93iVYqYsZ4qxOJ3A6MlJJMkPxFzq7U76f3eraOAKhnzR3s9QE3ITvpIGKVmBtWZEQAVYpH3wJzai8W10ZVWpHrS4bYqd-gE6Diydy0ZrGGy9NeepcgXnWptxgpUNYs-YdXAPHA1iXN3E9BxmfQqOnTnhgaSpKCs5n=w901-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/n1IlSNF_6vTYrLgSduxI6essyIB1Sts0V6CQfXFFeXOOJZiGRTy4hwA9uyi1bVEd8XoGI_V1GC-Mgl9g_fInULUBPiKJBgaBZhtpfyQ7yflxF9sSAhlE1DbQJVNd-Fce1PgVz52t-uhwXiJvY3cFyiR5v8EuFPwv8KGGnngAYha_sb1Vo6baxL6sZn_Wj9hYFIDkrzAMkF2w4K90fKWst37DtwnqDNh1wg24s4oLMVYhPj7KMIN1w0yki0gUtuZyF1CyQF7kbAFiSug0MG9gJoY6XDQy5qsi7IS__3pq2eJkARVMzB2nVSrAqyYa7LEWni6bqCDVU00agrMbgme1X_MKF9KOfR4qz2lrcC7OZjuWPnYT5-Tm_AVvAySuoS4ToMPWkyPCEt34xAjKh8ByxcD1FI1OoT7OOoKWNebVxGmLQ0CzijAcrmtOYIHQxL0O92lMcbIrjhrAOZ-_wZoNFPA2Jb8N3r5oH8zl6kP8EIkXqAbVyeV2cWCl3zp95EK93iVYqYsZ4qxOJ3A6MlJJMkPxFzq7U76f3eraOAKhnzR3s9QE3ITvpIGKVmBtWZEQAVYpH3wJzai8W10ZVWpHrS4bYqd-gE6Diydy0ZrGGy9NeepcgXnWptxgpUNYs-YdXAPHA1iXN3E9BxmfQqOnTnhgaSpKCs5n=w901-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>EPILOGUE</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our trekking boots washed and brushed. Our base layers, middle layers machine-washed and sun-dried. Our down jackets dusted and dried-cleaned. All the winter clothing packed and vacuum-sealed. All the day packs and backpacks scrubbed and hung dried. Trekking sticks cleaned and stored. Everything was kept and put aside for our next adventure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Back home in Singapore, everything appeared unchanged. Lives went on as those of us who had to work jumped right back to our usual working routines, whilst those who were retired continued their retired lives. But in our hearts, <b><i>everything</i></b> had changed. I was very sure, in each and everyone of our hearts and our minds, even those who were seasoned trekkers and alpine mountaineers, there would be that bit of transformation.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQY4msRUlQQdBTHSgvdUUbIXwLDYVXq_C4nqhURRMFgihzpioa05LtOvtQr6d1MZ8cJbVg-UrlBzC30xQN5L9Z_HmMpB7r2lTuiPYN0o1vEYU-VNpmBiRe1kiZK3yWLAJNKiQ-h74wjaY/s600-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQY4msRUlQQdBTHSgvdUUbIXwLDYVXq_C4nqhURRMFgihzpioa05LtOvtQr6d1MZ8cJbVg-UrlBzC30xQN5L9Z_HmMpB7r2lTuiPYN0o1vEYU-VNpmBiRe1kiZK3yWLAJNKiQ-h74wjaY/s600-no/" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Trekking to Everest Base Camp was not just simply ANY trekking trip. EBC trek was not called EBC trek for no reason. This journey had opened up our eyes to the Himalaya in ways which we would never ever have imagined possible, had we not undertaken this demanding expedition. The Himalayan ranges had laid bare to us, their deepest secrets, their very essence, their ever-changing nature, and most importantly had welcomed us into their cradle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This adventure had revealed not only how harsh the terrain was up there at 5000m, but also how stoic human nature was, in surmounting all the obstacles that came their way. To me, even up till today, 5 weeks after our return, I still harbour the bizarre perception that everything here in modern Singapore is not real, but true reality is what was up there in the mountains.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In short, I found myself very much converted.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had seen what the mountains had exposed to me. And I am no longer the me I used to be. In the deepest abyss of my being, there is this little yearning that is bubbling gently, urging me that the mountains are calling again.</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/twI30qFb3i9rPPLSOmwKWxD1zjI7Q-gOPw2mN3A-BCtoDegR9web6znpdmt_9kIpM-r6nijOxOzzymO0k2NLA9-R1S72B0DfR6pV99xJHF58SRgps1zQLUF0gWbVWEfdGVygq46UyzhHNm_TGXVmhnIbXxt5z3IvTfFQdqmaJOwtfTkniYap-uoJEfUEbvrASRbMV0afyL12FBFJuuKf8GZMsnqYProEMiPR_xlc7TENXv1-gm6jw3yYdre7n-LdjC4T1DgOzDCiGANeVUulWVu7LXJgHGhiW7v9Bd0-rX2TGd8oq61p36cywmh9WSoQBrkRHPnrR-677woKXL5gDe6K5BCBu6-ZZsVvH0c13EV4NeSzxO4nrI5D1C0KNTAhToOKpI5yXdOEay4wGmTeFvSy4e0e6q6RAganqVfWQ8AT780fHSbVQUS0V1XRrhJ9uT_A7xB_FZga3rWhxqzIOZ1pie8UxkxxRQYfol97W9hWJwCUJ4d3mE-GlwP7opl3XKtb9bk_uCR4L3Mkm95TPMk1uhB539Fa4YbEZUwR1buRcmZ3ZGoVH-aC5CRow9T7zSu5lpaafmdo_DHF0LX5lDwbsK3-nQvQuqjKg0-RWCPC6Z07j88X1VVXUItNrWb7UiDF8LMeJClrFRhlX11PPxkrDnk1mWvarQ=s600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/twI30qFb3i9rPPLSOmwKWxD1zjI7Q-gOPw2mN3A-BCtoDegR9web6znpdmt_9kIpM-r6nijOxOzzymO0k2NLA9-R1S72B0DfR6pV99xJHF58SRgps1zQLUF0gWbVWEfdGVygq46UyzhHNm_TGXVmhnIbXxt5z3IvTfFQdqmaJOwtfTkniYap-uoJEfUEbvrASRbMV0afyL12FBFJuuKf8GZMsnqYProEMiPR_xlc7TENXv1-gm6jw3yYdre7n-LdjC4T1DgOzDCiGANeVUulWVu7LXJgHGhiW7v9Bd0-rX2TGd8oq61p36cywmh9WSoQBrkRHPnrR-677woKXL5gDe6K5BCBu6-ZZsVvH0c13EV4NeSzxO4nrI5D1C0KNTAhToOKpI5yXdOEay4wGmTeFvSy4e0e6q6RAganqVfWQ8AT780fHSbVQUS0V1XRrhJ9uT_A7xB_FZga3rWhxqzIOZ1pie8UxkxxRQYfol97W9hWJwCUJ4d3mE-GlwP7opl3XKtb9bk_uCR4L3Mkm95TPMk1uhB539Fa4YbEZUwR1buRcmZ3ZGoVH-aC5CRow9T7zSu5lpaafmdo_DHF0LX5lDwbsK3-nQvQuqjKg0-RWCPC6Z07j88X1VVXUItNrWb7UiDF8LMeJClrFRhlX11PPxkrDnk1mWvarQ=s600-no" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I continue to discharge my responsibility as a father, a doctor, a citizen of this country in my daily grind, exactly as what Adrian described as the 'drudgery of daily living', I know that I am ready to be up there again. Any time. Confidently I am sure our girls and even the ever-complaining Serene, are just as ready for another adventure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was most honoured to be given the chance to experience this journey with this group of highly-motivated individuals, individuals whom I got to know better, even those very good friends who I have known for years. I finally saw a different side of them, a strength of character in them that I am so proud of. I hope the sentiment is mutual among all of our team members.</span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/HcY-Wqge6ua07xMy5_878b4CoH9KV6DSpF_rf8JpDk1kAi-8S4OQ4Ylguk6tC9TLw1BzOGAK13WeWs7GUolXxTdCcti5bjjlF48fuPr73y3z-fxcx4jFlko93YUu-iKWNc8xLPZjZzpM37huCsLc0ZRPdFU8vnCR4Uw9FSKetdgLT43I49MpansFkrITCJiNDCZFpSF5PEDDtjH_r-AbEOde2s7aMGEE_y9cnwAEyCs1-Sww_SLolkJVVE0DENG1JXTBhkroOjHmhCCVMX8X91KxUFX1XEkG4cj8AI-zjnjcI049ikWsC3Qel1MDfExs3B7zmx9GKwacCbxLqqmmfYOG825zP7Od3qyoZejM-5_hbnPmV88Qg1t_6XjJx7iJAD7PaxfIdEw8ln35s4LmCfdw4uxVI08BAwslPj5aDODUALsExVIHghWafaKMJMn9WbqP33nWch4qxBuMYR1EFcx6HlYD8aVxwN9vEs9oBnrhm5h_4mek614lyelD9_JJHJXjBBFOsx0TuL8vWOUNjpPyXxziDukPToHrYkDbe45kod9NnRQ1tfepy4YaDxkYnsaaMG7eBrwSAvCL9PECMzELeIZvEs4R-ewTsxVjy-Q760XDrZ-61i1NKZK6ki1A6e8u4lUtbwdf5LGFqh3WviiQGldSa0_O0Q=s600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/HcY-Wqge6ua07xMy5_878b4CoH9KV6DSpF_rf8JpDk1kAi-8S4OQ4Ylguk6tC9TLw1BzOGAK13WeWs7GUolXxTdCcti5bjjlF48fuPr73y3z-fxcx4jFlko93YUu-iKWNc8xLPZjZzpM37huCsLc0ZRPdFU8vnCR4Uw9FSKetdgLT43I49MpansFkrITCJiNDCZFpSF5PEDDtjH_r-AbEOde2s7aMGEE_y9cnwAEyCs1-Sww_SLolkJVVE0DENG1JXTBhkroOjHmhCCVMX8X91KxUFX1XEkG4cj8AI-zjnjcI049ikWsC3Qel1MDfExs3B7zmx9GKwacCbxLqqmmfYOG825zP7Od3qyoZejM-5_hbnPmV88Qg1t_6XjJx7iJAD7PaxfIdEw8ln35s4LmCfdw4uxVI08BAwslPj5aDODUALsExVIHghWafaKMJMn9WbqP33nWch4qxBuMYR1EFcx6HlYD8aVxwN9vEs9oBnrhm5h_4mek614lyelD9_JJHJXjBBFOsx0TuL8vWOUNjpPyXxziDukPToHrYkDbe45kod9NnRQ1tfepy4YaDxkYnsaaMG7eBrwSAvCL9PECMzELeIZvEs4R-ewTsxVjy-Q760XDrZ-61i1NKZK6ki1A6e8u4lUtbwdf5LGFqh3WviiQGldSa0_O0Q=s600-no" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And so, as our guides and porters withdraw back into their home villages for the next few months as trekking season ends, and all of us resume our daily routine back home here in Singapore, I realise a tiny little spark of fire has already been lit, this spark that will eventually grow into a huge firework for yet another adventure in due course.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Till then.</span><br />
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<br />Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0Kathmandu 44600, Nepal27.7172453 85.323960527.6047838 85.162599 27.829706799999997 85.485322tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-61666603796171647402017-11-29T08:30:00.000-08:002018-08-03T03:04:21.130-07:00Everest Base Camp Trek Part 6 ~ Back to Lukla!<span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;"><b>Part 6 ~ Our last assault on Lukla was well-coordinated by General Adrian. The Airforce would take its first flights in and the infantries would trudge in later..</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-6-back-to.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-6-back-to.html" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4689/39424593252_3db347a056_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On a mission!</td></tr>
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So it was. The very last day of our trek. Our hearts were in a dilemma. As much as we were glad to be back to Lukla soon, we knew that our journey was coming to an end. None of us wanted it to end. Despite the hardship, we all had so much adventure in the past twelve days. Many of us wanted more.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b><i><span style="color: yellow;">[In this Travellogue, I have tried my best to credit all the photos to their respective photographers, and I tried my best to recall verbatim what members said during the whole trip. Most events are as I could remember them. Those who have expressed clearly to me their wishes not to have their photos shared online I have post-processed the photographs so that their faces are pixelated to protect their privacies.]</span></i></b><br />
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<b style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-large;">Table of Contents:</b><br />
<ol>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-epic.html">EBC Trek Part 1</a> </span></b>~ An epic adventure. Kathmandu to Lukla. Lukla to Phakding. Phakding to Namche Bazaar. Acclimatisation in Namche Bazaar.</li>
<li><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-2-from.html"><b><span style="font-size: large;">EBC Trek Part 2</span></b></a> ~ The air got thinner & the body got more tired. Namche Bazaar to Tengboche & Debuche. Debuche to Dingboche. Acclimatisation in Dingboche.</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-3.html">EBC Trek Part 3</a></span></b> ~ The Final Push. Dingboche to Lobuche. Lobuche to Gorak Shep and to EBC and back to Gorak Shep. </li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-4-highest.html">EBC Trek Part 4</a></span></b> ~ Kala Patthar</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-5-return-of.html">EBC Trek Part 5</a></span></b> ~ The unrelenting march from day to night - Gorak Shep to Periche. Another long day to night march from Periche to Namche Bazaar.</li>
<li><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-6-back-to.html"><b><span style="font-size: large;">EBC Trek Part 6</span></b> </a>~ No matter how tired... just go into Cruise-control mode walking from Namche Bazaar to finally arrive back in Lukla in the dark, yet again.</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-7-back-to.html">EBC Trek Part 7</a></span></b> ~ Flying back to Kathmandu. Rest and Relax in Kathmandu and flying home!</li>
</ol>
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">EBC TREK Day 12 ~ </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">Back to where we started - Lukla, here we come!</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;">29 Nov 2017</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-yLH2K7Rbc8HDcIi_LtLdfFytiFAFXRmwGXqZvfiKnmVYhdRStU-XNy71hZdY0oSBuWsIFamBg-F2L-yBG1-gYS-zfK0Yage4j5zAV10iZ_C7OeDnpAlLqdoeoIQgnxSRvr0DzZ4raqI/w363-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-yLH2K7Rbc8HDcIi_LtLdfFytiFAFXRmwGXqZvfiKnmVYhdRStU-XNy71hZdY0oSBuWsIFamBg-F2L-yBG1-gYS-zfK0Yage4j5zAV10iZ_C7OeDnpAlLqdoeoIQgnxSRvr0DzZ4raqI/w363-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/iAGzfhZtg8L71vKSxBkZGzadLd19LFCdDzXAyXJGOwin4WnpVGyebRwRVdh10ROAHdUUKDpp7N-t2BGwbFEbrqcrKKz5UwkqnV9MWkq8l9ua2bBOxKsVgqP8aUwkqQDBrbd9B6bElC0JAXu26P_B4CYbiSRkdFc-rejvnb-GJbnp6MyHMereEbXw0uqHI9OblQoOofZWvblvBVwIrV5ecUEczE4TEB5fN_9OAxoeaOB3xFJgUPRhBuQOeDYzfRlwltssKQQFVHGheR5mwTAgbhRgfkQhkWY5umgot0M4Zjv8efGW3IpBiTIkCj8mT_vYmyEv_XUWQqoGV-rTD1Cz7ScB6Al9MYueqrtaMLY1d7dnGCEX1f6qJ0Fl9dbXMttUu_AQbB8ZYr0tkGO8uH3IGEFnHag2h3U0FamaMdDkwqcBaJUzyX7cfv0NoSaExaO26B_gRReGR87WGFvqgYXv1h5sE51IvksjBlBZAe4phzGMo1Ffucs3bhVgjFesgYsb7lIyUzBX8Rr1zN7CDh2MfdzvoMZuNb-E82EZFbObb6DKnR-tBIYYUk2P3KKCQtbqgZHp_OE0WE6JiuRl4-KNdznuJBXCqrSYp0DHndDMvZP4OoQMYosouYcShy4RbIbjfX6fEZT2jQHMhBefWZ5Cg7v3r8_TMUZNRA=w363-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="362" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/iAGzfhZtg8L71vKSxBkZGzadLd19LFCdDzXAyXJGOwin4WnpVGyebRwRVdh10ROAHdUUKDpp7N-t2BGwbFEbrqcrKKz5UwkqnV9MWkq8l9ua2bBOxKsVgqP8aUwkqQDBrbd9B6bElC0JAXu26P_B4CYbiSRkdFc-rejvnb-GJbnp6MyHMereEbXw0uqHI9OblQoOofZWvblvBVwIrV5ecUEczE4TEB5fN_9OAxoeaOB3xFJgUPRhBuQOeDYzfRlwltssKQQFVHGheR5mwTAgbhRgfkQhkWY5umgot0M4Zjv8efGW3IpBiTIkCj8mT_vYmyEv_XUWQqoGV-rTD1Cz7ScB6Al9MYueqrtaMLY1d7dnGCEX1f6qJ0Fl9dbXMttUu_AQbB8ZYr0tkGO8uH3IGEFnHag2h3U0FamaMdDkwqcBaJUzyX7cfv0NoSaExaO26B_gRReGR87WGFvqgYXv1h5sE51IvksjBlBZAe4phzGMo1Ffucs3bhVgjFesgYsb7lIyUzBX8Rr1zN7CDh2MfdzvoMZuNb-E82EZFbObb6DKnR-tBIYYUk2P3KKCQtbqgZHp_OE0WE6JiuRl4-KNdznuJBXCqrSYp0DHndDMvZP4OoQMYosouYcShy4RbIbjfX6fEZT2jQHMhBefWZ5Cg7v3r8_TMUZNRA=w363-h644-no" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Here is the Relive video of</span> <span style="color: #d9ead3;">our last day of trek from Namche Bazaar all the way back to Lukla:</span></b><br />
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<blockquote class="embedly-card" data-card-controls="0" data-card-key="f1631a41cb254ca5b035dc5747a5bd75">
<h4>
<a href="https://www.relive.cc/view/1295480064?r=embed-site">Relive 'Everest Base Camp trek Day 11- the last burst of energy from Namche Bazaar right back to Lukla arriving at 5:30pm. It was all dark by then already.'</a></h4>
</blockquote>
<script async="" charset="UTF-8" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js"></script>
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: large;"><b>Here is the Strava Flyby of this day's trek.</b></span> <i><b>Just click on the image below, <span style="color: yellow;">play and zoom in and see</span>. Our last burst of fire. Our last walk. We would miss this trek I was very sure.</b></i><br />
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<a href="https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1295480064?c=tuvtezp4&z=C&t=1Q7XWt&a=AHU3TbkHQE15vaVN" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="800" height="294" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4640/39473846451_9a2c0cb6e8_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is my Garmin record of the days' trek. We managed to arrived at Lukla at 5:34pm, allowing Babu a win over Adrian with their wager against each other.<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/embed/2356692434" title="Everest Base Camp trek Day 12-last burst of energy Namche back to Lukla" width="465"></iframe>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">The </span><span style="color: yellow; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;"> </span><span style="color: yellow; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Back to Lukla, a home-sweet-home kind of bitter-sweet feeling...</span></span><br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D6yjjh8CndM?rel=0" width="820"></iframe>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Pleasant surprise early in the morning...</span></b><br />
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I was really pleasantly surprised by a special gift from Mimi, Ka Lin and Zaid early in the morning at the dining hall of the Green Tara. A big thank you from me!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/unNYNEG03QAD6mtlVxrP9fJ4PxZjKLomH7IDQxZonPi0tvd9ftV9zjngm0pCHLssyYko7HrIgNz6AVqHMc9bqyC8iywW3TVE9TcDlt1ef0EsQ3Mdh4SH-Ws3rNRmqManm6gPAaFHjDC0AdeD06GV0MtKHKnFEiORXZFKrZNQQndtHcgJFvd-yZ1WIZrw5jCg-2q0EmKRaDvBUDsoP8vPBEzFLSb-s46auCOsYML4mHEssu5YR3Mz4FHrKBEWz8GtSIrfCJDrwevPw_ed3KQK0MJI_s-Z3t2doEhsfeoY8W_xkGXE0Htx9dLLQQUFwClWGiDLOQYttVgFUHX52IuJUzkG9Bn1Scxpej-ZuJ8L2Y3CjgE2Q4tX3ptlZoWvk8P09XF2HvqqKY19K8zgnbPgbM_lYFHZrcHTiMcPpQF5a_8UpHo5z22_ymtMvwCsJa6YcjDpfdHU_N6HKyRODFM21BN7MG5F-1s4K2_Gbntc0Jys3Pt66BVccwOb6LWg04vSSe-MHSMBguKkyz8Wt7Nm6eRtZ7HyF4CjdHL14Tc-9UbGLLqB6Xiil0FhQCTxxtwxyl2NyEm401mdPTODC2zBCJXc2sPyZ8xEt9xpZfWUn73BxTFa9X73d30rOnSPVErYshJWQeZ-_1dddmZM8RxkrrBwGpDNLeKH4A=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" height="478" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/unNYNEG03QAD6mtlVxrP9fJ4PxZjKLomH7IDQxZonPi0tvd9ftV9zjngm0pCHLssyYko7HrIgNz6AVqHMc9bqyC8iywW3TVE9TcDlt1ef0EsQ3Mdh4SH-Ws3rNRmqManm6gPAaFHjDC0AdeD06GV0MtKHKnFEiORXZFKrZNQQndtHcgJFvd-yZ1WIZrw5jCg-2q0EmKRaDvBUDsoP8vPBEzFLSb-s46auCOsYML4mHEssu5YR3Mz4FHrKBEWz8GtSIrfCJDrwevPw_ed3KQK0MJI_s-Z3t2doEhsfeoY8W_xkGXE0Htx9dLLQQUFwClWGiDLOQYttVgFUHX52IuJUzkG9Bn1Scxpej-ZuJ8L2Y3CjgE2Q4tX3ptlZoWvk8P09XF2HvqqKY19K8zgnbPgbM_lYFHZrcHTiMcPpQF5a_8UpHo5z22_ymtMvwCsJa6YcjDpfdHU_N6HKyRODFM21BN7MG5F-1s4K2_Gbntc0Jys3Pt66BVccwOb6LWg04vSSe-MHSMBguKkyz8Wt7Nm6eRtZ7HyF4CjdHL14Tc-9UbGLLqB6Xiil0FhQCTxxtwxyl2NyEm401mdPTODC2zBCJXc2sPyZ8xEt9xpZfWUn73BxTFa9X73d30rOnSPVErYshJWQeZ-_1dddmZM8RxkrrBwGpDNLeKH4A=w859-h644-no" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such wonderful thoughts from Ka Lin, Mimi and Zaid! Thank you!</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">The foot-soldiers getting ready to set off..</span></b><br />
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8am was the set off time for the trek downwards from Namche Bazaar. Honestly I had never trekked from Namche Bazaar right back to Lukla in one day's time. The last time we did the same 6 years ago, we trekked from Namche Bazaar and spent one night in Monjo before trekking the next morning down to Lukla. Thus, such a stretch seemed a little far, altogether a horizontal distance of 21km.<br />
But of course, compared with what we had gone through the past ten days, this was just a little walk.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"OK lah, this is it, ladies!"</b></span> I said. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"This is the home run. Let's just do it!"</span></b></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/Nva6GmKMxkXEfJTSbudcBsSukAmm1hag2Q3L7W0G-BYZNkdEUCpUCwPgI-Tfo-XeZ3C15KRajTV105rob1IZLar8WuY1wryWydSb5q20VUHY7JITDDmv47k0tzmuXY7xBCTkvSncnvn6UCx7quxdvScxkRXIz7FgLDzR4-D5xWySj26_HOT7uqzvwoYQIvPXP0Q7JGZAQRqY6gXdIKvJY0hezo8ZPZGxHL_2K3rjwpt3U3gWJ_uWyptBF1SxMCv3Unf9DbZAZdvI4r8ojAhn8LPr27XcxjPEvNNy2NN78x8bAto4pfX1-JMOAlDwtMHR2jRa4MQaH14HhG4cKCrDus5XyNZZ5yq9w-Zl7wrgEaflsr6wpAhUpa3HTgqEfdEAc90Q7NoU6y9P28-_hcDOC4Xuo03HEKrooh6hMOxfVm3ol6sgp5T-Bl4NNNE1zc98xsLxXsOOzAfF4ADy60n_ZYtZZ8iXjzHu2VdW97JYrmC5ZRKIWpGyALJT38KxhcsTTPIVRMam_9_QpgMQtOjEADuI2lJ3Q8kud7oxD1WijdmQ-VNvxTqylp19cWw0vO1pB4LBx2MDbeHIDFaglD_M7PtxV1nF1_jeF73AB2vrDJMyMnqXxg3DLuBJVvlAYZ_RZIsVE0Ut8ygn6uBAhME6qU4Yj3AKvuslAA=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/Nva6GmKMxkXEfJTSbudcBsSukAmm1hag2Q3L7W0G-BYZNkdEUCpUCwPgI-Tfo-XeZ3C15KRajTV105rob1IZLar8WuY1wryWydSb5q20VUHY7JITDDmv47k0tzmuXY7xBCTkvSncnvn6UCx7quxdvScxkRXIz7FgLDzR4-D5xWySj26_HOT7uqzvwoYQIvPXP0Q7JGZAQRqY6gXdIKvJY0hezo8ZPZGxHL_2K3rjwpt3U3gWJ_uWyptBF1SxMCv3Unf9DbZAZdvI4r8ojAhn8LPr27XcxjPEvNNy2NN78x8bAto4pfX1-JMOAlDwtMHR2jRa4MQaH14HhG4cKCrDus5XyNZZ5yq9w-Zl7wrgEaflsr6wpAhUpa3HTgqEfdEAc90Q7NoU6y9P28-_hcDOC4Xuo03HEKrooh6hMOxfVm3ol6sgp5T-Bl4NNNE1zc98xsLxXsOOzAfF4ADy60n_ZYtZZ8iXjzHu2VdW97JYrmC5ZRKIWpGyALJT38KxhcsTTPIVRMam_9_QpgMQtOjEADuI2lJ3Q8kud7oxD1WijdmQ-VNvxTqylp19cWw0vO1pB4LBx2MDbeHIDFaglD_M7PtxV1nF1_jeF73AB2vrDJMyMnqXxg3DLuBJVvlAYZ_RZIsVE0Ut8ygn6uBAhME6qU4Yj3AKvuslAA=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheng Cheng said: "I wanna take a shot with your whole family!" The honour was ours.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Three weeks after our return from Nepal...</b></span><br />
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The skin on all my fingers were dried and peeling. Some hardened spots where the dead skin were particularly thickened were irritating as I palpated the face and skin of my patients. I kept apologising for the hardened skin on my hands. The deep cold of the mountains had caused my finger skin to die and as the skin renewal cycle of three weeks caught up, the old skin were peeling off and dropping off.<br />
Even until today, my iPhone still refuses to recognise my finger prints on both hands when I tried to unlock it. And my fingerprint activated door lock at home only managed to identify my fingerprints perhaps 70% of the time.<br />
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I was quite sure everyone else in the same team was suffering from the same. Serene was still complaining of numbness of her toes.<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Back in Namche Bazaar...</b></span><br />
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The last thing on our minds were the numbness of our finger tips. What was uppermost in our hearts was to get going as soon as possible, and try to reach Lukla before sundown.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafVhs9RMBOZ_Ohtcktmfx1To8b50quoJB2YlQ0shnuy6UjkeZLqB-wK58h4OHnQAu-OB_QJAkQwSbkiWglTmQzEjOPjxljMQHLoZSjUWf3uXmQy-d-9W5Mjbqogd4zOH_CIUROmgsn4g/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafVhs9RMBOZ_Ohtcktmfx1To8b50quoJB2YlQ0shnuy6UjkeZLqB-wK58h4OHnQAu-OB_QJAkQwSbkiWglTmQzEjOPjxljMQHLoZSjUWf3uXmQy-d-9W5Mjbqogd4zOH_CIUROmgsn4g/w859-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>The Airforce Helicopter Squadron making their way...</b></span><br />
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The night before, when Adrian dropped the Helicopter bomb, the first person whose eyes looked sideways in un-concealable eagerness was Ah Tan.<br />
"可以坐直升机啊?我要我要!“ (Can take helicopter ah? I want I want!)<br />
That set off a whole cascade of recruitment into SgTrekker Airforce. I sat through the whole discussion and listened in amazement at how the guys and gals worked on their combinations and permutations to fill up 4 persons per helicopter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4688/25590507948_f198631fdd_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4688/25590507948_f198631fdd_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4688/25590507948_4e5a9c15a5_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darric our chopper pilot making his way to higher ground to receive his helicopter. [Photo: Kong Wan]</td></tr>
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Taking a helicopter down from Namche Bazaar down to Lukla was really quite an adventure. It added a totally different dimension to the whole trip. It made absolute sense to end the last stretch to Lukla on a high note - the climax of enjoying a chopper ride.<br />
What would take 9 hours on foot could easily be had for 7 minutes. And the rest of the day could finally be spent relaxing, shopping, eating and sleeping in Lukla... exactly like what a trek was supposed to be. It would be a really special experience and a real treat for the family.<br />
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On that evening before, while everyone was animatedly deliberating , at the dining table, I stole a glance at each of the daughters. What I saw in their faces were expressions of unwavering resolve to complete the circuit on their own two feet. A tenacious and purposeful intent that was no different from mine own. They have their father in them. Right that very moment, I threw any plan of boarding the helicopter with the other crew members out of the window. Serene would have to bite the bullet and play the role of the matriarch, and lead by example.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/9uSCjZ9nokzyy5kt5NgM-EOu-deiD6oWijUO-ZLtTGYLN5qmIsoTI-Qnvmr4Wtn6FdnzQ0eoJnZX1U82C2vrunv7BWFsZ4WrlXrchcuEaZOYCEaJNVEtxCPuwRv3BgpdZmZThlK2PsPSkyaKTfv9DFHxPWoxsw8FMGelUitPPUkc0DZT1ppCKZioLL2fsWHAmlkUIlyNTdCQB7lyt2rQeO_lofcoY0J3F4q8FSZ9vNYLjgjrqpJmCruYhyUnTnAosUB_LfbRhFmMTQstfoS5KNk2Bcq-tNeYjuKsInAnSmnYDEoHY7yxgCdWJfnztGRYXqgy1izhp6Kro1Vxra4AeXZSmefAsdbj1NNGcL2QWviglgdEP6CrOVRGk2wyuspzHPFwOrhk2pSjeNJ1Rfydud49P0JC1H8RxnShb2KeJ6PcOCTE8CCITITklFPTvrt3hMaBvIqSNTLWwITaU4f4zXnIL90fiXfAHAkcWQxTTsaR7eaQEc56PiHBUBOE_SrHKtcxATlwqCg-1LAfC4XG3-yydXY0lt2QlfGg8N86YnsZ19lnIDAFzIyR8MWEY63FUZbkqmGf0z-AHgQj0iCovzvkxjVFvYk1Kbvxr19rIFXBGqj4jfWlYUv75NFqBujaAw6lO0mfSQLRvDuVoc-6cksYsJuDY67A=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/9uSCjZ9nokzyy5kt5NgM-EOu-deiD6oWijUO-ZLtTGYLN5qmIsoTI-Qnvmr4Wtn6FdnzQ0eoJnZX1U82C2vrunv7BWFsZ4WrlXrchcuEaZOYCEaJNVEtxCPuwRv3BgpdZmZThlK2PsPSkyaKTfv9DFHxPWoxsw8FMGelUitPPUkc0DZT1ppCKZioLL2fsWHAmlkUIlyNTdCQB7lyt2rQeO_lofcoY0J3F4q8FSZ9vNYLjgjrqpJmCruYhyUnTnAosUB_LfbRhFmMTQstfoS5KNk2Bcq-tNeYjuKsInAnSmnYDEoHY7yxgCdWJfnztGRYXqgy1izhp6Kro1Vxra4AeXZSmefAsdbj1NNGcL2QWviglgdEP6CrOVRGk2wyuspzHPFwOrhk2pSjeNJ1Rfydud49P0JC1H8RxnShb2KeJ6PcOCTE8CCITITklFPTvrt3hMaBvIqSNTLWwITaU4f4zXnIL90fiXfAHAkcWQxTTsaR7eaQEc56PiHBUBOE_SrHKtcxATlwqCg-1LAfC4XG3-yydXY0lt2QlfGg8N86YnsZ19lnIDAFzIyR8MWEY63FUZbkqmGf0z-AHgQj0iCovzvkxjVFvYk1Kbvxr19rIFXBGqj4jfWlYUv75NFqBujaAw6lO0mfSQLRvDuVoc-6cksYsJuDY67A=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4596/39424826342_473b1b610c_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4596/39424826342_473b1b610c_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="450" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4596/39424826342_eb1d23c16c_b.jpg" /></a></div>
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Thus on this morning at 8:30am as our airforce crew were busying themselves trying to run into the helicopter from the 2 o'clock and the 11 o'clock position, we were already making our way down the steps of Namche Bazzar.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/eKDyNClfKLHEw0ExtxqLvImbu1REcy3XXUPoCOyD9pKGDmsU-tKNciqy3UqG9NwpFw2Phgf47h40eb07Ja_0TadejZa7SP_bpyLB4hzoaoyEaqfvoogniCGJvvZqGQ-86O5G_Qp7EV6kiaLsVoF1JeoPXSv6OK4j0G2tZ2BpFG7LhRfuHp-EVxFIW5vLoz1MtW7JiNyY2WNpfYuXFC9aYATjlR4N3Th8mcyg48uYMz31HtWh1EJlzSB9tKto2WHkxysCp_ANYUbW1MA7htEBRtbuEyGJeK1zYoNE4-O1x8w4Yx4sTLWLQRfxM3qECZSBNI1688pk0BlEaMgK22Rq4VtZ-jym6z-DJYgazG3cJmnS8qrp32xzY85l6x1ydPQaoNQvPIkusaLjE_1Ka3QrM1z1rDb4AL82rEAQZvd2AH9y2nNiGMuqn8IdZ-eAYv20macNLCOTsXiyhb8OVKEHYbUSqC2evxW47Erp2Ri1zbzRGL-t7efVxHgGGYjgeGf9CkZpSETplN73--QWXWye0KBH7gkxSMgeVeilLxi3MKN1l3Nu1RLFoYgSmhP_PekgDtu-8xP8NFCCF54OYIG_K1gicEiTczgHBhBw9Xxrb9BGW5S2WoGg8RoSzz5BgnwAF-LlETDGRHE_Y70TKNvRLrT8gr54ZiNF=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/eKDyNClfKLHEw0ExtxqLvImbu1REcy3XXUPoCOyD9pKGDmsU-tKNciqy3UqG9NwpFw2Phgf47h40eb07Ja_0TadejZa7SP_bpyLB4hzoaoyEaqfvoogniCGJvvZqGQ-86O5G_Qp7EV6kiaLsVoF1JeoPXSv6OK4j0G2tZ2BpFG7LhRfuHp-EVxFIW5vLoz1MtW7JiNyY2WNpfYuXFC9aYATjlR4N3Th8mcyg48uYMz31HtWh1EJlzSB9tKto2WHkxysCp_ANYUbW1MA7htEBRtbuEyGJeK1zYoNE4-O1x8w4Yx4sTLWLQRfxM3qECZSBNI1688pk0BlEaMgK22Rq4VtZ-jym6z-DJYgazG3cJmnS8qrp32xzY85l6x1ydPQaoNQvPIkusaLjE_1Ka3QrM1z1rDb4AL82rEAQZvd2AH9y2nNiGMuqn8IdZ-eAYv20macNLCOTsXiyhb8OVKEHYbUSqC2evxW47Erp2Ri1zbzRGL-t7efVxHgGGYjgeGf9CkZpSETplN73--QWXWye0KBH7gkxSMgeVeilLxi3MKN1l3Nu1RLFoYgSmhP_PekgDtu-8xP8NFCCF54OYIG_K1gicEiTczgHBhBw9Xxrb9BGW5S2WoGg8RoSzz5BgnwAF-LlETDGRHE_Y70TKNvRLrT8gr54ZiNF=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/6gncX4eKvYsoJy3Br3PXsbIT8UfXHn25Njh8Fz6Okf5sERmFQUBWzlkQaOIfEhT32L_eP2Q2-VR-U-sx5Fwfk3Fl0u3YQ8POCrTtVB-22Uu6pCrHe1sZ6aSRiuD3NM-itVQop0TMKRuox_EdUhkrxsShfEOCHK6VoCCHtGyJPZUNZY7IrBuIMGY4ze65a_hVhveqmui6J2PWuPY0GRan7AfLYzzJDqSj03kR5tycbPGiSRRfGZQR_PWghS3WlXqhhjd-06J_KGXb4dYFYkbXc4mT-EOOw2G0J2C8iw34eLwz5kGcT26hq6foZ1wHpZv4qlabkMYJcqRcfn9Z2qrMzFoO-00vehhx10FEBjN_-lMJsBlQMWwwy6urDli6m6i0OEPZodg-hTfEJY1bWuH9v0_UhSkmw9XcAt4UqSHwiuJeg7ZP8M7fkge7elXZpAsTgOWj8W7Po4L1lX8FZVS8u9qDzE8D7baJaYwlow_vY6nrmkljtmm116GqUge31jQLvNF4scb5DjFmeflV9xHN-YT2IstRaetACU3d8pNUbZQHpy8IIRSNCBsvJq2kFo5TYIYne7ZQvXrYSRsaMaEleANckKvmJ38qpHxA_mmizUrw04I2UM-5nsY_ZcDvcAciIC5rhWGhaNSfJuogYl-WzmaGLhLvOnJe=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/6gncX4eKvYsoJy3Br3PXsbIT8UfXHn25Njh8Fz6Okf5sERmFQUBWzlkQaOIfEhT32L_eP2Q2-VR-U-sx5Fwfk3Fl0u3YQ8POCrTtVB-22Uu6pCrHe1sZ6aSRiuD3NM-itVQop0TMKRuox_EdUhkrxsShfEOCHK6VoCCHtGyJPZUNZY7IrBuIMGY4ze65a_hVhveqmui6J2PWuPY0GRan7AfLYzzJDqSj03kR5tycbPGiSRRfGZQR_PWghS3WlXqhhjd-06J_KGXb4dYFYkbXc4mT-EOOw2G0J2C8iw34eLwz5kGcT26hq6foZ1wHpZv4qlabkMYJcqRcfn9Z2qrMzFoO-00vehhx10FEBjN_-lMJsBlQMWwwy6urDli6m6i0OEPZodg-hTfEJY1bWuH9v0_UhSkmw9XcAt4UqSHwiuJeg7ZP8M7fkge7elXZpAsTgOWj8W7Po4L1lX8FZVS8u9qDzE8D7baJaYwlow_vY6nrmkljtmm116GqUge31jQLvNF4scb5DjFmeflV9xHN-YT2IstRaetACU3d8pNUbZQHpy8IIRSNCBsvJq2kFo5TYIYne7ZQvXrYSRsaMaEleANckKvmJ38qpHxA_mmizUrw04I2UM-5nsY_ZcDvcAciIC5rhWGhaNSfJuogYl-WzmaGLhLvOnJe=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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Looking back at the photos of the guys and girls in the chopper, I could sense their excitement.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/cHa1PmCx9yb9CNniUXMIXUKzGKHg5JJolp220C-cxpmEqr224ugr2tHjKGzX1DmzFvGhKvRH-E2c-nJ3wJa2ysDMZgpNKYgzAuq8ct_uc0etErqhxh9P4l4UQwok5lo8lCOQZdyW6JRXwL-dxRY2-9UtqgbXTd2qyL7ReIypPUGkPcpW5t8JObuMaylFPrNVoF0k76VGLmW1OOLJdk6BNXHVsLnxczyUr_D2-64vol1_aNsZljJMHKWzmEsd7pIvscMjRvLbXU23NGI5ta4phKcOQRx-uy0JupIH7cDT1M2HI_urYBb2qNTZcndbK5iDNn8Jb1ANwmdxFOIVBSSdxSGrRfvXyBeNYPa3KZro4WswXF13BWP7Na3rMnvfyAcdGhYndz31bqHVv0pepRUyCts8kh6P0_H0ajYr8JZSCxs70cCT71dAyt7RXegWVzUrK0BNe2xLyZq0fVpLQMLyx0Ma0-Sv6Hs1AKdrwL7wA-dkiJRjiJ__zTYZ6T7AHoXQyw4_SQPdNkmTm4oMwLMAldCXL84m0-L76uZDobtymUMdOfypB4JKfOds1Ot5DpUnZ5UvoZuH35x_fBxNXB4FQZBFg5RcpUoQkQpPnJDwbwvsXVExWbGzLao1tMQQkx68i9QtMDtchdDwA2k19ceQhZWo2qJput4oFA=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/cHa1PmCx9yb9CNniUXMIXUKzGKHg5JJolp220C-cxpmEqr224ugr2tHjKGzX1DmzFvGhKvRH-E2c-nJ3wJa2ysDMZgpNKYgzAuq8ct_uc0etErqhxh9P4l4UQwok5lo8lCOQZdyW6JRXwL-dxRY2-9UtqgbXTd2qyL7ReIypPUGkPcpW5t8JObuMaylFPrNVoF0k76VGLmW1OOLJdk6BNXHVsLnxczyUr_D2-64vol1_aNsZljJMHKWzmEsd7pIvscMjRvLbXU23NGI5ta4phKcOQRx-uy0JupIH7cDT1M2HI_urYBb2qNTZcndbK5iDNn8Jb1ANwmdxFOIVBSSdxSGrRfvXyBeNYPa3KZro4WswXF13BWP7Na3rMnvfyAcdGhYndz31bqHVv0pepRUyCts8kh6P0_H0ajYr8JZSCxs70cCT71dAyt7RXegWVzUrK0BNe2xLyZq0fVpLQMLyx0Ma0-Sv6Hs1AKdrwL7wA-dkiJRjiJ__zTYZ6T7AHoXQyw4_SQPdNkmTm4oMwLMAldCXL84m0-L76uZDobtymUMdOfypB4JKfOds1Ot5DpUnZ5UvoZuH35x_fBxNXB4FQZBFg5RcpUoQkQpPnJDwbwvsXVExWbGzLao1tMQQkx68i9QtMDtchdDwA2k19ceQhZWo2qJput4oFA=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Lai Peng]</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Landed in Lukla...</b></span><br />
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And exactly seven minutes later, they set foot on the soil of Lukla, safe and sound, and fully refreshed. Their mission- to recce the village for some caloric replenishments.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/Uo8vZUtLtTCLl08dgVDgn3i4-CnB_A5GLrazR2HvTC9m-EA6yPDwwoKcnMxXcYuaQa0VBLiOpIVMsETVsV97eC3o6GcI7JMG9ZiHGB_CPkHyhH5wiU5mzl9HUSDjO7uMZFRVeOiE-xlOOxXkVYG5nZKIJ2j3EOk0Na6V4so5VVj3vw9j0oqBYRmx2OXJBWz93hCghxoTVH87jS7wV4wzZFvdJLkU_X0ucr-Of_qTW-7y33PcipqMMGhjvTKE9ZeDOCHSZWPwiBifNQh8YFfe1kNfWF7jX0SCpThgMQzLZom3bFIL9GR803h-rcAgQUijYlMP_IxnmpPkehN71Rw5ELFBqGMI3D88JxlrvMTn0QQnO0uP0rLTsffmqHomojp2Bf0cSkbYWexc7ITTeLj13vbewf9PsVTTAJiEiydnr8c2TsE94oKAegsX47jcWpZW9OT_vxqFs8XNhVOQqK0ofJlEOs_rJ8aYBEMkdfr-Xx9h16ffLDtvVyy_Fszf3ukYPHiPlmBtGcO7i43dy5cF7bdMJNIExkqpxUquOjxFLDIcgWoFK1AhVVAFL1G8bdg044RiVJFcu84ZXH6diiykQfu3wIl9AfNA6AsvaoazowaJS5eK4rSlKqCmPxjNpoZTxLUNOrpRCe6IsYWDHB5iE3WBgDaAcvr3Vg=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/Uo8vZUtLtTCLl08dgVDgn3i4-CnB_A5GLrazR2HvTC9m-EA6yPDwwoKcnMxXcYuaQa0VBLiOpIVMsETVsV97eC3o6GcI7JMG9ZiHGB_CPkHyhH5wiU5mzl9HUSDjO7uMZFRVeOiE-xlOOxXkVYG5nZKIJ2j3EOk0Na6V4so5VVj3vw9j0oqBYRmx2OXJBWz93hCghxoTVH87jS7wV4wzZFvdJLkU_X0ucr-Of_qTW-7y33PcipqMMGhjvTKE9ZeDOCHSZWPwiBifNQh8YFfe1kNfWF7jX0SCpThgMQzLZom3bFIL9GR803h-rcAgQUijYlMP_IxnmpPkehN71Rw5ELFBqGMI3D88JxlrvMTn0QQnO0uP0rLTsffmqHomojp2Bf0cSkbYWexc7ITTeLj13vbewf9PsVTTAJiEiydnr8c2TsE94oKAegsX47jcWpZW9OT_vxqFs8XNhVOQqK0ofJlEOs_rJ8aYBEMkdfr-Xx9h16ffLDtvVyy_Fszf3ukYPHiPlmBtGcO7i43dy5cF7bdMJNIExkqpxUquOjxFLDIcgWoFK1AhVVAFL1G8bdg044RiVJFcu84ZXH6diiykQfu3wIl9AfNA6AsvaoazowaJS5eK4rSlKqCmPxjNpoZTxLUNOrpRCe6IsYWDHB5iE3WBgDaAcvr3Vg=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Lai Peng]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/wGDnRiNVThuVAIWCCRchdhfGv2rrkzciARhFry70nd9GpzGxtgzy1RxgL0bPv3gF2HAXPbFT6LWJqH1CO9dg8Kfw5fOmwfxMn43r4Q2xNM25jAbB_SyDH0zJRq54j65iToOkNWOg9IB9mgOOKLIh6-B35UC5k9_V12639VxdCwnnZ8Z_eqTb4na8zhE7Tcd71-BLy61CSAWjPNjZim5VtbBV_wO--T9unjTcAup93AFMh1byeOkaBEWOuQ4-dS59_whU0TN7wpi-oW0Zol0NkD8kClYmvLnV3HtZ3g91pUTKRg1bikqUNkj7YGGKc7BPzB0qUvBnmwejVFHCyHrzvW4otUGXI5l-zooy1Eu6Hfz3l0WKciRcx59XgnM4IK_hdh9o02_jSSydh8LjcGKrIS7lDPxb43Cunb3V3wvejY4t7l7avhPArPX2HL39xzAVhl0xCMwN3ouIdCMmBxYDfHPGtHyy2MjGVKBl9zJ4zvFfxSue2om0qOjkozxjsIebthJm-GMoKRsAusBv7zmEtmPY6Nlq8CjLDuBGFsnVvaAbbii-TZTvrWnejPLmw7tMKSZwDQCeP5VSPCcJ089MDfkBYQocSTzdZ6ZeJqK3TcK5XfXhQH7CYz2fwbTu1YT8cl0dLNWNLzqItxbRQLtDo0dFI11wZEA2Qw=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/wGDnRiNVThuVAIWCCRchdhfGv2rrkzciARhFry70nd9GpzGxtgzy1RxgL0bPv3gF2HAXPbFT6LWJqH1CO9dg8Kfw5fOmwfxMn43r4Q2xNM25jAbB_SyDH0zJRq54j65iToOkNWOg9IB9mgOOKLIh6-B35UC5k9_V12639VxdCwnnZ8Z_eqTb4na8zhE7Tcd71-BLy61CSAWjPNjZim5VtbBV_wO--T9unjTcAup93AFMh1byeOkaBEWOuQ4-dS59_whU0TN7wpi-oW0Zol0NkD8kClYmvLnV3HtZ3g91pUTKRg1bikqUNkj7YGGKc7BPzB0qUvBnmwejVFHCyHrzvW4otUGXI5l-zooy1Eu6Hfz3l0WKciRcx59XgnM4IK_hdh9o02_jSSydh8LjcGKrIS7lDPxb43Cunb3V3wvejY4t7l7avhPArPX2HL39xzAVhl0xCMwN3ouIdCMmBxYDfHPGtHyy2MjGVKBl9zJ4zvFfxSue2om0qOjkozxjsIebthJm-GMoKRsAusBv7zmEtmPY6Nlq8CjLDuBGFsnVvaAbbii-TZTvrWnejPLmw7tMKSZwDQCeP5VSPCcJ089MDfkBYQocSTzdZ6ZeJqK3TcK5XfXhQH7CYz2fwbTu1YT8cl0dLNWNLzqItxbRQLtDo0dFI11wZEA2Qw=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Lai Peng]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/6yhDR3QdCdD0dyBPXLG-iLQhDdltx7CFdoCsFWFNZOIwbrwht0l0D9tOx6j_XyJW2DBcZuug_yMw-lEOSvNePwWo7W9b8ZBgpJ7XvGikyGUjRorxq1pfSKHo0u4S3_4IqBxwwCNrQw-NXdANUkj2GWfhVwS6tjxWuowRic3GtM8uobqajidmrp2bBWpLkztSelNowQofLfcaTK2i5qtGP8TS3x9VYIjSYnZ-U-lWQ1VjX0qtGLUZwwbH0C-Cm63aeUM-1lOMLTqoJo1tRjZTDGcC-wOdUijpI8fnbtUdjLPQ98kesrQKFGRMe9pSDkGi6Y0Xj-7D-RxoDVicMYi1ygqHPZHtEGPYbCe3DXfIASvEGLEb-v_czsltZn-4eylE99EC5aFQ9YISmrl2mHNavnv5if7zHAS6Wjzx6GkDi_IhfRiZIXy3EaADqEubkLy7-JqbgZlPTTy5VKkSlleTAkr_Ny_4T-RmHg2uwkh5IW6tXKiIKdNmp2FwjmiCPhwdRlJ_KCNOyv5r8Eg3SbyZql-YAmQQsG2AhJzbBDH9SMKP-JWvkjkNeSoLLiPeu_p73TYpHLhAj9Ip3qSBgoLKOG5GA0EJwQDZpf7wwesmOYK9vuOChn78cfVW-lbEPIY-wWGi46XrarS7tJKFD7DvTcg2ChiGMbwgVw=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/6yhDR3QdCdD0dyBPXLG-iLQhDdltx7CFdoCsFWFNZOIwbrwht0l0D9tOx6j_XyJW2DBcZuug_yMw-lEOSvNePwWo7W9b8ZBgpJ7XvGikyGUjRorxq1pfSKHo0u4S3_4IqBxwwCNrQw-NXdANUkj2GWfhVwS6tjxWuowRic3GtM8uobqajidmrp2bBWpLkztSelNowQofLfcaTK2i5qtGP8TS3x9VYIjSYnZ-U-lWQ1VjX0qtGLUZwwbH0C-Cm63aeUM-1lOMLTqoJo1tRjZTDGcC-wOdUijpI8fnbtUdjLPQ98kesrQKFGRMe9pSDkGi6Y0Xj-7D-RxoDVicMYi1ygqHPZHtEGPYbCe3DXfIASvEGLEb-v_czsltZn-4eylE99EC5aFQ9YISmrl2mHNavnv5if7zHAS6Wjzx6GkDi_IhfRiZIXy3EaADqEubkLy7-JqbgZlPTTy5VKkSlleTAkr_Ny_4T-RmHg2uwkh5IW6tXKiIKdNmp2FwjmiCPhwdRlJ_KCNOyv5r8Eg3SbyZql-YAmQQsG2AhJzbBDH9SMKP-JWvkjkNeSoLLiPeu_p73TYpHLhAj9Ip3qSBgoLKOG5GA0EJwQDZpf7wwesmOYK9vuOChn78cfVW-lbEPIY-wWGi46XrarS7tJKFD7DvTcg2ChiGMbwgVw=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Lai Peng]</td></tr>
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And found they did. Their brunch and lunch and high tea were spent relaxing in a comfortable cafe with sumptuous dessert and burgers, calories more than enough to make up for what they had be so deprived of in the past ten days.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/Q4Afvn2TIrlMblffTmCBEBm4qiqlyNrrcS8Em86RLxILlFGMrAPl-gdk7EubPI7PK4UUFTTCWDqXCJ5zYzc3O6_q77HJs9F2iTzPZmBqokm-Km75eqJfdlppGY-i5lnmeebZhqg5ohPr6ni9zIj5dp1Jw6kOKLmaEdR4_ojNmNG6YPRdNSUp7cOjAmvfJ2kExzXyc1D0EfhZY8ad4Baf-YCzGjqTOpIQOY2FsGSzgy9ghirFXDADyr72rO4ymzUqKjzptyf2EZo91MowuKYGReApuxhY26EA-GzqaFda4kFRDwuHLCN6lxtvqAiRgE7qdjVQ6cwC3pVSh9m7MT_mgKhXRaC5nh-qlHg7rWwykxfAX4Ox961jMb8TJ-c7VM5YRM-xe2cf0HCnhEJ6L1BldlZOfTpMeYU2jEPlLClEW1gRyJWmkxtm-Vej6CwsFv5fGOkHQXUR81Kt0pjxT8ybCQTFlxwDi-bejXxwLaBlsj_dx867l6X0Z_f_gJ0Yv0oJQ3otmzOyN2ynhNyaUX5GLBNH3F86tutsUGcj-kbzx0txLZKsTHsOOLoMwH0VZ7sFsKLI1GI7AFWt_jryicghpd6YGDZ-wYs8NpWP8Z4bxtHo_6_yX4jCMIfQVoBm_BXe38BGbd18v1gWp2-rnpeYWIiyhaO8JzxW6g=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/Q4Afvn2TIrlMblffTmCBEBm4qiqlyNrrcS8Em86RLxILlFGMrAPl-gdk7EubPI7PK4UUFTTCWDqXCJ5zYzc3O6_q77HJs9F2iTzPZmBqokm-Km75eqJfdlppGY-i5lnmeebZhqg5ohPr6ni9zIj5dp1Jw6kOKLmaEdR4_ojNmNG6YPRdNSUp7cOjAmvfJ2kExzXyc1D0EfhZY8ad4Baf-YCzGjqTOpIQOY2FsGSzgy9ghirFXDADyr72rO4ymzUqKjzptyf2EZo91MowuKYGReApuxhY26EA-GzqaFda4kFRDwuHLCN6lxtvqAiRgE7qdjVQ6cwC3pVSh9m7MT_mgKhXRaC5nh-qlHg7rWwykxfAX4Ox961jMb8TJ-c7VM5YRM-xe2cf0HCnhEJ6L1BldlZOfTpMeYU2jEPlLClEW1gRyJWmkxtm-Vej6CwsFv5fGOkHQXUR81Kt0pjxT8ybCQTFlxwDi-bejXxwLaBlsj_dx867l6X0Z_f_gJ0Yv0oJQ3otmzOyN2ynhNyaUX5GLBNH3F86tutsUGcj-kbzx0txLZKsTHsOOLoMwH0VZ7sFsKLI1GI7AFWt_jryicghpd6YGDZ-wYs8NpWP8Z4bxtHo_6_yX4jCMIfQVoBm_BXe38BGbd18v1gWp2-rnpeYWIiyhaO8JzxW6g=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Lai Peng]</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Meanwhile, back in Namche Bazaar...</b></span><br />
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<a 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href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background-color: white; font-family: SFNSText, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: nowrap;"></a>Namche’s weather would and could not be considered cold by any Himalayan standards after spending 10 days at higher altitudes and experiencing several of our coldest days and nights.<br />
Setting off at 8am, and constantly looking back at Namche, I felt that yearning in my heart again. A question mark that stemmed from having my life intertwined with this flavourful little Village a couple of times. Will I ever be back again? The last time I asked myself this question I ended up setting foot on her steps.<br />
This time round I wasn’t so sure any more. Not many people would do EBC trek multiple times, and this world being so big, there were forever other parts of Nepal where one would need to explore.<br />
For me it was simple, I totally leave it to my karma and the common karma of my family members and my good friends. If it should be destined, we would be back.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One last look at Namche Bazaar. [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
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The lush pine and rhododendron forest once again provided us the shade as we treaded carefully on the rocky paths down from Namche. The decimated group was trekking closely together, as the fast front trekkers had all declared their job done and had had their exercise cut.<br />
We walked leisurely, not wanting to rush through the last day of our trek, treasuring every moment of it, taking in every sight, every sound, every smell as we passed by each little Village and each prayer rock and mani stone piles.<br />
The Sherpa-ian feel to the Solokhumbu region was unique and would forever be deeply ingrained in our memories.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/eGsj8Aab7pC-8D4Vbo1aAIwAyQoAuioCKipGNBg9cbeua4AB2UmzheXhK1xsZFcEFINEACVTfuNzjZOuwwCWhNMIRHt4qFTnoVXLbDKRjnHeyKvJVf7PLF11xbdu3x73yrgDraeR90iPqw6IWiCCqDQLgS12U3ESUZyUL9PaGQp4v-r7Xt7jb0m6rr46_osYbjpWT4V4jrGaDFmYFwppmWJ22usSd-MVtpzeIFTxVCpo_axkU6RxhpAEuP5UX-WEbnLfgZ3IhNi-kcHVE--aWQHJTq5lTcWc-Q_fTrOXVbISsQmZFH6DxyYJOAI1-LQfoYb56v0rQayerArn_GvJrp4rTl0uJSmsxXRzhQuyw_S-8ZF8vr2VRV3v5SYHhGN5MfWV979GLIDkwrgPpthECqKw694cqfPvv241BF1ecAF9CMdIAC-e1cfKab3dJ70eFNsOi02X_MbginV-IE3c44XKZZ5cbvamNgJneDXNuu7pBJvaQWML8KvGg5EHMXXdt6CTAiayIpPfMJE4oqdTSfCiPMmhZEelo5DrXdxZ7uf26VQ63MOtWEWrWsh-Lg6B8MzI4WQHx2t9Mtk3jHCgjhCPww209a13qZYpWCYGU-RFnmSPjzEJ_Laqo3jLzySu-_d3dVN7FhlPKeHGKoYBDKSSSPqVys--=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/eGsj8Aab7pC-8D4Vbo1aAIwAyQoAuioCKipGNBg9cbeua4AB2UmzheXhK1xsZFcEFINEACVTfuNzjZOuwwCWhNMIRHt4qFTnoVXLbDKRjnHeyKvJVf7PLF11xbdu3x73yrgDraeR90iPqw6IWiCCqDQLgS12U3ESUZyUL9PaGQp4v-r7Xt7jb0m6rr46_osYbjpWT4V4jrGaDFmYFwppmWJ22usSd-MVtpzeIFTxVCpo_axkU6RxhpAEuP5UX-WEbnLfgZ3IhNi-kcHVE--aWQHJTq5lTcWc-Q_fTrOXVbISsQmZFH6DxyYJOAI1-LQfoYb56v0rQayerArn_GvJrp4rTl0uJSmsxXRzhQuyw_S-8ZF8vr2VRV3v5SYHhGN5MfWV979GLIDkwrgPpthECqKw694cqfPvv241BF1ecAF9CMdIAC-e1cfKab3dJ70eFNsOi02X_MbginV-IE3c44XKZZ5cbvamNgJneDXNuu7pBJvaQWML8KvGg5EHMXXdt6CTAiayIpPfMJE4oqdTSfCiPMmhZEelo5DrXdxZ7uf26VQ63MOtWEWrWsh-Lg6B8MzI4WQHx2t9Mtk3jHCgjhCPww209a13qZYpWCYGU-RFnmSPjzEJ_Laqo3jLzySu-_d3dVN7FhlPKeHGKoYBDKSSSPqVys--=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4TgVvFsLKx43IAALQR2tBqsT2dUwnUsNR5C5ZwPJNGW-K98zXPDB0gkpn29wjIeS_qvN9jD5eK3k2bHZsOBuZhQ4uMUUEjos9UQV6XoS1U02pkeTaFP-EiC2naExd1UP3qabo-z3wT1hyD36Jr2Rmlh7pAlGnSbkZO9AMSnp8PnasNiYB18Sm0JfqKGZTdZrYuwVzn9zdKUpLHGQEjfnG2TlkR-NDcerHrkrtHmPgD3xW9P6govWjp7fHlGhGlzl92vC3Jjfaxg_jtTl4q6Ldc2zfJM9DE7_N0i7_sUYGrcxc2jFxm1STrwLQtbBdcMb24zb47qgCIectWChtd0FiZ6DP0-sarrLOAlCT_RESnxXxJ-kndv_fTI7AwYx3l3QY9b1mJ6x6e_Px_DWqri1NwSd38l7yTXWoGKzz-FHcIw3yqla-JoGhM48ZJbvOyD0c9CBno3m1kXP_ynahfEkH6CtcL_laqwCGPq7Nfz7vqqcrx8GuS1eUOtu8i1gnukxQrCQ7Mx8KukxqDpbPY2_hYZ4ZphrhaICJhyETcG2Z7AVCRLyj1agC_vGXdyLJzb4Ncr-o_JolksFbeoePo1zaq_9PfRCWvfESZl_e9enx0keM0MLe52gPGqsjlayc8M3u40pKP--yLqF8PLAkED6QaM2XWNBxrY=w1003-h620-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1003" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4TgVvFsLKx43IAALQR2tBqsT2dUwnUsNR5C5ZwPJNGW-K98zXPDB0gkpn29wjIeS_qvN9jD5eK3k2bHZsOBuZhQ4uMUUEjos9UQV6XoS1U02pkeTaFP-EiC2naExd1UP3qabo-z3wT1hyD36Jr2Rmlh7pAlGnSbkZO9AMSnp8PnasNiYB18Sm0JfqKGZTdZrYuwVzn9zdKUpLHGQEjfnG2TlkR-NDcerHrkrtHmPgD3xW9P6govWjp7fHlGhGlzl92vC3Jjfaxg_jtTl4q6Ldc2zfJM9DE7_N0i7_sUYGrcxc2jFxm1STrwLQtbBdcMb24zb47qgCIectWChtd0FiZ6DP0-sarrLOAlCT_RESnxXxJ-kndv_fTI7AwYx3l3QY9b1mJ6x6e_Px_DWqri1NwSd38l7yTXWoGKzz-FHcIw3yqla-JoGhM48ZJbvOyD0c9CBno3m1kXP_ynahfEkH6CtcL_laqwCGPq7Nfz7vqqcrx8GuS1eUOtu8i1gnukxQrCQ7Mx8KukxqDpbPY2_hYZ4ZphrhaICJhyETcG2Z7AVCRLyj1agC_vGXdyLJzb4Ncr-o_JolksFbeoePo1zaq_9PfRCWvfESZl_e9enx0keM0MLe52gPGqsjlayc8M3u40pKP--yLqF8PLAkED6QaM2XWNBxrY=w1003-h620-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Kc Tng]</td></tr>
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I could still remember my exasperation looking up and finding the end nowhere in sight ten days back when we were going upwards in the exact opposite direction on this same track. Breathless as I was on that day, on this morning, breathing was a breeze, not only because our haemoglobin had gained more affinity for oxygen molecules over the past ten days, and our lower limbs muscles had been more conditioned, but also because we were going downhill this round.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/O9_zBZVfn9G5f8gjpaBtLIPUExhq8fiCu68No7r4d1u1JkgeEG3iaUVRkoof6zsqEaWKJISwies-xhNnaDcwzhQMpd6vVIZOY6Xm3gFZE09LS8XVOj8b8dIFdRZLptyAc9co-tjEKuDUAuHe_po9ueKj_iIla0l7sBKogM4uuQxVaI_3K12FfHj8aMqmdDtOD-_Jjrdh8l8FkblcAfqDqr0rBLbjBuOmkPaZ9RsQ-DblSzzMQ65PvGQ4_9Mn83phP3yH-b_RpDRqk1652dAU5lOMGTZ-0R-uXUmhrmM3hmM_F251ckbe6-OCj4sJCusu0n88PgVClUtOZMLXidcrWssCPOinJe1dWzA9FXtHxlzBMhG-NjtRIbhJZG8S2rSg6g9wEwWsSX4-RDmSCdBtoyFE8KIzowVFP4Vh-sMdW0JNK4akaMnJnyWxoFMdKdW2McADbbZaM1fMugQu6tGZWBBpHUM3BENluWC3imjUKImmE86Yhf3VCNOARu0ibUkwVZzEYstgmnSgb08mOWs-Nhz5aepw6BAqFZoOvQLrxi91o1PKhstMcuEccM8ctdHewy2SNjpzu1rc2wLlJBY_CrOIaCnOb5bIVelm4InqrqwdYGZ6A3tXpkahYRPu8luikC8RUte9nbkhyojhCPGgm3Rnsv17QQAL4w=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/O9_zBZVfn9G5f8gjpaBtLIPUExhq8fiCu68No7r4d1u1JkgeEG3iaUVRkoof6zsqEaWKJISwies-xhNnaDcwzhQMpd6vVIZOY6Xm3gFZE09LS8XVOj8b8dIFdRZLptyAc9co-tjEKuDUAuHe_po9ueKj_iIla0l7sBKogM4uuQxVaI_3K12FfHj8aMqmdDtOD-_Jjrdh8l8FkblcAfqDqr0rBLbjBuOmkPaZ9RsQ-DblSzzMQ65PvGQ4_9Mn83phP3yH-b_RpDRqk1652dAU5lOMGTZ-0R-uXUmhrmM3hmM_F251ckbe6-OCj4sJCusu0n88PgVClUtOZMLXidcrWssCPOinJe1dWzA9FXtHxlzBMhG-NjtRIbhJZG8S2rSg6g9wEwWsSX4-RDmSCdBtoyFE8KIzowVFP4Vh-sMdW0JNK4akaMnJnyWxoFMdKdW2McADbbZaM1fMugQu6tGZWBBpHUM3BENluWC3imjUKImmE86Yhf3VCNOARu0ibUkwVZzEYstgmnSgb08mOWs-Nhz5aepw6BAqFZoOvQLrxi91o1PKhstMcuEccM8ctdHewy2SNjpzu1rc2wLlJBY_CrOIaCnOb5bIVelm4InqrqwdYGZ6A3tXpkahYRPu8luikC8RUte9nbkhyojhCPGgm3Rnsv17QQAL4w=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
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The multiple suspension bridges appeared again and again. The only difference was, this time it was only a few of us walking on them. Ryan the bridge shaker was not with us, and there was no longer the sight of a whole line of trekkers queuing up walking on the bridge.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Ah Li said to me much later after the trip: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"It would be fun to have the whole group go for a</b></span> <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>trek."</b></span></blockquote>
And I totally agree with her. Times like these certainly we felt the sudden quietness, almost like a loneliness compared to the buzzling crowd we had been having the past ten days. I was sure Patrick and Kc Tng these two buddies were still enjoying the nice walk <a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5229/5603686818_cc31a765b1_b.jpg" target="_blank">like they did six years back</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/mqRdFnFkVcJ6apVLmcWJNN5MNY9IHwFCandWq8oTTefeJyXhZdWeq2PoXLNs-iBSWWxVVXpcOwVW0zz1njQmK-TMKumDg5X7CSUsVGKJZ2PKfJkFRDGX-h9MNu0vl4Lq2OiEsEjQQwdoId_S2JLIRdfqA_IDbc-9eU_q15SiJbnE4l9fliwY3Ekv4Pc_7ryaKew55o8qq0mcuWtL8KwR62u2f6E4E75eJ2jesSM8mpYdYQnKQzpFC-GkWxC5zZ0v3LRUZrXHU8zLyq7e9HIkh_zufZBNa8p1KWy57CcFPGV3PSQcxBOm7sh3BDlstTZmq5wJRboJwvvsy8kajN-FgQdHFVvwndm-Imvqrm2zEEpGFQu5rUV24OfuZpsO573Em1K2_pkiWu3KInNyc9RzNzGuMpedPVyaZfx_O4eh_UeiHv2MubhuAEenWWvEXULYI9aUqF86ZbJjm5ViZRxUUoC5BBNFK__51ZS-4gov1JWeJTXAs_F6eoye5ZVVpFyo9blA5eqB4n-LADina21uD_0HeCKcmTZGCg1LO_WGOaRBvGdflVm6fOkaVEY0Y7KHx7WIGLStNkcZYPjUIpoYKSgcDijCdVWViYJ5hjnfstUZIMKRSBX_I-h2wrA7-EMpzC6ACE6F-0FD59Xh3u9xv5JcDkAd6NkG=w1003-h620-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1003" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/mqRdFnFkVcJ6apVLmcWJNN5MNY9IHwFCandWq8oTTefeJyXhZdWeq2PoXLNs-iBSWWxVVXpcOwVW0zz1njQmK-TMKumDg5X7CSUsVGKJZ2PKfJkFRDGX-h9MNu0vl4Lq2OiEsEjQQwdoId_S2JLIRdfqA_IDbc-9eU_q15SiJbnE4l9fliwY3Ekv4Pc_7ryaKew55o8qq0mcuWtL8KwR62u2f6E4E75eJ2jesSM8mpYdYQnKQzpFC-GkWxC5zZ0v3LRUZrXHU8zLyq7e9HIkh_zufZBNa8p1KWy57CcFPGV3PSQcxBOm7sh3BDlstTZmq5wJRboJwvvsy8kajN-FgQdHFVvwndm-Imvqrm2zEEpGFQu5rUV24OfuZpsO573Em1K2_pkiWu3KInNyc9RzNzGuMpedPVyaZfx_O4eh_UeiHv2MubhuAEenWWvEXULYI9aUqF86ZbJjm5ViZRxUUoC5BBNFK__51ZS-4gov1JWeJTXAs_F6eoye5ZVVpFyo9blA5eqB4n-LADina21uD_0HeCKcmTZGCg1LO_WGOaRBvGdflVm6fOkaVEY0Y7KHx7WIGLStNkcZYPjUIpoYKSgcDijCdVWViYJ5hjnfstUZIMKRSBX_I-h2wrA7-EMpzC6ACE6F-0FD59Xh3u9xv5JcDkAd6NkG=w1003-h620-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Kc Tng]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/DnijNno1NvxZ6z1SaJhlUBhlQ3GcQtZ1utPGVZDrwCwmyMSkQtA0qsO8t919aT_sJpNcej_UJ4KKa8VJsm7OC1Kc83So76lTRox-_mUCy5rr1wvx0BcAbz1uqaiuiG5GhPG9f99MO5lP8_fLOeo7e78EXDrvDXqzBpfkujpZ96oLuRI7uevJntitiExajmkxTnFuhRHIpVlxDx0Vzyd6hA3-gBjFZoo-Rb4H3jomhqKpKl7hbrI0EoYgHWm8HrGqGazARO8gkbxwYk7IshnkxlyvUbS-j9kysHJ09lhxlm8ivOMZClMMo_S3Ywe8yaG89MDChH7_sYYMWMrJI_UHl2jBn4-fS-9i7JIKDd5jT12jM9PDoO0N-B-LeYrpM7zjO4-OGYOXykdZrkrPOJ8X0xoqarOx3-NenYy2E4SLd2uXr88Xbygwew1MCNB6glI4Tl4uvMSFH2RAYjpHgS2AvyDPSqnHoA4rJ9X3tWoKuqf8vABJk8QVz6ZCr4FPvRWlanxeTwQYM4METaBrHjF56Eul_epawuDjT_k6nnMapyadBHHlqAkWW0Dt7qehe_Ta41tg33tyZK1O9ynt95D0iGnrbt0Vizwb4xqjHIIrPDIOa5CXey3ICY1qpucppQ1KW4sZE1BtcWcm2Kkt5GEhWgbXoSG4GOYu=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/DnijNno1NvxZ6z1SaJhlUBhlQ3GcQtZ1utPGVZDrwCwmyMSkQtA0qsO8t919aT_sJpNcej_UJ4KKa8VJsm7OC1Kc83So76lTRox-_mUCy5rr1wvx0BcAbz1uqaiuiG5GhPG9f99MO5lP8_fLOeo7e78EXDrvDXqzBpfkujpZ96oLuRI7uevJntitiExajmkxTnFuhRHIpVlxDx0Vzyd6hA3-gBjFZoo-Rb4H3jomhqKpKl7hbrI0EoYgHWm8HrGqGazARO8gkbxwYk7IshnkxlyvUbS-j9kysHJ09lhxlm8ivOMZClMMo_S3Ywe8yaG89MDChH7_sYYMWMrJI_UHl2jBn4-fS-9i7JIKDd5jT12jM9PDoO0N-B-LeYrpM7zjO4-OGYOXykdZrkrPOJ8X0xoqarOx3-NenYy2E4SLd2uXr88Xbygwew1MCNB6glI4Tl4uvMSFH2RAYjpHgS2AvyDPSqnHoA4rJ9X3tWoKuqf8vABJk8QVz6ZCr4FPvRWlanxeTwQYM4METaBrHjF56Eul_epawuDjT_k6nnMapyadBHHlqAkWW0Dt7qehe_Ta41tg33tyZK1O9ynt95D0iGnrbt0Vizwb4xqjHIIrPDIOa5CXey3ICY1qpucppQ1KW4sZE1BtcWcm2Kkt5GEhWgbXoSG4GOYu=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Very soon, we came back down to the banks of the Dudh Koshi once again, where Fann and I left puddles of our urine at her side some days back, behind some bushes. I wasn't sure, but it seemed that within a short period of 10 days, the trekking season seemed to have been over, for there were hardly any other trekkers except ourselves.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhavvGxYhJClPquoyE9tA6VPutEkhRi5t4zx5nBLIozfUt65b7bRJXdUB9BKVJVRg8Bg7iDg1UUV5Dao8Si90jarZJpfcqp3uIwEcbnGmoij_TE3vO595zVDh3P1uDDusox_ytycKNJBN8/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhavvGxYhJClPquoyE9tA6VPutEkhRi5t4zx5nBLIozfUt65b7bRJXdUB9BKVJVRg8Bg7iDg1UUV5Dao8Si90jarZJpfcqp3uIwEcbnGmoij_TE3vO595zVDh3P1uDDusox_ytycKNJBN8/w859-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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Suddenly it kind of felt a little lonely. But for a fleeting moment only. The daughters, Serene, Cheng Cheng, Ah Leong, KC Tng, Patrick were still with us. Jason and Matthew were of course way ahead already. Adrian was sweeping the whole platoon right at the back. It was a leisurely trek, and there was no sense of urgency, not even up till this point.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/OWs-UtcJ398eXyO0tEyBuo03XSVrXZFJ-vw8g8ce0nb59AaO6_Y6ZMzPkyNXBrmnmaIlgdFibjjyKDA7_kOp1ylls1Sl6ta_Ha0zb3C6elOggIPgFhKjnXWYPJKZ2KFi3kMR7DuYsE8S3Q5ocC-UMZGnxZMRihtCaHJB04FyJUqbmK7UmGMm5F04oNwy7pJcIS32ljlLttj3FDdgMjngRgYkJs8JYV_QkuU7PirhlPK6V4nCdE1G_C2k4leXTFQtcz5VRrH-2N2BKUJSBt2Aue_fmK04TJwMW7ICLTUrt025sqk1YEYA0CKny5T1lrdEXzusbMxwzycmVY8eoZw1RanqW38U4yJ0vBMZLAz-1ZP-1T50kNrEewLD1-JQWpcnzeUZIciroAOfmBlXnTRe3yZolrzVOm9UYyNYii3keGtCZu61UHUBbZ45lDM0xCZmKQSrFo82KCErFwoeRbouhHihafBJNLmljma8kKbDfKgzlRTg8ix_0KiIu_2IUcQxDQi6dGNjgg8E0Mywb0sXsRBAyqtYEtNYC5IJRuHN9UHB3Av1lvco8lP0RCNw6yHZUIVx0RxNP1hbdigLZLJ6boEjLNFBvQ5rnlgbq-EUYxq6GwsXABW5v1gDO6WITR8YNDP0QTBLcjWAONRAcP2IYeG1wsEyHkZ_eA=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/OWs-UtcJ398eXyO0tEyBuo03XSVrXZFJ-vw8g8ce0nb59AaO6_Y6ZMzPkyNXBrmnmaIlgdFibjjyKDA7_kOp1ylls1Sl6ta_Ha0zb3C6elOggIPgFhKjnXWYPJKZ2KFi3kMR7DuYsE8S3Q5ocC-UMZGnxZMRihtCaHJB04FyJUqbmK7UmGMm5F04oNwy7pJcIS32ljlLttj3FDdgMjngRgYkJs8JYV_QkuU7PirhlPK6V4nCdE1G_C2k4leXTFQtcz5VRrH-2N2BKUJSBt2Aue_fmK04TJwMW7ICLTUrt025sqk1YEYA0CKny5T1lrdEXzusbMxwzycmVY8eoZw1RanqW38U4yJ0vBMZLAz-1ZP-1T50kNrEewLD1-JQWpcnzeUZIciroAOfmBlXnTRe3yZolrzVOm9UYyNYii3keGtCZu61UHUBbZ45lDM0xCZmKQSrFo82KCErFwoeRbouhHihafBJNLmljma8kKbDfKgzlRTg8ix_0KiIu_2IUcQxDQi6dGNjgg8E0Mywb0sXsRBAyqtYEtNYC5IJRuHN9UHB3Av1lvco8lP0RCNw6yHZUIVx0RxNP1hbdigLZLJ6boEjLNFBvQ5rnlgbq-EUYxq6GwsXABW5v1gDO6WITR8YNDP0QTBLcjWAONRAcP2IYeG1wsEyHkZ_eA=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/010lWDxpOUwsKxiaqKnEsHMtr-1xWYUimCNEzyUekx0tGJA6Q19nqRG6RMYi2f5NMiINNVttwM4g0S_YWIiSDZ6g-TWp2LBnJ8yqRa1KK93wlINZo-t40LrxJAjBb0MFEhuiLKV8CNOyBDABcVAwrDKKBHfMSNwylUEQ-5eVXbPJoKxs40aBfbSeySQi0TMc_B_6YTLFRzChj54zE8-1mKJyzNO26Efl-uIg_khBKxRGSMFvmUj95EjVdXH-0AdDvufdu2qep912PZE5oqD-qg4nIj3AnmcFrqPcVmMk3LSj4htrHoXnxzJ6GKQ1WAfFjfxzwpLXJyde6gd5eLfNrk9kLFqCQjNEZZTe4r2ptZyl5OOmUHogbzp0KTE-Mq68EpgWBd_7ubFB0VjUNBu8eNUfDYbMWMVaacTKOfyY-xFM7oVFc3Xk_sgUUkyR8r-5ftMGiZbG9a23fM9YS6eEmXbi1o7IbgNl08azDsHDklegb86eeBWyXWIoPkYC4t74CFFB_qnnkJ6MyXy8hsPWesLUQ9ds1JOePNXMrsRjewKRDVXusGC1r1698T705EJEDvPyrCyNFPiec0Pk6E1OoIMnKP4hXWtnL3oFR2lCysL1_30vRVEizo36tnxTYXGOpjmtbAJ7YQjN6VATk1i9PrpasrekyBEp=w1003-h505-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="1003" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/010lWDxpOUwsKxiaqKnEsHMtr-1xWYUimCNEzyUekx0tGJA6Q19nqRG6RMYi2f5NMiINNVttwM4g0S_YWIiSDZ6g-TWp2LBnJ8yqRa1KK93wlINZo-t40LrxJAjBb0MFEhuiLKV8CNOyBDABcVAwrDKKBHfMSNwylUEQ-5eVXbPJoKxs40aBfbSeySQi0TMc_B_6YTLFRzChj54zE8-1mKJyzNO26Efl-uIg_khBKxRGSMFvmUj95EjVdXH-0AdDvufdu2qep912PZE5oqD-qg4nIj3AnmcFrqPcVmMk3LSj4htrHoXnxzJ6GKQ1WAfFjfxzwpLXJyde6gd5eLfNrk9kLFqCQjNEZZTe4r2ptZyl5OOmUHogbzp0KTE-Mq68EpgWBd_7ubFB0VjUNBu8eNUfDYbMWMVaacTKOfyY-xFM7oVFc3Xk_sgUUkyR8r-5ftMGiZbG9a23fM9YS6eEmXbi1o7IbgNl08azDsHDklegb86eeBWyXWIoPkYC4t74CFFB_qnnkJ6MyXy8hsPWesLUQ9ds1JOePNXMrsRjewKRDVXusGC1r1698T705EJEDvPyrCyNFPiec0Pk6E1OoIMnKP4hXWtnL3oFR2lCysL1_30vRVEizo36tnxTYXGOpjmtbAJ7YQjN6VATk1i9PrpasrekyBEp=w1003-h505-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Saying bye bye to Joarsalle. [Photo: Fann]<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/cer2ohad2b05_xByQ1fF06u0QHfx8s4R2A0vAF9cRxBnXMguz6bHmoxAFUPQ62cF8sVMwNkuf4nStrJnuFSoDNQyL3YBYO-LZy6S5ViXhXgEoXqni16UY7xkZckzSvpnUqgEFbnVx3rjpV809qgz4AMozsHylaGj_EnjrELOtzwEp1g6wLR6eoxgDbwchV33I70PEsNvX_0geZ2C0UPXrhzyIjjptjCjNolfWdSNOlpdsILKdl_s-9YwIt_FsMYFX3WwWWhbS0c7qsaqazySAA0ptHlSPYCIpN3sB3HIgqsfbjGBpk4yK8vu_0OEqDPwSu8qQZCFWsWuuDrZFVDEDGpjSfk2_iUL8WcRyDX0ijJ6r2gImGD56QEeP-axh6LkvFrXE1mMjeKgmsedTK1mkxY7EgHly2fpIasrS5vM1hWBNEijpL9i0jvgt7cZ7JH7rKn1TScmZnhdy4qMWOzsdQEqlLZdwsWNShM_WPSNghFp5kZFKhkOqwoRFwERB04wG4NmxciHQJhMuNqv242ADk7zjuI_SgSRu3QL_4l93lUVayJAWVtL6576EVte4rPm17ECTbYKah4w0mQJGFbstz7Yv2sdPLz7dLzypPCd3GxeY126AqOBLFJWO7YVTI32n-PmARYgz62uHi_D8RfyzJRbCBlFK2G4=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/cer2ohad2b05_xByQ1fF06u0QHfx8s4R2A0vAF9cRxBnXMguz6bHmoxAFUPQ62cF8sVMwNkuf4nStrJnuFSoDNQyL3YBYO-LZy6S5ViXhXgEoXqni16UY7xkZckzSvpnUqgEFbnVx3rjpV809qgz4AMozsHylaGj_EnjrELOtzwEp1g6wLR6eoxgDbwchV33I70PEsNvX_0geZ2C0UPXrhzyIjjptjCjNolfWdSNOlpdsILKdl_s-9YwIt_FsMYFX3WwWWhbS0c7qsaqazySAA0ptHlSPYCIpN3sB3HIgqsfbjGBpk4yK8vu_0OEqDPwSu8qQZCFWsWuuDrZFVDEDGpjSfk2_iUL8WcRyDX0ijJ6r2gImGD56QEeP-axh6LkvFrXE1mMjeKgmsedTK1mkxY7EgHly2fpIasrS5vM1hWBNEijpL9i0jvgt7cZ7JH7rKn1TScmZnhdy4qMWOzsdQEqlLZdwsWNShM_WPSNghFp5kZFKhkOqwoRFwERB04wG4NmxciHQJhMuNqv242ADk7zjuI_SgSRu3QL_4l93lUVayJAWVtL6576EVte4rPm17ECTbYKah4w0mQJGFbstz7Yv2sdPLz7dLzypPCd3GxeY126AqOBLFJWO7YVTI32n-PmARYgz62uHi_D8RfyzJRbCBlFK2G4=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The climb up towards Monjo was still exhausting and breathless. It could not be otherwise because it was a steep ascent. But today's climb felt shorter, and our steps felt slightly lighter. It had all to do with the heart lah. Our hearts were all in a calm mode, and our senses were all primed to soak in the sight, the breeze, the whole atmosphere. None of us were in much of a hurry. Cheng Cheng was particularly relaxed. I could always tell from behind it was her, not only from her pinkish outer shell, but also because of her gentle gait that was so suitable for trekking.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/RICXklt5VrrHyu7OF0-UTNlEIo3JVygf4n9Oao-T8iE77LkHByAxZdGQLHBIXqwPPaPsKEuP20OCY2CY1agdjnPvGBK6getL38py_SAa-peqZZy2xeTRlnGL_uJxe3vnbg96jsRWscQJRKqd-CnVOC0ezNmjbc0PClOJN-lDEwQXP8xSgpTP5yYu2uQXkxL1wqwo-knxwwgCkPO7VJtniKmcuPJ4ynmMtgtLKkhp_FDzvIdfjXB-NGeaOHEQOy--gU5JNNjDhEsTm5i-D7PmbubxTPglFPBcCqXw46Qlm5mNAg0Sn1qXemibCpswXRb4bQ3Q7l29OdJQdOxdcpYJQIuin2bEQWr7EWoDtrC281RumNVuOCA9O2J-ftbUcDAIg4UC7o14umQdrDB2O9qJuh7HaLMpbE9xvvanNn22LoAaAtZevka_UYC9AMfkLI6OZdelYigVkOpx5objOtcQ11Ig0rRbbc3s7yGM99cjIYgnbiMbfTud-wf_weXBqfo3WbSGyd-g77ROwGutHbpGOZe9PGo5r7qaJwVvu_981hUIKDTGIaD4V2tCPZmrNu3AOERslnPLEPDwJhB3HTdnJcIS-Qn4Y9p-7rTondLTKUw8KdNuy0kX8KFjxqxb231AVAXzDsCdcOY1FaHgOChUH0ttfxTsVwZ0=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/RICXklt5VrrHyu7OF0-UTNlEIo3JVygf4n9Oao-T8iE77LkHByAxZdGQLHBIXqwPPaPsKEuP20OCY2CY1agdjnPvGBK6getL38py_SAa-peqZZy2xeTRlnGL_uJxe3vnbg96jsRWscQJRKqd-CnVOC0ezNmjbc0PClOJN-lDEwQXP8xSgpTP5yYu2uQXkxL1wqwo-knxwwgCkPO7VJtniKmcuPJ4ynmMtgtLKkhp_FDzvIdfjXB-NGeaOHEQOy--gU5JNNjDhEsTm5i-D7PmbubxTPglFPBcCqXw46Qlm5mNAg0Sn1qXemibCpswXRb4bQ3Q7l29OdJQdOxdcpYJQIuin2bEQWr7EWoDtrC281RumNVuOCA9O2J-ftbUcDAIg4UC7o14umQdrDB2O9qJuh7HaLMpbE9xvvanNn22LoAaAtZevka_UYC9AMfkLI6OZdelYigVkOpx5objOtcQ11Ig0rRbbc3s7yGM99cjIYgnbiMbfTud-wf_weXBqfo3WbSGyd-g77ROwGutHbpGOZe9PGo5r7qaJwVvu_981hUIKDTGIaD4V2tCPZmrNu3AOERslnPLEPDwJhB3HTdnJcIS-Qn4Y9p-7rTondLTKUw8KdNuy0kX8KFjxqxb231AVAXzDsCdcOY1FaHgOChUH0ttfxTsVwZ0=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Even Serene never kao-beh much on this day on the ascent to Monjo. She was just conserving... just holding back, holding back.. and getting her engines revved up for the last burst of fire up to Lukla. In her memory, she could remember that last tough stretch of climb up Lukla.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Adrian told me I was a bit slow that night when we were walking back to Pheriche. So I told myself today I must try to walk faster lor,"</b></span> explained Serene later. Actually Adrian was quite correct in his assessment. Serene was the can one. The only stumbling block was her mind. Back home when she ran with me, once she caught on the 'second wind' on the run, she was like the wind.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/AwRc2tufzlKf6aakA9FjF7J6-R5g_v5uZUmAL-79_06541b8-Lya9PyHeVG_2ID-FZBA8fdONLiBItpKkF5181FKeVapmuoMOyU04W2_wHF19-tbvrlB-ODrtsGsCE0XU1_XZgt0QX9-9ggwjHNAZGI4o-o2rC7Q7lWwPEV_hJZP-jKhlSO4dNzkwIY0-acse0GqOOtZbqOwwn0DD31oUl8cNrTW7ai6E4ySIJ-KYlsjWnNMRPi8hkMSaQuxNt8rR8n_6Izek6STS7IFVXS-AffaDjCzDRgNrCXuElNKrZkAWrETXxalYsj-g6zfav0h85gjYd_-ZaPnMG1ejJsdyD_cImmbQmwyaHtJL01_masxse9YPdxGqQLNAY6VW7wejCp5H_0QWVCkSEh8Rz1xwJ4yBB2rPURNZuvhaGcJslTLtaDGSuk5HATGYSEDVeSgbjwICfyN2te3VhrR1PcoTi3UfYxLx2FXgc_WzkyBV7MzDhzu4YztBRUdOMPS6c2z8JcXQWjCsJJUw9hert2FxnblB-McaYzdj5ToeEWV7_ctFvqEZ6OMQHHiDKZ59siGGK_MP4pX1qsYoqMCVdSyNSoo8BEVoGYkQP0FXlts5hFO0Bp0MwrvXZKY6pUWZEilwDEdW9_--k7bM55kegRV7A8Yb9G2dOrPfQ=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/AwRc2tufzlKf6aakA9FjF7J6-R5g_v5uZUmAL-79_06541b8-Lya9PyHeVG_2ID-FZBA8fdONLiBItpKkF5181FKeVapmuoMOyU04W2_wHF19-tbvrlB-ODrtsGsCE0XU1_XZgt0QX9-9ggwjHNAZGI4o-o2rC7Q7lWwPEV_hJZP-jKhlSO4dNzkwIY0-acse0GqOOtZbqOwwn0DD31oUl8cNrTW7ai6E4ySIJ-KYlsjWnNMRPi8hkMSaQuxNt8rR8n_6Izek6STS7IFVXS-AffaDjCzDRgNrCXuElNKrZkAWrETXxalYsj-g6zfav0h85gjYd_-ZaPnMG1ejJsdyD_cImmbQmwyaHtJL01_masxse9YPdxGqQLNAY6VW7wejCp5H_0QWVCkSEh8Rz1xwJ4yBB2rPURNZuvhaGcJslTLtaDGSuk5HATGYSEDVeSgbjwICfyN2te3VhrR1PcoTi3UfYxLx2FXgc_WzkyBV7MzDhzu4YztBRUdOMPS6c2z8JcXQWjCsJJUw9hert2FxnblB-McaYzdj5ToeEWV7_ctFvqEZ6OMQHHiDKZ59siGGK_MP4pX1qsYoqMCVdSyNSoo8BEVoGYkQP0FXlts5hFO0Bp0MwrvXZKY6pUWZEilwDEdW9_--k7bM55kegRV7A8Yb9G2dOrPfQ=w483-h644-no" /></a></div>
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I particularly enjoyed this part of Monjo just next to Sagarmatha National Park station. The extensive prayer scriptures Om Mani Padme Hum carved on the rocks all over this part was the feature that told us- Monjo was near.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/56gvYL-Yx45u4q16N6Iskuk_p6ec_OnE-IeC4vMZbLTqiOj3JKasK41pgvs-EXlNk_CNe1xwCwk79XEGDzhHTEfqkfVw8dEVgycVshhXI7Lqru--hQbqwIblQKhap4fMb-Veq3It2LJ5k56mHstlvmLZWZYDlDMCfcp-S47Rr68WeFb-CMpzuYMmSEnusSUVzUMWvRHE0XU1NucVFGq0bVDU29crQOw6hL4Pwx-C9HtU6vlfTUIr7T7S3r62sj37y_4ILkKccIUAAupqHy63G8WIVEn0E07vgiXoT1qYF-2HWJsXW_5nHptOG0gUbTKjGpch7ue6NdlMvGf-AZWVLb3oPujdAwehslfytqwVPIkOXmjrI1_hhY4SFwHtGE7TQExNqPqfYNz_iXZAGkQQRY6La4IDbB32qFKcKx4KAXELkYdZcFahI3iw2mRWUlHkoFCif46nkEcT2MM14_26jPG72bns5xJXMDoqjATjAWO2ow7pV6Yw8fq2EyFOlDP71O64GwngM0jtJ29Mvk2xA4P_jbCxsAcfB52JNWaEW-KVULWhNoVx6SoP7naF7Ds_qggXJwXfp3PbK7YeJGRntqPezMJ_KotWNCYxL0S9P0uG-6Pr97NZfuJSKbpyuzGGO-1rpQEu35NiV2I_6AoRJI-_KxYKivc7dA=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/56gvYL-Yx45u4q16N6Iskuk_p6ec_OnE-IeC4vMZbLTqiOj3JKasK41pgvs-EXlNk_CNe1xwCwk79XEGDzhHTEfqkfVw8dEVgycVshhXI7Lqru--hQbqwIblQKhap4fMb-Veq3It2LJ5k56mHstlvmLZWZYDlDMCfcp-S47Rr68WeFb-CMpzuYMmSEnusSUVzUMWvRHE0XU1NucVFGq0bVDU29crQOw6hL4Pwx-C9HtU6vlfTUIr7T7S3r62sj37y_4ILkKccIUAAupqHy63G8WIVEn0E07vgiXoT1qYF-2HWJsXW_5nHptOG0gUbTKjGpch7ue6NdlMvGf-AZWVLb3oPujdAwehslfytqwVPIkOXmjrI1_hhY4SFwHtGE7TQExNqPqfYNz_iXZAGkQQRY6La4IDbB32qFKcKx4KAXELkYdZcFahI3iw2mRWUlHkoFCif46nkEcT2MM14_26jPG72bns5xJXMDoqjATjAWO2ow7pV6Yw8fq2EyFOlDP71O64GwngM0jtJ29Mvk2xA4P_jbCxsAcfB52JNWaEW-KVULWhNoVx6SoP7naF7Ds_qggXJwXfp3PbK7YeJGRntqPezMJ_KotWNCYxL0S9P0uG-6Pr97NZfuJSKbpyuzGGO-1rpQEu35NiV2I_6AoRJI-_KxYKivc7dA=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
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Monjo is quite a nice little village, in many ways no less flavourful than Phakding or Lukla. Guesthouses, restaurants, local shops stocking whatever one needs to buy for use on the trek abound.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChihBxAaAvorlO7NQ3F-0ptlBHn8HT_WT5q_cgsXSEBtFlUHZPaxyIOWrxVtPR1HJnY_kmQXVZIVysRICzJlU5T_YzCEZ7JZVGJBqcLqrauygxJJ5Z5ZZ9sqPeI3X47uiuD4LFsrFfjI/w483-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChihBxAaAvorlO7NQ3F-0ptlBHn8HT_WT5q_cgsXSEBtFlUHZPaxyIOWrxVtPR1HJnY_kmQXVZIVysRICzJlU5T_YzCEZ7JZVGJBqcLqrauygxJJ5Z5ZZ9sqPeI3X47uiuD4LFsrFfjI/w483-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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Cleverly, Adrian arranged for us to have lunch at Monjo at around <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>11:45pm</b></span>. A quaint little guesthouse restaurant serving nice coffee and Dal Bhat and pasta.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I guess we really don't have much time to count the gratuity later. So I need your help here. May I borrow your girls to do the job with me?"</b></span> asked Adrian. We gladly obliged. The last time we did this 6 years ago, the<a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5066/5605685982_c01f34b445_b.jpg" target="_blank"> honour was Serene and Patrick's.</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/WBx0lObhPe2FoWK0q4MoIUdjuaNl6kYhf9sKmr5cpeTAq9Whl3CgiQU_HJA6QO5aesMWFEDj5xXrY6wH_rCgWnpmYTV9G7OdYZwyuU59ylqvBfvq3kBOUw1V3cQK0jbaTMNa_TnkcbSXwNxg2kTPgKXDKi7--Wr67104xORCCRgg16K6lGcKJKKNEWtG7cMRerncd38wTv54OuJlnjeB96y6LfVaJr1G1DwwLWhTp6G3dSgpmb2OQGEXVLpEFdzVjig0bj-DYaNoAkkCwe-qeq-BagZztpcdNb2js-Nb0XUVrgLt5mMas45iy77AGNo4P2HzrANcG4XX3rZiO0uPvEAmqYLqsw_TQ7flC1v8zOe-kbLnMAuwFNdScAIc70qwnkBs9U5EhTgrr_FvJaPQ8uFnYdBOAY-sqB11wIvQeF96kcsh2VDytOfsGOO1Ch2ZR8hA-1G4izA30f1XOmB8AyZtDVKXbp8seSRKTjlWUGb5GuP9VhJLFjRen4LeRtsHe4qG9GZhSBa2dpxholDduUZPzkXaLU8mP_rwLWWfiARAy5jrCwf0-B6fQg0ZZ4YWmrrGl2c5p1CGywSUBZM_SZyI-A9nExwXyj2PYf2A3K9DUkOmNt11SvG0T3dcqggbmRBPtzs3IvIUzetyggoKghzkUfH54iJnaw=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/WBx0lObhPe2FoWK0q4MoIUdjuaNl6kYhf9sKmr5cpeTAq9Whl3CgiQU_HJA6QO5aesMWFEDj5xXrY6wH_rCgWnpmYTV9G7OdYZwyuU59ylqvBfvq3kBOUw1V3cQK0jbaTMNa_TnkcbSXwNxg2kTPgKXDKi7--Wr67104xORCCRgg16K6lGcKJKKNEWtG7cMRerncd38wTv54OuJlnjeB96y6LfVaJr1G1DwwLWhTp6G3dSgpmb2OQGEXVLpEFdzVjig0bj-DYaNoAkkCwe-qeq-BagZztpcdNb2js-Nb0XUVrgLt5mMas45iy77AGNo4P2HzrANcG4XX3rZiO0uPvEAmqYLqsw_TQ7flC1v8zOe-kbLnMAuwFNdScAIc70qwnkBs9U5EhTgrr_FvJaPQ8uFnYdBOAY-sqB11wIvQeF96kcsh2VDytOfsGOO1Ch2ZR8hA-1G4izA30f1XOmB8AyZtDVKXbp8seSRKTjlWUGb5GuP9VhJLFjRen4LeRtsHe4qG9GZhSBa2dpxholDduUZPzkXaLU8mP_rwLWWfiARAy5jrCwf0-B6fQg0ZZ4YWmrrGl2c5p1CGywSUBZM_SZyI-A9nExwXyj2PYf2A3K9DUkOmNt11SvG0T3dcqggbmRBPtzs3IvIUzetyggoKghzkUfH54iJnaw=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
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Lunch time came just nice before noon. KC Tng and ourselves we were all really famished and were ready for some replenishment. Only upon thinking back that we realised that it would be another under 6 hours before we would arrive back in Lukla. Of course we had snacks in our daypacks still, but a proper meal was still a proper meal.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/oZgzP1tSciCI0R5pUEfxYwqlQ7NLhWwjrtU2Uz6HT8QiHbsB9LAy5-dV9qBFZ76WtGpNMuBZ1DcZfiu3O-ONTkpuoFfPMt8xNT7KJ-t0g577EtxeCkg9kkwbZNAMyqL4MSiEnGnSaOBbJ2VVB3xvGQCibZ04lZ3m11N7lDcu6yS3Er9uQco9ic121YMsLcGWXKqBQQh2ql2e4uHxqrLjqMXJu-auGKycVwYx8wqC5JlfKn5-gVH8-CpPlYorn80glPzpZu87ojumYLj2rz_urfLMQfEu-QehLEb24Ztid_f91hgxmZ5ibgquH9Mlk-N6i0On4k1Gv4bGTlnn121B1HloYJZc4DUfswp8QOjC4wUJcRW1IzunFG5hAvLw4ApO0i_-903zgQjORCeRfaSxijVC0IOXTyJgM95gSMhkuaoqIGpHTVHdPQJWEzGY7KvJVti2drutP1Qg4X3CTMnTuPU4waE87RgkYa8-7Ik0IteD5Pu8vdfuPDe20oWJ3WpToEXIKIRF2Bf9L933Xbkm53CU2jaJfabwCsYVbNdtECWCcsq1QgLctL-rXR2gvtdZYWsVEnOFf43whic56QRgTU5SJaWgOBCXngojMnM-miP1qGQffViCVSKGzvcUM4Ev64UsqgPwuWICfJOx4qquI79QDsg8GQg2uA=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/oZgzP1tSciCI0R5pUEfxYwqlQ7NLhWwjrtU2Uz6HT8QiHbsB9LAy5-dV9qBFZ76WtGpNMuBZ1DcZfiu3O-ONTkpuoFfPMt8xNT7KJ-t0g577EtxeCkg9kkwbZNAMyqL4MSiEnGnSaOBbJ2VVB3xvGQCibZ04lZ3m11N7lDcu6yS3Er9uQco9ic121YMsLcGWXKqBQQh2ql2e4uHxqrLjqMXJu-auGKycVwYx8wqC5JlfKn5-gVH8-CpPlYorn80glPzpZu87ojumYLj2rz_urfLMQfEu-QehLEb24Ztid_f91hgxmZ5ibgquH9Mlk-N6i0On4k1Gv4bGTlnn121B1HloYJZc4DUfswp8QOjC4wUJcRW1IzunFG5hAvLw4ApO0i_-903zgQjORCeRfaSxijVC0IOXTyJgM95gSMhkuaoqIGpHTVHdPQJWEzGY7KvJVti2drutP1Qg4X3CTMnTuPU4waE87RgkYa8-7Ik0IteD5Pu8vdfuPDe20oWJ3WpToEXIKIRF2Bf9L933Xbkm53CU2jaJfabwCsYVbNdtECWCcsq1QgLctL-rXR2gvtdZYWsVEnOFf43whic56QRgTU5SJaWgOBCXngojMnM-miP1qGQffViCVSKGzvcUM4Ev64UsqgPwuWICfJOx4qquI79QDsg8GQg2uA=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Up till this stage I was still harbouring phobia of Dal Bhat and chose pasta instead.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/Iuq7u4gVHPJ2n2ttMsM9EX-p-awERquDA-mc0hSzmfYXWBcgsP67lxfJUXOnStwLdKDDAPqAnxnrUrgfq8BX21w0mM0O5DFDy9aBr_-B4eQ4Sx8Gwcr0Dh9nDs39dA_4Gxfm_YRD2pX7hBt8ocsgxJ2vL1p0f7Sj_vZ1qfTlf55tU6ghhlHOabpeMXjZZUhOH-3GJEdIpgQmIx3wfRM5aLDbtw1Y4nDgCFcyXHs-REIjmk3rSXTe5oVNQLWjI9X3NiWksMRhTiV5ZU1piJ6k3FhN-XyoqqHwpfwBXQ5azHsZ_tXIY9ABUj-qFLO-Yl_QlIM51j57yRSReVP9l7hU0nc18nHARUj3mObkTy0SSxN-bZZwLdaLuntQC6wrL9yvOToI4hPpnyD5CmQIMbkIPuE8oPhXcRZ5RLLnHUtwtK9YjWGxq1F1SMdXLCNh5TuQKElJ4eo48oeOr74mYjmTHBLxjdwMmzjvZHUYOAk2HT8qrBJy0VJjrBHFlHyOCCDXzXbs9jKWa61XgkNDZoa3MjeaPrG09J73VwmOuCYeaDa6YtJgYmSZEObs_HTA82ob7v8PFRlihTXmeDy9dVc1oO6RMQDxV5Ei0du0rRy0fFMmGoAXiZygqYaykqnUUMCMl5Nariqfaxk-LaLrut6QcyaM3kAoLVA7-g=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/Iuq7u4gVHPJ2n2ttMsM9EX-p-awERquDA-mc0hSzmfYXWBcgsP67lxfJUXOnStwLdKDDAPqAnxnrUrgfq8BX21w0mM0O5DFDy9aBr_-B4eQ4Sx8Gwcr0Dh9nDs39dA_4Gxfm_YRD2pX7hBt8ocsgxJ2vL1p0f7Sj_vZ1qfTlf55tU6ghhlHOabpeMXjZZUhOH-3GJEdIpgQmIx3wfRM5aLDbtw1Y4nDgCFcyXHs-REIjmk3rSXTe5oVNQLWjI9X3NiWksMRhTiV5ZU1piJ6k3FhN-XyoqqHwpfwBXQ5azHsZ_tXIY9ABUj-qFLO-Yl_QlIM51j57yRSReVP9l7hU0nc18nHARUj3mObkTy0SSxN-bZZwLdaLuntQC6wrL9yvOToI4hPpnyD5CmQIMbkIPuE8oPhXcRZ5RLLnHUtwtK9YjWGxq1F1SMdXLCNh5TuQKElJ4eo48oeOr74mYjmTHBLxjdwMmzjvZHUYOAk2HT8qrBJy0VJjrBHFlHyOCCDXzXbs9jKWa61XgkNDZoa3MjeaPrG09J73VwmOuCYeaDa6YtJgYmSZEObs_HTA82ob7v8PFRlihTXmeDy9dVc1oO6RMQDxV5Ei0du0rRy0fFMmGoAXiZygqYaykqnUUMCMl5Nariqfaxk-LaLrut6QcyaM3kAoLVA7-g=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA93lkAkfFecf4bvG5cpK5EjRJdMXWcc6mkdjlRPfUPIx8_hreurTtdWihE_19uSQt8eWHPNt_UVutx_HSvzD2HJF5N1wzrmpyATGvIDFJkNpjU1me9o8_0i9pVW-RlUhMWYkyjb39fc8/w890-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="888" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA93lkAkfFecf4bvG5cpK5EjRJdMXWcc6mkdjlRPfUPIx8_hreurTtdWihE_19uSQt8eWHPNt_UVutx_HSvzD2HJF5N1wzrmpyATGvIDFJkNpjU1me9o8_0i9pVW-RlUhMWYkyjb39fc8/w890-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Prem and with Sabinn Rai. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The last view of Monjo before we said good bye to this little village.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/kt56ZcqyEjHfTpaTgDg45xRbMPsZwFPuyZ-KcnajxPsNb3-CaAd4f4nTI5ao1Z9Krb4n3DY3Ma7nuDpNk6cNfz7fwvIYANnXtih3PMY1_VV0KkTE8fZZKrHRhvDSBTV9YNnuajMpzQFTXFk34pSb4OVHkK7UdHouD1Uh_aUuLI-yeypY4HE9oFxxcp3dMjBDRZ-w4hYSDwvri_V6fxH-fiwTC6J1VRRPvsBx6Cd8413joRjUotaRkXg47AdfaGnpv30-UnJfoGckiKTjVJybMsETewjgYFxZp2Aa2s2NsVZj7_qs5Z1WDbh9OhGICSnwwetcqE4LejOHXZrvtPAviD0T44LgBQ0bAJlT4h7RNp7NQxY5UomkjIjp1d3wzQFyC_3_bKxjzmr1nq3q6RY7NzyXlkmeIM1PgDHlaYldCTcnRC839JB5PUc8eeGdpfhh8p_7JCbySkLMUP1b-suUWXrWkkhOPCpYVad00vMNz-kpPZ4XrQUmt3DhxIZ9eU8nStzl-zJjJtjGZG4zVk8kIYLHe8Jm2-j4x9ZnSIGDxOb6LfV4h7LQuxrYrksW5Jfz8xssmN_UeR8F2Hg41X3-T8mDWrKh0PZvAmwWZh4i4mIaYWCEQ5POsPUlq9DkDRkPl5J75WLYLLnPnRf2_rtROBp4r7KNBVTjig=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/kt56ZcqyEjHfTpaTgDg45xRbMPsZwFPuyZ-KcnajxPsNb3-CaAd4f4nTI5ao1Z9Krb4n3DY3Ma7nuDpNk6cNfz7fwvIYANnXtih3PMY1_VV0KkTE8fZZKrHRhvDSBTV9YNnuajMpzQFTXFk34pSb4OVHkK7UdHouD1Uh_aUuLI-yeypY4HE9oFxxcp3dMjBDRZ-w4hYSDwvri_V6fxH-fiwTC6J1VRRPvsBx6Cd8413joRjUotaRkXg47AdfaGnpv30-UnJfoGckiKTjVJybMsETewjgYFxZp2Aa2s2NsVZj7_qs5Z1WDbh9OhGICSnwwetcqE4LejOHXZrvtPAviD0T44LgBQ0bAJlT4h7RNp7NQxY5UomkjIjp1d3wzQFyC_3_bKxjzmr1nq3q6RY7NzyXlkmeIM1PgDHlaYldCTcnRC839JB5PUc8eeGdpfhh8p_7JCbySkLMUP1b-suUWXrWkkhOPCpYVad00vMNz-kpPZ4XrQUmt3DhxIZ9eU8nStzl-zJjJtjGZG4zVk8kIYLHe8Jm2-j4x9ZnSIGDxOb6LfV4h7LQuxrYrksW5Jfz8xssmN_UeR8F2Hg41X3-T8mDWrKh0PZvAmwWZh4i4mIaYWCEQ5POsPUlq9DkDRkPl5J75WLYLLnPnRf2_rtROBp4r7KNBVTjig=w920-h690-no" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Four weeks after our return from Nepal...</b></span><br />
<br />
Every day as I went through each consultation, almost every single patient had his/her attention drawn to the blown up family portrait of my family at Syangboche by <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KQpQdAF4VM77BFDpTv0IBFobayItZA-Z_D6Fjm9zzJOb-FrTd2oRyJgzUCFfvbGxzuva7VeXuHoBgvlNjf9WhlNLqc5bEORVxEN1wC7sPcSZW-AnY9erAkuoY2AML4zDC-b3m1qbqytP9hyA4R2HO9gvwkerZXreG7EKk4tDgapHtTI_QEoxrHvy-jyAzn4L5iYfcmgB8wuAfdQBwhf7PKJZH4Dh7d8F4uw3l-d1WToPEEpQ8IpZt2ciPa6KiWxakvd8dOEFOf5MR1D10fTzUY3NMMXanY7FoorQJkL-oR3WE1qaJE3DU5nuIFIZ7waD4LUawuuKJcUDMJIu74uNgFUAFVMWC_d7r5wcQWBvJWGawsapJM27x4uxfYatGGARhE4QqS2la2E2wBxv_4KNF-HKe3rtlSHWZ93hBNPxwwZ2L0_UqDMPfd9vGUxE_KzOD_ifJfvv4Evttw4dXRcmFcL4neceA2ID6FuB9OJK1NkyUumUVBSV3VflYD6HLOfV-JeIjkKsuJjv7fmKdFMJy7hPNQJwnXF7rZylwS3WiKsbgJvlB7SX3DT_wAD8rD9R2_0NUUvO-zc6vaXLBW9QXNeJUY7uikctau2rw_0A=w667-h600-no" target="_blank">KC Tng</a> and the Kala Patthar rock from <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RB9RudGiKdbOEpgga7_kySFm7E2VnygcOIHIjG91yZCbuMWy87sQBcJPpXkKZKDe_LurMcKNyQjzzLV1_GaN_4upECKDbDjTx8x5KsEal-gWNd64AhvFgObCk9eyH0MfIfWXbpFwpQLkUrVAlBbKkwVmtbv1C6lSVYy_PwOP0odSaH0Xr5ssYHh5g5DC3S4VDlrWVtv1p2KUsC0O1rwLT3AsnLxStmJmT1xs7tb3bUxSPch5ZroubYlfQgw99hYqX_R6My16cspCUF9IJ1YcHc-Dtu06QWutECLGQcIh-CWDOI4_FdedUPJGMQ0e-WxKZb2WfeVdUgQ8h3IK0sb6bY3_IYa6VlAzhCGvoJeJjYRA0AXnKg2Z5PuXZ4_ovbdonQ9qPo2ewjw3KGL31yyc_ycAKJmux08RR9lvR-K9aOh6R2YBCbvLbpcDgM2vAh4x2ioDPJPVO0lH6HCXXIavtuQWt6RjDzGIGh5ZROwR_HEsb_sRDUHGle5PBm5zbSZWKcvP48mp7y3FRmxgzloBqV2EixIsIPZQK1cUTM7TqFm8PvBvhG8KevjWxzaZC4edyNU_yVDiXtysFmuFeIJ0RGW5Unc75ScbtFqzWaAOMuZdO1AVTnuec6_WyLjAREBVDihi-cpiYIv7O6nMVKfeN4vOLBUUIWdXRA=w338-h600-no" target="_blank">Kong Wan and Ai Lin</a>, displayed prominently at the back of my desk.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Wow, such a beautiful photo, and what magnificent background!"</b></span></blockquote>
They were really conversational pieces, and I found myself repeating our experiences to many of those who had always wanted to trek to Nepal with their family and friends, but had never plucked the courage to take that first step. My answer to them was always a strong affirmative.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"It's life-changing," </b></span>I reassured them, as I pointed to the photo and the framed rock.</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/81x4WXDeJPLFKmDhWCuYQU3kNNGnomN59hrOPeUNADNlA-we8fBaOM1WQPrEBh3mPSYP5EhqIoFbuwN94hFiRotKAmOF0YKCLRwIZN54MLq4nVEVmY_-ZWidQaYc8SP1wMVP4bvNuCYBnT3fCR_9PnQP4lF9vAg5Es-73j07sgs6lhnBGOx4BWhghHvScsSAaIjn_nM2yF9bssYIE3N-KIVUZquY0T8jhyD7HHo9L6uX27VfypXXfVDr_P-4sWVjPqT3xZEnWbuPTq0SyahMZPRRtY7Xk6fyuZ3JQzRo86Vcf8RGx8_yf01WyJjJ3l0fuQ9eZTwW4-Uoh9R61PZKG24znovKVupu6sk7kelaLeUvCJeNPJaGDRHgfdiFP4lxwhdJ2QYP4wbd7Aa5DyXxFTFAMa3RjXL2EFzQll9zzXmuEj2kVHVMi7VbcRiAy1tdUSjBdUi2yr1VV3nmagh7ELMkUhTGWQJt6GaY6FtF3mXdWvO5YSRWcm6pAlxbXUEef7C1nkCnkABYMu837q5XTYoTnjjyQs7tBY9U-YF1vD5vMMTHy2lXe4SSEbMTDRDLKJGI-xkkRml9hq8uu-5i4eKzvMNaI0vYHph5rafB=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/81x4WXDeJPLFKmDhWCuYQU3kNNGnomN59hrOPeUNADNlA-we8fBaOM1WQPrEBh3mPSYP5EhqIoFbuwN94hFiRotKAmOF0YKCLRwIZN54MLq4nVEVmY_-ZWidQaYc8SP1wMVP4bvNuCYBnT3fCR_9PnQP4lF9vAg5Es-73j07sgs6lhnBGOx4BWhghHvScsSAaIjn_nM2yF9bssYIE3N-KIVUZquY0T8jhyD7HHo9L6uX27VfypXXfVDr_P-4sWVjPqT3xZEnWbuPTq0SyahMZPRRtY7Xk6fyuZ3JQzRo86Vcf8RGx8_yf01WyJjJ3l0fuQ9eZTwW4-Uoh9R61PZKG24znovKVupu6sk7kelaLeUvCJeNPJaGDRHgfdiFP4lxwhdJ2QYP4wbd7Aa5DyXxFTFAMa3RjXL2EFzQll9zzXmuEj2kVHVMi7VbcRiAy1tdUSjBdUi2yr1VV3nmagh7ELMkUhTGWQJt6GaY6FtF3mXdWvO5YSRWcm6pAlxbXUEef7C1nkCnkABYMu837q5XTYoTnjjyQs7tBY9U-YF1vD5vMMTHy2lXe4SSEbMTDRDLKJGI-xkkRml9hq8uu-5i4eKzvMNaI0vYHph5rafB=w800-h600-no" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My gratitude to Kong Wan, Ai Lin and KC Tng for the generous gifts!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Back to somewhere near Bengkar...</b></span><br />
<br />
Time was running out fast. We had to quicken our pace a little. We had had two days of trek when we ended up arriving in the dark at 6:30pm and 7:30pm. I was really hoping we could escape the same fate on this day.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/h-AlTHbDhtxqQT7xU_eNYVHSdjQDTdU3FQd0EzBvUzICAYxZA6-s38PiqckRP_Bz6LPYrwF7fuvmISAOD-Nci1OveNvOgFQdrNR8byAvpdOtVPZuL23fsMpPBPBpMPknvhP2bNDxVNtB1FJiQhVhonig3is0iVhmDx6G4ruHVIV3yBkw74f1RhRIoNSDO2ghCPfDLzull5uQycrJ06L5ART0CVsooQqV_1ZKhMe-CYr6TPUxkERfMTKN3pR4Cp2iMhhK5j0utWflsReDOjRVULREVoC9fMtIHmIuPqab426-MoiNSRnZCzzUKAmkRlDH5jB3zpW4rE_r275DlHp06O2-y_3I4NHUZ7HKbPXz_aDSELg1qhPpE00S30lkD9nSEQMc0tF0vnlX3kGfYL828NxhPqSK14JkvjJFXKcX6EpO5WBsgHtQ2aas2jderfP1WoS-GyxMmfleVClkov7xPQQDNQqn6ec2_Ypb5Z7V2M5BRSjbNKIUlsm-NGIP_2tynaUJQXBWe_Nvbe3QT_fH_hps8J3Lr2LbV3hVhSMw_0QmnG9TTeO3or2XFycMGkjuvCJoA1K_PiD-QU9_rAaMNkdWXqYdCAmZiBMF2Z-m0H8GBg4Qxevyam58Zk5hISvF8BNgTlepJ3Rf4L6t5pdGXnS0OZb52Kx8=w552-h893-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="551" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/h-AlTHbDhtxqQT7xU_eNYVHSdjQDTdU3FQd0EzBvUzICAYxZA6-s38PiqckRP_Bz6LPYrwF7fuvmISAOD-Nci1OveNvOgFQdrNR8byAvpdOtVPZuL23fsMpPBPBpMPknvhP2bNDxVNtB1FJiQhVhonig3is0iVhmDx6G4ruHVIV3yBkw74f1RhRIoNSDO2ghCPfDLzull5uQycrJ06L5ART0CVsooQqV_1ZKhMe-CYr6TPUxkERfMTKN3pR4Cp2iMhhK5j0utWflsReDOjRVULREVoC9fMtIHmIuPqab426-MoiNSRnZCzzUKAmkRlDH5jB3zpW4rE_r275DlHp06O2-y_3I4NHUZ7HKbPXz_aDSELg1qhPpE00S30lkD9nSEQMc0tF0vnlX3kGfYL828NxhPqSK14JkvjJFXKcX6EpO5WBsgHtQ2aas2jderfP1WoS-GyxMmfleVClkov7xPQQDNQqn6ec2_Ypb5Z7V2M5BRSjbNKIUlsm-NGIP_2tynaUJQXBWe_Nvbe3QT_fH_hps8J3Lr2LbV3hVhSMw_0QmnG9TTeO3or2XFycMGkjuvCJoA1K_PiD-QU9_rAaMNkdWXqYdCAmZiBMF2Z-m0H8GBg4Qxevyam58Zk5hISvF8BNgTlepJ3Rf4L6t5pdGXnS0OZb52Kx8=w552-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Kc Tng]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/GK8tR5tpLgUx9sEhOirXkx486F48eXt2LanIODO4glmaTOBBVZtA5WHcty2a1VBUw2KWvptfdeM1lZbXT1suW4Jc5Lu9l0VVB_wzk-PUa8VqitEungcK6EXfzTvUr-NkjD6Q4JW6UPNJudAk5rBzB5I3k65JbfYE1js2hf0T20RudaSbzyVrpaKVQBsfbKEuOPxu0VQd_xdBWPkNjEaVX4O08DnW3YI8bnmdMvYGwDYIcaD_g8u4naDS8KoqaDKvGDyX7U6j9Siv2NSMl2aw43Wbf7iO9PotC3s_09E6PIbMpIDO2zad_M96YADkz0lBGPw96iXfxEmUy8xMJJp5VdwKv3eeh-5aMFe22J4k7N5Ng6ClArJ01VLaiqayAuMu9fVFdvnJbiTSPT9jRoV_rzFMYTf0ahBvsiaT1UC-6KAhEu_kJy3ZlVCAY0fg7dxiV6jltIXZ5wM7mM2GKzs3LwJ2Ac1LxLsslD-wuj4KKK2t11V77qQWlDzbaGGAQC4ZD3j-sdMxCGUTersH3vaWHF1aVq5e5NLHuWxX9nQIcWP8RA7PArEKhUFkKq8d6AKj9sLDt-R-iIeUIOiNVGonPoySVq2dn4P6HWIvZch2gZaMfmM7czIIOE8CYgkZQlTxakFZOg8N1nW_LJKVQaQyzOOk8iV9upQw_Q=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/GK8tR5tpLgUx9sEhOirXkx486F48eXt2LanIODO4glmaTOBBVZtA5WHcty2a1VBUw2KWvptfdeM1lZbXT1suW4Jc5Lu9l0VVB_wzk-PUa8VqitEungcK6EXfzTvUr-NkjD6Q4JW6UPNJudAk5rBzB5I3k65JbfYE1js2hf0T20RudaSbzyVrpaKVQBsfbKEuOPxu0VQd_xdBWPkNjEaVX4O08DnW3YI8bnmdMvYGwDYIcaD_g8u4naDS8KoqaDKvGDyX7U6j9Siv2NSMl2aw43Wbf7iO9PotC3s_09E6PIbMpIDO2zad_M96YADkz0lBGPw96iXfxEmUy8xMJJp5VdwKv3eeh-5aMFe22J4k7N5Ng6ClArJ01VLaiqayAuMu9fVFdvnJbiTSPT9jRoV_rzFMYTf0ahBvsiaT1UC-6KAhEu_kJy3ZlVCAY0fg7dxiV6jltIXZ5wM7mM2GKzs3LwJ2Ac1LxLsslD-wuj4KKK2t11V77qQWlDzbaGGAQC4ZD3j-sdMxCGUTersH3vaWHF1aVq5e5NLHuWxX9nQIcWP8RA7PArEKhUFkKq8d6AKj9sLDt-R-iIeUIOiNVGonPoySVq2dn4P6HWIvZch2gZaMfmM7czIIOE8CYgkZQlTxakFZOg8N1nW_LJKVQaQyzOOk8iV9upQw_Q=w920-h690-no" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/yIczaRybgwGagQ-CupilxA3Yu5aUnuOJzlq4WSc6EKTJ5YWeAoaj66mfOsE2_U5ZsydXXae1ezjFNhASMT-XH1GefSfi7LA0XRd7Drl0NQ9t98U820XMYvd05iIwZ1yoARwEcQHo4sw5KNzB9e9CgAt08bNeNZ7RIXC9n8dDAmbtwOB3v6JvR9YPOfF6eCufZqLlDuVEXYLm0ZIrWsqRX_ih2lgeerD5HEMW_MteVwgcAlynUOEdcC32fk3KX0XZHWLa7ZKFC0auTb__OBPjvJ1FFMOv9KYmPAs58KejDR2TEOP9b_i-ExVr3hcxiMc2MXiBYbXnO46E9kyOpxhsivzebKbDeSFxMB84hp6f-JClkTAdEuMD2xlQPtb-MKEijQf8AE15g7aARd-vhVy4B3qQvl96rUj0F4kH1Qa7xnv0-NVjueJllhoYFjVlEFZOzEMhuRgOyU0bkqeuRwlGn5TKuxbwK1GATI_lD3GugezjktHC60RipUGYiy6Itr-McoDd0O0E3CNgbZyEGnGEmjm8u5Ox5L1Luz-TPAbyYuFi4QfP9wVGrJA76Y4kCG0uzrONue1xK1lJAQQv_4LO_gHv8DVgVk5yu-_vJleCE9pBBX8dqTinbyKxePAocVcJUeflRIM65rjMJ_2INw-h4mG_sTrClihp=w920-h569-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="920" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/yIczaRybgwGagQ-CupilxA3Yu5aUnuOJzlq4WSc6EKTJ5YWeAoaj66mfOsE2_U5ZsydXXae1ezjFNhASMT-XH1GefSfi7LA0XRd7Drl0NQ9t98U820XMYvd05iIwZ1yoARwEcQHo4sw5KNzB9e9CgAt08bNeNZ7RIXC9n8dDAmbtwOB3v6JvR9YPOfF6eCufZqLlDuVEXYLm0ZIrWsqRX_ih2lgeerD5HEMW_MteVwgcAlynUOEdcC32fk3KX0XZHWLa7ZKFC0auTb__OBPjvJ1FFMOv9KYmPAs58KejDR2TEOP9b_i-ExVr3hcxiMc2MXiBYbXnO46E9kyOpxhsivzebKbDeSFxMB84hp6f-JClkTAdEuMD2xlQPtb-MKEijQf8AE15g7aARd-vhVy4B3qQvl96rUj0F4kH1Qa7xnv0-NVjueJllhoYFjVlEFZOzEMhuRgOyU0bkqeuRwlGn5TKuxbwK1GATI_lD3GugezjktHC60RipUGYiy6Itr-McoDd0O0E3CNgbZyEGnGEmjm8u5Ox5L1Luz-TPAbyYuFi4QfP9wVGrJA76Y4kCG0uzrONue1xK1lJAQQv_4LO_gHv8DVgVk5yu-_vJleCE9pBBX8dqTinbyKxePAocVcJUeflRIM65rjMJ_2INw-h4mG_sTrClihp=w920-h569-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/g-DaojfrNeWnxMm-3GuvJAakpM2Em1nPyBnNYR_FZ5eR7XOlnXIYkj8kTFHCqGfABdMP0zkMfvSCpW6sq-JFnG5FtnsPVh-0K9Im0xjz65kFVRVcLn6HVAOWlR8L-2U3t2Tuh0UAavPA71C8bAfx3FLm6ivdUO8VtkdNpbAQ-dqFPtbBg-jw9KvR-qK5voZxp810Fw52BIwNNYLQAL70-kJn4h1gxZzawE1xv2C0-Uh4Sn6upVIJ1JoI-rZjqVyN7vkx2NlqGmp7x2AU7QCvhbJAEbr4fk9YxadjPNLZ8WJSt4B9xMc_ZR6W3oQXBrpoNm0N7796JawjzWcOiIcaK3zDcoyB8IxN12MqnbYZ1qfyUlLdb9zR7RCGHEKIQs-19scxyjje6RS5-ZBjhVcZ6JKmEPZyrWrHMEJ1ymeEt5Z9Huv2VVQ5xmarlBEz6iq79aevtdECQiZ8qqTbAtxy36J0Hucw-dPjlJQq65oVUV4W1mmzRcL1w60y7x9iZkiBw185Wt3hItpuvYaBsHr7uPKS0_vGWozyY6gHlC7PCiDOPQHbRtILvzIQsFecTnhm2TPQVycRhaiSPqjqhlwjTJGDdNhZWEW4zE0i2uxh7Ru6xJ4f4_URb5xG8HzvONofoOqCo7zGmHLICQaB8QD_-IFAv5Vl0ahM=w552-h893-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/g-DaojfrNeWnxMm-3GuvJAakpM2Em1nPyBnNYR_FZ5eR7XOlnXIYkj8kTFHCqGfABdMP0zkMfvSCpW6sq-JFnG5FtnsPVh-0K9Im0xjz65kFVRVcLn6HVAOWlR8L-2U3t2Tuh0UAavPA71C8bAfx3FLm6ivdUO8VtkdNpbAQ-dqFPtbBg-jw9KvR-qK5voZxp810Fw52BIwNNYLQAL70-kJn4h1gxZzawE1xv2C0-Uh4Sn6upVIJ1JoI-rZjqVyN7vkx2NlqGmp7x2AU7QCvhbJAEbr4fk9YxadjPNLZ8WJSt4B9xMc_ZR6W3oQXBrpoNm0N7796JawjzWcOiIcaK3zDcoyB8IxN12MqnbYZ1qfyUlLdb9zR7RCGHEKIQs-19scxyjje6RS5-ZBjhVcZ6JKmEPZyrWrHMEJ1ymeEt5Z9Huv2VVQ5xmarlBEz6iq79aevtdECQiZ8qqTbAtxy36J0Hucw-dPjlJQq65oVUV4W1mmzRcL1w60y7x9iZkiBw185Wt3hItpuvYaBsHr7uPKS0_vGWozyY6gHlC7PCiDOPQHbRtILvzIQsFecTnhm2TPQVycRhaiSPqjqhlwjTJGDdNhZWEW4zE0i2uxh7Ru6xJ4f4_URb5xG8HzvONofoOqCo7zGmHLICQaB8QD_-IFAv5Vl0ahM=w552-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KC Tng and Prem [Photo: Kc Tng]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/xkxlftPAXPoc3pYxNPvFjMKmaIyZl2fOFo5UH5kRQDe-KgtSRIWb3EQ-Ytfbldphbil-wFYhOFrvtjHWdTBN88vZI-zWwpouNd83eGadLfcBuA5OGkN6XJMZxL5nipqihdmQ_uTd_lObMEnLJLA42efGwAlfJWYdewN56B2JzDapRbUFSlmh2lVOsHiwL7Vpg1fSsDJ5PQmtxCB562GDAhFYrPPDPL4qZ_xACpgdOlFXwvp6VMPoHDTOFlCOFecQW4ruNQgMuXC1HllvDuVyNYOqIOkziYR5TKOHvvKOibXRHOk5vf_DvGBsmvZAGTFXDdx-xKcnSglV0oEdrHtSSBX5NaQEGMHHXkxAwPPE6B6JgDISdvb6oEQf6fIgToOOhPhPWHkBj2JOsbmxiqsad3PGvn_W0_3B2wfAZLUqyPR4yQ7TMNcpx1IzlRP7yP9T8rnjwZiHvU3fVCWGi-_NHww7LPrd9taxNcoJQXTv-NB_w48B4CluELKs-qEZmcNpj_6863W2vK-TQYtiCoC9rgd9MlVe4OhiIwWdxgq-ROde_9IJ_0ZsnmErS7fbPe7c7J60sRh9_usjAuZkAeVnvcCOCyFFklUBIpx53-f01Vv8e6kxzJ-zhz_GZqTJt9j8ORSSquY4pVB3ye3mh_WVVjOVuHlC-3vrvw=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/xkxlftPAXPoc3pYxNPvFjMKmaIyZl2fOFo5UH5kRQDe-KgtSRIWb3EQ-Ytfbldphbil-wFYhOFrvtjHWdTBN88vZI-zWwpouNd83eGadLfcBuA5OGkN6XJMZxL5nipqihdmQ_uTd_lObMEnLJLA42efGwAlfJWYdewN56B2JzDapRbUFSlmh2lVOsHiwL7Vpg1fSsDJ5PQmtxCB562GDAhFYrPPDPL4qZ_xACpgdOlFXwvp6VMPoHDTOFlCOFecQW4ruNQgMuXC1HllvDuVyNYOqIOkziYR5TKOHvvKOibXRHOk5vf_DvGBsmvZAGTFXDdx-xKcnSglV0oEdrHtSSBX5NaQEGMHHXkxAwPPE6B6JgDISdvb6oEQf6fIgToOOhPhPWHkBj2JOsbmxiqsad3PGvn_W0_3B2wfAZLUqyPR4yQ7TMNcpx1IzlRP7yP9T8rnjwZiHvU3fVCWGi-_NHww7LPrd9taxNcoJQXTv-NB_w48B4CluELKs-qEZmcNpj_6863W2vK-TQYtiCoC9rgd9MlVe4OhiIwWdxgq-ROde_9IJ_0ZsnmErS7fbPe7c7J60sRh9_usjAuZkAeVnvcCOCyFFklUBIpx53-f01Vv8e6kxzJ-zhz_GZqTJt9j8ORSSquY4pVB3ye3mh_WVVjOVuHlC-3vrvw=w920-h690-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Babu keeping an eye on all of us at the rear.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">2pm.</span></b><br />
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Phakding came into view and we crossed the Phakding bridge.<br />
I was so thrilled. Because with Phakding we were merely a few more hours away from Lukla. Serene, Ah Li and Cheng Cheng were walking in front, while Fann and I were behind.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBSXM-wUsBQOGKkANjGr8IOvnY6kvLdayaiGpuoVZ-KN1xknoesl1f_B0sbBSxt3Jo07FbPuVSyc-TDugnxq6spMxh5M1rOxdejug7pGDebkviqBhrGgHup_9Ugqwhw69jM0NATV-FT54/w920-h690-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBSXM-wUsBQOGKkANjGr8IOvnY6kvLdayaiGpuoVZ-KN1xknoesl1f_B0sbBSxt3Jo07FbPuVSyc-TDugnxq6spMxh5M1rOxdejug7pGDebkviqBhrGgHup_9Ugqwhw69jM0NATV-FT54/w920-h690-no/" /></a></div>
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Ah Sing was also not far behind Serene and Cheng Cheng.<br />
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Phakding was such a happening village. I didn't realise that it had such bars and pubs. But I guessed this was inevitable as it was a touristy village not far from Lukla. What they had here in Phakding they could never have in villages like Lobuche nor Gorak Shep.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/lJEecdHE1e02iclnUR84B3PZ7s3wi7ZLczr69bjaTscI4tkQC7pSnxiLTpDZP3af5ARXIppep21DF8H7aPp0-tTXFzoQlzaY6vd4DG-OCv86Ngp25qmGznFjhswNQLnQR_rN8FXiqtmxPHM4VlQpKPVNkijtpDjrvKBmwl1W67mBoaTGPyFRxHMUApq0ORuJWsfJSl1LiuzXdYPV17fEI1iX-l0dGzAs4dJJr33EpXiHwTgOoa04AaOGOr7ry4X1mwDOvxWD4DWRMnj8Skvruqx4TRNmMophxRd3mbFqm0Yw2HrW_5UDr1lfz6I4PAuqelEJY-zTiJgGI5FBsFC_81B1KzhksdLPIfbp24H6plJKlQ48jG0uLXdCfCGARPcECMEk03o3o0ju7e9y76dsAZBjFfrCTp7fThfjfXytGZF8c-lBoN0aLCE1pHYxKOkHmyqleYxo0jbMFQo9MFIsjWKL4g8v2n2VwADS2AQrpJpfLVB6B8YcP3f8aGew5lHa1AtU3wEeIuB8zHApjGfAfyNHUxEqRK2AvEfW8q_X8Mmt8AIIY5CPP7o7Q_960C2ty4MJQYrvtVg4s0jVI1cnIXVT01T1aDD2rOhVcMe-yOo4M-I-BVIGoZy5isvYtdD7LS7VykTPY9Qtd9Q18bLb8O5_4wcrK9ox=w552-h893-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="551" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/lJEecdHE1e02iclnUR84B3PZ7s3wi7ZLczr69bjaTscI4tkQC7pSnxiLTpDZP3af5ARXIppep21DF8H7aPp0-tTXFzoQlzaY6vd4DG-OCv86Ngp25qmGznFjhswNQLnQR_rN8FXiqtmxPHM4VlQpKPVNkijtpDjrvKBmwl1W67mBoaTGPyFRxHMUApq0ORuJWsfJSl1LiuzXdYPV17fEI1iX-l0dGzAs4dJJr33EpXiHwTgOoa04AaOGOr7ry4X1mwDOvxWD4DWRMnj8Skvruqx4TRNmMophxRd3mbFqm0Yw2HrW_5UDr1lfz6I4PAuqelEJY-zTiJgGI5FBsFC_81B1KzhksdLPIfbp24H6plJKlQ48jG0uLXdCfCGARPcECMEk03o3o0ju7e9y76dsAZBjFfrCTp7fThfjfXytGZF8c-lBoN0aLCE1pHYxKOkHmyqleYxo0jbMFQo9MFIsjWKL4g8v2n2VwADS2AQrpJpfLVB6B8YcP3f8aGew5lHa1AtU3wEeIuB8zHApjGfAfyNHUxEqRK2AvEfW8q_X8Mmt8AIIY5CPP7o7Q_960C2ty4MJQYrvtVg4s0jVI1cnIXVT01T1aDD2rOhVcMe-yOo4M-I-BVIGoZy5isvYtdD7LS7VykTPY9Qtd9Q18bLb8O5_4wcrK9ox=w552-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
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As we drew nearer and nearer to the end point, suddenly Serene, Cheng Cheng and Ah Li picked up pace.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I don't know why. But suddenly I felt energetic and no lasa. Even when I climbed up the steps I wasn't breathless. So I kept going faster and faster lor. Because we are very near already. And Babu bet with Adrian said that we will arrive at Lukla at 5:30pm mah, so we must try to move fast lor." </b></span>Serene explained to me afterwards.</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/8Wmny4mBWm6ATE5fh2YRN5Ym7vkqhj_3MVoNsECeXjchXt-TEDi9OFqlMJCkAODdpQSDB-6oX9M3pzhSUwUT0a8xPZvtx4N755OWv4hjKIWF_3Bkxjx9qYJ9CdoY56Arn0PHc4K_Xa0VltcxLZt3S2WU0QN7RsMUR9WnngyKmi98KU_wXlNSd97fAeyKBhbDQv47N6mbe-ZXRGTpWomnZOEHkIPexgzgvt1iwG9-T077y6xC1gcgdICX4jK2fxssOlzsun4sbBHka7nviDF7Sdh_lDhUJ4Fz8SJS3PCpuHGwhCrVyDSMuadjDUpzhooccgGXyKPfftgGSJsN3Tf6iOGK0mhyMkwVi3alNQzDyD7reP_LVZc9arvKQobDuHEuMpRAkxhAgcRTAzgc32bwlDGIa6CNsf5lTlz0vg7AbfDr9vSTNk_EddXFeXX9eOKxFubNfRnKZuCdr_aI4HunR2AKmJI-zYdWyLj-TAOsHZvQO9U6xKR5dJhjkU2emNWXRf-6Aj0xtceH5JFUs3BKhjplaf6XlUPsfJa_WXe3bwvleDSTVlnKNzexzoXccE3NICNd_wjIwQSkl0TPr0iGTxz-FU8mlspchrB5g8Y77Wfazhjv9_wdwk3feJHZwAp0GZFR1Uag3zApoTpcmWKGhQ81lmyhBZeYsA=w670-h893-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="670" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/8Wmny4mBWm6ATE5fh2YRN5Ym7vkqhj_3MVoNsECeXjchXt-TEDi9OFqlMJCkAODdpQSDB-6oX9M3pzhSUwUT0a8xPZvtx4N755OWv4hjKIWF_3Bkxjx9qYJ9CdoY56Arn0PHc4K_Xa0VltcxLZt3S2WU0QN7RsMUR9WnngyKmi98KU_wXlNSd97fAeyKBhbDQv47N6mbe-ZXRGTpWomnZOEHkIPexgzgvt1iwG9-T077y6xC1gcgdICX4jK2fxssOlzsun4sbBHka7nviDF7Sdh_lDhUJ4Fz8SJS3PCpuHGwhCrVyDSMuadjDUpzhooccgGXyKPfftgGSJsN3Tf6iOGK0mhyMkwVi3alNQzDyD7reP_LVZc9arvKQobDuHEuMpRAkxhAgcRTAzgc32bwlDGIa6CNsf5lTlz0vg7AbfDr9vSTNk_EddXFeXX9eOKxFubNfRnKZuCdr_aI4HunR2AKmJI-zYdWyLj-TAOsHZvQO9U6xKR5dJhjkU2emNWXRf-6Aj0xtceH5JFUs3BKhjplaf6XlUPsfJa_WXe3bwvleDSTVlnKNzexzoXccE3NICNd_wjIwQSkl0TPr0iGTxz-FU8mlspchrB5g8Y77Wfazhjv9_wdwk3feJHZwAp0GZFR1Uag3zApoTpcmWKGhQ81lmyhBZeYsA=w670-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheng Cheng was smiling away. She knew the end was near. And she was as excited as us to complete the last stretch!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Of Trekking shoes...</b></span><br />
<br />
I remembered way before the trek, Cheng Cheng was complaining that her new trekking shoes were heavy and gave her ankle pain. After so many days trekking I finally had the chance to ask her the question in my heart:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Cheng Cheng, so how is your new trekking shoes? Are they still painful?" </b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Actually no more. I couldn't feel any more pain and they actually felt alright. I think I must have seasoned them as I trekked over the past ten plus days," </b></span>came her reply.</blockquote>
What she said was quite true. Trekking shoes really needed to be seasoned and to be worn in. But that was only the one part. The more important part was the after-care. Most of the time, our trekking shoes lasted only one trek. The next time we brought them out from the shoes cabinet for another trek (mostly a year or two later), the rubber soles would have hardened and started to crack and open up. None of our trekking shoes, even the most expensive ones, lasted more than a year. This time round, I was determined to store our family's trekking shoes well waxed, well lubricated and vacuum-sealed to see if they could last till the next trek.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">4:12pm.</span></b><br />
Chheplung was in sight! We were really near already. I kept Whatsapping the guys up in Lukla our location, and telling them to keep a look out for us. They must have been laughing their butts off with my constant location sharing and constant update. Despite my warning them of our impending approach, in real fact, I just could not estimate how long more it would take at our pace.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4640/38802389834_78c4206afa_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4640/38802389834_dea4830a3b_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah Li coming to the village Chheplung.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The moment we found ourselves in the vicinity of that tiny village of Chheplung, we knew we were within very close range of Lukla. We were in auto-pilot mode by now. If we picked up pace and jack up our heart rates to zone 3 or zone 4, we might just make it back to Lukla by 5pm. Of course that was wishful thinking. We just needed to make out way back up to Lukla in one piece and in good shape, preferably before the sun went down.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeCh_lhMLwQam1FMQ71_1geGA0LjYW2GN2TntYmOyFcmNrZ1brihLRMAlSy-htpwmYxWowt4FofQLk1kgfjlPRitzeUEZo6Imn8IdLdZwZ4fO29k05932jkP2N2UjGh3teh5tvN9nPLg/w670-h893-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="670" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeCh_lhMLwQam1FMQ71_1geGA0LjYW2GN2TntYmOyFcmNrZ1brihLRMAlSy-htpwmYxWowt4FofQLk1kgfjlPRitzeUEZo6Imn8IdLdZwZ4fO29k05932jkP2N2UjGh3teh5tvN9nPLg/w670-h893-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A couple of happy children at Chheplung</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Adrian was in a relaxed mood. His job was almost done, I told him. And the girls were all cheekily sharing our snacks and lightening their loads before that last climb up to Lukla.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/Begf2N_QdBPwNugUunBrGuxsgKsYMPXjszmp8zhXBUQx_rkO-6OiFRz-BwIY-9XSjy6Zj29bf8cIvpg7umfX5d95Z1ZSqP0HA1s1zMB3oRZZzOsjviCbfIuZuuRQjMG9iwQqdCXmAKunCFibkBTq3AiB1jxCPiX5DqQ_IR0yzDr3mTnaL_7PvmivrzqIyY6rRyqtxBVk2Ns4EZd79nM9h_Qiio_lr9DOdg14l0_R2puT9HBczr-Yyc8hsQfBkCAQW-t2gi-TUMvK7zOq9A5762s4brHOfWLfx3E7LlT6S-MGff78BcyLCQ5qTDL_cMNQO8o6BkhNFiBjz5Mqnoe7N3qFBz_soGIAoNgmZqnUUdT_KsI1tC0S_KxrEl4kXJmk1VVYq8UY-X9VpDc0sZWDCT1bUuUWUT3sbd6bl3WHUmiNkfwvOMO8jutBND1wp2JoFVNIHG0bvgEXTms86pyOGrjSeEuDonJR5RIcvvRBNzBC_HtoneIOPT0h-Q79aCXahTFbRRu0F5Fr4a2m_XisQgt2wBmU8WJNOYp9hQNLi6ppAxalxOr0ZQb8g2Zp0CZY5y4q06d9PRuxAWeJWODkO9GFPQfROtjooF8IeCkB9WKmCwFvfkx5J9cshL9Jw3xiHJTRSxHIPhd3wzgRvEm92IecRye92qPP7w=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/Begf2N_QdBPwNugUunBrGuxsgKsYMPXjszmp8zhXBUQx_rkO-6OiFRz-BwIY-9XSjy6Zj29bf8cIvpg7umfX5d95Z1ZSqP0HA1s1zMB3oRZZzOsjviCbfIuZuuRQjMG9iwQqdCXmAKunCFibkBTq3AiB1jxCPiX5DqQ_IR0yzDr3mTnaL_7PvmivrzqIyY6rRyqtxBVk2Ns4EZd79nM9h_Qiio_lr9DOdg14l0_R2puT9HBczr-Yyc8hsQfBkCAQW-t2gi-TUMvK7zOq9A5762s4brHOfWLfx3E7LlT6S-MGff78BcyLCQ5qTDL_cMNQO8o6BkhNFiBjz5Mqnoe7N3qFBz_soGIAoNgmZqnUUdT_KsI1tC0S_KxrEl4kXJmk1VVYq8UY-X9VpDc0sZWDCT1bUuUWUT3sbd6bl3WHUmiNkfwvOMO8jutBND1wp2JoFVNIHG0bvgEXTms86pyOGrjSeEuDonJR5RIcvvRBNzBC_HtoneIOPT0h-Q79aCXahTFbRRu0F5Fr4a2m_XisQgt2wBmU8WJNOYp9hQNLi6ppAxalxOr0ZQb8g2Zp0CZY5y4q06d9PRuxAWeJWODkO9GFPQfROtjooF8IeCkB9WKmCwFvfkx5J9cshL9Jw3xiHJTRSxHIPhd3wzgRvEm92IecRye92qPP7w=w920-h690-no" /></a></div>
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Serene, Cheng Cheng and the girls were not only fast, they had shifted into super-turbo gear. I was trying to increase my cadence, on the relatively flat path, but the ladies were still ahead of me, and slowly drawing further and further away.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/xsWHJu_L1LCbHWYZ_OfXBuPnul4mDXgrZEQfqECE-Uc9uv5K8bzTwIihXFMhM-dgqUAUbN9BEdO45JREJDFllBpsnCWXB16lBPIvA-NwpjXFDk1W0KaDa-SplRD2W6NSSETFmvKI3q3Zb_0tHkVO17xobQloq0SCMAZcfQ11Q9bv86i72k0srFt_9ebLjLx0hJ8_caUm9Yyi19aJMrwQs6b6LiXXc5VzHfVEtE_tVnpUrZ9UAY92omt9xNdqt_N1GPo70jTPd-QetGtGvg_SZk9d3iWc8F4vUAriSUvCKbQ0T_-Ai0ZevCruBl4c-OQdP8ap6pkM-ZIInjXLs-50VgXGt1Ziw3gO6AtJfYMSF0FG1XnBCci0Q50kIoG0FoA9ZVFTSUzfkhOEv20lYEEPIar68CpeaaIa0RVTWMVZBkISqs4hVNv7HQEqR6Z-ipAe49gB1fIXW3HozRmRy5ZGPiCKpSs7nNcesfdclcIu7jb8TKvB8kPitcGoLKl-gqDiVEpj5ZlGakI3UV4vzEfKio3cto6FbI42QmHYKyVaBPpz2h9eSUuxKvcblf8I5EhR1ywiLwTCNdrt7z2tNoq8pN2vf9fN0H4H2WTrJALjFRdrZZyU4s7hY088KNfF3UcvKTf-3_4PcR87a_FeiB8LtwRbPn0LqA0J-w=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/xsWHJu_L1LCbHWYZ_OfXBuPnul4mDXgrZEQfqECE-Uc9uv5K8bzTwIihXFMhM-dgqUAUbN9BEdO45JREJDFllBpsnCWXB16lBPIvA-NwpjXFDk1W0KaDa-SplRD2W6NSSETFmvKI3q3Zb_0tHkVO17xobQloq0SCMAZcfQ11Q9bv86i72k0srFt_9ebLjLx0hJ8_caUm9Yyi19aJMrwQs6b6LiXXc5VzHfVEtE_tVnpUrZ9UAY92omt9xNdqt_N1GPo70jTPd-QetGtGvg_SZk9d3iWc8F4vUAriSUvCKbQ0T_-Ai0ZevCruBl4c-OQdP8ap6pkM-ZIInjXLs-50VgXGt1Ziw3gO6AtJfYMSF0FG1XnBCci0Q50kIoG0FoA9ZVFTSUzfkhOEv20lYEEPIar68CpeaaIa0RVTWMVZBkISqs4hVNv7HQEqR6Z-ipAe49gB1fIXW3HozRmRy5ZGPiCKpSs7nNcesfdclcIu7jb8TKvB8kPitcGoLKl-gqDiVEpj5ZlGakI3UV4vzEfKio3cto6FbI42QmHYKyVaBPpz2h9eSUuxKvcblf8I5EhR1ywiLwTCNdrt7z2tNoq8pN2vf9fN0H4H2WTrJALjFRdrZZyU4s7hY088KNfF3UcvKTf-3_4PcR87a_FeiB8LtwRbPn0LqA0J-w=w920-h690-no" /></a></div>
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And then, <b><i>suddenly</i></b>..... we found ourselves at the foot of the climb.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Nah, this is the start of the climb to Lukla,"</b></span> I told Serene. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I want you to pose here like how you did six years ago." </b></span>And she did, gladly, knowing that the end was near, precisely like what she did six years ago. </blockquote>
The only difference was, <a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5605007971_a0b0790e9d_b.jpg" target="_blank">six year ago she was totally shagged out already and was suffering</a>. But this round, she turned on her turbo mode and was fully charged going up all the way, over-taking many without even needing to stop. <b><i>THAT</i></b> was the great difference between Serene of then, and the Serene of now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuda1UmZ_KQDpHzPhjX6JL-KYxv1ffh9AlrDDxbXOP8VPXbdz84ibXQEx4ih1bAMU3Sl9cMyUjzDt9aM_BFt5pivSIQDCpNx56yp2z3LzYYQvN0LrrhBbzyK6I55YCuVPOZAaHJIZtK-8/w920-h690-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuda1UmZ_KQDpHzPhjX6JL-KYxv1ffh9AlrDDxbXOP8VPXbdz84ibXQEx4ih1bAMU3Sl9cMyUjzDt9aM_BFt5pivSIQDCpNx56yp2z3LzYYQvN0LrrhBbzyK6I55YCuVPOZAaHJIZtK-8/w920-h690-no/" /></a></div>
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The climb up to Lukla was on nicely paved stone steps. It was not the usual uneven rocky path. I was starting to push myself a little, and my heart rate went up to 120/min. Jason, Matthew, Ah Leong, Patrick and KC Tng had already arrived at Lukla and had made their way to Namaste Lodge already.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/wSll15q2zfhUZxvZlU8iIxKb6eFu--QykjzfRZHD1I5j1ddLAX4fqlGnd-C54Ne7TaUKwn-HGJ1-zVATt9XRFt4KLh3P1HZGmhORO8t4W9Xp-9OWsa1XQV8UdV253rqDFKiY1Wy_Olw3wUblbzNSP31wQfKp1Y8QIAxXMNlyefA7sbO56D-FVOKq6brUGygGXzdJ7eAxmNWbh9F3d-ak87y4eemnq9xrEX-OcUJFXDun7FHOoL5C_4vjvqrj2v6_QFdF1d4thbo-srtkW1P7Re4ZXJ64BU36NNv5Qvti-FElVKx35W7ylJ82-2D554DXlm5K4k9Zf0nHuwONH_hqPPNHHfieXfuB3dolRShZsbKWwosls6CEtI_pztshnOYBmPr3YlYebsWe5Lx7se8aPsYMLEc9KYyTOXQCTPkr_B7SNTqht21wvIUShlKz-LmsNOaj2NPQ0tsmYCrbie0wGU1hZOeOvRs6vFTh5-M1gf89n73bpRwuZwkXwrrq27eqxRgRi0pJWwzXw5xXG-avasWC25WTz4i9Oq8jQeN1VH7Nwcr9wjGjTAmeCsMp-unt2vYf_LcbbaTtggA4kkvkgRcHXkbbgRtwewgmBALRpGv-EybOh6e_ODK-Q4ya3jS5PUlti1cyeoqbnmnmcPeFKgHRnrUXNC7m-A=w670-h893-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="670" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/wSll15q2zfhUZxvZlU8iIxKb6eFu--QykjzfRZHD1I5j1ddLAX4fqlGnd-C54Ne7TaUKwn-HGJ1-zVATt9XRFt4KLh3P1HZGmhORO8t4W9Xp-9OWsa1XQV8UdV253rqDFKiY1Wy_Olw3wUblbzNSP31wQfKp1Y8QIAxXMNlyefA7sbO56D-FVOKq6brUGygGXzdJ7eAxmNWbh9F3d-ak87y4eemnq9xrEX-OcUJFXDun7FHOoL5C_4vjvqrj2v6_QFdF1d4thbo-srtkW1P7Re4ZXJ64BU36NNv5Qvti-FElVKx35W7ylJ82-2D554DXlm5K4k9Zf0nHuwONH_hqPPNHHfieXfuB3dolRShZsbKWwosls6CEtI_pztshnOYBmPr3YlYebsWe5Lx7se8aPsYMLEc9KYyTOXQCTPkr_B7SNTqht21wvIUShlKz-LmsNOaj2NPQ0tsmYCrbie0wGU1hZOeOvRs6vFTh5-M1gf89n73bpRwuZwkXwrrq27eqxRgRi0pJWwzXw5xXG-avasWC25WTz4i9Oq8jQeN1VH7Nwcr9wjGjTAmeCsMp-unt2vYf_LcbbaTtggA4kkvkgRcHXkbbgRtwewgmBALRpGv-EybOh6e_ODK-Q4ya3jS5PUlti1cyeoqbnmnmcPeFKgHRnrUXNC7m-A=w670-h893-no" /></a></div>
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Steadily steadily, a metre by a metre, Lukla drew closer. Every metre we ascended was a metre closer to Namaste Lodge.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/0lC0uWx0dx_pEXeCjeKO_nnBg265X9REajFfTJ-mKP7iGtQ1VGs5aoGbf1OyDO1ZdVOEImrSB3fzByD7S9DvIY5GqDlHXjS2l4x6V54mnJS6yQKKzQqaMvEUPXa7nc96UNgekU3q1Lkbx8Ymqbp_P2W3hZoMsG0Pi1eWFySXHjvvvj9sdUD8v6tz7YfoDd_PUeevq-N_03XQ5TF3rfZcSxmdbS-BKVaDFZvuz5Ru3CRZvJ6n5O77AWjZpduWbVBjOPDRolE0a_Pn57nP9sCEEpX3JjhcAfYsCmpq6x3cUEuh0Hy1ohSBW05w2tpLInXrrr0A_zgEtP_SoGZyAfrzC2cHl6b5KODPGbqZxp5Au4OTRlSNRsEnV1K5WQqHzhtTwxNzV0OYMzSh4Vf_7zK-9aMAD3A9V3I1U9JKfxXUd4XmPysYJ6FGMkdj79fLfQFCf8fzhgSjxxzwd8i_33GsGt07ZhwCK28IZjNXJQ12zRWqGkvh0W1GXBS44Q8APkWMyhb0Cyb8ITjDWkOdWk2ADjjSak3fiXlgU2e3ZXgzJdneiv_sR5Ezb7_3hCu7fpGoLkrLeTl9pS-OYdgfX6Fqj2fbzveO81RIG2njW7cCtqVfjxlLBXmquaOsHORLl4jI-ZQngRtpZNVToO9OmEECguqB22ZB7n5Luw=w670-h893-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="670" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/0lC0uWx0dx_pEXeCjeKO_nnBg265X9REajFfTJ-mKP7iGtQ1VGs5aoGbf1OyDO1ZdVOEImrSB3fzByD7S9DvIY5GqDlHXjS2l4x6V54mnJS6yQKKzQqaMvEUPXa7nc96UNgekU3q1Lkbx8Ymqbp_P2W3hZoMsG0Pi1eWFySXHjvvvj9sdUD8v6tz7YfoDd_PUeevq-N_03XQ5TF3rfZcSxmdbS-BKVaDFZvuz5Ru3CRZvJ6n5O77AWjZpduWbVBjOPDRolE0a_Pn57nP9sCEEpX3JjhcAfYsCmpq6x3cUEuh0Hy1ohSBW05w2tpLInXrrr0A_zgEtP_SoGZyAfrzC2cHl6b5KODPGbqZxp5Au4OTRlSNRsEnV1K5WQqHzhtTwxNzV0OYMzSh4Vf_7zK-9aMAD3A9V3I1U9JKfxXUd4XmPysYJ6FGMkdj79fLfQFCf8fzhgSjxxzwd8i_33GsGt07ZhwCK28IZjNXJQ12zRWqGkvh0W1GXBS44Q8APkWMyhb0Cyb8ITjDWkOdWk2ADjjSak3fiXlgU2e3ZXgzJdneiv_sR5Ezb7_3hCu7fpGoLkrLeTl9pS-OYdgfX6Fqj2fbzveO81RIG2njW7cCtqVfjxlLBXmquaOsHORLl4jI-ZQngRtpZNVToO9OmEECguqB22ZB7n5Luw=w670-h893-no" /></a></div>
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And KC Tng finally arrived!!<br />
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<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4590/24642961117_542b4be20f_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="494" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4590/24642961117_362ffa8ef7_b.jpg" /></a></div>
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The sky was threatening as it turned darker and darker. My confidence of arriving at 5:30pm was beginning to shake. Unbelievably we crossed the Pasang Lhamu Sherpa gate at 5:34pm. Not a moment too late! I still remembered <a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5024/5605608086_b4df7de6e1_b.jpg" target="_blank">how tired Serene was when she crossed this gate six years ago</a>, but on this day, she was actually smiling away!<br />
But I took a good look at myself and I was ashamed to see how shagged I looked. I looked simply terrible! Cheng Cheng, Serene and Adrian were all smiling and in high spirit. But no matter how hard I tried, I could squeeze no smile out of my face. Only then did I realise that I still had a long way to go before I could even call myself a trekker.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4647/27526234319_fded027c2a_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4647/27526234319_e11dfbd72f_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Cheng Cheng]</td></tr>
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Lukla came to life in the dark of evening. The lights and colours took on a different personality. I'd never seen Lukla like this before and it was really enlightening. Our Airforce crew must have had their fun exploring Lukla over the past 9 hours while we were on the trails.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenu6786pd6OQbkBmgG3KtpSwr-EgGwoW2Fmp2bybFZhjvTl_OsVkrr9gWcwWsMf6bdQFQ9FhKYOspkAfyDJWOi-_j5wmn7kNvOr1behZaTIyqJzjynGGyKnY3e5rqGiSjEJ-TZKF_VDI/w920-h690-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenu6786pd6OQbkBmgG3KtpSwr-EgGwoW2Fmp2bybFZhjvTl_OsVkrr9gWcwWsMf6bdQFQ9FhKYOspkAfyDJWOi-_j5wmn7kNvOr1behZaTIyqJzjynGGyKnY3e5rqGiSjEJ-TZKF_VDI/w920-h690-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking along the streets of Lukla towards Namaste Lodge</td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>Namaste Lodge!</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>That evening...</b></span><br />
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This dining hall of <a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5183/5605614023_ee3a94fcba_b.jpg" target="_blank">Namaste Lodge</a> brought back <a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5606296788_14a839470a_b.jpg" target="_blank">so much memories</a>. It had always been our end point and always been the <a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5303/5606299618_8e66cee3c2_b.jpg" target="_blank">climax of the whole trek</a>. And even with the earlier group being here for the past 9 hours, they were all enthusiastic and gathered in the warm hall, awaiting our arrrival.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/uWIQXw39EgporeilYvAhyWafKENy9T7XdUICIjX0sJB00SdECNH3ecULu1cYXzWBdMbp8RzAZZWGUUPll8Z_HzHLqXAsy_oNPyz1hEl1LylZwYaVexcKQDeuHy5stgAL4sd-Mm4drwPD3s6fFIoPbDf7zx6I_75zqNCIfdPBgB5Op35hioFvWVCEm9G703dfVIL2ayS_QOK2HlJ0OHxwP_ER4CxglnViOVLPiVR-91aNsyI33CePcTk7H8xOKjRmoc9tLV2BpdAuYOeURzZT9nx1euo1-Dki-ZGKPFkyJdiMBiEd2KVvzDAf7fmFYbdy_FhuFDeUwJ24h8HdZNQS7Yfo4cd4-6MCIKPjYlTepAZxzcPmVj95BZ8xilCMhbQCdRMS9XSXXyMt8bleM6HDo2GG4PFrhPlMTNy3qHojtxB63ceR7lmqZxKgOyBYn-hP6V5BPIk8dmZTtE3yqh3QC0tspbmfhzVr3jmg0t7LTUpvWDIW6TcUAwEp3ulyaaG7OsLMiNLuqyCesxpmcyhhUfrBGkiHBhb3p7KI8KzV2G9y8AGvpkK3aftOFO0jPkvqlY6PNDyvRboKHCmx-gkOoml4-X-r0UTqynnjSmwM3p6Y1VzaFonDMlZYzglMRhn_QR7V77edICSt3f8Y-WkFDP-YOkVXHi1d=w552-h893-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="551" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/uWIQXw39EgporeilYvAhyWafKENy9T7XdUICIjX0sJB00SdECNH3ecULu1cYXzWBdMbp8RzAZZWGUUPll8Z_HzHLqXAsy_oNPyz1hEl1LylZwYaVexcKQDeuHy5stgAL4sd-Mm4drwPD3s6fFIoPbDf7zx6I_75zqNCIfdPBgB5Op35hioFvWVCEm9G703dfVIL2ayS_QOK2HlJ0OHxwP_ER4CxglnViOVLPiVR-91aNsyI33CePcTk7H8xOKjRmoc9tLV2BpdAuYOeURzZT9nx1euo1-Dki-ZGKPFkyJdiMBiEd2KVvzDAf7fmFYbdy_FhuFDeUwJ24h8HdZNQS7Yfo4cd4-6MCIKPjYlTepAZxzcPmVj95BZ8xilCMhbQCdRMS9XSXXyMt8bleM6HDo2GG4PFrhPlMTNy3qHojtxB63ceR7lmqZxKgOyBYn-hP6V5BPIk8dmZTtE3yqh3QC0tspbmfhzVr3jmg0t7LTUpvWDIW6TcUAwEp3ulyaaG7OsLMiNLuqyCesxpmcyhhUfrBGkiHBhb3p7KI8KzV2G9y8AGvpkK3aftOFO0jPkvqlY6PNDyvRboKHCmx-gkOoml4-X-r0UTqynnjSmwM3p6Y1VzaFonDMlZYzglMRhn_QR7V77edICSt3f8Y-WkFDP-YOkVXHi1d=w552-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Babu and KC Tng remembering this morment.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4682/38426310175_a7a12f0844_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4682/38426310175_097f769d07_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheng Cheng was exhilarated.</td></tr>
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Everyone was seated, cheerful, some already well-fed, some waiting for their Tibetan bread and dinner. Our porters and personal porters were happy to have their job completed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/uPuHX-b7bCt1xCJSaPJwqKcbrwWgYTBWSZam-m9HZAPpoqchmc2M7p93pb2_QutAYBqH48T_ruVTX0Uu63_dXvQ0aCnLdtp5MVaGbXKO2vuJFKQgCNR4YzJSvzMr_Q4mUnM5gos6BokRqqzkhWsfwNPK2Rs5X5D3PbGUn6KgfZIFC4_fTi6YUM1YX4NjetsNBu9IzayseLWmLQOtCiJoVVud3P4sMtcNe5SYUJUq5ZCgTICHwPiIsDhPQqPW-gGNF6ECMcwSNjvGmU-IByH5XC3YxMII7rzHH02ji1sQ9c4br5SFv4_T7qDQAaS9OPaknBtDJKyFO_10D0GkP8kSaD6tA_qDmCIoR1OhKC8K_lvfew2UrNNrnGuJGZqrqh6P2Lfoetrav2TtE18MjVr1Niud8rhrWSLUeSHKQCN-dHPtCn7xoZ7QSyeta_CJcCYcWOEo-KxQJ7_Em11W6I-Jf_4lJ04MN5-MWLkZOvGwvEhTOdR1-GuEidbsYXuhgMFmrMRGoNZ1Bh-oRbzOSfqmYqSF6LElO6ENQ9AZ3ymCYIAlIRwu5lHLVTi3F0YFdbwuEnvggv60PHMbfhUeOpCbq5mL8pGb-uFkkhprYRkBAcddWpNXn1Hhj60K1UJaCnUU1Fe05VgqLehUww85Gzg0xkZ4vD1PcaI1=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/uPuHX-b7bCt1xCJSaPJwqKcbrwWgYTBWSZam-m9HZAPpoqchmc2M7p93pb2_QutAYBqH48T_ruVTX0Uu63_dXvQ0aCnLdtp5MVaGbXKO2vuJFKQgCNR4YzJSvzMr_Q4mUnM5gos6BokRqqzkhWsfwNPK2Rs5X5D3PbGUn6KgfZIFC4_fTi6YUM1YX4NjetsNBu9IzayseLWmLQOtCiJoVVud3P4sMtcNe5SYUJUq5ZCgTICHwPiIsDhPQqPW-gGNF6ECMcwSNjvGmU-IByH5XC3YxMII7rzHH02ji1sQ9c4br5SFv4_T7qDQAaS9OPaknBtDJKyFO_10D0GkP8kSaD6tA_qDmCIoR1OhKC8K_lvfew2UrNNrnGuJGZqrqh6P2Lfoetrav2TtE18MjVr1Niud8rhrWSLUeSHKQCN-dHPtCn7xoZ7QSyeta_CJcCYcWOEo-KxQJ7_Em11W6I-Jf_4lJ04MN5-MWLkZOvGwvEhTOdR1-GuEidbsYXuhgMFmrMRGoNZ1Bh-oRbzOSfqmYqSF6LElO6ENQ9AZ3ymCYIAlIRwu5lHLVTi3F0YFdbwuEnvggv60PHMbfhUeOpCbq5mL8pGb-uFkkhprYRkBAcddWpNXn1Hhj60K1UJaCnUU1Fe05VgqLehUww85Gzg0xkZ4vD1PcaI1=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mani, Koot, Sabinn Rai, Mahendra, and Dilip on the extreme right.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/tGm9W0n-YiuuAoGX1h0cpO-q-ZdoW2HLZbFycz28bAx5xbIP_kLXcoirFcB5XGUKWdo6jUUe3Q8m-8R_2775-orj_b_pxLFrwA2dJ85hwbfIZaZ8ph6_Stnd5cPbesYv4ojqlLcwY-J9xYYQ8qquyrXJUJdUjJptO3lv4GTccLV3ACDHYTzR_fb7HlSLsr7UNHG1jo7-1k7kWcIK6oNgorZKUZ7rczgDHZIw2mw70VvaTEo-LNBVS5zTf-H4baLlmkGnh-YZzEx-U-vVXcW4aMaaJlX0QzJewBoIybnK8FvUTPdPPZQ4naSxp_zo8sNrDcM-BF2Tt4VKgnlbHckTVYvDyb55Z_H4whwoy9a3s43RrF5rXZLn2tRWxmoaPkmiUkvuHGBdaJ4g_s5l4yK4Lajgxfu7uTkIbpIvc28WtKCChqtBiiUiMHYyR8K2h0RsLGVi6DNFC0lJHvyYYb3HITDlV5fx6dbpEA31IFjoAbwhFlMV7mKaR4zLSk97frs7j5LjZwZK56NG8gmSCuWeRQdNyS9b4TShBLcpi_WSwdJFnqRlLAuvyizCJiw0FRUjRl1S2XrTUTeYllA6JLLHKGnEpO-MeiQDbsp8eZe9xG75pNPQ524Tu6-fG0hPxXPNcejWgOngjOLHQwdEYDaiK1e8dZPHoAwp=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/tGm9W0n-YiuuAoGX1h0cpO-q-ZdoW2HLZbFycz28bAx5xbIP_kLXcoirFcB5XGUKWdo6jUUe3Q8m-8R_2775-orj_b_pxLFrwA2dJ85hwbfIZaZ8ph6_Stnd5cPbesYv4ojqlLcwY-J9xYYQ8qquyrXJUJdUjJptO3lv4GTccLV3ACDHYTzR_fb7HlSLsr7UNHG1jo7-1k7kWcIK6oNgorZKUZ7rczgDHZIw2mw70VvaTEo-LNBVS5zTf-H4baLlmkGnh-YZzEx-U-vVXcW4aMaaJlX0QzJewBoIybnK8FvUTPdPPZQ4naSxp_zo8sNrDcM-BF2Tt4VKgnlbHckTVYvDyb55Z_H4whwoy9a3s43RrF5rXZLn2tRWxmoaPkmiUkvuHGBdaJ4g_s5l4yK4Lajgxfu7uTkIbpIvc28WtKCChqtBiiUiMHYyR8K2h0RsLGVi6DNFC0lJHvyYYb3HITDlV5fx6dbpEA31IFjoAbwhFlMV7mKaR4zLSk97frs7j5LjZwZK56NG8gmSCuWeRQdNyS9b4TShBLcpi_WSwdJFnqRlLAuvyizCJiw0FRUjRl1S2XrTUTeYllA6JLLHKGnEpO-MeiQDbsp8eZe9xG75pNPQ524Tu6-fG0hPxXPNcejWgOngjOLHQwdEYDaiK1e8dZPHoAwp=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our advance porters.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/GoXGJdwRYndiyrq2rBBu73WvxHhI8AexGbRznr9rTpg3KlKJS3fhvHV9y07E9NMAO7g_pR0LeBu6oee65hbFaGSV3zy4gR6gi2qzouSJddqZiERwszA39eCuBnGkNzxkPZkG__rDue5Lz4LdFvBaVUUoO_ezl_8PJVb4QIPfyNpFpH4FRe4ulIXwsyTVaBHyoYJjp1pH1JbAwwv8l5XV3LH3Z2FJFCYjTyvvb5Hr6LJNUByrA_pE3vKUSa3MnwlIlGP3lvPe9C6__M7tlSLpjeIES2UCBO80SJsXmZQWZn-Rsk3qcEGNK7m5L3pn_YfBmhTGFlMC-hooa9sjHvkN4biddlIhsRZgjJ730D4U4csrJ6qIRNkso9tJ8FKGb26VeOdknvFbCjiXTQnGzbPT2VvurGEDf6dZcNm1c_sEjKdcZJkBi-TYSW5eav_JyCZul5B-jcmG20dZiyJaMwShtidivOeCDRFp6S0BJ7CAzIcksF6ytFzx5h88ONuaCwkhMmEj9puU7E8nXdkBgcr5A8e3A8fdh7Xr44J45FOtUWk-3mxbI-gbXQXZKhy3LM2WsEdsdnW5Qp6Z55b3QdUgcCaA3NW4jKASKiHhGu27iLIvCQOFVq1Ammw8ZkOUaRfrsCmqTxxX-jBBQH-NMBu3DwErU0FCdM4q=w450-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/GoXGJdwRYndiyrq2rBBu73WvxHhI8AexGbRznr9rTpg3KlKJS3fhvHV9y07E9NMAO7g_pR0LeBu6oee65hbFaGSV3zy4gR6gi2qzouSJddqZiERwszA39eCuBnGkNzxkPZkG__rDue5Lz4LdFvBaVUUoO_ezl_8PJVb4QIPfyNpFpH4FRe4ulIXwsyTVaBHyoYJjp1pH1JbAwwv8l5XV3LH3Z2FJFCYjTyvvb5Hr6LJNUByrA_pE3vKUSa3MnwlIlGP3lvPe9C6__M7tlSLpjeIES2UCBO80SJsXmZQWZn-Rsk3qcEGNK7m5L3pn_YfBmhTGFlMC-hooa9sjHvkN4biddlIhsRZgjJ730D4U4csrJ6qIRNkso9tJ8FKGb26VeOdknvFbCjiXTQnGzbPT2VvurGEDf6dZcNm1c_sEjKdcZJkBi-TYSW5eav_JyCZul5B-jcmG20dZiyJaMwShtidivOeCDRFp6S0BJ7CAzIcksF6ytFzx5h88ONuaCwkhMmEj9puU7E8nXdkBgcr5A8e3A8fdh7Xr44J45FOtUWk-3mxbI-gbXQXZKhy3LM2WsEdsdnW5Qp6Z55b3QdUgcCaA3NW4jKASKiHhGu27iLIvCQOFVq1Ammw8ZkOUaRfrsCmqTxxX-jBBQH-NMBu3DwErU0FCdM4q=w450-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The loser and the winner of the 5:30pm bet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Matthew and Jason, two of the fittest among the whole team, glad to have their trek completed, and to have it topped up with a surprise belated birthday cake for Jason. This Matthew would go on to higher pastures, scaling higher mountains.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/l-zMg6LhBFb4DZBkEnmihsGBnIzWdOT9AmgEG0FR6nstirCGpxhDX6mA9jBHU2NS_HxLGyAsWfH782RtsfZN-As0M28Pa-Ew-XvB_aobjwW-riH8bVRIFJA_3qN7MVd3S1tiaKXLFuVpdq8W-L42mcALquJR8-dzgn21d8M55UAcVGG09aEP7rll2MJCgRvFm8mBGXapXwD8JCfSmF8txgplZg5qm4zYoj0HFLAX00gJMi_y_SdpZVUaeK1L9wK5LH5ksmoWvNENeUyFP166eJhCzbJiScQyVCrH_0QT2LP8ReL8RMr4RHZrgMxbxTOmiUj4JF_7D0NTTyUKx-nsPvyQVI-_-9ZEryGvWdsW36loVLclOnGThPGGUPJgfb3bZG2FWk0Jn2478XtA8Zd_IO_Ou_iDe1IErCkNuWrDZOm91gzLNaDE2qJ5Nv8qmkWXmgkVeR2GLLb2dAcImx4efWp_yEn0HRvGa4o5gzGtHBNcK2VGveehswvA-2FfJfp_9KkOhGsdQG9S4bW2h2pP82hRP9AWfy1jKo_OAT1l0iVjQrQxJqJZRzkzYpL4ievNeUzh2DP0ZhHS6liaZXFLOOfQ5KEr8LHs6sg742FP0Kdm9L74iDSKYXrXRM7zCo_V43b339ryf0zG3LQgDtyhX80v5d9KANwR=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/l-zMg6LhBFb4DZBkEnmihsGBnIzWdOT9AmgEG0FR6nstirCGpxhDX6mA9jBHU2NS_HxLGyAsWfH782RtsfZN-As0M28Pa-Ew-XvB_aobjwW-riH8bVRIFJA_3qN7MVd3S1tiaKXLFuVpdq8W-L42mcALquJR8-dzgn21d8M55UAcVGG09aEP7rll2MJCgRvFm8mBGXapXwD8JCfSmF8txgplZg5qm4zYoj0HFLAX00gJMi_y_SdpZVUaeK1L9wK5LH5ksmoWvNENeUyFP166eJhCzbJiScQyVCrH_0QT2LP8ReL8RMr4RHZrgMxbxTOmiUj4JF_7D0NTTyUKx-nsPvyQVI-_-9ZEryGvWdsW36loVLclOnGThPGGUPJgfb3bZG2FWk0Jn2478XtA8Zd_IO_Ou_iDe1IErCkNuWrDZOm91gzLNaDE2qJ5Nv8qmkWXmgkVeR2GLLb2dAcImx4efWp_yEn0HRvGa4o5gzGtHBNcK2VGveehswvA-2FfJfp_9KkOhGsdQG9S4bW2h2pP82hRP9AWfy1jKo_OAT1l0iVjQrQxJqJZRzkzYpL4ievNeUzh2DP0ZhHS6liaZXFLOOfQ5KEr8LHs6sg742FP0Kdm9L74iDSKYXrXRM7zCo_V43b339ryf0zG3LQgDtyhX80v5d9KANwR=w800-h600-no" /></a></div>
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At this moment, every one was in jubilant mood. And every one was grabbing every one for photos.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/ahNqwshy2Rn9f0dcoo9tS5bHirECGrqvaoZy2zddt_d9hPWYR6MRz8N-z1cRMysxOEmFeT-xu6IcYIGbMff18PZRreWm-r_hPdI3XlfKo7mjLMXAD_yBlRiid1aIHk2PKiuOEvkUj4OtPUfNSVisARk8ZV41CxxuvIexash2i1JHZENdHwGOkPu0Cev1Qb9wD3iFriGQNuTlAnEdJZh8PzRz7es-3Eyd-iDW-FoERKD3cbRxtvtP8l6P5kK_NNJdJNt7_0a2GlfqNn0GUz1R2sKZvjmT6jCvOQVu4Aw30RIgModOeAyH30VbvpmwojToVLZorZf-ViC9i8GUkMDhnglWHwl8Ss5_RJiFkH4o1k77UNi29mkBH5QLm4F2gS7RPjAs43xev_OykiKi6GkHkm6Gg9rfcFfKmXxovVbnJn5O5MIgt_-L7_13BSwtHTDwv_lN-SqDQmnSdY5O6v-WBfIZKr-VYJavFG1Ev_ug2ZTcjA3ax8owff7_l8OlpBD-OcooR5XkfP3hI0R2_sbcG2w7OszEhkKH0hk9uLBSVE0qeUpB0xaA29QuNVtT_GKZG1pDwOXQC_2QsvulCsNa7D5slkrc4uuwv86hvT78JJ5Mmifyzkb-hU9PzLJnG2cxlQGBqmHCes8BcLu4WbuCXSgZXvL_dwyF=w451-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/ahNqwshy2Rn9f0dcoo9tS5bHirECGrqvaoZy2zddt_d9hPWYR6MRz8N-z1cRMysxOEmFeT-xu6IcYIGbMff18PZRreWm-r_hPdI3XlfKo7mjLMXAD_yBlRiid1aIHk2PKiuOEvkUj4OtPUfNSVisARk8ZV41CxxuvIexash2i1JHZENdHwGOkPu0Cev1Qb9wD3iFriGQNuTlAnEdJZh8PzRz7es-3Eyd-iDW-FoERKD3cbRxtvtP8l6P5kK_NNJdJNt7_0a2GlfqNn0GUz1R2sKZvjmT6jCvOQVu4Aw30RIgModOeAyH30VbvpmwojToVLZorZf-ViC9i8GUkMDhnglWHwl8Ss5_RJiFkH4o1k77UNi29mkBH5QLm4F2gS7RPjAs43xev_OykiKi6GkHkm6Gg9rfcFfKmXxovVbnJn5O5MIgt_-L7_13BSwtHTDwv_lN-SqDQmnSdY5O6v-WBfIZKr-VYJavFG1Ev_ug2ZTcjA3ax8owff7_l8OlpBD-OcooR5XkfP3hI0R2_sbcG2w7OszEhkKH0hk9uLBSVE0qeUpB0xaA29QuNVtT_GKZG1pDwOXQC_2QsvulCsNa7D5slkrc4uuwv86hvT78JJ5Mmifyzkb-hU9PzLJnG2cxlQGBqmHCes8BcLu4WbuCXSgZXvL_dwyF=w451-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ka Lin, Fann and Mani.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b>A time for congratulations, and a time to give thanks and to show appreciations...</b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
The customary gratuity presentation began and Adrian had the honour of giving bear hugs to all the porters, and the guides. This really reminded me of that six years ago when <a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5306/5605718763_9670a8ca92_b.jpg" target="_blank">he presented gratuity to Binot </a><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(could see Kc Tng and Patrick clapping themselves crazy in the background) </span></i>on our last trip.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/t7MOBhxx0Dx394-_NOde3hJJ0icGbL8GTFfyq1XRqO1VS6_wdxVbZAesxhnExGlZPalUoS1l3ZagVfHUmuQha-cHKN2GIBXxYecQvswCn1zRuOG_Xuujl3HIcHsPOkuvpUn6uOvM5eJ-fVlSFGWSnJ_e5ttVTSwFCJDUINlPve1zb4_unHu4UhAqyHyVO1TcU6JUYLKq_iR5YIhbn0ruWfWHzyAAUpvRXma4yGcLr90kgcqX6Jsxhxu2StxWk-3yAzosjw6i5WGL6Mu3xVGGlQ0ZlbWEsESeeNzkszibGMvyL2M-ekBam00Y9FUaJK0iX8kKXuel1SAjz81wR7rkNz4k8-UKWrQ6iJONQh1Aq2CGvCgWrp63I2zQ0DXuqBjIG3gZDh0SY5OHrKBx1WXsQY4wFb1_99FUMRWSuCVcpvrLMJs2I2eumc8sgW0dXJudtq5opdktimjmsLa6mNGlge5w0KgJ9puXMV-9_Opd88tGUS_vNy7MU78swtlJmXl_NqWco4a5Z16TMQyG2pbmrbqrZQroWg2eHaxk7RovM4ezRSqlOwuHh0FchygshOBRwr38v0ICxhaCR0FJvW2n7hIhsVjXb0086cYuzL00wFd-B1qM-KNPGBreWcvA0zWAWDXzjzsx7be-Ci4Ts4lxwEXvTq-A-JA3kw=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/t7MOBhxx0Dx394-_NOde3hJJ0icGbL8GTFfyq1XRqO1VS6_wdxVbZAesxhnExGlZPalUoS1l3ZagVfHUmuQha-cHKN2GIBXxYecQvswCn1zRuOG_Xuujl3HIcHsPOkuvpUn6uOvM5eJ-fVlSFGWSnJ_e5ttVTSwFCJDUINlPve1zb4_unHu4UhAqyHyVO1TcU6JUYLKq_iR5YIhbn0ruWfWHzyAAUpvRXma4yGcLr90kgcqX6Jsxhxu2StxWk-3yAzosjw6i5WGL6Mu3xVGGlQ0ZlbWEsESeeNzkszibGMvyL2M-ekBam00Y9FUaJK0iX8kKXuel1SAjz81wR7rkNz4k8-UKWrQ6iJONQh1Aq2CGvCgWrp63I2zQ0DXuqBjIG3gZDh0SY5OHrKBx1WXsQY4wFb1_99FUMRWSuCVcpvrLMJs2I2eumc8sgW0dXJudtq5opdktimjmsLa6mNGlge5w0KgJ9puXMV-9_Opd88tGUS_vNy7MU78swtlJmXl_NqWco4a5Z16TMQyG2pbmrbqrZQroWg2eHaxk7RovM4ezRSqlOwuHh0FchygshOBRwr38v0ICxhaCR0FJvW2n7hIhsVjXb0086cYuzL00wFd-B1qM-KNPGBreWcvA0zWAWDXzjzsx7be-Ci4Ts4lxwEXvTq-A-JA3kw=w800-h600-no" /></a></div>
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And next came our personal porters, without which many of us would not have been able to complete our trek. Their constant presence, their reassuring guide, their strong hands of support, and their never-failing smile and encouragements, made the trek so much more bearable,<br />
<br />
<br />Kai Sing and Ka Lin were euphoric. It was their dreams come true. I really appreciated Kai Sing's <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/y6OM03pfwWMfhHjyCzvctRrqTT66fmvRiHJj89WYWyUg8W5-7s1EsBj9m-pg8n53nmjEZthPNWYVvvZYSeMDtv6L31c7M7Nd4WQBsLVYF34BKTsCzGBzcMrR5diJS1060ZEZbC1WL7kEywmPj8QvhJPECRPzEvFafN-wfIE4v4V--vCI7bqdUL_JoIsPgx9mE3Pg76dU71oJypSp-CabaU-kS_anMwVmyg4DTmeGguCLLCW-NaI8zHvU_N-z1N7LMR2ZL_cZ4GxrUZn747nnp_a22bVgPbtlf8tJBrdeIdgcLTUEKkWA7V5ls4rhHww9V_1ZxMjop_tSVM6laVu3N7JripZiZrmnCQiAccI9DE_SClrz14Is5_WZIc5Pnc3EGGXI9iz7FIOCEeHnB-AVB33_NqM9b3N3y8J9mkcZfo7tpmRolyNYDfDnOaqL_CMxf3TNyvqrxOVNQ8BVMjnpt3VHScW_AlnU-V2KuQXXEHciEsVF4v93crDci5idlkTMufbamP2itSX3CfdYxbxeawj0r0emHBJXMg2QrlETBonI_pbG5MQMENDrvKylG-ha7eVTI2R57wX4GQxLfjDUZniYBme6IrxJfKTwqpdO=w800-h600-no" target="_blank">show of gratitude</a>, although I really did not think I did much, and in all sincerity, I still maintained that he was the one who trained very hard over the couple of years in preparation of this trek. He was one of the most prepared, mentally and physically. And he made it possible for himself, and his support and encouragement for Ka Ling made it possible for her too, to make it all the way.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/dCDO_Io8KQijF4PLmY2jY0IfEVXtdGMQbqWeBRBlRDkmngsDxtnTsZAGQcqJEem2jAIAnB5dTHZXTFgSmkIRwEXFSyLO49ijpZPPD-VKf03qBNSvbdPwnwuRk6ZyT5tQ-VAnhbqodzzC2VUnksEtZeMTQd0yLz_NZRbe7iNb-9NDGhbrXr2tjl9TkbC8xeFexp2Irt2QazTKvsG_ELt-y8Kz1nUR_5mHtmNxwShMMCtHjCLpbtYBeXzCH-pxlHMWQpLxIne1NIoU42epu55Uvtg2cTT9kwiGYS_uQSzKuBgKyZ3-DTBvso2YcSxy3N7u3GHjPfalm4zCv2EM6lR76Dy985PONHBEfKeKpYrb4OMHHVMfxVEiACDTxjFNNKuSBtQFJWFa_X3yq0DQvt--rKczujiM0ba2YgCbpFbTI5Iis8rc5romiI87YFmmfD4tR00wmMNK1rroqRUb4y4LMO9ZzmS_jIJInOK4U0g6Dp5vSP-upNuZVjD2iuEj--Jgv8qRRffTyILCDI7IP_6uIjdFpGpR1t3Bm-53clSLhMDVZAdhMcelLwFx0O7Cd1EcYDj29cujq1Udjdld3HbrNfyhpsYHnJLpbsOgWFB6_r5OFm6C_lGcwfWaMC2NaKxdVmMcTOktoMbK8-2gYcLHWVGYC5QeEyQbGA=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/dCDO_Io8KQijF4PLmY2jY0IfEVXtdGMQbqWeBRBlRDkmngsDxtnTsZAGQcqJEem2jAIAnB5dTHZXTFgSmkIRwEXFSyLO49ijpZPPD-VKf03qBNSvbdPwnwuRk6ZyT5tQ-VAnhbqodzzC2VUnksEtZeMTQd0yLz_NZRbe7iNb-9NDGhbrXr2tjl9TkbC8xeFexp2Irt2QazTKvsG_ELt-y8Kz1nUR_5mHtmNxwShMMCtHjCLpbtYBeXzCH-pxlHMWQpLxIne1NIoU42epu55Uvtg2cTT9kwiGYS_uQSzKuBgKyZ3-DTBvso2YcSxy3N7u3GHjPfalm4zCv2EM6lR76Dy985PONHBEfKeKpYrb4OMHHVMfxVEiACDTxjFNNKuSBtQFJWFa_X3yq0DQvt--rKczujiM0ba2YgCbpFbTI5Iis8rc5romiI87YFmmfD4tR00wmMNK1rroqRUb4y4LMO9ZzmS_jIJInOK4U0g6Dp5vSP-upNuZVjD2iuEj--Jgv8qRRffTyILCDI7IP_6uIjdFpGpR1t3Bm-53clSLhMDVZAdhMcelLwFx0O7Cd1EcYDj29cujq1Udjdld3HbrNfyhpsYHnJLpbsOgWFB6_r5OFm6C_lGcwfWaMC2NaKxdVmMcTOktoMbK8-2gYcLHWVGYC5QeEyQbGA=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex, Mahendra and Lai Peng.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Alex and Lai Peng were the wild cards. They were apprehensive about the trek, but they ended up being one of the faster trekkers. This couple was truly in the elements up in the mountains. Their <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/px0D66nYf6Db6tlQFWM9ZYCc-2mc_cEEWQ8MtQXjE7ZCpC5deK0f0XwLFXxIj-p_yoHE6Oy-UOvAsuBoYSyix542LdRQPDzYxnPQRnBP7rEhiSM4uDiTYs4b4NwylD7F64iGlNqEnt3p5MMeo5DA7vozBUR321TjQSSriTqhMg-Bxsk-mEmwAViCBu9mEsHE97YgBpJg89Fn1LLHmcOKD413ef_LxsDgncZxIdIO2nNyMDLnj-ssyr-APYrux_VxufoFCEgxI_g-rqRNUn_5tY0PGjyCJd6Ozoy2twZorsMDyHKu8LhSkAr2W1nJDI9pxcFtDOl39d_j-fqvPaDvZac6UGWaiP58reEVXQomRI5ISLV8pJxP2hM8vrx2-PFNyy5JAijNVG3Xoub1oxE2O5Oitnd4fbSIzABJ4jAhCgHuXl5rc0e5BgPxZKaaM45W8a1J-dbn_kfji8e-B_tEx5abw4CXoqy9HVFAa3ka7mF5lxvifSSellmPkQLUoKiC1ZtOnQXJeud5MvUpFREpwq5GTm3IubKRcsgYJNCKK76b1AuvUdMR9xyEYCWfVjnQuGQPQDxRJDEhjbIkTNxLUtoFqlYq3WGu1k3OiO3o3MTsqRAHw1Qg2BTpPneqUqqkTARKIdrvc8zy-z7Jjea6ffidweRsM2Wkxw=w801-h600-no" target="_blank">special souvenir</a> to me, I was really grateful for, though again, I wasn't sure I was deserving of it. Having their company on this trip, was already a present to me and Serene.<br />
<br />
<br /><br />
Mimi was a great fighter. The realisation of her quest was in a major part, as a result of her digging deep within herself for that drive.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Wee How, did I make it to EBC?"</b></span> she asked me some time later, as she was still in a state of disbelief.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"YES, you did! We made it to the old Everest Base Camp. Well done, Mimi, well done! I am so proud of you!"</b></span></blockquote>
Her show of <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/shpf9pWh9Kqwj0UqaH7u6AY4kV18DNShOe749LZoT2ul1OBFA0kn4fCyE-IMOJC3VtdDk_cVVxDftMa-NyofU8TgfeRKNFHGmjwv_4MH_AfNX3ER1x9TPKmmHlilzKFDty9DH_b-5O-sHt0svCoy-WJb9_TCmngBFKp5od6nv1ORjigKEOocHs8eNZde534Tnv5CTRrjx6buqAPRpQuSmB2QJ1CsQ-RsMM7KHfdkgFv9WyYPb13eKVOsoWV4Tku_rhmICiFFNUQVAs7V1Hnry8TukDDh8tRlQySnccW8K5LQ1utEawjmWRYhKQnA04ctzrX7jRGe-SrlBBRU5h-EOJ2085z9ays7DA-EUnNTXbqJcRuZMZOT1oNdnP0UkvugVJi2G4HuQNsa6SuS1aNgKBox-fLboE9IF6xJ9gtV_8GvVDiRCV3b_dWVZjcWFjWXlZci7w2H70NK12fhPMrERUWgItjwNWgAXmUNfw5unlbhJAgFIW5Jjkn5oeHPvjpjI8pD74VheG3hQyvDzKypBPtTjbwk1o1QTMb6Ky-J5wdjvpaNj23tnRsq2wq7yMi_5y9p7nedv1DGEK4GySSC9ar9FPejMR44UZTJYvKj=s600-no" target="_blank">gratitude </a>we all sincerely appreciate too, although I was quite sure we did very little but to encourage her emotionally to push forth. Thank you, Mimi!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_g6WgwA4CRPDzDIdkYJMzptfeLPrpAgkkrYqxTDlss8wlkfQpI-UhR5zDhyphenhyphenLA3R2902NJowbQxxBw-oDaQ0DiMEBaS_m82bgWk0sb_1vtoAesH1l07xHSM_nKjaJAPmyxxv-1o23X1I/w808-h600-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="808" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_g6WgwA4CRPDzDIdkYJMzptfeLPrpAgkkrYqxTDlss8wlkfQpI-UhR5zDhyphenhyphenLA3R2902NJowbQxxBw-oDaQ0DiMEBaS_m82bgWk0sb_1vtoAesH1l07xHSM_nKjaJAPmyxxv-1o23X1I/w808-h600-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DT, Jeffrey, Mani and Mimi.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/cUDa5njp7EElawfGb-VlGxZhK5nTCLhAVHcbxgB0lq7o4Z9YQ7oKQNBtlkuRovEJfIwpPC-bYNaqfH7EU9b3f8PaykAJ8-AG2tp8yfCkItxBzTbepYFKpr-3JmV6YUvXRxFEWos_Wi0mjMl6-Vzc3oxi1xqOn3-FWrh5kMZkKt6EgwYyf4zoJhgd9wG3VEFgjDRk6K8eNmg0uwQgK1CB_8eEuZUeGgQZvkKZpK-SWtLbY5jHYh4ICwVSkqkGDUIUTbXEcoTHD5Ie9nrXEAIMRD-hQqUbIQxcOLDI4drE8Ut5ytIxgClct7ehCbSfVi3FDE-IOX8wagVx1ZFZr-XRy8-nHyYRbdZIZd1D_DbCx-ZfJlSmHgrLsN1gu_mfqdjdUMxN3wHlZJA6tPsBeDbL-Trv54H5W7DrKsgx3IUWiuVLoBxZkX-seZK4iQqoovHGQESRArBGyI0io9Zp0NvMY7n95f4HBy7adwvdHa88clEEPaGnAUr08lY78MKivh37oDa27H7H196N5ivsOH6Mv4Wv9wnkRF7p_dnqgTrWXup-PFFc-u67m37Jiklx7G1VQ2Bbt8zojekgTCjVeJTLPcpTmuV8P_IF_3rhEMoIrXoP1UlHpfLojj1Iss2HRaWc1eoQLaMg_2pNN9P5XM4I_lZELG10-ruZqQ=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/cUDa5njp7EElawfGb-VlGxZhK5nTCLhAVHcbxgB0lq7o4Z9YQ7oKQNBtlkuRovEJfIwpPC-bYNaqfH7EU9b3f8PaykAJ8-AG2tp8yfCkItxBzTbepYFKpr-3JmV6YUvXRxFEWos_Wi0mjMl6-Vzc3oxi1xqOn3-FWrh5kMZkKt6EgwYyf4zoJhgd9wG3VEFgjDRk6K8eNmg0uwQgK1CB_8eEuZUeGgQZvkKZpK-SWtLbY5jHYh4ICwVSkqkGDUIUTbXEcoTHD5Ie9nrXEAIMRD-hQqUbIQxcOLDI4drE8Ut5ytIxgClct7ehCbSfVi3FDE-IOX8wagVx1ZFZr-XRy8-nHyYRbdZIZd1D_DbCx-ZfJlSmHgrLsN1gu_mfqdjdUMxN3wHlZJA6tPsBeDbL-Trv54H5W7DrKsgx3IUWiuVLoBxZkX-seZK4iQqoovHGQESRArBGyI0io9Zp0NvMY7n95f4HBy7adwvdHa88clEEPaGnAUr08lY78MKivh37oDa27H7H196N5ivsOH6Mv4Wv9wnkRF7p_dnqgTrWXup-PFFc-u67m37Jiklx7G1VQ2Bbt8zojekgTCjVeJTLPcpTmuV8P_IF_3rhEMoIrXoP1UlHpfLojj1Iss2HRaWc1eoQLaMg_2pNN9P5XM4I_lZELG10-ruZqQ=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our family with Sabinn Rai, the almost-trained paramedic.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A very special thanks to Darric, Lay Khim, Jeffrey, Kong Wan, Ai Lin, Patrick and Kc Tng for a couple of <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/q1T4NIx6-QJpfOETix56564doNiWqD9aXCn0PNalNYgqKjGFNKkzhUWQiOrTcLxJzOtve77sasM0fx-CjMYCtZi5lQtvNkI-sZRjOWqjdtXwFTcKcbG-tHSpOf9-qM7VMeLXuB3OyhMl6f5JHQp_ZoCO0Sq6IGubnfU4ALj45c0AAgDuDnypMfiFrXBW8V3XNUMzE0FxOQkO6jLzZsXiYAXJLVTL3VSe6Ol9ZaLo62azbuE8K3u5qSQBGWXKjMQbxxXEJJvUV6S1NW8pIOF-k5jUqUqgzv6ag2gdEKFpmL1MfaR4HopU84cLIKKmapB3L5pmdfnVtzMiG36-YBYaNBmIL89rQV-MGZz3KpjFme3dOK3olZfnp1XX-CC5jCxK5Gn4idFaBoC5DvmafOK5OwoTGr_BpbVeqMM_d4NYq5HJU_dVFOrG9q2D1UavmvpnULyORLReeKGOwzEMr-NQPQ6GxivA23OQR8JG_IW0ImBMS87OWRnDZ-kJv12qXY5F1h0K1TWLE7XmwDe680j-EISyGQEDOYjOBYogwLPFY5SJomiqZoNnTdeeogBqA-yfkAY-6hqn7j272scL5u-hUV3BgGzfbeBGgjDUA9t6=s644-no" target="_blank">special treat post-trip</a>. Serene and I had gained at least 2-3kg each from the durians, and the Mala feasts! Even until today I am still wearing the special embroidered EBC trek T shirt that Darric and Lay Khim bought for Serene and I. Thank you all!<br />
<br />
<br /><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/44sKDtssMjEIwGL302A-mbLj17cdr8BHklQ_ZPYhcNECL8ywUSkdUsByyf_ynyU5n7zrPgpJG69jwg3usuc3xiMJ7714B7bfV8P0fGdCp0OJffYkvwWYYzaM7LY_treWdpSncdMghnYCtcijWtOMcYeovIglmuRvL8x_BDGRKig-4j0zIn1dxeB15N-M9PZmWHz9AQJwSNvf6Vh4T_axjp0nr1GqKGeDLvfvVruDR1kkZNFEpBdlFap3KThjjJfKt3-b_T4Ytkwz2kJF6nvlkOMsWS2vXxXSRVjQE-Y_64GaRh_W42E6o63Ciqb1gvAstGGpFhelbAVAEjQweVbcgB7aFEaj75KZBlm2EEgRKJKiytQ9VfFjm5vjuhevyj83XEuzULPfJ0g6H21PK0_8UtoDmEPvB0mTgeUpWbJkFpDAYN6Hp7wftVhx3Znnf5utNLbZ2exCClkAXtItHQEnqFmtw92E5yddJMjxtVGx06DAPeL--pv4kGzOZ9_dgHEmhEqZ5_ZRfwmJGekm8J5LxWF-nfq9lz4K5Zy61py1Yn4cXrVFAAK7ZVl8RgZiSTIu6CLqpPKQXvN7K5mLKUHCyiXPlWu1IyjY-kiVvvH_dpSVoKUg1pai-Bc6lfqusJGpIeZaT4y3xPcIdqw2sYQiFcQzheiYPRR_=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/44sKDtssMjEIwGL302A-mbLj17cdr8BHklQ_ZPYhcNECL8ywUSkdUsByyf_ynyU5n7zrPgpJG69jwg3usuc3xiMJ7714B7bfV8P0fGdCp0OJffYkvwWYYzaM7LY_treWdpSncdMghnYCtcijWtOMcYeovIglmuRvL8x_BDGRKig-4j0zIn1dxeB15N-M9PZmWHz9AQJwSNvf6Vh4T_axjp0nr1GqKGeDLvfvVruDR1kkZNFEpBdlFap3KThjjJfKt3-b_T4Ytkwz2kJF6nvlkOMsWS2vXxXSRVjQE-Y_64GaRh_W42E6o63Ciqb1gvAstGGpFhelbAVAEjQweVbcgB7aFEaj75KZBlm2EEgRKJKiytQ9VfFjm5vjuhevyj83XEuzULPfJ0g6H21PK0_8UtoDmEPvB0mTgeUpWbJkFpDAYN6Hp7wftVhx3Znnf5utNLbZ2exCClkAXtItHQEnqFmtw92E5yddJMjxtVGx06DAPeL--pv4kGzOZ9_dgHEmhEqZ5_ZRfwmJGekm8J5LxWF-nfq9lz4K5Zy61py1Yn4cXrVFAAK7ZVl8RgZiSTIu6CLqpPKQXvN7K5mLKUHCyiXPlWu1IyjY-kiVvvH_dpSVoKUg1pai-Bc6lfqusJGpIeZaT4y3xPcIdqw2sYQiFcQzheiYPRR_=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was thankful to everyone for giving me their trust. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And wow! A special EBC trek T-shirt and Kala Patthar rock - another generous gift from Kong Wan and Ai Lin! Thank you thank you!<br />
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<br />Now that the trek was over, we were all ready for our hot shower and our well-deserved rest. I had plenty of reflection to do. I had to analyse my own performance on this trek, how I could have done better, how I could have made it easier for the children, and how I could possibly made if more comfortable for the teammates. Introspections awaited me.<br />
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Cheng Cheng was ecstatic to have completed this tough trek. Through thick and thin, she proved, like everyone else, that physical endurance propelled by an unshakable steadfastness, would almost always deliver nothing short of victory. Although she <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/AUiUPdGpK7u-t7R11lC76-I419TtghNyfRZXSH5ESVE5Psvt6wfruy3rbqil_pXYg_xmTxupOmiS_nBtDWunFpqat3t7yEn5mJE0egv-RbaPVU5MoZ8fJqzNIrmZJAVfhFEgOzoRDqk3wl0xYlUYo8qIIp101KAz4z9sEKOJiyIJYoKjDBw8VcY9d2p8FlsjdRj8df_FAsAZAT0t-TlY8HWbakaYhvGMYZnJ4iT2F8HUAPy7NnyaIm6_iQ1WAjOBT4DXu743ZPSImugqxbw7d2T5uJQXKSE_hBZFEdmG9jXBIB4KJu1tfKcFIUKE6_81BxXMoGwiFueVI6RrHyngfqKg4I_HWLWgAX-BXu2dzgZMEYvqiOi6n-FJ9VV7qyE5nCfGj4rAbRNdngPZF-vQjdF_b3tIF6mxO5eSTL3niatN-cI-7fygcu_OIPXXih3bOX4RNRQ9rGmkk17uDO0XuMUUlYNd6wAoo7_g9M3NzJa7X6FEv8fg_FH_sa-35lmqzt7008a0WSHggBZ7lW6Ml_mngRHQBGxmul83hdNUVOPEn3Ws8JG5LZBkkNdh12O90ALmA7UVYhVjNa6px5S7h7cADnqaKpX_ChbuoQ-N=s644-no" target="_blank">kept thanking </a>Serene and myself, in my personal opinion, she was the one who deserved the reward. Good job!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4739/24669244097_be0cacbb7b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4739/24669244097_c466767398_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
That speech bubble was just a joke! Jokes aside, Cheng Cheng was truly one of the most reassuring members of the team. </div>
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I was grateful to her reassuring hand.</div>
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</tbody></table>
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Meanwhile, Adrian as always, had to utter some disclaimer about the unpredictability of the weather here in Lukla and Kathmandu. That was the main reason why he planned for an extra two days at the end of the trek. The date was 29th November 2017. Our flight out to Kathmandu was scheduled for 30th November 2017. But our actual flight out of Kathmandu back home to Singapore was on the 2nd Dec 2017. That one and a half extra days were buffer for any of the highly likely delay.<br />
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<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4739/39487503042_d35e1a3d62_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4739/39487503042_e1dff1e587_b.jpg" /></a></div>
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Both Serene and I were very very grateful to all our members who had showed their appreciation to us and our family. We really loved this group of great teammates. It was with plenty of warmth and love that night that we both went to bed.<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>The Namaste Lodge room</b></span><br />
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Lukla was still just as cold as night. The hot shower was still as suffering a shower to me. The water was hot, but once I stepped out of the water, even inside the bathroom, I was instantly feeling cold, even while struggling to put on my base layers. I really hated hot showers in such cold weather. If I had my ways, I would not even shower.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/FWsIBvS9u6eXEfkIaktegc5faJK66MekF7mPLudL2kMIZfSNHKDk3NNI3Fh8Rj_NUznCOAazvxnjLuPaH20oX0bDvaLyDbqE8lg1VcQ5OvpTxCp1Be-MU1SUrdSc20gUi3QZrmS7ygCBdR3gO4tS_vKnd4dQiwun3d_sF83NcGrRR1JuIn-VONbgKXS3fMfXh6F175Dsn94YuxyqyOApu4L8iLxlqig3eM6RwtuRAe2zgIj28j72rvayOdgWFPgdNSff1Q5wVvFir2vjQVNDsTFzlWk1Gor6nFMZ78gP87_R3-KLq6A3sLoFMBHUYhegYbm4nm874-g8xlmdXAvqE-Sy_fCGLisXr_QdKmY04QkKufDQX62qWjtWQMaOmjwK3g-70STsgXjXtuzn2dkXRSA8viTSd0HV9NGPm5kQAQ6cT6izbvlQsbk7lrMczH83zan-TP42KpCdjnXxlyERPFpTsqs5PeeX1sM2qaBA06cLVbqvB3A_bJ0LHuXsq5e9Xjd504df9Hp6zCpzkYNQJD-HrqTCp9IrPfdSrhT1MWZpYcyqP6CQ5Jbm8XUfp3O6fCNHyJhrRLRNjOnPy-x9pfo2z1zuM2bbLtt7O9AwgwciTrJpUd4r9dFZeq1d0vuzTJrXnGRjT-7K7FvKn3ziY5QMVoXStQv9Kg=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/FWsIBvS9u6eXEfkIaktegc5faJK66MekF7mPLudL2kMIZfSNHKDk3NNI3Fh8Rj_NUznCOAazvxnjLuPaH20oX0bDvaLyDbqE8lg1VcQ5OvpTxCp1Be-MU1SUrdSc20gUi3QZrmS7ygCBdR3gO4tS_vKnd4dQiwun3d_sF83NcGrRR1JuIn-VONbgKXS3fMfXh6F175Dsn94YuxyqyOApu4L8iLxlqig3eM6RwtuRAe2zgIj28j72rvayOdgWFPgdNSff1Q5wVvFir2vjQVNDsTFzlWk1Gor6nFMZ78gP87_R3-KLq6A3sLoFMBHUYhegYbm4nm874-g8xlmdXAvqE-Sy_fCGLisXr_QdKmY04QkKufDQX62qWjtWQMaOmjwK3g-70STsgXjXtuzn2dkXRSA8viTSd0HV9NGPm5kQAQ6cT6izbvlQsbk7lrMczH83zan-TP42KpCdjnXxlyERPFpTsqs5PeeX1sM2qaBA06cLVbqvB3A_bJ0LHuXsq5e9Xjd504df9Hp6zCpzkYNQJD-HrqTCp9IrPfdSrhT1MWZpYcyqP6CQ5Jbm8XUfp3O6fCNHyJhrRLRNjOnPy-x9pfo2z1zuM2bbLtt7O9AwgwciTrJpUd4r9dFZeq1d0vuzTJrXnGRjT-7K7FvKn3ziY5QMVoXStQv9Kg=w800-h600-no" /></a></div>
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The few of us who trekked that 9 hours down to Lukla were finally feeling tired. We had had our mission completed. Our bodies and our minds were at peace. We needed to do nothing else but to sleep. Come what may tomorrow.<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-6-back-to.html"><br /></a></b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-7-back-to.html">Click on the following to continue to the next part:</a></b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-7-back-to.html">EBC Trek Part 7</a></span></b> ~ Flying back to Kathmandu. Rest and Relax in Kathmandu and flying home!<br />
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Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com1Namche Bazar, Namche 56000, Nepal27.8068745 86.713970427.7787845 86.6736299 27.834964499999998 86.7543109tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-76179450933715492482017-11-27T10:30:00.000-08:002018-08-03T03:13:15.284-07:00Everest Base Camp Trek Part 5 ~ The return of the Jedi from Gorak Shep all the way to Namche Bazaar.<span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;"><b>Part 5 ~ The story of how the Jedis willed themselves onwards in a half-dazed state from Gorak Shep to Pheriche, and how the same knights gallantly drove themslves by sheer determination on foot back to Namche Bazaar.</b></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-5-return-of.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/l1hqvE6gfdeMZ48jdya_bZiZ2CnX39iqO90kKGoDvak3pL_RMRkbvxIztCyZeAB3V2kZyeJERzscFJHO1mpoI-AOcs4KdKglBZmw5O-QS-aA0JhlE_bcJrYk7NdndTKVk1VGyHpQR9AidOarpqr6Rhw64tJL_UKTHKxWZfKPBsbzEdoPdvaCQ8ivnhxQQPI37c9QFDCUlosWQebjr-RPrebCD1anEOPis27D7xlzGrb3d9X1iNHTsSmYabtmOv7cGqgCcq1FUqstvQQ6iTnU2LPGw5rfVUXOT8xWzaIrmZSQPUlsyhIrSoT3_M5dkIGISwjhwHx0GH0DIyqxCQqPBbeSKNZkJqmK-IRylA1MADYxHbVXe4N5Ok9S0HzBSyQN8Sr2Iv3o1VsyzMyrAyUcJSk701Fqo6kIWhGy_bmP3s3Narem4O2Bz0lpFlACl0wmD8RM52kRdF__Lva1tiKTPAXx918Lkb_W6VHf5ywJeSTErO_I0D1qYyv7deX_JX7hoB0mdkiWD2zxVqO7GatGyqW6y4_PwWyLzpLx3NdK7NkgV-2_aEaZHeZzuXCrTIoKa77Xh5BI45Cp405fDNDheOXo-757wWxJj2Jkjhl6Z1djFK7Lh-Dh77JL1Lp68nJk8CNX307jUo_6MN6H5CG6dU4BV3XdjcU7=w800-h600-no" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-5-return-of.html">[Photo: Fann]</a></td></tr>
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This was finally the turn back towards home. Everyone knew the end was drawing near. Near, but not <b><i>that</i></b> near yet. Three more days separated us from the comfort of Kathmandu. In many ways, our objectives had been accomplished. And the victorious members just only needed to be patient and continue their walk, which by now was already in rhythmic automatic mode. The Jedis were finally returning home.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: yellow;">[In this Travellogue, I have tried my best to credit all the photos to their respective photographers, and I tried my best to recall verbatim what members said during the whole trip. Most events are as I could remember them. Those who have expressed clearly to me their wishes not to have their photos shared online I have post-processed the photographs so that their faces are pixelated to protect their privacies.]</span></i></b><br />
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<b style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-large;">Table of Contents:</b><br />
<ol>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-epic.html">EBC Trek Part 1</a> </span></b>~ An epic adventure. Kathmandu to Lukla. Lukla to Phakding. Phakding to Namche Bazaar. Acclimatisation in Namche Bazaar.</li>
<li><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-2-from.html"><b><span style="font-size: large;">EBC Trek Part 2</span></b></a> ~ The air got thinner & the body got more tired. Namche Bazaar to Tengboche & Debuche. Debuche to Dingboche. Acclimatisation in Dingboche.</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-3.html">EBC Trek Part 3</a></span></b> ~ The Final Push. Dingboche to Lobuche. Lobuche to Gorak Shep and to EBC and back to Gorak Shep. </li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-4-highest.html">EBC Trek Part 4</a></span></b> ~ Kala Patthar</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-5-return-of.html">EBC Trek Part 5</a></span></b> ~ The unrelenting march from day to night - Gorak Shep to Periche. Another long day to night march from Periche to Namche Bazaar.</li>
<li><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-6-back-to.html"><b><span style="font-size: large;">EBC Trek Part 6</span></b> </a>~ No matter how tired... just go into Cruise-control mode walking from Namche Bazaar to finally arrive back in Lukla in the dark, yet again.</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-7-back-to.html">EBC Trek Part 7</a></span></b> ~ Flying back to Kathmandu. Rest and Relax in Kathmandu and flying home!</li>
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">EBC TREK Day 10 ~ </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">The long trek from Gorak Shep to Pheriche from day till evening.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;">27 Nov 2017</span></div>
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<blockquote class="embedly-card" data-card-controls="0" data-card-key="f1631a41cb254ca5b035dc5747a5bd75" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Here is the Relive video of</span> <span style="color: #d9ead3;">our homebound trek from Gorak Shep to Pheriche, ending in the evening.</span></b></span></div>
<blockquote class="embedly-card" data-card-controls="0" data-card-key="f1631a41cb254ca5b035dc5747a5bd75">
<h4>
<a href="https://www.relive.cc/view/1294085295?r=embed-site">Relive 'Trek from Gorak Shep down to Pheriche'</a></h4>
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<script async="" charset="UTF-8" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js"></script>
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: large;"><b>Here is the Strava Flyby of this day's trek.</b></span> <i><b>Just click on the image below, <span style="color: yellow;">play and zoom in and see</span>. This one is <span style="color: yellow;">a day of AMS</span>. Zoom in to see how Kai Sing, Alex, Lai Peng and Patrick very quickly detached themselves from the rear and pushed ahead. Darric was initially a little behind but a sudden burst of energy saw him catching up with Alex group and they trekked together to arrive at Lobuche for lunch. Meanwhile KC stayed with us rear group.</b></i><br />
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<a href="https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1294085295?c=tuvwy1se&z=C&t=1Q6vSu&a=rywiTXm9pU3FAiFN" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="800" height="276" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4685/24541688277_10af7c9f0f_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is my Garmin record of the days' trek. By the time we arrived at Pheriche in the dark, with slight flurry of snow... it was around 7:30pm and really dark.<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/embed/2354957757" title="Everest Base Camp Day 9-the last push from Gorakshep to Periche" width="465"></iframe>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">The </span><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: x-large;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-large;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-size: x-large;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: x-large;">:</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">The exhausting trek in the homewards direction to Pheriche... in the mist, in flurry of snow, and in the dark</span></span></span></b><br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cWCg_Um3YH4?rel=0" width="820"></iframe>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"The first group will set off from Gorak Shep at 9:30am, and the second group slightly later," </b></span>announced Adrian</blockquote>
The second group ended up leaving at about 10:25am. At 5190m, the coldness stayed on even when the sun was high up and blasting with all her fury. Our layers stayed on as we bid goodbye to Gorak Shep and went southwest-wards.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/JFY17AhOusVp0FJNDc51WHnf5BbtQ2obUpSxuSY9VE7rMcSXhSVoqVGQ8IvSk0BT_AbHxkOo5dsonJwRMhT0GCW1PiIkMtxr6MCsOaaye-FJpfR1vILPC68xi_HcNHpc5QSpbfIDM6MAUm8vgGtxNH0-hyPCNyhh5qhQtJvkytbzaije9ApJPch4uc8UyNgl9t82A6eawEoLrdNd71Z0OWHa4TcAZDi1Q4S0jTB80K8rnFH3fz9wxMeCq1oa1kCBioPXALFE1rc5GIZQL_ErpF5s2OwwbGJ7392PVcNurV6xH4PcFT4OZSAo2skyIHjK1BuYevxZQ9zS6wPGsjmObKGqDRGFNPal9P0mCCnzrH_uNeaZiZcf34TZNlcCSq_wE9yT-uWEeTlpiQXXdKXZTRrf9v2X7fCWBguIgkD37fjmDEC20xZzLufufj6VdgvxiQHYOOdy_3spf_kT2_p4gtyC751xhhwRTkbLpkk0JHODbdTHf347PXPXTqrACgMEh2qY12q_2mPETr6XDNVNHMcxGCIkZcI0cMbvrItJti2uRYU5jOeg9pUY9tZBCcTfFJ0gQdtyr7Bk5U2vq_we0Vhslul3TF_-tqCRM4BSa3vbOspejCQ-CewNwbTBEQN8UGjbqpbnwY35l-tOcCp7C7jlXCtG_ZTz=w1003-h388-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="1003" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/JFY17AhOusVp0FJNDc51WHnf5BbtQ2obUpSxuSY9VE7rMcSXhSVoqVGQ8IvSk0BT_AbHxkOo5dsonJwRMhT0GCW1PiIkMtxr6MCsOaaye-FJpfR1vILPC68xi_HcNHpc5QSpbfIDM6MAUm8vgGtxNH0-hyPCNyhh5qhQtJvkytbzaije9ApJPch4uc8UyNgl9t82A6eawEoLrdNd71Z0OWHa4TcAZDi1Q4S0jTB80K8rnFH3fz9wxMeCq1oa1kCBioPXALFE1rc5GIZQL_ErpF5s2OwwbGJ7392PVcNurV6xH4PcFT4OZSAo2skyIHjK1BuYevxZQ9zS6wPGsjmObKGqDRGFNPal9P0mCCnzrH_uNeaZiZcf34TZNlcCSq_wE9yT-uWEeTlpiQXXdKXZTRrf9v2X7fCWBguIgkD37fjmDEC20xZzLufufj6VdgvxiQHYOOdy_3spf_kT2_p4gtyC751xhhwRTkbLpkk0JHODbdTHf347PXPXTqrACgMEh2qY12q_2mPETr6XDNVNHMcxGCIkZcI0cMbvrItJti2uRYU5jOeg9pUY9tZBCcTfFJ0gQdtyr7Bk5U2vq_we0Vhslul3TF_-tqCRM4BSa3vbOspejCQ-CewNwbTBEQN8UGjbqpbnwY35l-tOcCp7C7jlXCtG_ZTz=w1003-h388-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back as we left Gorak Shep. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On this part of the trek, there was no other trekkers apart from our team. Desolate as it was, I had expected few other people out here, more so as the trekking season was coming to an end as December drew near.<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>General health of the team</b></span><br />
<br />
I quite enjoyed having the whole universe to ourselves. If only the going hadn't been so tough. I made a mental note to myself to train even harder the next time I attempt another trek in Nepal. So far I was proud of the family. Serene, with minimal training, was doing good. Slow but with hardly any illnesses and no AMS. Fann was of pristine health, apart from that one small spell of E.coli traveller's diarrhoea.<br />
The rest of the team was generally good. Jason, apart from his old knee injury, had no AMS and didn't fall sick a single bit. Lai Peng was in the pink of health, so was Alex. These two showed no signs of anything, except for the two separate occasions when each had his and her share of blue lips. Ka Lin was superb. Like Fann, after her Suzhou-acquired E.coli cleared, she was as fast an as fit as a fiddle. Patrick and KC Tng were buddies in battle, of equal pace and equal fervour in their quest for their objective. Mild respiratory symptoms were common, as it hit almost every one in the team, apart from three or four. I was half expecting the diarrhoea issue to be widespread but thankfully it only hit eight members.<br />
Ryan, Ai Lin, Tan Ji Koong were the ones who adapted so well and had no medical issues at all.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/kmhW6A-NORol9AlgqfuIi5_IfTia6J2h7maDxPYGPHetRT7Zn6j4_eJuw8mJmG3Vroj7ew6dJPifh8bLpT3amMrfgC9_t-3eDyitJ_kfuYnauOGXH7qlMQ7Io07-M_xYRVUwCVdpl5wuSSoijYFFAmLu3HgqXuakE-PV8Elt54rl2E3_m0usDPVXN-vx8TiRof0toTZ8YJBZZ1x6pT5v0Usq1ZmrPU7VC7QkclJN7-AJLEerhStAw8LF3E9YuXRrHbVPm_C0wc4usmK7rp02rN8FVSLNgjxkO22wHSvdIeEIvllYA2AbvOkzn7WCP7wupwm3cSBzmDpF2OUUFC2tTKSH7ISc-deLltcaQyTxj7HAZnbU6Gmp2_WwWo6vtOgmzXXLJ1XcPUCfRUIBcOfQEb3LzMaVJgxc0Lf0vsKOiXP2ATBo4QByrQ-P4Qxd3Kd0v3mkxTP0Rf6FQpc0jy5RAUfb21Pwne1nLp7TYk10D15Q2LEaoKkeemxsoStfEXJZUBo9QeYI7Psqe5kEOfsQtguoJNcWbqZZc79yUoj9Gy9vuTx6avkEYw7dzteh4RHO1-qie-e7LO0UkCvSr_rq230Vwb58YphLOSevXFSMrB7yaYov5qG-RuKcNVMCcZFqzB_lg2hXkvA4IPr4O2neMlpHilDoHCqx=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/kmhW6A-NORol9AlgqfuIi5_IfTia6J2h7maDxPYGPHetRT7Zn6j4_eJuw8mJmG3Vroj7ew6dJPifh8bLpT3amMrfgC9_t-3eDyitJ_kfuYnauOGXH7qlMQ7Io07-M_xYRVUwCVdpl5wuSSoijYFFAmLu3HgqXuakE-PV8Elt54rl2E3_m0usDPVXN-vx8TiRof0toTZ8YJBZZ1x6pT5v0Usq1ZmrPU7VC7QkclJN7-AJLEerhStAw8LF3E9YuXRrHbVPm_C0wc4usmK7rp02rN8FVSLNgjxkO22wHSvdIeEIvllYA2AbvOkzn7WCP7wupwm3cSBzmDpF2OUUFC2tTKSH7ISc-deLltcaQyTxj7HAZnbU6Gmp2_WwWo6vtOgmzXXLJ1XcPUCfRUIBcOfQEb3LzMaVJgxc0Lf0vsKOiXP2ATBo4QByrQ-P4Qxd3Kd0v3mkxTP0Rf6FQpc0jy5RAUfb21Pwne1nLp7TYk10D15Q2LEaoKkeemxsoStfEXJZUBo9QeYI7Psqe5kEOfsQtguoJNcWbqZZc79yUoj9Gy9vuTx6avkEYw7dzteh4RHO1-qie-e7LO0UkCvSr_rq230Vwb58YphLOSevXFSMrB7yaYov5qG-RuKcNVMCcZFqzB_lg2hXkvA4IPr4O2neMlpHilDoHCqx=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A handsome stance by Babu as he surveyed the route leading the group. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
AMS had a field day among us. But surprisingly it didn't hit most of us that hard. Only several of us, myself included, got affected badly. At the end of the trip I did a mental count and realised that AMS hit only about eight out of twenty eight of us, in various degrees of the whole spectrum. Certainly nowhere near the 90% Adrian had predicted (Heng ah!). Muscular aches and pain was almost non-existent within the team. That, was a real surprise to me, having prepared loads of pills in anticipation of that.<br />
What I would conclude was, this group of highly-motivated individuals were of such good physical state and had such robust mental fortitude, that they needed almost nothing else other than the occasional panadol and perhaps some anti-histamine and anti-diarrhoea pills.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4734/39461437741_13d1b098ee_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4734/39461437741_13d1b098ee_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4734/39461437741_8beb23ba50_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making out way up and away from Gorak Shep. [Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The trek right out of Gorak Shep was a climb. And the heavy breathing started. There could never be an easy Himalayan trek. It would be the undulating terrain, or a severe shortage of life-sustaining oxygen, or if everything else failed to deter, the freezing cold would serve as an adversity. Us city-dwellers living in tropical climate were really not at any form of advantage. I felt that it was simply admirable that we all showed up at the starting line and managed to cross the finishing line.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/zkBFpOQ8mv52l_-KrfIZ1iXKTSCgAHlglpmuLZBCy9jMyvkisWtaHEKob8GP5utA_bzd9tOwh5zde9OLH39uMkTjEqRTg-hSfmBAFHn51APVy2vcYHaIPa20WinhzafusajGuUf4eiyw3DLXPvlF77YxqtWd5UBvHFoPKc6XhSuvAbocV6T3cGhTk8cgAodw5luv_Tx1cdcM4DSswMNHMB41qvOYK6AcdMoLzlCAg3by5FjR-KMZ13I0DRaluOGftGNYCMD2WdxCCVvZBA_HH0Z0uRax5V8uAZOD4jFyei_qhXCp4npdpGuMuzsdPtHAsl3l6I-1YsOlSNh6DqgugToNGFez9jZ-SiRSK1chttiqX_2sR-jNNotrxaGtWGXXAb4-XTdAoNj0CxMXNKrkSGnoPTDrqARwrb9wQorHs3hGWwtzl92lbd4ImogqxwX27AcjoIS0jT2kYyG9tBPahMaTTZ_C_OSbEJU1sodBG4qiAAb4H-5ldXTwkAy9tnpXwPGcZKOGQZegH2jjQuaQsHf7ouQ7MNVIAbRudopORfQ-WnzvHpXP1nrBCf1fxqtokVy7XSMqaKiPgEmD_0Vnvt7LahnYgF3ePhZhYEiRw-g-LMaW20ILz98Vnlw2-Le7wEDcN0iOl_UgmuchyWVwo9bLOowVfee3=w1003-h488-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="1003" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/zkBFpOQ8mv52l_-KrfIZ1iXKTSCgAHlglpmuLZBCy9jMyvkisWtaHEKob8GP5utA_bzd9tOwh5zde9OLH39uMkTjEqRTg-hSfmBAFHn51APVy2vcYHaIPa20WinhzafusajGuUf4eiyw3DLXPvlF77YxqtWd5UBvHFoPKc6XhSuvAbocV6T3cGhTk8cgAodw5luv_Tx1cdcM4DSswMNHMB41qvOYK6AcdMoLzlCAg3by5FjR-KMZ13I0DRaluOGftGNYCMD2WdxCCVvZBA_HH0Z0uRax5V8uAZOD4jFyei_qhXCp4npdpGuMuzsdPtHAsl3l6I-1YsOlSNh6DqgugToNGFez9jZ-SiRSK1chttiqX_2sR-jNNotrxaGtWGXXAb4-XTdAoNj0CxMXNKrkSGnoPTDrqARwrb9wQorHs3hGWwtzl92lbd4ImogqxwX27AcjoIS0jT2kYyG9tBPahMaTTZ_C_OSbEJU1sodBG4qiAAb4H-5ldXTwkAy9tnpXwPGcZKOGQZegH2jjQuaQsHf7ouQ7MNVIAbRudopORfQ-WnzvHpXP1nrBCf1fxqtokVy7XSMqaKiPgEmD_0Vnvt7LahnYgF3ePhZhYEiRw-g-LMaW20ILz98Vnlw2-Le7wEDcN0iOl_UgmuchyWVwo9bLOowVfee3=w1003-h488-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A magnificent view looking back at all of us panting up the trek. [Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/FzKqvIweE-z305DP6jrdp0eaw6GsWV5YJi1xbxRVe4ZGK7jJd6FY09-vsr5AYatsubE7_OAu7rzBTIGgjtQRFxIdRu5PztVa2ZIFxBpkX6W-0AVA_tF8h3tlEi_vdUVy75wAIPxH8vglV5g1xengM59XRnuEHHJUrZxvcp6BZRGkEVbRs5qegsac4Ksolt9GX7fFIa2e6HYVJubE5d4_3xHmeaVIt6fi5PtkS_ujPYeIaBzUK_i1SrluUUDn5lCkl_GNtXS3TxNDA5OcfBidUmv_t-wXUNyXnzNGWSZeYcbDM02asi8ncqEhmpLkmsjcyK00tekA2ECAcOPUf67R-u7EQPxKrhXMS7ajLSjNdER8ZRNuBJvZtNnJ6jFM3IL4lcINT6nEWz8memauSbpV_WAyYpVEhhmYA2bp3geO7Wci4uccx--MzDjgPkzWDOzEnHkB0f6CmetypFsYAqF2RCAzR9SV1KNLlCj8pDivw-KhmG6EkoDMgEuZHTD_vGtCjF1puyYgy_Cm9VM-l286XzCcrQtbRTjc_ZMo7tMCkHkS1OpF1FmzW_4dCb9vfAqjkE8ydMYsqmRegWsTwF3hUm46gQTDXlPwt0Hgi6YvL7pcqHWDdJ1riZxAkIpYVGF9xToXp5uwBdWY6Ym_7vQ0wahybmEEw_ge=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/FzKqvIweE-z305DP6jrdp0eaw6GsWV5YJi1xbxRVe4ZGK7jJd6FY09-vsr5AYatsubE7_OAu7rzBTIGgjtQRFxIdRu5PztVa2ZIFxBpkX6W-0AVA_tF8h3tlEi_vdUVy75wAIPxH8vglV5g1xengM59XRnuEHHJUrZxvcp6BZRGkEVbRs5qegsac4Ksolt9GX7fFIa2e6HYVJubE5d4_3xHmeaVIt6fi5PtkS_ujPYeIaBzUK_i1SrluUUDn5lCkl_GNtXS3TxNDA5OcfBidUmv_t-wXUNyXnzNGWSZeYcbDM02asi8ncqEhmpLkmsjcyK00tekA2ECAcOPUf67R-u7EQPxKrhXMS7ajLSjNdER8ZRNuBJvZtNnJ6jFM3IL4lcINT6nEWz8memauSbpV_WAyYpVEhhmYA2bp3geO7Wci4uccx--MzDjgPkzWDOzEnHkB0f6CmetypFsYAqF2RCAzR9SV1KNLlCj8pDivw-KhmG6EkoDMgEuZHTD_vGtCjF1puyYgy_Cm9VM-l286XzCcrQtbRTjc_ZMo7tMCkHkS1OpF1FmzW_4dCb9vfAqjkE8ydMYsqmRegWsTwF3hUm46gQTDXlPwt0Hgi6YvL7pcqHWDdJ1riZxAkIpYVGF9xToXp5uwBdWY6Ym_7vQ0wahybmEEw_ge=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming down the slope. [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Of Caloric replenishment... and diminishing immunity</b></span><br />
<br />
This was the tenth day of the trip, and we had nine consecutive days of trekking. After the surge of adrenaline to EBC and for some, up to Kala Patthar, everyone was beginning to feel the effect of fatigue, if they had not already experienced it earlier. I had an interesting conversation with Kai Sing one evening and we concluded that most were not eating enough.<br />
<br />
As estimated, a big set man would require about 4000-5000 Cal of energy replacement daily on such a trek with an average 6-7 hours of trekking every day. With our three meals, at best we would derive about 2000-2200Cal. If one was fortunate enough to have ordered Dal Bhat, the porters and guides would happily refill the rice, the vegetable, and the lentils until one could no longer stuff any more down. The energy bars and snacks along the way, and our self-brought instant noodles certainly played a major role in supplementing our intake. But there would definitely still be a caloric deficit.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"You see, all it takes was for everyone to be a little short of energy every day. Day by day it will accumulate. Of course our bodies will burn fat and muscles to scramble to replenish itself. But eventually if this goes on long enough, everyone's immune system will start to break down, and then all will start to fall sick," </span></b>analysed Kai Sing.</blockquote>
What a piece of wisdom! After hearing this from Kai Sing, I was in total agreement. And all the pieces begun to fall into places. That explained why as the trek went on, even those strong ones were starting to fall sick.<br />
This was truly another learning point for ourselves. Energy-replacement and adequate hydration were equally important, if not more, than pacing oneself and not over-exerting at any one part. I will definitely buy plenty of energy bars and trail snacks from Thamel the next round to bring up.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/KKyqwf1BVGSC49gsLxTa6olHZ6J9_xkPyMZuu38vyfen_VKVYP_gM-cdb9oSAewtfsKblfWBhYzZjEA2KXaXtvm_2jJ5_4kDz4FjfoLI1iEsD44Bt6ACLbjut9okOCEJdSVm_x82n73cM2zIVm7D2NTz-lIGEolMteSXA7ZV76lWjtYu6IZmEOVD1Xuf9igX5JdkuJuL4oUKFsOnAEAc8N-7NMsR02TFFvNLjlzFraf0A0uFYZuwT4nWqB6KaX40BZHWEksiaGXvj1rBy1hmK4lBvO1KqYR9J1MqP1KI5eTekMcBnBg7zj_0k3nZFq3Yk7neHI2UZbErOh-110XRrPZdYKVatqby8Uq_8QGbQDmQofIiA76477-kYAe6sqXvthMEXHOHWSTGBVxTSb7F1iH3tzJYMzUuNVBwmSFDDhBkmQGRYMiSjA4VReaX2XK11YfOClwfbOMW5PYIuzyOgFHJQzJlmRqVxIqr3FMHV0ApaU2u6OO_eKIgP83wUKKBGI6vN27MqPtcFBgovLOHnGgX2PUSR4Dh-cjMBByzeivYjA__I6J_wTFWJKjlYNZnaVD86fcSxGoqyzmMk1fhJcVebn9O-Vz9Gf6q-SJ-4G08Wqy_q-j3svpMBBjiQXA-T2cjnozJDexU1Vni-G34z3a-1Xp--xj1=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/KKyqwf1BVGSC49gsLxTa6olHZ6J9_xkPyMZuu38vyfen_VKVYP_gM-cdb9oSAewtfsKblfWBhYzZjEA2KXaXtvm_2jJ5_4kDz4FjfoLI1iEsD44Bt6ACLbjut9okOCEJdSVm_x82n73cM2zIVm7D2NTz-lIGEolMteSXA7ZV76lWjtYu6IZmEOVD1Xuf9igX5JdkuJuL4oUKFsOnAEAc8N-7NMsR02TFFvNLjlzFraf0A0uFYZuwT4nWqB6KaX40BZHWEksiaGXvj1rBy1hmK4lBvO1KqYR9J1MqP1KI5eTekMcBnBg7zj_0k3nZFq3Yk7neHI2UZbErOh-110XRrPZdYKVatqby8Uq_8QGbQDmQofIiA76477-kYAe6sqXvthMEXHOHWSTGBVxTSb7F1iH3tzJYMzUuNVBwmSFDDhBkmQGRYMiSjA4VReaX2XK11YfOClwfbOMW5PYIuzyOgFHJQzJlmRqVxIqr3FMHV0ApaU2u6OO_eKIgP83wUKKBGI6vN27MqPtcFBgovLOHnGgX2PUSR4Dh-cjMBByzeivYjA__I6J_wTFWJKjlYNZnaVD86fcSxGoqyzmMk1fhJcVebn9O-Vz9Gf6q-SJ-4G08Wqy_q-j3svpMBBjiQXA-T2cjnozJDexU1Vni-G34z3a-1Xp--xj1=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The EBC x 2 Bandit and the Kala Patthar Bandit. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/wgnXEB0ul3nMl5K7DbzAq_xm_Nv1ATgyoW2OnJ-UwJdpQwsh4_usLIYegm9LA_zEQUMC5-xyDpeNH5qqTl1oQHbFtQuU2McKMpZTRigPrd8AICM7eZFiI6cavf6O9yiMlr4EqXZpwJ2ZACxr-RF0Z2PmLb_KR0nguxocck8W2DWg6RkP2Z-xAGuMTXyWZC7VgrXik1sRKg1uCxKQFnRWOzddsk71Aobjt8q10NH5lF3fbAjSnRmXBCC6urfwTRyafPDGWdPbp_7yv5okKRO62H_qFQ5dNyPiXCt4y3Yi-m6Swecr_kVdbNj5I-HulNcz-D3S5cqXN7z0OWxcwSzNdq5YfpcKMYaI-8Lctmd7W3E26QVql8HXrMKktARpeooQ81WBVB86mE5tGVDxQYvgOtSD_PeA-IbNmGNQ88DUEmGPQxrkuRuqfzJqXk6lr4W8eRAC_epi_Kz5-uv_yd8DOPyKJoan0QGvxJ1wILTtMXITNrNRpEKr2k3-ASSq7IYdTbZW2EGBWcbKnRFRvZT7V4Ip3tusJan8j2dQYOsh6yCz54QGu58Z4Nyu76_yvQHOSj0cP-KMPRuWmWcgmfl1iTH0n355vYz9vi541-K4-i-rmO0YPnjq5qDwYRgtoXN8EAE86a_1FARDwHHqbeAmCj9l90N-xyGAnQ=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/wgnXEB0ul3nMl5K7DbzAq_xm_Nv1ATgyoW2OnJ-UwJdpQwsh4_usLIYegm9LA_zEQUMC5-xyDpeNH5qqTl1oQHbFtQuU2McKMpZTRigPrd8AICM7eZFiI6cavf6O9yiMlr4EqXZpwJ2ZACxr-RF0Z2PmLb_KR0nguxocck8W2DWg6RkP2Z-xAGuMTXyWZC7VgrXik1sRKg1uCxKQFnRWOzddsk71Aobjt8q10NH5lF3fbAjSnRmXBCC6urfwTRyafPDGWdPbp_7yv5okKRO62H_qFQ5dNyPiXCt4y3Yi-m6Swecr_kVdbNj5I-HulNcz-D3S5cqXN7z0OWxcwSzNdq5YfpcKMYaI-8Lctmd7W3E26QVql8HXrMKktARpeooQ81WBVB86mE5tGVDxQYvgOtSD_PeA-IbNmGNQ88DUEmGPQxrkuRuqfzJqXk6lr4W8eRAC_epi_Kz5-uv_yd8DOPyKJoan0QGvxJ1wILTtMXITNrNRpEKr2k3-ASSq7IYdTbZW2EGBWcbKnRFRvZT7V4Ip3tusJan8j2dQYOsh6yCz54QGu58Z4Nyu76_yvQHOSj0cP-KMPRuWmWcgmfl1iTH0n355vYz9vi541-K4-i-rmO0YPnjq5qDwYRgtoXN8EAE86a_1FARDwHHqbeAmCj9l90N-xyGAnQ=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lai Peng before she took off on her wings again! [Photo: Who else but Lai Peng's iPhone lor.. haha!]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
We were simply trekking on a relatively constant altitude, around 5200m-5100m, with no major variations. At this altitude, we were above the clouds. Looking afar we could see a souffle of clouds hugging the waist of the peaks. This was a unique sight. Simply worth the trek up to this level.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/Y2biwOSH-YHmSsklZZrqbtS5N5FPz7yU7449UDHNMJTin4JfexklyDiPfW5tUxHbdTLSSKrkCEZXxX-cvVapahd8unVlNHdYL08SLuDvemyNK0pHfH8OnvBGTVYpt1H2YaD60bP3krCOxkNjdZFMsBh3frNp-u1LVQvkKoVD8OSU10-QXfOYCFgYeX0iomyAcX-_z3K-64U-GmdfoNEfc8OkuF2AgRPzdD0hzSSSt3skHljs9-ZT-6OSl6NTvzXHMNlgPfwPVRPU16tHzCLA7gR4UNVTth4Wqze3HrieWVA08z2YTd2laLNiAxO43UNbdOWznA_Zs3hbPsXkxlOXIJFn0Abxy0DwwHkYKOIBZkQTbOoxbPdJC-oue3usnqXsg7KUuEhHvwSb3cb0hA4Zw82uMMHIlc7Wq5UceaIBc7pLibrc9UgNIAVADc-43tsQbymf9EeZgGt5IvMBhYzQB8O6Ml6H2_HDAHvdD-Xw8-MMx6V9ooQL1ohZQ3bbWoRxKNdsQ-AnRzfDpsrShFHz64sN13p20MvrEk3nRbnPJVxvt2ePSt61fYcf8oclTjR93P4vNWB_cNPUy8yVzq1vJwB3MdIM44kjPgXIbOIqgfJeU4WRYWfhUgxrtP0Kc-ECwuHAjL5U0aAZaP0Cuv8ciVOCQxM2zUuj=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/Y2biwOSH-YHmSsklZZrqbtS5N5FPz7yU7449UDHNMJTin4JfexklyDiPfW5tUxHbdTLSSKrkCEZXxX-cvVapahd8unVlNHdYL08SLuDvemyNK0pHfH8OnvBGTVYpt1H2YaD60bP3krCOxkNjdZFMsBh3frNp-u1LVQvkKoVD8OSU10-QXfOYCFgYeX0iomyAcX-_z3K-64U-GmdfoNEfc8OkuF2AgRPzdD0hzSSSt3skHljs9-ZT-6OSl6NTvzXHMNlgPfwPVRPU16tHzCLA7gR4UNVTth4Wqze3HrieWVA08z2YTd2laLNiAxO43UNbdOWznA_Zs3hbPsXkxlOXIJFn0Abxy0DwwHkYKOIBZkQTbOoxbPdJC-oue3usnqXsg7KUuEhHvwSb3cb0hA4Zw82uMMHIlc7Wq5UceaIBc7pLibrc9UgNIAVADc-43tsQbymf9EeZgGt5IvMBhYzQB8O6Ml6H2_HDAHvdD-Xw8-MMx6V9ooQL1ohZQ3bbWoRxKNdsQ-AnRzfDpsrShFHz64sN13p20MvrEk3nRbnPJVxvt2ePSt61fYcf8oclTjR93P4vNWB_cNPUy8yVzq1vJwB3MdIM44kjPgXIbOIqgfJeU4WRYWfhUgxrtP0Kc-ECwuHAjL5U0aAZaP0Cuv8ciVOCQxM2zUuj=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking forward and southward where we were headed, we were in the clouds at 5100m. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Somewhere in front, where the front group was about an hour ahead, they came upon a flat ground where there was a heli-evacuation taking place. And the boys and girls wasted no opportunity to take shots of the occasion. From what Adrian revealed, two days before we arrived at Gorak Shep, a Japanese trekker died from AMS there. One week before we started our trek, a Swedish group led by the same local operator had to have two of them heli-evacuated from Dingboche, and three more heli-evacuated from Lobuche, all due to AMS.<br />
So far we had been really lucky.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/DAu7XM0o4KZ0nyB0OHZGAweKg0HuQEdS0OakXuEJHNUYcXnTyDRbvYFx7b32jlhZAi7ipF015Qth65i5aSDwB8gG5tkQBQ6eo0zs80A05iODpxP1DpArNp52T72kxBbX4KFy1P41Bx6MiVl4PgP0Fw6GM_XZ2qF5NVbbEmkczjLSJtXQW-dJSisuaZRhro4zHg4qy-Mk4OX9LyAZCSVJNIFNg9vVSbzECqeR4l-djIK2VTimA4O9gEaXt61HTvm-xiJAQzrErUpvNuQHRdkgbY6x3bF63n6Vq5UT5gT6l890Df762YA7lGjqJaoAs4c984mktnS0SLGGO3WOZie6sNb3d6Qf-_0sBDOeAgwibXRJxaTbZ7LbKpcY3AziThVCl2hVfYYCZO6q1k9g8let8hKe1N_u8BPLuKzcWLJyUFtaHAf83ritP7PKlgnAHKHwbTOypGLPGpO7jTPRGlS0inUltupDh0-gHgADK1MhKh6pPlF8hIiKHLN0y_fyPukJgMFPrWO5z8Zr2Oke7RVM0X17TyE8mIVkr3z6b9-pF6Ak7pda2zCK8-iRX6bCeDUW7oSomZ8PgYzYp5HoBqjtjKW0Vr6k80_BnSH-zagH9pJI0LSzKW5xMLWb0X_PEYvXvROPNCf_i0k6YzTk7dvi-7Y7C2ErB7xwdw=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/DAu7XM0o4KZ0nyB0OHZGAweKg0HuQEdS0OakXuEJHNUYcXnTyDRbvYFx7b32jlhZAi7ipF015Qth65i5aSDwB8gG5tkQBQ6eo0zs80A05iODpxP1DpArNp52T72kxBbX4KFy1P41Bx6MiVl4PgP0Fw6GM_XZ2qF5NVbbEmkczjLSJtXQW-dJSisuaZRhro4zHg4qy-Mk4OX9LyAZCSVJNIFNg9vVSbzECqeR4l-djIK2VTimA4O9gEaXt61HTvm-xiJAQzrErUpvNuQHRdkgbY6x3bF63n6Vq5UT5gT6l890Df762YA7lGjqJaoAs4c984mktnS0SLGGO3WOZie6sNb3d6Qf-_0sBDOeAgwibXRJxaTbZ7LbKpcY3AziThVCl2hVfYYCZO6q1k9g8let8hKe1N_u8BPLuKzcWLJyUFtaHAf83ritP7PKlgnAHKHwbTOypGLPGpO7jTPRGlS0inUltupDh0-gHgADK1MhKh6pPlF8hIiKHLN0y_fyPukJgMFPrWO5z8Zr2Oke7RVM0X17TyE8mIVkr3z6b9-pF6Ak7pda2zCK8-iRX6bCeDUW7oSomZ8PgYzYp5HoBqjtjKW0Vr6k80_BnSH-zagH9pJI0LSzKW5xMLWb0X_PEYvXvROPNCf_i0k6YzTk7dvi-7Y7C2ErB7xwdw=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another helicopter evacuation near Gorak Shep? Must be another AMS casualty. [Photo: Alex]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Our trusty walkie talkies...</b></span><br />
<br />
Meanwhile, those of us one hour behind were still negotiating the ups and downs on the rocky slopes. My walkie talkie had been a constant companion on this trip. And I was glad that more than that few important occasions the walkie talkies had served us well. The only issue was battery lives. With Energizer AA size batteries, a set of three would last at most a day and a half. But up above 4000m where temperature constantly hit negative ten degrees celsius, a set would sometimes go kaput in less than a day. An attempt to stick a heat pack to the back of my walkie talkie to keep it warm did help quite a bit.<br />
<br />
On this day, I changed a new set of batteries and stuck a brand new heat pack on the walkie talkie. I wasn't expecting much communications. But as we were taking delicate steps down a slope, I suddenly received a radio call from Kong Wan:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">Hello Wee How, hello Wee How, this is Kong Wan." </span></b>my walkie talkie buzzed.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Kong Wan, send."</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Hey, Casey is not doing well. He is resting. Please see if you can get to him and see him quickly," </span></b>came Kong Wan over the radio.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Roger that, Kong Wan. We are making our way up. I will keep a look out for him."</span></b></blockquote>
A big question mark begun to form in my mind. What-the-fertiliser? If Kong Wan had to walkie talkie me, it might not be good news.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnD4iEsi2kUyzPGDxKZBWor-8LAtZoHMLZ1fTKbSYkPd1IUFEObhSl48pY-raEeEfmltq3RONZ601-4pnfKksD5595jAJFhvlAakMAvc9KnvCu80JaaqEZP2TwD9HpmQqIko8nb-sHEc8/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnD4iEsi2kUyzPGDxKZBWor-8LAtZoHMLZ1fTKbSYkPd1IUFEObhSl48pY-raEeEfmltq3RONZ601-4pnfKksD5595jAJFhvlAakMAvc9KnvCu80JaaqEZP2TwD9HpmQqIko8nb-sHEc8/w859-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meanwhile we continued our downhill trek.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>AMS on our home-bound trek</b></span><br />
<br />
So it happened that us rear group was not far from where Casey was seated and resting at the side of the trek, with Adrian and Binot accompanying him.<br />
I walked up to Casey. He looked pale.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Wee How, have a look at Casey. I suspect he may be having HAPE. He is talking incoherently,"</b></span> said Adrian. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"And also take a look at TJK, see if he is having a HAPE too and if he needs a jab."</b></span></blockquote>
Wah lau eh.. This was really what-the-fertiliser. A quick signal and Serene and Sabinn Rai kicked into action. By now, these two were well coordinated. Sabinn would quickly run up and open up his backpack and take out all the medical packs. Serene would grab my equipments and prepare the ampoules, syringes and alcohol swabs with all the necessary medicine as I barked out my orders.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #f4cccc;">I checked Casey's SaO2. It said 76%. Not good.</span></b><br />
Blood pressure was stable.<br />
A careful listen to his lungs revealed crepitations at both the bases of the lungs. This good man definitely was coming down with water in the lungs.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Casey, hey listen to me. You have water in your lungs. I am going to administer a jab for you and some medication. You have to trust me - 101%. I am going get you down in one piece."</span></b></blockquote>
A quick mental examination found him to be still lucid. Adrian remarked that he was babbling some nonsense just now when he walked towards him. Perhaps some confusion. But I was sure he only had water in his lungs. Not to the stage of cerebral oedema yet.<br />
<br />
Intramuscular Dexamethasone. Oral Dexamethasone 0.5mg, Theophylline 250mg one whole tablet. Frusemide 40mg and Potassium Chloride 600mg stat doses, and one more dose of Diamox 250mg. All done within a couple of minutes.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Casey, ok from this point onwards, you gotta walk really slowly. Take deep breaths. I have given you some medicine to open up your airways, and also to help you pee out the excess water from your lungs. You will feel like pee-ing. Just pee whenever you feel like it ok? But you MUST hydrate, so keep drinking water ok?" </b></span>He nodded.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Adrian asked me: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Do you think he can make it to Pheriche? Or do we need to heli-evacuate him at the next village?" </b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Adrian, I am very sure he can make it to Pheriche. Trust me. I am going to keep an eye on him all the way."</b></span></blockquote>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/ROjLi03SKi5dLvqV46KOPxSSYpt9hKTE4RtugSIrciT4xda9zCRJA3lxkTV1Y6PPPJ6LOqal2Gz45WFKBBsdkTYZfRvcNIjn1XnDt4HynxIw-JS9eeJi4DffOvQEYwFLjSseNb12XS6ytvBkMXSUdQEv_C-71AcSmpTpmfw9_aWJZzHeom5C45pRxOzivDm5fWJ4qNYE4y2Qk1zemKb74W3VqE0TrNJffm3iSoeIs6yYLz8MQSGirb1UWxwhaAw5BKGeOo2_butRijkcGJcvuJvvtJX37hnkvuQ1aCa48WgJR-WQKVOMTEhPKwZw5fIS1S_oal0I7r7MTsFHG6-gG3oOrip4jvi6ZPilKBp9RhxVur4_3KjxvbDWcYB3Qv-GFgNKXsj9OiQv5vZlGNcdadAV-_oBWzvfxdybGVjv7HEU__QyRbsFAljSckp0DnAJ2iJfzU0Q3JpyAXu44nup9RUQoTe3DGoRH_UU1ZSz4a0FZVFC9TWpaOpz9yWCCX7zxnpM9GV4-vpYvQDjLDBacYAQ1ihO5nHnZtO-RbbKs2wMFS-GGsTHGnwZIVWs370niLIJaVxE-ecctYqhbEYKzI41UA7E5Yzc0EXMZCM2PVFUdKRs3C2NzkIGHNiGB1H6Zd86ZRrGPg2QKqsAjkW5H0HR1wwMsMk0=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/ROjLi03SKi5dLvqV46KOPxSSYpt9hKTE4RtugSIrciT4xda9zCRJA3lxkTV1Y6PPPJ6LOqal2Gz45WFKBBsdkTYZfRvcNIjn1XnDt4HynxIw-JS9eeJi4DffOvQEYwFLjSseNb12XS6ytvBkMXSUdQEv_C-71AcSmpTpmfw9_aWJZzHeom5C45pRxOzivDm5fWJ4qNYE4y2Qk1zemKb74W3VqE0TrNJffm3iSoeIs6yYLz8MQSGirb1UWxwhaAw5BKGeOo2_butRijkcGJcvuJvvtJX37hnkvuQ1aCa48WgJR-WQKVOMTEhPKwZw5fIS1S_oal0I7r7MTsFHG6-gG3oOrip4jvi6ZPilKBp9RhxVur4_3KjxvbDWcYB3Qv-GFgNKXsj9OiQv5vZlGNcdadAV-_oBWzvfxdybGVjv7HEU__QyRbsFAljSckp0DnAJ2iJfzU0Q3JpyAXu44nup9RUQoTe3DGoRH_UU1ZSz4a0FZVFC9TWpaOpz9yWCCX7zxnpM9GV4-vpYvQDjLDBacYAQ1ihO5nHnZtO-RbbKs2wMFS-GGsTHGnwZIVWs370niLIJaVxE-ecctYqhbEYKzI41UA7E5Yzc0EXMZCM2PVFUdKRs3C2NzkIGHNiGB1H6Zd86ZRrGPg2QKqsAjkW5H0HR1wwMsMk0=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The terrain changed again. Another old glacier bed. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next I turned my attention to TJK who was sitting appearing dazed on a tock opposite Casey.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"TJK, are you ok? Anywhere painful? Do you feel unwell?"</b></span> I asked.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"OK leh."</b></span></blockquote>
With such an answer, it became a physician's nightmare. 'Ok leh' could mean a lot of things. It could mean that he was really 'Ok'. But it could also mean that he was totally not ok but his brain could not comprehend anything and thus what came out from his mouth was a simple 'OK leh'. So I got down to work. It took me all my strength to pull up all his seven layers - base layers x 2, middle layers x 3, down jackets x 2 to reach his chest. I listened very very carefully. His lungs were crystal clear, and his SaO2 was way above 90%.<br />
He was just fatigued.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Adrian, TJK is just tired. He needs nothing, no jabs."</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Ok, I will see if when we reach Thukla or Lobuche we can hire a couple of horses to send them further down to Pheriche," </b></span>said Adrian. I could see from the deep frown he was entertaining all his possible contingencies. Not an enviable position. I would rather just be a simple humble panadol-dispenser and leave the decision making to the team leader.</blockquote>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/7yiozFTC97P12lIpoaz0roZsz7g9Mz_v960E9NcMBl3shwsUTJ_gT96z9wtXkY6J1y8P3OcuIcLjc4-FXJdOWlzWqtyAid5w_XrktlVouQC_1VvDq0bxWDQPoNsVaPaUK91WWA6SdoL1oi4ITL5wh9J1tK7s21LXI3ffcbbSzhOJ2gvpRsUtpMwMCndPHuff1Q7fjCbAppKZ8AVp_lsNdenUu_mr5T70V8HTPr3P8PUrRmS4cop7XKaTwpNBaQByTusRltdBxPdXzDn6_XFPOzQUIK3tl35tpZU_-X5G7j1SGM0XUb1WdVZXi0SHnOIIE2RLHCrZovPHtTNusR7rgaDjdzfeF50TyYZWMVuA0rOS1XcFijd09lAa_CvHFcces0ECnL1dZ7pfn_e7QQz-ENU_g4fRZA8icIbqQlcMtipa9UKHEgyAthIUuALYztSxehgmZoMRXcIU7suAGtnkO1EW5mB8ajOQ77SV5pky7O1VUoPHGxWr6a2qkO3dNRK7sp0zy54RSxsINiHM5QWKDRgDrdoNbB4GeTqNFYStB0ZWWSR4ZDASLXLqsZVai_QcGDad5fuESKVMFnpfIAxmaDc38v_W3pz_OUXYsk7O_0PLk3yO6PbChmD_N4AzLTu5UHHgRUEp9RXedDaDENBE7KSmD2nvu-HcIg=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/7yiozFTC97P12lIpoaz0roZsz7g9Mz_v960E9NcMBl3shwsUTJ_gT96z9wtXkY6J1y8P3OcuIcLjc4-FXJdOWlzWqtyAid5w_XrktlVouQC_1VvDq0bxWDQPoNsVaPaUK91WWA6SdoL1oi4ITL5wh9J1tK7s21LXI3ffcbbSzhOJ2gvpRsUtpMwMCndPHuff1Q7fjCbAppKZ8AVp_lsNdenUu_mr5T70V8HTPr3P8PUrRmS4cop7XKaTwpNBaQByTusRltdBxPdXzDn6_XFPOzQUIK3tl35tpZU_-X5G7j1SGM0XUb1WdVZXi0SHnOIIE2RLHCrZovPHtTNusR7rgaDjdzfeF50TyYZWMVuA0rOS1XcFijd09lAa_CvHFcces0ECnL1dZ7pfn_e7QQz-ENU_g4fRZA8icIbqQlcMtipa9UKHEgyAthIUuALYztSxehgmZoMRXcIU7suAGtnkO1EW5mB8ajOQ77SV5pky7O1VUoPHGxWr6a2qkO3dNRK7sp0zy54RSxsINiHM5QWKDRgDrdoNbB4GeTqNFYStB0ZWWSR4ZDASLXLqsZVai_QcGDad5fuESKVMFnpfIAxmaDc38v_W3pz_OUXYsk7O_0PLk3yO6PbChmD_N4AzLTu5UHHgRUEp9RXedDaDENBE7KSmD2nvu-HcIg=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Challenging and exciting to find the correct stone to step on.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And so the troupe continued, with Binot walking side by side with Casey. We watched with disbelief as Casey sped ahead with such high cadence that soon he was way ahead of us.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Wah lau eh.. this Casey ah, already kena AMS liao.. still walk so fast!" </b></span>kao-beh-ed Serene.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/QdseF8_lclXtacO7042hNfa2KZE1etf2d-qnh34LarSeyOEZ9hKsd1ssSYiTeTazLxApfsZhxlJi5uJs8rcFQBTEdc0pJvdRKBSIjDmSgcr7aLEZt0Gbj6E9YZ0xz8crvPA47JB2GDANWRQUVWcDLmMkfp_EhSZJmXqERn1jI9tTPnqOLxZLRFgC6tCqM6d9t3O35PMsC7DnC7WZTy6iA7j6foSQacdjyKUcG6J2YBsO3v0MKEtMKVNkcSYg7oLhLhj2asFyRXaH2acO3FwkzBS1xmhZShCO5md-JSUGQjuBXP0lLsDVJlokAvaa0q8uHC2I15hurGWWqKHWG_GmOyJzNRRX-qe73HKymQNcPr-FH13YX7JoUVshnJ99pJd8TQW0_B43fHeMx4KusbCGbteMo8lljAOMPZIaQ937UdGgJGo6ph-Rk8YIzDbgoe88sNSxa_IJoLnCmXw7e9ttUFVT3xzausPT1gPn5pS9t0ihz7b4ieD-fxvwhwC6u51rmSRF9ND1Smo7wI2HADvSWFSSvTBMkJ9onOf6875b7zf-yJDYILg4n1_8OfEZlzhtcIhrCVLU_lebe_V1BaXH15PnDuSI1uN38HUWiKJnhPYearb31dprFw59xZBZWN5PAfpWzg9GM74BQugyPetkIVHUeVv81OGC=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/QdseF8_lclXtacO7042hNfa2KZE1etf2d-qnh34LarSeyOEZ9hKsd1ssSYiTeTazLxApfsZhxlJi5uJs8rcFQBTEdc0pJvdRKBSIjDmSgcr7aLEZt0Gbj6E9YZ0xz8crvPA47JB2GDANWRQUVWcDLmMkfp_EhSZJmXqERn1jI9tTPnqOLxZLRFgC6tCqM6d9t3O35PMsC7DnC7WZTy6iA7j6foSQacdjyKUcG6J2YBsO3v0MKEtMKVNkcSYg7oLhLhj2asFyRXaH2acO3FwkzBS1xmhZShCO5md-JSUGQjuBXP0lLsDVJlokAvaa0q8uHC2I15hurGWWqKHWG_GmOyJzNRRX-qe73HKymQNcPr-FH13YX7JoUVshnJ99pJd8TQW0_B43fHeMx4KusbCGbteMo8lljAOMPZIaQ937UdGgJGo6ph-Rk8YIzDbgoe88sNSxa_IJoLnCmXw7e9ttUFVT3xzausPT1gPn5pS9t0ihz7b4ieD-fxvwhwC6u51rmSRF9ND1Smo7wI2HADvSWFSSvTBMkJ9onOf6875b7zf-yJDYILg4n1_8OfEZlzhtcIhrCVLU_lebe_V1BaXH15PnDuSI1uN38HUWiKJnhPYearb31dprFw59xZBZWN5PAfpWzg9GM74BQugyPetkIVHUeVv81OGC=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making some informed calculation before taking my next step. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Casey was really walking too fast. His natural cadence was fast. Thus it was difficult for him to go at a slower pace. Even Binot had difficulty reigning him in. At one point I caught up with him. I was looking at my watch. It had been one and a half hours already and he hadn't even passed urine yet.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Binot, Casey is dehydrated. He needs to keep drinking water. Can you keep passing him his water bladder to drink?"</b></span> I told Binot.</blockquote>
And Casey tried to drink. But the water in his Camelbak tube had all frozen into ice. And he could not suck anything out. So he ended up drinking from water bottle.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/BKTjh8haDUcbGQfyZxwPLEUohFMap6BKgCP8gN_Ovd8B20AWmc9CBE8TtNmKcL4i_mvyyd0dc1UPnupUq2qd13I_ja4S6EE_sRueEvlBiBqkyZ8ZoDLuYZm3g8XIyMQPV6gyF7Z-5DabCk46eDClzPTm0nL254cGHAHVWwRQkwIh1FhJteXEjVzUcV4u3cqnoQgTjFXQs-GC_RCuyWjcHb_tWd0Gornqz4wGHoncoFTs3Qwcw3Qno6Sz6CKOY7CwYAQErnR4vv2W97x_fukz4f8pxz2ftUYSB-ppJuzgvfcxQ0G8WJJR2sI-Fygq6KwMmTDvVeORvwZniwvH0uyre8M60Ku_Ne8o7EjOO2ulSEnPrbGaxXEOpkELXY3SmHsuxELXk44oCq2IZoc36EAiaJmQMmgvLGW5PfOwxF2pbr806OzuvbR9ILhw9Rn-9Qp2c0IwGmObZeRkHLUX4wbMAM6E47TvYZa8-ksDq4Q7OBx47ufywPCn-HR4JVi_Nzdtdh8B5CFR7_RhqfmodGfN8UALQ4dmmV05cNQMFgRVmOOX6Fq4SBvjRIuR6q0ZRkFDLkeTpDObFVBcGiMqLgPUpWaHNehkcYFHL4BCWNobyhf_Y4HSUo9QtxsOzrz8bCpxLfTnZKxycHryBDeJEgzRDWhOLDW4a6VLVA=w363-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="362" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/BKTjh8haDUcbGQfyZxwPLEUohFMap6BKgCP8gN_Ovd8B20AWmc9CBE8TtNmKcL4i_mvyyd0dc1UPnupUq2qd13I_ja4S6EE_sRueEvlBiBqkyZ8ZoDLuYZm3g8XIyMQPV6gyF7Z-5DabCk46eDClzPTm0nL254cGHAHVWwRQkwIh1FhJteXEjVzUcV4u3cqnoQgTjFXQs-GC_RCuyWjcHb_tWd0Gornqz4wGHoncoFTs3Qwcw3Qno6Sz6CKOY7CwYAQErnR4vv2W97x_fukz4f8pxz2ftUYSB-ppJuzgvfcxQ0G8WJJR2sI-Fygq6KwMmTDvVeORvwZniwvH0uyre8M60Ku_Ne8o7EjOO2ulSEnPrbGaxXEOpkELXY3SmHsuxELXk44oCq2IZoc36EAiaJmQMmgvLGW5PfOwxF2pbr806OzuvbR9ILhw9Rn-9Qp2c0IwGmObZeRkHLUX4wbMAM6E47TvYZa8-ksDq4Q7OBx47ufywPCn-HR4JVi_Nzdtdh8B5CFR7_RhqfmodGfN8UALQ4dmmV05cNQMFgRVmOOX6Fq4SBvjRIuR6q0ZRkFDLkeTpDObFVBcGiMqLgPUpWaHNehkcYFHL4BCWNobyhf_Y4HSUo9QtxsOzrz8bCpxLfTnZKxycHryBDeJEgzRDWhOLDW4a6VLVA=w363-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Better don't step wrongly on the ice. [Photo: Kong Wan]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"We really need to descend," </span></b>I told Adrian. "<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">Casey will feel better once we go below 5000m."</span></b></blockquote>
But the altimeter stubbornly stayed at 5100m for a long long stretch. And at times it even went back up to 5200m as we climbed. I could not remember exactly but it was another two hours or so as we approached the rocky stretch with the icy stream, that was the old glacier bed that I started seeing my Garmin registering 5000m, 4900m and such.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/uarLW6PgYz_ynD2O1v9DyxUH19JFNizvtys8x8ouAB9-Wk1kUQfva5CkTNkWm9eSu77-DQkrWF1vl4atLGAvWoz3M6UJ-PYBJx0gWWDX6eOhpG1sTxDewyIOLij2M7DlZrX-VfgLdydSNCq6kw4x4dtpf1d5x4Yv44q9Ss1WbStuGg146KnqKGN7oYHKRku0wLQpKe_cdefMSXITx6fuxtQ0Cu94kFhg_zXQ0eLpW5T46Y4w4zgS_dO5dFcp67umcZtkMyLRRIxPfrDWHdIf3NWG0tGXJQVQo5LU05tKqpXHd1IP_F6Cc_yUeG-0t2Oh8IlwD6KxkvDHgPWvsUB6DHeaEOfnxwyPrjYIsKnl6feutrmKMHzBXGwoISxkpTsP9yibJmkdsqDpm49kLX9yBAeJCohD-yAE1CY_epJpjo5n3fSwXib1EHEXQf49Co6DJQrrT4xEMv3gSlVatENSvPsuFsjckpeWNCfFPIR-cC5SpRY-82WMZnBttYGDBjzxdOZrMKDtd2XP7MefKXSe5J9sryfHLnabqLX4i6n1ZTWQ_T2tk3Sb0t-Ega4NOZ-RpXy7jnRBLgFARKQTEM5OC3ab-CFTf9clXVaZU6tc6WU8Vp8CAxqOPyVxvwO61uK_LZsjE8E7q8f4LLjlgzocrfDdk_FaCERQOg=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/uarLW6PgYz_ynD2O1v9DyxUH19JFNizvtys8x8ouAB9-Wk1kUQfva5CkTNkWm9eSu77-DQkrWF1vl4atLGAvWoz3M6UJ-PYBJx0gWWDX6eOhpG1sTxDewyIOLij2M7DlZrX-VfgLdydSNCq6kw4x4dtpf1d5x4Yv44q9Ss1WbStuGg146KnqKGN7oYHKRku0wLQpKe_cdefMSXITx6fuxtQ0Cu94kFhg_zXQ0eLpW5T46Y4w4zgS_dO5dFcp67umcZtkMyLRRIxPfrDWHdIf3NWG0tGXJQVQo5LU05tKqpXHd1IP_F6Cc_yUeG-0t2Oh8IlwD6KxkvDHgPWvsUB6DHeaEOfnxwyPrjYIsKnl6feutrmKMHzBXGwoISxkpTsP9yibJmkdsqDpm49kLX9yBAeJCohD-yAE1CY_epJpjo5n3fSwXib1EHEXQf49Co6DJQrrT4xEMv3gSlVatENSvPsuFsjckpeWNCfFPIR-cC5SpRY-82WMZnBttYGDBjzxdOZrMKDtd2XP7MefKXSe5J9sryfHLnabqLX4i6n1ZTWQ_T2tk3Sb0t-Ega4NOZ-RpXy7jnRBLgFARKQTEM5OC3ab-CFTf9clXVaZU6tc6WU8Vp8CAxqOPyVxvwO61uK_LZsjE8E7q8f4LLjlgzocrfDdk_FaCERQOg=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OK OK let's slowly make way out of this rocky and icy mine field.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Wee How, can you radio Babu in front and tell them we will have lunch at Lobuche instead of Thukla,'</b></span> instructed Adrian.</blockquote>
I passed my walkie talkie to Binot because it was easier for the guides to communicate rather than for Babu to try to make out what I was trying to convey.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4690/38576692505_68b277117d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4690/38576692505_68b277117d_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4690/38576692505_737cd29b0c_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The clouds were unrelenting in mistifying our forward field. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
As we slowly approached lunch point, we found that the sky had become overcast. A huge mist of fog and cloud was approaching us from in front very rapidly. This was a scene right out of a fantasy science fiction. I had never seen anything like this. Almost like an approaching storm with something sinister going to happen.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/6bUvlHuOIFW1-o4eqX2zJYix6gl84mGhHErwNqWnp64-9H02fe-os0GPD3-2FputQarNyetjoUwqd3yulMzwv03AssHLn8iwxaFwpV0RB8nY0HtV-ZI_A71uzs6rh9grmcRhwVizAyO30P2Y7SPbUp8oDihBbRQond75hWyxvZKdw2-Z2pnwts_Dz82TogZWnqqlX66SwptO6U9REQSAKk8ogRBPkAjCEcshX0iTrSoorlhKWHGvI3chRNND90g00scjQ4h1zUnKteyndMrLIQ4THGGd82e4JiBKHE1ijcrndfvEm_1M0jUNYcqOA-9NWgfTj7hFxfiSSOCLym3QdhldvgrnKpaugKEsbVXtYEn_0NaOcowZjQhhD8dviyz40lGf6SXFne0mj_5FtTGFrLqx8MIOgpDA6a8xmfblC5dSKyDmjTXhbn-IFzkn3xqk1emNpDSztkMacpNYjzaPdTs5Np0nhn0QYqSZl8kWGMwGjk8SAC3mO_-Lq11KT_8w9I2dFP9VlnAKQxtF89QwQPl__d0V-GHj2bVnNZjYJc89VSYKiGi2N7F2pwGiGHb_NJUl6fAExiXhX8W6x3rgKUAjOLMCHQ43vKZon6eGBw2kHoGKqkMRcw0JeKLBJSnGJqVbMruZAdxUz7OuInPF2cslwO32rgBHwg=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/6bUvlHuOIFW1-o4eqX2zJYix6gl84mGhHErwNqWnp64-9H02fe-os0GPD3-2FputQarNyetjoUwqd3yulMzwv03AssHLn8iwxaFwpV0RB8nY0HtV-ZI_A71uzs6rh9grmcRhwVizAyO30P2Y7SPbUp8oDihBbRQond75hWyxvZKdw2-Z2pnwts_Dz82TogZWnqqlX66SwptO6U9REQSAKk8ogRBPkAjCEcshX0iTrSoorlhKWHGvI3chRNND90g00scjQ4h1zUnKteyndMrLIQ4THGGd82e4JiBKHE1ijcrndfvEm_1M0jUNYcqOA-9NWgfTj7hFxfiSSOCLym3QdhldvgrnKpaugKEsbVXtYEn_0NaOcowZjQhhD8dviyz40lGf6SXFne0mj_5FtTGFrLqx8MIOgpDA6a8xmfblC5dSKyDmjTXhbn-IFzkn3xqk1emNpDSztkMacpNYjzaPdTs5Np0nhn0QYqSZl8kWGMwGjk8SAC3mO_-Lq11KT_8w9I2dFP9VlnAKQxtF89QwQPl__d0V-GHj2bVnNZjYJc89VSYKiGi2N7F2pwGiGHb_NJUl6fAExiXhX8W6x3rgKUAjOLMCHQ43vKZon6eGBw2kHoGKqkMRcw0JeKLBJSnGJqVbMruZAdxUz7OuInPF2cslwO32rgBHwg=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the rocky terrain couldn't escape the effects of the clouds moving directly towards us.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
All at once the surrounding darkened and the temperature plunged. Trekking high up in the mountains was just like that. The weather was so unpredictable. Our solar panel became useless as the sun was firstly in front of us so the panels were against the sun, and now that the clouds had shrouded us, I just folded my solar panels. They had been great while the sun lasted on the way out to EBC. But on the return trek, the sun would be in front of us most of the days.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOvlIO9I6xDAN0-PStt1NQpI7-ymyP-MiMcFeuyQSvuC7oI6MRHvWi_3neBuWHejMcQmMYx7DRm21rSRqhfXQXROTlwgdpWGjQRiuipfEctZ486MIpsnZYhoexEo8BLRvzw160jeWBt0/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOvlIO9I6xDAN0-PStt1NQpI7-ymyP-MiMcFeuyQSvuC7oI6MRHvWi_3neBuWHejMcQmMYx7DRm21rSRqhfXQXROTlwgdpWGjQRiuipfEctZ486MIpsnZYhoexEo8BLRvzw160jeWBt0/w859-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our right some mountaineers make camp before they summit Lobuche peak... maybe Khoo Swee Chiow's group?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our attention was drawn to a camp site some distant to our right where some climbers were ready to summit a peak, most likely Lobuche peak which was hidden in the clouds. A split second clearance in the cloud would reveal Lobuche peak, and then it would disappear again. It was so freezing cold I wondered to myself if I were there in the tent would I be suffering in consternation, from both the cold and from apprehension not knowing when my window of summit would come? I dare not think further. As of this moment, my main aim was to reach Pheriche.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/JrVzXiJDSwwtWvdwDof7av-fVUmw2HZvuVUNTwewKVIbI_g4HxZFwIgkftgcpTacHg7QT4k4ic51C-D5gZtRCPRWN8oQx-d0bhKObQy2LGXrR3Z7TkKaUcEDH0sGEnZr59D0X0_2gaoTms245Ja3mhcjhc1Kg_RLyAB-HpGcZQ_omcpCEBmdMvHRr9iQLvYm58zjBDaqlRTkkI0HYfc4pRebt1Uh4GcfxtjdmZfYa37tmBQYhS9Q6GfkCq1LnaSoSzCQusUvGesgVx-0C2G989ooagCf7DE-_8EJsPWYTxTGAOUUmN4iFzh9ZmXmlcdhELUIQdpRQdmcpc4cE8wX82gVx9HgacKl-YiQlV2BXbzYIDf0w08CJ1ui_6YXi5ED1SiFqNPykK2riZ_3wynIu7wrFg8PsKtMUWiNM1kgQKJKY2aX8XoTqYRE-HmGIGcFZX0SE11HmH2yCxOK5B8x07S7abCMfXl8Q_oBEEeE3t19BREda047tyyE-mXFFZlEFXjbMBde4oWuy6wwRridyEET2RjUaTMyhv6C2g48QzsYbSLjH9a2wbJXreB6uckU6pKMthXcS3uo81P1Ax3d1aQnpqLXONGBfKNksUSAwPJJluIyZbSfMhg1nOe_9MArQbyWJiBWXUpBiCzgw76xaJOov8Dbn32u=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/JrVzXiJDSwwtWvdwDof7av-fVUmw2HZvuVUNTwewKVIbI_g4HxZFwIgkftgcpTacHg7QT4k4ic51C-D5gZtRCPRWN8oQx-d0bhKObQy2LGXrR3Z7TkKaUcEDH0sGEnZr59D0X0_2gaoTms245Ja3mhcjhc1Kg_RLyAB-HpGcZQ_omcpCEBmdMvHRr9iQLvYm58zjBDaqlRTkkI0HYfc4pRebt1Uh4GcfxtjdmZfYa37tmBQYhS9Q6GfkCq1LnaSoSzCQusUvGesgVx-0C2G989ooagCf7DE-_8EJsPWYTxTGAOUUmN4iFzh9ZmXmlcdhELUIQdpRQdmcpc4cE8wX82gVx9HgacKl-YiQlV2BXbzYIDf0w08CJ1ui_6YXi5ED1SiFqNPykK2riZ_3wynIu7wrFg8PsKtMUWiNM1kgQKJKY2aX8XoTqYRE-HmGIGcFZX0SE11HmH2yCxOK5B8x07S7abCMfXl8Q_oBEEeE3t19BREda047tyyE-mXFFZlEFXjbMBde4oWuy6wwRridyEET2RjUaTMyhv6C2g48QzsYbSLjH9a2wbJXreB6uckU6pKMthXcS3uo81P1Ax3d1aQnpqLXONGBfKNksUSAwPJJluIyZbSfMhg1nOe_9MArQbyWJiBWXUpBiCzgw76xaJOov8Dbn32u=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sudden clearance in the clouds revealed Lobuche peak. But only for that few seconds. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/k7FP3RiMGugmYEFsvm_RsD_2xVTTqVfbpXuSALEhvS0kkOYhoXXGOkYLjjdUWr4gVo-0v6mfJan5T2thpGo5LxywLDFbd8MckSh9jMvyomNtSkwvk7OfNvdx4-E3cJjfT5wFdD5kG2CcDd8bMZD37t3_cJtwXOMiyaVEaM5KONOEdc6RSmzs6nBotJhQSxz9mE9G2lMRnzFJH6AjPHroTzunlRi0Da0JGp6o32Ef-sYuKc8csOw_XolJJ52kOC5d5lfAJ4BPVM5qwlsPElR9FTkFSwOp37c3eoYI9Di63ddCKNDaB94oaXEqh2JgJv7LRkRfi4n_Mfwjep-r9-T1m6ZWtycG9LhHO8fndnXxqqekJY0TINSOOfUuHBgX0KRvVhnxBAJB99BdEHyuBaq9_slgzvSZXRnaq8Od0LkxlS6xkyw2-kBBcFxKbKOUTPlBgfmRPd6lso2xKuZF-Qh7oi1SLpoWjTfiukQt0UDpL0CDNyVJIgeBpvx65VPiUrZsp33XRvSBH8WDCJjO6Ps5lAcnwSLucno-GmlUMw5dsBDkOAYcWxxpSH3zr1eIbiHsCCQHc9HtfsAZgtn1q91oUHPiIwA2sWz_8nexPs1CQKCGqXg0Jz_of3ifh_z4JXuV5eu7tcFOZ7uDlioUgac0qEKUNo9D_fTLTQ=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/k7FP3RiMGugmYEFsvm_RsD_2xVTTqVfbpXuSALEhvS0kkOYhoXXGOkYLjjdUWr4gVo-0v6mfJan5T2thpGo5LxywLDFbd8MckSh9jMvyomNtSkwvk7OfNvdx4-E3cJjfT5wFdD5kG2CcDd8bMZD37t3_cJtwXOMiyaVEaM5KONOEdc6RSmzs6nBotJhQSxz9mE9G2lMRnzFJH6AjPHroTzunlRi0Da0JGp6o32Ef-sYuKc8csOw_XolJJ52kOC5d5lfAJ4BPVM5qwlsPElR9FTkFSwOp37c3eoYI9Di63ddCKNDaB94oaXEqh2JgJv7LRkRfi4n_Mfwjep-r9-T1m6ZWtycG9LhHO8fndnXxqqekJY0TINSOOfUuHBgX0KRvVhnxBAJB99BdEHyuBaq9_slgzvSZXRnaq8Od0LkxlS6xkyw2-kBBcFxKbKOUTPlBgfmRPd6lso2xKuZF-Qh7oi1SLpoWjTfiukQt0UDpL0CDNyVJIgeBpvx65VPiUrZsp33XRvSBH8WDCJjO6Ps5lAcnwSLucno-GmlUMw5dsBDkOAYcWxxpSH3zr1eIbiHsCCQHc9HtfsAZgtn1q91oUHPiIwA2sWz_8nexPs1CQKCGqXg0Jz_of3ifh_z4JXuV5eu7tcFOZ7uDlioUgac0qEKUNo9D_fTLTQ=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make sure we head towards the correct direction. [Photo: Lai Peng]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While the rear group was navigating the Lobuche peak area, the front group which was one hour ahead of us were already nearing the lunch. The sky had turned dark and misty for them as well, as Kai Sing, Lai Peng, Alex, Ka Lin, Raymond, Jeffrey, Ryan, Darric, Khim, KK, Ah Leong, DT, Cheng Cheng and Patrick made their way to lunch point.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/sP0dnWmXce567oITiwlTvXemCVUzcrJP_y4npNEOZ0Ka3XXm-CQhifmd71gP99wpHnECKqSaOxZlwP_11REDHkgJwfH7nLtwWM3MncN8gqCtvkvZVxRKISwdCA34toHnBctTto2rfue38h_I_Iq-qGjzTi9BDl9eU5F2cajUf9N2ohfF_0V1C-w2UNfywDkE7msbs69CIJgiOO9U8QizdCljmrZZEV1KfLnppQa7cqCfk0tAFVzWrmAp86ZVhhZEQr9qGqEySpXjlv1UgrrHraLxDd0t0VmyWyqwE6MWBUs1Frtef9f5oRU8nR5yVobV9do5dAxUfnfBCuwAzI8nDxhPbzibjgfOMoyQQj0IKBZEO6-P46O9F9Wc2szvLZN44EGMlLMRviq_lvvKVF7-QqmGRyy8t3cqSAbx4EAJCD_HmViN19Z0uZ_Oy9-64I80jkyOWIcUK-h6apItAlpOfUzI0tTb6xBLcZMePDV29V7lm0dmuaetbz2IRj7cevx2jh_ZH3EsG3mi9U5QIC-Ki6uYmQBkt5cTiggEFKmJUjZQZj8YWOi5IOuKHd71pMI8wQH9kB85Xu6JxlmUmckjP9PGgFCizMqiPa5EiuiApgZJrZH1Ny5EvDsUO3f1lolJOMfd32NoZjBmjQPKIaKfbFgg-_3wDYTEQQ=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/sP0dnWmXce567oITiwlTvXemCVUzcrJP_y4npNEOZ0Ka3XXm-CQhifmd71gP99wpHnECKqSaOxZlwP_11REDHkgJwfH7nLtwWM3MncN8gqCtvkvZVxRKISwdCA34toHnBctTto2rfue38h_I_Iq-qGjzTi9BDl9eU5F2cajUf9N2ohfF_0V1C-w2UNfywDkE7msbs69CIJgiOO9U8QizdCljmrZZEV1KfLnppQa7cqCfk0tAFVzWrmAp86ZVhhZEQr9qGqEySpXjlv1UgrrHraLxDd0t0VmyWyqwE6MWBUs1Frtef9f5oRU8nR5yVobV9do5dAxUfnfBCuwAzI8nDxhPbzibjgfOMoyQQj0IKBZEO6-P46O9F9Wc2szvLZN44EGMlLMRviq_lvvKVF7-QqmGRyy8t3cqSAbx4EAJCD_HmViN19Z0uZ_Oy9-64I80jkyOWIcUK-h6apItAlpOfUzI0tTb6xBLcZMePDV29V7lm0dmuaetbz2IRj7cevx2jh_ZH3EsG3mi9U5QIC-Ki6uYmQBkt5cTiggEFKmJUjZQZj8YWOi5IOuKHd71pMI8wQH9kB85Xu6JxlmUmckjP9PGgFCizMqiPa5EiuiApgZJrZH1Ny5EvDsUO3f1lolJOMfd32NoZjBmjQPKIaKfbFgg-_3wDYTEQQ=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mist, clouds, ice... what more could Alex Kaan ask for? [Photo: Lai Peng]</td></tr>
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<br />
Kong Wan and Ai Lin were a short distance behind the front group. And they were nearing lunch point too.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">AMS at lunch point?!</span></b><br />
<br />
We were finally relieved to arrive at Lobuche for a well deserved lunch. The moment I step foot into the guesthouse, the guys called out for me:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Hey Wee How, come come! Cantona doesn't feel well. He cannot breathe properly!"</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Yah. I don't know why, but I cannot take deep breaths. My chest feels tight. I feel just not well leh,"</b></span> admitted Cantona.</blockquote>
Of all people, Cantona?<br />
I couldn't believe it. We were at 4900m and we had descended quite some way. But still, AMS could hit anytime when we least expected it.<br />
With Serene and Sabinn Rai jumping into action again, I quickly checked Cantona. This was another welcome-to-facebook moment. His SaO2 was just below 80% and he was starting to also have water in both lungs. Another HAPE (high altitude pulmonary oedema). The only difference was, he looked better than Casey. So I wasn't so worried.<br />
<br />
An Intramuscular Dexamethasone, an oral Dexamthasone 0.5mg, another tablet of Diamox 250mg, a full Theophylline tablets, Frusemide 40mg and potassium chloride 600mg. In addition, I put a full tablet of Viagra 100mg into his hand, which he gulped down. I was treating him exactly the same as for Casey. The only difference was, his lungs didn't have as much water thus I dared to whack in the Viagra.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Please make sure you drink plenty of water. I need you to pee as much as you can out of your lungs,"</b></span> I instructed Cantona.</blockquote>
<br />A recheck on Casey during lunch found his SaO2 to have gone up to 80%. He was certainly looking better and talking better. But he still hadn't passed urine yet.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Hey you are very dehydrated. Please drink up. I really need you to start pee-ing more,"</span></b> I told Casey.</blockquote>
There was still water in his lungs. For good measures I made him pop another tablet of Frusemide 40mg and another potassium chloride 600mg.<br />
<br />
The treatment for Cantona worked like magic. Soon as he walked with the rear group after lunch, he was desperately looking for huge rocks to pee onto every fifteen minutes. I counted his output - from post-lunch to Pheriche he passed urine at least five times. His was another case of water bladder tube failure, where the water in his drinking tube became frozen into ice. So he also resorted to drinking from water bottles. Casey still hadn't pee-ed much. And Casey was still walking at a fast pace, until I had to slow him down somewhere further.<br />
<br />
I was glad I left both Serene's and mine Camelbaks in Green Tara Hotel, and decided to use just normal water bottles. The Camelbak or similar water bladder really needed to be kept warm, otherwise one would end up with a frozen tube of ice and the whole bladder would be rendered virtually useless.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj849d_-84uYIB5aRclltBH9IClSKimpW2AeBr-v2vzKeGjPjlaJbwoa5Jn-XP3x_ubYCq8lsf0dPBsljjFS0J-ClYbej2AjHJujM_PcPYw5GBGbgc0MPNnh_tOIVo3STTJsWw6TW1sKAg/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj849d_-84uYIB5aRclltBH9IClSKimpW2AeBr-v2vzKeGjPjlaJbwoa5Jn-XP3x_ubYCq8lsf0dPBsljjFS0J-ClYbej2AjHJujM_PcPYw5GBGbgc0MPNnh_tOIVo3STTJsWw6TW1sKAg/w859-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After lunch, came that icy bridge we had to cross. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The route was still difficult to walk on, with rocks of all sizes that we needed to balance on. Challenging, to say the least. Both Serene and I dislike walking on rocky terrains like these. But we both understood that these were intrinsic part of the trekking scene in the Himalaya. At least with the rocks, it made everyone slow down and the rear group stayed close together.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/ppn9_HuAG9j4C6_PEsxV2mb8HOVb4D1_iVCQzWH7HCIIFxS5FRNOuzyLgsE-tFiOFKHDI_MX6R2rFzCMKYtSDUn-COiWqoh9s6A7twwL-iX7yPqEyCCNXrltB_ua9JV4Dg5iwy1WyY1a7YJg5PtGu7GXNWVcwwBJ-WAGGZigxqdSLYPugMq0BrXn6W1ulxcCs-AM9AesQNl4An8KCMcGajKaofAJV1e3H1C50UTi3_ErZ2SuFiWMYC_PMZORoZ_HnBgv9xjdVTHgR2TeAXlomtb4jZ5pTfrEdEpJxTWa_WKR_-2eNHx58M0sCCv9Ho4xaPFU4jXPSTi12YU8yBYbuGTtjUzuyUnSrl04e7ERM6uRiOJjAAg8ZlQG5lY8PK4rbpETLgapZUiF2SNWMVKueERro6TXVntvpATIwTWwXIbaQP9GUtveUMJcpCkSeqwhFve2yXDyyJxPi426XxaZak9k4PdYJGR_cjh2YKXXBe3cKPKBwhS2424ZSXC1TaeBZZefCeOHNwyvZNNSkoTdG4UJ1ik1_U2UqZWKj2r35MCRDbyizqX4skWFVcbyIVl5GR13T_QvpKt6kHP3SF3ZK5kpH98rqQr5zA3ZPXxyn9-ep0KD1LtkeHikvkannUPsEQHXXtJKb_mEaDYpT0h2mk-cx1-EEGdf=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/ppn9_HuAG9j4C6_PEsxV2mb8HOVb4D1_iVCQzWH7HCIIFxS5FRNOuzyLgsE-tFiOFKHDI_MX6R2rFzCMKYtSDUn-COiWqoh9s6A7twwL-iX7yPqEyCCNXrltB_ua9JV4Dg5iwy1WyY1a7YJg5PtGu7GXNWVcwwBJ-WAGGZigxqdSLYPugMq0BrXn6W1ulxcCs-AM9AesQNl4An8KCMcGajKaofAJV1e3H1C50UTi3_ErZ2SuFiWMYC_PMZORoZ_HnBgv9xjdVTHgR2TeAXlomtb4jZ5pTfrEdEpJxTWa_WKR_-2eNHx58M0sCCv9Ho4xaPFU4jXPSTi12YU8yBYbuGTtjUzuyUnSrl04e7ERM6uRiOJjAAg8ZlQG5lY8PK4rbpETLgapZUiF2SNWMVKueERro6TXVntvpATIwTWwXIbaQP9GUtveUMJcpCkSeqwhFve2yXDyyJxPi426XxaZak9k4PdYJGR_cjh2YKXXBe3cKPKBwhS2424ZSXC1TaeBZZefCeOHNwyvZNNSkoTdG4UJ1ik1_U2UqZWKj2r35MCRDbyizqX4skWFVcbyIVl5GR13T_QvpKt6kHP3SF3ZK5kpH98rqQr5zA3ZPXxyn9-ep0KD1LtkeHikvkannUPsEQHXXtJKb_mEaDYpT0h2mk-cx1-EEGdf=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Finally, Pheriche! [Photo: Kai Sing]<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
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It was getting late. The front group, with one hour head start, were nearing Pheriche. But the darkening of the sky was menacing for those of us at the rear. These fast boys and girls certainly deserved their early rest and a nice warm drink in the heated dining hall. They would be impatiently waiting for our arriving, I could imagine.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/CGp75B5G0QNZxERzRHg02qa1a1XkEqYPsHSb4zNfhRpXDLbIp1CIVIwm2e864OLIVzTrF0lPqSKQNivzVWurtjOY0GUcN57kXU0qvuENW4aCIIQ7YkVT2BkmMKrnOnUazDxk-G9WiLH-NrXQfTKNuof7kF-1UsLxbeioOoRHdMxJTtvIr_JfXLIu2CMbgK73nPya93SaMSr_XQPOL1nVpnn_j94JLaeKu01vKGMG5DbFUkdOi1o4l3GsRhyYnyLjThMVPpoHu0GlxtghjxYAtyD-EZPgjI7X4mYYH_GmjRiOQLko35vbGRFDLVzl05Km-EruMSe3lZ2MWGYgIbu6p_BFcAQPrUmagYvHrlx_Psy4vyBqlQ7B5FJGjwBpJyy_rbOOIxBNoS5gPWbkyByE2bfThouBLT2FQm-vlAarb9-bi8TH9Obt1nkYDdaJ_deMjssBe97l0_DmKqIPDAENQfl9MBrO3L78443VdZ7TpSuVFRq3fOiseOJu09X1Xd1RkFU4K93DSx3dX_he7Xiwbqf56cIDDv9pp5ARJdIV4k6zFgUiapM5bugR8GERdVIb8FUNqe9hoBQlZvolupDQksqoh9Hx4uXz3g7NDFayDz5r3quo8ORhmqbKQsUSZn3i93GiHCRmZnPv3vOWl2QqUrws17KLtwUIyQ=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/CGp75B5G0QNZxERzRHg02qa1a1XkEqYPsHSb4zNfhRpXDLbIp1CIVIwm2e864OLIVzTrF0lPqSKQNivzVWurtjOY0GUcN57kXU0qvuENW4aCIIQ7YkVT2BkmMKrnOnUazDxk-G9WiLH-NrXQfTKNuof7kF-1UsLxbeioOoRHdMxJTtvIr_JfXLIu2CMbgK73nPya93SaMSr_XQPOL1nVpnn_j94JLaeKu01vKGMG5DbFUkdOi1o4l3GsRhyYnyLjThMVPpoHu0GlxtghjxYAtyD-EZPgjI7X4mYYH_GmjRiOQLko35vbGRFDLVzl05Km-EruMSe3lZ2MWGYgIbu6p_BFcAQPrUmagYvHrlx_Psy4vyBqlQ7B5FJGjwBpJyy_rbOOIxBNoS5gPWbkyByE2bfThouBLT2FQm-vlAarb9-bi8TH9Obt1nkYDdaJ_deMjssBe97l0_DmKqIPDAENQfl9MBrO3L78443VdZ7TpSuVFRq3fOiseOJu09X1Xd1RkFU4K93DSx3dX_he7Xiwbqf56cIDDv9pp5ARJdIV4k6zFgUiapM5bugR8GERdVIb8FUNqe9hoBQlZvolupDQksqoh9Hx4uXz3g7NDFayDz5r3quo8ORhmqbKQsUSZn3i93GiHCRmZnPv3vOWl2QqUrws17KLtwUIyQ=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fast trekkers like Ka Lin were already at Pheriche when there was still sunlight. [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Before I could blink my eyes, the sky suddenly turned dark. And our headlamps were all out in full blasts. Freezing cold, dark and worrisome, we were happy that we were walking in a group in the rear with Adrian and Binot together with our personal porters. Their presence was so reassuring. Suddenly Ah Sing shouted:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Hey, it's snowing!"</b></span></blockquote>
And she was right. In the lights of our headlamps we could see streaks of snow fall. Not a whole lot. But enough to distract our attention from the monotony of walking.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/cU6_eU_YNPYQ4ysOpr1TfiuMtvK7o0-wjOkQk3fAd0Im8cc8E9QN92NN7OBKA3drbZ0J-DBK4JP9v-zUMvlnf-UQSnmtZh9hGdyk12UY_NyAu00rkLUGBr7ehWpYFDlx0XDa1z60FqE4ukB3d9l5JL4udqBZDAU5T_RxhsxUUQiZt_P33IPJ8-49d-ck2GP5kn2whVoGAQjtcig6riGXoR79ZSKlRf3a_-_3niW8iT6ytuIPuH4MN7zfc1KbfQSPd4gqaL_mMO4EeTRvcE5CNY3XLGEox95pK4dqlrTF9u6CORpBQ6Ldo6YUmNK0fC-7vRGGMiNHm3fTNE9OIIf0P5QbQVH2NkNKGJ7iH78k_ATxteWMtO-gG8_YxPCYprPsuPmU0POvPyyyO1PbVRI2bfV10QJHmp90Ii32dZugr6GBoH58GZpDbZRnpOIcSI1zEAUPH1Q9L1U6GuArRR8ij-BEGdjbUv9WzzPa3-xLngtIV1WhihKVxgU1s5AqQE_VRSE-YVBwwzK3_ETDkjfq1A2v7loaFNKuyTMbD9oNw1Iu3d5fEwU1NHLV5Hc2_fL1pUyGa7KuzZQ8AjIdeBAEvTf4Wo1bEzxA2fonBVuSuzqxXM5UzmP9fbycch-wcWP46vB4uqaVpGKjKsgo1txR1tInKU73wpPR2A=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/cU6_eU_YNPYQ4ysOpr1TfiuMtvK7o0-wjOkQk3fAd0Im8cc8E9QN92NN7OBKA3drbZ0J-DBK4JP9v-zUMvlnf-UQSnmtZh9hGdyk12UY_NyAu00rkLUGBr7ehWpYFDlx0XDa1z60FqE4ukB3d9l5JL4udqBZDAU5T_RxhsxUUQiZt_P33IPJ8-49d-ck2GP5kn2whVoGAQjtcig6riGXoR79ZSKlRf3a_-_3niW8iT6ytuIPuH4MN7zfc1KbfQSPd4gqaL_mMO4EeTRvcE5CNY3XLGEox95pK4dqlrTF9u6CORpBQ6Ldo6YUmNK0fC-7vRGGMiNHm3fTNE9OIIf0P5QbQVH2NkNKGJ7iH78k_ATxteWMtO-gG8_YxPCYprPsuPmU0POvPyyyO1PbVRI2bfV10QJHmp90Ii32dZugr6GBoH58GZpDbZRnpOIcSI1zEAUPH1Q9L1U6GuArRR8ij-BEGdjbUv9WzzPa3-xLngtIV1WhihKVxgU1s5AqQE_VRSE-YVBwwzK3_ETDkjfq1A2v7loaFNKuyTMbD9oNw1Iu3d5fEwU1NHLV5Hc2_fL1pUyGa7KuzZQ8AjIdeBAEvTf4Wo1bEzxA2fonBVuSuzqxXM5UzmP9fbycch-wcWP46vB4uqaVpGKjKsgo1txR1tInKU73wpPR2A=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking in the dark, with flurry of snow, mist, cold and only the headlamps as our source of illumination.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
We really had absolutely no idea how far and how long more we would take before reaching Pheriche. Some of us had started trekking since 4:30am that morning, while for Fann she started from 6:15am. And it had been a really long and exhausting day.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Jeffrey recalled aferwards: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"I was walking with Cheng Cheng and Khim. But then later when it got dark I had to rush forward to rendezvous with someone </span><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(</span></i></span></b><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">I could not remember who he told me it was)</span></i><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">, so I had to leave Cheng Cheng and Khim behind in the dark."</span></span></b></blockquote>
And so as the distance between Cheng Cheng and Khim drawn out, each was finding herself walking all alone in the dark, with no one in front, no one behind, and rocks and darkness all around. I could only imagine how mental it was to be trekking alone, as though one was deserted. A very scary experience, if I were ever put in such a situation.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/IPNk0fdpup_M9IhQL0n9gY32GojDmtdVMqnjOIv9q5_9RoYAuhStOKNiRfCIXtILkBz1JuDaPbpTbTGXWH5y59qCJN85C8UOih_Dm8IymL0IivlWru1fkhFwqj1rRHO0Vj2iVTPsmjxg1qc63Rt4iQqzKVJFOsAn0VbMiUousNVEtVx6xJeIHzaje7TO59MPrcTUcj6ojmUwZ6yGSinoLcryXveQaw1R8mzNLuP1uuJL2TbbEAnIQ-kTUFob6I-2hGZUmmTf7MbCs8LNyEXEksjEIFuAoLJ5vSwrOLQEvPNxk5QxYFavGDBtOrgRIAdze1dvdURnMS1_Y2C9xRoX0S8ye3M-69F25hV-jiJAT_w7jaKUpqpCwMlr8kW0ArpEVJlNM_gaRGgdQtNhoonHamofWu-HF-G6vhpfoBex9G6181xPd18ah-i_Z1aJjf4Gq43XcN5voBu3vK8Kzt8tuJ-H8vIVssOdW8jARBa3uWUCW2R03cJqh0wtmptIaZksIadEtR8hjKuumQzos7wISjd9sQT0NT13-GjgOeA2PLxcfbx0mpuYfcyqzf4I6FNdKQyux6ScNywYN0bj3ktRsSGWQ1NYrHW83YQJTAmJRUWSaarf-iqjLSJP6rgjXh-QaUrUIAiL41_7yYt4C6EdXmiCGZ5WwlwGJA=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/IPNk0fdpup_M9IhQL0n9gY32GojDmtdVMqnjOIv9q5_9RoYAuhStOKNiRfCIXtILkBz1JuDaPbpTbTGXWH5y59qCJN85C8UOih_Dm8IymL0IivlWru1fkhFwqj1rRHO0Vj2iVTPsmjxg1qc63Rt4iQqzKVJFOsAn0VbMiUousNVEtVx6xJeIHzaje7TO59MPrcTUcj6ojmUwZ6yGSinoLcryXveQaw1R8mzNLuP1uuJL2TbbEAnIQ-kTUFob6I-2hGZUmmTf7MbCs8LNyEXEksjEIFuAoLJ5vSwrOLQEvPNxk5QxYFavGDBtOrgRIAdze1dvdURnMS1_Y2C9xRoX0S8ye3M-69F25hV-jiJAT_w7jaKUpqpCwMlr8kW0ArpEVJlNM_gaRGgdQtNhoonHamofWu-HF-G6vhpfoBex9G6181xPd18ah-i_Z1aJjf4Gq43XcN5voBu3vK8Kzt8tuJ-H8vIVssOdW8jARBa3uWUCW2R03cJqh0wtmptIaZksIadEtR8hjKuumQzos7wISjd9sQT0NT13-GjgOeA2PLxcfbx0mpuYfcyqzf4I6FNdKQyux6ScNywYN0bj3ktRsSGWQ1NYrHW83YQJTAmJRUWSaarf-iqjLSJP6rgjXh-QaUrUIAiL41_7yYt4C6EdXmiCGZ5WwlwGJA=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Streaks of snow falling as we walked.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One hour stretched into two. And we were still walking and crossing small little icy streams with our headlamps providing the only source of light.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/rTCo5XM2GyMzMf0Ha8n-r6dSBVlxTsCDnQeileV8J9OnvM67yvymiI3jcLOt9XUYHpeCPB1P1JhJ3GmBAl0_1xn3_rhWqlPXJO9zrnjI_YaQnwJVywzDC6h0sPuVuIdLaxRyAX8Lk4MK92c4MgmfBKZax3BSZlx05iZ3V1_LQxPHdKXqRhteAHagrzfwkqlFhFx6PqvrmZm6FUD5wlhiHjFp0rrs77bUiSeo06BRDWts5-TS0HPUbwIOy4AXld4V99MBj_XUY_YHuiYCHMszSiE3Hxvtw9JIgAoZx9H-WKnsFOsi0OyAf0biMXs8DgBZZ9BhbB4QDjT0dgkW1beGzSxg_GunTngd0r0GLxHpNFxqLpkmRo5GppdCJb8rNGQYGkyZFlq50hiLIe7d3nG8f5UR1jhEeAgzVMjx_Ro6cwMpRwF30zoWwhS4kgbA1_KXqphK7U298f4GWKxWG7N42MPvHOXXZ5VFSsRas5dvHvKcenVQpsQz159mP4HrpeOrwWNeDvza-kjBphCx6mgXGp1Bu_UDNjjjvAGBbqAFmgCOX-_g6EMBv8v1EO7xLTrbsvigvYnk_LoARk7ZfvxOx7z9RJD_l2TudGNNz27uKRGS7LfSATMBBwUEXssS9ddZ3xoF4J6gKGuhxsHERDV6RaPxBgdnKJndkQ=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/rTCo5XM2GyMzMf0Ha8n-r6dSBVlxTsCDnQeileV8J9OnvM67yvymiI3jcLOt9XUYHpeCPB1P1JhJ3GmBAl0_1xn3_rhWqlPXJO9zrnjI_YaQnwJVywzDC6h0sPuVuIdLaxRyAX8Lk4MK92c4MgmfBKZax3BSZlx05iZ3V1_LQxPHdKXqRhteAHagrzfwkqlFhFx6PqvrmZm6FUD5wlhiHjFp0rrs77bUiSeo06BRDWts5-TS0HPUbwIOy4AXld4V99MBj_XUY_YHuiYCHMszSiE3Hxvtw9JIgAoZx9H-WKnsFOsi0OyAf0biMXs8DgBZZ9BhbB4QDjT0dgkW1beGzSxg_GunTngd0r0GLxHpNFxqLpkmRo5GppdCJb8rNGQYGkyZFlq50hiLIe7d3nG8f5UR1jhEeAgzVMjx_Ro6cwMpRwF30zoWwhS4kgbA1_KXqphK7U298f4GWKxWG7N42MPvHOXXZ5VFSsRas5dvHvKcenVQpsQz159mP4HrpeOrwWNeDvza-kjBphCx6mgXGp1Bu_UDNjjjvAGBbqAFmgCOX-_g6EMBv8v1EO7xLTrbsvigvYnk_LoARk7ZfvxOx7z9RJD_l2TudGNNz27uKRGS7LfSATMBBwUEXssS9ddZ3xoF4J6gKGuhxsHERDV6RaPxBgdnKJndkQ=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
<br />
Adrian was kind. He gave us small breaks once a while to rest and to rehydrate.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/GoUA7Pqt9Fm80VB9wlAqjtMsAVIGjEBnHOzOwoWDm2JZYLlvVdOhsLSz-ajlLErO2Xznec3_jdz69p1910nwfk0hV4w0I75d-1xeHSHRxpphyAhU_8aspAf41SbgZKWECdLCDv2Z5mDstv0oX5pPfQuLsBnSlCFKUDee4C72ydsAQbRZScmVZ03A02rY-WT0ynavriVm1MOTHi_gDg6WSspsbze4pA1qkUeRg8Ygc9X0P2Y0_OE-jA_5B6FMU7G4tqD3ZNtbS7YTVufa7JTfX4X8YvTCXPxIUzbGEwFJeIiONWDwjVxrdF4Ckz7jb_yrbKHHTfYsMUTyaLz0mSxiVtoTrgEI61tjsOeBrXxV3KjP_uieCZlCMcc0Y_io-DK8wKuxt8Ay6Y0puO1yLdY7OmHLo3tdex9hNMcjeowWnIBbIeyZkLA8MwvrFWzYvhgvjOzgSSQLy7DTMqZjxj02JJC4daR_YTMeT3ZqaFsP70ncXep3pKToIyMOaU5V_M0hmAUMgzOfKqtd-HUf8Qianm134Nwjw8GzccXcEuB6YZKuHBhIkm0r4u8DQoCPOQbtr-sZ2rsJ12POLTp04rDakx-qgg6jaQZVH8jb0KkDt9OcFbtHrdH4k5Go0r-aNA8RooFHb2UkayHeSBMuL5wGkOng_r9-lqH9lA=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/GoUA7Pqt9Fm80VB9wlAqjtMsAVIGjEBnHOzOwoWDm2JZYLlvVdOhsLSz-ajlLErO2Xznec3_jdz69p1910nwfk0hV4w0I75d-1xeHSHRxpphyAhU_8aspAf41SbgZKWECdLCDv2Z5mDstv0oX5pPfQuLsBnSlCFKUDee4C72ydsAQbRZScmVZ03A02rY-WT0ynavriVm1MOTHi_gDg6WSspsbze4pA1qkUeRg8Ygc9X0P2Y0_OE-jA_5B6FMU7G4tqD3ZNtbS7YTVufa7JTfX4X8YvTCXPxIUzbGEwFJeIiONWDwjVxrdF4Ckz7jb_yrbKHHTfYsMUTyaLz0mSxiVtoTrgEI61tjsOeBrXxV3KjP_uieCZlCMcc0Y_io-DK8wKuxt8Ay6Y0puO1yLdY7OmHLo3tdex9hNMcjeowWnIBbIeyZkLA8MwvrFWzYvhgvjOzgSSQLy7DTMqZjxj02JJC4daR_YTMeT3ZqaFsP70ncXep3pKToIyMOaU5V_M0hmAUMgzOfKqtd-HUf8Qianm134Nwjw8GzccXcEuB6YZKuHBhIkm0r4u8DQoCPOQbtr-sZ2rsJ12POLTp04rDakx-qgg6jaQZVH8jb0KkDt9OcFbtHrdH4k5Go0r-aNA8RooFHb2UkayHeSBMuL5wGkOng_r9-lqH9lA=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very guai. Hydrating himself.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The only thing that I was enjoying was the fact that it was an adventure trekking in the dark with streaks of snow falling around us. The cold didn't bother me as I was on full layers. We shared water bottles from each other, trying to lighten each other's load. And we just kept moving along. The girls meanwhile, were having a swell time. Nothing frightened them, and to them this was simply raw fun, I personally believed. That was the spirit of adventure I loved so obviously displayed in our girls. They had this something from their father - everything was an adventure, even adversities. Every stumbling block, every hurdle was a trial, a test of one's stoicalness. A strength of character that was naturally nurtured on a hardship trek like this. I'd anytime bring them on a trek, than a trip to Disneyland. Anytime.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/wUEvQLn7iU0QbD_uFZwerry5jkW-w8WiuoRgAJMa6WRTtS0g_KEUDtV0aSYfTZHA7q1bPCxfSxc4js5jdNUkSwWuUJ3fxTiMpTORqu5THtC61G-uCi3P5nmypJ7KDtFCWq9D8x4jhaO5fsdd2mcdYEuhDQC7CcwXuZsqvfIhRE1XgIiZJmg3TGqzayospgQ1ZuXUAq74UTUnZovs4Ou-ZSQWEPFqUOE1PMR_bYERotY5POA2oDLVF13eNs4ujkaURREEif8mhD3G7QTJx4g5p33DiiShovS0FP-hBLJkLQ46HgurZKGQUSlhVmAv5vYmYXj1MN1vf6hNmLhJdC27aG9gSgp_YICSixAUbavi-I6QKHC8Dr_xQSP4OgU57MEsIl4HJpI76ePexVdOq035INqoiEZl_kF2GBw_OkPyvjCUYPMglQgvr3NM4lOjpLY1gNMle-XR9GGXPN2vFI8bJJmPoeNSJDEfDJselkiObjf9XQeq7_AxYYUZn9GghfZ5C_exvWlCP6giPZ3g47K0-AgQc-3kFnzP9D4cT1dXVzx13nhObAv9gtyAwjuMTzdjKQ9t1gvuHxO8bCRDMNeuxATue4XE6RvhvQffFiWs6ZcFFERvUzsf9nROcekEuHZcDLNYGTb5pPY048Cgw8BZZT0pZpJfOCm2tw=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/wUEvQLn7iU0QbD_uFZwerry5jkW-w8WiuoRgAJMa6WRTtS0g_KEUDtV0aSYfTZHA7q1bPCxfSxc4js5jdNUkSwWuUJ3fxTiMpTORqu5THtC61G-uCi3P5nmypJ7KDtFCWq9D8x4jhaO5fsdd2mcdYEuhDQC7CcwXuZsqvfIhRE1XgIiZJmg3TGqzayospgQ1ZuXUAq74UTUnZovs4Ou-ZSQWEPFqUOE1PMR_bYERotY5POA2oDLVF13eNs4ujkaURREEif8mhD3G7QTJx4g5p33DiiShovS0FP-hBLJkLQ46HgurZKGQUSlhVmAv5vYmYXj1MN1vf6hNmLhJdC27aG9gSgp_YICSixAUbavi-I6QKHC8Dr_xQSP4OgU57MEsIl4HJpI76ePexVdOq035INqoiEZl_kF2GBw_OkPyvjCUYPMglQgvr3NM4lOjpLY1gNMle-XR9GGXPN2vFI8bJJmPoeNSJDEfDJselkiObjf9XQeq7_AxYYUZn9GghfZ5C_exvWlCP6giPZ3g47K0-AgQc-3kFnzP9D4cT1dXVzx13nhObAv9gtyAwjuMTzdjKQ9t1gvuHxO8bCRDMNeuxATue4XE6RvhvQffFiWs6ZcFFERvUzsf9nROcekEuHZcDLNYGTb5pPY048Cgw8BZZT0pZpJfOCm2tw=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy was Ah Li and Fann.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Prem and Dilip to our rescue...</b></span><br />
<br />
In the dark, we could only see far away small speckles of white lights.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Are those the village lights of Pheriche?"</b></span> I asked someone. But I didn't remember getting an answer.</blockquote>
My walkie talkie batteries were dying but in between the crackled I could hear Kong Wan radio-ing me:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Wee How... Prem and Dilip are coming back out to look for you all."</b></span> So Kong Wan and the whole front group had arrived.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Adrian said: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Tell them don't have to lah. We can make our way there. I don't want the porters to fall sick in the cold weather."</b></span> But my radio had died. </blockquote>
Thus, after some time, we spotted three headlamps walking towards our direction. It warmed my heart to know that these porters and guides were genuinely concerned about our safety and would go out of their ways to ensure that we are all fine.<br />
The other good thing about having Prem, Dilip and the other extra porters with us was, they brought extra headlamps, and now we had extra manpower, thus TJK and Casey were both held by a porter on each side as they trudged slowly towards Pheriche.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>7:30pm.</b></span><br />
With a huge sigh of relief, we stepped into the guesthouse at Pheriche. We were all absolutely drained. Serene and I ran through all the guys and gals. Casey had started to pee and would continue to pass urine another couple of times that night. Contona was his usual boisterous self, kao-beh-ing how come he had to pass urine so many times.<br />
Their SaO2 had both risen, in part due to the descend to 4400m at Pheriche, and in part due to the release of water from their lungs. I didn't care. these two were my priorities at this moment.<br />
Adrian and I were both relieved to see their improvement and we knew in our hearts that they wre good to go for the next day.<br />
<br />
Ashley was status quo. Still in a bad state from exhaustion. I could do little but to encourage her to feed herself more. She kept having pain in her abdomen near the rib cage areas. I shared with her my similar experience. We were both having strained respiratory muscles. Just got to tahan.<br />
<br />
AhLiangSS's diarrhoea was still bad. He had to go several times. I passed him some more Vacontil and instructed him to overdose on them. Desperate times called for desperate measures.<br />
<br />
CC was feeling unwell. The lonely walk in the dark and the fatigue might have started to weaken her. She was having cough and chest discomfort. Her lungs were clear, but the breath sounds in her airways were tight.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"This is the beginning of a bit of a bronchitis," </b></span>I told her. "I am going to let you have some medicine."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Can I don't take antibiotics first?"</b></span> she requested.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Can. But you gotta rest well. This blue Theophylline tablet I need you to take half a tablet morning and night. And take these Codipront capsules too."</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"</b></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>Half? Can I take the full tablet?"</b></span> she asked. I smiled because I knew the main reason why she asked this was that she was really feeling unwell.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"</b></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>No you can't. You are a small-size lady, not like the huge men like Casey and Cantona. Don't worry, half a tablet is the correct dosage for you."</b></span> I smiled at her.</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmQ34EqymBY5n52LM-trW9GTK04gYcgYusoOMjSZOIK2odgDRlb7dnovHCVxMQgMt_T4p66_GgCz-JcU6HoIrW0OI2J2UTea4vShFJg69iSyFpu7V6UGxXSnVJp5b6kK6cQHBSAqaik8/w1024-h576-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmQ34EqymBY5n52LM-trW9GTK04gYcgYusoOMjSZOIK2odgDRlb7dnovHCVxMQgMt_T4p66_GgCz-JcU6HoIrW0OI2J2UTea4vShFJg69iSyFpu7V6UGxXSnVJp5b6kK6cQHBSAqaik8/w1024-h576-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was job to be done. [Photo: Kong Wan]</td></tr>
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I went round. Vngks's nasal congestion seemed to be getting worse. I passed him a whole set of stronger medication, including Klacid MR and such. I could totally understand his suffering because he and I had the same kind of sinus issues and up here in the mountains we both always suffered.<br />
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This night was one of the most tiring night. I didn't think many would have lasted too long after dinner before they knocked themselves out to sleep. I knew I didn't. I didn't remember even brushing my teeth or powdering myself. I just slipped into the sleeping bag with the blanket inside and outside the sleeping bag, fully clothed and layered, opened up two new heat packs and put them into my pockets.<br />
Across my bed Serene was already snoring.<br />
Soon I was in a deep slumber.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">EBC TREK Day 11 ~ </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">The very very mental trek from Pheriche to Tengboche Monastery, down to Phungi Thanga, and then up and up the never-ending trek in search of the two Stupas that would finally point us to Namche Bazaar... again in the dark!</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;">28 Nov 2017</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kB1q7_ud7HjQL83k3EK4IZhgIaXv5D4N_YA5KQonuSEsA12SBAL2jha04oNrynAVqVgQoM2tXJxP7eMSVq9O23fFHEByvibaIxWZLZF8puaoEu63RhL7CjisMPcTP82XYV2ULbIfhcM/w1146-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1145" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kB1q7_ud7HjQL83k3EK4IZhgIaXv5D4N_YA5KQonuSEsA12SBAL2jha04oNrynAVqVgQoM2tXJxP7eMSVq9O23fFHEByvibaIxWZLZF8puaoEu63RhL7CjisMPcTP82XYV2ULbIfhcM/w1146-h644-no/" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Here is the Relive video of</span> <span style="color: #d9ead3;">our that very wearying trek from Pheriche, passing by Tengboche Monastery, ending in the climb in the dark towards Namche Bazaar.</span></b><br />
<blockquote class="embedly-card" data-card-controls="0" data-card-key="f1631a41cb254ca5b035dc5747a5bd75">
<h4>
<a href="https://www.relive.cc/view/1294090185?r=embed-site">Relive 'The trek from Pheriche through Tengboche and all the way back to Namche Bazaar'</a></h4>
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<script async="" charset="UTF-8" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js"></script>
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: large;"><b>Here is the Strava Flyby of this day's trek.</b></span> <i><b>Just click on the image below, <span style="color: yellow;">play and zoom in and see</span>. Zoom in to see how yet again Kai Sing, Alex, Lai Peng, Darric, Kong Wan and Patrick gradually distanced themselves from the rear and pushed ahead towards Tengboche. KC and I were with the rear group. As we slowly caught up with them at Tengboche, the front group left off again. This pattern continued for a long way.</b></i></div>
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<a href="https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1294090185?c=tuvwkcxg&z=C&t=1Q7CsP&a=yT8iTXm9pU2fmSBNMNcgTb1dIE3bUB9NpBIhTYiBH00" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="800" height="276" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4685/24541688277_10af7c9f0f_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is my Garmin record for the day. By the time we arrived at Namche Bazaar at 6:30pm, again it was pitch black, and the only time we saw light was when we came to the prayer wheel at the top of Namche Bazaar village.<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/embed/2354963884" title="Everest Base Camp trek Day 11- Periche downback to Namche Bazaar" width="465"></iframe>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">The </span><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: x-large;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-large;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-size: x-large;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: x-large;">:</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Again another mentally-sapping trek from Pheriche on a gradual downwards gradient to Tengboche, a small climb and then towards the river at Phungi Thanga and finally that never-ending Stupa-searching climb back to Namche Bazaar.</span></span></span></b><br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/shclq27xYiE?rel=0" width="820"></iframe>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/sXxDAgvcd6LtksOD2KMzwc766DjtuZ1oXmIqtXBwI1pOD87gvqb4fKe_8xv57SqgbXmdjOglL1utOf89srQxARU1JKvvUU3sdT18D7yJJQKi1lWOBemrZTdcpVeEquIHJ0oPiEQ8QszDIzDDkFXZaAyX7lhRNyVwcYXAlYaiHWkrPOdMh2pXwl5ERbG4u-o_DFbBvrrIpIPYGefvcDUxNbobaqMCJMUc_qy3ll2zzAiCNLHsY5nYB5hmFLw7gFx8t5D0wNd3iknrAcZ_2quki9wwO8f7D-DHYRGnNjEDaQhTWkrgKWbRQJnUCIO-5fFzWLkStsncPkoIVvGYv8nwvNBt0CRjhwYU_yvzeGIhHpU7RpbTZXvOq2O7xuTF4GEa24NbQHXxPdm_qv4kP3QLbxVNcJhBqdswFbKmCLlDd_JgNywXYgPNuE_q7SLbtJHdJoq9nuaLGOBw1JWhzYa_Q3YOA-jPJJnOa3UGFnWj7s9xI-phn6yM-eTn1DQ3XjXIeKUGwohLc2Uh-klqiI--EJZ9YLhB2SOqqozTDNhe4jOuCYYUSos1bHVX2eacWtShTHKWLImn4-2Yp_HKHJ-XZP5Xq6mUuK0j9QgLlLtMHD7zTvYevb4WxcC3bPynOuOQTjhEWWDpegj-NSyKJth6AH96TD31TSvUWQ=w1003-h488-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="1003" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/sXxDAgvcd6LtksOD2KMzwc766DjtuZ1oXmIqtXBwI1pOD87gvqb4fKe_8xv57SqgbXmdjOglL1utOf89srQxARU1JKvvUU3sdT18D7yJJQKi1lWOBemrZTdcpVeEquIHJ0oPiEQ8QszDIzDDkFXZaAyX7lhRNyVwcYXAlYaiHWkrPOdMh2pXwl5ERbG4u-o_DFbBvrrIpIPYGefvcDUxNbobaqMCJMUc_qy3ll2zzAiCNLHsY5nYB5hmFLw7gFx8t5D0wNd3iknrAcZ_2quki9wwO8f7D-DHYRGnNjEDaQhTWkrgKWbRQJnUCIO-5fFzWLkStsncPkoIVvGYv8nwvNBt0CRjhwYU_yvzeGIhHpU7RpbTZXvOq2O7xuTF4GEa24NbQHXxPdm_qv4kP3QLbxVNcJhBqdswFbKmCLlDd_JgNywXYgPNuE_q7SLbtJHdJoq9nuaLGOBw1JWhzYa_Q3YOA-jPJJnOa3UGFnWj7s9xI-phn6yM-eTn1DQ3XjXIeKUGwohLc2Uh-klqiI--EJZ9YLhB2SOqqozTDNhe4jOuCYYUSos1bHVX2eacWtShTHKWLImn4-2Yp_HKHJ-XZP5Xq6mUuK0j9QgLlLtMHD7zTvYevb4WxcC3bPynOuOQTjhEWWDpegj-NSyKJth6AH96TD31TSvUWQ=w1003-h488-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pheriche at 6:40am.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">How cold was Pheriche that night?</span></b><br />
I really didn't know the exact temperature. But what I knew was, it was another one of the coldest coldest nights on this trek because even as I stuffed myself with the blankets inside my sleeping bag and covered another blanket on the outside, wearing all my layers, I was still shivering.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqXWEKYHuLKg72ZosXOfc9gbGfcww1fHKI3-B5ggvNMtXgGUkVMDLmh7H5E9AicQF0sq5nEnbsv-0GbnSmPF1qdQICP_eG-QKMtWAPlT6QQpKnAnerQgtbf2YyYhhsaCThyphenhyphenuwFru9i_Y/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqXWEKYHuLKg72ZosXOfc9gbGfcww1fHKI3-B5ggvNMtXgGUkVMDLmh7H5E9AicQF0sq5nEnbsv-0GbnSmPF1qdQICP_eG-QKMtWAPlT6QQpKnAnerQgtbf2YyYhhsaCThyphenhyphenuwFru9i_Y/w859-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/CWp7KR4cLgc7U3LvYazW7T8dj97uHJUfFIFr8b-6P8Lj_LeUiFl4YdCaRgJLDKRPcrww0XbJrMSz1sGqTEQFqICdW0nfvQdK9dEldJApIop6HIxbQL2bkuSExzDmXixYgpxVjbk-QUD2y-HmSq8BFpN4lRjNtOz9DB-7h_1JnuXrCkJL_F-VvYjaBZcoNYEZBMRE7BsP8UyhdiEE5jSiXO0kv_s6K_Tw_trPo_woIb9ITDdSYIyHKz-y8RDDS-BcWJ_zmd2YNSFbQXJoGph3X61fif1gc4pSDApP3XCmTGCsNlZP27mK1_3M8mbEtaUmJwmXxnymYXRXLsx8JkLcOl0U8oq3i3e2hbyXvNS5NJvzZk-xoGKcJX_oxNCdQuscQoOtfMcRB8DmxuGW0fKhh2_KqkMFfTPruIPve-y4qfBS5Pia0cDTS9GxFGZjsV_qCoRCEgUmR-JwWhTYuUgbckSx1UhkG0QcK8LPtuDFvw8tTj1NFgI3A3ZLxFK0HBoqdCp3hWYnEARg0oX5mh9FMn4Ih0nhdashOdXyuvEyz-LheRd1ExvHQKZ3_2iM_DBfrfydiV1yJD59bYOXvTHqWOZG3zol-u-qvNStYSGVmYAOwxoRtkX6gRtxW7eUrEBDvK8XAa1BCCsEF8EMsKY0rCxdYkst1NqReg=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/CWp7KR4cLgc7U3LvYazW7T8dj97uHJUfFIFr8b-6P8Lj_LeUiFl4YdCaRgJLDKRPcrww0XbJrMSz1sGqTEQFqICdW0nfvQdK9dEldJApIop6HIxbQL2bkuSExzDmXixYgpxVjbk-QUD2y-HmSq8BFpN4lRjNtOz9DB-7h_1JnuXrCkJL_F-VvYjaBZcoNYEZBMRE7BsP8UyhdiEE5jSiXO0kv_s6K_Tw_trPo_woIb9ITDdSYIyHKz-y8RDDS-BcWJ_zmd2YNSFbQXJoGph3X61fif1gc4pSDApP3XCmTGCsNlZP27mK1_3M8mbEtaUmJwmXxnymYXRXLsx8JkLcOl0U8oq3i3e2hbyXvNS5NJvzZk-xoGKcJX_oxNCdQuscQoOtfMcRB8DmxuGW0fKhh2_KqkMFfTPruIPve-y4qfBS5Pia0cDTS9GxFGZjsV_qCoRCEgUmR-JwWhTYuUgbckSx1UhkG0QcK8LPtuDFvw8tTj1NFgI3A3ZLxFK0HBoqdCp3hWYnEARg0oX5mh9FMn4Ih0nhdashOdXyuvEyz-LheRd1ExvHQKZ3_2iM_DBfrfydiV1yJD59bYOXvTHqWOZG3zol-u-qvNStYSGVmYAOwxoRtkX6gRtxW7eUrEBDvK8XAa1BCCsEF8EMsKY0rCxdYkst1NqReg=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
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In the morning when Fann woke up, this sight of frosty window pane bewilded her.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/J0oBsfSFqX_rZ-mizl3RJ1x7_sHZ3Y4dDAsR4RoOvganIijGs_gU-WnuhhkKnejeq54hb7nSS3q2mWX8fgFTi1zYV1PDNrtxcoSRDub-pHBy1w48jvxE3S7ELo7FsbSdCsTcGQAypVyCVOgtBie_5sLpqyHAWlbUoj_pYHT8xhupsnxb-rk8oGeh6H4KuPs6xudm0C-pjkC0nUGU2la8fG0ePuCkBnK2V7kuEVerS-oGaSbhCPYKMo1Knrx5Tdr2MPeeGWEvqbEjhZbz95gi-q-TzslySOho5U-N562dDPOZJhGakl4r6dwqA1j-pROrysJwg-k3f7micbv4ZGLG5J3fC989Sb3ACUazvbjD1KlKqkSCo3BtL82yH88f4G8lWaq3Rr4ChD1-Ep0NVDI2FMlMpBoJQnBiOetsQK1XDMDI3NFz6rLezMNYtPN9u4N2A3bZlGyh4KfnidnjaMcbTnQ4OAHOPJ23_orDlA9UgTswZ9cnUWHW6sL6-apz3h0dVwl5CCHfT-mFrgxD6UPLfqpWjdIAvthfc-E1PPBvRA33Dga6RVS5QKGGK2rXLgxi6hycJDM2m7wDmmYeKhg5irjznzN38lppHzLdjSjKEMYxRBSdfddy_YZY5qdLZFZ51CpaogH0R0tWZsGIVsN3QARB7uzx9K_E=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/J0oBsfSFqX_rZ-mizl3RJ1x7_sHZ3Y4dDAsR4RoOvganIijGs_gU-WnuhhkKnejeq54hb7nSS3q2mWX8fgFTi1zYV1PDNrtxcoSRDub-pHBy1w48jvxE3S7ELo7FsbSdCsTcGQAypVyCVOgtBie_5sLpqyHAWlbUoj_pYHT8xhupsnxb-rk8oGeh6H4KuPs6xudm0C-pjkC0nUGU2la8fG0ePuCkBnK2V7kuEVerS-oGaSbhCPYKMo1Knrx5Tdr2MPeeGWEvqbEjhZbz95gi-q-TzslySOho5U-N562dDPOZJhGakl4r6dwqA1j-pROrysJwg-k3f7micbv4ZGLG5J3fC989Sb3ACUazvbjD1KlKqkSCo3BtL82yH88f4G8lWaq3Rr4ChD1-Ep0NVDI2FMlMpBoJQnBiOetsQK1XDMDI3NFz6rLezMNYtPN9u4N2A3bZlGyh4KfnidnjaMcbTnQ4OAHOPJ23_orDlA9UgTswZ9cnUWHW6sL6-apz3h0dVwl5CCHfT-mFrgxD6UPLfqpWjdIAvthfc-E1PPBvRA33Dga6RVS5QKGGK2rXLgxi6hycJDM2m7wDmmYeKhg5irjznzN38lppHzLdjSjKEMYxRBSdfddy_YZY5qdLZFZ51CpaogH0R0tWZsGIVsN3QARB7uzx9K_E=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frosted ice on her window. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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Looking all around us, it was barren land. Cold, wasted and nothing much lived here. I imagined myself as a local living in this part of the Himalaya, and I really wondered what I would be living off. There were no vegetables to grow, neither was there any poultry as it was too cold. What about the livestocks? Could not the locals have them for meals. The answer was obvious, any of the yaks or mules would be too valuable for transport than to be eaten.<br />
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I would literally have to live off the occasional tourists who came walking past the village. That probably explain why a simple bottle of Fanta Orange would cost S$10. And a one litre bottle of mineral water, S$4. Therefore I would not be surprise if a local native living here would be just drinking ice to sustain himself and would ration his food very carefully.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/XjiFWNPC-zN1QTr8o_6d3EP3WYorNzpPVcAVJDtDYlE_4llvLIwTzfXnm0ndI7I0X79R-9BSeVYbVHsY2MMNa6rBtBrWycWpCrcyt8lfoUK-aBlQLF4HZFR5biO8fC5HFWoyPLjSPtnFte9eOLWtDjrpIMYI-tEKXBsQZH5C09HcGlDIjAa90BOlOsiJ5i2MHWQmNM7Emc0aKsUbdyrdgi33pIAR002iTzrJC2rpBXeK7fjJZ1yUnobUeU1rLUFw5WRVRTwrPJLGHjtKamXyDyTcJaaxb4cH6nxpXP95mlz6lUdwNJY5LXAn0bfoHATcRpTiFQIp7tMF_9kewt5cTaJdTsawbYe09SHF8yD6b7f_JjV6vyD-75KDgjsP9cIEuQZffxCnVlBnznGXFwDEMHrqUorzN35-i_BYhD_Yihp2Yk5ksE2yV10qJJFV0W8il26rvx8-tmvxVB8R6syHwPVU76FDAIye-1qV3JUyF6LsRswYVIERW5x99Vp_x1IrQN7Pj9F9yBzOp6wmCMESJfLMyRGmKMyD6lRMdSWWZhrt2pR1ywpdKGdx9IUgJXtW1U0hySao2q9zmQFSi1iRvSVj4zEzEpcnb2l7TiJ4UrUehGFqFQj5a9LJ47Z17R1MNrO98gFUo7PhzdLFx01rpTgz10M-JPEH=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/XjiFWNPC-zN1QTr8o_6d3EP3WYorNzpPVcAVJDtDYlE_4llvLIwTzfXnm0ndI7I0X79R-9BSeVYbVHsY2MMNa6rBtBrWycWpCrcyt8lfoUK-aBlQLF4HZFR5biO8fC5HFWoyPLjSPtnFte9eOLWtDjrpIMYI-tEKXBsQZH5C09HcGlDIjAa90BOlOsiJ5i2MHWQmNM7Emc0aKsUbdyrdgi33pIAR002iTzrJC2rpBXeK7fjJZ1yUnobUeU1rLUFw5WRVRTwrPJLGHjtKamXyDyTcJaaxb4cH6nxpXP95mlz6lUdwNJY5LXAn0bfoHATcRpTiFQIp7tMF_9kewt5cTaJdTsawbYe09SHF8yD6b7f_JjV6vyD-75KDgjsP9cIEuQZffxCnVlBnznGXFwDEMHrqUorzN35-i_BYhD_Yihp2Yk5ksE2yV10qJJFV0W8il26rvx8-tmvxVB8R6syHwPVU76FDAIye-1qV3JUyF6LsRswYVIERW5x99Vp_x1IrQN7Pj9F9yBzOp6wmCMESJfLMyRGmKMyD6lRMdSWWZhrt2pR1ywpdKGdx9IUgJXtW1U0hySao2q9zmQFSi1iRvSVj4zEzEpcnb2l7TiJ4UrUehGFqFQj5a9LJ47Z17R1MNrO98gFUo7PhzdLFx01rpTgz10M-JPEH=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How could any beings live in such places? [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">8:30am.</span></b></div>
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The whole group bade farewell to this tiny little freezing village of Pheriche gladly and made for the south. The sun just began to rise above the ring of peaks around, and we happily basked ourselves in whatever skin-deep warmth the rays provided.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/RsyPX0-Hfw0TbBEDnRqquVLSa51fb6FgaBVxW6xbcdoduZuixb6TyruX3oR99HRkmBvDLN9C4FAA2rz_4ExkJ9I1jThEHNHwkCCXIl4zCd-fIt_oVCNd3Nprr096C-yv-Cq74w_IjbLGTj8wWTGAnnksm42oUYDmrDdAeWwItOLUW69bfto0MB9JRMHQ_t5rn-8wEh--X7YLY7rWKyc4mGTY4DMHkZQZI6hOJWantD_o-trf3zQn75Df_6lVimU_vb4kn6FqtU48wo1oLxb-P3g_dAMarYmMjvyQDbhG08fa6q2r1D0edM7ZyOK6vutCLBU9mygDJ85EwbQRJfqttT66JFuUwQ1IHVW0vn_SK-EDsyJhvlpk7CV97tjVT79Jl8UXRvZRNb_f4v-1Kc-_Wm7iQK86_BCEVkejOFrnQ980c5cbm1umK-PY2XxEcHgawub7RLtY6oBEKogR6DjQBzjlO1noZJHjvmMVucuwmGSc0mXbMKlLtMXna_5ZACs_AdDZZD0pU6AiLxYJdRlFY9vbOsUjCX4JFVCf6F7x5sZO5oMlVvHC5emVY0tYQg5FIlRM5Pny-Qw9HgjOo-ZrAsNtAK9gjC-c8_Q-0h8nmKzspsTfKdY6EHauSKfVPSHMLID-1I6-3hzIASPkVj2kbcDILr9rIMVf=w1003-h620-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1003" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/RsyPX0-Hfw0TbBEDnRqquVLSa51fb6FgaBVxW6xbcdoduZuixb6TyruX3oR99HRkmBvDLN9C4FAA2rz_4ExkJ9I1jThEHNHwkCCXIl4zCd-fIt_oVCNd3Nprr096C-yv-Cq74w_IjbLGTj8wWTGAnnksm42oUYDmrDdAeWwItOLUW69bfto0MB9JRMHQ_t5rn-8wEh--X7YLY7rWKyc4mGTY4DMHkZQZI6hOJWantD_o-trf3zQn75Df_6lVimU_vb4kn6FqtU48wo1oLxb-P3g_dAMarYmMjvyQDbhG08fa6q2r1D0edM7ZyOK6vutCLBU9mygDJ85EwbQRJfqttT66JFuUwQ1IHVW0vn_SK-EDsyJhvlpk7CV97tjVT79Jl8UXRvZRNb_f4v-1Kc-_Wm7iQK86_BCEVkejOFrnQ980c5cbm1umK-PY2XxEcHgawub7RLtY6oBEKogR6DjQBzjlO1noZJHjvmMVucuwmGSc0mXbMKlLtMXna_5ZACs_AdDZZD0pU6AiLxYJdRlFY9vbOsUjCX4JFVCf6F7x5sZO5oMlVvHC5emVY0tYQg5FIlRM5Pny-Qw9HgjOo-ZrAsNtAK9gjC-c8_Q-0h8nmKzspsTfKdY6EHauSKfVPSHMLID-1I6-3hzIASPkVj2kbcDILr9rIMVf=w1003-h620-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time to say good bye to Pheriche. [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>The plan for this day was simple:</b></span> Trek from Pheriche to Shomare, and then towards Pangboche, Debuche and then upwards to Tengboche Monastery and then all the way down to Phungi Thanga t have lunch at the bridge, and then finally making the last arduous climb back up to Namche Bazaar.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFqbQHSI-uYz1daFesLwe5izFigzXV_dswDyBK2Wtp3o1q2VuK8q4hOdiPO9L1z0Xp46fj_jEnJqE-zkqD4m6MLdp_B8vkHRxRN2LTFWWyt5u3GRc3hCc8y0yRh-L5DMhSVw9fc6yDD0/w1003-h564-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="1003" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFqbQHSI-uYz1daFesLwe5izFigzXV_dswDyBK2Wtp3o1q2VuK8q4hOdiPO9L1z0Xp46fj_jEnJqE-zkqD4m6MLdp_B8vkHRxRN2LTFWWyt5u3GRc3hCc8y0yRh-L5DMhSVw9fc6yDD0/w1003-h564-no/" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/zH5WZEs4jBATIHNcqav5SFUNXYGKFSgk7BG7oj52jW-jYJFML_iH5MwgtKA4xnl5uJFVxlky42jhUC9fNroXZGSoERAJn_fOO60Fn47mDWbsnGrwznCM9I_cuneytQet7Hh2eT4hgKL5soillyCxzINwV-uYmCmoitkI8q53Cg-pxGJJBEPrTijvIVx9vnUknHB5sKbis8eXJpdArfw7Drq-KnqHWMuFQ4LBjU_3KvBXFjLhaIckHxMkZfg2iUrcJ_79Wme6teZOX-01s8yqy3d1oHCIMHeQbdVxzNCXVxDIqfMbVeZyLsu_wsmSuDBZBq2IUa0ocEp0FZQDH4kxVd_j8B3RjuS8Q-iVK8o7kvhk73rg8J_wqiCV85U3KhwJ3uGoKTQKxs-sPy11bbUqlYJt-4VeheJrKsctrF4OJlHuE_ongzm0vglPv1YIueu6aGgFvSwSxjoZ-u0TdR4P5D3WTFf60cVJYX-LHoctXqbm9gUO9tXkuqlKUmuL6Fqu-AOCsC4sbM7W6b_p-9P-g7Gr-jNIwvpOzoDfzKcB0lb0ZdPaz8hjsX6JNOGnMTPuGZWc58xEuaeZ3mZsAI5XC8zozLNP8En7f6oOqYvrw7JqB5N7YCP_0UWJGPSmTjOG1fFcPFUn3mnOmcGEKqkISaC33OPKZa5z=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/zH5WZEs4jBATIHNcqav5SFUNXYGKFSgk7BG7oj52jW-jYJFML_iH5MwgtKA4xnl5uJFVxlky42jhUC9fNroXZGSoERAJn_fOO60Fn47mDWbsnGrwznCM9I_cuneytQet7Hh2eT4hgKL5soillyCxzINwV-uYmCmoitkI8q53Cg-pxGJJBEPrTijvIVx9vnUknHB5sKbis8eXJpdArfw7Drq-KnqHWMuFQ4LBjU_3KvBXFjLhaIckHxMkZfg2iUrcJ_79Wme6teZOX-01s8yqy3d1oHCIMHeQbdVxzNCXVxDIqfMbVeZyLsu_wsmSuDBZBq2IUa0ocEp0FZQDH4kxVd_j8B3RjuS8Q-iVK8o7kvhk73rg8J_wqiCV85U3KhwJ3uGoKTQKxs-sPy11bbUqlYJt-4VeheJrKsctrF4OJlHuE_ongzm0vglPv1YIueu6aGgFvSwSxjoZ-u0TdR4P5D3WTFf60cVJYX-LHoctXqbm9gUO9tXkuqlKUmuL6Fqu-AOCsC4sbM7W6b_p-9P-g7Gr-jNIwvpOzoDfzKcB0lb0ZdPaz8hjsX6JNOGnMTPuGZWc58xEuaeZ3mZsAI5XC8zozLNP8En7f6oOqYvrw7JqB5N7YCP_0UWJGPSmTjOG1fFcPFUn3mnOmcGEKqkISaC33OPKZa5z=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and spread its rays on the land. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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The initial part of the trek was on a nice flat plain. Smooth and easy. With gradual hills on our sides and shrubs scattered over the plain.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/EUAhqPVRonuKOjepMjpIBFBuCn3NDAOcLpEGh-5Uur-tOiqvYEGaeLnskOV93EImxgFI17hZv2-6RmG2uPvHy-pbhsLKPenZMk2LZCeV6duOzun2mH7NEtCdPuHCOnzhJzaCGGk--r6lxJqRHQ56jhd2R13TiaFVsGATwk4ul5XqUF88yTlNCciG5P4PrEZc76gni9VATXnQVRMPyP50d8WZgqU6aaZIPw7K-ZeFWMw-u9XvuCtb09Pw1z5WHWaXzoOroStURqtm967SmHFbWdoLOlYlmewY5dy7guuJ3GDOM_NYkJyCgomVG-YhvIZhMBqJiPtJbs5L5wYmto_CRYMO2krRYS4SX3TRAyOXVRP0FVSqoVdCua-nuQJfV1xw9WSIPY69TJciX0dxP6U5K3LJJgsmsndOKRXLaIH-b9pcz4Ua4J1A5K0_jj2UY7Xv7cV1p2Bp9rhoEVB1BDcNRxDQglrnibP4MNJL7l0TUeysmsPsdJVqhdY7xkwNJkmtEDZ8-PCG8Zaq5p09bBI5F6CNC28ELwHztvmUQaMKOGUfESvIEndjwugtoC3yjuHInuFiq9AGYDK4TDiqFGOx1sgutvBMNSmi9RvOTPzASLqqq0TG6e4hgq0w_mKjz7L2EvlS-uh5TqsZ9YL4jpvRTnANFuGdR0dW=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/EUAhqPVRonuKOjepMjpIBFBuCn3NDAOcLpEGh-5Uur-tOiqvYEGaeLnskOV93EImxgFI17hZv2-6RmG2uPvHy-pbhsLKPenZMk2LZCeV6duOzun2mH7NEtCdPuHCOnzhJzaCGGk--r6lxJqRHQ56jhd2R13TiaFVsGATwk4ul5XqUF88yTlNCciG5P4PrEZc76gni9VATXnQVRMPyP50d8WZgqU6aaZIPw7K-ZeFWMw-u9XvuCtb09Pw1z5WHWaXzoOroStURqtm967SmHFbWdoLOlYlmewY5dy7guuJ3GDOM_NYkJyCgomVG-YhvIZhMBqJiPtJbs5L5wYmto_CRYMO2krRYS4SX3TRAyOXVRP0FVSqoVdCua-nuQJfV1xw9WSIPY69TJciX0dxP6U5K3LJJgsmsndOKRXLaIH-b9pcz4Ua4J1A5K0_jj2UY7Xv7cV1p2Bp9rhoEVB1BDcNRxDQglrnibP4MNJL7l0TUeysmsPsdJVqhdY7xkwNJkmtEDZ8-PCG8Zaq5p09bBI5F6CNC28ELwHztvmUQaMKOGUfESvIEndjwugtoC3yjuHInuFiq9AGYDK4TDiqFGOx1sgutvBMNSmi9RvOTPzASLqqq0TG6e4hgq0w_mKjz7L2EvlS-uh5TqsZ9YL4jpvRTnANFuGdR0dW=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Fann</td></tr>
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Such views epitomised a classic Himalayan trek. Anyone looking at photos of these would probably transport himself or herself right into the midst of this trek, immersed in the romance of such a moment - the snow peaks, the rocky terrain, the flat land, the layers of clothing, trekking sticks and a chain of trekkers enjoying themselves in the sub-zero air. The image conjured would be sufficient to draw any would-be trekkers to take the next flight right into Nepal.<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Back to basics..</b></span></div>
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I would not deny that this morning started off really pleasantly. I particularly enjoyed the flat walk. My buff was on, because the fine dust were killing my sinuses and I had been blowing copious amount of nasal mucus with fresh blood for a few days and I knew that I was already suffering from acute sinusitis. I had always love the coldness of the early morning, especially when the going was not that tough. Here we all were, 4200m above sea level, far away from home, and totally out of our comfort zone, and had totally lost track of the date and days. The only things in our minds were how to maneuvre our next step, how to scrutinize the ground, how to keep our breathing consistent, when to take a rest and have a sip of water, and to when was the best time to grab a bite of snack to replenish some glucose.</div>
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Compared to what we did at home - every waking moment we would either be stressing ourselves fire fighting over problems at work, agonizing over deadlines and inter-personal and inter-colleague relationships, worrying over family members, and struggling to beat the others in school tests, examinations and project works. Back home in high pressure Singapore, life was never a bed of roses. We considered ourselves to be a developed country and had all the material comforts money could buy. But our minds were never at peace, hardly at ease. As a physician, I have unfortunately encountered an alarmingly increasing number of patients with stress-induced neurosis and psychosis over the past two decades. </div>
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Here in the remotest of lands, we had nothing. The people had almost nothing. But what they had was what Nature dished out to them. Life here hadn't change that much over the centuries, apart from introduction of just that tiny bit of materialism, an inevitable side effect of tourism. Here was where my mind could be free. I was finally a human being in his natural environment again, like my homo sapien ancestors were 20 million year ago. </div>
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Many friends asked me: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">"What attracts you to trek?" </span></b></div>
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I found it difficult to give them an answer. How could you explain to a person who had not been exposed to the hardships of the harsh elements up there in the high mountains, suffered the anguish of unease in surmounting a climb, day after day after day, with almost none of the familiar comforts, and nothing but to fall back upon the most primitive of our survival instincts, <b><i>the actual pleasure of being free</i></b>? It was that back to basic feeling, when it was <b><i>all you against the environment</i></b>, that was so liberating.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/bu2TLEXLw-Utn1yEi_B5mAdPXevIS4JDvIxwI4bb-SVAxQAVNAGFheknt_opsjYY_VmnXQAA8RBAItcmT8VMDWosPlRSqlpuA6v4ZQf3qqJB0ETf64rObucZUfk2k-YfjHQpMzFQFdP7yEqsk1IsPDH4uuTEfEVoYBiQB-vleDvU7AmrFcSOGblz1sKvquO7g2Ht8cNCX93mfVPKi-a4B_AKm3Qqmt45HWodUnX8aL5oDyPthreo65EqsOagXTxsEyBVkQ70m9LS47HPqCmNgn4dNuBqp3phmjJD9zG7AJzuYru9fNvBAfuvtjbq6G1ey2u2OOpjxm2QhwLinnuPBBYBcFDhpiU4xl_Hkv-dnLE8AzKdJ8T_kIe8RZ5nuYbJa0wzG-Y98uzan9-wLJzleZI-9-XD-r-H2BGWMoFEyKtWzPwRXSip3GctP2diXwzd2wOhuVAUL4g2NU-mRxP67bTIcvOZHZjvZi-KBymE-ovXg7FtI24KCdHYqhqxLr38QZHtAbD75g7wbZtnt3YoRAhaH-z-J71LPowpwmZWb1lXS2pcn1ZwVzGtasqs5CYZyntRl9mnoZxkevL0puj-hOJR4uCybMeFMk46xWO0xdKukavKCYg2CCAZUVEWeCLRLYp94VA56Nv1NAb-ruh7QIQh8wN9eaqDag=w967-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="966" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/bu2TLEXLw-Utn1yEi_B5mAdPXevIS4JDvIxwI4bb-SVAxQAVNAGFheknt_opsjYY_VmnXQAA8RBAItcmT8VMDWosPlRSqlpuA6v4ZQf3qqJB0ETf64rObucZUfk2k-YfjHQpMzFQFdP7yEqsk1IsPDH4uuTEfEVoYBiQB-vleDvU7AmrFcSOGblz1sKvquO7g2Ht8cNCX93mfVPKi-a4B_AKm3Qqmt45HWodUnX8aL5oDyPthreo65EqsOagXTxsEyBVkQ70m9LS47HPqCmNgn4dNuBqp3phmjJD9zG7AJzuYru9fNvBAfuvtjbq6G1ey2u2OOpjxm2QhwLinnuPBBYBcFDhpiU4xl_Hkv-dnLE8AzKdJ8T_kIe8RZ5nuYbJa0wzG-Y98uzan9-wLJzleZI-9-XD-r-H2BGWMoFEyKtWzPwRXSip3GctP2diXwzd2wOhuVAUL4g2NU-mRxP67bTIcvOZHZjvZi-KBymE-ovXg7FtI24KCdHYqhqxLr38QZHtAbD75g7wbZtnt3YoRAhaH-z-J71LPowpwmZWb1lXS2pcn1ZwVzGtasqs5CYZyntRl9mnoZxkevL0puj-hOJR4uCybMeFMk46xWO0xdKukavKCYg2CCAZUVEWeCLRLYp94VA56Nv1NAb-ruh7QIQh8wN9eaqDag=w967-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
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This feeling of roaming freely was particularly pronounced this morning, as we made our way towards Shomare from Pheriche. 50 minutes after we set off from Pheriche, we climbed and climbed and finally came to the Pheriche pass, a high point at 4270m. From this point onwards it would be descent all the way.<br />
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We human beings were funny animals. We needed the sun. Sunlight and its warmth made us happy and elevated our moods. It was clinically well known that exposure to the sun reduced depression.<br />
Thus when the sun was rising up higher and higher in the sky, I could see that everyone was cheerful.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Gtz9SIYO83HP7rdpSzsuilBZWovGmBdayDQy5Lh6S6LbWtzTEwnjCMQ8y8eNYC_I4qr903uCUtJfe7xnxgBRphmu7iZKIt__Ygvgt5lY1l8PuSUdB7a2abhmU3Oz_98GbP8bscw5k69jVu9I0ByUdvb0dr18lXqiy-72xbOzfpMxJ93tmfDqBz5VXxlH04vRYVxFUhQV8vPuX7HwFVpK0CkKLn7gg4I7t8BoNBHOQaQmZ-AHYCG_Fv0jtyH2ssvSi0ZIZwnRw6I3m0-JUhSnaMVZvk93rCKns5dk57lUgyPeU3_tYD8Wrtn3AQJ-Z6RJO3sGFA9uK3_i1LDe4pWGJPdV9sAvFHccwJfnrIZ8v-OZRJoxZh6hhQ6NcGcdVam9AqKFwpSF320-qkG_n607MHQOtbJ2HXc5wQpIuQ1eoFTM86-5ndIylZxXcSYkPy9mm1Bzja4_C9_kk3Et5id57DmcIPg6mcw7fkEjN-GZFql36f_fR89fQnJAk87lJBvQAruorBajPqobJkI6wnALHINoOeHnBzoLypYfTRVUmdU7l_AwvExk7wS1LlqunkasYzMNYDaI4dWg33EmCcm7-BU3g9pJP7JKDQcZF4JmRi9w2L0M0MKpWFElj7Soi0hO6JQLjOkOWIdxRr9juEz-tkc7RE66RQ1T=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Gtz9SIYO83HP7rdpSzsuilBZWovGmBdayDQy5Lh6S6LbWtzTEwnjCMQ8y8eNYC_I4qr903uCUtJfe7xnxgBRphmu7iZKIt__Ygvgt5lY1l8PuSUdB7a2abhmU3Oz_98GbP8bscw5k69jVu9I0ByUdvb0dr18lXqiy-72xbOzfpMxJ93tmfDqBz5VXxlH04vRYVxFUhQV8vPuX7HwFVpK0CkKLn7gg4I7t8BoNBHOQaQmZ-AHYCG_Fv0jtyH2ssvSi0ZIZwnRw6I3m0-JUhSnaMVZvk93rCKns5dk57lUgyPeU3_tYD8Wrtn3AQJ-Z6RJO3sGFA9uK3_i1LDe4pWGJPdV9sAvFHccwJfnrIZ8v-OZRJoxZh6hhQ6NcGcdVam9AqKFwpSF320-qkG_n607MHQOtbJ2HXc5wQpIuQ1eoFTM86-5ndIylZxXcSYkPy9mm1Bzja4_C9_kk3Et5id57DmcIPg6mcw7fkEjN-GZFql36f_fR89fQnJAk87lJBvQAruorBajPqobJkI6wnALHINoOeHnBzoLypYfTRVUmdU7l_AwvExk7wS1LlqunkasYzMNYDaI4dWg33EmCcm7-BU3g9pJP7JKDQcZF4JmRi9w2L0M0MKpWFElj7Soi0hO6JQLjOkOWIdxRr9juEz-tkc7RE66RQ1T=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Leave nothing but footprints and shadows, take away nothing but photos & memories." [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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The bright sunlight brought out the brilliant colours of the mountains, and created shadows of contrast on the lower lands.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/voKAFBZn20SSG_RqdgB1oZUxR8sCWBmIji7JEDepoTaJ7EVNZZWCYMDaoJFYzWSA1u5OZbqTrGnt4B0a9O3LalVX3Qri_b4zeccW_MPMa9Z1pfM9bYm0VCqWNHWrThbY9inSNAlDsDS13EpcDdLjFENYg_sYhkaqE8sl10NZ2elyKsAfLOonNB68BZSugACppKcBBasQeHInJTsfUzkmY3chKh8BfPwe2jer5kAyMBnYaN4T70Vcs_gimjkRfObsll66vvLft72uJayw7pcIHNeP9Cqd4euKfBXERXpAkxFvu_5VvNM-JLs7AsGH4bttV9Rd35gGmdqfqv3KBMm_6aGrnN3K4COXorGnJHSSmSSV6DqFhvnxqTzb6-x0s1ZzVQOxEuoBpR1GJGnlPsGb-WXdkOIvv5Vals_zw2yZ8e_kV1MC1tTJtZ257mjuDZjbcKhtRXnySGkOIbjkx71wuM7LK4GJ1fV_oqmU6CaPd0eeepvrr8a2xeM0c3VIp32ySUEDC0A8NNseqgZlloNtXb81QVKf-a58b0hdNQWL4mFkfKsbMnk17pySV0Nkmi0ZnpqQi5VuWb5NmdqBbVRq8G_PAwPpIVnjSIjPOdCVdWNYa9vVXqFRwtZjLR473tVa-aL6yeQA_mlw0Pc65KNzgYG8yl2_FWZh=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/voKAFBZn20SSG_RqdgB1oZUxR8sCWBmIji7JEDepoTaJ7EVNZZWCYMDaoJFYzWSA1u5OZbqTrGnt4B0a9O3LalVX3Qri_b4zeccW_MPMa9Z1pfM9bYm0VCqWNHWrThbY9inSNAlDsDS13EpcDdLjFENYg_sYhkaqE8sl10NZ2elyKsAfLOonNB68BZSugACppKcBBasQeHInJTsfUzkmY3chKh8BfPwe2jer5kAyMBnYaN4T70Vcs_gimjkRfObsll66vvLft72uJayw7pcIHNeP9Cqd4euKfBXERXpAkxFvu_5VvNM-JLs7AsGH4bttV9Rd35gGmdqfqv3KBMm_6aGrnN3K4COXorGnJHSSmSSV6DqFhvnxqTzb6-x0s1ZzVQOxEuoBpR1GJGnlPsGb-WXdkOIvv5Vals_zw2yZ8e_kV1MC1tTJtZ257mjuDZjbcKhtRXnySGkOIbjkx71wuM7LK4GJ1fV_oqmU6CaPd0eeepvrr8a2xeM0c3VIp32ySUEDC0A8NNseqgZlloNtXb81QVKf-a58b0hdNQWL4mFkfKsbMnk17pySV0Nkmi0ZnpqQi5VuWb5NmdqBbVRq8G_PAwPpIVnjSIjPOdCVdWNYa9vVXqFRwtZjLR473tVa-aL6yeQA_mlw0Pc65KNzgYG8yl2_FWZh=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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The brightness of the sun brought a smile to Babu's usually solemn face.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/BCFB8KWUOmaQOI-DcvkhZMTxqMTBc4p8tesf1VLAPYaYr2HRrrqznB3UfPZbRbjk4IJbffs7aZbdgCOdhEUcHMpGgx9aANFeBkbVxUGPDcUCvQ9SOzOkB7prXvWzL498xhxLy2oXn87LH03QAQDWvUb91YJx80XfjgpIdlXNsFYz0r1Vmlc3AE64GC1grBdXCY08kjr5exx3vpUCWkQMYSfwwIndTy0yyvVPpIyc27qPuz_xlXysAHVMQd-ByrJPE46sq_XsP_ZErDqa_Aq9jUANMHNAeVrYMVrtAaga-LicyapZdBqCRaTmyV5RtPiU8NtcJMog-g8eNLRLo8S3OF0CSB05X6aMQ-uO7ZoHkU6i4g35o6Gc__BbQWThc0r_c0BMIfWrmFpvArIVGN6ppvza_f8_0JixR71vCWIQFl6nMZaH6plGspwtEBk_xrrKG1jAFRntBcKQvP43ahi8hKSov2A3vSSf4z7ua2k1uXPUiKg0hP1uUJjrXjAbtgjCsyFNQnMepvXLBI4NEB42uaxbCK1ZIZtGakdlHaCL9YMmNxWepaJT9vpmddU0k4sWv4p9pX48PeuwzYoH7bJscktGMmLoPKSfF4wQQAue7VFWR6kgsWBYloKu3yx846ShXilJdGcrIs4tgf0OHPWxY-1TrX9Txuss=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/BCFB8KWUOmaQOI-DcvkhZMTxqMTBc4p8tesf1VLAPYaYr2HRrrqznB3UfPZbRbjk4IJbffs7aZbdgCOdhEUcHMpGgx9aANFeBkbVxUGPDcUCvQ9SOzOkB7prXvWzL498xhxLy2oXn87LH03QAQDWvUb91YJx80XfjgpIdlXNsFYz0r1Vmlc3AE64GC1grBdXCY08kjr5exx3vpUCWkQMYSfwwIndTy0yyvVPpIyc27qPuz_xlXysAHVMQd-ByrJPE46sq_XsP_ZErDqa_Aq9jUANMHNAeVrYMVrtAaga-LicyapZdBqCRaTmyV5RtPiU8NtcJMog-g8eNLRLo8S3OF0CSB05X6aMQ-uO7ZoHkU6i4g35o6Gc__BbQWThc0r_c0BMIfWrmFpvArIVGN6ppvza_f8_0JixR71vCWIQFl6nMZaH6plGspwtEBk_xrrKG1jAFRntBcKQvP43ahi8hKSov2A3vSSf4z7ua2k1uXPUiKg0hP1uUJjrXjAbtgjCsyFNQnMepvXLBI4NEB42uaxbCK1ZIZtGakdlHaCL9YMmNxWepaJT9vpmddU0k4sWv4p9pX48PeuwzYoH7bJscktGMmLoPKSfF4wQQAue7VFWR6kgsWBYloKu3yx846ShXilJdGcrIs4tgf0OHPWxY-1TrX9Txuss=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWOjIRf1S7dTIKk_9lchGadOdfjjLM_zP0vqC27iqJBos7tgORa8W8AWnnx6-NTzIyPtA3zL5wKBgOKF7ukLwQNYL52kK5mCOxwQgMUyXpvwKFcvLpBmj6YmGV4u4k0ZsfDzup1GKu5A/w1004-h373-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="1004" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWOjIRf1S7dTIKk_9lchGadOdfjjLM_zP0vqC27iqJBos7tgORa8W8AWnnx6-NTzIyPtA3zL5wKBgOKF7ukLwQNYL52kK5mCOxwQgMUyXpvwKFcvLpBmj6YmGV4u4k0ZsfDzup1GKu5A/w1004-h373-no/" /></a></div>
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And being totally immersed in the sun made Prem, Ai Lin and Dilip so happy.<br />
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<br />Of course Ah Li and Serene could not miss the opportunity to record their happiness.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdk5d_vnopAX0ZNyNImTXifxlXj2NZwurVkqFWPOU53r05cJwEBNnGsY4vvERGbYZHU_GeiqlHr8uxiBHmgHxGqdjvH3kwyt4rjlYmeupXHwxc_2zzR-w8znIqJCuz1ycQGC0W81b8p1Y/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdk5d_vnopAX0ZNyNImTXifxlXj2NZwurVkqFWPOU53r05cJwEBNnGsY4vvERGbYZHU_GeiqlHr8uxiBHmgHxGqdjvH3kwyt4rjlYmeupXHwxc_2zzR-w8znIqJCuz1ycQGC0W81b8p1Y/w859-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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Neither could Serene and I - for the sake of remembering this moment when the sun was high above us, and Nuptse and Lhotse were right behind us, and the air was frozen all around us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/y7zP6rsOuFim7estDktWAR0ZmdOAVLC71c4kYej5_Xk5ntP7f4rmrYe-NPCHTU6AS2fWOouiRlrwe9_-PaTJvddFKWszmnaD-gTTOv-KyJX-QizKoPGGwlKtph-pU9TAxDMbIwJJV8-JLUTEg_fSF6Q8kLZNgWrxnTdNjtAj5bWtu20vQqhjnM96p3B5V1KMUzlVAvCGwhJBLUsz5fDhqMO8SMT1e2Gb_wRKETFSpsnau3FWdA4mbbrdL-lvrY3q418Bb5kKiCXZeH0LY-9A3WvyhwR1rCaCk6qvxH2gwe-mpw6r3m34Sdro-wZPUdFCI0uJLiio4ECQPLGto_cpV6j6W7k5Dtpq0GEGM4xplVOhCl9YdXG6u0GU7olDMusrjcGL_CGao0jGlggRR15WkZLa11vvaQbOAFMiTe3PRUL1QiY_zso1qjrswi0efQBEuMQIDFXwlvTVconPbs3PYM-M5LOovd-QXuhAGBp5ofv-pNHZyudMzpxFAq26gdg-fBJfDkWGLXacv5vaf-8_maXCgC3MUjm0nrWo1uQMMdAoqy_v31une9cZPV6kKs50I39dN4Hxpgpfik1u_7kIOTx_Z6Szu22lYXtHKZCk80uaL1iX11v1-0TW_JSV5w4fcokzfV1PtYZN7t6kCF0ChBhU3xmzGcVkAw=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/y7zP6rsOuFim7estDktWAR0ZmdOAVLC71c4kYej5_Xk5ntP7f4rmrYe-NPCHTU6AS2fWOouiRlrwe9_-PaTJvddFKWszmnaD-gTTOv-KyJX-QizKoPGGwlKtph-pU9TAxDMbIwJJV8-JLUTEg_fSF6Q8kLZNgWrxnTdNjtAj5bWtu20vQqhjnM96p3B5V1KMUzlVAvCGwhJBLUsz5fDhqMO8SMT1e2Gb_wRKETFSpsnau3FWdA4mbbrdL-lvrY3q418Bb5kKiCXZeH0LY-9A3WvyhwR1rCaCk6qvxH2gwe-mpw6r3m34Sdro-wZPUdFCI0uJLiio4ECQPLGto_cpV6j6W7k5Dtpq0GEGM4xplVOhCl9YdXG6u0GU7olDMusrjcGL_CGao0jGlggRR15WkZLa11vvaQbOAFMiTe3PRUL1QiY_zso1qjrswi0efQBEuMQIDFXwlvTVconPbs3PYM-M5LOovd-QXuhAGBp5ofv-pNHZyudMzpxFAq26gdg-fBJfDkWGLXacv5vaf-8_maXCgC3MUjm0nrWo1uQMMdAoqy_v31une9cZPV6kKs50I39dN4Hxpgpfik1u_7kIOTx_Z6Szu22lYXtHKZCk80uaL1iX11v1-0TW_JSV5w4fcokzfV1PtYZN7t6kCF0ChBhU3xmzGcVkAw=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Even Fann and KC Tng were having a swell time wefie-ing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/IoVt4se9Ne43GLEY2Fkr6u0PMKV8yJ1ljLWJz_ipK0Q7UhbEgVfmOfXC5z8SbgQ0WMpPpMd6WOYJKRZBRQvIXlRz3hbWc7JS6bRUHHSc5-liT5wSYrDJNyr9CCi4k-HYvP_UkLl2N9801Ft8xadfe34BWjOoWWla0GWoPT8ijoFzvS2W7wUzB3oXGsSVZU6VhKtIo9QHXChv-nSTDsTqWL0qVCz5rnZJAyuR3sQMrgrgt7-Y7hbJbwgwW4XRQMwQo4RNaWy1vEEW2_PDkgmWPcheTj4x1XdYXT4yX7RkRbtihsE1mYiuuTYRR6ZNQxzyvTOtQRuNlYB7q1E4_c7ahfsJEpvPxA6CQpTvml8NqgOMA5R-FkVu9rX7_6OiGg18tQfziisMv0teG2bLQHrf2kqeGcNuOJWzOQRKy6hwuAY2OyaVIlusngrlrNcKmXCltzzm_EGX2SsncpAR89MQU1ZMoX6iZgmHH8YTXPTXYj2ehXCMgHcenzvdxSR7k3BT2XF4IOReXRrahY0YqxBS05xymS73H-734LrVSgPU6Frgu84nrnPJVYRdtpCdKAwku4FuAKUtvVEHS1dqjWA7WIUYDojU4OuhjnXyderyymgElAYO3cYr1Ab49ssX4ghunL9KDeUp15yhf-PVwQCfPFrrwtjR4bwg=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/IoVt4se9Ne43GLEY2Fkr6u0PMKV8yJ1ljLWJz_ipK0Q7UhbEgVfmOfXC5z8SbgQ0WMpPpMd6WOYJKRZBRQvIXlRz3hbWc7JS6bRUHHSc5-liT5wSYrDJNyr9CCi4k-HYvP_UkLl2N9801Ft8xadfe34BWjOoWWla0GWoPT8ijoFzvS2W7wUzB3oXGsSVZU6VhKtIo9QHXChv-nSTDsTqWL0qVCz5rnZJAyuR3sQMrgrgt7-Y7hbJbwgwW4XRQMwQo4RNaWy1vEEW2_PDkgmWPcheTj4x1XdYXT4yX7RkRbtihsE1mYiuuTYRR6ZNQxzyvTOtQRuNlYB7q1E4_c7ahfsJEpvPxA6CQpTvml8NqgOMA5R-FkVu9rX7_6OiGg18tQfziisMv0teG2bLQHrf2kqeGcNuOJWzOQRKy6hwuAY2OyaVIlusngrlrNcKmXCltzzm_EGX2SsncpAR89MQU1ZMoX6iZgmHH8YTXPTXYj2ehXCMgHcenzvdxSR7k3BT2XF4IOReXRrahY0YqxBS05xymS73H-734LrVSgPU6Frgu84nrnPJVYRdtpCdKAwku4FuAKUtvVEHS1dqjWA7WIUYDojU4OuhjnXyderyymgElAYO3cYr1Ab49ssX4ghunL9KDeUp15yhf-PVwQCfPFrrwtjR4bwg=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/LpSWBoAN6_PUQNKXK0Lve0e79ue-5L5YWfUkG2LMw-3CvfhZSH1JXLJswJ-XCzJUS2EPgcsjlCCX768LqPDo9N1LP1Oky_xDclddYpTTOivsWP677WEWBq2frZAqv8kFB-ZkZXwzkzvenyt92bLI4Rec-8kfKg2I1AKw0i9MZeGljq0NFrpN97rJF91S5iMZ0vj0nvhJbGx-erXpy9o5F2ruLyhNDk1MGB2eWtkrQQonRH8CMtA_NeBa_S9dhGdjHSFg_46OnDgbGTZobwyRPyglA8j6rJgCrcFF-TSdlVG611ThH_0EQ8qrcHYuDZKPt8nCdidpDHgfPtsmk_Tpy3YjhOy-nKHsW4njIkDBey65LsObBCcxvPRasMzwSyecsrQ8IDg2kiA-YmIL7qPAUIIUWY01zguChtmqNdeZgFDuFq81jJ2WiBD67CkOhXKLECdDWSdXvNNM0HGYhmzHUsUyyXcgM4urwQDZ4xtUyVB0XRyMMbbKVCOTjnJcZuuhwrefU2hJ_otcnVuh-1OoXBrkIS6VzHtT0qN2b2fHHfavwhg3rt3A9tB1oWOhV4w9ERA0790ubIhSw7iKrnvBccboyRRnpiKD3qi2-_GbtN9q8cX41zz0zYfE41JpxluSQbuGPiAJUm9O_q2e85qUWdMaOy_xkyMD=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/LpSWBoAN6_PUQNKXK0Lve0e79ue-5L5YWfUkG2LMw-3CvfhZSH1JXLJswJ-XCzJUS2EPgcsjlCCX768LqPDo9N1LP1Oky_xDclddYpTTOivsWP677WEWBq2frZAqv8kFB-ZkZXwzkzvenyt92bLI4Rec-8kfKg2I1AKw0i9MZeGljq0NFrpN97rJF91S5iMZ0vj0nvhJbGx-erXpy9o5F2ruLyhNDk1MGB2eWtkrQQonRH8CMtA_NeBa_S9dhGdjHSFg_46OnDgbGTZobwyRPyglA8j6rJgCrcFF-TSdlVG611ThH_0EQ8qrcHYuDZKPt8nCdidpDHgfPtsmk_Tpy3YjhOy-nKHsW4njIkDBey65LsObBCcxvPRasMzwSyecsrQ8IDg2kiA-YmIL7qPAUIIUWY01zguChtmqNdeZgFDuFq81jJ2WiBD67CkOhXKLECdDWSdXvNNM0HGYhmzHUsUyyXcgM4urwQDZ4xtUyVB0XRyMMbbKVCOTjnJcZuuhwrefU2hJ_otcnVuh-1OoXBrkIS6VzHtT0qN2b2fHHfavwhg3rt3A9tB1oWOhV4w9ERA0790ubIhSw7iKrnvBccboyRRnpiKD3qi2-_GbtN9q8cX41zz0zYfE41JpxluSQbuGPiAJUm9O_q2e85qUWdMaOy_xkyMD=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Fann </td></tr>
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At 4100m, the terrain had taken on a different life. We started discovering small stunted trees and more dense vegetations of various colours. The flora of the surrounding were beginning to return in various hues.</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/U9JooFfYz4uZt1UgqHZ1PjxUakKDP0UeOnpH4fDwgZkok558BHe8YxEwVLRmLN2Lc9ft6hhQMKuSmkaoC-BAP-qHMGuPXSnCqcoLL6tMnJvqchczt1TiwuoMdSPGkBE-PEDbEEQtH2M4gGbDgqRonblOWW29lrGhFaHKSNx-_k2vR-UOAQcDT5CARDacFglI19M-NW0MHUmjM1qeoWhpyvsfCFS8uLZXzS65jqEqrbteTbEk6Dq1wKCGIKV_0Zmt4xbu6zOtpqv37K0_9cqh2KUs54dvyDqufb_E3o5rO8ALeheuJfG_UkfWr3hH3qsOccZa8O9Je0nRbj0sVPCp0VBaFueXE5YFkMCsSveHauAtF-K3CYvHIes9jgNW5iHXT28WAEwKvg3MbOy8hXJUTsPBw1uqlrAgTNy0KU6XDgoXv30Iy6_ldRYE8dysrZXn1jRiUeqH7JHCVd6RxGbp7vAuVMiYpC9HH31fydeUorRAVx7FNYnnDzRbd5NmIkDqhI5GdPK5eKODEfb8Dz_hkIqORtVDAyLnmkwJLJHBEEKqjpJKYQl4qCsK2_gH3K1tdBAywxFliiNX_tNqkbvq9nLgpPDjrovzcTwlg2Odzb56URedkYWMeDWNeckH16d3N79kxGArAO5BjLXilitrV9_gakQ2rwgu=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/U9JooFfYz4uZt1UgqHZ1PjxUakKDP0UeOnpH4fDwgZkok558BHe8YxEwVLRmLN2Lc9ft6hhQMKuSmkaoC-BAP-qHMGuPXSnCqcoLL6tMnJvqchczt1TiwuoMdSPGkBE-PEDbEEQtH2M4gGbDgqRonblOWW29lrGhFaHKSNx-_k2vR-UOAQcDT5CARDacFglI19M-NW0MHUmjM1qeoWhpyvsfCFS8uLZXzS65jqEqrbteTbEk6Dq1wKCGIKV_0Zmt4xbu6zOtpqv37K0_9cqh2KUs54dvyDqufb_E3o5rO8ALeheuJfG_UkfWr3hH3qsOccZa8O9Je0nRbj0sVPCp0VBaFueXE5YFkMCsSveHauAtF-K3CYvHIes9jgNW5iHXT28WAEwKvg3MbOy8hXJUTsPBw1uqlrAgTNy0KU6XDgoXv30Iy6_ldRYE8dysrZXn1jRiUeqH7JHCVd6RxGbp7vAuVMiYpC9HH31fydeUorRAVx7FNYnnDzRbd5NmIkDqhI5GdPK5eKODEfb8Dz_hkIqORtVDAyLnmkwJLJHBEEKqjpJKYQl4qCsK2_gH3K1tdBAywxFliiNX_tNqkbvq9nLgpPDjrovzcTwlg2Odzb56URedkYWMeDWNeckH16d3N79kxGArAO5BjLXilitrV9_gakQ2rwgu=w483-h644-no" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">How was everyone this morning?</span></b><br />
<br />
An auscultation of the lungs this morning revealed Cantona's lungs to be almost totally cleared from water, and he is beaming with energy. Casey's lower lungs were still slightly water-logged. Eye-balling the rest - Ashley was tired, but I believed she was stable, and her single-minded desire to complete the day's trek was outwardly visible on her face. CC was a tad more tired on this day and she was beginning to lose her voice. Her bronchitis probably was worsening.<br />
As for the rest of the boys and girls - those who were well, were jumping and ready to go. Those who were still harbouring some respiratory symptoms were just tolerating their discomfort.<br />
<br />
Cantona was feeling so well he re-joined the front group and trekked right in front all the way. His AMS had gone. Casey was still a little weak, though better. He guai guai stayed back and trekked with us in the rear. On occasions he would stop and take a breather while we continued forward. At times, his gait appeared a little unsteady. But his SaO2 was better. He would make it to Namche, I was confident. Ashley was slowly but surely making her way forward. By now she had attained a certain kind of momentum, a fine balance between breathlessness, her discomfort from illnesses, and her willpower. Nothing was going to stop her.<br />
I looked ahead at CC walking a distance in front of us. I thought she appeared tired, and her steps were smaller. Her breathlessness from the bronchitis must have hindered her. She was not her usual self. In any normal day, she would be right ahead with the front group.<br />
<br />
With myself, Serene was steady. By now she had accepted the fact that she had no other options but to continue walking. Secretly inside, I quite thought that she was actually beginning to enjoy the trek. The girls were all fine. Ah Li, Fann, Ah Sing were all in great spirit.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoRkRIvN_OjfY7OfnW-YYsdt7i1wZvK5CqaiYjfTxFFkdaaFibYPdZQxoP99HPQqz-ERu27rfPSQI1vSVJdY7WOol3XzQC7mfhLULY0heffqHUazYR1_hMY497U5w-eg6bpax0EQH1yQ/w1003-h488-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="1003" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoRkRIvN_OjfY7OfnW-YYsdt7i1wZvK5CqaiYjfTxFFkdaaFibYPdZQxoP99HPQqz-ERu27rfPSQI1vSVJdY7WOol3XzQC7mfhLULY0heffqHUazYR1_hMY497U5w-eg6bpax0EQH1yQ/w1003-h488-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lai Peng, Ka Lin, Kai Sing, Alex, Patrick, Raymond, Jason and all the front guys were on fire today and they were really in top form. I stared at the Strava Flyby in total disbelief as they really sped forth with so much gusto I could not even catch up.<br />
Here, take a look.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4734/38586152465_d4bf6bab5b_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="800" height="275" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4734/38586152465_cd4702a34b_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the image for a larger picture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/PmXbGo9mCV-PBhN8AE4HXWF6C7RSiBkHcNbnSP_Kf7cFKK-InRmsXSVp83jXjbbKCro9qK3V9Yexoi4mFEzCgoPPTeCwnqjfrxItk2hNOwrMoQt7nY70n6NuaeytbL42Nz4uRIweqUUw3Ec4jMWMVMG7mKwZeds7oi9XVDGfSZUBK9fJZwtup-OwxykH1W-Kb-0DIUDOD-unQCpcAmTznizZ2QPUYG3YpizgI9iVZvu1bgYGO6aGDnRcDH2XliogZc_1Y_w3nXwcm0wgtEgXtaVgFMoFLhrcvFjeSpR2WjsAkIbXw4FdK1vNKqLpS3NINk3PJPdh9egVJnQwNQ2e31SQvF00-evVA-a9Ykxp767iXiZAOCtFW8Yu81ANkC0yfCibg7ygesLTDwt8t9N4S-UqtVX7dzvvHva91JTRUY-EO9EFrhG7H1k9emedQz65yWhpSqbrJWvAflYvIdQimSq10vQ0TAA-Bulg9Cb0SSca67dZW9SETQQtRYDGhJ4T1dx61mSa46DcdgNPYMD0g8WQZWyVTKSSdmf1PqtFtvfmIiRHq8743BKJVjbeP3xOpimCTcBE4mpMPRCEtwJSTWjD-r4aHqLU5iZ8VkPD=w1003-h488-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="1003" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/PmXbGo9mCV-PBhN8AE4HXWF6C7RSiBkHcNbnSP_Kf7cFKK-InRmsXSVp83jXjbbKCro9qK3V9Yexoi4mFEzCgoPPTeCwnqjfrxItk2hNOwrMoQt7nY70n6NuaeytbL42Nz4uRIweqUUw3Ec4jMWMVMG7mKwZeds7oi9XVDGfSZUBK9fJZwtup-OwxykH1W-Kb-0DIUDOD-unQCpcAmTznizZ2QPUYG3YpizgI9iVZvu1bgYGO6aGDnRcDH2XliogZc_1Y_w3nXwcm0wgtEgXtaVgFMoFLhrcvFjeSpR2WjsAkIbXw4FdK1vNKqLpS3NINk3PJPdh9egVJnQwNQ2e31SQvF00-evVA-a9Ykxp767iXiZAOCtFW8Yu81ANkC0yfCibg7ygesLTDwt8t9N4S-UqtVX7dzvvHva91JTRUY-EO9EFrhG7H1k9emedQz65yWhpSqbrJWvAflYvIdQimSq10vQ0TAA-Bulg9Cb0SSca67dZW9SETQQtRYDGhJ4T1dx61mSa46DcdgNPYMD0g8WQZWyVTKSSdmf1PqtFtvfmIiRHq8743BKJVjbeP3xOpimCTcBE4mpMPRCEtwJSTWjD-r4aHqLU5iZ8VkPD=w1003-h488-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The trek towards Pangboche was a tranquil journey, punctuated by a couple of stupas as we neared the village. Below us on the left, the river swelled and frothed as it meandered in the valley. Below 4000m, the abrupt change in scenery was evident.<br />
<br />
<br />We started to see trees, and we started to find more frequent herds of yaks and mules.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_O-NhqrQSNUkI-FfPXNc9mrZcv-tS6XzenS5hP2zy-6HCEs_RJsWtkqAkgIWBGkXzQumbbf0GCwS49zqIiQl73ENPTWO67l_Az9Qg9bnGzgYM_X9EWNLjps-GXzL0wDK60nXlp92z0AI6Iqa3IRRFEDn-yd1h1zxZxW4NtAWUw-041hbpJF4KmR34abt9TpFbF87LVuh0qW3cScdVMCb-bGRY6qQW-dbAbUMdPg4J7qHbXIiLHP6D9YQ00zGjlLNX22e7WlNHEHasWzk_Jom_a40duslxH9bZ4No8j-4r_IzHymu3eyaEM_5DTqO-z-204LeKaZanKBx9LTfsPSTejwd-IYuDLp4OaqMz9UvF0vY1lpaxGAbj691UVvwlSg9xbyzof29GB-jBDmJZ-C1P1oYVOd84IZz6OINNTGYeJoNvP0EQdFZEyeO9DpbRrSnQmDHjU4h0lHsFZpEzxuV7hFuPeJ_-hRroQnbZlydtpqcpkUbl5V8b1iGOwPFxl-_DarSO3p3uGqZS7p1Waqr65zag0Syyujr8tEWr-eLulQ6iC_wY7Np8JCQdEX_OEZRzTyLkcjS-UojiR2sxNM96wMd5u0Z8uS18lBVWZ1wDnstOXVLfOM8a6EpLrPEh0JAvhfOxGRnU5N5Uy8T0ET9fqrHlcYnf9jhJw=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_O-NhqrQSNUkI-FfPXNc9mrZcv-tS6XzenS5hP2zy-6HCEs_RJsWtkqAkgIWBGkXzQumbbf0GCwS49zqIiQl73ENPTWO67l_Az9Qg9bnGzgYM_X9EWNLjps-GXzL0wDK60nXlp92z0AI6Iqa3IRRFEDn-yd1h1zxZxW4NtAWUw-041hbpJF4KmR34abt9TpFbF87LVuh0qW3cScdVMCb-bGRY6qQW-dbAbUMdPg4J7qHbXIiLHP6D9YQ00zGjlLNX22e7WlNHEHasWzk_Jom_a40duslxH9bZ4No8j-4r_IzHymu3eyaEM_5DTqO-z-204LeKaZanKBx9LTfsPSTejwd-IYuDLp4OaqMz9UvF0vY1lpaxGAbj691UVvwlSg9xbyzof29GB-jBDmJZ-C1P1oYVOd84IZz6OINNTGYeJoNvP0EQdFZEyeO9DpbRrSnQmDHjU4h0lHsFZpEzxuV7hFuPeJ_-hRroQnbZlydtpqcpkUbl5V8b1iGOwPFxl-_DarSO3p3uGqZS7p1Waqr65zag0Syyujr8tEWr-eLulQ6iC_wY7Np8JCQdEX_OEZRzTyLkcjS-UojiR2sxNM96wMd5u0Z8uS18lBVWZ1wDnstOXVLfOM8a6EpLrPEh0JAvhfOxGRnU5N5Uy8T0ET9fqrHlcYnf9jhJw=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
<br />
And in a tangible way, we began to breathe slightly easier.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/jl8mK9qdR8O3ntgl4eeWnCiP4QNEJ7UzOa3TlUbEABxOR0D8YmO020m9zml5SpRsQhMXdX2j6hNGxynwXMMDb3RudZ71g9d4VCkO623Nswtj5wgkIgbCxcDIToE0iwr-sE7EpqDQuvjjcCHszSNm1Iyixyu-kKSiRszYZAxVgnBVpz5aEiS3shcRfe2g6ZDpYK-ivkLqc3NYqmljAZG3UHNRCMbFuWJG-OweLm1RbeRaSCTqs2YdKlvqQY3asPXj6F1Q-tPtaj97kY2zgpeKYe4SbUZnAA0RiHUTEzpFudKpbi05IwO5ALMTkjYsPL7R2muwKf_ceVAyKN2_en1gb7bhrwRIKcihZMF-9ChO75907UZ1RdgEH6PLYXrmTQ5Mlb7IMnCdYvDHkC748hHK4ONbhHPPQqduY-tldEv1D5t1qEXASDYaKbYAZITbVaruDckD5iL7tLwEwG6sxY3USigAbONe3bASVvXcG-q90zRScLaPG38BbFx1kjHd4HS_nVSlY9FkaDJb7BrC7pzn317pTsa8pked8mvzhiVi35Ur4SjcQ-Un5z2j6azo2eWufi8ogsDYK5EKyaVdNqB43rHqm2ymy-iHlmpDWQfKSNXtrO_JaRTw6pf_9UvP79GDSjs-sHGbbHwI3T9GA32Xi41uMp5yvoc9=w1003-h620-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1003" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/jl8mK9qdR8O3ntgl4eeWnCiP4QNEJ7UzOa3TlUbEABxOR0D8YmO020m9zml5SpRsQhMXdX2j6hNGxynwXMMDb3RudZ71g9d4VCkO623Nswtj5wgkIgbCxcDIToE0iwr-sE7EpqDQuvjjcCHszSNm1Iyixyu-kKSiRszYZAxVgnBVpz5aEiS3shcRfe2g6ZDpYK-ivkLqc3NYqmljAZG3UHNRCMbFuWJG-OweLm1RbeRaSCTqs2YdKlvqQY3asPXj6F1Q-tPtaj97kY2zgpeKYe4SbUZnAA0RiHUTEzpFudKpbi05IwO5ALMTkjYsPL7R2muwKf_ceVAyKN2_en1gb7bhrwRIKcihZMF-9ChO75907UZ1RdgEH6PLYXrmTQ5Mlb7IMnCdYvDHkC748hHK4ONbhHPPQqduY-tldEv1D5t1qEXASDYaKbYAZITbVaruDckD5iL7tLwEwG6sxY3USigAbONe3bASVvXcG-q90zRScLaPG38BbFx1kjHd4HS_nVSlY9FkaDJb7BrC7pzn317pTsa8pked8mvzhiVi35Ur4SjcQ-Un5z2j6azo2eWufi8ogsDYK5EKyaVdNqB43rHqm2ymy-iHlmpDWQfKSNXtrO_JaRTw6pf_9UvP79GDSjs-sHGbbHwI3T9GA32Xi41uMp5yvoc9=w1003-h620-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just left Shomare [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Y49bUUuhJvWV7xgivB13rW4o875GBQ1AGbfn3UK2CP3f_3nrl9fad4Rs2-BSotGVlIpE4-n9C0Io-XCRirEGhxv2KstSp1sO7KRD_KPwV4lNlh11zcblnZKMPqqkrzaiQ_FvY1enQCKlhs0Dl0ySOCGNcEU0eZ4JbHZZgP0YoyWBC2VLZv1c1JnLHvqppH33tUSGmuekK5C4bYjf5iujQ0ahy3GHi6IGHwjOPNUD2Kd6Xh-llBFd1Y2hT-w3_JnpBCYUcabHA3mEo3auKl_ADvAs395lsIgMFfOILPkeTAXJEtfI4HsMWFGdWiyh6BqnGv5xVdtn7Bx-9QwhEtIhFqBuy_3XiZcz53JrZxKnNWjn2_naxMElIIS3elH3JIjZoi6OzCGHZlPZf4PcXLJCLvNsvuRp6NVJS8y1_cA8iwGQ14fqGSYVh2_2iGVPhsJ65la-QB_EXjG7k56rBiH07p7OweREG7iN4xkX6WgVo4n8KFwbCm6L5CM4RPV9BPP-HtGfwQqbE3p5RSI8VXV-b4Q8j6M_ubCv7AheWcA94IztGVV9t60WvmMK2PFLV6_u9uyx7os1pbssoS3IiwVaQKnFc8Oi9dSAARJIDWW4seAgl-QAdmWxMJ3VuiX6OP1QMoHSxXVzODumv8blFQ_dnbrM2EV6Lyp=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Y49bUUuhJvWV7xgivB13rW4o875GBQ1AGbfn3UK2CP3f_3nrl9fad4Rs2-BSotGVlIpE4-n9C0Io-XCRirEGhxv2KstSp1sO7KRD_KPwV4lNlh11zcblnZKMPqqkrzaiQ_FvY1enQCKlhs0Dl0ySOCGNcEU0eZ4JbHZZgP0YoyWBC2VLZv1c1JnLHvqppH33tUSGmuekK5C4bYjf5iujQ0ahy3GHi6IGHwjOPNUD2Kd6Xh-llBFd1Y2hT-w3_JnpBCYUcabHA3mEo3auKl_ADvAs395lsIgMFfOILPkeTAXJEtfI4HsMWFGdWiyh6BqnGv5xVdtn7Bx-9QwhEtIhFqBuy_3XiZcz53JrZxKnNWjn2_naxMElIIS3elH3JIjZoi6OzCGHZlPZf4PcXLJCLvNsvuRp6NVJS8y1_cA8iwGQ14fqGSYVh2_2iGVPhsJ65la-QB_EXjG7k56rBiH07p7OweREG7iN4xkX6WgVo4n8KFwbCm6L5CM4RPV9BPP-HtGfwQqbE3p5RSI8VXV-b4Q8j6M_ubCv7AheWcA94IztGVV9t60WvmMK2PFLV6_u9uyx7os1pbssoS3IiwVaQKnFc8Oi9dSAARJIDWW4seAgl-QAdmWxMJ3VuiX6OP1QMoHSxXVzODumv8blFQ_dnbrM2EV6Lyp=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To my inexperienced eyes, it seemed that 4000m was some kind of natural cut off line. Below that everything seemed to have more colours, and life became slightly more vibrant. I felt a lightness of being at this level. The ubiquitous sense of isolation at 5000m was gone, replaced by a refreshing and palpable vigor.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/794AwcYwcBWhoc_PgwWf_Rc5rzcpBkfnxtlNGpG1RFlD3f6WYwL6I2FoA3PF5O0PHLI0AJq9pKv0NDXdMbBkUcu0yf153ReSS12nbeoHu93Wy6CnwIhlhASGoHkRNJR8-x43iZcTajsN7gPyBwh_jY2J7jp2cP4jV6ncKNTaqNr8Sd9DRPBeNqROAEWUxYa05ORyqR3FnY89r2jd8hR6HPmim7J93dkPiikCno1Wms6YighkBO7S3H-tFxis9ggbU2_VPpLkME-odr-XWgp07_IrXjA01gEMP-31arMxpe3s66eEaLUFB7aWFiIm8coM3WTGeDXYUUc6CxOW0-tf-vKxDe6r3MdDiRX5eV5mtyf1_d7e7J3tQ6j5E-ig8UFH72IkFDOq4H3HjdL4O3vgyNc8zFIlDOcq9E18ezDiQWpfZoVPZzZ-qoADDND4-4UArwajcY7lsXUkDP5EhW7wVkED64y7lcnCUISl_U1e9rxWdZ1CTVJZDq9rInzanJxYwTr2U3JkpfFxz4wxEcuSV7cnMvarVlObFz1YMDw2-yj_4EZCKPt_-FiC-X1gbYkQVwS1bgZnrjKe8yGeggf8nf9hg72XGbY1NFQdnma1Bsg3ZxtlpLFaRaDxG5kX6yn7VuD877BTKdfbHcdAw1TMfdlmskqTgnRT=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/794AwcYwcBWhoc_PgwWf_Rc5rzcpBkfnxtlNGpG1RFlD3f6WYwL6I2FoA3PF5O0PHLI0AJq9pKv0NDXdMbBkUcu0yf153ReSS12nbeoHu93Wy6CnwIhlhASGoHkRNJR8-x43iZcTajsN7gPyBwh_jY2J7jp2cP4jV6ncKNTaqNr8Sd9DRPBeNqROAEWUxYa05ORyqR3FnY89r2jd8hR6HPmim7J93dkPiikCno1Wms6YighkBO7S3H-tFxis9ggbU2_VPpLkME-odr-XWgp07_IrXjA01gEMP-31arMxpe3s66eEaLUFB7aWFiIm8coM3WTGeDXYUUc6CxOW0-tf-vKxDe6r3MdDiRX5eV5mtyf1_d7e7J3tQ6j5E-ig8UFH72IkFDOq4H3HjdL4O3vgyNc8zFIlDOcq9E18ezDiQWpfZoVPZzZ-qoADDND4-4UArwajcY7lsXUkDP5EhW7wVkED64y7lcnCUISl_U1e9rxWdZ1CTVJZDq9rInzanJxYwTr2U3JkpfFxz4wxEcuSV7cnMvarVlObFz1YMDw2-yj_4EZCKPt_-FiC-X1gbYkQVwS1bgZnrjKe8yGeggf8nf9hg72XGbY1NFQdnma1Bsg3ZxtlpLFaRaDxG5kX6yn7VuD877BTKdfbHcdAw1TMfdlmskqTgnRT=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I felt ALIVE! [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Adrian was saying: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"It was downhill all the way. That was why I was telling you all that you all should pick up pace and make up for lost time."</b></span></blockquote>
Nah. Don't want. We wanted to enjoy the view and the leisurely walk. Cheng Cheng was having a swell time just slightly ahead of us. I promised myself and Serene I would not cheong at all for this whole trek. And I kept my average heart rate as low as I possibly could. Of course there were occasions when it hit 140/min when the climbing got really tough. In one of my Garmin record it hit 170 in a split second. But that was more of an artefact, a technical blip. I kept this promise not only to Serene, but also to my good Alex and Lai Peng, to whom I guaranteed that the whole trek would be a zone two exercise all the way. Only that they found their rhythm and their wings after day two, and took to the sky happily. leaving me and Serene zone-two-ing all the way behind.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/3Jpj2uvdOkizu4qCiyiZvZOz7wLr6jlJODQTcUpI1ElMcZtsJwMlEqNaFsgsJlrVmlO1qwTJlbKDDgcRxYgMFYT-TS00DWKRJ56yq1ah18hgtnwSbFlVp8sWCt3WgY_SRshQIK6gxjttt-QARruWuoI3FZr2dwsgAI2UnbC5FL8LJ0aB2CzMHOAIb7mtELbxq5HIq_7YOXHWBJ9wewL4K18WC1Bl-rFPFJSG3XAp8C2F0outc3yHstiMozrELgJyeoU3ldca2-NtQXAgyatpuyjQBtqPqrx28ervGaMMSuf0XL1l7iRm75gre5QqyvZRTI7J_PPW-kUU9-miFpXCzNZ5l4jADkFIEaMNacg8yIzKTeRcwqLZTMSgqobWRZL2aTNv57nQULMT1vRiPXLFJVkWjDtgqTRDIEj30HpRb0WBwOn7CIYLBtzzx_Djc-Ruyu37pb4LI-e5r9fnXhBNRz-hKMkxO095lDcXYEt8r0R5HOTS4Pjvbd8JgDe8Bnu6V7rCTztub-Po2YNsNhndqJ6gAK_GLkTMypkC3rw7fqXobhWieOVfhQB6y-bKQ-twY0pXy3PeV_wGVBJOI0FOmXLNzQiK-_sJeqiNRwKJWrmFPlRzp-M0w0uNsbkQ4-ZBjX5v8yQRYRtISQwapW13sT7_hGUE3L81=w1003-h620-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1003" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/3Jpj2uvdOkizu4qCiyiZvZOz7wLr6jlJODQTcUpI1ElMcZtsJwMlEqNaFsgsJlrVmlO1qwTJlbKDDgcRxYgMFYT-TS00DWKRJ56yq1ah18hgtnwSbFlVp8sWCt3WgY_SRshQIK6gxjttt-QARruWuoI3FZr2dwsgAI2UnbC5FL8LJ0aB2CzMHOAIb7mtELbxq5HIq_7YOXHWBJ9wewL4K18WC1Bl-rFPFJSG3XAp8C2F0outc3yHstiMozrELgJyeoU3ldca2-NtQXAgyatpuyjQBtqPqrx28ervGaMMSuf0XL1l7iRm75gre5QqyvZRTI7J_PPW-kUU9-miFpXCzNZ5l4jADkFIEaMNacg8yIzKTeRcwqLZTMSgqobWRZL2aTNv57nQULMT1vRiPXLFJVkWjDtgqTRDIEj30HpRb0WBwOn7CIYLBtzzx_Djc-Ruyu37pb4LI-e5r9fnXhBNRz-hKMkxO095lDcXYEt8r0R5HOTS4Pjvbd8JgDe8Bnu6V7rCTztub-Po2YNsNhndqJ6gAK_GLkTMypkC3rw7fqXobhWieOVfhQB6y-bKQ-twY0pXy3PeV_wGVBJOI0FOmXLNzQiK-_sJeqiNRwKJWrmFPlRzp-M0w0uNsbkQ4-ZBjX5v8yQRYRtISQwapW13sT7_hGUE3L81=w1003-h620-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cheerful albeit slightly breathless lady in pink. [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/jWNIWg07lnfZ8f4RwOarD8dh1jM1AvwGpcGNQPS6T4rsItoRhBfTE4oAL_fJq8UV4_p8UdnzZ74zbqkx-lXro_i2Gmw3uqqT0en5HvDL-wqodJmfHEPz8bvueH_D7gdgKXjuzA1AH4L7mIx1xTck5vDQ_KFUkA3ekqVgYII9Vpg7tz7io-tz3wD_XLux0xSDjAfdCvWMc_k0N6NYcLiHavLC94V6nUj9O-TkDfKqIrItLnlj1tMRFYPyQFih2YjZ7RCp7Cv9MCe9WipatI9971vDuoIs1flLt21TPfNglutOxHtQD3oeNN8ySa2CJ574CHnjSmEhXI6_atmKrHH21KahfkBrfzKc09lRLID54K-4VmC1HoEcbF0K6ZREvY58wB1WgtVFBJaLACFPF6AEbvKp0TpXpuYyiViMPFGqz__iIonVGy3TExeqf0BB-bmDYKyzF7v7bGlb-dvN79GuvhN_5YEnwqdA8ovV3am_FryTV0TLdZJcYA3ja8BpRADfc-9NnRe75rWqlw7d0zTuXgoda1fB4ipHCLEYX2gp77WWhrLefXPYbcOgTafJjHtu8lu8EeCivVhL65Woo1xXseEwH6AAw3mBKOywD_zTa5YJ6svnt_rPnNyJpihORh_1xfieVQceW1Qb-ber-AqmUIJEcHR17JDeSA=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/jWNIWg07lnfZ8f4RwOarD8dh1jM1AvwGpcGNQPS6T4rsItoRhBfTE4oAL_fJq8UV4_p8UdnzZ74zbqkx-lXro_i2Gmw3uqqT0en5HvDL-wqodJmfHEPz8bvueH_D7gdgKXjuzA1AH4L7mIx1xTck5vDQ_KFUkA3ekqVgYII9Vpg7tz7io-tz3wD_XLux0xSDjAfdCvWMc_k0N6NYcLiHavLC94V6nUj9O-TkDfKqIrItLnlj1tMRFYPyQFih2YjZ7RCp7Cv9MCe9WipatI9971vDuoIs1flLt21TPfNglutOxHtQD3oeNN8ySa2CJ574CHnjSmEhXI6_atmKrHH21KahfkBrfzKc09lRLID54K-4VmC1HoEcbF0K6ZREvY58wB1WgtVFBJaLACFPF6AEbvKp0TpXpuYyiViMPFGqz__iIonVGy3TExeqf0BB-bmDYKyzF7v7bGlb-dvN79GuvhN_5YEnwqdA8ovV3am_FryTV0TLdZJcYA3ja8BpRADfc-9NnRe75rWqlw7d0zTuXgoda1fB4ipHCLEYX2gp77WWhrLefXPYbcOgTafJjHtu8lu8EeCivVhL65Woo1xXseEwH6AAw3mBKOywD_zTa5YJ6svnt_rPnNyJpihORh_1xfieVQceW1Qb-ber-AqmUIJEcHR17JDeSA=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
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Pangboche was almost in sight. We were going downhill and downhill...<br />
I was intrigued by the weathered scriptures on the mani stones. These must have been here for decades, worn smooth by the elements.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/b8drpDNniG-CRE1UDSZNsgDBGlTMkO_43Rb0ouhY0kmI60bqu2cz5pYK0kFPWwBC8KLL_iFoHSvGhPv3SZ1b2ScqdEMMt6TAUIJaROsYqidoUMUdVNyteThSjWyHTBEgIFqCUmiltXq4bd9OeBLC-VuKDIUwQiyfkmVmx_QfQD_R-csHoD0N63PhyPTsSXx_RBOlrKpcI50csad3cl0XQny1mSp2yILsnA82UohKvS7JEERdkUKP1Prg4jTTK3nbKD6Uj4neju0d8dMPem4Z9y-BUKIp7e2JqoK0d7MBXIYouywD_Keheq_h5vUHOuTu-134RzdClXZ2A-U3v5iiiQ_yegMnEYoUR8TGRIFZzo5UmqjV_xK2-1GvHQxBl_qXQpIEYCknjk10E_8IDzM3NLcbtWumuSi9tNYGtBniN1COWDzjPL7EjkqFy7IIEOeYVCGv0Gcpfzo-uLbuGgomXJzl7cSb_stk3TM2gdTl0NYG5ogyf8eCoVNBdvNvijIsCFqAKW9Xr-OLPjfcaP6_7YT0BTo2l83k59GkvK4mh6z4chMMf_KcRGaGv29vOh4OtvvSEkrfwdIvw3CLk9zK0Lln9GdMpttPRB6GQDrK_NJ-ZRKg2pPoqTWX-1ZcJUserbEOvQnMFgtnYpFf8azgsaem-QGCPLe7Bg=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/b8drpDNniG-CRE1UDSZNsgDBGlTMkO_43Rb0ouhY0kmI60bqu2cz5pYK0kFPWwBC8KLL_iFoHSvGhPv3SZ1b2ScqdEMMt6TAUIJaROsYqidoUMUdVNyteThSjWyHTBEgIFqCUmiltXq4bd9OeBLC-VuKDIUwQiyfkmVmx_QfQD_R-csHoD0N63PhyPTsSXx_RBOlrKpcI50csad3cl0XQny1mSp2yILsnA82UohKvS7JEERdkUKP1Prg4jTTK3nbKD6Uj4neju0d8dMPem4Z9y-BUKIp7e2JqoK0d7MBXIYouywD_Keheq_h5vUHOuTu-134RzdClXZ2A-U3v5iiiQ_yegMnEYoUR8TGRIFZzo5UmqjV_xK2-1GvHQxBl_qXQpIEYCknjk10E_8IDzM3NLcbtWumuSi9tNYGtBniN1COWDzjPL7EjkqFy7IIEOeYVCGv0Gcpfzo-uLbuGgomXJzl7cSb_stk3TM2gdTl0NYG5ogyf8eCoVNBdvNvijIsCFqAKW9Xr-OLPjfcaP6_7YT0BTo2l83k59GkvK4mh6z4chMMf_KcRGaGv29vOh4OtvvSEkrfwdIvw3CLk9zK0Lln9GdMpttPRB6GQDrK_NJ-ZRKg2pPoqTWX-1ZcJUserbEOvQnMFgtnYpFf8azgsaem-QGCPLe7Bg=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
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<br />
At 4000m, we were at level with some of the clouds, which made for quite a presence going forward as we walked. Sometimes how I wish I could just stop for a moment - maybe 10 minutes or 15 minutes - to look around and absorb the sights. Being a city person, my mind was too used to not slowing down, and definitely not used to coming to a plain full stop. That, was the plight of modern human beings, all caught up in fast-paced societal living. I tried, many times. But the mind had always been a runaway horse totally out of reign. Until I saw Kong Wan's shot below. Such a pleasing view. And I did not even spend an extra minute enjoying it.<br />
<br />
<br />Arriving in Pangboche, I knew we had covered just slightly under half of today's horizontal distance. That wasn't too bad. Those of us in the rear group arrived at Pangboche around 11:20am. Really not too bad at all. But it was still quite a distance away from Tengboche and to descend to Phungi Thanga for lunch. So, we ended up having lunch at Paradise Lodge again at Debuche, if I remembered correctly, while the front group led by Babu had already arrived at Phungi Thanga and were having their lunch there under the bridge.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRCX1mMX00Yoz8kpx67oWwaCsoUmG87IyM2wuts2p4uEUZSkngyC-FU26TY4Mm9yYnOTf6fAjdHJyUAh0uasiNlhyphenhyphena-2K97yfpt6tHt2Xvs6ol-bCl6nqGOD3QUSqZKggXRFmUKDYm2t8/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRCX1mMX00Yoz8kpx67oWwaCsoUmG87IyM2wuts2p4uEUZSkngyC-FU26TY4Mm9yYnOTf6fAjdHJyUAh0uasiNlhyphenhyphena-2K97yfpt6tHt2Xvs6ol-bCl6nqGOD3QUSqZKggXRFmUKDYm2t8/w859-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally, PANGBOCHE!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgU8sm5EyiGIPvPfjs080w_2n0ptVMQxZ4dIB_S-QvwBFf6gTWSGfD_XPOzqwjOeFg0z9lf0K2uZt6Lyv6EXG-bDbzEXPfGNXXqH3zFGjqK7YHRmC0FMFP7wRHcAyaMflFK7wZ334mQ8/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgU8sm5EyiGIPvPfjs080w_2n0ptVMQxZ4dIB_S-QvwBFf6gTWSGfD_XPOzqwjOeFg0z9lf0K2uZt6Lyv6EXG-bDbzEXPfGNXXqH3zFGjqK7YHRmC0FMFP7wRHcAyaMflFK7wZ334mQ8/w859-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a short break at Pangboche before leaving.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/4jrQLNgPNKV6m7wTvKXPYo6k3w9EZUqUO9oj_rUCHwYe7OqybWPEaM8K7ro03CERIQpIKhdr0_69FsmLzKBRQdrvidQlEFpeR1A0506LJRU7U_500_1FNnqM51TLiEaj-YfNx6wLKbknnFXNmVuNffkqv_ZLOtY6ynmSbFDjBlwuDnrVjXv08T_47GUW9woWsLSD-v_r-QPmiSE6_6qqYPa61SEdNn7WRWhN8f-cnMNOa_SeXToEDnKuz0ofIu-Smfiqa-7FzH2pnFpbQcbLUIc3ZRlSF0w6SoP4BuSD8nKegBlr9uOPCCzIIda7dgkrwTu-vk6lgv-vG8bzzOfhE56tYo8A3nHEVkdCh64wTUm4sfI2sX-GXRnoCyqOgl5K97nzCUl2LJYpjy3uyPbVo0CXFsvmVqrItKqDKJbTHKGW3jQ30k-2rMD4HnaVAh0gHRy1hDadYNhCUPwxwtsyBPJDn0w5vjumdZ0k4Mfmi20LqLB6nVPHFuHCKtZc1iv0RZXcLT0OY6-ZGail7gJ-hH8_cAo9i8w62X4s7TFEYT_SlvspV81Er-lySBCjYNFfPJcrPZ7N8J4vFe-i2FBbAnHai0LXdXp6Y6czoT0GnD0NMr84R4KEP-AQspVSK94DaPgDVyugh9iTo9MMKsDYVurl2CW9kXrX=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/4jrQLNgPNKV6m7wTvKXPYo6k3w9EZUqUO9oj_rUCHwYe7OqybWPEaM8K7ro03CERIQpIKhdr0_69FsmLzKBRQdrvidQlEFpeR1A0506LJRU7U_500_1FNnqM51TLiEaj-YfNx6wLKbknnFXNmVuNffkqv_ZLOtY6ynmSbFDjBlwuDnrVjXv08T_47GUW9woWsLSD-v_r-QPmiSE6_6qqYPa61SEdNn7WRWhN8f-cnMNOa_SeXToEDnKuz0ofIu-Smfiqa-7FzH2pnFpbQcbLUIc3ZRlSF0w6SoP4BuSD8nKegBlr9uOPCCzIIda7dgkrwTu-vk6lgv-vG8bzzOfhE56tYo8A3nHEVkdCh64wTUm4sfI2sX-GXRnoCyqOgl5K97nzCUl2LJYpjy3uyPbVo0CXFsvmVqrItKqDKJbTHKGW3jQ30k-2rMD4HnaVAh0gHRy1hDadYNhCUPwxwtsyBPJDn0w5vjumdZ0k4Mfmi20LqLB6nVPHFuHCKtZc1iv0RZXcLT0OY6-ZGail7gJ-hH8_cAo9i8w62X4s7TFEYT_SlvspV81Er-lySBCjYNFfPJcrPZ7N8J4vFe-i2FBbAnHai0LXdXp6Y6czoT0GnD0NMr84R4KEP-AQspVSK94DaPgDVyugh9iTo9MMKsDYVurl2CW9kXrX=w483-h644-no" /></a></div>
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The yaks were aplenty at this altitude. I would not say I wasn't relieved to have to stop multiple times to let them have their right of way here. Each stop would last anything from a few tens of a second to sometimes a good five minutes - enough to strip off an outer layer, or grab a sip of water.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/EeBmUtzwuE7CMT696fvPXtuRP5TFfGwrL-g1oWumNOGOgnCH_W5wHK3xnvn0VnCEK7vP2O395ulFDFkVT58fIrVa3qH5sQG3jwJbM8r6zpWhecbao4NevYHPPByh1WYafd5Ydkq4CkUewrF_gXShRV6e6lAK8neAVftJKr7Lr680h7FE77I9r034Vvjo2Q1g5GlpSI7YqCbvgSzA_hni0dqOvxEo0C8n5UYHY_M2vh_DG6zb5fFI9yvluLuLckoRa6B8WPhdYmWGDQdsF0ORMUmhBqivMj6c6k2IwSwntSzfaOuniRlmoJWaN_1XTsgR8Se0Iaxrj8_hdML9QerSC3fDgR8k8MWU9QmchSsAmpiKqXbhN_vya6iwYGQXvUIKTkxrmSaYqFjpPNj85z257sPLYKTQ5z8kPVoRhIFXj9EPn6nm6fpD8B5V7oMsUpdXOIJUDieCpDpu6J8c84rN1tQIsdW48oL2gXyiD8ZCRTQqsDLmPjr3R4pBXYrdoPFx7qNB15QPOigiQquDiEe9-jvEphtHMZ8hYFyvtotO3i_ZsMbOtxOqg1TrE77Ur-5V0cKTUQSbiGLviaizpjoMDwNUQUg5Ua5APc3KQK4CrOxuoYhJEwZfyDYMti603mfklQL2wEOCYEXgTbs-mKCnespKq_SpeFdhGQ=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/EeBmUtzwuE7CMT696fvPXtuRP5TFfGwrL-g1oWumNOGOgnCH_W5wHK3xnvn0VnCEK7vP2O395ulFDFkVT58fIrVa3qH5sQG3jwJbM8r6zpWhecbao4NevYHPPByh1WYafd5Ydkq4CkUewrF_gXShRV6e6lAK8neAVftJKr7Lr680h7FE77I9r034Vvjo2Q1g5GlpSI7YqCbvgSzA_hni0dqOvxEo0C8n5UYHY_M2vh_DG6zb5fFI9yvluLuLckoRa6B8WPhdYmWGDQdsF0ORMUmhBqivMj6c6k2IwSwntSzfaOuniRlmoJWaN_1XTsgR8Se0Iaxrj8_hdML9QerSC3fDgR8k8MWU9QmchSsAmpiKqXbhN_vya6iwYGQXvUIKTkxrmSaYqFjpPNj85z257sPLYKTQ5z8kPVoRhIFXj9EPn6nm6fpD8B5V7oMsUpdXOIJUDieCpDpu6J8c84rN1tQIsdW48oL2gXyiD8ZCRTQqsDLmPjr3R4pBXYrdoPFx7qNB15QPOigiQquDiEe9-jvEphtHMZ8hYFyvtotO3i_ZsMbOtxOqg1TrE77Ur-5V0cKTUQSbiGLviaizpjoMDwNUQUg5Ua5APc3KQK4CrOxuoYhJEwZfyDYMti603mfklQL2wEOCYEXgTbs-mKCnespKq_SpeFdhGQ=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>The knight on stallion?</b></span><br />
<br />
After lunch we were all walking towards Phungi Thanga, when suddenly the neigh of a horse jolted me from my day dreaming and made me step one side. We were all pleasantly impressed by the sight of Ah Tan, in the splendour of all his full seven layers, majestically cruising on the back of this magnificent creature, swaying first to the left, and then to the back, before swaying back to the front via the right as he gained full control of the animal.<br />
Adrian really knew how to work magic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKk9qS75zgYJpieER9dFLKoQMRUxagGU_XG7QhcWP3XYkIEoJYdNr2oCw3EVkwQULY3vTT5yeuOhNdb0b87T_HFPqlDOGAOfEuJCrCUEbSvtLTRKMkTQDV57Vl63QHXQrQWNgcUmjQ2Qc/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKk9qS75zgYJpieER9dFLKoQMRUxagGU_XG7QhcWP3XYkIEoJYdNr2oCw3EVkwQULY3vTT5yeuOhNdb0b87T_HFPqlDOGAOfEuJCrCUEbSvtLTRKMkTQDV57Vl63QHXQrQWNgcUmjQ2Qc/w859-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I also want!"</b></span> cried Serene.</blockquote>
Alas, but 'twas too late. The knight had sprinted ahead, out of sight. Sorry, Serene. You should have grabbed him when he was just beside you and see if you could swing up on the horse and tompang. But now bo bian.. you just got to keep walking with me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKc2LVCluGwlxPk8YHY_ulJEi0t-f8SVdV8RLPR36vK2HQJ2OwAZCxGhFc2NUG3CNBIMQSAo893YKncmd6m1UnKjesvuFN-bqtw4U9OtsfSy-bzcoT720DUBa7cUrQSZ48dT_GNeS-3g0/s600-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKc2LVCluGwlxPk8YHY_ulJEi0t-f8SVdV8RLPR36vK2HQJ2OwAZCxGhFc2NUG3CNBIMQSAo893YKncmd6m1UnKjesvuFN-bqtw4U9OtsfSy-bzcoT720DUBa7cUrQSZ48dT_GNeS-3g0/s600-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Tao-gong-gong ah!!" said Ah Tan. [Photo: Fann and yours truly]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/dgdT3XIPTQebJhcJclbwQ0OUJOPEjvIu-TAdzAQ_LB-Shey8xrFXWspaNhhUFODd5uzT4pOqjuPdXbgBLb0yfjMxf_HBfSis3CoMZcu6ntzOda8mZoX7G0ZeGCtBZ4AQjlgFl_Ziaiwhl5cOfhbdjXb9mWTrYfTI-O_Y5Leni0DyP3xyPoqSwOByUjgKbZQ8E0zKRae1Gtp0FzhIzZJ4GecX6TyY2m9OlCHPTVTipD1VdVn0xPD2SvwuwNA1dKeQSVqltavxrjO30aX9yllMbCwDgLNd7f9pPfD0HRIj-YTpT2PgfCbzJ-kJkG5pXHmALhR6ojwI9SzR1KW61NE7TxKeBHnLkBJMtYcKfiBotJxiI86zdUkggEbD9xwuQJutSbKeMh5FUSdKOsegXd0DYRjsYY8_IjeMPJJ3JXaTXbkgPjAa3kI1gipF0TTzwBSzWpsL8NWpW21AJyMfsatE6mbrdVYSyP7LNmDxWz-nfBRCgqrHwTUVr7YkXRAY38dMl-Ug6dUpyqPxIGJWfe718F35hdeHei1_e9K0uQcYOSg9MRtTgY0iIKm2G6ZBHGV3u-Q8GHJypCgvfVl5tTHDQQgeIJHkLaZg371yMNhQ=w363-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="362" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/dgdT3XIPTQebJhcJclbwQ0OUJOPEjvIu-TAdzAQ_LB-Shey8xrFXWspaNhhUFODd5uzT4pOqjuPdXbgBLb0yfjMxf_HBfSis3CoMZcu6ntzOda8mZoX7G0ZeGCtBZ4AQjlgFl_Ziaiwhl5cOfhbdjXb9mWTrYfTI-O_Y5Leni0DyP3xyPoqSwOByUjgKbZQ8E0zKRae1Gtp0FzhIzZJ4GecX6TyY2m9OlCHPTVTipD1VdVn0xPD2SvwuwNA1dKeQSVqltavxrjO30aX9yllMbCwDgLNd7f9pPfD0HRIj-YTpT2PgfCbzJ-kJkG5pXHmALhR6ojwI9SzR1KW61NE7TxKeBHnLkBJMtYcKfiBotJxiI86zdUkggEbD9xwuQJutSbKeMh5FUSdKOsegXd0DYRjsYY8_IjeMPJJ3JXaTXbkgPjAa3kI1gipF0TTzwBSzWpsL8NWpW21AJyMfsatE6mbrdVYSyP7LNmDxWz-nfBRCgqrHwTUVr7YkXRAY38dMl-Ug6dUpyqPxIGJWfe718F35hdeHei1_e9K0uQcYOSg9MRtTgY0iIKm2G6ZBHGV3u-Q8GHJypCgvfVl5tTHDQQgeIJHkLaZg371yMNhQ=w363-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Alex]</td></tr>
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Those of us in the rear group finally arrived at Tengboche Monastery around quarter-past-one in the afternoon. The climb up Tengboche really got us rather winded. Still it was a reassuring sight to see the good 'ol monastery for one more time before we made our descent to the river at Phungi Thanga.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnAKqV0ZZER3AKZ2IHhgMufx6iEqrsi7qypZ1vqY_FyPTNT4XGNCJO104VrsL8nYPCQQxbaF28FrYbiHtrIHtftdkIQQWxtP_ctCDkELVugEg3m_v-8_c6h8wexRJICBUFTQNSZott9w/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnAKqV0ZZER3AKZ2IHhgMufx6iEqrsi7qypZ1vqY_FyPTNT4XGNCJO104VrsL8nYPCQQxbaF28FrYbiHtrIHtftdkIQQWxtP_ctCDkELVugEg3m_v-8_c6h8wexRJICBUFTQNSZott9w/w859-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tengboche Monastery again. [Photo: Alex]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Walking downwards to Phungi Thanka at 3300m from Tengboche at 3860m was much easier than the climb when we went the reverse way a few days ago. But easier didn't mean fast. It just meant it was less breathless. We ended up arriving at Phungi Thanga at 2:40pm. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/7OPiPSe03HktAB9xqRsLTAwMELPmgrilMZGPeYKxul9T8YbpEV9uPG-qTM_7VRrxN9TnDVoo6ccdrQKuozaiw-aFwazTWatEE4rwA8RH9Wp00NKDfO0jTSNGXkD6J3fllC3rNI4pqFzKgBeuf9e2gmg_9htCUyg7TV3xSAn8H-NmjbKjZgiCW_9Tr7o-idLtvJ5EMQnGnfdSuWgeZCi-xBljDb7uuMyV2oObeAfU0OQg_XvOIySIsti_0gabPFgCIpr0IFXNV6BKjwo4rKLB5G3FSV2fs7hGMlm1XahUCXNZ_KqEKqBJ1BJOuAU4TgWh9wvm1RuoQYhScYxtnyGf06Azh46WcFqsfj1uE2Xmmg1CGqijedfm-Zn5EYvEEAXTWJcmY1gXk7wMevO9SlR5OzEF_1WywmrnUNXVNQ_wgnyjCHGkbm6FfWf3n6655NFUM3xNKddSwqrs9cmW2f6ioWp6BoxCc24NPqY8-cOcsg0nDNv3o4qEJLyU596e-Nf2JjMTrwlW-qOgCAYM4V-7S7-fyq9JJIiLFEH8iGspUGdj4CruZdszfd9z7xsUMmMJV4OJN8lC7_EHg33WipZ7daCCSZb88fxM06NwByheqUvy6GOWfCtZHRZ8nQfgGRRwPJ-rjxoZN76rksTzi5C4Fn-oD4nrdZRE=w398-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="398" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/7OPiPSe03HktAB9xqRsLTAwMELPmgrilMZGPeYKxul9T8YbpEV9uPG-qTM_7VRrxN9TnDVoo6ccdrQKuozaiw-aFwazTWatEE4rwA8RH9Wp00NKDfO0jTSNGXkD6J3fllC3rNI4pqFzKgBeuf9e2gmg_9htCUyg7TV3xSAn8H-NmjbKjZgiCW_9Tr7o-idLtvJ5EMQnGnfdSuWgeZCi-xBljDb7uuMyV2oObeAfU0OQg_XvOIySIsti_0gabPFgCIpr0IFXNV6BKjwo4rKLB5G3FSV2fs7hGMlm1XahUCXNZ_KqEKqBJ1BJOuAU4TgWh9wvm1RuoQYhScYxtnyGf06Azh46WcFqsfj1uE2Xmmg1CGqijedfm-Zn5EYvEEAXTWJcmY1gXk7wMevO9SlR5OzEF_1WywmrnUNXVNQ_wgnyjCHGkbm6FfWf3n6655NFUM3xNKddSwqrs9cmW2f6ioWp6BoxCc24NPqY8-cOcsg0nDNv3o4qEJLyU596e-Nf2JjMTrwlW-qOgCAYM4V-7S7-fyq9JJIiLFEH8iGspUGdj4CruZdszfd9z7xsUMmMJV4OJN8lC7_EHg33WipZ7daCCSZb88fxM06NwByheqUvy6GOWfCtZHRZ8nQfgGRRwPJ-rjxoZN76rksTzi5C4Fn-oD4nrdZRE=w398-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">[Photo: KC Tng]<br />
<div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">So what did that mean?</span></b><br />
It meant that we were in trouble!<br />
Because in this part of the world, the sun descended below the peaks at around 4pm. And by 4pm, the whole world darkened. And no sane Sherpa would be found dead out of home at that time. In retrospect, it took us 3 hours and 40 minutes to trek from Phungi Thanga back to The Green Tara at Namche. And out of these 3 hours and 40 minutes, a good two and a half hours were spent in Himalayan darkness, which, very soon after we left Phungi Thanga and started our uphill climb towards Namche, was apparent, as shown in the photo below by Fann.<br />
<br /></div>
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/tRcMtJgkdGzJekqrrgei7WGGWD91o-hyPFKJjl1LE8pMD4H97dMxvYo04nWU7VcoeYZWkvvppxHaEH9Yv9FOV8SdfSmsXcd1-9QjXEE_9PuaCQaRiXrF6LFOi-MF5-RTq9SYMx-xavn-u9cDB9FUU3rtvzYATSiBoS643seQZb2Nj9Y8NWxr0B9531cwr_P_L11K4AtsK0HX7-1OT3Ph2WGZfYGUH4xfs3nTMDdErpS4woWxGZ8ObTUsRbb5_Nn9ro2Nmdx1jb_w8N5eLtPHGLbF0kxy2o6ywHisFu4KreO8YKefKU3qk6TvBl-aY-NduA9wpieBnBrt8owvoDlNBhOqqMWS5UMiwjQYimexsxg8j_DZuGGF0TVR7TE8pBpIVuXklGjhNj3J4uFbQcoNweMex29v1XmM-1HqJm1yej3_oGzfd_S57R6_WgKPBVcxJk-BuURT9Up3WdXQrn7TfSVzzVMBcuoLBngoqf5nGEiGIwIp3cqmkbm9fet41Os34STFVcGoXcvOWstmBnk204I8Z2LdW_fAnY2soX5Aj-kXfDH0cx_cRioBzoZxeWYRsVejpv70BwFE-NXEtboCiumENtCi1aBN2WHUieeNy6ZxQN5xW3CAbX2y9dEmYtK0JCLmAVQbunBxZ7ERI1E-iFrkpP9-5eRm=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/tRcMtJgkdGzJekqrrgei7WGGWD91o-hyPFKJjl1LE8pMD4H97dMxvYo04nWU7VcoeYZWkvvppxHaEH9Yv9FOV8SdfSmsXcd1-9QjXEE_9PuaCQaRiXrF6LFOi-MF5-RTq9SYMx-xavn-u9cDB9FUU3rtvzYATSiBoS643seQZb2Nj9Y8NWxr0B9531cwr_P_L11K4AtsK0HX7-1OT3Ph2WGZfYGUH4xfs3nTMDdErpS4woWxGZ8ObTUsRbb5_Nn9ro2Nmdx1jb_w8N5eLtPHGLbF0kxy2o6ywHisFu4KreO8YKefKU3qk6TvBl-aY-NduA9wpieBnBrt8owvoDlNBhOqqMWS5UMiwjQYimexsxg8j_DZuGGF0TVR7TE8pBpIVuXklGjhNj3J4uFbQcoNweMex29v1XmM-1HqJm1yej3_oGzfd_S57R6_WgKPBVcxJk-BuURT9Up3WdXQrn7TfSVzzVMBcuoLBngoqf5nGEiGIwIp3cqmkbm9fet41Os34STFVcGoXcvOWstmBnk204I8Z2LdW_fAnY2soX5Aj-kXfDH0cx_cRioBzoZxeWYRsVejpv70BwFE-NXEtboCiumENtCi1aBN2WHUieeNy6ZxQN5xW3CAbX2y9dEmYtK0JCLmAVQbunBxZ7ERI1E-iFrkpP9-5eRm=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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The mist, or if you would prefer, clouds, had engulfed the mountains, and all of us within it. Human beings were so strange. Once darkness set in, the morale started to go southwards too. Whatever little cheerfulness we had in us began to dwindle. The thought of spending the next couple of hours walking in total darkness was never enticing, at least not to city people like us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/UBr7Bfb0wKn_WRl6cCyezLZACU91CX6_7rs9w7CENMGLIBdGc-OstLfssEVV8T4V0XcCUHebU1sqm50Dc9_5lJtrJi3CDD4yZyXJkRNTPrz53dbFBzcCWjMvuNI_oQIoZzLUkN_aRUszvjF_c1t6dDBELhz1Yx9OuEqhJ8ybfen872JAah_CJ7rt2t_sKhzSiLdWSeFBi5c_BmmjT4pqrbqFLewSm8wUCNYy-6G5NZlMSopTdzeOhlS1dmAsysqeNvHj4JzJDL761hsq1tO5t-YQFmfmkW4d7RCEZobEzejt4BMK_KHf680WfgC41o2g7QF4ecQ-PocVvhwP6dRFrQrf2YGyeq1J2pc1NBEvz7S82qqFtNZ-JzucAwfXNAAXGyqzHv4Tp9CxfcddcQPPnFboLjydFjJjK-ml6JjIKcjjWLWiBgCYamwVuj20JWabI_4wrQQ6fIwvhiT-SApBd1_Feubzoxd-wHwm_SEp5eJZsMMgOpttOVHj-LgRPOAOPPPuiqTVkUxxGUEkJA83KxqVbvdE8WP710NTNXNG5tLQ2ctDfJIQ1Fr7ddjwWXFu8XjnLXUp_nJAnANexoaJe1P5tlG10b532VLE1mM3MzSmWMZJFn-zl24302tzYGsU8_PLtIs3OG6yJKQRuaNNAVyyLM5TWf6S=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/UBr7Bfb0wKn_WRl6cCyezLZACU91CX6_7rs9w7CENMGLIBdGc-OstLfssEVV8T4V0XcCUHebU1sqm50Dc9_5lJtrJi3CDD4yZyXJkRNTPrz53dbFBzcCWjMvuNI_oQIoZzLUkN_aRUszvjF_c1t6dDBELhz1Yx9OuEqhJ8ybfen872JAah_CJ7rt2t_sKhzSiLdWSeFBi5c_BmmjT4pqrbqFLewSm8wUCNYy-6G5NZlMSopTdzeOhlS1dmAsysqeNvHj4JzJDL761hsq1tO5t-YQFmfmkW4d7RCEZobEzejt4BMK_KHf680WfgC41o2g7QF4ecQ-PocVvhwP6dRFrQrf2YGyeq1J2pc1NBEvz7S82qqFtNZ-JzucAwfXNAAXGyqzHv4Tp9CxfcddcQPPnFboLjydFjJjK-ml6JjIKcjjWLWiBgCYamwVuj20JWabI_4wrQQ6fIwvhiT-SApBd1_Feubzoxd-wHwm_SEp5eJZsMMgOpttOVHj-LgRPOAOPPPuiqTVkUxxGUEkJA83KxqVbvdE8WP710NTNXNG5tLQ2ctDfJIQ1Fr7ddjwWXFu8XjnLXUp_nJAnANexoaJe1P5tlG10b532VLE1mM3MzSmWMZJFn-zl24302tzYGsU8_PLtIs3OG6yJKQRuaNNAVyyLM5TWf6S=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharan was our constant lighthouse at the back. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/MboIta8OzkDL9IvdBHcvqMs0cQ-l6fTRuiSxr0svVhNqTsCiu2yUzMIt6M35IrAUDqwYCgrYBq-DWRJVM8DFGmbyu5rBGrk9CCbpe0geeuyHn0q6HvPsc0K2cLSknmOjvBTCQdwhghnjr760kmFk64Jpjo7U-JBQdRE2ccCjfWtkZYKummV5MWxUMZWOmE-pQPpf6i2-TDfw8BomI8Z7xQsk1SWr4VVZNx_rhiq_WXR-S7k5SVnISgJ_ZxbKagPCpDgZ6b0a-ngxJ-oTP7gAb3BiTfHT3qFHXEa3bNUqy4_5MrLP_9_t0z3bRJ_w65k3ZAfBmPP_oUPBQAG0QDPGq17kS8TGpRNGu2KaBwRTDw3alcP3N2WiKtljoktZiTagFCshq3YLl4XSqWZ9u4X_29tXe0kG_kyk5NwWx9zf_116fmiWraLit5RaUDxbsVX29RJy3dKFPygjQKUG4xT8aH_TDUlopOkGJXcagRyUN4_PQaZ4eDrdGyv7FJ7H4OhjZK8iFeTmKUWeFEoLEPxZtdwJU8MBeN_cOiOBTr0cK47dLwmlkQHmj1YpCpdIfnKYATfwIQm93wq7b2ugyvs-iZ06aikkyjuIztZg4cLkqmDDl6TLFZzkDg5OcK15FkK8uDZ5F1WqneXFsoJXrSuQMgysBxs2L3Iw=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/MboIta8OzkDL9IvdBHcvqMs0cQ-l6fTRuiSxr0svVhNqTsCiu2yUzMIt6M35IrAUDqwYCgrYBq-DWRJVM8DFGmbyu5rBGrk9CCbpe0geeuyHn0q6HvPsc0K2cLSknmOjvBTCQdwhghnjr760kmFk64Jpjo7U-JBQdRE2ccCjfWtkZYKummV5MWxUMZWOmE-pQPpf6i2-TDfw8BomI8Z7xQsk1SWr4VVZNx_rhiq_WXR-S7k5SVnISgJ_ZxbKagPCpDgZ6b0a-ngxJ-oTP7gAb3BiTfHT3qFHXEa3bNUqy4_5MrLP_9_t0z3bRJ_w65k3ZAfBmPP_oUPBQAG0QDPGq17kS8TGpRNGu2KaBwRTDw3alcP3N2WiKtljoktZiTagFCshq3YLl4XSqWZ9u4X_29tXe0kG_kyk5NwWx9zf_116fmiWraLit5RaUDxbsVX29RJy3dKFPygjQKUG4xT8aH_TDUlopOkGJXcagRyUN4_PQaZ4eDrdGyv7FJ7H4OhjZK8iFeTmKUWeFEoLEPxZtdwJU8MBeN_cOiOBTr0cK47dLwmlkQHmj1YpCpdIfnKYATfwIQm93wq7b2ugyvs-iZ06aikkyjuIztZg4cLkqmDDl6TLFZzkDg5OcK15FkK8uDZ5F1WqneXFsoJXrSuQMgysBxs2L3Iw=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who else but the Green Turtle's pair of Quechua trekking boots that could remain water proof even after walking 16km in the stream. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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<br />
We were consumed in the veil of dusk. It felt like we were in the midst of the set of the Lord of the Rings. But this was for real. Casey was occasionally still stumbling and wavering in his gait, a tad unsteady, but in much better a state than the day before. He had always had my respect as a great trekker. And I held him in high regard, especially after witnessing his conviction in conquering these two days' trek despite his AMS.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/GBoyCfCPJFoCEGgYZxU6vhnaopGTWZxSzTYoxO3qplIvoyKoEdwjOwXdFAVm4GlyX90wb3TWu2xzb6wV7PcxtJuV0ywfPl3PY1yV4EZjc_uph_lz_-Eh8Z85_4ZPMsD9RuVo539hSNaflu5IVsOBW6KimqTDCzEa873MDjS78EEKw0wFZtPfhL8qtxv6IyC3GTrXjS7UBW4enUiDs6sInKgHkWtl5te50DBp9-WFMBB0WI52k7EIQ8tPBybg-X2yb3h3omoDr43Xx3Sj-MebHuaFKbU271TwCIX1NiP93bexZHhK8F8Sx-rrO9CNAN73gOU_qMjSg9rbl4Uax0yNNLpz1PDOdcC_5OCzvcRMRbPEbxQC0YISyk2RceGmWeCShz6taUjs8BYbMS-DllVWH3HM0-fV1-wGZ0_OX13uXCL5HxH0RijZX_ym5sHWdLcXUAy0gdPkP24EHUVbVb1OtfjpYFTjTYgjB7QM9tkWtQodWTqCy8FhHW6MgPe1FuwQeyUQiSgvEyPL05WOY1vc1EosyZimv5N548_gs7rMIZRNgFrwc18-wxUhwlNwqZGZ6eMrTuvNbMGWUhEW3uZjqebmvO0t3hpnM_vqILI8Zb43E3__cGU4OCSTaCY7c4lIqrscHkU4zFmR_s3n1dONM2Vt6ztLB2Pu=w1003-h620-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1003" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/GBoyCfCPJFoCEGgYZxU6vhnaopGTWZxSzTYoxO3qplIvoyKoEdwjOwXdFAVm4GlyX90wb3TWu2xzb6wV7PcxtJuV0ywfPl3PY1yV4EZjc_uph_lz_-Eh8Z85_4ZPMsD9RuVo539hSNaflu5IVsOBW6KimqTDCzEa873MDjS78EEKw0wFZtPfhL8qtxv6IyC3GTrXjS7UBW4enUiDs6sInKgHkWtl5te50DBp9-WFMBB0WI52k7EIQ8tPBybg-X2yb3h3omoDr43Xx3Sj-MebHuaFKbU271TwCIX1NiP93bexZHhK8F8Sx-rrO9CNAN73gOU_qMjSg9rbl4Uax0yNNLpz1PDOdcC_5OCzvcRMRbPEbxQC0YISyk2RceGmWeCShz6taUjs8BYbMS-DllVWH3HM0-fV1-wGZ0_OX13uXCL5HxH0RijZX_ym5sHWdLcXUAy0gdPkP24EHUVbVb1OtfjpYFTjTYgjB7QM9tkWtQodWTqCy8FhHW6MgPe1FuwQeyUQiSgvEyPL05WOY1vc1EosyZimv5N548_gs7rMIZRNgFrwc18-wxUhwlNwqZGZ6eMrTuvNbMGWUhEW3uZjqebmvO0t3hpnM_vqILI8Zb43E3__cGU4OCSTaCY7c4lIqrscHkU4zFmR_s3n1dONM2Vt6ztLB2Pu=w1003-h620-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
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I made another mental note, to try to be more aware of the pace of trekking when we next came to a long day march. It had always been said, trekking in the Himalaya was a breeze - one starts early and would end around 3-4pm and had the rest of the afternoon and evening to relax in the dining hall, chit chatting with fellow trekkers or enjoy a book. Throughout this trek I didn't remember myself having the remotest of a chance of doing even anything close to that.<br />
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<br />
Ah Sing was a tough girl. The accidental slip at Kala Patthar had pained her already injured left knee. But she persevered. This was a different Ah Sing from 5 years ago when she was whining much more when the going got tough at Ghorepani. A much more determined girl, stronger-willed, and in better control. I love to see how trekking revealed the grit in one's character.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Oius__SP4KJG9aX4cH3qEdHhUFyfGFp4GdfJKDWpXlH5TcgiWS8cu1h-VCQCYFS_ogXkKJFcr9kYWgg7Qm6g7b9CWh2IcO01xMGfDpD-yEZYChdnQ_4bKlZMNzBEh6y929DmPV5Q9Ru7P_6jnv4vz29pGaI3yYBb9gqjaaGibgh905F779ePX6efxN6zLS99ZoqXgN_3PM73_lJHdLWF1-PV0FwQVatumdf3SI3SSgTa3XtNapJeDYz7HVHUbXM0Uv7LpULZdG2gqbq5_ioJQf_AuBkUlDtEh3Hv9hQONXkuRWcm4KHAxYaFoIeZ3dBBihipqSFjQGhUS10J8IK0mL_91btO6uLOxW2SRN0WubeaDyKr5BeEq_AQmTh3nKiO6JfisGnpxSZtwx8CP9R9bFXWF48FYhjusCUYP07yiOKk_ApoIBG4v_VDlijLnAfGYo6vZ3FuFHc670A9Fc_fV6By8tB8gWgHjxPCs0d6aOxMO4krusm-KBI8ukmCS4L8VK17QkWt7VUWME_P8za6dobZEdhCX26kiUdVN1lsGXqaZPFekQ4XZqg8nbIGCKcVVgT7UvlS-kGIcHTa1iyv1ACOe2ELLu3367co7UshJFgyDmjCE05ljR1cKdXCdXe2eE3UtL-Fa4ewnAHT64Rt-iyB9FavoPs2=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Oius__SP4KJG9aX4cH3qEdHhUFyfGFp4GdfJKDWpXlH5TcgiWS8cu1h-VCQCYFS_ogXkKJFcr9kYWgg7Qm6g7b9CWh2IcO01xMGfDpD-yEZYChdnQ_4bKlZMNzBEh6y929DmPV5Q9Ru7P_6jnv4vz29pGaI3yYBb9gqjaaGibgh905F779ePX6efxN6zLS99ZoqXgN_3PM73_lJHdLWF1-PV0FwQVatumdf3SI3SSgTa3XtNapJeDYz7HVHUbXM0Uv7LpULZdG2gqbq5_ioJQf_AuBkUlDtEh3Hv9hQONXkuRWcm4KHAxYaFoIeZ3dBBihipqSFjQGhUS10J8IK0mL_91btO6uLOxW2SRN0WubeaDyKr5BeEq_AQmTh3nKiO6JfisGnpxSZtwx8CP9R9bFXWF48FYhjusCUYP07yiOKk_ApoIBG4v_VDlijLnAfGYo6vZ3FuFHc670A9Fc_fV6By8tB8gWgHjxPCs0d6aOxMO4krusm-KBI8ukmCS4L8VK17QkWt7VUWME_P8za6dobZEdhCX26kiUdVN1lsGXqaZPFekQ4XZqg8nbIGCKcVVgT7UvlS-kGIcHTa1iyv1ACOe2ELLu3367co7UshJFgyDmjCE05ljR1cKdXCdXe2eE3UtL-Fa4ewnAHT64Rt-iyB9FavoPs2=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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Kc Tng had his eyes on cresting the mountain up to Namche Bazaar. In my heart, I was anxious to arrive at Namche Bazaar as early as we could, because we still had one last day of trek tomorrow. The trek from Phungi Thanga to Namche Bazaar was landmarked by two stupas, according to Adrian. We had to look out for these two stupas. And with the arrival at the second stupa, we would be much closer to the village.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/z216caIJggsRWZTLmD62x2oHYak7NV7AqBca7Qs1A78BzDXRdxdRXQAo4yxH2tSLB0oJaPZ1lCn1RkDqUmmCamdiahP4gALkVSQto4Zxj95KATxZy2sPbd6yr8n08GFv_CNwwZjY_CKYA5OUI9XIzx1aY9GMu0ybtPrK44GvnPtJIQxpSXxfbCCr-Sdmz_5D3RVEcFiBi8pXOEWqhgfCPbJDE50dEpQTjmQDqy4BWpZw74UpS0p36UXwPNDNofkVlaJp1mWU1Nx0cUhrl5ZEWJbYe0EGh7nXdqFXgiL7EGR6_-HZbaCa3Hjviacho5OrPrfMnXon7U4f9jrWKwFsNwAEH3kzmiWORpvICkdASfOudrMASoM4lsn9qmSh9aSinMO_z31DE3KHG2MZVt3xyB7eydUHgXOtseyPB_CVz-ijpDs7PwYv0gysHlhV-G-Z-r16JDXC_sVQV6ortsFmbrciY6V1vdVqyWQzBlZJRe9_eegow6aLvfouvhhUr1XC_-32akU10ipVoV_7cgJOPlqhDG0JhyIfZrGlwBdh7o0cC0vHxXhoibWO0nmeq7dsnuY49wBpyJ8CHmrrQjVID7GgCm2FlirZphShO9r4Q4z0G7rFdFu_WE9CkPtRXk1hr7ETNraOSmq2uRMmyxkiks9pdcpiu4Q2=w1003-h620-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="1003" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/z216caIJggsRWZTLmD62x2oHYak7NV7AqBca7Qs1A78BzDXRdxdRXQAo4yxH2tSLB0oJaPZ1lCn1RkDqUmmCamdiahP4gALkVSQto4Zxj95KATxZy2sPbd6yr8n08GFv_CNwwZjY_CKYA5OUI9XIzx1aY9GMu0ybtPrK44GvnPtJIQxpSXxfbCCr-Sdmz_5D3RVEcFiBi8pXOEWqhgfCPbJDE50dEpQTjmQDqy4BWpZw74UpS0p36UXwPNDNofkVlaJp1mWU1Nx0cUhrl5ZEWJbYe0EGh7nXdqFXgiL7EGR6_-HZbaCa3Hjviacho5OrPrfMnXon7U4f9jrWKwFsNwAEH3kzmiWORpvICkdASfOudrMASoM4lsn9qmSh9aSinMO_z31DE3KHG2MZVt3xyB7eydUHgXOtseyPB_CVz-ijpDs7PwYv0gysHlhV-G-Z-r16JDXC_sVQV6ortsFmbrciY6V1vdVqyWQzBlZJRe9_eegow6aLvfouvhhUr1XC_-32akU10ipVoV_7cgJOPlqhDG0JhyIfZrGlwBdh7o0cC0vHxXhoibWO0nmeq7dsnuY49wBpyJ8CHmrrQjVID7GgCm2FlirZphShO9r4Q4z0G7rFdFu_WE9CkPtRXk1hr7ETNraOSmq2uRMmyxkiks9pdcpiu4Q2=w1003-h620-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Kc Tng]</td></tr>
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This Serene was another Himalayan trekking veteran, well known amongst our friends, although she fervently denied it. Never a fast walker, she would keep a constant steady pace. Her endurance was immense. Beneath the womanly exterior, deep inside she was as strong as a Gorak Shep yak. Give her a mountain, and you'd be sure she would be at the top eventually.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/8cVii1ZbtO4Cno502La67ZiZWpGZ2RYKpzBZvBfbn5ZdrwYUBabE-vKou5EP0OFnb6GMuhwpFUzakkbNuy5qXyGgDB-nk67-T8waLMonG_y6o-PovUy4lr4jimrnxJdNARyKrCkGFPD-DX7IVH5Vt-7oPghFhdV3ZgvV4PBB12BhByOuMJbflBRjwIfrRRBPq-FI4O6PUhPXekj6yX64LrrsjU0rU3bYsweaGoUSe_aSQ6sTpZhLsSoM4zoJt7SoII66zhtNVn-Pk7yUmKu22-hRtBZ7H1dFnKn6AEWHbo-HidMn07qdk1JMVKhOm9kDl9V9-QnQv-kCFgpvw-PFFMDMyxdRxx4a6uCOCThMVh1oQeFa8xEpWS_DZZM6lfLCAgAlYEYBUXQKPR1oWnhmfLdv6yWj8lXzKr_RWWhcDubdcgnRojpXScA6ZeOJFaKRReJdPZsuPoDCGustivhTT_Xy-oV33uvZ9wbleJPwUZf27ZgjUvDerDJf6e9Tcj7aVG5RWe4gJ75FLzRUSi045u821dX-srLPScW44gcirSbjYd6lxLOWBHmp-fADzIipCPiIpRDUS2BPX9uLyGlS-WshpALwoKhoxH_xsegSeR9Ffy0M_vdyFNs3GhR1ca9dvbHVSBHIvHp19E0q8zrhHnMKSj7cjL1biw=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/8cVii1ZbtO4Cno502La67ZiZWpGZ2RYKpzBZvBfbn5ZdrwYUBabE-vKou5EP0OFnb6GMuhwpFUzakkbNuy5qXyGgDB-nk67-T8waLMonG_y6o-PovUy4lr4jimrnxJdNARyKrCkGFPD-DX7IVH5Vt-7oPghFhdV3ZgvV4PBB12BhByOuMJbflBRjwIfrRRBPq-FI4O6PUhPXekj6yX64LrrsjU0rU3bYsweaGoUSe_aSQ6sTpZhLsSoM4zoJt7SoII66zhtNVn-Pk7yUmKu22-hRtBZ7H1dFnKn6AEWHbo-HidMn07qdk1JMVKhOm9kDl9V9-QnQv-kCFgpvw-PFFMDMyxdRxx4a6uCOCThMVh1oQeFa8xEpWS_DZZM6lfLCAgAlYEYBUXQKPR1oWnhmfLdv6yWj8lXzKr_RWWhcDubdcgnRojpXScA6ZeOJFaKRReJdPZsuPoDCGustivhTT_Xy-oV33uvZ9wbleJPwUZf27ZgjUvDerDJf6e9Tcj7aVG5RWe4gJ75FLzRUSi045u821dX-srLPScW44gcirSbjYd6lxLOWBHmp-fADzIipCPiIpRDUS2BPX9uLyGlS-WshpALwoKhoxH_xsegSeR9Ffy0M_vdyFNs3GhR1ca9dvbHVSBHIvHp19E0q8zrhHnMKSj7cjL1biw=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
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We arrived at the first Chorten (stupa) at 5:10pm. Our headlamps were all at full blast. I knew that the front group would have arrived at Namche Bazaar by now. Some of the middle stragglers would still be on the trek but would also be arriving soon.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"From here, it would be another two hours trek,"</b></span> announced Adrian. Wah lau. Two hours more?! </blockquote>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/NT8V5qnTVE4rzOCtSBAC0h2nLEKChU8r1eY2W6PiV4EcZXZtRGd05CaN3C8FGhJYUdH7FR56JQZwj6T5ZQoIItuoW4b2rHpo1xzkNW_CiUCsGmuGEjg9iT-4HZfIv8ZSPNYLhrmPNGf19uB30pce5SIOEYA3rADybNLSCFbAwFE9l8C3WZJTjXNKVa79GYEhmqXfE1mC7vwDpRK4OzDVo7cyEIY9JYMf8jNxILF-pJGKmzSSbjsAE_j09CyY7XFwyPUi-ff1qI7MXyjoRujRjavC6280p94giHqrYKbB2fkgpSbwlWWbQzrPkiBLhqx26YnQLmf188W5wz8V3bAJPqMiiyOXJSOrjF5tErQP8DthB7y6IhwLc6EZa3AeiM1LedWCtgWu1siGm-AisZWfKcDZwBUWAXwdYskuWjr_23pSUp356dOOEzZc1fveR6Dg4LNDzD83lCXa9jbNKHJfrAulNcMRUHTtexLZlflPVcnoz4H7ETgvBr2MfOvdvz56agaAjQHjQhQ_VTAyeNY5oRDMneOhWCZ_v_wpx9czrYrGZ-LJw6m3fzzcOpF-uBWJ0uR4a5sg6W27Fqqf0N9ABMPluW88yrYTZGQizwJPG1tLnS64SnsOSJVsQ3942uWyJgrwmy-pF2RXtnTbV_8CcFLJyymj6Cw0Hg=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/NT8V5qnTVE4rzOCtSBAC0h2nLEKChU8r1eY2W6PiV4EcZXZtRGd05CaN3C8FGhJYUdH7FR56JQZwj6T5ZQoIItuoW4b2rHpo1xzkNW_CiUCsGmuGEjg9iT-4HZfIv8ZSPNYLhrmPNGf19uB30pce5SIOEYA3rADybNLSCFbAwFE9l8C3WZJTjXNKVa79GYEhmqXfE1mC7vwDpRK4OzDVo7cyEIY9JYMf8jNxILF-pJGKmzSSbjsAE_j09CyY7XFwyPUi-ff1qI7MXyjoRujRjavC6280p94giHqrYKbB2fkgpSbwlWWbQzrPkiBLhqx26YnQLmf188W5wz8V3bAJPqMiiyOXJSOrjF5tErQP8DthB7y6IhwLc6EZa3AeiM1LedWCtgWu1siGm-AisZWfKcDZwBUWAXwdYskuWjr_23pSUp356dOOEzZc1fveR6Dg4LNDzD83lCXa9jbNKHJfrAulNcMRUHTtexLZlflPVcnoz4H7ETgvBr2MfOvdvz56agaAjQHjQhQ_VTAyeNY5oRDMneOhWCZ_v_wpx9czrYrGZ-LJw6m3fzzcOpF-uBWJ0uR4a5sg6W27Fqqf0N9ABMPluW88yrYTZGQizwJPG1tLnS64SnsOSJVsQ3942uWyJgrwmy-pF2RXtnTbV_8CcFLJyymj6Cw0Hg=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>The fallen porter</b></span><br />
<br />
In the dark we suddenly came upon a figure lying supine across the trek. Training our headlamp down we were shocked to find a young porter, with the rattan basket still strapped on his back, lying in a stupor on the ground. His T-shaped stick was about a few metres away from him. I knelt down and touched his shoulder.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Hello, how are you?"</b></span> I called out. He turned his head around but his eyes were still closed.</blockquote>
A hand held my shoulder. It was Mani. He gestured us to move along.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Drink... he drink."</b></span> said Mani. Apparently he meant that the young porter was drunk. But strange. I smelled no alcohol. And it was obvious the way he fell, he may have tripped and rolled downwards, with his T-shape walking stick left further up behind. </blockquote>
We all had no choice but to quietly move on. The scene lingered uncomfortably in our minds. For a long long time, as we continued our trek in silence.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Wouldn't he die if we leave him there?"</b></span> asked Ah Li afterwards.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I'm not sure. He may be used to the cold, and may be able to survive a cold night out there. Or perhaps half way through the night if he finally came to, he would be able to walk slowly back. I am only worried that he had sustained some kind of head injuries and would die from that, or perhaps from exposure."</b></span> I replied. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"But whatever it is, there is really nothing much we can do. This is the reality of life up here in the mountains."</b></span></blockquote>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjXtl5a8KN93Jj2pdTRGVLx0nZcWEHR_VT0uxZAWh0Ni7S-9SDFI0xT9Cw0gXVceDydnXRHPFseAhNeB3JgTH0Vc-Ao9vQjEh576_P6pAAl_ohDVeYqlZf-UfCIxCRs8PRJ8JipFxbtM/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjXtl5a8KN93Jj2pdTRGVLx0nZcWEHR_VT0uxZAWh0Ni7S-9SDFI0xT9Cw0gXVceDydnXRHPFseAhNeB3JgTH0Vc-Ao9vQjEh576_P6pAAl_ohDVeYqlZf-UfCIxCRs8PRJ8JipFxbtM/w859-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Didn't know number what Stupa this was already. We were so demoralised already. [Photo: Yours truly]</td></tr>
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One stupa eventually became two stupas. As long as we didn't stop walking, we would arrived. In the pitch darkness, the only thing visible was whatever that was in the field of light of our headlamps. I was not sure about the others, but I really couldn't remember much about the rest of the trek from the stupas to Namche.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Ok guys!" </b></span>Adrian announced. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"We are finally at the top of Namche Bazaar!" </span></b></blockquote>
He was right. We were somewhere near that prayer wheel that we got to be so familiar with. All of us took a rest seated outside one of the houses.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Ah Li said afterwards: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Here, Prem was telling us it was only 'seven minutes' to The Green Tara by Nepali speed. And it became a joke between him and all of us here because no one believed him."</b></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjy-XuAz5ZVaTLBeTzIm0h6uRn5tNwuOwR11jD6NoOeGfoasvT9KNqVFgNl0kCLUpDlOhUKWBdzhDTmIzaAE112g6raxG_n6tFYhNFYqgD6qvTWL8W5CLOis5ltfSEjV1jM4vAqG4ueM/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjy-XuAz5ZVaTLBeTzIm0h6uRn5tNwuOwR11jD6NoOeGfoasvT9KNqVFgNl0kCLUpDlOhUKWBdzhDTmIzaAE112g6raxG_n6tFYhNFYqgD6qvTWL8W5CLOis5ltfSEjV1jM4vAqG4ueM/w859-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prem said "7 more minutes, at Nepali pace!" [Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Eventually Prem was proven wrong. It took us fifteen more minutes to arrived at The Green Tara. A light-hearted fifteen minutes, it was, for we were already in Namche Bazaar. We were elated and our steps became lighter as we stepped downwards along the alleys between the houses.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjKSzfKkzX7kLDsbz11P0x79MNKnJy8QQqC39YGkcZsM7rqEhvxQKwdqEj9HtjMey2KL3D6eLQ9D327XN_WkvfEXSumzLBttDE7GLB-j_T9J-Auz_DdsrmbW2lLnsOepTmzzV5y6pgto/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjKSzfKkzX7kLDsbz11P0x79MNKnJy8QQqC39YGkcZsM7rqEhvxQKwdqEj9HtjMey2KL3D6eLQ9D327XN_WkvfEXSumzLBttDE7GLB-j_T9J-Auz_DdsrmbW2lLnsOepTmzzV5y6pgto/w859-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got up and got ready to start walking down to Namche Bazaar.</td></tr>
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And finally, at around 6:30pm, we arrived.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uu12LOTQEjDGno_IHPuv4w6kBalE8IqTzUqRa6FI6kYB8LiP1aC3uDWdhF65nDN-UmhDccMIcSjCsorhW-T4b7KUAJZDtlmU-mbe4ODBdPzlnCU93DUQevCZGSTLiP7f74Cz6XdNv0o/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uu12LOTQEjDGno_IHPuv4w6kBalE8IqTzUqRa6FI6kYB8LiP1aC3uDWdhF65nDN-UmhDccMIcSjCsorhW-T4b7KUAJZDtlmU-mbe4ODBdPzlnCU93DUQevCZGSTLiP7f74Cz6XdNv0o/w859-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheng Cheng was JUST so relieved to be back at The Green Tara. [Photo: Yours truly]</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/8BdG3OE9WpiA-Y_c8SdT7usW5EVaRMEpSsQccY5ax6_2pmoC53ljK_vq1eNVVfpI-ITqUqgY_bE-Ye4SvLv32c-Gy_6lv3pn4cByhMiOik5lwbpTpiS0tak5YVivXxGRWSlXj813j9xFA5tb7_MWlhC2aabMaXGeakDf0cItvZw_Frehx_5AZsOQaETDraztAKuxV-FlW351iCqYJvmXPSxZdg8ina2shN-puTIyS7gG-4cp3BkiD5noJgD3iTmvC7gzbkNdPWjBLjqWmFPQ2YxvtkOJ1bdWZEpVP7zvsfZ3ThetG37xCASFHvmvfrDZ5RZs8TVLfufDI8D2Z7Gb4n1ODww7ddjtAbhy7rCdFQBGo9QKnv0SrHCLgAdoTki1rz7ooNHcZKJV9X0_KoEG9jQcf2ex-t03hkf0DHNt4bCBRz67avS-dcPaD0kWBm7b1N84y2uKrBzdzfvfodXD_TB9The5xGxXaoE_sf9KWQjIkndjKVQZB5B1ZI5U-AV4BUm9yoSGQhPDeDWg-SmBOeWXuOmjU9zwl1cez1u-SNzHvr7I66kcz_YHWVDg3CM5qnluE7UHz4eX9BLC0ibGPAaQnXjmEYpYZ7I54XPw4sVPmu8_3U-JM_xhq2KWyPNnZt9ytzfQ7W58So8GDr28CcHvVBWWZ-OTKQ=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/8BdG3OE9WpiA-Y_c8SdT7usW5EVaRMEpSsQccY5ax6_2pmoC53ljK_vq1eNVVfpI-ITqUqgY_bE-Ye4SvLv32c-Gy_6lv3pn4cByhMiOik5lwbpTpiS0tak5YVivXxGRWSlXj813j9xFA5tb7_MWlhC2aabMaXGeakDf0cItvZw_Frehx_5AZsOQaETDraztAKuxV-FlW351iCqYJvmXPSxZdg8ina2shN-puTIyS7gG-4cp3BkiD5noJgD3iTmvC7gzbkNdPWjBLjqWmFPQ2YxvtkOJ1bdWZEpVP7zvsfZ3ThetG37xCASFHvmvfrDZ5RZs8TVLfufDI8D2Z7Gb4n1ODww7ddjtAbhy7rCdFQBGo9QKnv0SrHCLgAdoTki1rz7ooNHcZKJV9X0_KoEG9jQcf2ex-t03hkf0DHNt4bCBRz67avS-dcPaD0kWBm7b1N84y2uKrBzdzfvfodXD_TB9The5xGxXaoE_sf9KWQjIkndjKVQZB5B1ZI5U-AV4BUm9yoSGQhPDeDWg-SmBOeWXuOmjU9zwl1cez1u-SNzHvr7I66kcz_YHWVDg3CM5qnluE7UHz4eX9BLC0ibGPAaQnXjmEYpYZ7I54XPw4sVPmu8_3U-JM_xhq2KWyPNnZt9ytzfQ7W58So8GDr28CcHvVBWWZ-OTKQ=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wow this hotel looked so good! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Later that evening...</b></span><br />
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We were really glad to be back to the relatively more comfortable Green Tara. The earlier group had had their warm showers. By the time Serene and I asked the boss for a hot shower, he shook his head and said they had run out of hot water. Well, might as well. I hadn't had a shower for eight days, what difference would it make if I went without one for just another night?<br />
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CC was really losing her voice and she was all hoarse. It was time to start her on stronger medication. And this evening she didn't resist.<br />
Ashley was actually doing not too bad herself. She was stable. But she was really tired by now.<br />
DragonBoatZ was the the one who was suffering a little on this evening. He was burning from a fever, and he was having bodyaching and painful thighs from the fever. A throat infection was the cause. But he had done really well, completing his trek to Namche Bazaar in good time.<br />
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The cacophony of cough and sneezing resonated across the dining room as we all sat and bathed in the warmth of the enclosure. Then Adrian came in and drop the atomic bomb:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Guys, for some of you who want to, you may consider the adventure of taking a helicopter down from Namche Bazaar to Lukla for US$800 a chopper, shared among 4 persons."</span></b></blockquote>
Many's eyes lit up. And words and jios and discussion flew across the room and the tables. Eventually a new Squadron of SgTrekker Airforce was formed, a special unit that would make an early morning flight to take out our next objective and clear it before the infantry moved in.<br />
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Serene looked at all of us with the look of a faint hope. But we stared back at her. Among our family, we were all in good health and we were not ill. We had to complete what we started off. The last trek back to Lukla awaited us tomorrow.<br />
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For tonight, I finally had yak steak again for dinner, a luxury in itself.<br />
And at 3400m, I no longer needed so many layers of clothing. Sleep came easy.<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-6-back-to.html"><br /></a></b></span>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-6-back-to.html">Click on the following to continue to the next part:</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-6-back-to.html"><span style="color: yellow;">EBC Trek Part 6 ~ </span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">Back to Lukla.</span></a></b></span><br />
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Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com1Kala Pattar Ascent Trail, Khumjung 56000, Nepal27.9840517 86.8293016000000082.4620171999999982 45.520707600000009 53.5060862 128.1378956tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-45986228535631358412017-11-27T04:30:00.000-08:002018-01-07T02:14:10.740-08:00Everest Base Camp Trek Part 4 ~ The highest point. Kala Patthar 5545m.. and EBC second-attempt!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;"><b>Part 4 ~ The one vantage point that can allow one to have a full view of Everest is this mount called Kala Patthar. </b></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/IMhKZxAYfzYO1Xu93jySh2DGE4cKf3EbYxf3jX-2dg8eq9rPMBl177nQ5uOrsD9wOM7AuzxLiYv2XbUm0X3PICSBdMkawThX7Zhgg6IOETMVNj1sKzQgH7svkQ77sQRU8T6ZSsNu77lnG_9zJdps2PNJ0x_fybTqWQtm7lOoWT9F9y3uUrIrION-BT8Ju0fpCvUaQYkALWsxzgAjiJc6WOKWpV9q87vLxJIFfRXtxftTHfi1DLQdxN2P68tcAFP9MxyH4OERjy84GdwUtSCO4yGaHPheh5S1EUjRyVBUYWY0ygM3mEcLA7P-AePk7zQ8lmUgHkvY6UxUgKW8HcJSKQm5K8a-zkjomW8KpyniCtsP-3vFmi14vYbp3wL4ENWCMA5uErOEktb_jd-dApH4UrVg2-V3d55IkxdwdXpM3yfdQ4etyfPJ5OHkupY924Z0bn7z7cnOzkp_VOCFLkfKMVUqmWbH9jQyV9QtkHbaNzTqQFk3nA3CQaG4G3tjD6vLu2ttGAhmfI6eCrBJO2e1-hFYQpqtBX15Znb5-yhn4SbxXVbkNQe7bGApLBiOERx9b-FSflKrqrOcBM2ezMTirVcbaXS_louNC3ldMl8weZXkujVHBU4hlXDIDY6FBKY-nInmXkANKtz7I0JR1GCwWVWHJJ3_JZ-I=w1003-h620-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1003" height="246" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/IMhKZxAYfzYO1Xu93jySh2DGE4cKf3EbYxf3jX-2dg8eq9rPMBl177nQ5uOrsD9wOM7AuzxLiYv2XbUm0X3PICSBdMkawThX7Zhgg6IOETMVNj1sKzQgH7svkQ77sQRU8T6ZSsNu77lnG_9zJdps2PNJ0x_fybTqWQtm7lOoWT9F9y3uUrIrION-BT8Ju0fpCvUaQYkALWsxzgAjiJc6WOKWpV9q87vLxJIFfRXtxftTHfi1DLQdxN2P68tcAFP9MxyH4OERjy84GdwUtSCO4yGaHPheh5S1EUjRyVBUYWY0ygM3mEcLA7P-AePk7zQ8lmUgHkvY6UxUgKW8HcJSKQm5K8a-zkjomW8KpyniCtsP-3vFmi14vYbp3wL4ENWCMA5uErOEktb_jd-dApH4UrVg2-V3d55IkxdwdXpM3yfdQ4etyfPJ5OHkupY924Z0bn7z7cnOzkp_VOCFLkfKMVUqmWbH9jQyV9QtkHbaNzTqQFk3nA3CQaG4G3tjD6vLu2ttGAhmfI6eCrBJO2e1-hFYQpqtBX15Znb5-yhn4SbxXVbkNQe7bGApLBiOERx9b-FSflKrqrOcBM2ezMTirVcbaXS_louNC3ldMl8weZXkujVHBU4hlXDIDY6FBKY-nInmXkANKtz7I0JR1GCwWVWHJJ3_JZ-I=w1003-h620-no" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kala Patthar [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sometimes in life, it was like this. Would one come all the way to London for the very first time and not visit London Bridge or the Big Ben? In the same vein, although EBC was the pinnacle of the trek, but to me, and to the girls, we held in our hearts the wish to summit Kala Patthar the highest point, even way before our trip. To us, it was a MUST climb. And we'd stop at nothing to achieve that.<br />
Without being disrespectful to all my fellow trekkers, to myself, climbing to the top of Kala Patthar was even more important than arriving at EBC. The magic figure of 5545m was too strong a draw.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><i style="color: yellow;"><b>[In this Travellogue, I have tried my best to credit all the photos to their respective photographers, and I tried my best to recall verbatim what members said during the whole trip. Most events are as I could remember them. Those who have expressed clearly to me their wishes not to have their photos shared online I have post-processed the photographs so that their faces are pixelated to protect their privacies.]</b></i><br />
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<b style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-large;">Table of Contents:</b><br />
<ol>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-epic.html">EBC Trek Part 1</a> </span></b>~ An epic adventure. Kathmandu to Lukla. Lukla to Phakding. Phakding to Namche Bazaar. Acclimatisation in Namche Bazaar.</li>
<li><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-2-from.html"><b><span style="font-size: large;">EBC Trek Part 2</span></b></a> ~ The air got thinner & the body got more tired. Namche Bazaar to Tengboche & Debuche. Debuche to Dingboche. Acclimatisation in Dingboche.</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-3.html">EBC Trek Part 3</a></span></b> ~ The Final Push. Dingboche to Lobuche. Lobuche to Gorak Shep and to EBC and back to Gorak Shep. </li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-4-highest.html">EBC Trek Part 4</a></span></b> ~ Kala Patthar</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-5-return-of.html">EBC Trek Part 5</a></span></b> ~ The unrelenting march from day to night - Gorak Shep to Periche. Another long day to night march from Periche to Namche Bazaar.</li>
<li><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-6-back-to.html"><b><span style="font-size: large;">EBC Trek Part 6</span></b> </a>~ No matter how tired... just go into Cruise-control mode walking from Namche Bazaar to finally arrive back in Lukla in the dark, yet again.</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-7-back-to.html">EBC Trek Part 7</a></span></b> ~ Flying back to Kathmandu. Rest and Relax in Kathmandu and flying home!</li>
</ol>
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">EBC TREK Day 10 ~ </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Summitting Kala Patthar - our goal! </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">27 Nov 2017</span></b><br />
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<b style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: x-large;">Here is the Relive video of </b><b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #d9ead3;">our climb from Gorak Shep to Kala Patthar at 5545m.</span></b><br />
<blockquote class="embedly-card" data-card-controls="0" data-card-key="f1631a41cb254ca5b035dc5747a5bd75">
<h4>
<a href="https://www.relive.cc/view/1294081542?r=embed-site">Relive 'Trek to Kala Patthar'</a></h4>
</blockquote>
<script async="" charset="UTF-8" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js"></script>
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: large;"><b>Here is the Strava Flyby of the early morning Kala Patthar trek.</b></span> <i><b>Just click on the image below, <span style="color: yellow;">play and zoom in and see</span>. There were only two of us on this Flyby - Kai Sing and I. The rest were not on Strava.</b></i><br />
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<a href="https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1294081542?c=tuvxpw01&z=E&t=1Q6qS5&a=Bh4iTTE4H00" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="800" height="272" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4595/27624961599_d3f93ed5be_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is my short Garmin record of this memorable Kala Patthar climb.<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/embed/2354952842" title="Everest Base Camp trek Day 9- push up to Kala Patthar 5550" width="465"></iframe>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">The </span><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: x-large;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-large;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-size: x-large;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: x-large;">:</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Freezing climb up a frozen rock Kala Patthar for no other reasons than to get frozen fingers.</span></span></span></b><br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kFC-oBMJNbY?rel=0" width="820"></iframe>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>4:25am</b></span><br />
I woke up with a start. Serene realised it was 5 minutes before the time to gather at the dining area of the guesthouse, and woke me quickly. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Shit!"</b></span></blockquote>
The only thing I loved about being up here so high and so frozen was that I would be wearing every single layer every moment of my waking and sleeping hours. And it made little difference if I brushed my teeth or shaved. The only thing that I needed to do was to slip my feet into my trekking boots and in less than 2 minutes, I was at the girls' door already. Such convenience. No wonder I heard Tibetans living in the Land of Snow rarely shower.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/UGuM3LNkfvrXXuAB3N7k4mwV-GkoeUWupH3y_snbknpX8P8jF7lqD4qWQiXUkbjOTCScqdabEjFMyWX_FEQfE3bIcMHWem8NqcLyBc3_QgBORC2hylMmKz3sVjKrPjhQHxp1WurA7DciX0r_k-PzvRyEkTg_t4c3h6690ZGFlQZtrZs5fsI77sK4Vy_gVOhoE2AjpoH6KQKQPeBy2qaRAOEn59M-HegLgX8KhK7-aLUwNIeC2aOdGU8zwaI0prXtfGE8IY7foLsPxuKVlcnYh0GdKavBfodBaw04bRMtSwSGLhl9LLJgheP0-YIIW_gkvy5ihkApi5CfcCN9QuBYgeZ0HzR2M97DrO43jD8JmQBXAYlyRFd7ELPmkdHbjtDIz3pf4cxWhZngJK0IykNz_kIdkRe81sS-xux3O8w4uvDhQVY6lOt95SJ5anVcPQZ4w7Uc41QCDkI91BpYw4PfssDo8Y1dHfioqi-MT6oco0Br_2S33KdXpvaD7tqjh1zlCJIXULvGkfUlthorx_Uy3qvk75y0-TlGgY9pZArE2wdhGep3gVZKCxnPZYHC2KPI4aHi-ELaN_y6UgOs45NbRmevGEqlvwrOIVM_DmOefYewEw0OREr5Sb0l7Ou80D0_p5GyjiRIjc0YdZe-OnEv5NpfpXSCADhf4Q=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/UGuM3LNkfvrXXuAB3N7k4mwV-GkoeUWupH3y_snbknpX8P8jF7lqD4qWQiXUkbjOTCScqdabEjFMyWX_FEQfE3bIcMHWem8NqcLyBc3_QgBORC2hylMmKz3sVjKrPjhQHxp1WurA7DciX0r_k-PzvRyEkTg_t4c3h6690ZGFlQZtrZs5fsI77sK4Vy_gVOhoE2AjpoH6KQKQPeBy2qaRAOEn59M-HegLgX8KhK7-aLUwNIeC2aOdGU8zwaI0prXtfGE8IY7foLsPxuKVlcnYh0GdKavBfodBaw04bRMtSwSGLhl9LLJgheP0-YIIW_gkvy5ihkApi5CfcCN9QuBYgeZ0HzR2M97DrO43jD8JmQBXAYlyRFd7ELPmkdHbjtDIz3pf4cxWhZngJK0IykNz_kIdkRe81sS-xux3O8w4uvDhQVY6lOt95SJ5anVcPQZ4w7Uc41QCDkI91BpYw4PfssDo8Y1dHfioqi-MT6oco0Br_2S33KdXpvaD7tqjh1zlCJIXULvGkfUlthorx_Uy3qvk75y0-TlGgY9pZArE2wdhGep3gVZKCxnPZYHC2KPI4aHi-ELaN_y6UgOs45NbRmevGEqlvwrOIVM_DmOefYewEw0OREr5Sb0l7Ou80D0_p5GyjiRIjc0YdZe-OnEv5NpfpXSCADhf4Q=w800-h600-no" /></a></div>
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The act of tying my shoe laces were breath-sapping. The seven of us attempting the climb were out with our personal porters, Sabinn Rai and Koot were there, together with Babu who would be leading the climb.<br />
4:30am was dark. The sun was already somewhere below the peaks and transmitting a hue of deep blue light from below and behind them. We walked along the dusty plain with our headlamps on. Silently we walked, noisily we panted. There was absolutely no way we could escape the agony of 52% of oxygen at this level. Our bodies were simply not accustomed to it.<br />
Somewhere to our left, the clanging of bells gave hint of some yaks starting their day's journey as early as us. Their eyes shone back in reflection when our headlamp beams struck them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/o6jq0q9k6Enh2RX0JELsyH2tMkDsJ1KcVKI5ih630iJMCuO0pR6Gl_RxFb7uDoG5238es1cXH1TJIcZaPpMlBf3PelF5ImmY3dj3FnRI6YPgA3l8U7HTye7rLLp9vSPeERjLEFmraS3o9CC-liOUwUiiEoqsAqW_47GeNQKKAM1qZ_Xc7qz_yzwDBDnxt2T5Tzv6nROOvT2BxB18oQbuXLYjhfZmEshWzwESTHT41r1nHj19ha4pzcAnaXsMU4UMwJoavvUYGThiFQNF89jF1Ps-afUtMRiRaD2adGYVPM3THf_pxBezbL26SJkMaTZyQBq0L7ijWV8Sbr2Z5yfrV_uixORCI0jaSMSCMVYX98s3a5M3K_E5MYDU3uD_kl61ednsZXwHoZc4AtzqbDeNnHAo9xZEQ0XoiR7We7-TpcW4YcsJDU8UyG0AQc1PMKJ1dP1tzDwl9D1XvXuiP58iVgqbHg9i12tkofJ47xgaux_WfgyhUJ5wxL1_TqdrQYhrCrel18U0Jn2vQOf5oKavymhQMBEbnRgT1SCZ-gssVBoIuK7gJZiEDS5s4y5YQ8r4p9s9oGcb2HEhBiSSNLPQlNydM-Qwcm-p5H_IurEEC8pl5hQ9nx7nNXodlNNtsdfkp5CKnigucypGqXun1Bjz_Zpwn6eAedMQ=w1003-h487-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="1003" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/o6jq0q9k6Enh2RX0JELsyH2tMkDsJ1KcVKI5ih630iJMCuO0pR6Gl_RxFb7uDoG5238es1cXH1TJIcZaPpMlBf3PelF5ImmY3dj3FnRI6YPgA3l8U7HTye7rLLp9vSPeERjLEFmraS3o9CC-liOUwUiiEoqsAqW_47GeNQKKAM1qZ_Xc7qz_yzwDBDnxt2T5Tzv6nROOvT2BxB18oQbuXLYjhfZmEshWzwESTHT41r1nHj19ha4pzcAnaXsMU4UMwJoavvUYGThiFQNF89jF1Ps-afUtMRiRaD2adGYVPM3THf_pxBezbL26SJkMaTZyQBq0L7ijWV8Sbr2Z5yfrV_uixORCI0jaSMSCMVYX98s3a5M3K_E5MYDU3uD_kl61ednsZXwHoZc4AtzqbDeNnHAo9xZEQ0XoiR7We7-TpcW4YcsJDU8UyG0AQc1PMKJ1dP1tzDwl9D1XvXuiP58iVgqbHg9i12tkofJ47xgaux_WfgyhUJ5wxL1_TqdrQYhrCrel18U0Jn2vQOf5oKavymhQMBEbnRgT1SCZ-gssVBoIuK7gJZiEDS5s4y5YQ8r4p9s9oGcb2HEhBiSSNLPQlNydM-Qwcm-p5H_IurEEC8pl5hQ9nx7nNXodlNNtsdfkp5CKnigucypGqXun1Bjz_Zpwn6eAedMQ=w1003-h487-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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The walk from the guesthouse to the foot of Kala Patthar was a mere 15 minutes. The moment our boots hit black dust we were already on an acute upward gradient. One that was unrelenting and totally merciless. In many of the blogs and vlogs I'd read and watched, some trekkers decided to give Kala Patthar a miss, for various reasons - fatigue, time factor, freezing cold. Some made the climb for the bragging rights.<br />
It registered a negative 20 degrees celsius this morning, which was not surprising.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/PediUnPuE3MMO7PXBMi17lv7TrzaMMx7ckJXF42GyHKL9bc83aJEvU8t8_6JG4xP2Pa2DYAoI3Wa7Ru9VJyuLwUG764NCvnTLgeToeJaspdOYHHcwdNN91e5lztRB6IHwhL8eejpzxOOoH9nxFEI2PAaAg9KuSvMSftUUaof2qmrzylc1xJ-vK7dZBwP52dKPMZyBEesyrR2BDc0m5-wn555ldZ8XfUFynAuZvDZfMbs6Xq98DuNJeV5ehWVybAHgEnKrjfwVhb8XeEkDbQp1AGKcWbvWSvrEzAQ3yuTelvcn6Yqvkqq4fjcY9uNIqTNltky5TtYLx0mg89md3F8UK-C-8UPJhYf9CRnFHn_qtuyV959yRppLXCBKMGY6F_5buGlxvPaTctUYIIZktDKz6_1VhR9P1PKiNL98sKvpa2REhOtUF8w32mMVF4O0NRnTHchZBJkB9kUZ3xljiaqye7Vr7Vo-rV4fDZr33HmZGtg9-aOltpmZG9aOqiRDButPnLWC3jp-oYetsWAdgGFPgjNTG5hsWIg9AgPhnwOS4quwpFGIKmsF2ACahIJ19pIbpIEfKakLi5o5UDfxUP34-IZqoDX6I04t9kwix2m2aZqp86r9FSEzuL2YFwP9xIXrR5PEahrp8Rfa4F7CL3g4LipGDy30cep=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/PediUnPuE3MMO7PXBMi17lv7TrzaMMx7ckJXF42GyHKL9bc83aJEvU8t8_6JG4xP2Pa2DYAoI3Wa7Ru9VJyuLwUG764NCvnTLgeToeJaspdOYHHcwdNN91e5lztRB6IHwhL8eejpzxOOoH9nxFEI2PAaAg9KuSvMSftUUaof2qmrzylc1xJ-vK7dZBwP52dKPMZyBEesyrR2BDc0m5-wn555ldZ8XfUFynAuZvDZfMbs6Xq98DuNJeV5ehWVybAHgEnKrjfwVhb8XeEkDbQp1AGKcWbvWSvrEzAQ3yuTelvcn6Yqvkqq4fjcY9uNIqTNltky5TtYLx0mg89md3F8UK-C-8UPJhYf9CRnFHn_qtuyV959yRppLXCBKMGY6F_5buGlxvPaTctUYIIZktDKz6_1VhR9P1PKiNL98sKvpa2REhOtUF8w32mMVF4O0NRnTHchZBJkB9kUZ3xljiaqye7Vr7Vo-rV4fDZr33HmZGtg9-aOltpmZG9aOqiRDButPnLWC3jp-oYetsWAdgGFPgjNTG5hsWIg9AgPhnwOS4quwpFGIKmsF2ACahIJ19pIbpIEfKakLi5o5UDfxUP34-IZqoDX6I04t9kwix2m2aZqp86r9FSEzuL2YFwP9xIXrR5PEahrp8Rfa4F7CL3g4LipGDy30cep=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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I gave up wearing multiple layers of gloves - glover liner layer 1, layer 2 followed by an external layer and stuffing a heat pack into each glove. In such frosty condition, none of these would work. So I took off everything except one single layer of glove liners, hooked my trekking sticks and let Sabinn Rai carry my day pack with the water bottles and just walked up with my hands in my pocket where the heat packs did much more good.<br />
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Ah Sing and Ah Li were both freezing. They were tough girls, and though their fingers and toes were numb, they kept going, slowly step by step. The rest of the boys were suffering a similar affliction of the icy air. The combination of a minus twenty degrees celsius at 5200m at 4:50am in the morning, trying to climb a mount of dark rocks and gravels was really not the most comfortable way to spend a morning.<br />
Sometimes people would question themselves, why were they doing this? But strangely I never had once when I questioned myself. It was an all or nothing rule. If I'd chosen to do it, I would just try my best and do it, solving problems that I encountered along the way.<br />
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On this morning, the going was smooth-sailing, apart from the hypoxic screaming of my cardiopulmonary system, in part from trying to generate sufficient heat to overcome the deep freeze, and in part from trying to suck in as much oxygen as my alveoli could possibly muster.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/O7yZ0yoB84TQYALpg0Rxe5uJJvaBisuFsCgjOO9ZJssXLtLOSYanAlIQX9uUg-jnyfb3AKJ0VxNdA--5b8e7iNdQit5HA5zmkOWwZRfSQhEAUY5sUhRqK3xlSUe9Y-K3gm8re69TXDxYW21KtHK0oV1abhcZch12wFvcIrLVZmSM7EpVdKuZUzby3xFuB8DBetuoadetnGZakgfNtesVaQTFJCms2kmM1iO3gng-PCFrnTASDseVVhq2LrvnbjjdnJMTIWoOkhWspo-eHpTjn32UwMrGyGbMHHuE0nyM0xQkfFQL13auyu9STXk-f6sSUMubebpaJnONnu-ci03OX5QpASuP6jJKBfSu7chJf4ynxLCu7TN4cCBQEmOp5KqKqfyKxR5vc78qpoQzNgonNRMJ6qTSg6Y6Q3gLnI-PFMe8L5Q6HI6Vel4WNBXR5iCKkW3S32GpCkjcmWwJeDoNNaCkrNZzAR0LTis80l6gV3V05aKQv8ceZSYh3ue1TDKofBQVOrk9MKqwA-m74BYKEN2A5SZ-cMvs26ESOT00-eS-5vgRoaWSnMR-XA5gNG-nfkPnLORI7tMa-lFjd3UjuVmh3s90MzNMQ8tYXpMv3ayThsC6rJsHLhf7tOGCMDgyK6zz4n5gVmzjHd-K3PaOd71mIwLv_3zXXw=w450-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/O7yZ0yoB84TQYALpg0Rxe5uJJvaBisuFsCgjOO9ZJssXLtLOSYanAlIQX9uUg-jnyfb3AKJ0VxNdA--5b8e7iNdQit5HA5zmkOWwZRfSQhEAUY5sUhRqK3xlSUe9Y-K3gm8re69TXDxYW21KtHK0oV1abhcZch12wFvcIrLVZmSM7EpVdKuZUzby3xFuB8DBetuoadetnGZakgfNtesVaQTFJCms2kmM1iO3gng-PCFrnTASDseVVhq2LrvnbjjdnJMTIWoOkhWspo-eHpTjn32UwMrGyGbMHHuE0nyM0xQkfFQL13auyu9STXk-f6sSUMubebpaJnONnu-ci03OX5QpASuP6jJKBfSu7chJf4ynxLCu7TN4cCBQEmOp5KqKqfyKxR5vc78qpoQzNgonNRMJ6qTSg6Y6Q3gLnI-PFMe8L5Q6HI6Vel4WNBXR5iCKkW3S32GpCkjcmWwJeDoNNaCkrNZzAR0LTis80l6gV3V05aKQv8ceZSYh3ue1TDKofBQVOrk9MKqwA-m74BYKEN2A5SZ-cMvs26ESOT00-eS-5vgRoaWSnMR-XA5gNG-nfkPnLORI7tMa-lFjd3UjuVmh3s90MzNMQ8tYXpMv3ayThsC6rJsHLhf7tOGCMDgyK6zz4n5gVmzjHd-K3PaOd71mIwLv_3zXXw=w450-h600-no" /></a></div>
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My fingers were rendered totlaly useless under such weather. I kept wondering if it was my finger or my iPhone that was not working, because many a time when I pressed on the shoot button, I wasn't sure if the photo-taking was actuated. The cold must have made the focussing function on my iPhone a little retarded. Some of my shots turned out blurry and out of focus. But it didn't matter. As a documentation photographer, what mattered more was the feeling of the moment, rather than the sharpness of the picture.<br />
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There were other trekkers who were doing the same climb with us on this morning, some Ang Mohs who were much faster climbers, chattering non-stop as they sped upwards, as if the oxygen-rare air and the cold had next to no impact on them.<br />
The rocks were, like everywhere else, strewn in haphazard fashion. I needed to watch carefully with every foot landing, some requiring higher lift of the legs. By now I had truly realised that climbing without trekking sticks was good, but only if one had the necessary strength of the core muscles. I made a promise to myself to build up my core more when I return home.<br />
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Ah Sing and Ah Li were climbing slowly in front of me. Matthew, Jason were way ahead. Kai Sing and Zaid were trekking together with me. Jeffrey was somewhere in front, that robot of a man. From behind I saw Kai Sing stopping for a moment, and leaned forward on his trekking sticks, bent at the waist and heaving deep breaths. This was the first time I saw Kai Sing tired in thus-a-way. Somehow it made me feel better when soon after I had to bend down, hands on knees, breathing deeply for a few minutes to rest. If it was tiring for Kai Sing, then it <b><i>must be</i></b> really tiring.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/gYLsMHSgruJBmCzX9-BEnZY9AsqJEATch2hcaJvkVJwjOqd4z0wJkrEBRF-mABLaMnCoY7o_rT02stQvbd-1ytebu3g-WT1tAT_QbfAZgKFOpNKa74hs1s5rREkttSDm2zwt4pVNB8XQv3nc8O_g86OKXBzk_MCk3s-BwFTdvx6cD05Xbhg0Y8rcvmxxLaQdBZvfrFYmy0NCWlcIxW6gVAnCuowFEp_5KUGKFUT1g7VeNKTvYgMmP69ZSFJTUJe-Wh-NMWUpO5Rgi4R8HnPGkPF6wko1yUsyLXcIBwkZJxrqkIxzYYxmblyPTRTLg8eLRUbKrdMqtzX8Iv0J-WMHbbyv0dwh0EhrUA55g12XHzQ7aSXw-NUUU-CqHxW4KlBUFjmMq7yY_9AwKx43dr7jDHbtBTeraKztKG6Qxju3Pu4xu-rNWIYprtZLAqZmouSSGGvoF3hcbibFS-0TtM-BGFZ17xw8XpN96Y7_aSb-L4QrmpvK81OpCCGYnOUKBY70VRahqLavuyMiKx4CojuOwtKt3ZSh3L0BXr79roJsbep_0KsI3MIrfqh7--PKkRVK4KeioFIWiKcjhxwc_sWnP1Fwiji_whlK9ETZbvKcfvV58n4QEfe9BPCdZq6EGWtn8k2UracgXzknxF9j_rDDfDycY3yiaBNhvA=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/gYLsMHSgruJBmCzX9-BEnZY9AsqJEATch2hcaJvkVJwjOqd4z0wJkrEBRF-mABLaMnCoY7o_rT02stQvbd-1ytebu3g-WT1tAT_QbfAZgKFOpNKa74hs1s5rREkttSDm2zwt4pVNB8XQv3nc8O_g86OKXBzk_MCk3s-BwFTdvx6cD05Xbhg0Y8rcvmxxLaQdBZvfrFYmy0NCWlcIxW6gVAnCuowFEp_5KUGKFUT1g7VeNKTvYgMmP69ZSFJTUJe-Wh-NMWUpO5Rgi4R8HnPGkPF6wko1yUsyLXcIBwkZJxrqkIxzYYxmblyPTRTLg8eLRUbKrdMqtzX8Iv0J-WMHbbyv0dwh0EhrUA55g12XHzQ7aSXw-NUUU-CqHxW4KlBUFjmMq7yY_9AwKx43dr7jDHbtBTeraKztKG6Qxju3Pu4xu-rNWIYprtZLAqZmouSSGGvoF3hcbibFS-0TtM-BGFZ17xw8XpN96Y7_aSb-L4QrmpvK81OpCCGYnOUKBY70VRahqLavuyMiKx4CojuOwtKt3ZSh3L0BXr79roJsbep_0KsI3MIrfqh7--PKkRVK4KeioFIWiKcjhxwc_sWnP1Fwiji_whlK9ETZbvKcfvV58n4QEfe9BPCdZq6EGWtn8k2UracgXzknxF9j_rDDfDycY3yiaBNhvA=w800-h600-no" /></a></div>
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Like many other climbs, looking around us, the massive mountains made the human figures appear microscopic. We could see faraway, climbers in multi-coloured outfits zig-zagging up the steep slope. The gradient simply got sharper as one ascended. It would come to an end, I was sure. The only question was when. YOLT was limping a little. His injured knee must be starting to bother him.<br />
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Slowly we arrived at a platform of prayer flags and rocks.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"This is the old Kala Patthar top,"</b></span> said Babu. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"But they changed the new top to one that is higher up there because there was some electrical signal problem here." </b></span> I didn't exactly understand what he was saying but it was something to that effect.</blockquote>
So this wasn't the top. Not yet.<br />
Matthew was suffering from frozen fingers.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Ah Sing asked me: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Papa, will my fingers drop off from frostbites like these?"</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Of course not. This is not cold enough. And our exposure is only for a very short period of time."</b></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/p2LJxDejeWhotaTYQJ1NSUoxH2tTveX9oLMW26ZRrP9OVrta6pnP_d7e8yaEqkZxxGSg579Jl2dwO8fOKHDvAb2rdWPVqU1cfcF1bjceFwtDOnYmcAU02abVrma5iawcOl8Ty2PVogYKKVAGW1yTkxuA_Usw8t87TSDLNsMXTK6JVRh1TvzH85ev6vCAh1dtW9Lcdud71wMe3XhV25aG8d63LG6Uer0xb6f2l7HK8PClyEIpj5nhhSWBGAVDZIpgOB9CLGc2wG6t-KUSEc3LVMio9P7TUL0WRRpHRtMdik3vs0NcyUoMltqj1XH8VV8CNs2QZ_6EIDi9gvc5nqWnVT6LCfyHFJvcPlmZ1wk1c0va1bwNBVx2LZWUOY0UwKiWH0MZa5HLVHaEdy1XvNgH-mPhCUDfnd03tXsDR8dfknfTT5oMHRc0wkTZ7WAghH2vj7qN0EBjzsQzkxfCFOVLq6Ub7xqnQ59B7ebQPLWOsCvWo3smDLcQSRj1m_SJC2Jsfo3hnal3bYjS_tlY_q_tA6cl673kF7YioE5eWSHxtWv5gRRJMf2h-JljdSU4SPwbO0YglR_2JcYf7OjOpnFPXwFQTgIqwiNN1RBmQ3F5r29JTdYvJJHnSaOopfyfwdn6KPnVb6yf8TLHxZpWLI7gQegYC9md8j9R=w712-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="712" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/p2LJxDejeWhotaTYQJ1NSUoxH2tTveX9oLMW26ZRrP9OVrta6pnP_d7e8yaEqkZxxGSg579Jl2dwO8fOKHDvAb2rdWPVqU1cfcF1bjceFwtDOnYmcAU02abVrma5iawcOl8Ty2PVogYKKVAGW1yTkxuA_Usw8t87TSDLNsMXTK6JVRh1TvzH85ev6vCAh1dtW9Lcdud71wMe3XhV25aG8d63LG6Uer0xb6f2l7HK8PClyEIpj5nhhSWBGAVDZIpgOB9CLGc2wG6t-KUSEc3LVMio9P7TUL0WRRpHRtMdik3vs0NcyUoMltqj1XH8VV8CNs2QZ_6EIDi9gvc5nqWnVT6LCfyHFJvcPlmZ1wk1c0va1bwNBVx2LZWUOY0UwKiWH0MZa5HLVHaEdy1XvNgH-mPhCUDfnd03tXsDR8dfknfTT5oMHRc0wkTZ7WAghH2vj7qN0EBjzsQzkxfCFOVLq6Ub7xqnQ59B7ebQPLWOsCvWo3smDLcQSRj1m_SJC2Jsfo3hnal3bYjS_tlY_q_tA6cl673kF7YioE5eWSHxtWv5gRRJMf2h-JljdSU4SPwbO0YglR_2JcYf7OjOpnFPXwFQTgIqwiNN1RBmQ3F5r29JTdYvJJHnSaOopfyfwdn6KPnVb6yf8TLHxZpWLI7gQegYC9md8j9R=w712-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old Kala Patthar top looking up towards the new Kala Patthar top. [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I glanced towards that sharp slope on the left leading to the top. There were already several Ang Moh men and women slowly making their ways up.<br />
I looked back at the girls.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Ok, I think that's where we should be heading towards. Come, let's go!"</b></span> I urged them on. And Ah Sing and Ah Li happily followed.</blockquote>
Jeffrey and Jason were already on their way up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/xg1BWGqbJ57qBqBbFLz2WmoO0shNaw0JTG25Xn54J1cblVPx3nhJlIKMLheRRZy8CgQrpUyYp3yyKBWjxir2uJDcagXAXM9noKnxP6wIhMBhEW_S2488eFHw7w7AlThaxY2S9A4yxtjq8PlsUL_0TdiIkXKIBOPGu0m_VYxLwsxJVkUV09hCoiOlkUi8uQi5aBMs4AuzcYcLzlvYjX-HiL7O4Wk9Cs0xbIhutpnQwlqNvIiwsxHrEfq6SLdnCRFEnGF2wgqXIfGMhwlmOilxYN0MxwEukfHRBcagYe6g8DuOXW2LvvxHMsxiHs_WOLThuNqo5dhp7ur1kIbqD_-wi5YnnfMboIDeRlP2bLxyEfzVU3cM0HzPhPWadOVqXJyvQVHXPbtmQ6HrB700C7ZAR0_QBy9mNNmuiDTSiLV0xv6myuz6cuY7BRzjFlYBKbgVX4x4NU50RR_MPhWRYU4Bls4qq8X23BLdanOuHfAAvFG-KqbMiCIilFmS49KXGpgmDU4ynkPhnFzs7pAv4apEgVB7RtzzHnFyI_XMUg3qlt_yZAeFbs6bv4-OP9-mJHFlZBDL7Xr1VA_733vgM9R4C3z1cS3JemGlvLTqoXhm5gJhU5MT_imz6s0IjOG_YmIIFDT-E7vbOgq3WaxZeGjs0e_Jq06dyR5t=w1004-h248-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="1004" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/xg1BWGqbJ57qBqBbFLz2WmoO0shNaw0JTG25Xn54J1cblVPx3nhJlIKMLheRRZy8CgQrpUyYp3yyKBWjxir2uJDcagXAXM9noKnxP6wIhMBhEW_S2488eFHw7w7AlThaxY2S9A4yxtjq8PlsUL_0TdiIkXKIBOPGu0m_VYxLwsxJVkUV09hCoiOlkUi8uQi5aBMs4AuzcYcLzlvYjX-HiL7O4Wk9Cs0xbIhutpnQwlqNvIiwsxHrEfq6SLdnCRFEnGF2wgqXIfGMhwlmOilxYN0MxwEukfHRBcagYe6g8DuOXW2LvvxHMsxiHs_WOLThuNqo5dhp7ur1kIbqD_-wi5YnnfMboIDeRlP2bLxyEfzVU3cM0HzPhPWadOVqXJyvQVHXPbtmQ6HrB700C7ZAR0_QBy9mNNmuiDTSiLV0xv6myuz6cuY7BRzjFlYBKbgVX4x4NU50RR_MPhWRYU4Bls4qq8X23BLdanOuHfAAvFG-KqbMiCIilFmS49KXGpgmDU4ynkPhnFzs7pAv4apEgVB7RtzzHnFyI_XMUg3qlt_yZAeFbs6bv4-OP9-mJHFlZBDL7Xr1VA_733vgM9R4C3z1cS3JemGlvLTqoXhm5gJhU5MT_imz6s0IjOG_YmIIFDT-E7vbOgq3WaxZeGjs0e_Jq06dyR5t=w1004-h248-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama of us starting that last climb to the top. [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The last part of the climb was unsurprisingly difficult, as I had learned to assume after these days of climbing in this region. Rocks were huge and irregular at many parts and we literally had to climb on all fours just to scale a small little rise. My panting became heavier, and my diaphragm toiled to suck more air deeper into my lungs even just to gain a minuscule increase in oxygen molecules diffusion into my blood.<br />
I'd given up watching at my heart rate. Times like these I just wanted to make it to the top. Ah Li was just ahead of me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/daNYBpLza4gOBgecc2090P0W7KdSHM1nxmo3FfPYlFLc3Kgat9vxbVx9N2KU3N6D8l0B6Nx1msxzQT7nJCuufO18MkHIg6JA0M3MsYMi0fMAK_dYHQdNuOcPwdNGrVZ-hYbf8WOCQulkmAGLUqp7Ns8Y0yxhyqFDjuFnAJnTo_GjGAcYNbnZ_ChBN53qcN5CIk6RWlrVnWyUSMwOzQpVIDeuzWDvCEXefKP_BZV43T42JcmEOZZ9n5gy6Ycg3_G4trZrhumh0iHuKp4YfPutg6rnSzq1DFkbohIwoh4hU5SADbTJdz2LEjJGjoi-lovB8D96uRnuXEStfQ30-voCv9B0ORUywmo9CcUxkqJl8vEtjhRxYNyG_aFFGJ3mACi-DBdmGqTt19esiHl7Y10bSo4SbVfFZOYp3AAsjQrsiWXFojkbUOZBloy3sAHvmRplDQ4aXmkh8DFPZiLyjho6Nl0cq9P1JoVt7yrcRfD79_4sI-XUkG7Bc3BCPSfy6Xg3dlecxNZsAcSSNhHSctHziV9rZIuXhecrTGIw3CaTAOQz2MgvTvyE2P1TSQB9XQXp45igMKd3JXnv36FAk2xGXo4pUV9HYMYXFiVl5mUE2OOb67HJxJUMxHHQ2xXunTIttVSgsVOf_L3-PdBtqbIZBe4mrq3QxcD8=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/daNYBpLza4gOBgecc2090P0W7KdSHM1nxmo3FfPYlFLc3Kgat9vxbVx9N2KU3N6D8l0B6Nx1msxzQT7nJCuufO18MkHIg6JA0M3MsYMi0fMAK_dYHQdNuOcPwdNGrVZ-hYbf8WOCQulkmAGLUqp7Ns8Y0yxhyqFDjuFnAJnTo_GjGAcYNbnZ_ChBN53qcN5CIk6RWlrVnWyUSMwOzQpVIDeuzWDvCEXefKP_BZV43T42JcmEOZZ9n5gy6Ycg3_G4trZrhumh0iHuKp4YfPutg6rnSzq1DFkbohIwoh4hU5SADbTJdz2LEjJGjoi-lovB8D96uRnuXEStfQ30-voCv9B0ORUywmo9CcUxkqJl8vEtjhRxYNyG_aFFGJ3mACi-DBdmGqTt19esiHl7Y10bSo4SbVfFZOYp3AAsjQrsiWXFojkbUOZBloy3sAHvmRplDQ4aXmkh8DFPZiLyjho6Nl0cq9P1JoVt7yrcRfD79_4sI-XUkG7Bc3BCPSfy6Xg3dlecxNZsAcSSNhHSctHziV9rZIuXhecrTGIw3CaTAOQz2MgvTvyE2P1TSQB9XQXp45igMKd3JXnv36FAk2xGXo4pUV9HYMYXFiVl5mUE2OOb67HJxJUMxHHQ2xXunTIttVSgsVOf_L3-PdBtqbIZBe4mrq3QxcD8=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This WAS us! Almost reaching the top.. almost, but still a long way. [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/4HjWBeXYw48oox0eG9B2wzGMH6TyvDyAuRhAlDQUF3el_yqk6iwV5rXesjK7LmS9m3FBY1eRatDSAEhjjf2eGKbBSTw2jCd-95ZN39S4ghKON4pR69dd0z2RaCqgSeg3oZuTfWHtsw-F9f1ctcFBm81vpKmgck6t1hkeGFtCvrslbXc3JOs_dF1KJDbdlvOm2eIJkovr4PUHG7kkw7oexXyheRUwUHHsCWk0epl45ET5YBYPcmk98dDQ95QS_Jk168OVZuIaicQOyezbLLitK9DJJdWkFraDMKRXh4g-EnZtHH5OUkkxhgQjIKW3vl-F9aF4PyQP-gYT7fLShc71-VFeFFDvFzuOULqLEKh9qrdkZXVAmQ59ZJXJMlAZw-JOYiA0FjdaqgGdsSE2Fn0g3jZxP2pG9u3texXVKV01MYfAXP7KbJKT6-88BeYpbzddNiAsxP-b4oFFKKe3gupV5kWXdldIdsWWcrup1SNvMJhqlkchGEQSYPKz22DZJKHAC5nHQ1a-I3_6hR5M68prdRKQN-MldM0ur5JvH9VHH2mBOkS71dahBaaRQeoJgqbAxgxAgDm8kjQa9rVa9AmlqcBCAITL56QFUUhLTi_VsJmvdy46KxwREak3d-RqgulS9ymUEsrXKqOC1QSWzO4zZoMtm_uK77Vktg=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/4HjWBeXYw48oox0eG9B2wzGMH6TyvDyAuRhAlDQUF3el_yqk6iwV5rXesjK7LmS9m3FBY1eRatDSAEhjjf2eGKbBSTw2jCd-95ZN39S4ghKON4pR69dd0z2RaCqgSeg3oZuTfWHtsw-F9f1ctcFBm81vpKmgck6t1hkeGFtCvrslbXc3JOs_dF1KJDbdlvOm2eIJkovr4PUHG7kkw7oexXyheRUwUHHsCWk0epl45ET5YBYPcmk98dDQ95QS_Jk168OVZuIaicQOyezbLLitK9DJJdWkFraDMKRXh4g-EnZtHH5OUkkxhgQjIKW3vl-F9aF4PyQP-gYT7fLShc71-VFeFFDvFzuOULqLEKh9qrdkZXVAmQ59ZJXJMlAZw-JOYiA0FjdaqgGdsSE2Fn0g3jZxP2pG9u3texXVKV01MYfAXP7KbJKT6-88BeYpbzddNiAsxP-b4oFFKKe3gupV5kWXdldIdsWWcrup1SNvMJhqlkchGEQSYPKz22DZJKHAC5nHQ1a-I3_6hR5M68prdRKQN-MldM0ur5JvH9VHH2mBOkS71dahBaaRQeoJgqbAxgxAgDm8kjQa9rVa9AmlqcBCAITL56QFUUhLTi_VsJmvdy46KxwREak3d-RqgulS9ymUEsrXKqOC1QSWzO4zZoMtm_uK77Vktg=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down towards the old Kala Patthar top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/nGh68mrveBtOBXZnb-WeZRcadbvYj-dhA7eHxezNutRezzdgCVI-zW3Rwmn4OSsBGiru5lDFjUbKxUPswLWFotZyizj_A2PjXuRZ81ix5xzfY7RqHcN_0OahtYX5vE0pJkGxEs_ABHt0VCFFu0Dsd3dBmglr7wi-vetzc66qJJ7r9iCFPND4SWn8aAc1kZwYR8vdOSSootV3K0UMBAU06zclfx3S5A5e_jpvlVUc_V0irB9pQl3MDGZFxU4f-jbsaTmCqFgLMF2ZcQz3S2sscBXQS07IMDGuM7olObslcqbsBG-jVR5d1I4MLMlpO2hHmCvhTbP0yki3iHFVdGJqgConUVMLwKE-SCj8vVPHwgcZStJCmN20caxSR4Kb4au1v-N2xdjK1Xy-NyOtybTuqHhP7Vm4iHvoOwoMBftFAW5gIZrM4CIMgZ4rkGCNRLc5Xgn1LlZduCQCzKHDGGOa_PFGrDoup6KxH4Xeb6eGnh6y7OTAjx8rPl_6K1uAp_NnkeywQ4o7m_g_ueAmLqbVTX4VZ9yoyUtcye72mn3JJXiJkn0cL4GltWcpfSVn87jPxsiYwdkAa5NpF3rmIs2Xxm8CjHJh-IzopHsX_7gDBV1dtedBnuub5sre2BgwDS6o9aZKl_l6fPBzZrMuRdeKi4u3QVTjWoUCzg=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/nGh68mrveBtOBXZnb-WeZRcadbvYj-dhA7eHxezNutRezzdgCVI-zW3Rwmn4OSsBGiru5lDFjUbKxUPswLWFotZyizj_A2PjXuRZ81ix5xzfY7RqHcN_0OahtYX5vE0pJkGxEs_ABHt0VCFFu0Dsd3dBmglr7wi-vetzc66qJJ7r9iCFPND4SWn8aAc1kZwYR8vdOSSootV3K0UMBAU06zclfx3S5A5e_jpvlVUc_V0irB9pQl3MDGZFxU4f-jbsaTmCqFgLMF2ZcQz3S2sscBXQS07IMDGuM7olObslcqbsBG-jVR5d1I4MLMlpO2hHmCvhTbP0yki3iHFVdGJqgConUVMLwKE-SCj8vVPHwgcZStJCmN20caxSR4Kb4au1v-N2xdjK1Xy-NyOtybTuqHhP7Vm4iHvoOwoMBftFAW5gIZrM4CIMgZ4rkGCNRLc5Xgn1LlZduCQCzKHDGGOa_PFGrDoup6KxH4Xeb6eGnh6y7OTAjx8rPl_6K1uAp_NnkeywQ4o7m_g_ueAmLqbVTX4VZ9yoyUtcye72mn3JJXiJkn0cL4GltWcpfSVn87jPxsiYwdkAa5NpF3rmIs2Xxm8CjHJh-IzopHsX_7gDBV1dtedBnuub5sre2BgwDS6o9aZKl_l6fPBzZrMuRdeKi4u3QVTjWoUCzg=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back as we climbed, the sun finally risen above the peaks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Papa, we are getting near, we are almost there!" </b></span>Ah Li was ecstatic.</blockquote>
A little few more steps... and a few more... add onto that several more steps.. And then, we were there right at the top. Rocks and prayer flags marked the top.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"YES! We've made it!"</b></span></blockquote>
Ah Sing was close behind Ah Li. And Jeffrey and Jason were just beside us. We all arrived at the top almost the same time.<br />
In exuberance we sang Jason a Happy Birthday Song to celebrate his 27th birthday on this day, and we took a group shot with a YOLT banner he brought up for posterity.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>You Only Live Twice</b></span><br />
Talking about YOLT. Jason had a most engaging personal account of his own life when he was involved in a horrific motorbike accident some years back while he was travelling in Cambodia that left him almost crippled, and how he defied all odds to come back and live a full life with all the metal plates in his bodies. Accomplishing EBC and now Kala Patthar was an embodiment of his YOLT philosophy. As an author and a motivational speaker, he had proven not only to himself but to his audience what a whole lot of difference tenacity in one's life would make.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Straight ahead of us, Everest peak stood in its full grandiose, still bluish from the darkness of the morning. The sun was beginning to rise above the peak, but the warm golden rays hadn't hit Everest yet. Was it beautiful seeing Everest from the top of Kala Patthar? In hindsight, it was kind of an anti-climax, I felt. We only managed to see its peak. But that was it. For bragging rights, some would say. For us, it was more for the 5545m.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/YRs6IkdAcCSk_yzNB65B4ZPlYIy9yysodporzEx3M-TG7-HBhV4xhAnO1nhKbUV-B2pMXyJIiEJ_UaOw-8H7EpyJS_zQF_oSOCYtOVpvshJEmxbECwxG0tgf464CjsKz3DU6kbF80vjuVeCbwXP_Ykp5Jf2SzrN-3xs6S0z11rcG1TCrvo06dhW_ekChgkM44y_9BdZThWBCuOMeXR5oyUbQupLhhxc5ZEeTI_mk0KY0f0_74vGxKMDi6wnUaPRRTEbbsAg9j9WF9c0bO561_DgicLT0mIGLmPPotQ7M3khmAdIcRknMTQpVBFmDFafbJXvBzxVbY2ZZ9S-gSyxk5l6N63pcnHk00c4T9xpfe42eBTMH2WXEz-eDm7pE0LVSwYdhveS9pRqFgklEbWoUeZ_9V9Ivdg3yzL8pnHaD5WY-Vz4LQopTZhSvs0y5VOWAWViFX0M3E--dFGg_KVrwepbK-_O6LS_yulJrpZ6-MBe19FLv6HYJgszY82kdPu8u_XYCo19nGqV8bzN1ov6ZOte155rBdVNmob78Ahyp5C5MFmtxxNpUdAvEHEl_R6tuVyjqHyF9dLTYtuSicTpGTLrkr2Ff1yZ6H7aLRwMKMlNnmqHT59HoAEIVhmu2k27qsot-Qjx24SlIw7Cwau9H5vTy68Iibpia=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/YRs6IkdAcCSk_yzNB65B4ZPlYIy9yysodporzEx3M-TG7-HBhV4xhAnO1nhKbUV-B2pMXyJIiEJ_UaOw-8H7EpyJS_zQF_oSOCYtOVpvshJEmxbECwxG0tgf464CjsKz3DU6kbF80vjuVeCbwXP_Ykp5Jf2SzrN-3xs6S0z11rcG1TCrvo06dhW_ekChgkM44y_9BdZThWBCuOMeXR5oyUbQupLhhxc5ZEeTI_mk0KY0f0_74vGxKMDi6wnUaPRRTEbbsAg9j9WF9c0bO561_DgicLT0mIGLmPPotQ7M3khmAdIcRknMTQpVBFmDFafbJXvBzxVbY2ZZ9S-gSyxk5l6N63pcnHk00c4T9xpfe42eBTMH2WXEz-eDm7pE0LVSwYdhveS9pRqFgklEbWoUeZ_9V9Ivdg3yzL8pnHaD5WY-Vz4LQopTZhSvs0y5VOWAWViFX0M3E--dFGg_KVrwepbK-_O6LS_yulJrpZ6-MBe19FLv6HYJgszY82kdPu8u_XYCo19nGqV8bzN1ov6ZOte155rBdVNmob78Ahyp5C5MFmtxxNpUdAvEHEl_R6tuVyjqHyF9dLTYtuSicTpGTLrkr2Ff1yZ6H7aLRwMKMlNnmqHT59HoAEIVhmu2k27qsot-Qjx24SlIw7Cwau9H5vTy68Iibpia=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The golden rays of the sun hitting the peak of Pumori as we struggled upwards. [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My face was anaethetised. My fingers and palms no longer seemed to belong to me. I really didn't know how terrible a state I was in until I saw my photo. My lips and my peri-oral area were so cyanosed I was sure had I measured my oxygen level there and then, any emergency doctor would ambulance me towards the nearest Accident and Emergency Department. I didn't realise I looked so terrible.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/eSnr-zmvSs_0xkP_ybkd4IlIg5KpOHxGbchcGQvsbohhw9AdINSbv-aLo0SBAwUmlC19RXxz0XemJh9XWkYkqlWvjWxnjhhro0F_0B32P9DAGWhwWV-s6kHsV5pNkiprHhRPd6rxSBSqgI0_jJ_m4EHGIaDoUg32w7RrIj6lhyjgU-E7ElWRh585BrY0Io1-r8WuKB3YvBSBRi8fytEZq9m2_CgWNDrv6uMKkty_le6Yyk6U1VtOLYFUHjL72l_IEX3ieHu2jKyeBKE1NbqoVPZotERXjzSd-npBr6llWMYBG8doiJb1_RgASyOxSEPfWiL758hRvzVLOStzlsCvrnVEoLalhScGFzENeYChscU5vjPAvec_7W-Y3zCEMW2p_VQxRouJTzSZ5y3y59Zt-d3UaupcwdKVvdMs-gsePPYavyRGb19FS3UctzKXIQw9I4Cd0POi5uZ6mnNTNpKGmUp7fWIJN3FXRuwmUIp_w2L8nsLeMissQwkdHjaEpdEbJsDUILxggVkb0CeC-oQ-_pYMEcfknOdvLxEMJ2QPtQu4y31UwB_n7_harpu2pqJaezj64h96BcZKcJ_iXvdTi_K1lbvwuyJRnmCGdjFSgBcJ8_z0SCBnDacTMhY1mYfuN9CAlIGZkHJYqu-ZZVhM1U49haVP4oUNIg=w450-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/eSnr-zmvSs_0xkP_ybkd4IlIg5KpOHxGbchcGQvsbohhw9AdINSbv-aLo0SBAwUmlC19RXxz0XemJh9XWkYkqlWvjWxnjhhro0F_0B32P9DAGWhwWV-s6kHsV5pNkiprHhRPd6rxSBSqgI0_jJ_m4EHGIaDoUg32w7RrIj6lhyjgU-E7ElWRh585BrY0Io1-r8WuKB3YvBSBRi8fytEZq9m2_CgWNDrv6uMKkty_le6Yyk6U1VtOLYFUHjL72l_IEX3ieHu2jKyeBKE1NbqoVPZotERXjzSd-npBr6llWMYBG8doiJb1_RgASyOxSEPfWiL758hRvzVLOStzlsCvrnVEoLalhScGFzENeYChscU5vjPAvec_7W-Y3zCEMW2p_VQxRouJTzSZ5y3y59Zt-d3UaupcwdKVvdMs-gsePPYavyRGb19FS3UctzKXIQw9I4Cd0POi5uZ6mnNTNpKGmUp7fWIJN3FXRuwmUIp_w2L8nsLeMissQwkdHjaEpdEbJsDUILxggVkb0CeC-oQ-_pYMEcfknOdvLxEMJ2QPtQu4y31UwB_n7_harpu2pqJaezj64h96BcZKcJ_iXvdTi_K1lbvwuyJRnmCGdjFSgBcJ8_z0SCBnDacTMhY1mYfuN9CAlIGZkHJYqu-ZZVhM1U49haVP4oUNIg=w450-h600-no" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Come, let's take another group photo!"</b></span> and Babu graciously obliged.</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/Zls7HJk14bk_K-aVJ1GS9uWdgrXhYMpcjRZJ1JBe02gTO6UzPA7LgrydIyEEposnyOLRaFqvFA6g3ClpVK9S5X2wOC_d72XAX3avn_0lqu2W8QpwN8Qs3oVmirxTaf-fg9btIcow_2-SFEHCFfHZjZP908QpgZuPaJyIiGvt_Yi6BBQVJSb2XeDDpkf_C5SFrexDdiiKVP0QsEXaBYM9rCzPEt7UVBxsjO5lu0U2Vh2QM54CnXOW8pAs8l18RalolgFYb6Ov8LaEpQrybZwcQ7SXmYLkd5vu5omGLpqZCCc7qgIXT-oMFdYR3DpzMKDKL8JZcK74EknvFwMfw6AkdSjuUVxyOp6DA2S4N_Pxiex4WI8cUD4_Z32luvmuHF1OCpqpZgBS_5XzlLtvxdjdCdBHMSFn45mC6wVXhK650KFJhii8LdYQUBd-K3ZMXzbjNT_BwbEAVdikOz9bYuHxZCj9NdIMUAIVWP-y9CbY8_m7jl51bC2YTEp54-vuew6xvF7YvVRtmA_MVK4zsv03w8L0vvqYY7WgC3F1BdgUCwvf8xPqkWR_r76Kqmnb1DgjzhxohWWlSNHqPHG48Mgtwb6CV9GNfOH4qi4nL54chJn3yw6zr15WVRfLYS8Dy73ry1vw92_blFrPjTru32M7aXP5Jwi0fHOsng=w450-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/Zls7HJk14bk_K-aVJ1GS9uWdgrXhYMpcjRZJ1JBe02gTO6UzPA7LgrydIyEEposnyOLRaFqvFA6g3ClpVK9S5X2wOC_d72XAX3avn_0lqu2W8QpwN8Qs3oVmirxTaf-fg9btIcow_2-SFEHCFfHZjZP908QpgZuPaJyIiGvt_Yi6BBQVJSb2XeDDpkf_C5SFrexDdiiKVP0QsEXaBYM9rCzPEt7UVBxsjO5lu0U2Vh2QM54CnXOW8pAs8l18RalolgFYb6Ov8LaEpQrybZwcQ7SXmYLkd5vu5omGLpqZCCc7qgIXT-oMFdYR3DpzMKDKL8JZcK74EknvFwMfw6AkdSjuUVxyOp6DA2S4N_Pxiex4WI8cUD4_Z32luvmuHF1OCpqpZgBS_5XzlLtvxdjdCdBHMSFn45mC6wVXhK650KFJhii8LdYQUBd-K3ZMXzbjNT_BwbEAVdikOz9bYuHxZCj9NdIMUAIVWP-y9CbY8_m7jl51bC2YTEp54-vuew6xvF7YvVRtmA_MVK4zsv03w8L0vvqYY7WgC3F1BdgUCwvf8xPqkWR_r76Kqmnb1DgjzhxohWWlSNHqPHG48Mgtwb6CV9GNfOH4qi4nL54chJn3yw6zr15WVRfLYS8Dy73ry1vw92_blFrPjTru32M7aXP5Jwi0fHOsng=w450-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Study carefully and you will see that my whole face, my lips and my cheeks were all<br />
deeply cyanosed (blue from a lack of oxygen).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The lighting conditions weren't the best but I couldn't care more. A shot of Ah Sing and Ah Li with Everest jutting out between their heads. That was the one single most important shot for memory's sake.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Wdgb3GBfELNluVO1DYjt3SeJbnB-S3dagYAqi4HJI_gvL06pJnNIrarCAmevsFWRg7ALzUpM0GoYG4aIgoG6Jn1G-ToIN7iwtPK4P13EKUsDYOlzcrMTu-8z_K_pJ1l4dzWZB9a58jaIE3lNL2Bl3gdW8aUpapD6nl4Yd-cDorRK-CXvlrVOk30dzy6dp4OfvnG5rqjHTIDrnmp2_fXSeTFMrFCjesTcNVHuUvuPCc8f7v4OZbeQzzpK7vNtznd1UhpK7Si5aqQWTTw24Oo7fDKQYEgaE2Pvt3LS6lHfcvYJhakKCPwHarc9jQ1l5A4H38rJl542Xbos7zIwJ5lVWAw3gsq4GJYOP3R0BQzcxX3Zj3Ip43lKy3XfK4rzRKnf4TCB2QQa0tXxuCtbU8Rr0O9dzFDauvfJPqV2ycy_C-BnBHwBvENBIZxMaNxFMNLfq8o7Zw63swOESXtuIq8ZWj-P9Eu2qUh8Fgmzi3Co9W9Jn2YlLB95M-WSotcUvte5xau5v57Y6zBWORjhJpQZH0NwPYdQQhL04xjdWxiXmSV4kfbRW58f_yNJhbyPrsDyehtef7xo4XdinRLMAuQr9foQ20G620VXuCEqpfeTT1MSCslLDfn0XVncVbnyNrXxr2yjzEykQnOgUUpd6ezRQ6WOlheA4L19DQ=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Wdgb3GBfELNluVO1DYjt3SeJbnB-S3dagYAqi4HJI_gvL06pJnNIrarCAmevsFWRg7ALzUpM0GoYG4aIgoG6Jn1G-ToIN7iwtPK4P13EKUsDYOlzcrMTu-8z_K_pJ1l4dzWZB9a58jaIE3lNL2Bl3gdW8aUpapD6nl4Yd-cDorRK-CXvlrVOk30dzy6dp4OfvnG5rqjHTIDrnmp2_fXSeTFMrFCjesTcNVHuUvuPCc8f7v4OZbeQzzpK7vNtznd1UhpK7Si5aqQWTTw24Oo7fDKQYEgaE2Pvt3LS6lHfcvYJhakKCPwHarc9jQ1l5A4H38rJl542Xbos7zIwJ5lVWAw3gsq4GJYOP3R0BQzcxX3Zj3Ip43lKy3XfK4rzRKnf4TCB2QQa0tXxuCtbU8Rr0O9dzFDauvfJPqV2ycy_C-BnBHwBvENBIZxMaNxFMNLfq8o7Zw63swOESXtuIq8ZWj-P9Eu2qUh8Fgmzi3Co9W9Jn2YlLB95M-WSotcUvte5xau5v57Y6zBWORjhJpQZH0NwPYdQQhL04xjdWxiXmSV4kfbRW58f_yNJhbyPrsDyehtef7xo4XdinRLMAuQr9foQ20G620VXuCEqpfeTT1MSCslLDfn0XVncVbnyNrXxr2yjzEykQnOgUUpd6ezRQ6WOlheA4L19DQ=w800-h600-no" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Papa, take a shot of our backs, to change your Blog site's main photo,"</b></span> requested Ah Sing. And I obliged.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTd2ow4XIOGSTUcJ6g1p0uyaLRtTPKJb-gNshkLSNW-SjAvGh0uZ1gZz6DucAID_jPdqSL-bx8at6q5p__lAvesg_d033IC0pvWNgt28gpRg94Vn-wZENz_blcxAPWgDNwkeuG9-YI2jQ/w800-h600-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTd2ow4XIOGSTUcJ6g1p0uyaLRtTPKJb-gNshkLSNW-SjAvGh0uZ1gZz6DucAID_jPdqSL-bx8at6q5p__lAvesg_d033IC0pvWNgt28gpRg94Vn-wZENz_blcxAPWgDNwkeuG9-YI2jQ/w800-h600-no/" /></a></div>
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Followed by the obligatory panoramic shot of the area.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/YjOdn8XY7TarWzoS9j0tW-mKYKJgXLRmyx0W43snXx1bNSqN-ha6vaoyWrxElkeuR8fHIGqNE0ToX9e6WikAGKoxNn5gD1AiQfskFUfj_T91b7Qm3lhFd60nLw1uribS8Hzs2mWM238dkLv1KeYe7UtM5ETRnPguT4nPrSMtknu6KEA-tOXHZD_rJzCUj4XF0PCJdH2hlC82ez8nBGjcUuGUoJdAfL3T6d6cdKnxBY8eDtkzMcKc_dkwgme3Cnzi17D2Gfk14lZbA17s96-3aCbqSEcohoST2udsvlVtlh5N0FDMgAUnFHxcqBg6SYIK1FoAGnuNg2EoX-mydCiuvd2ubd0vNoQsTPlMUXR-jQ-lWnxqIiObOEHoq9IRJqZr0MYB84PDN8bzWP8WfVj2YGTCCpfZWsyKOdLHLCgAWgSZUitzACSGuPm9kS3WMEdkyOef_jH1jXWgGtDR5t62XPa0wS5lXkXM_Amdx-foySYbkpSRSoZZ8RKEONwYO-b1yhexMyNLvuHDa2DCKNIvgmxsGqZYyOppxP9xZWVV4ppHWGKPNng6AYViKuZ9JK6chr8syfjtjLZDkgHxW9_rhtzCOPhsM1AbuHOKTEebXpQfwOZ-_bLzmHEWtdHYzB5NG7H6KoHyFz4avlMnazC9nUWq7b82qTeRRQ=w1003-h242-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="241" data-original-width="1003" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/YjOdn8XY7TarWzoS9j0tW-mKYKJgXLRmyx0W43snXx1bNSqN-ha6vaoyWrxElkeuR8fHIGqNE0ToX9e6WikAGKoxNn5gD1AiQfskFUfj_T91b7Qm3lhFd60nLw1uribS8Hzs2mWM238dkLv1KeYe7UtM5ETRnPguT4nPrSMtknu6KEA-tOXHZD_rJzCUj4XF0PCJdH2hlC82ez8nBGjcUuGUoJdAfL3T6d6cdKnxBY8eDtkzMcKc_dkwgme3Cnzi17D2Gfk14lZbA17s96-3aCbqSEcohoST2udsvlVtlh5N0FDMgAUnFHxcqBg6SYIK1FoAGnuNg2EoX-mydCiuvd2ubd0vNoQsTPlMUXR-jQ-lWnxqIiObOEHoq9IRJqZr0MYB84PDN8bzWP8WfVj2YGTCCpfZWsyKOdLHLCgAWgSZUitzACSGuPm9kS3WMEdkyOef_jH1jXWgGtDR5t62XPa0wS5lXkXM_Amdx-foySYbkpSRSoZZ8RKEONwYO-b1yhexMyNLvuHDa2DCKNIvgmxsGqZYyOppxP9xZWVV4ppHWGKPNng6AYViKuZ9JK6chr8syfjtjLZDkgHxW9_rhtzCOPhsM1AbuHOKTEebXpQfwOZ-_bLzmHEWtdHYzB5NG7H6KoHyFz4avlMnazC9nUWq7b82qTeRRQ=w1003-h242-no" /></a></div>
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Slightly below us, Kai Sing was waiting a while at the old Kala Patthar top and then the three of them slowly made their way back down.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/My3J8gpsEZjoYWHAWkd54elmIG-6UnROKJQxLKF_AcIwEizf1H7dD0I6P6VF1MVkF6vzDrp-1M4ZTpXh8qOksggb1LylMU0-AKvr7PzF-LcsKl1PJc8a46DO71MtqxSMxpDVQJYG-i7yVWM9DhOJB3mXRgAMlifzrN2oEYWOJUckzE4PLpc7cl4MG5FLfdnVbSN6kOJpLrkyc0emIDeiw_yVLyeQz9mAfplsfCD47chdhqefRbvHxfVtCDv22QoujN6zD1UoPPAdmApJlixesKNP8nye1WUrsUc3PfmyMiMzZf-SVwAbg8duZ1vy5wQgNKWOL_6ei3bRGzNEF_mSc0BTQrgDz9xfTLOZ1jXjsEJWLHtyk6XnYsSUzWqaKo3qwGqsHSUIXxAGIo8IfQAgTM27dH0oja4vRat4_0PJrvSx1eulzLY7dgIlbx-UNIowE30Sc5jGcG6YNAGvLk-4z3rs-i7BbMeEJX7DL3xUVrY6EVlcfIpYGzpMeAe5F0N4C-MXAdHj49KU9opIrL2EwAnbpGzOOsf4_nx8t4jakfQHhUkJOZG_eCjaYl232hXTULT4gYRA-2KgjkTwLHfy8h9cg7vLblnCMzQl8uk0SzZkIAB0qYpTFnsoUVZfZ7a-qPihoW1-aUk_rgYRzJTIaFkzouG4p04u=w451-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="451" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/My3J8gpsEZjoYWHAWkd54elmIG-6UnROKJQxLKF_AcIwEizf1H7dD0I6P6VF1MVkF6vzDrp-1M4ZTpXh8qOksggb1LylMU0-AKvr7PzF-LcsKl1PJc8a46DO71MtqxSMxpDVQJYG-i7yVWM9DhOJB3mXRgAMlifzrN2oEYWOJUckzE4PLpc7cl4MG5FLfdnVbSN6kOJpLrkyc0emIDeiw_yVLyeQz9mAfplsfCD47chdhqefRbvHxfVtCDv22QoujN6zD1UoPPAdmApJlixesKNP8nye1WUrsUc3PfmyMiMzZf-SVwAbg8duZ1vy5wQgNKWOL_6ei3bRGzNEF_mSc0BTQrgDz9xfTLOZ1jXjsEJWLHtyk6XnYsSUzWqaKo3qwGqsHSUIXxAGIo8IfQAgTM27dH0oja4vRat4_0PJrvSx1eulzLY7dgIlbx-UNIowE30Sc5jGcG6YNAGvLk-4z3rs-i7BbMeEJX7DL3xUVrY6EVlcfIpYGzpMeAe5F0N4C-MXAdHj49KU9opIrL2EwAnbpGzOOsf4_nx8t4jakfQHhUkJOZG_eCjaYl232hXTULT4gYRA-2KgjkTwLHfy8h9cg7vLblnCMzQl8uk0SzZkIAB0qYpTFnsoUVZfZ7a-qPihoW1-aUk_rgYRzJTIaFkzouG4p04u=w451-h600-no" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, Kai Sing, with Everest behind him. <br />
It was freezing. But we could not feel anything any more. [Selfie: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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By the time we started down, the sun had risen and had lit up more parts of the mountains and plateaus around us. Going down was so much easier. At least I knew at 5545m where were were, the oxygen level was at the lowest level of 50%. Thus any further descent would ease the efforts on the pulmonary system.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLsN9oUHnWmh3ju167T9CbvloNrMZtYI0ZHZ7SYdoQH43ZZz577MXTWTsSK-td7XvwYC-Cd860jCKMzl6EYThSwc38ohWbHXjZflHGK0nFGTcS3eVuUcTDCbntDYXC9DnPX5DuVo2a90/w800-h600-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLsN9oUHnWmh3ju167T9CbvloNrMZtYI0ZHZ7SYdoQH43ZZz577MXTWTsSK-td7XvwYC-Cd860jCKMzl6EYThSwc38ohWbHXjZflHGK0nFGTcS3eVuUcTDCbntDYXC9DnPX5DuVo2a90/w800-h600-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally descending.</td></tr>
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Poor Ah Sing took a slip and strained her left knee. But she bravely continued on, despite the pain.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/OSKXxV8-jAu5rSqImFeI0Rpj8Z-JXTo3p8-oRN_nzQSZlR6KfcrzTQvNqiVmXchZ0ztJ_zcY54KeQRKCXouRtlLA59Pa34bevLJTy9qEu3eilPq9OKooo0QpRsmtZPPZsKKB3ff6a--OD167psgpNWMwrt6TxG1oaZlJPfx1oc2INlrfqvC7dNvw2IApNWTI0tTmDX30u90hQ3E2D4FCGvwhwnv4d1YZg_FU_28H4fhHaoTDyQCYHpY3TJ5iJf1TFX6qQApgiodPczNflRDdGSBwem3Wi3lzwgSEs04kIAhoUTlH6Dd7_DTdFZSU1ki4jd1XZZXCXTyLA3kyXlfHXS9fAIkZWmPCxEEWLHzMq45U342eIIpaiMSbHelK7g_87ZfCnp9AYx9AxYnvz8-uez-F_n3r669_1t_s7KIGYDTT_K2hPsBMZToUFyVw5ccP2C6oEkKL8aJ8wPblHFHTHEKhmfCkBc5o08ZoLlkgi1j1dBK-gnOykOptoJONLe5lK5EyoBVHAs1LH54tQBzaT8eunR5VE0MyaAjD9Q9zFUl2U4laiMVHwkpZFr-39kg8MAEHo_zFTo--vt8TIVIuoyezPKaStt_4jM1PuB3TEd4I8qwni3-9s-Jo74WJueWS4M6by5JqpEv--ZxLqwrf_7w0NyzM5CeZzA=w799-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="799" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/OSKXxV8-jAu5rSqImFeI0Rpj8Z-JXTo3p8-oRN_nzQSZlR6KfcrzTQvNqiVmXchZ0ztJ_zcY54KeQRKCXouRtlLA59Pa34bevLJTy9qEu3eilPq9OKooo0QpRsmtZPPZsKKB3ff6a--OD167psgpNWMwrt6TxG1oaZlJPfx1oc2INlrfqvC7dNvw2IApNWTI0tTmDX30u90hQ3E2D4FCGvwhwnv4d1YZg_FU_28H4fhHaoTDyQCYHpY3TJ5iJf1TFX6qQApgiodPczNflRDdGSBwem3Wi3lzwgSEs04kIAhoUTlH6Dd7_DTdFZSU1ki4jd1XZZXCXTyLA3kyXlfHXS9fAIkZWmPCxEEWLHzMq45U342eIIpaiMSbHelK7g_87ZfCnp9AYx9AxYnvz8-uez-F_n3r669_1t_s7KIGYDTT_K2hPsBMZToUFyVw5ccP2C6oEkKL8aJ8wPblHFHTHEKhmfCkBc5o08ZoLlkgi1j1dBK-gnOykOptoJONLe5lK5EyoBVHAs1LH54tQBzaT8eunR5VE0MyaAjD9Q9zFUl2U4laiMVHwkpZFr-39kg8MAEHo_zFTo--vt8TIVIuoyezPKaStt_4jM1PuB3TEd4I8qwni3-9s-Jo74WJueWS4M6by5JqpEv--ZxLqwrf_7w0NyzM5CeZzA=w799-h600-no" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNLYNv0dj-H8ffv7zlvxg4id8_22i1VfKkiFhZFQUrDLO4gXdyF8B5TX-a901Pb9R1Zhrzz6BXEjIpcRorlIpuR83MJ6sTnx514KqfF6rWiwA9yzo-vmWkLRU1wqUxEcpROjbuLDbvr0/w800-h600-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNLYNv0dj-H8ffv7zlvxg4id8_22i1VfKkiFhZFQUrDLO4gXdyF8B5TX-a901Pb9R1Zhrzz6BXEjIpcRorlIpuR83MJ6sTnx514KqfF6rWiwA9yzo-vmWkLRU1wqUxEcpROjbuLDbvr0/w800-h600-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was only now that it was bright enough to see the sign.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We could see Kai Sing, Zaid and Matthew some distance in front walking down slowly. The flat plain didn't look far, but it would take us some time to even set foot on the dust there. Adrian gave us three and a half hour to do the climb and back. We took all of four hours and eighteen minutes. But that was good enough.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/WcYVnS-AMB7Zzwv1My1nlRo7-wHjZf-Q51pZqj23YmgKpXYhKDdDIZiHSREqMX1nOxdblKqM6uJf7CJrAfk2eHT3xodRXZxl_34hPANuYfOoOhOd7ojf9Bdp3urt6T_hi-3xjofLEXb4HdLVxnzZpEe3p9HQ0u3U7PKbNsU_sNqPHR9OAAKtmB-slX179WVSyoV5Bzvf41QBRWpTe1LYzLwWuxIm3Yrge1Gu1q7PzmCMsN5f2imiXY5hsDZp530n3aJPb8NuuOd2oy_2bk7t8Cx4ZliiaXrUkBO90SMjmt123RSj1IbYrxViTlIohSkec9re2fuXit6ES3WMLbiwnE1N6gKl_Tep7-t5mS2iX1VMowkAU3K8bcxB7rcd46B4n9kGSoek3rR6cGq7U1YjciSXNqkLAvwtSZ1iWOxksImDH47Ai3mbmBcMisAojJAWgk1Y9PPCbr8oXfjihKRSkUvT3CLtYpQq8hhBu01EYhBeAmPH_F0Pq13d6d3-jESp2i_h-K9_jRLNuhqcRcRTi37pe2fQ5ftkQoo20k6-B2wApX-emmA3rwlJYC34sJTHOs5yKEVs7F2jfB6m7Si8qg443hp30rROqxToibhKyE5ednHV716psI6m7AIQBgs8DYE5ofslZax2ZkRK_MHiX8KxoqUBqii4=w1003-h370-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="1003" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/WcYVnS-AMB7Zzwv1My1nlRo7-wHjZf-Q51pZqj23YmgKpXYhKDdDIZiHSREqMX1nOxdblKqM6uJf7CJrAfk2eHT3xodRXZxl_34hPANuYfOoOhOd7ojf9Bdp3urt6T_hi-3xjofLEXb4HdLVxnzZpEe3p9HQ0u3U7PKbNsU_sNqPHR9OAAKtmB-slX179WVSyoV5Bzvf41QBRWpTe1LYzLwWuxIm3Yrge1Gu1q7PzmCMsN5f2imiXY5hsDZp530n3aJPb8NuuOd2oy_2bk7t8Cx4ZliiaXrUkBO90SMjmt123RSj1IbYrxViTlIohSkec9re2fuXit6ES3WMLbiwnE1N6gKl_Tep7-t5mS2iX1VMowkAU3K8bcxB7rcd46B4n9kGSoek3rR6cGq7U1YjciSXNqkLAvwtSZ1iWOxksImDH47Ai3mbmBcMisAojJAWgk1Y9PPCbr8oXfjihKRSkUvT3CLtYpQq8hhBu01EYhBeAmPH_F0Pq13d6d3-jESp2i_h-K9_jRLNuhqcRcRTi37pe2fQ5ftkQoo20k6-B2wApX-emmA3rwlJYC34sJTHOs5yKEVs7F2jfB6m7Si8qg443hp30rROqxToibhKyE5ednHV716psI6m7AIQBgs8DYE5ofslZax2ZkRK_MHiX8KxoqUBqii4=w1003-h370-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YES! Finally almost back to the guesthouse! Job done! [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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Sabinn Rai did a great job carrying my daypack for me. But when we reached our guesthouse, we found that we could suck no more water from our bottle because it had frozen into ice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcxOmMldU3PxGKZxtqXqMuWkyZ4FzQIuPbR6Nvm-zbdRAqluVVeaUzHIPwkltF_6lGmkBMBURn1rrKkbbSn9cDX5wLXQHcX1bt3TStOMFiAh0lV6wZrvdDYFyK15z1RjGcAceYypS4-k/w450-h600-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcxOmMldU3PxGKZxtqXqMuWkyZ4FzQIuPbR6Nvm-zbdRAqluVVeaUzHIPwkltF_6lGmkBMBURn1rrKkbbSn9cDX5wLXQHcX1bt3TStOMFiAh0lV6wZrvdDYFyK15z1RjGcAceYypS4-k/w450-h600-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By the time we returned to the guesthouse... </td></tr>
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As a congratulatory gift, Kong Wan and Ai Lin bought me this special gift which I framed up and proudly displayed on the table behind my chair in the clinic. My gratitude!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxofqrIbTRt9NCDjQbPoq4T-TSGiTybPJt4kR5qHffnr40clWHwjJWoFPL1Y2zLtKLPIOMzX9jMTZGPlcyL9WABZme0xtSTbBUFchLmVio_5OTPbZzCMpcDJt9PnM1_hPzaPmyfTOlDY/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxofqrIbTRt9NCDjQbPoq4T-TSGiTybPJt4kR5qHffnr40clWHwjJWoFPL1Y2zLtKLPIOMzX9jMTZGPlcyL9WABZme0xtSTbBUFchLmVio_5OTPbZzCMpcDJt9PnM1_hPzaPmyfTOlDY/w859-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">EBC TREK Day 10 ~ </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Re-attempting EBC again, just so that she could reach the NEW EBC - Fann's goal!</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">27 Nov 2017</span></b><br />
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Meanwhile, at 6:15am, Fann set off with Sharan towards the new EBC.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/ln2yTONAS6hhCEaRaUKSiC_QLY9yKUUm7YBwnuraT_0nVS0lAv9SipJxXyEBJR7mOR1pzwO57NE4OuRe4-eScKgplRRIE8CZpAGDhYzUYOf2DQkLkNN9TfkM0fR2nxy36eIwUxMrSW5gC44e5DfjtO-oKmJpMg9qKyej0iTy-ycVmQl8dVpjLBCmEuwKksimnHOJA6PiAXSe7wp9vU5-zGPxoYq8QtbcSsKOMawLrd2SqYMJkC_-pOcMf8G7ni7bdUh5AG_QAvnu5_V8jU9heNi-ckgOkBoYP_bL0YfHfPqV7ReN4UUvLZx7fwd9YGotN88K65OvNKBuT54UmOeQkL741IaVMlnuvLNHRvJzZesZFotnUt-FmaAVs2ePyIcHKhDkwuJ2qWrf584CMLQDS6Us1rdVC9zxxlupqROFogNSCUhZMJG-_0Ihzdc8QC2odyZFh4jI9TBvdlEvHzxLI2QWKHLafjJK6qwCzoVtXwRjl0aClOju6nN1sp7-S35Mqe5Xamx6mdPy5iQ86-TT5xnTeIx3-fVk9tesBnT9ebu7JHZmddfeMnluhW0VoenuCHJc4pAfUhhSJCHXCcM1dSRFzkwBlp3e_3sdjGwQA-ZkPHAzCyYB7_CBgWECf_eqa_x-lrML0GHE0niuee1uGJp5_NAOXK4F=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/ln2yTONAS6hhCEaRaUKSiC_QLY9yKUUm7YBwnuraT_0nVS0lAv9SipJxXyEBJR7mOR1pzwO57NE4OuRe4-eScKgplRRIE8CZpAGDhYzUYOf2DQkLkNN9TfkM0fR2nxy36eIwUxMrSW5gC44e5DfjtO-oKmJpMg9qKyej0iTy-ycVmQl8dVpjLBCmEuwKksimnHOJA6PiAXSe7wp9vU5-zGPxoYq8QtbcSsKOMawLrd2SqYMJkC_-pOcMf8G7ni7bdUh5AG_QAvnu5_V8jU9heNi-ckgOkBoYP_bL0YfHfPqV7ReN4UUvLZx7fwd9YGotN88K65OvNKBuT54UmOeQkL741IaVMlnuvLNHRvJzZesZFotnUt-FmaAVs2ePyIcHKhDkwuJ2qWrf584CMLQDS6Us1rdVC9zxxlupqROFogNSCUhZMJG-_0Ihzdc8QC2odyZFh4jI9TBvdlEvHzxLI2QWKHLafjJK6qwCzoVtXwRjl0aClOju6nN1sp7-S35Mqe5Xamx6mdPy5iQ86-TT5xnTeIx3-fVk9tesBnT9ebu7JHZmddfeMnluhW0VoenuCHJc4pAfUhhSJCHXCcM1dSRFzkwBlp3e_3sdjGwQA-ZkPHAzCyYB7_CBgWECf_eqa_x-lrML0GHE0niuee1uGJp5_NAOXK4F=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kai Sing already predicted that Fann would make it back in record time.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"She is super fast one. She is the can one,"</b></span> insisted Kai Sing.</blockquote>
And Kai Sing was correct. In fact, Fann enjoyed her second time trekking to EBC so much that she hardly took any pictures.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I just walked with Sharan and enjoyed the views,"</b></span> she said.</blockquote>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/xbRdvYMmwN6_jueuSnIA8efc18mrjYdhua59PLyE66YJOOCp7UA_pWFvzcbEI-EyDPjk0xuJ5yC6DGg5ZIZQ0pH0ElQKJvzC0-rwpn89Iu4TyUjKZnb5_eY3e54GVLTm2lvTH_FsIr5_HHzL0_0CmxQmTpkoSVx436qK_JwTglSm3u6313SGYrE2vlKJExlj1b86u0yFVX56F3nNjD0e0i-q8Z0Hv5j84YWi4osAybBWls-WS9nzAz0CRSVpljTGkpBIzrz_x0P-cRb4R6B2DQTfvC3oPY0vLg5kNeqTohh_skEZZHthgNQn5zPuJBHrJGM8kFMGPcj_TxsldIxIMMipkAPAsphtN8NdcneGRnXL_vnTCRSXpiN-OA-KwnvFzJZbDpvug_QxvrxlBscVYN8BNvTj-2x68lMQcrGjOR7lf4EXVLce2OTQFiqr3YmeQfaAkkk74weV_Y-3B76M62wBVz55hajbx1DtMrNg0xlL1O5El-2JBiAfWD54t9tfzKl9c66eDvzQkl5hkzGwL3Fq5abMqeEI0HJDzJWCKNaSc_gqrlMryRBxPyZpZyd3WoQETEbwR3P-w0KHeMqStrMJpMVo7pifN8aFSkhLpweQcgHqrrlXeC8hJvk8-E_wWc3fnzoWqpgES2wrKcW2l9EIDjnHGpSd=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/xbRdvYMmwN6_jueuSnIA8efc18mrjYdhua59PLyE66YJOOCp7UA_pWFvzcbEI-EyDPjk0xuJ5yC6DGg5ZIZQ0pH0ElQKJvzC0-rwpn89Iu4TyUjKZnb5_eY3e54GVLTm2lvTH_FsIr5_HHzL0_0CmxQmTpkoSVx436qK_JwTglSm3u6313SGYrE2vlKJExlj1b86u0yFVX56F3nNjD0e0i-q8Z0Hv5j84YWi4osAybBWls-WS9nzAz0CRSVpljTGkpBIzrz_x0P-cRb4R6B2DQTfvC3oPY0vLg5kNeqTohh_skEZZHthgNQn5zPuJBHrJGM8kFMGPcj_TxsldIxIMMipkAPAsphtN8NdcneGRnXL_vnTCRSXpiN-OA-KwnvFzJZbDpvug_QxvrxlBscVYN8BNvTj-2x68lMQcrGjOR7lf4EXVLce2OTQFiqr3YmeQfaAkkk74weV_Y-3B76M62wBVz55hajbx1DtMrNg0xlL1O5El-2JBiAfWD54t9tfzKl9c66eDvzQkl5hkzGwL3Fq5abMqeEI0HJDzJWCKNaSc_gqrlMryRBxPyZpZyd3WoQETEbwR3P-w0KHeMqStrMJpMVo7pifN8aFSkhLpweQcgHqrrlXeC8hJvk8-E_wWc3fnzoWqpgES2wrKcW2l9EIDjnHGpSd=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When asked if it was tough for her, she replied:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Actually no leh. I didn't feel it was difficult at all," </b></span>said the 45kg young lady.</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That was that. Totally no lasa for her. I believed she broke the Singaporean record of a three hours seven minutes trek from Gorak Shep to new EBC and back. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Actually both me and Sharan, we had to each take a poop along the trek, and I had to take a pee,"</b></span> said Fann. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"If it hadn't been for the pooping and peeing, I think I would have made it back sub-3 hours. So like that can consider below three hours or not ah?"</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Of course not!"</b></span> I replied, <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Even when you do an Ironman, the time you take to pee and poop and change clothing and such are all included in your final timing." </span></b></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/KQrf1neMtNgBiAgUgCuP7WT3yDkO-fg96vacvxhmujSCdZfPGl3qx6SatmC8aCJ2emtH7MPPw0NY1gT8XXCBoGvb2HoUX_wSzZww8ulWDY30mWjdcFj5riGDJWbNHQO7MAr1B0HqTN7udM7PZxfohVxIIUw8q1qOBdY6mqoThK4vBDJMLyVaU1MhNhPhCwk3PJfIR4f2h05bCNK4hJSMonbW7FPLJd8JZjci6ZJSaY7Dt88Nw_9Ytfl27c2e-RfFcl8Vgh6pH2JvriNr8PCjpLPWdfVzmjY6Mo97M_Yceysn-pL2s92OXsQRx82TkZCHA5xnr3GCG_zNXzD8cH-ch9hrlTYVNeUHyUYDXebr7_kU6WA3q_CSsmu4M_2op6cDgTGGlt9yH1zG6vU3CJvBA8D8w7uwVfRlcUQgVDIobO-R53WvhBWIDCwo81Pt7fXhkpd28ImFUS9BYlINZ7vDsUlI06AFatLWPu7C6l1_-NWZQrg5AWreM2Mhgpl_3x6Nb41UBJLm6cg8U_iXYjq0hB3N284HX6Oxd6DjduQD_ZfWticcGte12zCf0AId9A2FIxiXqgvp75mU-ERrgIvJgDCsrMIH3CQszO5zRQDIH2z_M7pQW0DGDAJUcXcO77tpkPg_83rrAuvafBfSo96V2ErkssFsDc1b=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/KQrf1neMtNgBiAgUgCuP7WT3yDkO-fg96vacvxhmujSCdZfPGl3qx6SatmC8aCJ2emtH7MPPw0NY1gT8XXCBoGvb2HoUX_wSzZww8ulWDY30mWjdcFj5riGDJWbNHQO7MAr1B0HqTN7udM7PZxfohVxIIUw8q1qOBdY6mqoThK4vBDJMLyVaU1MhNhPhCwk3PJfIR4f2h05bCNK4hJSMonbW7FPLJd8JZjci6ZJSaY7Dt88Nw_9Ytfl27c2e-RfFcl8Vgh6pH2JvriNr8PCjpLPWdfVzmjY6Mo97M_Yceysn-pL2s92OXsQRx82TkZCHA5xnr3GCG_zNXzD8cH-ch9hrlTYVNeUHyUYDXebr7_kU6WA3q_CSsmu4M_2op6cDgTGGlt9yH1zG6vU3CJvBA8D8w7uwVfRlcUQgVDIobO-R53WvhBWIDCwo81Pt7fXhkpd28ImFUS9BYlINZ7vDsUlI06AFatLWPu7C6l1_-NWZQrg5AWreM2Mhgpl_3x6Nb41UBJLm6cg8U_iXYjq0hB3N284HX6Oxd6DjduQD_ZfWticcGte12zCf0AId9A2FIxiXqgvp75mU-ERrgIvJgDCsrMIH3CQszO5zRQDIH2z_M7pQW0DGDAJUcXcO77tpkPg_83rrAuvafBfSo96V2ErkssFsDc1b=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The New EBC! [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But she was contented. Job was done on both ends - for her at the new EBC, and for Ah Sing, Ah Li and I, at Kala Patthar.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/9PabVM3yqkhcaOjKJDEV639frtDAQO_hUFwc7ED90jHyltjWUe0NIA-9QfjW6VNc5TTrtk9Gfh7BP3R-44bIi03otad-qX8nRxUBtP_PFHeDZ-yyJXdipFtqxGew1RGDbu5HqRMcGbZowy9uVll8jXmsAOf6b0V91DUMhpF8Y98EEEnj6aeuggreQw42TmZUlNPmYIXtBp5scSeyNRiOZQUJppfB3GvGfTI2o9vLc9e5dFMtNbtoYktziOE6jDYI8j0woUNeNmTHzT6wvJyrL-V9Gx47Xsk4TBa9Q8A91VyQl-SkNVP6i_4_M79rriaGh2ny73iaW1DYGDM7Od2yiN_fnEuvHDqvXNQjWOQI0vOc3TZsS21HNMGS2IMPKX9x5SW7rGd1DSr-2eqEWtfbtnnvwaamFhKGD-M_GfhfmFWMrEfN967KSd3JKm4ZOoHn5_i5-EbarmTIKMfsjFcfbCIY0rsBTEXYRvmi3jN1broYmoi6cYsAAUzRPvuhHH3yUAOxwORFQFOGj1Sw8HmwhaDLOamntP4GlDcL7CTjHRJEWzOFFAjDcLJoHSEw3M98_9RatJ2KspORYuuk3LLrrnTpa0qHpda_GveH_85R4JpGxLMinoVvD1-Gy9FK-XZmZektkQhvZj-fTGUgjfEeY28sNq3PDqm-=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/9PabVM3yqkhcaOjKJDEV639frtDAQO_hUFwc7ED90jHyltjWUe0NIA-9QfjW6VNc5TTrtk9Gfh7BP3R-44bIi03otad-qX8nRxUBtP_PFHeDZ-yyJXdipFtqxGew1RGDbu5HqRMcGbZowy9uVll8jXmsAOf6b0V91DUMhpF8Y98EEEnj6aeuggreQw42TmZUlNPmYIXtBp5scSeyNRiOZQUJppfB3GvGfTI2o9vLc9e5dFMtNbtoYktziOE6jDYI8j0woUNeNmTHzT6wvJyrL-V9Gx47Xsk4TBa9Q8A91VyQl-SkNVP6i_4_M79rriaGh2ny73iaW1DYGDM7Od2yiN_fnEuvHDqvXNQjWOQI0vOc3TZsS21HNMGS2IMPKX9x5SW7rGd1DSr-2eqEWtfbtnnvwaamFhKGD-M_GfhfmFWMrEfN967KSd3JKm4ZOoHn5_i5-EbarmTIKMfsjFcfbCIY0rsBTEXYRvmi3jN1broYmoi6cYsAAUzRPvuhHH3yUAOxwORFQFOGj1Sw8HmwhaDLOamntP4GlDcL7CTjHRJEWzOFFAjDcLJoHSEw3M98_9RatJ2KspORYuuk3LLrrnTpa0qHpda_GveH_85R4JpGxLMinoVvD1-Gy9FK-XZmZektkQhvZj-fTGUgjfEeY28sNq3PDqm-=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We were really grateful to our guides and to Adrian for making such arrangements to accommodate us.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Kala Patthar is optional,"</b></span>Adrian had always maintained.</blockquote>
But we refused to accept the optional condition. Hahaha... And now even a second round to the new EBC was thrown into the itinerary, for Adrian realised how OCD Fann was when it came to completion.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/rWWtvYV5UsFpmrzTSaqITUQbBBoYYHhOCkpJtK6DrFXOXQfPW3W6rJiMdKxWo4tOgOpAguEz5kdZnsrhS--qPZXt40xIt0Twgms2SsZzqrETUQAD3pNuDwhk6IKUvCbE-tkeJCfFPoZWVbFcc1zT5sMQ1Tp38beYIe2PLzewOdM_CDleExbFHEpcfVkggdWdcZZDgXsGvD9iz629XPh7lQlriTladdQVth42z1m3R_-LPxB76K7yxsUOOadd2XDMTgS8-PKFA4N80klAvDoSWsuGEThCCQFQXXDpPEZjN1mwOtogHAs2XJGrSYK49w0-1L1KeylE7e_AI4HQeusHKsao3fLZfQdzKOemL8OhWQOPwglkT9ADpuuS9v7EZd-gojcbXCSHmdy_HDGRej5WqHJwUcvrmpfw-O6WKA5iaRuQ5_Nj0lYfFPFG96Umkt6HqWCdz204vcpXAkETTudcFQVQmPK8d8Yz_MpU_HFfBT2w6AwnhtO_yqpUHZ4DiSOwzHccWeohhTSjvcMSwIagjzRsxFIucP1M7cqOyQ32CHfdnwRaRpL_wjKD4FoG468dqQcj3qXw8U4q4OOZGL3kUiPRYVS8nMdiLJ1BKnx_09FxeD2IQkr85zf98CGpxa48PVqkEFz3chX2odIdA8QVkqc-vIbyV1xN=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/rWWtvYV5UsFpmrzTSaqITUQbBBoYYHhOCkpJtK6DrFXOXQfPW3W6rJiMdKxWo4tOgOpAguEz5kdZnsrhS--qPZXt40xIt0Twgms2SsZzqrETUQAD3pNuDwhk6IKUvCbE-tkeJCfFPoZWVbFcc1zT5sMQ1Tp38beYIe2PLzewOdM_CDleExbFHEpcfVkggdWdcZZDgXsGvD9iz629XPh7lQlriTladdQVth42z1m3R_-LPxB76K7yxsUOOadd2XDMTgS8-PKFA4N80klAvDoSWsuGEThCCQFQXXDpPEZjN1mwOtogHAs2XJGrSYK49w0-1L1KeylE7e_AI4HQeusHKsao3fLZfQdzKOemL8OhWQOPwglkT9ADpuuS9v7EZd-gojcbXCSHmdy_HDGRej5WqHJwUcvrmpfw-O6WKA5iaRuQ5_Nj0lYfFPFG96Umkt6HqWCdz204vcpXAkETTudcFQVQmPK8d8Yz_MpU_HFfBT2w6AwnhtO_yqpUHZ4DiSOwzHccWeohhTSjvcMSwIagjzRsxFIucP1M7cqOyQ32CHfdnwRaRpL_wjKD4FoG468dqQcj3qXw8U4q4OOZGL3kUiPRYVS8nMdiLJ1BKnx_09FxeD2IQkr85zf98CGpxa48PVqkEFz3chX2odIdA8QVkqc-vIbyV1xN=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was most likely the moment when Sharan could not tahan but had to take a poop at EBC. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/3wFTAqDTg1OaMbpsHgEjux9dNOlxngvE12DLi5T0k5qqbul3c-WAiVKbL9i_bAjI3Qbgq3wrXxALzNWo93tec6X2Ef4B3T5GOyhOaAoFNhnUQAl9DRug-RNKt1Xy1zT91Sh_zHz1ZltghxTxmO5P_CeodUSNEfXap_KUU4cJowjCNCy3hHPX7Mt9Td7NkEodcSUwQ4fbPMruaFgr2b07kNy9ceYbAsDnZ1UGgJgenYyhUQXHDz1_Rqk68XvLb74rS5yxTroqPvvmuOY6zw-q6ftE6RV_JYpxK10DUUvlez2l3pvKyDLebXKr2wvzTOk4mriz6Z4tlqXWB_xGP4k9MhDZ1fdofBcOOBeO0MRz9MdpXOlP_PSG6xwViY1m0_fgADPZKrzvSyQEZCt6Zdq24nRmf3sdx_HlU48AOn2sSU3zeKDXRraxG_4gnYyevYnzCU1LixYlwaa_Ykir0nDCIiqUFRh-_hm_K1tMmt1M5Yat0IrO0YcZRIe3mwlMInZUDKsbIOnMPxEPOHuQ_v1p79Hs436rPd2qESarEwYpithT68aiAbEQrhF9SAN4XyFaTf-VTSl1LedUldPlhzZhEK5uH1gXK42pejTtm4VBuKSqyoC5w6syVfnyN7z52ywjdhdjWNN7tLt6NHdNFNp7xHoFKQdmy1rT=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/3wFTAqDTg1OaMbpsHgEjux9dNOlxngvE12DLi5T0k5qqbul3c-WAiVKbL9i_bAjI3Qbgq3wrXxALzNWo93tec6X2Ef4B3T5GOyhOaAoFNhnUQAl9DRug-RNKt1Xy1zT91Sh_zHz1ZltghxTxmO5P_CeodUSNEfXap_KUU4cJowjCNCy3hHPX7Mt9Td7NkEodcSUwQ4fbPMruaFgr2b07kNy9ceYbAsDnZ1UGgJgenYyhUQXHDz1_Rqk68XvLb74rS5yxTroqPvvmuOY6zw-q6ftE6RV_JYpxK10DUUvlez2l3pvKyDLebXKr2wvzTOk4mriz6Z4tlqXWB_xGP4k9MhDZ1fdofBcOOBeO0MRz9MdpXOlP_PSG6xwViY1m0_fgADPZKrzvSyQEZCt6Zdq24nRmf3sdx_HlU48AOn2sSU3zeKDXRraxG_4gnYyevYnzCU1LixYlwaa_Ykir0nDCIiqUFRh-_hm_K1tMmt1M5Yat0IrO0YcZRIe3mwlMInZUDKsbIOnMPxEPOHuQ_v1p79Hs436rPd2qESarEwYpithT68aiAbEQrhF9SAN4XyFaTf-VTSl1LedUldPlhzZhEK5uH1gXK42pejTtm4VBuKSqyoC5w6syVfnyN7z52ywjdhdjWNN7tLt6NHdNFNp7xHoFKQdmy1rT=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very pleased Fann and a happy Sharan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/7PaHbFx89d7vt4gLIW7Vfwt2dVS0qrAeNg902GrWFeLhH3Z2Rn3xvJJRsvcaUmpkrMxZS-_vKmjRwaHGP1CmpTC5JdGG9qkRCGrSf1pgHUgnBplGRoRJqP_d0b78_KV5Uq7wfJvYMG0nzlVCdlSmiy8osiP3LNbBythBJXEqveS4giq-kIkpRsvkm7yOh_K4jG9MDmB9JsMj1L13cqk0LgE6_8nXE4YTO5-Pwj4Q_NuBGJBGiyYjpAqP3ZWd1oqQpqbJl0NLVKK1vzWqkNm8a_V980YVXfV7pt3B_vZh-paWCeEoVrCai5VKS-FHWdbpTuTkrd_Gg1yXZbl51D6WEr6DYWUiNtvMRv3ka_ey5kIxBXmKNJSSNH8uO5BuSTGd8jvpPHIv7GWDV2DZwWnyRXxtj6eqCdETcuuDxDvh5bSLNYETJXJeSka40bPo-GUISvba5JsVwOXBTEwjRAZm_F6sGLPFz9F1gBOXGDve-G4NGNJBeljx7oZIKPRAC8c-paYelSZ-e2Url68W21Irj7SV8fGDta9Hev7emQWZGAlYACgsZQcBxaOq4fX5spS2wxh23XcoJ_4MPZVUMRMTjnr8_k6i5RR9PgNSJUB7-ESD-2AOWy4bqjukyq3Y2LNfdCoTZbtX-DPppbHDBN0bkwcVBlEP2xUt=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/7PaHbFx89d7vt4gLIW7Vfwt2dVS0qrAeNg902GrWFeLhH3Z2Rn3xvJJRsvcaUmpkrMxZS-_vKmjRwaHGP1CmpTC5JdGG9qkRCGrSf1pgHUgnBplGRoRJqP_d0b78_KV5Uq7wfJvYMG0nzlVCdlSmiy8osiP3LNbBythBJXEqveS4giq-kIkpRsvkm7yOh_K4jG9MDmB9JsMj1L13cqk0LgE6_8nXE4YTO5-Pwj4Q_NuBGJBGiyYjpAqP3ZWd1oqQpqbJl0NLVKK1vzWqkNm8a_V980YVXfV7pt3B_vZh-paWCeEoVrCai5VKS-FHWdbpTuTkrd_Gg1yXZbl51D6WEr6DYWUiNtvMRv3ka_ey5kIxBXmKNJSSNH8uO5BuSTGd8jvpPHIv7GWDV2DZwWnyRXxtj6eqCdETcuuDxDvh5bSLNYETJXJeSka40bPo-GUISvba5JsVwOXBTEwjRAZm_F6sGLPFz9F1gBOXGDve-G4NGNJBeljx7oZIKPRAC8c-paYelSZ-e2Url68W21Irj7SV8fGDta9Hev7emQWZGAlYACgsZQcBxaOq4fX5spS2wxh23XcoJ_4MPZVUMRMTjnr8_k6i5RR9PgNSJUB7-ESD-2AOWy4bqjukyq3Y2LNfdCoTZbtX-DPppbHDBN0bkwcVBlEP2xUt=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After both had done their poops. It was time to return to Gorak Shep. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/o9fUz7h8QhUA9Qo93IR5dHrFL_wRIkF0KYZtWVyolL-dv0QTrWR1ODIND7jtUS2rtEkE1p3mibnJTPZG1hvu4suEEX-KRMxjjM2OnTCu-McjftcbUnoYDNxNNx11gdyaggI9x4qX_eJUFBORQvsOtaLE0adCdYGE2eT7skggt_ivmzw2JZOgirRQ3aRYnPnkBtt6ridq2FuP8XZih8i6uzNMsh08nM_tWlv6lwTwKT_BFtRf3rp7MylvCflT0A_8xWL7GygAbFuNUxqVPHZyd8ny1K-FUtwflQ5Yz23_Ss9s_jKcTuLH_7_FoojyHhnvdeBRTsB8BnfFeKdAAs1s5m6G5Gw86j3w-Iqy2UIQ9IAMv4QLj1Do0b_Ganx80FygVHJc4lwkqD-kCD5gU462JTwMi78Qi_R8e_ZfzmhnGl-YAJcoWU3FUblLn1FpEmt5QUXXdN7bbvr919uo4QuaxcAKZifJAh1L47VpqY7xiHQTwrlm99uGAnpyv3X15tS9KpjoYJV-QY4jpp4zcN_9hfbkcY6Brh_KILdEvC75vXfK1IscG-1AOuPk1Q2g0uCOM4-53F-9j66uizo3uU1VkzN1NFRGv5LqPqYxaG32nJzgdNSz0Z68gvEzCxEtq_XWj5nVFoA97sy7GZBzJW746XpWRCxncARN=w800-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/o9fUz7h8QhUA9Qo93IR5dHrFL_wRIkF0KYZtWVyolL-dv0QTrWR1ODIND7jtUS2rtEkE1p3mibnJTPZG1hvu4suEEX-KRMxjjM2OnTCu-McjftcbUnoYDNxNNx11gdyaggI9x4qX_eJUFBORQvsOtaLE0adCdYGE2eT7skggt_ivmzw2JZOgirRQ3aRYnPnkBtt6ridq2FuP8XZih8i6uzNMsh08nM_tWlv6lwTwKT_BFtRf3rp7MylvCflT0A_8xWL7GygAbFuNUxqVPHZyd8ny1K-FUtwflQ5Yz23_Ss9s_jKcTuLH_7_FoojyHhnvdeBRTsB8BnfFeKdAAs1s5m6G5Gw86j3w-Iqy2UIQ9IAMv4QLj1Do0b_Ganx80FygVHJc4lwkqD-kCD5gU462JTwMi78Qi_R8e_ZfzmhnGl-YAJcoWU3FUblLn1FpEmt5QUXXdN7bbvr919uo4QuaxcAKZifJAh1L47VpqY7xiHQTwrlm99uGAnpyv3X15tS9KpjoYJV-QY4jpp4zcN_9hfbkcY6Brh_KILdEvC75vXfK1IscG-1AOuPk1Q2g0uCOM4-53F-9j66uizo3uU1VkzN1NFRGv5LqPqYxaG32nJzgdNSz0Z68gvEzCxEtq_XWj5nVFoA97sy7GZBzJW746XpWRCxncARN=w800-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The white spot marked the point of faecal release. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b>While we were climbing, the boys were having fun with their drones...</b></span>
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Darric and Kong Wan were having fun drone-flying with their Spark and Mavic Pro while we were climbing. When they crossed the customs through the Nepal immigration, they had to each pay US$80 just to purchase a licence for flying their drones in Nepal. And while in Namche Bazaar, that licence to allowed them to fly did come in handy as a Namche police officer actually checked and asked them for it when he spotted them flying their drones.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4729/27176867539_b32dfea6aa_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4729/27176867539_ccf4846783_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Darric's drone</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"As long as you are not flying the drones in Sagarmatha National Park, you are allowed to fly them anywhere,"</b></span> explained Kong Wan.</blockquote>
These were the only shots I had from Darric's Spark.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4526/24082475657_f75347357d_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4526/24082475657_c385eb8409_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darric's drone flew higher. [Photo: Darric]</td></tr>
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Kong Wan's Mavic Pro suffered a sudden battery drain and crash landed not far from the guesthouse at Gorak Shep and broke a rotor blade. But what was more sad was, his Sandisk memory card suffered some kind of circuitry problem and despite sending it in for expert retrieval, they could not salvage any of his videos. That was really disappointing. We were all really looking forward to his drone videos of Namche Bazaar and EBC. We felt sorry for the loss of his data and for his broken rotor blade.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4524/38917439762_7bc861ca6e_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4524/38917439762_358544e9a9_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Higher and Higher Darric's drone flew... [Photo: Darric]</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4558/24088876947_c8c685bfc8_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4558/24088876947_8caa284d90_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And then Darric started turning his drone towards Kala Patthar. [Photo: Darric]</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4584/25082153538_dd695caefd_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4584/25082153538_dd695caefd_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And then flew closer towards that mount of black rock. [Photo: Darric]</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b>Meanwhile, waiting nervously at the guesthouse was Serene...</b></span><br />
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Serene woke up soon after we left and was worrying herself sick just simply waiting for us, sitting in the dining area while the rest reassured her.<br />
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"They all are very scared of cold one! Every single one of them,"</b></span> she said. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"When I saw Matthew and Zaid and Kai Sing u-turn back, and they told me it was so cold that they couldn't feel their fingers, I was so worried for the family. They haven't returned yet!"</span></b></blockquote>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/ScuJbQLMYtU0x415pHu16ZWW-s6K8AZxoDv-XAmXu8NINw0GKL4iW_-IBjGV0fUCab0OMVD5gZuLKtTh8uBFFUKmIGsDySE7BBRwDPMnzCOOlNzrsvL2B-shFEno9vJun7xvRgqCS7EjfednkzeDmmnVCWC7utSm7N5dC8hrq6o9J7ajA_ZU6BBK8XFpU3TdYVPYPNeWvsBVkl0qTJGLSCs7f-Z1JVj0yFomPL4pg0FVpvRKPB2r7cbR76kyiWmyn5DKfv8_LR3AX3LLNIFikOCHgMemEKOE6Jzcy6jzQfsxW-qF_7tKz9unLZd5M7agoY6y9abKgTDhc3yqMh3TOqZEEfaXetsYUPIXEFy-HT2VjweTWyAMd6jKxdYShx7LvPz0ojLXeAJ06h4Q1a259mQPDRXvDiA5hnSR6TkLhfTDJZ4jkN-Q304Oz82SmXs2GtgGJ8tGcENdWWlrBGBeQkZl6Ja7W16K6Bhdq2nH9YW6k3dO9PARoMFIeOeBmY_fkOENl9Vux9tt_PTxeDKQ3xZYwC0ccdhPCY3eE5wJrABXPY7onuJk4MSSO-RllNtApReTi55niefSR0dMvc7M2t3XVGdKkqfj-V7Y0RLMucnlG06SHczy9xzWcwL48Zgf0Av1uRW9mpC5zWgKASxNRhiRLJsUX5ArEg=w451-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="451" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/ScuJbQLMYtU0x415pHu16ZWW-s6K8AZxoDv-XAmXu8NINw0GKL4iW_-IBjGV0fUCab0OMVD5gZuLKtTh8uBFFUKmIGsDySE7BBRwDPMnzCOOlNzrsvL2B-shFEno9vJun7xvRgqCS7EjfednkzeDmmnVCWC7utSm7N5dC8hrq6o9J7ajA_ZU6BBK8XFpU3TdYVPYPNeWvsBVkl0qTJGLSCs7f-Z1JVj0yFomPL4pg0FVpvRKPB2r7cbR76kyiWmyn5DKfv8_LR3AX3LLNIFikOCHgMemEKOE6Jzcy6jzQfsxW-qF_7tKz9unLZd5M7agoY6y9abKgTDhc3yqMh3TOqZEEfaXetsYUPIXEFy-HT2VjweTWyAMd6jKxdYShx7LvPz0ojLXeAJ06h4Q1a259mQPDRXvDiA5hnSR6TkLhfTDJZ4jkN-Q304Oz82SmXs2GtgGJ8tGcENdWWlrBGBeQkZl6Ja7W16K6Bhdq2nH9YW6k3dO9PARoMFIeOeBmY_fkOENl9Vux9tt_PTxeDKQ3xZYwC0ccdhPCY3eE5wJrABXPY7onuJk4MSSO-RllNtApReTi55niefSR0dMvc7M2t3XVGdKkqfj-V7Y0RLMucnlG06SHczy9xzWcwL48Zgf0Av1uRW9mpC5zWgKASxNRhiRLJsUX5ArEg=w451-h600-no" /></a></div>
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But her worries were for nothing. For almost immediately after three of us returned to Gorak Shep's Himalayan Lodge and sat down on the carpeted benches of the dining hall, someone looked out the window and shouted:<br />
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Hey, there's Fann and Sharan! They have just returned! Wow.. that's fast!"</b></span></blockquote>
True enough, there was Fann and Sharan entering the lodge. We all made it back about the same time. And Adrian's original plan of despatching everyone in three separate groups was now made easier. We left almost in one single big group, just that the first group departed slightly earlier, while those of us who went for the extra excursions left slightly after we had breakfast.<br />
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Thus, with Kala Patthar and Fann's new EBC both out of the way, our missions were finally truly accomplished. And it was time to make our return trip.<br />
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<b><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-5-return-of.html"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Click on the following to continue to the next part of the story:</span></a></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-5-return-of.html">EBC Trek Part 5</a></span></b> ~ The unrelenting march from day to night - Gorak Shep to Periche. Another long day to night march from Periche to Namche Bazaar.<br />
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Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0Kala Pattar Ascent Trail, Khumjung 56000, Nepal27.9840517 86.8293016000000082.4620171999999982 45.520707600000009 53.5060862 128.1378956tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-67491448142339437312017-11-25T05:50:00.000-08:002018-08-03T03:23:32.805-07:00Everest Base Camp Trek 2017 Part 3 ~ Lobuche to Gorak Shep & EBC!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Part 3 ~ </span><span style="font-size: large;">The going got tougher, slower and more challenging as the altitude went skywards- Lobuche at 4900, Gorak Shep 5160m, and the final last push towards EBC at 5350m.</span></b></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-3.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.com/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-3.html" border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="800" height="246" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4636/24589537957_bc87f517cd_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final push!</td></tr>
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At 5000m, the oxygen level dropped to 53% of sea level. We only knew this in hindsight. But with this knowledge, in retrospect, we now could explain everything that happened on this third quarter of our trek. It was really a last push, a burst of fire towards our destination. This was what we came here for. And hopefully nothing would stop us. Hopefully.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: yellow;"><i><b>[In this Travellogue, I have tried my best to credit all the photos to their respective photographers, and I tried my best to recall verbatim what members said during the whole trip. Most events are as I could remember them. Those who have expressed clearly to me their wishes not to have their photos shared online I have post-processed the photographs so that their faces are pixelated to protect their privacies.]</b></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #f9cb9c;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Table of Contents:</b></span></span></span><br />
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<ol>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-epic.html">EBC Trek Part 1</a> </span></b>~ An epic adventure. Kathmandu to Lukla. Lukla to Phakding. Phakding to Namche Bazaar. Acclimatisation in Namche Bazaar.</li>
<li><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-2-from.html"><b><span style="font-size: large;">EBC Trek Part 2</span></b></a> ~ The air got thinner & the body got more tired. Namche Bazaar to Tengboche & Debuche. Debuche to Dingboche. Acclimatisation in Dingboche.</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-3.html">EBC Trek Part 3</a></span></b> ~ The Final Push. Dingboche to Lobuche. Lobuche to Gorak Shep and to EBC and back to Gorak Shep. </li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-4-highest.html">EBC Trek Part 4</a></span></b> ~ Kala Patthar</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-5-return-of.html">EBC Trek Part 5</a></span></b> ~ The unrelenting march from day to night - Gorak Shep to Periche. Another long day to night march from Periche to Namche Bazaar.</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-6-back-to.html">EBC Trek Part 6</a></span></b> ~ No matter how tired... just go into Cruise-control mode walking from Namche Bazaar to finally arrive back in Lukla in the dark, yet again.</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-7-back-to.html">EBC Trek Part 7</a></span></b> ~ Flying back to Kathmandu. Rest and Relax in Kathmandu and flying home!</li>
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">EBC TREK Day 8 ~ </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">The 500m ascent from Dingboche to Lobuche at 4900m. Sounded simple. But what a trek it was!</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">25 Nov 2017</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8BrBC8IK8slaiI6LgpIUi7WKB-AZObmHW7lnPaz5eaLxVB0dGWMQGKA0S3s7xK7hz8mJfRAU-YafHB6PMo5mw5Gg2BGp1Dw0kvHzuzgEMDAWRievXNWSV9ozQwfti48Xzc0vyZg4Nos/w363-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8BrBC8IK8slaiI6LgpIUi7WKB-AZObmHW7lnPaz5eaLxVB0dGWMQGKA0S3s7xK7hz8mJfRAU-YafHB6PMo5mw5Gg2BGp1Dw0kvHzuzgEMDAWRievXNWSV9ozQwfti48Xzc0vyZg4Nos/w363-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: large;"><b>Here is the Relive video of our trek from Dingboche up through the open bed of the old glacier to Lobuche at 4900m.</b></span><br />
<blockquote class="embedly-card" data-card-controls="0" data-card-key="f1631a41cb254ca5b035dc5747a5bd75">
<h4>
<a href="https://www.relive.cc/view/1294072016?r=embed-site">Relive 'Trek from Dingboche to Lobuche 4900m'</a></h4>
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<script async="" charset="UTF-8" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js"></script>
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: large;"><b>Here is the Strava Flyby of this day's trek.</b></span> <i><b>Just click on the image below, <span style="color: yellow;">play and zoom in and see</span>. This one is <span style="color: yellow;">another MUST see</span>. Keep zooming in and I was truly impressed how Alex and Lai Peng led all the way, with Kc Tng leap-frogging with them. Kai Sing, Darric and Patrick were trying very hard to play catch up.. but were just a short distance behind. Marvellous trekkers, these people.</b></i></div>
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<a href="https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1294072016?c=tuvwz3ys&z=F&t=1Q6FF7&a=0PghTVjJ3UxjKiBNT1UfTabsIE15vaVN5F8fTcLQ3kw"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="800" height="443" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4681/39318455612_dbc68b825e_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is my Garmin record of the days' trek. It was a 6 and a half hour trek. Not too long, but definitely tiring.<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/embed/2354940226" title="Everest Base Camp Day 7- Dingboche to Lobuche" width="465"></iframe>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">The </span><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: x-large;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-large;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-size: x-large;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: x-large;">:</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">A dreary day of trekking in the remotest of lands, and worsening physical conditions in many of us.</span></span></span></b><br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="420" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NxfLf3iXVWc?rel=0" width="820"></iframe>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>One week before Christmas day, back home in Singapore...</b></span><br />
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As I went through the drudgery of my daily grind (as predicted accurately by Adrian), I kept blowing out fresh blood and dark dried blood clots from my nose. I had been sounding really nasal for the longest time, ever since my return from Nepal. Even my patients asked me if I were sick. I smiled at them and reassured them. "Just the usual mountain cough lah," I said. But I knew it was a bad sinus infection that refused to clear.<br />
And reaching home and straight away hitting the ground running by going right back to work and not having even a chance to rest, had really brought my immunity down to rock bottom. Exposures to patients who were ill probably gave me some secondary or tertiary infections, and made it even harder for me to recover.<br />
Life is like that.. we tropical dwellers always suffered when we were up in the mountains. But it was worth every single tablet of antibiotic I had to swallow. And I would do it again. And again. And again.... and lost in my reverie in between patients, my mind drifted back to the mountains...<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Three weeks before, somewhere in Solukhumbu at 4410m....</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>8:25am.</b></span><br />
Silently the group set off from Dingboche. We had all watched videos and photos on Youtube and online by other trekkers who had done this trek and we all were expecting the terrain at this level to be very different. But nothing would ever prepare us for the real thing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/zJiLM2653G6RXYzMfXyvuMte9Zus4YUDm21PwLVuIcsUdXWArD9fINReiAbMBy_JoNkRV5udxIMQARk9zzvfje0Ihgf-b9ENiUdD049ErpjwrzFrpdEZjlzMsOQfOrJGs3PrLoa3YmkSR72DxwlVIk6zqA3lQV1i-8Bujwcjvf_S7xUEnimqz8Mcq1QTlWfDqbil6PXGddJhAwRVhVJCCatd74Dk127joXPY9s63lvy0Ctbm22VKkyz4Zm1BNp4bTNmpfe1WxfcL3L3ygHzleGx0wWhmy_yh7cpo0FE53-9YJ02nfxBW8DNsRkPL2KIkdlHpZGTqR_M6NX1HquDykGigTcUR7yl1OjyppLCMMzwA-gQinLXVPohWaxPILL_jrFsdCC0D7H86Q7kD8A_NXzQCtYPOkkj1724CuTjzFPy8-EaCelCRDpGR8tAp9RVihA8yd-6zIRPkTi-BUJTmnvwFNBxgAEG7g_DHNRjJWt_nDIn_0TQGYnLFLJR63KBn0K4o1XVJeZ7_BpzTCHl3ME1diMk9ZAuxCUVP44HzdZKwyD3wQ5ctbSAY4oMN5EjdS7c6UyLO8YoHGoO_XtZm9GGjrX5P8aV4we8pzLUJ2dEdQCmTeIisENSrZjJCLVLxpX27t_F6eJtmBlsquYUo-uRBTM-kBSdb=w1325-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1325" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/zJiLM2653G6RXYzMfXyvuMte9Zus4YUDm21PwLVuIcsUdXWArD9fINReiAbMBy_JoNkRV5udxIMQARk9zzvfje0Ihgf-b9ENiUdD049ErpjwrzFrpdEZjlzMsOQfOrJGs3PrLoa3YmkSR72DxwlVIk6zqA3lQV1i-8Bujwcjvf_S7xUEnimqz8Mcq1QTlWfDqbil6PXGddJhAwRVhVJCCatd74Dk127joXPY9s63lvy0Ctbm22VKkyz4Zm1BNp4bTNmpfe1WxfcL3L3ygHzleGx0wWhmy_yh7cpo0FE53-9YJ02nfxBW8DNsRkPL2KIkdlHpZGTqR_M6NX1HquDykGigTcUR7yl1OjyppLCMMzwA-gQinLXVPohWaxPILL_jrFsdCC0D7H86Q7kD8A_NXzQCtYPOkkj1724CuTjzFPy8-EaCelCRDpGR8tAp9RVihA8yd-6zIRPkTi-BUJTmnvwFNBxgAEG7g_DHNRjJWt_nDIn_0TQGYnLFLJR63KBn0K4o1XVJeZ7_BpzTCHl3ME1diMk9ZAuxCUVP44HzdZKwyD3wQ5ctbSAY4oMN5EjdS7c6UyLO8YoHGoO_XtZm9GGjrX5P8aV4we8pzLUJ2dEdQCmTeIisENSrZjJCLVLxpX27t_F6eJtmBlsquYUo-uRBTM-kBSdb=w1325-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early morning 8:30am set off from freezing Dingboche [Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
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The sun just started rising above Ama Dablam as we trekked. It was always exciting to see the bright ball slowly rise above the tip and its ray expanding to fill up the valleys and start to warm up our frozen bodies.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/7Qh3df5i8jhUcn5vJ9zL_2zgKlmUX4acYAH5Xr-I3HevFv0j3lzpliw8oaiNxDEwk1B3jMndarsjYwNcwBBElFABY2TSuzAs1m31369Zo8UKiQ9Tv7XfrC7U40vPO1sTDnIGGAToMuFU_F4hLpnzj9dIs_4yYocBlNOwcphGiR-Z8ECwAgiaeShP0P5N7Vv2QPzvScZY0ikUSP5Tgz3EnPdHk07WEnuu_ePcOWbdz4X2eOXb5tTz3bfdf7N2kqXf7wgzzBr2sQgt-Voji4NsjRhL8qBuCAqYgj0CUih0yGUwq51vqSgtYtRNlNWSLcG6RGfu2kM89nQkTulFmtVSb67i4B4Tz8ScTrrT1ptHZmTA2T5sbEwwvnjif_eG-b73FzvjswHt_DAXi5oqUdwxFbkfSzLNLDwfdtbecwfAmeeDREPqRSUGyXo0B18lBx2dqxgncUUqze2Ogz1OjuF5xLLoQDpFMqgAxis5w9V8hurXClrPpaYtwYzX60OidtZFPnhyJsMttbuuWFpMeqfUduaRRPL4fLtWc4aKRw3jvD2oLIqYJkccmf8hX6XTzdKmLVOcoFWUYSTRDNXfr2vZIIzBk2Kbmej794JTPLccLu-FBdw5Fty50VHiHPAvn-8pfKKTfw1povFc8A19XHDm8_ZyLj4RB63E=w1325-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1325" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/7Qh3df5i8jhUcn5vJ9zL_2zgKlmUX4acYAH5Xr-I3HevFv0j3lzpliw8oaiNxDEwk1B3jMndarsjYwNcwBBElFABY2TSuzAs1m31369Zo8UKiQ9Tv7XfrC7U40vPO1sTDnIGGAToMuFU_F4hLpnzj9dIs_4yYocBlNOwcphGiR-Z8ECwAgiaeShP0P5N7Vv2QPzvScZY0ikUSP5Tgz3EnPdHk07WEnuu_ePcOWbdz4X2eOXb5tTz3bfdf7N2kqXf7wgzzBr2sQgt-Voji4NsjRhL8qBuCAqYgj0CUih0yGUwq51vqSgtYtRNlNWSLcG6RGfu2kM89nQkTulFmtVSb67i4B4Tz8ScTrrT1ptHZmTA2T5sbEwwvnjif_eG-b73FzvjswHt_DAXi5oqUdwxFbkfSzLNLDwfdtbecwfAmeeDREPqRSUGyXo0B18lBx2dqxgncUUqze2Ogz1OjuF5xLLoQDpFMqgAxis5w9V8hurXClrPpaYtwYzX60OidtZFPnhyJsMttbuuWFpMeqfUduaRRPL4fLtWc4aKRw3jvD2oLIqYJkccmf8hX6XTzdKmLVOcoFWUYSTRDNXfr2vZIIzBk2Kbmej794JTPLccLu-FBdw5Fty50VHiHPAvn-8pfKKTfw1povFc8A19XHDm8_ZyLj4RB63E=w1325-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Sunrise over Ama Dablam peak as Jeffrey made his way up. [Photo: Patrick]<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/3t5WgswQlgySvgXTuJZC1qxOyzneI6u-Dxj7708awW3rXl_UE35vmAHcYAHtTPm5zj31IAchDYVtedi43DJcXr4bbtmhSGQpCSEJ7DZDcctgO1UatAqi6AhTPWwJxub_DxmXetlTg2w1AsUHlXiP8B4z84CblUfHbae8TAfuRXUvtnSe0MDp7rfVJmlMwuKIDiD2-CpzViXOh78Iu4NS7Epwu2weB32BaMn_Cjqu-9tjrWTKe-cCQjCBjye5Zu2P7UBc2G4LKZWMJB6goxsjxZXYVxD8R4Y3ydbolFL_ZmiqeES_UGdItJwhBT7DYrOYuM3Fm10zyvd5ZxeC0bqmu-dpCuW8MmEr-6Z9-ljcfry8TEgnQuDyJNDZ_vLIeYLuLSksKXLT8WQ73JymeZYMoglj6_zIFZGlogD_LXoU2o1Gv2fzt40uud1nNFOaQYNKl2cpBObi-BayNB33ar4L4K-D6ISxZLZFUN1ZZBRP3AQYQAHTLMr7tg86pAKEVnYs429g8oH923bIetmVCfZ4QsfzU1AD2t4HdeoIEMG7PYThsazPRK6LR1x3mxVIMfM7Id26lzZuw-qzq4V-Hr-h-VW7MzyyTF-P4unGi8jCuWeajpYhyTwjrKLKngKXJGsH434ZrGVYIjAX19xTMfHxMzU-PZD2FLeVRQ=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/3t5WgswQlgySvgXTuJZC1qxOyzneI6u-Dxj7708awW3rXl_UE35vmAHcYAHtTPm5zj31IAchDYVtedi43DJcXr4bbtmhSGQpCSEJ7DZDcctgO1UatAqi6AhTPWwJxub_DxmXetlTg2w1AsUHlXiP8B4z84CblUfHbae8TAfuRXUvtnSe0MDp7rfVJmlMwuKIDiD2-CpzViXOh78Iu4NS7Epwu2weB32BaMn_Cjqu-9tjrWTKe-cCQjCBjye5Zu2P7UBc2G4LKZWMJB6goxsjxZXYVxD8R4Y3ydbolFL_ZmiqeES_UGdItJwhBT7DYrOYuM3Fm10zyvd5ZxeC0bqmu-dpCuW8MmEr-6Z9-ljcfry8TEgnQuDyJNDZ_vLIeYLuLSksKXLT8WQ73JymeZYMoglj6_zIFZGlogD_LXoU2o1Gv2fzt40uud1nNFOaQYNKl2cpBObi-BayNB33ar4L4K-D6ISxZLZFUN1ZZBRP3AQYQAHTLMr7tg86pAKEVnYs429g8oH923bIetmVCfZ4QsfzU1AD2t4HdeoIEMG7PYThsazPRK6LR1x3mxVIMfM7Id26lzZuw-qzq4V-Hr-h-VW7MzyyTF-P4unGi8jCuWeajpYhyTwjrKLKngKXJGsH434ZrGVYIjAX19xTMfHxMzU-PZD2FLeVRQ=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah Leong and Mimi taking five. [Photo: Ka Lin]</td></tr>
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<br />
The initial climb gave way to the wide open plains of the tundra. There were no longer trees at this altitude, and the shrubs were tightly-compacted pile of needly vegetation. I would have ask our arborist Darric, but my mind simply didn't work well at this height. Many a question lingered in my mind as I walked. Eventually even the most apparently-urgent ones that I wanted to ask got displaced and suppressed to the deepest abyss of my brain as my body got distracted by the physical challenges at hand.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/LnXz47gHV_uDNY0WOMT30YZlLjkT5dCVd6qswW7EH5tFaav8_08r_rs1TcvJTyj7rDassODrGoDBZPCSdEwe-bE0K03M408wb4zm1_gKZxm0B9k41_JZQ97-rLp716GGbbgrrtnKOAKTPcLm6aNyIbmHe0R66JkVeMF4s6GcXLVprf42f1A3VDMWb_7ynp7o83I3RdkocYNzzmf9T1yBjJQ8U9YvD7tcczv7KsrHkJkR0bEZFd5cgk69alHh0icrAapXc3WfEFGAyrreasUIC7J0GOlW0kj_4SVzyL5Pt0mGj0FupKrD74f8fRuL8Jsdyegd18zAAu8ulYatG2pKQPqCcP3k6iHo7T87Kv-ZXTnuIeOSPK5IGf6mYJtNmn6q6CIaWfwWXaJjvORCghzrK2CkqKkKXOgP4uHGcpeA4N59S3b1VWyNa8xAhWEGg36iF_6YXU1goxmfGs2wXaurC5rZrCwlaieo1VISeZ3Uw79-ZlO8H6BxPBg7xI6W3-5Wq8MKqYi3Sgl7Ay7wxS6loZvhm3rohNYEAmiex4R8Npfgnt41I3V_rjnH6Z7-B4nwjBjj8m62Ei2GA9awIBou1CiJnfMpMuMR0csdE31J1UVxB4COZMuS9zOLnzhOj0-2_QNfHs0IeIFid6NGcnVhdSUXyN7lwDU0=w1325-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1325" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/LnXz47gHV_uDNY0WOMT30YZlLjkT5dCVd6qswW7EH5tFaav8_08r_rs1TcvJTyj7rDassODrGoDBZPCSdEwe-bE0K03M408wb4zm1_gKZxm0B9k41_JZQ97-rLp716GGbbgrrtnKOAKTPcLm6aNyIbmHe0R66JkVeMF4s6GcXLVprf42f1A3VDMWb_7ynp7o83I3RdkocYNzzmf9T1yBjJQ8U9YvD7tcczv7KsrHkJkR0bEZFd5cgk69alHh0icrAapXc3WfEFGAyrreasUIC7J0GOlW0kj_4SVzyL5Pt0mGj0FupKrD74f8fRuL8Jsdyegd18zAAu8ulYatG2pKQPqCcP3k6iHo7T87Kv-ZXTnuIeOSPK5IGf6mYJtNmn6q6CIaWfwWXaJjvORCghzrK2CkqKkKXOgP4uHGcpeA4N59S3b1VWyNa8xAhWEGg36iF_6YXU1goxmfGs2wXaurC5rZrCwlaieo1VISeZ3Uw79-ZlO8H6BxPBg7xI6W3-5Wq8MKqYi3Sgl7Ay7wxS6loZvhm3rohNYEAmiex4R8Npfgnt41I3V_rjnH6Z7-B4nwjBjj8m62Ei2GA9awIBou1CiJnfMpMuMR0csdE31J1UVxB4COZMuS9zOLnzhOj0-2_QNfHs0IeIFid6NGcnVhdSUXyN7lwDU0=w1325-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
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I found the expansiveness a total new experience. We would never have the luxuries of beholding such scenery back in land-scarce home, especially not one ringed by the grandiose of high snow-peaks. The Himalaya ranges were in their full glory as we gingerly tread upwards. Our being was simply insignificant in comparison. The mountains looked down upon us as we intruded into their private spaces.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/vsfcmkuGmNjVFJJMDdXP-d3PbI5pZ6DG1v1L3A2eY-WRd9cbHpCrAKou7bjlnWjl1EznQW24L77Zc48sfHrBdY8GiepcPFNkmaqbY0T__Ne9LE7ztPeoR0k3KE6lHXXfKG2LjtU4ZWZVBQKPGvH3ZJnbQEdcjlgR5HEl8mB8Ic_Fvdf4J-34N1aglxGaNhsDMAXhOZBpxe6yxF4lLCRDSctad3QGEu9deozMH0LO7wppMWtknvzopIte1__HeOFVuVodMXQGcKNsNXoBJ4cF4-yfeOUC7C_ObUAbBXARn3sIOIturCedCnYqZdlf70JbwICXKpN8WhSBBOEk1yDt_MKW_BP7njwVozW59pYhqd5woL2tyAxV-gw0FvRw3GD3_JIN89OTjjVqqtzHBRQJbUwtvBZjSSLcczlQ3D6pJaWN_0aAXdEGmDVfR9RNfF6Vb9wF4JA32ys8EuZUJhDx2qRjLMb2WMIUs_zTZ8-pqP6pzSLjpspyHxMI93RrUYuEqwihsErwtbQ1eBUPF8o81ddYTr5WuB2q74snrbVFlyiKJw82r81u4JuTqDTB2lKnK7klxbrQzZx450zWJzDjTsRa6LPr26ZM2toa1GrqUSw2WKxBo6vvrO_gvfEjy6rFzfNu37YASOoDcznHqX587HuSQ-OwkpLAwA=w1003-h283-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="1003" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/vsfcmkuGmNjVFJJMDdXP-d3PbI5pZ6DG1v1L3A2eY-WRd9cbHpCrAKou7bjlnWjl1EznQW24L77Zc48sfHrBdY8GiepcPFNkmaqbY0T__Ne9LE7ztPeoR0k3KE6lHXXfKG2LjtU4ZWZVBQKPGvH3ZJnbQEdcjlgR5HEl8mB8Ic_Fvdf4J-34N1aglxGaNhsDMAXhOZBpxe6yxF4lLCRDSctad3QGEu9deozMH0LO7wppMWtknvzopIte1__HeOFVuVodMXQGcKNsNXoBJ4cF4-yfeOUC7C_ObUAbBXARn3sIOIturCedCnYqZdlf70JbwICXKpN8WhSBBOEk1yDt_MKW_BP7njwVozW59pYhqd5woL2tyAxV-gw0FvRw3GD3_JIN89OTjjVqqtzHBRQJbUwtvBZjSSLcczlQ3D6pJaWN_0aAXdEGmDVfR9RNfF6Vb9wF4JA32ys8EuZUJhDx2qRjLMb2WMIUs_zTZ8-pqP6pzSLjpspyHxMI93RrUYuEqwihsErwtbQ1eBUPF8o81ddYTr5WuB2q74snrbVFlyiKJw82r81u4JuTqDTB2lKnK7klxbrQzZx450zWJzDjTsRa6LPr26ZM2toa1GrqUSw2WKxBo6vvrO_gvfEjy6rFzfNu37YASOoDcznHqX587HuSQ-OwkpLAwA=w1003-h283-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Lay Khim]</td></tr>
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Looking around at the contrasting mountains and plateaus, my mind could only imagine the tumultous explosions 50 million years ago when multiple series of massive earthquakes brought on by enormous tectonic plate movements fired the granites sharply skywards, leaving them gridlocked in their current contorted states, frozen in time. Nothing would have survived. And even up till today, only the most robust vegetations and hardy human beings occupied this bleak terrain.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/rqJy3taEfHDwcojew_uB6V4KTiMdJB58wv1xZ5Ga0mXCCo3aEI9vZZXowfJseNNX9ff8qXBeVOhURXzmIOyjnd9bS95oC-m52ZoWaosO2mZ0ykmKuRmf_sU3XJbxlWDgaHEnz088WtFBeiOx0fIyqJFVS5jkPIa8mUbd0gz7yhpY2QKJryPZkmDyB2CsKLbEzL17YX2zN5lJG7RIym6rzehssM7phfPILITqS-sUEfiY9GPDS8HKsYlDxurMvvH5epx2Id1JvPmDPIgRiL7j_KRpOgXQwhdmtP_Fbzd0XZb7quo3cyLfnY-rbtfK9RyZdIUaHT0PmuJILqVcv_jpd3sJoCFrtFyNieYWLnb2XDOO-_ssHGVK6kKRuECUQMTbnzLbfmcmsKJUGVGnlV6agTZu7YC6VB6rUeBWC5h4wPJYCA82XWq0Lqczkr5VZg4MVFYJkcvXR0D2gAD6PF3NicxS06781kM2w6o7mIEuhlo8_SxAWVtUyWJHerMbcJDiY0Pd5HHra2iU79ikCTIorQt7k5sFp437e-Hmn6hS8XmMQ7hH4-z94W9nNIMcfvY_2N__Di7G7kiMGpGgcTMF6j2ubc5miahbiCk18dFGT_1qzP0f2MozADhj5tL9kj8NYA1hHbFZWtphMjrr5p0DloNrm-yMozTM=w1004-h259-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="1004" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/rqJy3taEfHDwcojew_uB6V4KTiMdJB58wv1xZ5Ga0mXCCo3aEI9vZZXowfJseNNX9ff8qXBeVOhURXzmIOyjnd9bS95oC-m52ZoWaosO2mZ0ykmKuRmf_sU3XJbxlWDgaHEnz088WtFBeiOx0fIyqJFVS5jkPIa8mUbd0gz7yhpY2QKJryPZkmDyB2CsKLbEzL17YX2zN5lJG7RIym6rzehssM7phfPILITqS-sUEfiY9GPDS8HKsYlDxurMvvH5epx2Id1JvPmDPIgRiL7j_KRpOgXQwhdmtP_Fbzd0XZb7quo3cyLfnY-rbtfK9RyZdIUaHT0PmuJILqVcv_jpd3sJoCFrtFyNieYWLnb2XDOO-_ssHGVK6kKRuECUQMTbnzLbfmcmsKJUGVGnlV6agTZu7YC6VB6rUeBWC5h4wPJYCA82XWq0Lqczkr5VZg4MVFYJkcvXR0D2gAD6PF3NicxS06781kM2w6o7mIEuhlo8_SxAWVtUyWJHerMbcJDiY0Pd5HHra2iU79ikCTIorQt7k5sFp437e-Hmn6hS8XmMQ7hH4-z94W9nNIMcfvY_2N__Di7G7kiMGpGgcTMF6j2ubc5miahbiCk18dFGT_1qzP0f2MozADhj5tL9kj8NYA1hHbFZWtphMjrr5p0DloNrm-yMozTM=w1004-h259-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Serene</td></tr>
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I remembered telling our children before the trip:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"We sometimes watched in Youtube videos where western trekkers and climbers used expletives on the Himalayan mountains... 'Let's go f&*# the mountain', they'd say.. and such. I find that most disrespectful. The mountains are sacred. And in the local culture, be they Tibetan, Sherpa or Nepali culture, the people hold the peaks in reverence. "</b></span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"We all come in peace and with respect. And in turn, the mountains allow us a blissful passage through their soil. Bring a calm mind and a heart that is in harmony with Mother Nature. And we will all be handsomely rewarded."</b></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
KC Tng called out to us: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Wee How, Serene... come! I want to take a family portrait for you all here with the background."</b></span> Wow.. when the Leica man with the Summilux 35mm called for a portraiture, we would be more than thrilled to oblige!</blockquote>
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<span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="966" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/BRLEQidAqZHLO_MH8GF7ewhY2wt85TdRqSf-F0cTLr-77aL2o2PfJSkq9LZDqZXFGUJbnRkbKjpNkOfmAMiFNnSCQkqJeUfu-KmEjl_AUnVpoiA_Kcvf7u_vPu4hsf5j_ebt_0lQu_x4V8sOSuQfpmO5Y8lVaeO1j_RCmaDgbRpj8EQCxvEwnCVJRv3lTe0JDADOmoni5Lyaa2r_sd1bHZC9LGQ68zKe2zZCgQW7dgDRvstsk2RWChCFAbuvg9BHYNR-kmL5UsaU0MASH6DSfx_sUt-HWifBv_tyRjA4LvaIRAmf2haOME64Kd93XT1c_R5vs93IfBq397iTzWAzMpyqTu7lGShwdPoOIhaIGjd6c-ETnu09rVL7glkmEwqXn46zx06i7l_BP6ToabUOsKwiovvmyt7eW8T09G81o7JPdwWNkrm7GFp0bEcrPOc-aAe139RqY94J0ywpxmS_RBUnwY11zbVbPm2uXSyHvv6ZEjAuTPRy1XP4N3tdqiZXjgXZyArp6sqn-EJqr7viR5EtqWlICgyYbVD555AERH7aJd5IEwT8KVrSa6xweKBfrxDntp1dIO1p4EYvobuSsLdoGK4ASiOvZxX9s2h2VlRnPwNYo7ra77NKXR8NjzcJ9HdobVXIftjUKdl4GSJMrLA0ZqlLxdUl=w966-h644-no" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The power of Leica Summilux 35mm [Photo: KC Tng]<br />
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After trekking for a week, our minds became blase and every trail and almost every peak appeared the same to our eyes. We would lose track of the days, and the time. We were only living and walking in the now, and focussing on keeping our footings steady and our breathings consistent. One day merged into the other day in a blur of hypoxia-induced confusion. Soon, we found it difficult to tell where we were, on the occasions when we were lost in our own minds.<br />
Although the trek on this day appeared gradual, but the ascent was pronounced, rocky and abrupt at certain parts. Crossing the icy stream somewhere before lunch was the only drama that broke the monotony of the trek. Unknown to us, this trek up towards Lobuche WAS a tiring one, as it would prove later in that evening.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/jJckVyTchIrdq_ZQ7nFONsrSPszSU-e-vanPJMM9zWMbbd3uY6yc8ycaZJUfjhq6BMQ-BCDkDm6_Nhwot4sYbm1rYUEdJUZis9qdaE8c6WiSUYmrT2DMIrgXNznaAVZdtnYXBdcFlHbwGl19VZmLRxEv2z9aAX0JE1ZwdKmWawHl-dmRoq9GKx_h4KXeZW5IlHsR6p5t55sVE586Iq3Lsr5Aa73xe2qcfR7LTtWYHeGJBdWheY2-_dMinLQCGnpPwWAUNnoYTcocRimtQaBYfxyGtWNO6M34Z8DzYpY3Pa38pz5LibJ5xrPwdDs-AjgMBDP8yb49QWRIcYWoYGJ-BPu4HDaAOacOWHzi6XrgBqMhPYc7KqcTMAGBrMvZOqS_S4czffQwQFgwACQEki84JtqWt5Ix7Wc5YRwORt64siH_ydaxou6UUHyXMSTUayuW07itUaUsMCRRnpc4uQBJPXY2viRmTcvHuMrfD3qJHo9d8Sdsy49cx6wKEvelOhvNI13VAWzRK3rWuVnP_pq1VbxFyGVbvtkgvUKABj9HOr7WtqaodOSD5bIXBxsmUSaTF2mhZQdtZGsm9zs-t3jfCJySpMxeH1-_W0km_qvjR0YBy4vieW8Ff18FeIB8gB-j2TipkYK1556k0_frsCWpuD21nBYKwGIf=w920-h374-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/jJckVyTchIrdq_ZQ7nFONsrSPszSU-e-vanPJMM9zWMbbd3uY6yc8ycaZJUfjhq6BMQ-BCDkDm6_Nhwot4sYbm1rYUEdJUZis9qdaE8c6WiSUYmrT2DMIrgXNznaAVZdtnYXBdcFlHbwGl19VZmLRxEv2z9aAX0JE1ZwdKmWawHl-dmRoq9GKx_h4KXeZW5IlHsR6p5t55sVE586Iq3Lsr5Aa73xe2qcfR7LTtWYHeGJBdWheY2-_dMinLQCGnpPwWAUNnoYTcocRimtQaBYfxyGtWNO6M34Z8DzYpY3Pa38pz5LibJ5xrPwdDs-AjgMBDP8yb49QWRIcYWoYGJ-BPu4HDaAOacOWHzi6XrgBqMhPYc7KqcTMAGBrMvZOqS_S4czffQwQFgwACQEki84JtqWt5Ix7Wc5YRwORt64siH_ydaxou6UUHyXMSTUayuW07itUaUsMCRRnpc4uQBJPXY2viRmTcvHuMrfD3qJHo9d8Sdsy49cx6wKEvelOhvNI13VAWzRK3rWuVnP_pq1VbxFyGVbvtkgvUKABj9HOr7WtqaodOSD5bIXBxsmUSaTF2mhZQdtZGsm9zs-t3jfCJySpMxeH1-_W0km_qvjR0YBy4vieW8Ff18FeIB8gB-j2TipkYK1556k0_frsCWpuD21nBYKwGIf=w920-h374-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the icy stream. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/n1SQoPbkFy0f0_dzeqCVRnpp08dHOexnwzLn2euH8Ar8ShEilIO0vkKQ1sn_HdcqTsmtkvcSgBeiF1GvXDxdZbdkZr0GkaaZnFnpXLyZLq2KyfyQO3mf9HOzkQRoxEv8RhSzIR5q_LlBqINdLy3SnVr7N0zZYRIjM7tIldmZ7k6-HlVlyrwX_zZgLvakglAtH14qpjxjOuYixYn1uUAy-xyNytKAxRTj1wOQkfrPWet-h74O5dWTJ6PsC9H1nEKEuaMxiR3_fA6eazSpgWJH9mSdRx1azQ-Sp6o7QdFjxl989lBmhQ8yizQ5rFpgg-9GwvrJBQHx1cmsi78XwrcXX_yG5CYl66EZ9DtsCU6zWZlnAr7kvuNK9ASsM7V8u_95kBkiwtddTnyFrwi7-hBtrqHnB4HCC0CHqSja6H8yX-LJudVzL6wo7S1_8oeLmTF1jdbGhsg3QKDpTwd1RMDgeN33c-Vy4rA0jYFG6BzLHF0dZ2OTF2my1npy2AEVHcQUvM9wiV2mNj9YPq0wD0hEKfvrJRBsXhnVxCpFN7NcAHh4PcrN8NL0JHpTMZWO0fOfCDKjMTjcHGhGDEQMwMyAD4HmdbjLJ83cxQZxoJeUpjObXw39C0hZQyIVbCz1L5H6wyk3ehjADSWkD2xBnubX6ong6YXcKx2H=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/n1SQoPbkFy0f0_dzeqCVRnpp08dHOexnwzLn2euH8Ar8ShEilIO0vkKQ1sn_HdcqTsmtkvcSgBeiF1GvXDxdZbdkZr0GkaaZnFnpXLyZLq2KyfyQO3mf9HOzkQRoxEv8RhSzIR5q_LlBqINdLy3SnVr7N0zZYRIjM7tIldmZ7k6-HlVlyrwX_zZgLvakglAtH14qpjxjOuYixYn1uUAy-xyNytKAxRTj1wOQkfrPWet-h74O5dWTJ6PsC9H1nEKEuaMxiR3_fA6eazSpgWJH9mSdRx1azQ-Sp6o7QdFjxl989lBmhQ8yizQ5rFpgg-9GwvrJBQHx1cmsi78XwrcXX_yG5CYl66EZ9DtsCU6zWZlnAr7kvuNK9ASsM7V8u_95kBkiwtddTnyFrwi7-hBtrqHnB4HCC0CHqSja6H8yX-LJudVzL6wo7S1_8oeLmTF1jdbGhsg3QKDpTwd1RMDgeN33c-Vy4rA0jYFG6BzLHF0dZ2OTF2my1npy2AEVHcQUvM9wiV2mNj9YPq0wD0hEKfvrJRBsXhnVxCpFN7NcAHh4PcrN8NL0JHpTMZWO0fOfCDKjMTjcHGhGDEQMwMyAD4HmdbjLJ83cxQZxoJeUpjObXw39C0hZQyIVbCz1L5H6wyk3ehjADSWkD2xBnubX6ong6YXcKx2H=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/WJUUFetskihDAbKI21eMTd3PAbc2aC0NCh4oofIO337rZezlI7JJSELubqqC_cPx164k_0EHsAjcqh5iiDwOnNYcRBaqyilutHwTk-gyZ3vNeRMFHE3iTyp6LMLYXqungjb008OxvHfEFg_GnpFEh5cBN1uhx4K_qhqRUD_URrY2K6UmyWKMvOBX1ljRxn788HGqXZV23Dh7TrMrsZX6yO8Ahxt-ybcaK7qH1rz_Bm0AJH4dK9QXhT1IY68wBtFVZLovaHr-6TUyLyVd8ziKjjNkI9t8AG_w0Ypz7OU7jh9BCe5JML0sR0JnzmXrw1OozECKBsmXN7sQsHeqE8I2Cn7BSe21PeMsSBVozxWaafck0N_yvwgKYup382HlxE7_3gF_-gaUgWJAT1ob0OKCSlCWKYMjScTdxRwc1zwHCGj8lqvlmmCe2xkNrJNUPLzMfJyjyjzkeC4saLfeY46dE4qqaVHzGCecD1z6oWYp5XP5z6M4zX_QujQz2bAdzYkIrUaZZfUvanpmuEVPkroHBF9NBdvuUxhmblDJ-a7JuXbK818bx3loSWWqt6dWalJFcYtHYvfAfJ3oKU2-fqb8xhmWGqGx_lHsGXMRAUDMYcIrch-iVqSfFIfb-CgHDz-tVe4RAnmfHE0bgDcZp_PTPGiP4YKvUpFfvg=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/WJUUFetskihDAbKI21eMTd3PAbc2aC0NCh4oofIO337rZezlI7JJSELubqqC_cPx164k_0EHsAjcqh5iiDwOnNYcRBaqyilutHwTk-gyZ3vNeRMFHE3iTyp6LMLYXqungjb008OxvHfEFg_GnpFEh5cBN1uhx4K_qhqRUD_URrY2K6UmyWKMvOBX1ljRxn788HGqXZV23Dh7TrMrsZX6yO8Ahxt-ybcaK7qH1rz_Bm0AJH4dK9QXhT1IY68wBtFVZLovaHr-6TUyLyVd8ziKjjNkI9t8AG_w0Ypz7OU7jh9BCe5JML0sR0JnzmXrw1OozECKBsmXN7sQsHeqE8I2Cn7BSe21PeMsSBVozxWaafck0N_yvwgKYup382HlxE7_3gF_-gaUgWJAT1ob0OKCSlCWKYMjScTdxRwc1zwHCGj8lqvlmmCe2xkNrJNUPLzMfJyjyjzkeC4saLfeY46dE4qqaVHzGCecD1z6oWYp5XP5z6M4zX_QujQz2bAdzYkIrUaZZfUvanpmuEVPkroHBF9NBdvuUxhmblDJ-a7JuXbK818bx3loSWWqt6dWalJFcYtHYvfAfJ3oKU2-fqb8xhmWGqGx_lHsGXMRAUDMYcIrch-iVqSfFIfb-CgHDz-tVe4RAnmfHE0bgDcZp_PTPGiP4YKvUpFfvg=w920-h690-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the dried up retracted glacier. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/ApEGEFG3JjW1hNgejRTFQJ9pwVr9IHCClZHElDHA7S7lhc3u-jEFx1kM2pB8PNkAx5Tlyyoe3htgSGOqgQilRphPwb30DGkzqUYuozbguZpbV7w6kTrEW5hDu34xnLCrkRlNKAWFYCj6fDVgtZLZVDu86pEQvqdjevicVEqDCvYFopPWFaVLi4UzHQ44vjHK6elNbVmx0znX6MJrLFfG7-dx1tzNz-wKwUB3VnD7A9h-lHv4HU9OR6ubQs72F3jybS5L2eV5n_xDpwjMiBRnyhA9Z61w3KkHlpPF0RrZJkgr_IleFKUznUgOX8i51UH_nNHsUSbOFD2D-J9FYGHI9RhAmrnFzqv39U4cuDikkwcTdtjNW_DSv17MphObDl-oqd-6lpZwxTDQVbic1vweu0RmuWgKYlmuFNRIg6PmPj7yKoIClNGElV0TL7cuI6I9tPMPdH8Af0ZFWnL_0_0_nxxGIb53ToDn5tSwA_Hh7SWQdwjfSYQb2LPoDiOIfnFh3q3nGlgKGDEvwE2wvKvgZitXN0-ky4JoUTvIxR1M2mTzp05hC8-3Rxv1RLPjL7oktuwArHW7d_V7cPM6QnXzCV9tfMYR-9ZKTCocswMz2UEc6pLJPTEQrsORbtCkm4nm16I0rN7QEOjN6EJiD1mzq4YYyYj0etberQ=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/ApEGEFG3JjW1hNgejRTFQJ9pwVr9IHCClZHElDHA7S7lhc3u-jEFx1kM2pB8PNkAx5Tlyyoe3htgSGOqgQilRphPwb30DGkzqUYuozbguZpbV7w6kTrEW5hDu34xnLCrkRlNKAWFYCj6fDVgtZLZVDu86pEQvqdjevicVEqDCvYFopPWFaVLi4UzHQ44vjHK6elNbVmx0znX6MJrLFfG7-dx1tzNz-wKwUB3VnD7A9h-lHv4HU9OR6ubQs72F3jybS5L2eV5n_xDpwjMiBRnyhA9Z61w3KkHlpPF0RrZJkgr_IleFKUznUgOX8i51UH_nNHsUSbOFD2D-J9FYGHI9RhAmrnFzqv39U4cuDikkwcTdtjNW_DSv17MphObDl-oqd-6lpZwxTDQVbic1vweu0RmuWgKYlmuFNRIg6PmPj7yKoIClNGElV0TL7cuI6I9tPMPdH8Af0ZFWnL_0_0_nxxGIb53ToDn5tSwA_Hh7SWQdwjfSYQb2LPoDiOIfnFh3q3nGlgKGDEvwE2wvKvgZitXN0-ky4JoUTvIxR1M2mTzp05hC8-3Rxv1RLPjL7oktuwArHW7d_V7cPM6QnXzCV9tfMYR-9ZKTCocswMz2UEc6pLJPTEQrsORbtCkm4nm16I0rN7QEOjN6EJiD1mzq4YYyYj0etberQ=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I couldn't believe people could be so happy trekking up at this kind of altitude. These two<br />
really far outstripped my wildest dreams. [Photo: Lai Peng]</td></tr>
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A quick check on all during our short lunch time found several of us starting to feel unwell. The altitude increase had taken a toll.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/ixBxsdqMgvSmqWBGxW9-PkPYm9yBqY_MBlhnbXMzNwEntYzv7FyUh8m7MAMDNjZg-c8DBCdqIkTJsrLZ8o3wwLf6D4ocwe2vsK3toDxmTbWC1zLytbKCoFOviVG6JItHp6JxA6g_LXn1B9KauFbooHhbLs9muRDMB_Fo0O-MP3P4RTrUjS0ei71KyNNL3LcFeh0sG1IDIgEt_jtZbVKBtPyxdwgRzu0RXyWzIuzdHgRLgGsK2D2zZ8n-fKv_HCkvj6-sW5wDZ8zvFo2rRW8lIP6AGbFeESPT4Gk5mI-8o1HmrtfnMRGwrzXygv6a_g1f2-JRqOqgRA5aSI_3I4j-BO3xYJUKmpZkJQoN40XaZApdtTJD22hDVvE5FKDhxIkleCQP4l8JUakjSctYaw8pPMw3Yxf0IDndnQp7qSpJYJ8SBlpTsMHaAGZ1h6gCUDfJVHPioHBVHI5XUdNyhCTRZZ5_ZTAiAb4_Ho7VWEWxoCZVESp_7cIb-iIaRRtI27RuzzH83gGfIfK555DgLsLfR8NO-jtrFkRlaPzH_E7REfwXgzJ9296vlbNjc5VK_tPLGdpk17MHUAhq7CCLgXXx5SX5wl2iJGNZIa4PWWbR98HbaxmrWkmO6zi4wJTakS4AbuGBLx2kHso12vbUIaXDcorQquhlL_JB=w1280-h791-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="1280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/ixBxsdqMgvSmqWBGxW9-PkPYm9yBqY_MBlhnbXMzNwEntYzv7FyUh8m7MAMDNjZg-c8DBCdqIkTJsrLZ8o3wwLf6D4ocwe2vsK3toDxmTbWC1zLytbKCoFOviVG6JItHp6JxA6g_LXn1B9KauFbooHhbLs9muRDMB_Fo0O-MP3P4RTrUjS0ei71KyNNL3LcFeh0sG1IDIgEt_jtZbVKBtPyxdwgRzu0RXyWzIuzdHgRLgGsK2D2zZ8n-fKv_HCkvj6-sW5wDZ8zvFo2rRW8lIP6AGbFeESPT4Gk5mI-8o1HmrtfnMRGwrzXygv6a_g1f2-JRqOqgRA5aSI_3I4j-BO3xYJUKmpZkJQoN40XaZApdtTJD22hDVvE5FKDhxIkleCQP4l8JUakjSctYaw8pPMw3Yxf0IDndnQp7qSpJYJ8SBlpTsMHaAGZ1h6gCUDfJVHPioHBVHI5XUdNyhCTRZZ5_ZTAiAb4_Ho7VWEWxoCZVESp_7cIb-iIaRRtI27RuzzH83gGfIfK555DgLsLfR8NO-jtrFkRlaPzH_E7REfwXgzJ9296vlbNjc5VK_tPLGdpk17MHUAhq7CCLgXXx5SX5wl2iJGNZIa4PWWbR98HbaxmrWkmO6zi4wJTakS4AbuGBLx2kHso12vbUIaXDcorQquhlL_JB=w1280-h791-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We started trekking again after lunch. [Photo: Kc Tng]</td></tr>
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I was walking behind Ah Li all the way. And I noticed that she was extraordinarily quiet. At 4700-4800m, she was starting to experience AMS in a silent way.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I cannot remember anything walking towards Lobuche,"</b></span> she admitted afterwards.</blockquote>
Poor girl. I kept looking at her face but could not tell anything amiss. She was blinking her eyes. And she was still walking. I felt that she was getting tired and I lifted her daypack off her with every intention of carrying it myself. But Binot was very good, he straight away grabbed it from my hands and offered to carry her daypack for me. For that I was very grateful.<br />
<br />
For myself, on this trek to Lobuche, I suffered my worst episodes of diarrhoea. I had to run three times to look for big rocks to let go of watery stools. My food poisoning was getting worse despite starting on Ciprofloxacin. This was not good, because I knew I could get severely dehydrated. I needed to do something fast. I popped another pill of ciprofloxacin, and a couple more Vacontil (Loperamide). A physician could always overdose himself, couldn't he? Haha...<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Yfqr_F6AaPZJ4zk9AcKC8zNNyLEvruINZEcvs8ituEwwR1W-k9hrpj9sJzV_HhMhb4OWkYbezmbMI-_NupuKjpgFArA9KY8ILP65YUDlxNMFqLxvvNoAxiuNB9kJ7k5fbwKpGaSAoDNMQEjn01RY6nsMDXL1wefB346frt83RqHAC71VvJqWBm_0ONCgAbuzXqulj3tWdBJm6ekSA_t8MsIFo5_3ruz4xZXN8a_g-J4hhTYdq4e0J0tgHGmjxLXheU03CaNiCxCJr4v_DzkhuXffGMhqkm7vPXdwFJsjAXWbt1wwcC3J-tIGoOHW1HkB3oMkwfHZQk7BNIfgUzQCLtHzIN6WEq0TnkLWhUaL-OGTUKJGWw1uoNt-H7mn_AROi8jKiKdG6jrXEcMlv8rDVnr_RJ4S8vnRdU8YgU3dGzzLijX23kCExcAoA2JrQFiCFSxL0gHGRUva_uUQyOC_KUgBrVP356bsytSgL_78nbRJw88Puo_U9w7lpaRP82KmCC_33JkrpO03Jidip-c-dphUFi4k6I7ytn1oAmnCCGQ4ObbBECzY44aTaVaUi5sj8UkKa8LwM7OdzkwCxYfhR_S2XRDurdXhSGyGokBjxLs8H5EB_l-W1OVrDmMGAeYSgQMAuUHFPftQbzi_C4Rzy36Huj4PzF6FOg=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Yfqr_F6AaPZJ4zk9AcKC8zNNyLEvruINZEcvs8ituEwwR1W-k9hrpj9sJzV_HhMhb4OWkYbezmbMI-_NupuKjpgFArA9KY8ILP65YUDlxNMFqLxvvNoAxiuNB9kJ7k5fbwKpGaSAoDNMQEjn01RY6nsMDXL1wefB346frt83RqHAC71VvJqWBm_0ONCgAbuzXqulj3tWdBJm6ekSA_t8MsIFo5_3ruz4xZXN8a_g-J4hhTYdq4e0J0tgHGmjxLXheU03CaNiCxCJr4v_DzkhuXffGMhqkm7vPXdwFJsjAXWbt1wwcC3J-tIGoOHW1HkB3oMkwfHZQk7BNIfgUzQCLtHzIN6WEq0TnkLWhUaL-OGTUKJGWw1uoNt-H7mn_AROi8jKiKdG6jrXEcMlv8rDVnr_RJ4S8vnRdU8YgU3dGzzLijX23kCExcAoA2JrQFiCFSxL0gHGRUva_uUQyOC_KUgBrVP356bsytSgL_78nbRJw88Puo_U9w7lpaRP82KmCC_33JkrpO03Jidip-c-dphUFi4k6I7ytn1oAmnCCGQ4ObbBECzY44aTaVaUi5sj8UkKa8LwM7OdzkwCxYfhR_S2XRDurdXhSGyGokBjxLs8H5EB_l-W1OVrDmMGAeYSgQMAuUHFPftQbzi_C4Rzy36Huj4PzF6FOg=w920-h690-no" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Kc Tng</td></tr>
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Soon at 4800m, we came to an opening where monuments were scattered with prayer flags hung over them.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"These are memorials for those who have died in Everest,"</b></span> said Babu.</blockquote>
<div>
It was a solemn moment, in a funereal atmosphere. We slowly walked around and read the plates on the stones. How many had died trying to attain their dreams? Why did people attempt to summit Everest, knowing that it could very well be the swan songs for these lives of theirs. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/CcXEFWsmvZWBtBhtUWnnXe-qAyiMuqCuw-pzMjWCI8YDWdVB2CVVzaEjD8lkf3Y-hro_h6ushOKT380yX5pGymgJ73a6sML3YHuTXhHXMXUbDoZSsMFj2UoAMzgdyj0b8A-rk4WIyRfwGELrz-ktptlTxarME05iJsb29SDq9jJwHnTgPvd7M7iK0gTGT1p_IBYm_5RHzh1hWbdmhSUMXuUTvtvjDw7axmBz-LqvGen8cGCtBDohR7IXdp3x-wmU7i_BRPJduBwP4dK8QlmBo6GvhpneARcLURMtUbdaMwWDdFMB4cqWl8KRRqTcgiALThqN5KlEKjfqE1EyMMMg1JsusQzxhbmNUiCqpaDuwLmw8sOvM1msrac3pgjURffPp81OvKHA1Czi3_4L2tpWmT1164RlTdV5jxQKYRTfxUlFoOS37gIJt9gqCPfn-dAfng3DCJm9qOwPl6jk8MdiU-oH1wFTqF6pCCbv-DYnKjQ7Y7SPzUV0DEBR93QtndJGJ9E6ArZ4XNfPDTFzJdjlRzUDoTSVb7ybX6OJBoD0oBpp20eV5uL59xr-cvQ7ImuISSzuKYjKn8fz_YS4PGU-BsqPY9zSUTuJI2CoG797A9zcqwS6hTR1_oQ6JOOsn-XrmPWqs6zRlDZEWkjBB37iajysfQfg6hh6=w1280-h791-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="1280" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/CcXEFWsmvZWBtBhtUWnnXe-qAyiMuqCuw-pzMjWCI8YDWdVB2CVVzaEjD8lkf3Y-hro_h6ushOKT380yX5pGymgJ73a6sML3YHuTXhHXMXUbDoZSsMFj2UoAMzgdyj0b8A-rk4WIyRfwGELrz-ktptlTxarME05iJsb29SDq9jJwHnTgPvd7M7iK0gTGT1p_IBYm_5RHzh1hWbdmhSUMXuUTvtvjDw7axmBz-LqvGen8cGCtBDohR7IXdp3x-wmU7i_BRPJduBwP4dK8QlmBo6GvhpneARcLURMtUbdaMwWDdFMB4cqWl8KRRqTcgiALThqN5KlEKjfqE1EyMMMg1JsusQzxhbmNUiCqpaDuwLmw8sOvM1msrac3pgjURffPp81OvKHA1Czi3_4L2tpWmT1164RlTdV5jxQKYRTfxUlFoOS37gIJt9gqCPfn-dAfng3DCJm9qOwPl6jk8MdiU-oH1wFTqF6pCCbv-DYnKjQ7Y7SPzUV0DEBR93QtndJGJ9E6ArZ4XNfPDTFzJdjlRzUDoTSVb7ybX6OJBoD0oBpp20eV5uL59xr-cvQ7ImuISSzuKYjKn8fz_YS4PGU-BsqPY9zSUTuJI2CoG797A9zcqwS6hTR1_oQ6JOOsn-XrmPWqs6zRlDZEWkjBB37iajysfQfg6hh6=w1280-h791-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Kc Tng]</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFmwFQzMj-9ArgrD58xudfOzvJQAWrH5ABvgixD8gZiS3vI6vnupfBlEmAlg28p9pDVFimfG3pLWAWZ9TBeDEJ_k4TfDEH4p9SN_cnxLyzH8M8g7HfV6zu-k5UkYc7wdYqIWF1RU2Rkg/w1191-h893-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFmwFQzMj-9ArgrD58xudfOzvJQAWrH5ABvgixD8gZiS3vI6vnupfBlEmAlg28p9pDVFimfG3pLWAWZ9TBeDEJ_k4TfDEH4p9SN_cnxLyzH8M8g7HfV6zu-k5UkYc7wdYqIWF1RU2Rkg/w1191-h893-no/" /></a></div>
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I felt that this place was too sorrowful. We did not linger long. A short while later, we continued our climb.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/UTR-Jn90XA0209FhUUZ05qJg61RWaHY1YY1cc-9SJBglnwIF5_4FvK09nzx_kHvzkjUc4MfhvWj284PUwdXYzz2ipKUBhxNf5qxW8GTwcU3MOuUfdVgvbyfkKCeS5JbxgW9Z5FBdZyVLds2YjqKLxL4NN_axU8ZPWAUED69AZFsh7-Hex9VjvkVA5PXeHGrgx1Nnj4778TniuMJ0uvm3Ch10Jh8dTNdRllQvIRmlnNzh0lhk3VbKe7TyDJzDWyNUf_MJss0Ikm8Q4aKg0h97w95d5XW-xp9JArBdoYh62GfUjB63R9IsxHIeKWwOKcE-2tcgEnDvpAy8cCLxILWnoKzLrTAbhecQuka3NS9W9-58hNZ71_ML6SvG_Ule8u3JxNih9iDIYbe2QGbI7rTDPHmx6ddn8kFFw1QXlR6o1O4zN4oyx3nTr4jfvZY6f7jLESEm58o0wKrCwtL8hX1XVQU5iyGcBCbGPM2wOmJFkCGc-fuG6PhaLzYLcHx68yCdQwLh04_TSvwbP3qqx2dKvnNABo11cszaFaPBFgr2wfaStfViIzivXvjcuLyYbxtri8nUvlpaWTxkfit1XN1CAVfmi9HbEd0LuqT_SKnuBHrqVFser6Z9ea27GJNyFBsogMRS7GgJ2OlOT68AQMGIvyRjBI6-TPfC=w1004-h250-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="1004" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/UTR-Jn90XA0209FhUUZ05qJg61RWaHY1YY1cc-9SJBglnwIF5_4FvK09nzx_kHvzkjUc4MfhvWj284PUwdXYzz2ipKUBhxNf5qxW8GTwcU3MOuUfdVgvbyfkKCeS5JbxgW9Z5FBdZyVLds2YjqKLxL4NN_axU8ZPWAUED69AZFsh7-Hex9VjvkVA5PXeHGrgx1Nnj4778TniuMJ0uvm3Ch10Jh8dTNdRllQvIRmlnNzh0lhk3VbKe7TyDJzDWyNUf_MJss0Ikm8Q4aKg0h97w95d5XW-xp9JArBdoYh62GfUjB63R9IsxHIeKWwOKcE-2tcgEnDvpAy8cCLxILWnoKzLrTAbhecQuka3NS9W9-58hNZ71_ML6SvG_Ule8u3JxNih9iDIYbe2QGbI7rTDPHmx6ddn8kFFw1QXlR6o1O4zN4oyx3nTr4jfvZY6f7jLESEm58o0wKrCwtL8hX1XVQU5iyGcBCbGPM2wOmJFkCGc-fuG6PhaLzYLcHx68yCdQwLh04_TSvwbP3qqx2dKvnNABo11cszaFaPBFgr2wfaStfViIzivXvjcuLyYbxtri8nUvlpaWTxkfit1XN1CAVfmi9HbEd0LuqT_SKnuBHrqVFser6Z9ea27GJNyFBsogMRS7GgJ2OlOT68AQMGIvyRjBI6-TPfC=w1004-h250-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Memorial of those who died at 4800m. [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Hydration along the trek</b></span></div>
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We had tried to hydrate ourselves as much as we could along the trek. But it was obvious that many of us were not drinking enough. My own urine was deep yellow over the past few days, even as I drank at least 2 litres of water.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Each of you need to drink at least 4 litres of water, if you all are taking Diamox,"</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"> I remembered Babu emphasizing.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"My urine are very yellow,"</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"> admitted both Kong Wan and Kai Sing. </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"We are really still quite dehydrated."</b></span></blockquote>
The price of one litre of mineral water cost 15 NRP (S$0.20) in Kathmandu. By the time we arrived in Lukla, each one little bottle would cost 100 NRP (S$1.33). As we ascended, at Namche Bazaar each bottle was at 200 NPR (S$2.66). And at Debuche 250 NPR. Dingboche was at 250 NPR. By the time we arrived at Gorak Shep, each one litre bottle of mineral water was at 300NPR (S$4). Every day despite the reluctance, I made a point to spend all that I needed to at least ensure that each member of the family had at least two litres of water. In retrospect, I felt that it was still insufficient. A daily consumption of at least 3 litres would be more ideal, a point that I had taken note and would enforce in our future treks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4587/38576696585_a827a29513_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4587/38576696585_a827a29513_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4587/38576696585_d119c6b89d_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darric moving slowly behind. He must be feeling the effects of the altitude. [Photo: Kong Wan]</td></tr>
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Dust, rocks, boulders, plateaus, hills, mounts, peaks, streams, ice-covered brooks, shrubs - the desolateness pervaded the air around us. Gone was the joyousness that came with greeneries and human settlements, leaving only the melancholy of remoteness. In my heart I felt this was really not where human beings belonged. One could not possibly live for long periods in these lonely lonely lands without sinking into an irrecoverable state of depression.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/LFnao8Hdn4FAK4qsPdsn6-awn3ZdrSSjn2viJGRpOPs4j5AqydBzOH4pTeL1VDd-EFjrz5nRSRBtQO89tzBfyeFKQzr279BpH8YWiljX1v6bZRlK7GA3HA0DLVBRXAEY90Nt_JNL07GUz7M96cVavU-U0_95NKoOdXA84zxHNqaciHcmMifEkxSN3p7RzuPGybRXFm6ET6La3IimQcMsmirxR2kZjPCitwv8Z_DJaD2tBDcUlte6gri6mD0LmbYlGdZ2mAyB-Lk9nZsnYrxcW-O95OfNOCQ1XGLC_Zc1OjaOW7m7rpvyo_uwLUBbScXE0l_r6M8a07lpEsCtVBOVU2XpNEvMVoSmBKMhEZIa3bkLi_QpfODRf9tVGd1cCk1kUGZUlW4fUZmC3b8L9WWczkxDfOXc8YHTdwrqogSNLjgt0OX04JjtxhXwK6-T5o7-jRgRbQFIsXU5_-wFfA4nBynSoTZURq8mqQXXLq41FFN0lshqNqIclLQe46vnUduBVOc67Je0WJkc7ZtwOd3TyL5l2DTX5K_yKLWg2JVh4S5RinCWjU8Z4tqEsuhJxxXp73Sg7KPQmrBOtszwE0IXgL-U3K8SxbFgUiWFj8T4rwMeVnTpR5a5qNMbVLiHUczmxww5cPhi-GV1S98N_NrGPoVnl0nuurp7=w1003-h408-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="1003" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/LFnao8Hdn4FAK4qsPdsn6-awn3ZdrSSjn2viJGRpOPs4j5AqydBzOH4pTeL1VDd-EFjrz5nRSRBtQO89tzBfyeFKQzr279BpH8YWiljX1v6bZRlK7GA3HA0DLVBRXAEY90Nt_JNL07GUz7M96cVavU-U0_95NKoOdXA84zxHNqaciHcmMifEkxSN3p7RzuPGybRXFm6ET6La3IimQcMsmirxR2kZjPCitwv8Z_DJaD2tBDcUlte6gri6mD0LmbYlGdZ2mAyB-Lk9nZsnYrxcW-O95OfNOCQ1XGLC_Zc1OjaOW7m7rpvyo_uwLUBbScXE0l_r6M8a07lpEsCtVBOVU2XpNEvMVoSmBKMhEZIa3bkLi_QpfODRf9tVGd1cCk1kUGZUlW4fUZmC3b8L9WWczkxDfOXc8YHTdwrqogSNLjgt0OX04JjtxhXwK6-T5o7-jRgRbQFIsXU5_-wFfA4nBynSoTZURq8mqQXXLq41FFN0lshqNqIclLQe46vnUduBVOc67Je0WJkc7ZtwOd3TyL5l2DTX5K_yKLWg2JVh4S5RinCWjU8Z4tqEsuhJxxXp73Sg7KPQmrBOtszwE0IXgL-U3K8SxbFgUiWFj8T4rwMeVnTpR5a5qNMbVLiHUczmxww5cPhi-GV1S98N_NrGPoVnl0nuurp7=w1003-h408-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Patrick</td></tr>
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I could understand how <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vmCeIqTECZ-rzTh8QEbR9lSxEOfod9Ybug3ePZM1AvefNkggnB-PcpMN1rYwcr2RHxdSn2dYuLswvENJdqgGmR0B1DWmn-lPt8DHwsrYKfrXjrs5MVfFI89tL5_Qgb3j2kFKYyGotbGMywWJJwJwMZp8y5B0TsnPcuNRS-eodpLrBlnqyk-cYqOmR4l6uCoqfUqQ7rnkXKg_c0_lItgyiiIsyjv4xTMxD6lCv9Ip_6JIEePIYNtgXN9f2p0KuyLQYjMfueEV2AFawNWW5J85roeyUqIeYPezeRUSOPkjSTb9e3Qws2g-7bTBVwSeEWtgV621EVglLvcLSHm-6O1p0q4c2a9c-1tUc6BiZN_n41Ch1ShdzdCl8s2KodPgd-pnwNucnn8vjG-UVEW39SZ-uLKmyRxzsWiY15mx6zLVFyLhaCBG7CGTX1ItQc2O89dEoU1a4BQ4S2vdafcOymPPjYj20_EMEjAk-B2Q1UZdpWMl90T8N8iuk2Pnjx4_Nd56IRSFsRnT1a3tXiLAQPlT5x6NUOJhEzsVgLC-O3eCz87akBtPtJL0RdabSUBzaRVueatnSdHcDho9Tcrguo6fl2vHpuSOtBQbedtfEKPZNZi2pD-TK0vFoe-FCVIM69xWByXYp3SYkotZYfwlqurJWEm1mG0INNGb=w1003-h620-no" target="_blank">Ah Li could develop an insidious onset of AMS without realising it</a>. This trek was too dreary, and one could too easily withdrew into oneself and lost connection with the surrounding. I needed to check on the young lady as soon as we arrived in Lobuche.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/AvJVyHKq2qHQEdjL9xyE7_4UL2u_XDuedkYxROf8YMXYVoLuIKDWnhwI28vcZvH78GCfjyDkw_m1kRM8u91-T666krFHdtnZ9ZDRhr0PehbvYHfSY1LABASv5bM3n2uwYDWmUVL5BCKyqrQVEOPy2-6EDiuxGR5KUVo_vWWbYXQQyszpGal4Dyah901Zu1gk681QkIuJxErpH0P4p-XafyEK6UONwGYaYdwBZxcl29Tc5lDZ7kMRPH0uBHGgntHs7hTGUbOnoYE1itTVJZzK3AdD5Y6cDF_TSU47yjEJ6PpEEOeFmCbnGOb-WYn6Ag2ShIh6aMHlRF1IUnX70mnV7l_5bRAEl6NJvdtGDlzOQiafnk3HMbWopkyMS4XrnfgB4HT4tDnaxHxJgfIbxHBa0DwvUovjpkV2INYo0l4yEMX8t54YbSAkSLUmeDQ-GDhZwGsSCAxijY1E2Pj051lIQb-zKhXMy6UEt5aJHZEysxwcnW0yllcJ4_-uE8OfgCEW9vQ5u88h0kBhV_7PeNKAvk5V9Pb_7-KYkqKC2rqNBrVtllKXi02iLtlZUjdaqUMFOIr1piy18g-4oGT6Qua_DgOXSGwqiOak74HJfs-nP464D4j1oJ9d52R6q413ROloGZdonNfpPfSuIZ3Z2wDIxpijgn8mHFw3qQ=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/AvJVyHKq2qHQEdjL9xyE7_4UL2u_XDuedkYxROf8YMXYVoLuIKDWnhwI28vcZvH78GCfjyDkw_m1kRM8u91-T666krFHdtnZ9ZDRhr0PehbvYHfSY1LABASv5bM3n2uwYDWmUVL5BCKyqrQVEOPy2-6EDiuxGR5KUVo_vWWbYXQQyszpGal4Dyah901Zu1gk681QkIuJxErpH0P4p-XafyEK6UONwGYaYdwBZxcl29Tc5lDZ7kMRPH0uBHGgntHs7hTGUbOnoYE1itTVJZzK3AdD5Y6cDF_TSU47yjEJ6PpEEOeFmCbnGOb-WYn6Ag2ShIh6aMHlRF1IUnX70mnV7l_5bRAEl6NJvdtGDlzOQiafnk3HMbWopkyMS4XrnfgB4HT4tDnaxHxJgfIbxHBa0DwvUovjpkV2INYo0l4yEMX8t54YbSAkSLUmeDQ-GDhZwGsSCAxijY1E2Pj051lIQb-zKhXMy6UEt5aJHZEysxwcnW0yllcJ4_-uE8OfgCEW9vQ5u88h0kBhV_7PeNKAvk5V9Pb_7-KYkqKC2rqNBrVtllKXi02iLtlZUjdaqUMFOIr1piy18g-4oGT6Qua_DgOXSGwqiOak74HJfs-nP464D4j1oJ9d52R6q413ROloGZdonNfpPfSuIZ3Z2wDIxpijgn8mHFw3qQ=w920-h690-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting nearer to Lobuche. Walking through some icy ground. [Photo: Lay Khim]</td></tr>
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Everyone trekked in silence. I wasn't sure if Jason and Matthew were still singing or dancing way ahead in front. All I knew was, those of us at the rear were toiling and wondering when the trek would end. Serene and I were still hyperventilating. But I was thankful that my average heart rate remained at 109/min. That was my only consolation. My lungs and respiratory muscles were working overtime. But my heart and my lower limbs were still being preserved. The front boys and girls were so far away we'd totally lost sight of them. Khim and Mimi were our constant companions. It was good, as long as I kept right at the rear, I would be fine, physically, and psychologically. Serene and I had to be right at the back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/c2_Fh27WIqrPLAQgTiGzcldd1wvn0J8nAKFS1q36TYrgB0jMA7gMVvjXlmEXtjnXc11uswOe7Nbir2v9LqTUrFvLsJOYn8QZgNFbs2PfFcVEbkFYI7guIdYIPnJwYglylqvAXBKgJEWE6ply5x7-PZGIEWwnqTtXtjjLCHy8-puDI-UPUtWMSurtpZD3a2goUi8LTQ_VxXGhaxD0j5wJyMlbAhIjt_9sZrbiog_7pB6LBxz-XQQ1M-Y8uS8H7VhcCL7emRtOPK4E7qF-6wPG3QNTC6iTXnlj2fWuQngNt2l6v565moIGHXqxEzbp7qkSu5DssXteF7JFkPzSy9CcqEFyHnsEUmmDPhYrJo27lTX_DkVowMmYeVNkK7-GqnYW_NIvwQrmk5Fqsqd1aaOrSJc6g8y5657RtGhOvUm7LuDIawD_iASNjnC7QX3VsYWsPFkJ3IrxlBEOvb648FWYAzO02lPKXzC_Uss9iqQv70V_BUQjGOUc_VTH6fVBpPi1YMCYVlAbBJ70mIRFwK4IU4S7Vpnb_YR1jAmb1aafE5_W1IHrMS1p-RM5FmdSruOMKIwOamZp0jV1vP5AVQWrUR9Zr_ApUCSGibvXezQXkNWzfEwUYtUElGPwZXMvwxfd9QEyIJ1CD1XHGDRWrO_Tar3DOrbf9Gri=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/c2_Fh27WIqrPLAQgTiGzcldd1wvn0J8nAKFS1q36TYrgB0jMA7gMVvjXlmEXtjnXc11uswOe7Nbir2v9LqTUrFvLsJOYn8QZgNFbs2PfFcVEbkFYI7guIdYIPnJwYglylqvAXBKgJEWE6ply5x7-PZGIEWwnqTtXtjjLCHy8-puDI-UPUtWMSurtpZD3a2goUi8LTQ_VxXGhaxD0j5wJyMlbAhIjt_9sZrbiog_7pB6LBxz-XQQ1M-Y8uS8H7VhcCL7emRtOPK4E7qF-6wPG3QNTC6iTXnlj2fWuQngNt2l6v565moIGHXqxEzbp7qkSu5DssXteF7JFkPzSy9CcqEFyHnsEUmmDPhYrJo27lTX_DkVowMmYeVNkK7-GqnYW_NIvwQrmk5Fqsqd1aaOrSJc6g8y5657RtGhOvUm7LuDIawD_iASNjnC7QX3VsYWsPFkJ3IrxlBEOvb648FWYAzO02lPKXzC_Uss9iqQv70V_BUQjGOUc_VTH6fVBpPi1YMCYVlAbBJ70mIRFwK4IU4S7Vpnb_YR1jAmb1aafE5_W1IHrMS1p-RM5FmdSruOMKIwOamZp0jV1vP5AVQWrUR9Zr_ApUCSGibvXezQXkNWzfEwUYtUElGPwZXMvwxfd9QEyIJ1CD1XHGDRWrO_Tar3DOrbf9Gri=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Patrick<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I really didn't know when. But out of nowhere, a settlement appeared in the distant. That was Lobuche. We were delighted deep inside, though many of us might not have expressed it externally. Six and a half hours of climbing at 4800-4900m with 53-54% of oxygen level in the air compared with sea level, certainly had drained us of plenty of energy.</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/U2mEsln7amwHr4E0VbVnptBSGRVPPDL0ozMInBM-FrB8-DUaMAHrr_KVTlC4DvgRp2fDmKn9_B_5xOHx3efjvl5AzdB_aX7xL173YYaYIVwZPxTdStRWTDSKkQIOQQeU6kqJXH5gPCkqrld_C7eSXP9NKGmvALiJwJCggwhq-HyDnzAhzMNPprSfA765yu6yhLthrGb8RkDWY7DqyPh25dY24vDPvstnOF48GXz4uzyWt2PzwL6J0pvvPXo1bVuALrd8JnWXjwGcVU8IU5cUVP66TRdX9jRvMpzYajq3dPBmweDL4yMG0xP6pn0uvgboFfaRFnWZLzhtrjGlLEWf9Z7Q8--gXXBAbCD8t8vE2wKfHW13Cs--DPG7-8l12sqdkoHOljn81GI7tX9xom4Q7tNuLGS7nm27mLbHyqdBI4CyYvMfrx4IrTHIpnDa1VHCkgCQwE6yNiwrUgsNw7hOfdAKnGGPJCDv96c3fmX6hiYE1EwjXJpMU-5hCHDYLhTRl11ngEe3dWbo4hJ_okJapqcJZOs89ppP3g-LVI-fSMR7on3wKpBNQNOiOTgAbvRccybBEFc8VXkp1WxgdpT6WMRIUqJsOH2iTFIPxUX9O9SSsuaqTMqp2U5vFUGHO26lTgEcmYNcMT1bQMxmcFIeS3L39Sg5IdBW=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/U2mEsln7amwHr4E0VbVnptBSGRVPPDL0ozMInBM-FrB8-DUaMAHrr_KVTlC4DvgRp2fDmKn9_B_5xOHx3efjvl5AzdB_aX7xL173YYaYIVwZPxTdStRWTDSKkQIOQQeU6kqJXH5gPCkqrld_C7eSXP9NKGmvALiJwJCggwhq-HyDnzAhzMNPprSfA765yu6yhLthrGb8RkDWY7DqyPh25dY24vDPvstnOF48GXz4uzyWt2PzwL6J0pvvPXo1bVuALrd8JnWXjwGcVU8IU5cUVP66TRdX9jRvMpzYajq3dPBmweDL4yMG0xP6pn0uvgboFfaRFnWZLzhtrjGlLEWf9Z7Q8--gXXBAbCD8t8vE2wKfHW13Cs--DPG7-8l12sqdkoHOljn81GI7tX9xom4Q7tNuLGS7nm27mLbHyqdBI4CyYvMfrx4IrTHIpnDa1VHCkgCQwE6yNiwrUgsNw7hOfdAKnGGPJCDv96c3fmX6hiYE1EwjXJpMU-5hCHDYLhTRl11ngEe3dWbo4hJ_okJapqcJZOs89ppP3g-LVI-fSMR7on3wKpBNQNOiOTgAbvRccybBEFc8VXkp1WxgdpT6WMRIUqJsOH2iTFIPxUX9O9SSsuaqTMqp2U5vFUGHO26lTgEcmYNcMT1bQMxmcFIeS3L39Sg5IdBW=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo: Patrick</td></tr>
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4900m. Another level in our quest for height. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSb0zb5JN5NrabEJ88l2jLKc2N247ZnFD7iHuQFrmvBV3QhSX9lwn4ARcIOyT9ItBoUkWufeO602ane3wdYY8o_hwbcIQ3UYjmAtFbqLtnafkwIg_5ijwTv_tdj3vPhVTQIXqKo0yNQQk/w1191-h893-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSb0zb5JN5NrabEJ88l2jLKc2N247ZnFD7iHuQFrmvBV3QhSX9lwn4ARcIOyT9ItBoUkWufeO602ane3wdYY8o_hwbcIQ3UYjmAtFbqLtnafkwIg_5ijwTv_tdj3vPhVTQIXqKo0yNQQk/w1191-h893-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Man, finally arriving at Lobuche!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4635/38752872204_ec2d1e553e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4635/38752872204_ec2d1e553e_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="450" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4635/38752872204_851f426aaa_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A jubilant Khim! [Photo: Kong Wan]</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">That fateful evening...</span></b><br />
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<br />
Members were getting sicker. I had to start Casey on antibiotic for his throat and cough, similarly for Cantona too. Even Vngks finally caught the respiratory bug and started on medication. Ashley was getting sicker as her poor appetite really drained her and the AMS was weakening her. I continued some more oral Dexamethasone for Ashley, and tweaked her medication. I knew she was suffering, and we had to try everything to settle the more critical symptoms. Even BennyJeff finally had to go on antibiotics for his throat because at this altitude we knew things would turn bad overnight. And the next day was our final push. We needed to keep everyone in as stable a state as possible.<br />
<br />
Ah Li was given double dose of Dexamethasone too and something drowsy to knock her out. On this night in Lobuche it was Ah Li's turn to sleep with Serene and I. Fann and Ah Sing had recovered and they could be on their own. I was all ready to give Ah Li an intramuscular Dexamethasone had it not been for her adamant refusal. I would let her sleep on the bed that night, and perhaps secretly give her a jab.<br />
<br />
Sharan was really helpful. He and Prem offered to bring us an extra mattress and blanket so that I could sleep on the floor in between the two beds where Ah Li and Serene would be sleeping. These guys were really fantastic. Their attention to details made our trip so much more bearable.<br />
<br />
During dinner time, Cantona's SaO2 was still lowish on the 80% range. He was remarking in jest when he saw mine SaO2 at 95% and heart rate at 67/min:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Wah lau.. how can? Let me try the pulse oximeter again! I want to see if my heart rate can come down to 60+ and my oxygen go up!" </span></b>But he remained at 85% and heart rate of 89/min.</blockquote>
I laughed and went around checking. TJK was getting better. His SaO2 was actually pretty good at 90% after he stated on Diamox at Phakding and didn't stop them, despite his stridulous breathing all along the way during the trek.<br />
<br />
None of the members suffered from any muscular pain. I was still pleasantly surprised. It was either they really conserved their legs, or the freezing cold might have numbed whatever soreness. But that was of course, good news.<br />
<br />
Casey's SaO2 were also lowish, at 80+%. That was understandable at 4900m. But I would have expected him to acclimatise better by now. I had to keep an eye on both Cantona and Casey. Those with SaO2 of 80+% and below were at higher risk of developing insidious AMS.<br />
<br />
The 90% ones should be safe. Well, at least that was what I thought.<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>4:00am</b></span><br />
I woke up suddenly with a tightness in my chest. I had difficulty breathing, tried as hard I could. I didn't have any headaches. I'd already made it a habit to hang my pulse oximeter round my neck constantly 24 hours so that I could check anyone anytime.<br />
A quick check on myself found my SaO2 to be 73%. What-the-fertiliser. I was developing a sudden onset of AMS!<br />
I quickly woke Serene up.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Dar, I cannot breathe. And my oxygen is very low. I need you to give me the injections and the pills,"</b></span> I instructed her.</blockquote>
She was really calm. Two intramuscular injections - one Dexamethasone, one Copan (for my abdominal cramp as I was recovering from food poisoning), two tablets of Dexamethasone 0.5mg, one Theolin SR (Theophylline), and a Sildenafil 100mg and one more tablet of Ciprofloxacin were all administered to me in an instant. I knocked out again very quickly.<br />
<br />
When I woke up at 6am that morning, I felt like a brand new man. My diarrhoea and stomach rumbling had settled, and I could heave a deep breath with little resistance. I knew my worst was over.<br />
Waking up Ah Li, I saw that she was more alert, and her SaO2 had returned to normal. She had also recovered from her AMS miraculously overnight. That was a real relief.<br />
With this experience I learnt that AMS could occur to any one, any time, even those with good SaO2 readings, when one least expected it. Thinking back, perhaps my food poisoning-induced dehydration might have been the trigger.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">EBC TREK Day 9 ~ </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">The frantic day of trekking from Lobuche to Gorak Shep, and the rush to push on to EBC... and finally the U-turn back to Gorak Shep.</span></b><br />
<div>
<b><span style="color: yellow;">26 Nov 2017</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7PfJKU7kaJ801JO-IvVOEIPprOC74vxr0ti4261pppAsYjIcB5X8Rde4iCUqqjLcMm4QROFZ1Y1PLZpx593DkaGwuLhrByz-6cg_H28px7vJBIhrKw7OpaGm-NXQ8QjlxOExDgtwDe0/w1003-h564-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="1003" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7PfJKU7kaJ801JO-IvVOEIPprOC74vxr0ti4261pppAsYjIcB5X8Rde4iCUqqjLcMm4QROFZ1Y1PLZpx593DkaGwuLhrByz-6cg_H28px7vJBIhrKw7OpaGm-NXQ8QjlxOExDgtwDe0/w1003-h564-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The map of this nightmare of a trek on this fateful day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Here is the Relive video of the </span><i><span style="color: #d9ead3;">rush from Lobuche to Gorak Shep at 5190m, and the mad push to EBC at 5350m followed by the frantic return trek back to Gorak Shep.</span></i></b><br />
<blockquote class="embedly-card" data-card-controls="0" data-card-key="f1631a41cb254ca5b035dc5747a5bd75">
<h4>
<a href="https://www.relive.cc/view/1294078725?r=embed-site">Relive 'The mad rush from Lobuche to Gorak Shep and the final push to EBC and back to Gorak Shep'</a></h4>
</blockquote>
<script async="" charset="UTF-8" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js"></script>
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: large;"><b>Here is the Strava Flyby of this day's trek.</b></span> <i><b>Just click on the image below, <span style="color: yellow;">play and zoom in and see</span>. This one is <span style="color: yellow;">another MUST see</span>. Keep zooming in and see how Alex and Lai Peng led initially, for a short distance, and then Kc Tng caught up and led for another distance. Finally it was Kai Sing, Alex and Lai Peng who pushed on further and further in front, leaving KC Tng, Darric and Patrick a short distance behind. Kong Wan was slightly in front of me, but he also ended up hurrying as he needed to catch up with Ai Lin. A very exciting day to watch!!!</b></i><br />
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<a href="https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1294078725?c=tuvxp47s&z=D&t=1Q6g8c&a=BRMiTZ88IE15vaVN-WQfTf0vH03iWx9NgvIgTSd7IE3cgSBN3WMfTVb3IE0" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="800" height="296" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4587/25502871828_21ebb94176_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is my Garmin record for this tough day's trek. We set off at 7:19am and the trekking time was almost 10 hours. By the time we returned to Gorak Shep, it was evening, and we arrived at a dark dark 6pm.<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/embed/2354949195" title="Everest Base Camp Trek Day 8-Lobuche to Gorakshep & EBC then Gorakshep" width="465"></iframe>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;">The </span><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc; font-size: x-large;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-large;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966; font-size: x-large;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: x-large;">:</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">The final push to EBC!</span></span></span></b><br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t9jWTWVneac?rel=0" width="820"></iframe>
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We were all getting used to the negative ten-ish celcius kind of early morning temperature by then. The deep cold had made it possible only to conduct at most wet wipes cleaning of our bodies, followed by powder bath, a process that I totally disliked because even the wet wipes were like ice to my skin. We hadn't had a shower in six days. I was sure none was in the mood to do so. As our objective drew palpably near, that was the last thing in our mind.<br />
Full layers were the norm. But when it came to layering none could beat TJK. He had been having seven full layers on for the major part of the trek and they had stayed on for most parts of the days. That was really smart, because no matter how cold it was out there, he would always be well-insulated, the only exception being in the warmth of the central fireplace in the guesthouse, when tiny droplets of perspiration would start to shimmer on his forehead.<br />
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We all set off from Lobuche, knowing well that a long day laid ahead of us. This was it. The defining day. The fast boys and girls were off like rockets right from the start. Should I start to push the family a little more? The question could draw no answer, and I was none the wiser. The status quo was thus maintained.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7g0ndGQMQUYIiiPlgJLTZRTjt9wheg6zpVWsv4eOegrCP0_7gDL9scUjST07TYcA7a4ziMrgauCRBoNvGe1lPznFy_KmYSqfQn9asTUL-QbU59YWZTwo1xTq1gkD1eXVt7JlSFnI0J0/s893-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="893" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7g0ndGQMQUYIiiPlgJLTZRTjt9wheg6zpVWsv4eOegrCP0_7gDL9scUjST07TYcA7a4ziMrgauCRBoNvGe1lPznFy_KmYSqfQn9asTUL-QbU59YWZTwo1xTq1gkD1eXVt7JlSFnI0J0/s893-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This morning started early with breakfast at 6am. Some were fresh, some were tired, </td></tr>
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As always, when we set off before the sun rose above the peaks, we were always shrouded in the dark. Today was no exception.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/qsSPS_ZEfyz-VUe9dtGoOemZvGKcysv1hTbuZYbfKuO5m1NvRmg6w9jTg-rgd1K98hZRCWXzcX2I6_q9z3RyheW2q1-b7JxnH7BiuwaUzzZCZhjijBWc11TnteXSQYRXNNjRvXcNjJSraozw64QMbRbisVUiD3uEqyB8NpiZaa1vhgTNCOYOxLjDs5ocIDlGRZQ_mzFF9YMxJjXLBDdsgKL51o5dCOWBgaxu_UJtjHG91O0DAsvaFldb4oo7SJ-GYT_lrcTrWK37C_QQOCpKVkoTNNcMH59lenXx0uRDYgCCYAGiQE5Tj6iOGkTdrZSF2OSvk0eTmMK9EaL1ABSaBHO8UyQRjlJUIBnoePpU4qjbv0tVQ-rxKsx-sPXpL947uwsDzqoG8o4aFyj4EwLT6Ol_a46San6fdYnNvaJlsvGe7TM3mSm0J6E3-BslmK_b771eeLV85OVp7H4H_fogYLQ-ZWRhtzg9du84zP-ehcQH4N1prNtsA6i-p_DMLISp8zXl6Wq4X71unUrtki502KY73uopLG4wv7AlreUoJW-C8Wv8E8qeDF_swE6AkwsMBgAcwnjDQpsPh05BZB3RNop2NUp-3sOjxrKCdeX9oSNZPObBWyuZuB9i0EaxXfzFvnct6BAaLvujpbT_drQchEbH4lBP_2KU=w1280-h791-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="1280" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/qsSPS_ZEfyz-VUe9dtGoOemZvGKcysv1hTbuZYbfKuO5m1NvRmg6w9jTg-rgd1K98hZRCWXzcX2I6_q9z3RyheW2q1-b7JxnH7BiuwaUzzZCZhjijBWc11TnteXSQYRXNNjRvXcNjJSraozw64QMbRbisVUiD3uEqyB8NpiZaa1vhgTNCOYOxLjDs5ocIDlGRZQ_mzFF9YMxJjXLBDdsgKL51o5dCOWBgaxu_UJtjHG91O0DAsvaFldb4oo7SJ-GYT_lrcTrWK37C_QQOCpKVkoTNNcMH59lenXx0uRDYgCCYAGiQE5Tj6iOGkTdrZSF2OSvk0eTmMK9EaL1ABSaBHO8UyQRjlJUIBnoePpU4qjbv0tVQ-rxKsx-sPXpL947uwsDzqoG8o4aFyj4EwLT6Ol_a46San6fdYnNvaJlsvGe7TM3mSm0J6E3-BslmK_b771eeLV85OVp7H4H_fogYLQ-ZWRhtzg9du84zP-ehcQH4N1prNtsA6i-p_DMLISp8zXl6Wq4X71unUrtki502KY73uopLG4wv7AlreUoJW-C8Wv8E8qeDF_swE6AkwsMBgAcwnjDQpsPh05BZB3RNop2NUp-3sOjxrKCdeX9oSNZPObBWyuZuB9i0EaxXfzFvnct6BAaLvujpbT_drQchEbH4lBP_2KU=w1280-h791-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early morning departing [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
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Very soon, the sun rose and we started looking around the bleak, expansive land which we had now begun to accept as the norm at this altitude. Ai Lin was a really natural. She was soon way ahead, following her natural metronome. Kong Wan, who originally was trying to conserve himself by staying with us in the rear group, found himself pushing harder to catch up with Ai Lin. Soon, I also lost sight of Kong Wan.<br />
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<br />
Pumori peak was very prominent on this trek and Kala Patthar just below Pumori was constantly in sight. Binot pointed out that black rocky hill just below Pumori to us. We made a mental note that Kala Patthar would be the next objective after EBC. But that would have to come the next day. Meanwhile today we just needed to focus on EBC.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/QfH7KXvYhH2fJ5teNYsiNV_8AqP1zIW6B4FkKaWt9x7Dki-DO6pMiz-w-F6hms06OAgTaLQ2Eiu7xOin5fIMuI96qsqGuUls7LreTqJmbJz6EvRNNGKVKAt9aN34Phe0R_gKKhaZHYm83IMBji5WDAPNPu5tApZNAV529g_odmIf7Y0ATcuMfA-kHWmBu0hN1KezbXmG2zpnpFaUP6LAc4T3YI9nFRuyUnUNtHUhdVxtBolWx8og9Q3EdN7aYSswSYGMo4Wxn5tpYpUVr-YbLI0cBrC69TzSXLYQemmWRWBztN2y-CcallVwXhQQQIrVHHdEqoDRBfAmm9F2R_lxRZ5atOpALXqYu3BEq6QgD0Z2CO4YW2X3JUWQ35RyTc3yoUyhpcAP1FLUIKmpRukYQNOTpuf5mu3burtukph1OfFLHyzMptBgMYhGeBMK2l3A7fIUxkhuHdRWaC6CmrH0zqykdkVLXcDfZY-rvjk4FUHfowgMy4BsOGvGIcljKGHX68X88ZlyNvGyFYGW6wO0Z1WmbVCCmVss3nEtMAWcz_GTEsaK9cbKy1ct3G07VISZWfhMKDd3x3dCP6IaC0W37qu25fSk9cpDxBeUT0sUe8Vh2H0FbAkhy6ab4MRNeh7VyUQ8fv_B3lLoyLDz76VrcmSh5BcX2tC1=w1280-h393-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="1280" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/QfH7KXvYhH2fJ5teNYsiNV_8AqP1zIW6B4FkKaWt9x7Dki-DO6pMiz-w-F6hms06OAgTaLQ2Eiu7xOin5fIMuI96qsqGuUls7LreTqJmbJz6EvRNNGKVKAt9aN34Phe0R_gKKhaZHYm83IMBji5WDAPNPu5tApZNAV529g_odmIf7Y0ATcuMfA-kHWmBu0hN1KezbXmG2zpnpFaUP6LAc4T3YI9nFRuyUnUNtHUhdVxtBolWx8og9Q3EdN7aYSswSYGMo4Wxn5tpYpUVr-YbLI0cBrC69TzSXLYQemmWRWBztN2y-CcallVwXhQQQIrVHHdEqoDRBfAmm9F2R_lxRZ5atOpALXqYu3BEq6QgD0Z2CO4YW2X3JUWQ35RyTc3yoUyhpcAP1FLUIKmpRukYQNOTpuf5mu3burtukph1OfFLHyzMptBgMYhGeBMK2l3A7fIUxkhuHdRWaC6CmrH0zqykdkVLXcDfZY-rvjk4FUHfowgMy4BsOGvGIcljKGHX68X88ZlyNvGyFYGW6wO0Z1WmbVCCmVss3nEtMAWcz_GTEsaK9cbKy1ct3G07VISZWfhMKDd3x3dCP6IaC0W37qu25fSk9cpDxBeUT0sUe8Vh2H0FbAkhy6ab4MRNeh7VyUQ8fv_B3lLoyLDz76VrcmSh5BcX2tC1=w1280-h393-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama by Alex - Pumori peak on the left with the black Kala Patthar just below it.</td></tr>
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Where there were shrubs lower down, at 5000m, we saw hardly any vegetation. And it was simply rocks, gravels, soil, and dust. Again and again, we walked on relatively flat ground with rocks strewn all over. These were old glacier beds.<br />
Another question that kept emerging in my mind was, I knew up here out there many found fossils of ammonites. Would I be so lucky as to pick up one of these? How would I be able to tell that a smooth piece of stone was actually a fossilised ammonite? A question that I burningly wanted to ask the guides but somehow escaped my mind. Must have been the low oxygen level.<br />
At 5000m, oxygen level was only about 53%. And the hyperventilation persevered.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sRi9vbHFClG0rC2LiafNYox_CSle2cmZ1oWcqhqjUjgwxhJl0DFtvBeviKGuRN19pc7RZr0KofvFFPrTBMNPhvzydfC2DLzPx1UQP5FZ456Ra3vaw0j4pcj4UVz2iGpiR4-fzbJzHKo/w483-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sRi9vbHFClG0rC2LiafNYox_CSle2cmZ1oWcqhqjUjgwxhJl0DFtvBeviKGuRN19pc7RZr0KofvFFPrTBMNPhvzydfC2DLzPx1UQP5FZ456Ra3vaw0j4pcj4UVz2iGpiR4-fzbJzHKo/w483-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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Mimi, Khim, TJK and my whole family were trekking slowly at the rear. I could always tell when TJK was behind me, as his breathings were the reassuring signs of his presence. Kong Wan was a really caring fellow. He would trek in front of TJK or any one who needed help, and pointed out the way, the rocks to step on, the paths to avoid.... until he himself had to chase after Ai Lin.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4636/39455805341_54fd9fc44f_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4636/39455805341_54fd9fc44f_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4636/39455805341_07401c558b_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our good Kong Wan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4595/39302909201_df8d7312d1_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4595/39302909201_e0f66d8613_b.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4595/39302909201_df8d7312d1_k.jpg" target="_blank">Cheng Cheng, Zaid and Raymond showing what they were made of. [Photo: Cheng Cheng]</a></td></tr>
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Tediousness characterised the trek on this final stretch. Every rock appeared similar to another, and every twist and turn was indistinguishable from the previous. I had given up using my trekking sticks. Instead I hooked them to my day pack and walked with my frozen hands in my pockets with the heat packs inside. The fingers felt more comfortable this way.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I gave up using the trekking sticks. I get confused by them,"</b></span> admitted Fann, who had been trekking without her sticks for the past few days.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I also find myself confused by the trekking sticks, I didn't know how to</b></span> <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>make us of them. I'd rather walk without."</b></span> said Kong Wan.</blockquote>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4636/25590419738_bacafc9582_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4636/25590419738_bacafc9582_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="389" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4636/25590419738_330d552f56_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patrick and Kc Tng going for the kill.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Without the walking sticks, I suddenly found that I was more aware of how I stepped. How I engaged my core muscles, and started to be mindful of keeping my balance each time I lifted off a foot to put it forward. This proved very important when the path was rough with bumpy rocks, some of which were not stable. My knee guard on the right knee was serving me well. I had no knee pain at all. So was Ah Sing's knee guards on her bilateral knees. On long treks like these, those with knee injuries were at a disadvantage because going downslope was always injurious to the knees. But so far we had been fortunate.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/nP6OXHmzde3isFAP-FFD7ushikjSbtNFx9d3-nGQtajm8dQR5h8DNkm29kP4KoXAvWoPvRlYwt1jrYMop-MJGf_ZG2kFobMAE7a52ds-6pIghWwR94vijWepSlPydSR6EMvAntMG7sH7_o-itiiSaFH3qblD8WnP9ZJ8KskICqiPG-RJ0_NqDlIIxoBpFeRGgYaHOTTbwKN2VCSNjFJr5w-uklQ8r3qk5I3c03eGfLm3TVLTGtqFLLCytSf6vjJfn5rHVo59NxLVEkkMVarkQ6zG2OVb53uwNln-N67ri_LQO3xSbssfEFd8iA_0i3460dw-FZZCEehqTaUhjYhEUufEcocICgvwO09hwrJcxUwkp1tUUIKpQULIvXEJJynZZGwGufYrC9Eo9h8wWOnBLoQsBWGGipFuoTZ36oj0aDqzi-GCLGSKS9osIFh5-o7sj0EkSkY-aSmAGjbpo2aluTxRT_6r0IRZygFdrzbgSekFmZW7JxDIRSIYHeQvAVBV9su_HJeovIftzB_nEAM_XZyowREVBPzI-2lvZOBuIPRNSmkvlRYCV8gbxQBuXBD-rZwLK-7htwzHgXPj6847LeOw3OUpdJwN-ZwvLTy9JXW9Tr6R-qKwrYCwycgiptu1eckOvwxcDz8LuHuuSDEjdNgQM6IBoFWpHA=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/nP6OXHmzde3isFAP-FFD7ushikjSbtNFx9d3-nGQtajm8dQR5h8DNkm29kP4KoXAvWoPvRlYwt1jrYMop-MJGf_ZG2kFobMAE7a52ds-6pIghWwR94vijWepSlPydSR6EMvAntMG7sH7_o-itiiSaFH3qblD8WnP9ZJ8KskICqiPG-RJ0_NqDlIIxoBpFeRGgYaHOTTbwKN2VCSNjFJr5w-uklQ8r3qk5I3c03eGfLm3TVLTGtqFLLCytSf6vjJfn5rHVo59NxLVEkkMVarkQ6zG2OVb53uwNln-N67ri_LQO3xSbssfEFd8iA_0i3460dw-FZZCEehqTaUhjYhEUufEcocICgvwO09hwrJcxUwkp1tUUIKpQULIvXEJJynZZGwGufYrC9Eo9h8wWOnBLoQsBWGGipFuoTZ36oj0aDqzi-GCLGSKS9osIFh5-o7sj0EkSkY-aSmAGjbpo2aluTxRT_6r0IRZygFdrzbgSekFmZW7JxDIRSIYHeQvAVBV9su_HJeovIftzB_nEAM_XZyowREVBPzI-2lvZOBuIPRNSmkvlRYCV8gbxQBuXBD-rZwLK-7htwzHgXPj6847LeOw3OUpdJwN-ZwvLTy9JXW9Tr6R-qKwrYCwycgiptu1eckOvwxcDz8LuHuuSDEjdNgQM6IBoFWpHA=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
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Serene would walk a distance, and then take a short rest of several deep breaths, before continuing. This became the SOP for most of us at the rear. We would thus leap-frog each other, sometimes passing each other as the other one stopped for a breather or two, only to be over-taken again later. I was very encouraged by the determination shown by Mimi, Khim and TJK. They were all obviously tired. But they would not give up. They kept pushing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/RNvGL3YF5zXGcH1BI6QbzZJrKGULv7s1t2XQ6D9pAHiIW1JjR3fzo2ZECjYlgW1DR2zaE7HF4wK3gYuprXMcjNWAG151n268V2jWEHDf1qm2JHggwQA_CavDGlkm0K6nrRyKdKm8qirf0i2Sikh2wtP4zboF4DOcopxfYAPn-QptGm7z4Bal6QS4KV9s96kT87pPFDPpfkl7ngGt5W25V-AY2mcCiwNnMN2Hm5CtW1z7In_dWfmTrrD-r_jVOmrPOxGyEUjYmiMcmor0jL81Eqgp747B61YIaAgdsCcnstlbsWdJw4W_KEDsuwF8Aax4m-gGO1AEIRbJmGadanRMi6kc4U-HiPDa-JwgMuXQhdkWCeZTEe2kjAmbnBLOWYo9EkJLdouQiC16ESawghqr62XEe-PtVqIlqzT_07UTy6zSfjYGO3Rb7Iyoi5jd0hc9-Npzhau9fH0-myM5YGnLlynj_z3FR9Ng409cz0ynescKgq-PUs8eGHstnmx875Y1qHKevsFNSkwRVHC0qpqV-QCAZL_DkqP0_LI-mTTkjfqlD8s7z7CAjj465F_y75RfQ21ujnqRVPMbNv7dt_KGAjnxQFGKPG12FtEDclh1mOTeRH_cWaXgFoYjf_IAE6Ej8umui7OGcEBlN_5t4XqPBDa8MP3Cpbmp=w1280-h791-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="1280" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/RNvGL3YF5zXGcH1BI6QbzZJrKGULv7s1t2XQ6D9pAHiIW1JjR3fzo2ZECjYlgW1DR2zaE7HF4wK3gYuprXMcjNWAG151n268V2jWEHDf1qm2JHggwQA_CavDGlkm0K6nrRyKdKm8qirf0i2Sikh2wtP4zboF4DOcopxfYAPn-QptGm7z4Bal6QS4KV9s96kT87pPFDPpfkl7ngGt5W25V-AY2mcCiwNnMN2Hm5CtW1z7In_dWfmTrrD-r_jVOmrPOxGyEUjYmiMcmor0jL81Eqgp747B61YIaAgdsCcnstlbsWdJw4W_KEDsuwF8Aax4m-gGO1AEIRbJmGadanRMi6kc4U-HiPDa-JwgMuXQhdkWCeZTEe2kjAmbnBLOWYo9EkJLdouQiC16ESawghqr62XEe-PtVqIlqzT_07UTy6zSfjYGO3Rb7Iyoi5jd0hc9-Npzhau9fH0-myM5YGnLlynj_z3FR9Ng409cz0ynescKgq-PUs8eGHstnmx875Y1qHKevsFNSkwRVHC0qpqV-QCAZL_DkqP0_LI-mTTkjfqlD8s7z7CAjj465F_y75RfQ21ujnqRVPMbNv7dt_KGAjnxQFGKPG12FtEDclh1mOTeRH_cWaXgFoYjf_IAE6Ej8umui7OGcEBlN_5t4XqPBDa8MP3Cpbmp=w1280-h791-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching Gorak Shep. [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
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Almost midday, we finally caught sight of Gorak Shep, the landmark village at 5190m where we would launch ourselves towards EBC.</div>
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The front guys and gals had already had their lunch and were eager to move off. It was 12pm.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So happy to be seeing Gorak Shep!</td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Ok, those of you who just arrived. It's 12pm now. You have only 30 minutes to grab a quick lunch. We need to set off at 12:30pm,"</b></span> announced Adrian.</blockquote>
We really had to hurry. We had only less than three hours to reach EBC. Time was not on our side. During lunch time I was surprised to hear from Cantona:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Ok, I have enough already. I am going to stay here at Gorak Shep, I am not going up to EBC."</b></span></blockquote>
Huh? Did I hear wrongly? No lah... wei we were so near already. Just try lah. And all the guys and Adrian also came in to encourage him..<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Go lah! wah lau eh! It's just another couple of hours only. Slowly walk lah you! Come lah!"</span></b></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6PqtcybyeBEpFyh2rx34x2Ua8AqLwwzDu3bhyphenhyphenomXTrR9HzJ2OdGNGXYPbySoK2NFpxIwKIPw7mcFoYjp8Jtdk6PL_1nkaE69DY26F3bXJt5_WYfOl34wh1V3fpZ6EoY5jMPLeRPiHcA/w859-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6PqtcybyeBEpFyh2rx34x2Ua8AqLwwzDu3bhyphenhyphenomXTrR9HzJ2OdGNGXYPbySoK2NFpxIwKIPw7mcFoYjp8Jtdk6PL_1nkaE69DY26F3bXJt5_WYfOl34wh1V3fpZ6EoY5jMPLeRPiHcA/w859-h644-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming in to Gorak Shep.</td></tr>
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Miraculously, Adrian managed to delay to move out and coaxed everybody for a group photo before setting off towards EBC.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our group photo before moving out from Gorak Shep [Photo: Adrian]</td></tr>
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I remembered way before the trek, Cheng Cheng was telling me:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I am very scared of cold one!"</b></span> when I shared with her how susceptible I was to cold.</blockquote>
<div>
But throughout the trek, I remembered seeing her at most with just her thin outer shell, perhaps with some not too thick middle layers inside. She had none of those bulky, fluffy down jackets that all of us were piling onto ourselves. </div>
<div>
Impressive was this lady. Fast trekker, and really not wearing a whole lot of layers.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4644/39302909221_abf2e47ad0_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4644/39302909221_4de3049aa4_b.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4644/39302909221_abf2e47ad0_k.jpg" target="_blank">Cheng Cheng, Prem and Babu. [Photo: Cheng Cheng]</a></td></tr>
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<br />
The flat plain right after the Gorak Shep guesthouse Himalayan Lodge was a temporary respite for the rocky climbs. We shared this plain with a herd of yaks on our way outwards.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/gdVLIuZ2hLrPw9uxo10byEeilCCAywHwXa3-LxpQw1v4ry2ue7PSYKW4iotMnSI6Vrjv4SmNlIfu4MPLjqMY3UhfsO8GRe2TlryRuWUgFVghtSLRgFkSg2nuD54ltt8QFr0_Bw0uvXqKbFNINTg50gGxJ1881QvthN6Mux-PQxupCxYrCo0I7Q--Af8PdMseKvf9l7cDTi5xb4uPJ9gnp2-wF4WaVJYF3GkIdkCUuZn7t1eZz3AL_gFoFMtqUYOtj7-ZzJwx-iuXW4-OOYhdt-_zdZqUu3y1lX4O1RCcYDSmLXQsv8CG2lSPkjKln8RfmHXcYsikmapYUMLNk8OY1CoNbb6WXsAUwTrT3lgzLFa1CrZ5f3M24q53daMesNR0D6K8TuqZZ00BB8jJ5eda5_C-umuJrsUoh2DqlRDELS-19H-ZpB_dq2W2h-c-RyUEY90t_V23vFM14pg9pndjcLdnfnpxOBGbwxqTgRWDHkNfCpLeQZMPH-VQ6ms88AmcrYD2S67EJAQj3gB_MDpjeAbsXfqh1_5QBUMeXDFS5jBxKtn0MjpQ8dBX3hPengZZNIpWR_C89oI41bFSTYnZ8UE8bFnH_1ZjckLsh_Mc7eP1h84YhFD_6YK-fikvw9wJcW7LSP7lHCCauSpHDjSWSxzyP9_1lFDu=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/gdVLIuZ2hLrPw9uxo10byEeilCCAywHwXa3-LxpQw1v4ry2ue7PSYKW4iotMnSI6Vrjv4SmNlIfu4MPLjqMY3UhfsO8GRe2TlryRuWUgFVghtSLRgFkSg2nuD54ltt8QFr0_Bw0uvXqKbFNINTg50gGxJ1881QvthN6Mux-PQxupCxYrCo0I7Q--Af8PdMseKvf9l7cDTi5xb4uPJ9gnp2-wF4WaVJYF3GkIdkCUuZn7t1eZz3AL_gFoFMtqUYOtj7-ZzJwx-iuXW4-OOYhdt-_zdZqUu3y1lX4O1RCcYDSmLXQsv8CG2lSPkjKln8RfmHXcYsikmapYUMLNk8OY1CoNbb6WXsAUwTrT3lgzLFa1CrZ5f3M24q53daMesNR0D6K8TuqZZ00BB8jJ5eda5_C-umuJrsUoh2DqlRDELS-19H-ZpB_dq2W2h-c-RyUEY90t_V23vFM14pg9pndjcLdnfnpxOBGbwxqTgRWDHkNfCpLeQZMPH-VQ6ms88AmcrYD2S67EJAQj3gB_MDpjeAbsXfqh1_5QBUMeXDFS5jBxKtn0MjpQ8dBX3hPengZZNIpWR_C89oI41bFSTYnZ8UE8bFnH_1ZjckLsh_Mc7eP1h84YhFD_6YK-fikvw9wJcW7LSP7lHCCauSpHDjSWSxzyP9_1lFDu=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Gorak Shep. Onwards to EBC! [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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Fatigue was obvious in many of us. Ah Sing was really not feeling well again. On this part, she actually had nausea and vomited. I had to sit her on a rock and give her an injection to help with possible AMS. After checking and making sure she was ok, I encouraged her to bear her nausea and to keep going.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/h7BQULIpxYgoc0_Z09XQ1-j_xRvKqVYX3v-HtOouwXzNvbOUDS546osM1jNOrdqwDvHoRtmZfLCyuj3Iy2nYJJGNSiNv_L4v71jgSMXhmt2BO0OAPl9HBonFAuZntYz-wfUCJ6Pc2C39ZzJ76SZ8nbv2USvBU7xH-9nyGU2phS95F1Z7C6sT_owo2H9Qds2AqI9bZgl--I0uiNr2G2IW6pHrkQh7QGfHrARTSC5kiiYP91k4FqNPKYRaJztYOn6HRwQssoqzuqao--X8y7hIWKsguwWQluKD2O-mSk088o31DKEWtuFaGTh0cn-MEVfn50MfHQVer8fPF-OcDmrLJls1lNkALNbr2VHxY2lqAA6jmxgDloTWY4HGe3NzRHEiBipADCQYL5GPrEnZK4OKYV7sir1db4AhUoMRBPE6v7WBTOJ6IYrgvT9lBr4sqDPm2PKupQZIM9T5n8f7KL3UXezJKbTXc5lZnVizdkDkW9C4ufBCyPmumYeqdY4B_IKpzcD09FEo6vUHUIlZCnL4g-NatSmU67H4IkFiWPL4Toro-ddOOWdgU_fP2X9dJEgG_FK3ZfWikaTcWcIL5Q6Rn3U6V1DqxMGTO7H-yjeDwXJKRSJNEEMewMwEFJcEU6u2ugIquW0ybqWkkes9ZcVGrdDh8FCG19Pq=w1280-h623-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="1280" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/h7BQULIpxYgoc0_Z09XQ1-j_xRvKqVYX3v-HtOouwXzNvbOUDS546osM1jNOrdqwDvHoRtmZfLCyuj3Iy2nYJJGNSiNv_L4v71jgSMXhmt2BO0OAPl9HBonFAuZntYz-wfUCJ6Pc2C39ZzJ76SZ8nbv2USvBU7xH-9nyGU2phS95F1Z7C6sT_owo2H9Qds2AqI9bZgl--I0uiNr2G2IW6pHrkQh7QGfHrARTSC5kiiYP91k4FqNPKYRaJztYOn6HRwQssoqzuqao--X8y7hIWKsguwWQluKD2O-mSk088o31DKEWtuFaGTh0cn-MEVfn50MfHQVer8fPF-OcDmrLJls1lNkALNbr2VHxY2lqAA6jmxgDloTWY4HGe3NzRHEiBipADCQYL5GPrEnZK4OKYV7sir1db4AhUoMRBPE6v7WBTOJ6IYrgvT9lBr4sqDPm2PKupQZIM9T5n8f7KL3UXezJKbTXc5lZnVizdkDkW9C4ufBCyPmumYeqdY4B_IKpzcD09FEo6vUHUIlZCnL4g-NatSmU67H4IkFiWPL4Toro-ddOOWdgU_fP2X9dJEgG_FK3ZfWikaTcWcIL5Q6Rn3U6V1DqxMGTO7H-yjeDwXJKRSJNEEMewMwEFJcEU6u2ugIquW0ybqWkkes9ZcVGrdDh8FCG19Pq=w1280-h623-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo: Patrick]<br />
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Ashley herself was beginning to labour under the altitude and her walking pace was getting sluggish. At one point, she had to sit down and rest for a prolonged period. We walked up to her, took one look at her pale and tired face, and put the stethoscope to her back to make sure that her lungs were clear. Her SaO2 was really still low at that point in time.<br />
I held her hands and I could totally empathised with her. What she was experiencing was exactly how I felt when I was at the 17km of my running leg of my Full Ironman, after having done the 3.8km swim and the 180km cycling- totally shagged, unable to eat, and simply weak and nausea. Her gastroenteritis and respiratory tract infection were compounding her already exhausted state.<br />
<br />
I turned my gaze to the distant and wondered how long a distance more we would have to go before we arrive at our end point, and I turned back and look straight into her tired face. In my heart, I knew she wanted to complete what she set out to<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Ashley, listen to me. You are getting weaker. But you are still ok. I have to give you another jab of Dexamethasone and some more oral medications. You will feel better in about 1 hour's time. Meanwhile I want you to walk really slowly, OK?"</b></span></blockquote>
<br />
That was all I could do. I could merely help a little and encourage her a little. But for the team leader Adrian, circumstances like these would forever be tough decisions. I could imagine how fine a line a tour leader like him had to tread, between pushing his team members onward and making the unpopular judgement call to evacuate them. Ashley hadn't been eating well and she was also very energy-deprived.<br />
<br />
Looking around and visually checking on the others, LayK was just tired. But she was in a better state, as her appetite had returned and she was able to replenish herself.<br />
TJK was a constant yak, emitting the unending stridor and reassuring everyone around of his continuing efforts. Otherwise his oxygen levels were good. Serene was the mountain goat who loved nothing more than to kao-beh-kao-boo. Despite her slow pace, she was perfectly fine.<br />
<br />
From far ahead Adrian walkie-talkied me:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Wee How, if you see Ashley, please tell her if she cannot make it, just U-turn back towards Gorak Shep."</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Roger that, Adrian,"</b></span> was my reply.</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/Mmtov6CCLdMPB_e3EXPQlXrCqAPzKneT0IujkUfRrdBs7zZJqvwzOnoxJ0Q0is2nkVOATI0CGvARbTkrzlmDVsvYDglpvSa8b9Bxo035ZKU8CdXZ4ZqhD2twSrHQUZndG2Bhse3ryHFs8qXe3mctqiqSjmIPr_EZK_W0fza_0SKyziSvnTqIGwwv6k1dCNtc4XHQ-AlrVQ3-EgeEBcbEPMPYANqT4N6_BtGuOKA5eJIUA5pEMlh5Zf7p6SBmTthDs-wDlXMUMbcZSdNnsshB0uSoWPqOBPxKs-gKR2YqeRdu3T0scP3r109gGDSkVLQMqPs-JlFpOZdjagum70yo3e4EfwdRuv6MHN2l-Sd_taLOI2vrJJCz_CrBDd46DD0Lpx5aaFCekFchW0MEqLYjVuYJ7_YnhrhIfzFBrU9uAlKMShZBdkbn5JT0pmR2Nq4BO-Ga4JhJnUwTCeS9_sNSNu_ztNuG9V8CAFSCpZCf2uOX7VLObBdUkGPb_tN6S9EE-GpE4tJcIJCeYTrxEQyhsX1syk7cgJ9_Eb2yyaBkNdTJkgkSUJXadsves-4nc9rhWSabSGrcYM1Vqq5EkjLUAUoQomGTF_6Sk2apu58fgY2fj3ds3DolSkoqAKjZoTsC8PiGkq3Ju028S2fLeTcHC48z6LX96BWX=w1280-h791-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="1280" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/Mmtov6CCLdMPB_e3EXPQlXrCqAPzKneT0IujkUfRrdBs7zZJqvwzOnoxJ0Q0is2nkVOATI0CGvARbTkrzlmDVsvYDglpvSa8b9Bxo035ZKU8CdXZ4ZqhD2twSrHQUZndG2Bhse3ryHFs8qXe3mctqiqSjmIPr_EZK_W0fza_0SKyziSvnTqIGwwv6k1dCNtc4XHQ-AlrVQ3-EgeEBcbEPMPYANqT4N6_BtGuOKA5eJIUA5pEMlh5Zf7p6SBmTthDs-wDlXMUMbcZSdNnsshB0uSoWPqOBPxKs-gKR2YqeRdu3T0scP3r109gGDSkVLQMqPs-JlFpOZdjagum70yo3e4EfwdRuv6MHN2l-Sd_taLOI2vrJJCz_CrBDd46DD0Lpx5aaFCekFchW0MEqLYjVuYJ7_YnhrhIfzFBrU9uAlKMShZBdkbn5JT0pmR2Nq4BO-Ga4JhJnUwTCeS9_sNSNu_ztNuG9V8CAFSCpZCf2uOX7VLObBdUkGPb_tN6S9EE-GpE4tJcIJCeYTrxEQyhsX1syk7cgJ9_Eb2yyaBkNdTJkgkSUJXadsves-4nc9rhWSabSGrcYM1Vqq5EkjLUAUoQomGTF_6Sk2apu58fgY2fj3ds3DolSkoqAKjZoTsC8PiGkq3Ju028S2fLeTcHC48z6LX96BWX=w1280-h791-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This type of terrain was totally out of this world. I only ever saw something like this in a movie. It didn't feel real. It had an uncanny resemblance to perhaps the scene on Mars or on some remote planet and here we were, walking on the surface of this forsaken waste of a land. Serene and I fell back right to the rear of the pack and continued our panting.</div>
<div>
I could tell that this trek was getting more taxing on my cardiovascular system because as I monitored my heart rate, I kept getting an average of 119/min, 10 beats higher than my average for the past few days. This was understandable. At 5100-5200m, I would be telling a lie if I said the trek was leisurely. It was anything but.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4683/25434613098_3c736e4f4e_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4683/25434613098_0b0d89170f_b.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4683/25434613098_3c736e4f4e_k.jpg" target="_blank">Cheng Cheng and the Cheongsters Ka Sing and Adrian [Photo: Cheng Cheng]</a></td></tr>
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<br /></div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/4E6kBcbZKWSJq6VR_pVmgn2cHsTQBoAz8RhdZkypLfgl9tg4s5DwOpo-IM01JrjeZ179zX9pbxezPFKwR-ggUNkzYXIsH38m9fYKl9u7VSgDvZEU0qms5YGrslhvZB1GPY5LdUMJMe1rtZWCrX1I6iPFwXi9dbUuG0BuSQUHvun7m7sy1XYpPZDmPsMKbK9KT7DogvBOwnq6elIYmmlRN_iso75JuklCFMbW30jFl8GmkgfEwI7laUOfx1lImKI802_25nPBOZPud6mO5B9d0j2oERUVjn--rccyw5HyCSXBWn04CEnUKfykVnyRmSKL2mpMb7OCVHQOC8kbMQSirb3W_q6463EjEt5KvPk28zrunCdrxlDMtY066QDxTOxXHrYhPRYJZwK4uK1LSh8BjTr7nHdSuy2R1BBq0xt6ZbXf_Ggk2NKmzJAJVCZn8qCV2iVtiN3DxMqZLFrGAj2XNSMsZ9o7p5n9W1QhZiMJ8eGPYxxuL9r3CSiItbrDU9RpcIvUoVlw-XulfBLwlsjv0kciOl-H-2UKxUFdL7NOUeibqUiNrNFHhaVzmzUb-lACl0slr563HllWqTfmGqSlesSB-tv8kcNr_ga67wdTNFKOJnHcGbxenKKBfc0NM6RqGZbk32CD7QRFaLrARLrkHc9fmBjSIPUZrg=w483-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="483" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/4E6kBcbZKWSJq6VR_pVmgn2cHsTQBoAz8RhdZkypLfgl9tg4s5DwOpo-IM01JrjeZ179zX9pbxezPFKwR-ggUNkzYXIsH38m9fYKl9u7VSgDvZEU0qms5YGrslhvZB1GPY5LdUMJMe1rtZWCrX1I6iPFwXi9dbUuG0BuSQUHvun7m7sy1XYpPZDmPsMKbK9KT7DogvBOwnq6elIYmmlRN_iso75JuklCFMbW30jFl8GmkgfEwI7laUOfx1lImKI802_25nPBOZPud6mO5B9d0j2oERUVjn--rccyw5HyCSXBWn04CEnUKfykVnyRmSKL2mpMb7OCVHQOC8kbMQSirb3W_q6463EjEt5KvPk28zrunCdrxlDMtY066QDxTOxXHrYhPRYJZwK4uK1LSh8BjTr7nHdSuy2R1BBq0xt6ZbXf_Ggk2NKmzJAJVCZn8qCV2iVtiN3DxMqZLFrGAj2XNSMsZ9o7p5n9W1QhZiMJ8eGPYxxuL9r3CSiItbrDU9RpcIvUoVlw-XulfBLwlsjv0kciOl-H-2UKxUFdL7NOUeibqUiNrNFHhaVzmzUb-lACl0slr563HllWqTfmGqSlesSB-tv8kcNr_ga67wdTNFKOJnHcGbxenKKBfc0NM6RqGZbk32CD7QRFaLrARLrkHc9fmBjSIPUZrg=w483-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take TEN! [Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When I finally reached Ashley once again, I held her shoulder with both my hands, looked her in her eyes and said:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Hey you know, Adrian wanted me to tell you that if you cannot tahan, you can U-turn back." </b></span> But with a cheeky twinkle in my eyes, I continued. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"But hor... between myself and youself, I think you can make it to the end."</b></span></blockquote>
She smiled a weak smile and nodded her head. From that point onwards, I only saw sheer determination in her face. Pure grit. A resolute decision to reach her objective against all odds.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/gEVnEs25hmPSaI22zzT6XXc0HTAgaQ1xhATZblgHmHiWIOravi-lVOqil5jRmS2uS-lXSfUfxOAGnjTJdyI0On2Uy1W-4vRVcK7b8sTxHoHXgK46M0whIbinIzQzLqEAJb_5Aujg0zblpUQ0MOhKF9g-J3JFR3Xoefi-Q7e_cit01obSnIhPULcigo5hYWW-2Vu81RNMTBkFBdOOsn796dsECiT58MmK6T6EwuPqxFYmGDvxJ57omOGnOBpekOXgHcdxzo1VsJAAwO5t114B4aq0W4ju80h1caYNXmWCA-7iWvSntaGoBRcoEA6hXBms_UfSAthp87tnOKqmLh_NTOd1exl0Z4s5AQ9g_CYH_mLamlYU3RviwNmQk8Hd9gjfc6V6kFBI21cFh5-RqRtvckQYh8Zh_RqvVJfm1eGpp7ndhnseup_e9r8zUr65ejbvpAMi4mnietr_Rpot3wHkvVPaPoNVdqjqJf0IcqMjwDNtBnjS3Wwh29TwoYHmSAnJ-MyGAkhPb7nHGqFq7oCenI-7VOBjsfWqMMEsIp9jNkNiqa5AuZu-ZFdSiY0fUiE4JjYhbGyL2XGzzCuUY2Ml6DLdtDFvgQCRKOzko7c29lyGpffR7oNkxza4atLWLRBVUmXKx_ZTJBOx0yJDoyQDFgL_DzD_y1OF=w1280-h623-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="1280" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/gEVnEs25hmPSaI22zzT6XXc0HTAgaQ1xhATZblgHmHiWIOravi-lVOqil5jRmS2uS-lXSfUfxOAGnjTJdyI0On2Uy1W-4vRVcK7b8sTxHoHXgK46M0whIbinIzQzLqEAJb_5Aujg0zblpUQ0MOhKF9g-J3JFR3Xoefi-Q7e_cit01obSnIhPULcigo5hYWW-2Vu81RNMTBkFBdOOsn796dsECiT58MmK6T6EwuPqxFYmGDvxJ57omOGnOBpekOXgHcdxzo1VsJAAwO5t114B4aq0W4ju80h1caYNXmWCA-7iWvSntaGoBRcoEA6hXBms_UfSAthp87tnOKqmLh_NTOd1exl0Z4s5AQ9g_CYH_mLamlYU3RviwNmQk8Hd9gjfc6V6kFBI21cFh5-RqRtvckQYh8Zh_RqvVJfm1eGpp7ndhnseup_e9r8zUr65ejbvpAMi4mnietr_Rpot3wHkvVPaPoNVdqjqJf0IcqMjwDNtBnjS3Wwh29TwoYHmSAnJ-MyGAkhPb7nHGqFq7oCenI-7VOBjsfWqMMEsIp9jNkNiqa5AuZu-ZFdSiY0fUiE4JjYhbGyL2XGzzCuUY2Ml6DLdtDFvgQCRKOzko7c29lyGpffR7oNkxza4atLWLRBVUmXKx_ZTJBOx0yJDoyQDFgL_DzD_y1OF=w1280-h623-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Patrick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I would not say I enjoyed the trek towards EBC. We ended up walking along a ridge on a long stretch. And my Garmin watch went haywire, despite me putting in on Glonass (a more accurate GPS mode on most Garmin watches) earlier on and despite my calibration based on GPS. At several points it read the altitude as 5700m and once even 7000m. My GPS signals must have strayed way out from the ridge to the nearby peaks. I was quite sure, in my heart that the actual altitude should be somewhere around 5200-5300m all the way to EBC.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4647/38595083954_e571340801_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4647/38595083954_a768bb8919_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheng Cheng and Jason showing the sign TWICE! We all undersood what he meant by 'TWICE'! [Photo: Cheng Cheng]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When even the simplest act of breathing became pure hardship, I found that most everyone would withdraw deep into himself or herself and dig hard to find that last reserve. Hardly anyone spoke, and only the usual one or two hardcore ones bothered to take pictures. </div>
<div>
The brilliance of the ranges opened up around us. We could only take the occasional fleeting glance, and then retract back into ourselves. It was otherwise quiet all around. The only noise audible was my own heavy panting as my lungs laboured to suck in as much oxygen in the rarefied air at 5190m. My footsteps were tiny shuffles, weighed down by my pair of trekking boots which, merely a couple of days ago felt as light as feathers, but now behaved like tonnes of Himalayan rocks bound to my feet. </div>
<div>
<br />
My eyes almost never lifted off from the ground as rocks after rocks appeared in haphazard fashion, threatening to trip my trailing foot should I be just so careless to lift it a little less high. A few steps. And another long pause to catch my breath. Peering in front, the ridge led straight to Everest Base Camp. We were not far, but time was running out for us.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkraxhKskVFY9zpJfXGuyskXFC-lQK8S-pfS2C6KBr9iPHIIZyD_zP2hIunS3DT-pqw_DYasrZ0FgPnWbw0s01tBmftoGu5zj5QpPlmTw23LW-EUl5EbgktaT-hU5X6NsZdWPGlaG3apM/s600-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkraxhKskVFY9zpJfXGuyskXFC-lQK8S-pfS2C6KBr9iPHIIZyD_zP2hIunS3DT-pqw_DYasrZ0FgPnWbw0s01tBmftoGu5zj5QpPlmTw23LW-EUl5EbgktaT-hU5X6NsZdWPGlaG3apM/s600-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excitement builds up as we saw the signage!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The 50% oxygen level really made life difficult. I became 'Serene-like' in my trekking pattern - walking several minutes, only to stop and breathe for a while before I continued my slow trek. The distant peaks remained, and the retracting Khumbu glacier lower down on our right below the ridge was a gentle hint that EBC was not far.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/hldOF-geWQOXT3GHwV8HcVH6jeTuQkrAJAUZLIWKvg6TQiXF0EMNMSsH4KQaAR10wj6KMVITwEVlXR6kSun6cNjlqNpY5jjKxPirBl3N0uRZHKLCLYtc-UTLRwV22S_NssyO8Q-Z6gtmVCXqqoKhd9bgYyBzI87HWmZZrdQpImXw_1ryYh3lDiPVQ_1qjmseYJfT34QgIz8n0NGm91_euZMGm9kl2nSJ66n2R45vsD7AmCN2fhSMGq6i9B17gDd2t1iheWegvqzgRbdHnLRZ2mdR7nmE-amyRpXjmiwAUfIZPbDCw8M6-JdKjsnADuMptrQRTBEIwo9ooPjhFZ3i_dI1jkN-jGcrBG5loaAr5-qmo3T7C7USeK_76RvvZkN2a9RECwQW_VlcBD309jYAEWMNWfsadLqsCUFibQF9I74RUJOyogWkZeeE9-HSYiH6__WgBAqDekapKu2N5O_8osbVI1ONsnYc1sbylTdLayx8zqCZb-VL1wpuEDCjvJidw3hP4EbwWBMdCy-2miozb63shJFwcHBPdaWD2w7vpRMZQzMecu8NiY--xDHGYYaIIMju6hFsM8FRuZH0Z3ggyqe6mGN-fUiKqRsL13kzEENitpDIB1UTlBCCdzDMZHXbrFeluEkJR8-HMyuaCFoG7tfadKN2wdZ-=w1191-h893-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1191" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/hldOF-geWQOXT3GHwV8HcVH6jeTuQkrAJAUZLIWKvg6TQiXF0EMNMSsH4KQaAR10wj6KMVITwEVlXR6kSun6cNjlqNpY5jjKxPirBl3N0uRZHKLCLYtc-UTLRwV22S_NssyO8Q-Z6gtmVCXqqoKhd9bgYyBzI87HWmZZrdQpImXw_1ryYh3lDiPVQ_1qjmseYJfT34QgIz8n0NGm91_euZMGm9kl2nSJ66n2R45vsD7AmCN2fhSMGq6i9B17gDd2t1iheWegvqzgRbdHnLRZ2mdR7nmE-amyRpXjmiwAUfIZPbDCw8M6-JdKjsnADuMptrQRTBEIwo9ooPjhFZ3i_dI1jkN-jGcrBG5loaAr5-qmo3T7C7USeK_76RvvZkN2a9RECwQW_VlcBD309jYAEWMNWfsadLqsCUFibQF9I74RUJOyogWkZeeE9-HSYiH6__WgBAqDekapKu2N5O_8osbVI1ONsnYc1sbylTdLayx8zqCZb-VL1wpuEDCjvJidw3hP4EbwWBMdCy-2miozb63shJFwcHBPdaWD2w7vpRMZQzMecu8NiY--xDHGYYaIIMju6hFsM8FRuZH0Z3ggyqe6mGN-fUiKqRsL13kzEENitpDIB1UTlBCCdzDMZHXbrFeluEkJR8-HMyuaCFoG7tfadKN2wdZ-=w1191-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Kc Tng</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<br />
It was not windy, but merely cold with plenty of fine dust in the air. By this day, my sinuses were already badly congested with bloody discharge despite my sinus washing, which continued diligently on a daily basis until the last 2-3 days when my spray froze up and refused to work and my Avamys steroid spray also became frozen and no longer delivered the usual stream of medicine. Many of the teammates had already started suffering from bloody sinuses and blood clots in their noses by now. Our supply of antibiotics were running low, and cough capsules were in short supply that we had to ration them. The anti-histamine tablets were moving faster than the pain killers and muscle relaxants. At these altitudes and such weather conditions, our upper and lower respiratory tracts were most susceptible.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: center;">I asked Binot: </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><b>"Which one are we heading towards? The old EBC or the new EBC?"</b></span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: center;">Without directly answering my question, Binot pointed out to the base camp down below us. </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><b>"This is the old EBC. But nowadays because the Khumbu glacier has retracted so much, mountaineers have moved further northwards to set up camp in the new EBC. From here to the new EBC and back is about one hour."</b></span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: left;">
We were just putting one determined foot ahead of the other, in our dull trek, when suddenly I saw Darric turning back.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I'm done. I am going back to Gorak Shep,"</b></span> he said.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Wow, you are fast!"</b></span> I replied.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: left;">
Before I even finished my words, I saw KC Tng hurrying backwards. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"I have reached the new EBC and now I need to hurry back because it is going to turn dark soon. It is a sharp climb down towards the new EBC. Quite dangerous." </span></b></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/aACRkVF7RkC5G0aGfMDMe_5Z3BV-aIttGjr0J_pfZjwQO9_Ve81m5fX85xGGVqswVCXtJ4m6V1GfvFn1TElvr7pJYeyRzK-Jbf2ntuXbcZyyfbO0laNmi8Ttfdur22SqO-qcjH3-aBl8KwDum43O7MrWeoinMNsTKsOScs7vN4ArC0XmbvOWl6rUioyPyLwJKIO0YJLv1ZhhiFzXpZCbArkqcNEmIWdRwlyezV1zFl4Tas60GyuBx1XENrTqClqDk8cqIycApYNuyNr2gxcE1sN4igInXZfJIC6fDYWcoBF-K1wvZo-WObQTgFGA4jXa5PMZEmqDkQVklqFuEQ7tF5vnA5wnChlAg4HT-ZwmgX24ouCsYIbxzgDIKEN6aGBoQebCpHvdROK5CsBZtyXhEmHZRmJYBhdP0GutdvQHvYya5ZxPrdhu9JWPCYCx75U-Tb7s4Q9hxuPtXfmoJ9Tc-YhQsfVCt3Ch0ApKSJ03h1euC-o8k3KcLag4M1EocoB-VzwdGga8n9Vs6tP4zoFLlSqbGB68_PMrNvgbSSV7IMflb44eBx7XbqKrG6PfScmSEesifON-kXYDFN-XPUtH7r-rpocarqiCNdX7jHNay7QOzUWsdhU200XmmapOqKC4E2fbvIJdRqjmFt1w1bvpX_EwiaYYvBi5=w1280-h814-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="1280" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/aACRkVF7RkC5G0aGfMDMe_5Z3BV-aIttGjr0J_pfZjwQO9_Ve81m5fX85xGGVqswVCXtJ4m6V1GfvFn1TElvr7pJYeyRzK-Jbf2ntuXbcZyyfbO0laNmi8Ttfdur22SqO-qcjH3-aBl8KwDum43O7MrWeoinMNsTKsOScs7vN4ArC0XmbvOWl6rUioyPyLwJKIO0YJLv1ZhhiFzXpZCbArkqcNEmIWdRwlyezV1zFl4Tas60GyuBx1XENrTqClqDk8cqIycApYNuyNr2gxcE1sN4igInXZfJIC6fDYWcoBF-K1wvZo-WObQTgFGA4jXa5PMZEmqDkQVklqFuEQ7tF5vnA5wnChlAg4HT-ZwmgX24ouCsYIbxzgDIKEN6aGBoQebCpHvdROK5CsBZtyXhEmHZRmJYBhdP0GutdvQHvYya5ZxPrdhu9JWPCYCx75U-Tb7s4Q9hxuPtXfmoJ9Tc-YhQsfVCt3Ch0ApKSJ03h1euC-o8k3KcLag4M1EocoB-VzwdGga8n9Vs6tP4zoFLlSqbGB68_PMrNvgbSSV7IMflb44eBx7XbqKrG6PfScmSEesifON-kXYDFN-XPUtH7r-rpocarqiCNdX7jHNay7QOzUWsdhU200XmmapOqKC4E2fbvIJdRqjmFt1w1bvpX_EwiaYYvBi5=w1280-h814-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching EBC. [Photo: Alex]</td></tr>
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As these two good men made their way backwards, we finally came to a clearance with some rocks and prayer flags. Kong Wan, Ai Lin and many of our teammates were standing there. Kong Wan was flying his drone and trying to land it.</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Hey guys, give way give way! I need to land my drone,"</b></span> called out Kong Wan.</blockquote>
So this was where the old EBC was. The front boys and girls were further ahead at the new EBC. Now came the difficult decision. Should we as a family move forward to the new EBC and spend the next one hour on the trek? I radioed Adrian:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Adrian, this is Wee How here. Hey, which one are we supposed to go to? The old EBC or the new EBC?"</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Wee How, the new EBC is further forward. Our U-turn cut off time is 3:30pm," </b></span>replied Adrian on the walkie talkie.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I glanced at my watch. It was 3:48pm. Shucks. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Adrian, Adrian... my watch says it's 3:48pm. So how? Should we U-turn now?"</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Yes, make the U-turn. Make the U-turn now,"</b></span> instructed Adrian. </blockquote>
I remembered the 1996 ill-fated Everest expedition by Scot Fisher and Rob Hall and I knew the deaths were because the members did not respect the cut-off time. We were at the mercy of an extreme environment and I was the last person to go against the team leader's words.</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Children, I'm sorry. We cannot go towards the new EBC. Let's take a shot here and then we will need to make our way back already because we only have another one more hour of day light."</b></span></blockquote>
<div>
I saw the disappointment in Fann's eyes.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Uncle. I have to come back to EBC again,"</b></span> that was her immediate reply to me. Adrian only got to understand her OCD-ness when it came to completing missions later that evening.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Had I known, I would have asked you to release your three girls and let them push forth quickly towards the new EBC while you and Serene walk slowly,"</b></span> Adrian later said. </blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Dc_cK8Ti1WEutke2uXz1XE1gRHY7emqb0FpxZowz5i3lkqAKUKBJEp7kVC77uLlhmwZ1nINqnUDbmDuV3eQaD2R7wKMeL1NOWOArPZbn1_PLS0x0OU6GROfUaaW_vpxylWClHhGAqjx3ctM4GVKBySMd7T2jaIBRLFQnvK-HiUtqF-Gqt4nyIZJeqpyjwWq_CMQ7KxuWG6lU9wnvUaayP1Vsf_Ivs3o10v_TSbefj18irAm1PM9xbIj1h1aKh57pNWpjggoAtzdWilO_rlyVyNirwyPyvRDIX8ZwBgzdq_QM6P2AaWNgtQlOLvALgxxd4HqgvRQmCfGO_OqGNDR9YggiHl0ME-1kWM-vnX7JfkpM8jJ56PAEJtOskyJiTDtSGnJLR1mAYpALvgGhWEsX41aLiCA_IeNVFYzt-__F_AV7zjdtLnvSY5Q4MPAXU1sH5SkRQdE0uGRN89_gJVnd4cgWVHsioofG6gydP0lTGVVDSUHKv-nY9aHOTfdbkt0KeWKm2B_77D74bEdh3u7TTZrQCrEON2m3Qy_YYTLx6bNASTfPbGBIAY7uhn1e6p5gLpOFPZE6Dun6DEYZaB9SiAswCFtsS5PEcrsKXmbaAbien1acXYPUz5_cTygs8XKkA808A_Qv_vTrYUXrXrWnLHoK6xXqL2Ml=w1003-h337-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="1003" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Dc_cK8Ti1WEutke2uXz1XE1gRHY7emqb0FpxZowz5i3lkqAKUKBJEp7kVC77uLlhmwZ1nINqnUDbmDuV3eQaD2R7wKMeL1NOWOArPZbn1_PLS0x0OU6GROfUaaW_vpxylWClHhGAqjx3ctM4GVKBySMd7T2jaIBRLFQnvK-HiUtqF-Gqt4nyIZJeqpyjwWq_CMQ7KxuWG6lU9wnvUaayP1Vsf_Ivs3o10v_TSbefj18irAm1PM9xbIj1h1aKh57pNWpjggoAtzdWilO_rlyVyNirwyPyvRDIX8ZwBgzdq_QM6P2AaWNgtQlOLvALgxxd4HqgvRQmCfGO_OqGNDR9YggiHl0ME-1kWM-vnX7JfkpM8jJ56PAEJtOskyJiTDtSGnJLR1mAYpALvgGhWEsX41aLiCA_IeNVFYzt-__F_AV7zjdtLnvSY5Q4MPAXU1sH5SkRQdE0uGRN89_gJVnd4cgWVHsioofG6gydP0lTGVVDSUHKv-nY9aHOTfdbkt0KeWKm2B_77D74bEdh3u7TTZrQCrEON2m3Qy_YYTLx6bNASTfPbGBIAY7uhn1e6p5gLpOFPZE6Dun6DEYZaB9SiAswCFtsS5PEcrsKXmbaAbien1acXYPUz5_cTygs8XKkA808A_Qv_vTrYUXrXrWnLHoK6xXqL2Ml=w1003-h337-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A panorama of EBC [Photo: Alex]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Meanwhile, further downwards, our courageous teammates had successfully climbed upon the platform of the new EBC and taken their well-deserved group and individual shots.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4560/27105880009_dcaf6ea108_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4560/27105880009_5ab9c0b524_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group photo at New EBC [Photo: Adrian]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Darric]</td></tr>
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Afterwards when we finally gathered back at the guesthouse, Kai Sing shared with us:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"The climb down to the new EBC platform was actually quite treacherous and we had to get on all fours just to climb down and then after that climb up."</span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Lai Peng recalled: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">It was so scary. We were the last ones coming back from the new EBC. And it was getting so dark. Looking back, and looking in front, there was no one. We were just us by ourselves, and the rocks all around. And we had to rush in the dark to make our way back to Gorak Shep."</span></b></blockquote>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/A6gHBnQzrdPLT52FghLWjMTxCjpuLJoWlXCx3EeFvFNAKBaTlB59BGv0IUNxGnvVhHXZ-5hR0C7drGfRV_qHSYpLEj-lxRhWm-hS9yA45SBTzmzk04OK8xhU3UmGn9ajGOJH6p3jTwzBF999i93MaSQcbqogMSOUzqGZnmVBvwI-gZB_i7GZ9zJYAhUlpEQGnnUmFsFDkoT1AElIxIctoHA0ubjhfWqyEyltLrkD3rcu1swV9hF9aux1wAxghpj9qwQ-dxMRYF3VX_X0Aj1HE6s7ZuBr1P__G-CVLB3riO952mS7GOcAeucb6GZjuILpITZR8eDH7ncy3Vl0FAMtepVbV48NOkotMMe6CJaN4o4P0XeTFve4OUIIBOr-pMd_Yw8nw56MI_fSjPaa6gnO4QUztrQnCznAUSkOtCmRci_7J9wvOhRo-PDWNSDqx4FMYRCg3RzmgLcta2P7L-vIjtfEJhn2hS7enVNh48qlVoSimREsMfiZmeEd49N853m3-D1v9Oocf0-1UXaSN2kgNoImGHKchVV99dHLJPBvLM54lo6kxbQ3c8OH1FC5_d_EeI63Bu-iZJF5nKKpzyr7bGPfvCr62LTzIbambsZm0pVFiCsLtLj-0UECWP7w0Ye9BlO_5lJ4ceaiDWYu7IcDE6J3roDtIJcR2g=w859-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/A6gHBnQzrdPLT52FghLWjMTxCjpuLJoWlXCx3EeFvFNAKBaTlB59BGv0IUNxGnvVhHXZ-5hR0C7drGfRV_qHSYpLEj-lxRhWm-hS9yA45SBTzmzk04OK8xhU3UmGn9ajGOJH6p3jTwzBF999i93MaSQcbqogMSOUzqGZnmVBvwI-gZB_i7GZ9zJYAhUlpEQGnnUmFsFDkoT1AElIxIctoHA0ubjhfWqyEyltLrkD3rcu1swV9hF9aux1wAxghpj9qwQ-dxMRYF3VX_X0Aj1HE6s7ZuBr1P__G-CVLB3riO952mS7GOcAeucb6GZjuILpITZR8eDH7ncy3Vl0FAMtepVbV48NOkotMMe6CJaN4o4P0XeTFve4OUIIBOr-pMd_Yw8nw56MI_fSjPaa6gnO4QUztrQnCznAUSkOtCmRci_7J9wvOhRo-PDWNSDqx4FMYRCg3RzmgLcta2P7L-vIjtfEJhn2hS7enVNh48qlVoSimREsMfiZmeEd49N853m3-D1v9Oocf0-1UXaSN2kgNoImGHKchVV99dHLJPBvLM54lo6kxbQ3c8OH1FC5_d_EeI63Bu-iZJF5nKKpzyr7bGPfvCr62LTzIbambsZm0pVFiCsLtLj-0UECWP7w0Ye9BlO_5lJ4ceaiDWYu7IcDE6J3roDtIJcR2g=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
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It was 4pm as we picked up our pace back towards Gorak Shep. When the peaks around us were so high, the sun dropped below them very early and soon, we were surrounded by darkness as the temperature once again plunged.<br />
It was not safe trekking in low lights, especially among rocky terrain. Soon we had to whip out our headlamps and illuminate the trek.<br />
It was treacherous, but it was really quite an experience for all of us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpaxjYGaVXe6I2ZVr7QOBn6gdZ69VlREnsSRQhihegW6HPjpXkJl_eA989DtAisK3QC6n40pQx50LRKLqU3tU42-AtaFUuX-xOz9avAnDhHjgrBEFsq_BtrV4R3FSWMboe9kPcqGBJJM/w722-h600-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="721" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpaxjYGaVXe6I2ZVr7QOBn6gdZ69VlREnsSRQhihegW6HPjpXkJl_eA989DtAisK3QC6n40pQx50LRKLqU3tU42-AtaFUuX-xOz9avAnDhHjgrBEFsq_BtrV4R3FSWMboe9kPcqGBJJM/w722-h600-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mimi almost reaching old EBC!</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">As we started our trek back, we were overjoyed to see Mimi making her way to the old EBC slowly with Mani on the ridge.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;">Despite her tiredness, she had overcome all and was victorious! We all shouted out our encouragement to her as we past her.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/d6u-BqpQp9nGKKYY2x9ZTkd1VspWx8pjhxjodC8oBGDx01URQvCjOpeIt3DSiaOWWaPonEK9OXGlfOtybLfQbddhuFHVgF-gZxjBlYJXBc-YKBvtcG37poJsTvdjIE98Ug8cJKab8NyqOBg0nW8pMAX0_NsAcXSUt3R5L4476UWxNVOMfQrbWfTTCDlUAPO8Ga6f33cNkks8kUObykIhH8Gonz-1rmqdnuRAb0TkM9JmgjsTXslWrDKQFP31uK1NbGV19InmnHqZ_p6arRtQnlHOJNL4kwLikV-_yp0qgJ0tY-l3RF0XPCXn6DZ8Bfc2XaOsdCYaPiNvM1Yo0fVdc_8XFv1BIVA2Ipbd54qN1hKr1IMYrAPQc_RVlf4netNzLl4qmUiBdY-17cvXWCWxC2Kvl7b4Z8DuWfwyF6BHmzW6nCRuaXHmKYPdpH25TKPefzEy5wTougrzyv1XhhH4EnrWkgYo8wbIRjb80k2A5q7s8_rBSbDqgpTdpjg14wbSdjPHViOLCkdxSU-wEK8tcLzTatUSXvYzfTByUhU0a6n1PwHsrUzJ-jwdafNXOSwc4bVNu0B1x4_yK76Nr8lW-jxFfpMWoVNtGTksFM5pTbO8uPxMDJQBCbvo3yGqD8Kb-nnh8YzpBIzbgn_kjkfgOvEGfP5DEo24=w1003-h488-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="1003" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/d6u-BqpQp9nGKKYY2x9ZTkd1VspWx8pjhxjodC8oBGDx01URQvCjOpeIt3DSiaOWWaPonEK9OXGlfOtybLfQbddhuFHVgF-gZxjBlYJXBc-YKBvtcG37poJsTvdjIE98Ug8cJKab8NyqOBg0nW8pMAX0_NsAcXSUt3R5L4476UWxNVOMfQrbWfTTCDlUAPO8Ga6f33cNkks8kUObykIhH8Gonz-1rmqdnuRAb0TkM9JmgjsTXslWrDKQFP31uK1NbGV19InmnHqZ_p6arRtQnlHOJNL4kwLikV-_yp0qgJ0tY-l3RF0XPCXn6DZ8Bfc2XaOsdCYaPiNvM1Yo0fVdc_8XFv1BIVA2Ipbd54qN1hKr1IMYrAPQc_RVlf4netNzLl4qmUiBdY-17cvXWCWxC2Kvl7b4Z8DuWfwyF6BHmzW6nCRuaXHmKYPdpH25TKPefzEy5wTougrzyv1XhhH4EnrWkgYo8wbIRjb80k2A5q7s8_rBSbDqgpTdpjg14wbSdjPHViOLCkdxSU-wEK8tcLzTatUSXvYzfTByUhU0a6n1PwHsrUzJ-jwdafNXOSwc4bVNu0B1x4_yK76Nr8lW-jxFfpMWoVNtGTksFM5pTbO8uPxMDJQBCbvo3yGqD8Kb-nnh8YzpBIzbgn_kjkfgOvEGfP5DEo24=w1003-h488-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3:48pm. The exact moment I walkie-talkied Adrian and was instructed to turn back. [Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
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As the sky darkened and our surrounding became veiled in an eerie and surreal gloom, the <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Kr7geaT3UlizDoGyMaqV4AViv4-Vb-JUMHmdLLUpi5L8wdlsfmI7jRkr72-BNQUkIDBvw5ey8e3WvepsNcUwWIuIrFDkXyC0cBZaQowqLf8PqumrmjaKobotQWn8_yxfXXpzxePDaIjH7KX5CvyBBqi1M7eKCwkiBsRJcKMZ1JhmRmL3fnQlTkq2qShWIBdQwuVgIJGBjkh_KUzauGihG9lMWN3VaxlyDB3LDe4cYeZZfjiRClH0bCbAK_etqJX21PGdBtCWnYzw7fEC1KMhkhbVyDgTJvy9dFa9c5cR2ks79RCpq63e_87OLdH9JR4p0JLcgD_JwQew5iOu_o8jpZOhrzA-W8Us21mugjLOVfdWl11-AUIwL3YIkUVlnDcX1AHZIsBRwRGvQ683RSHiXgkbCahoUfxr3V4cz-a4yTQ52wLTOUQiRMDiXsQdnSeEZtosfF5YSuxRy6rq97oH-DYKIRTDbwZ1j9kp5FcILnv6_3lo2M2hyFTWOitUkEEKjcC8YU240tDfZiGgTAIvcEkAcNAXqzxzO4_27Awsnh5r-hQLaACm17PoGlGX2v0V9OksjNXEOKCe5Galj5XBB2nYX_571_p2S6tYp0ChuZ9qRnTAi2bgUtTG1Gco0sD9Dg-jQt-PzoOjPw6YM_7XLpyTpmILN9pu=w451-h600-no" target="_blank">guides</a> and <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gvcLKTDZyFSV54ApJBZIVAsprPTvFiHko9tj5qKoKnWqEb-vuJ-OTD9TKbHF1lQ-E6CTt5e7iJXUqIy3jVYTTxj1YUbhXOW5U5olgRllfCh7AXFXFEvmgMfhKP_Cvy-Zp0BqGjbHZZ2-n2C-P-SYvWW7g609hIIte3smyLX5I9DZPn6ER5bOtWrBaDYncOCD-V6lelZQ7ljJyU56cGeS0dNWcVgqyyCySbFD9SNA9MHP9nffcc60Olkt8Zh_vtDA18K2Xh3GodDUIpwV2TaZMVy6MiMhC6_kJ4jxNUHDf79mzEtjlLA9EQTkaJ3n8XOsOCLcaf45obGLpK2bjs9hbwdRCAIXTf0X3c0TRSU_H2mDBGTiqqclsFKnqd_LBPoSOSUu0aRYj9T-2sjd53uD_c3HZfdQaSLoJoyXg5RM3qsaf24p7HurfnKT7CRTDdcPdJ2H1s-VD_DbSP_XMZcheJkbVEPiyn6J4j2COYeMKcUlbFQ1042OK0mSptSs2lvowNCbP_9b9WQ4jLgZjLSuCykiXQcstlQJn4tBkPQInzU9IAdR69Nd8VYPXDt18lA7jNkyi9ZWgcuUMnhUJfdyRLXbRMes48JO2rDm_ADw29DAmZwj8Otpb2Mjais6FWK65_8NT3nVOao-hR4CrVTJFnbETCdgrs-K=w451-h600-no" target="_blank">porters</a> became crucial here as they were the ones with the experience to navigate and ensure our safety,<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/3sU5DZUpRtbEIVdhRRzEwT6a-4-XOFdtHwqxxP1kNsP112ddUUo5sWy_3d3TUhtiVZOnzueLpMoMqMHzcuzMLIejvIQUQn74rKY_0ysK2b_JrBdb8OBDtl8_nblihO26sNAarPxeopq4cVAfBs-B9AtEA9sys_53OSln7VJ4yzyg0jZSSW_41LVq4LoWw0HZ8BSpIlX8qXxCOMzxO5MX4d-iKxtu3Q0CSmAMDgmJdMKxhxjsOzhT0tw03hWKJQIfurL7Nc2A0qhtmx3yfGj3f-hiN5TkxsP8Pew8WGOKT2iJpJXN2FGdVu42fKMMbywhZLb_limSU_gkfva6B8ZByRuxGxHOTH0nhSh0REVDmOrr2sPHkHCKOKM0SsYpCZZkG6qW_c9FVkJILp3kfQSfXl1f14wDUeCtsD7sRiNjTR00UPKfANf9ywlLfqobRI4NCwvPS5jOqYiYe1mjqbP-UITzmMGRUQM1Mjr5_IVwF-tERgsbJJ6CEmkk6M8jASueCjE7AbrFM96Wu3PmragsTmoRIn6Q2XoU0_O7DLCCvS3UYp-R96AobKH1OaBjACBGPwGQ3c3IHgvTfyeFvev8nKo70byC2KP7E9ufnAHU5-jo23lwGhjbPlSnaEmWdI4lzomXdkfN6dTGEXrnAh23eAv1ErPxFc6o=w1003-h620-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1003" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/3sU5DZUpRtbEIVdhRRzEwT6a-4-XOFdtHwqxxP1kNsP112ddUUo5sWy_3d3TUhtiVZOnzueLpMoMqMHzcuzMLIejvIQUQn74rKY_0ysK2b_JrBdb8OBDtl8_nblihO26sNAarPxeopq4cVAfBs-B9AtEA9sys_53OSln7VJ4yzyg0jZSSW_41LVq4LoWw0HZ8BSpIlX8qXxCOMzxO5MX4d-iKxtu3Q0CSmAMDgmJdMKxhxjsOzhT0tw03hWKJQIfurL7Nc2A0qhtmx3yfGj3f-hiN5TkxsP8Pew8WGOKT2iJpJXN2FGdVu42fKMMbywhZLb_limSU_gkfva6B8ZByRuxGxHOTH0nhSh0REVDmOrr2sPHkHCKOKM0SsYpCZZkG6qW_c9FVkJILp3kfQSfXl1f14wDUeCtsD7sRiNjTR00UPKfANf9ywlLfqobRI4NCwvPS5jOqYiYe1mjqbP-UITzmMGRUQM1Mjr5_IVwF-tERgsbJJ6CEmkk6M8jASueCjE7AbrFM96Wu3PmragsTmoRIn6Q2XoU0_O7DLCCvS3UYp-R96AobKH1OaBjACBGPwGQ3c3IHgvTfyeFvev8nKo70byC2KP7E9ufnAHU5-jo23lwGhjbPlSnaEmWdI4lzomXdkfN6dTGEXrnAh23eAv1ErPxFc6o=w1003-h620-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset on our way back from EBC [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
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I didn't know how long it took. But according to my watch, we took two hours to arrive back at Gorak Shep. It was a dark dark 6pm when we finally stepped into Himalayan Lodge at Gorak Shep. And everyone crumbled into a heap at the carpeted benches and seats of the dining hall. We were simply too shagged, physically and emotionally.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/aja0uMmxYhh6q0jR35Ch2KKBawO3pIb9jvQ1Bvo4wANAVPf2Q8B2a2Ycrrxm8ccsGms0srL_tLF594Scz6594jL6HX9NtbB_DMZbl7-jlBuylVN-8P_nm_yolFTMXsQkWsxIfXStXkU_uaEYal-OPxDNtZhF93tWrDwo50N6Pq3FnHaF0R4as9-xHASA3bbPTOPRupcMaQwSBWyTRJQ34TIYb8ufr6bDFRG5m7AbSMURkTtfUuIxSBtrSjfBlimsFaG4j4viRewnwpSCj_k_nph9yqFq9FwikCiCbdN7v5sv9ISclY30RmAZmjDLzefdT1EOjsmxlOZJPhc5IQp5d5UFjpVXxkBdY8TQEZwNFeu3WkF9oX1eDYa2D6r47iRE3CjfskR3ONbWt34iKrLqUuaZLRlk2JKLUkdxCLFrncbO2GAJA9MdywB3RdiqnupXS-QmvCsZtAzRKys5zRFbbgE7V4zl-Q_sLqNPwjXolFQqoXMqb7XihHcWWNuXFwJ6ErPbBztwpzprk6bJeVbfzsvkScw3DIhIIz3UMHa0lii0JbuFvDT288aZEF4ZtOxrBEW14e6Tfe8aZAiGYzTU0gL9x24T6MfNLxnPYlLhQLB7UjUIjj0-FGZu96C-9LNpbbySVD6px0BYweXG8_2wEpWxc5QJuwscag=w451-h600-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/aja0uMmxYhh6q0jR35Ch2KKBawO3pIb9jvQ1Bvo4wANAVPf2Q8B2a2Ycrrxm8ccsGms0srL_tLF594Scz6594jL6HX9NtbB_DMZbl7-jlBuylVN-8P_nm_yolFTMXsQkWsxIfXStXkU_uaEYal-OPxDNtZhF93tWrDwo50N6Pq3FnHaF0R4as9-xHASA3bbPTOPRupcMaQwSBWyTRJQ34TIYb8ufr6bDFRG5m7AbSMURkTtfUuIxSBtrSjfBlimsFaG4j4viRewnwpSCj_k_nph9yqFq9FwikCiCbdN7v5sv9ISclY30RmAZmjDLzefdT1EOjsmxlOZJPhc5IQp5d5UFjpVXxkBdY8TQEZwNFeu3WkF9oX1eDYa2D6r47iRE3CjfskR3ONbWt34iKrLqUuaZLRlk2JKLUkdxCLFrncbO2GAJA9MdywB3RdiqnupXS-QmvCsZtAzRKys5zRFbbgE7V4zl-Q_sLqNPwjXolFQqoXMqb7XihHcWWNuXFwJ6ErPbBztwpzprk6bJeVbfzsvkScw3DIhIIz3UMHa0lii0JbuFvDT288aZEF4ZtOxrBEW14e6Tfe8aZAiGYzTU0gL9x24T6MfNLxnPYlLhQLB7UjUIjj0-FGZu96C-9LNpbbySVD6px0BYweXG8_2wEpWxc5QJuwscag=w451-h600-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rushing back to Gorak Shep as the sun set. [Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Later on that evening during dinner...</span></b><br />
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While waiting for dinner, Serene and I did our rounds. Some were recovering from their coughs, but others were still blowing out thick bloody nasal mucus and coughing with chesty phlegm. I had to change to stronger antibiotics for several of them.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4646/38691449804_79fae9c62e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="547" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4646/38691449804_79fae9c62e_b.jpg" width="436" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Ka Lin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
AhLiangSS started having watery stools. He must be one of the last few to catch the food poisoning E.coli bug. The usual Ciprofloxacin and Vacontil was prescribed. Even KK also started having some respiratory symptoms.<br />
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Casey was coughing, and Cantona was coughing, Both were chesty and both were tired. The past 9 days really had taken a toll on their immunity. Cantona was very funny, he made a remark later:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"This Casey ah.. I think he was something short short already up at EBC. He was talking to TJC 'Hey, how come you breath so loud hee hor hee hor until like that ah?'. That was very strange. It wasn't like Casey at all. Not his usual self."</b></span></blockquote>
In retrospect I finally understood. Cantona's reluctance to go up to EBC was most likely as a response to his body's protesting. He was likely to be starting to feel unwell and fatigue. But he was really the Giant, and he pushed on with encouragement from everybody to complete his objective. As for Casey, all these subtle little signs, his talking strangely to TKJ, were telling us that he might have been harbouring some early symptoms of AMS.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I think I might have pushed myself too hard earlier on,"</b></span> he admitted much later.</blockquote>
Kong Wan was suffering a massive headache after coming back from EBC.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Wah lau.. I had to really push myself to chase after Ai Lin. I knew I was exerting myself. And on the way back, I could feel my headache coming. And now my headache is bad. I think it's AMS."</span></b></blockquote>
All were given medicine. Ah Sing was turning out to be quite ok. Ah Li, Fann and Serene were fine. Interestingly my diarrhoea had stopped and my AMS no longer bothered me.<br />
Alex, Kai Sing, Lai Peng all had a couple of doses of oral dexamethasone as preventive measures before the morning trek from Lobuche to Gorak Shep and I believed that had helped them in staving off some AMS symptoms.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Kala Patthar and EBC (again!) for tomorrow</span></b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"OK tomorrow morning those who want to trek up to Kala Patthar will set off at 4:30am. You will follow Babu, and bring your personal porter with you." </b></span>announced Adrian.</blockquote>
I asked everyone, but very few were keen to do Kala Patthar. I was really shocked. I literally arm-twisted Kai Sing to do Kala Patthar with me, and was really thankful he agreed.<br />
I looked at the daughters - Ah Sing and Ah Li were all ready for Kala Patthar.<br />
Fann was overjoyed when Adrian allowed her the chance to do EBC again the next day, specially allocating Sharan to accompany her, with the plan to set off at 6:15am, so that she can accomplish her objective of setting foot on the new EBC. Kai Sing was a strong advocate of Fann's prowess, and he strongly vouched for Fann's re-attempt on the new EBC, reassuring Adrian that she will be very fast going out and back from EBC.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Somehow Adrian was skeptical when I told him the girls all can do Kala Patthar. He looked at Serene and asked: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Mother knows best. You think Ah Sing and Ah Li can do Kala Patthar tomorrow?" </b></span></blockquote>
Serene gave him an affirmative. And thus the stage was set. YES! We would be going up to the highest point tomorrow. In my heart, I held Kala Patthar even dearer than EBC. It had been something that myelf and the girls had wanted to do on this trip.<br />
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I had been a very strenuous day for all but the fittest among us.<br />
Adrian was very proud of the whole team - we all made it to EBC and back. It was time to rest, and to prepare for another long long day of trek from Gorak Shep to Pheriche the next day. For those who decided that Kala Patthar was not their bucket list, it would mean an extra 4 hours of sleep and rest.<br />
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But for Matthew, Jason, Jeffrey, Kai Sing, Zaid, Ah Sing, Ah Li and I, this would really be another highlight.<br />
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<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-4-highest.html"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Click here to continue to:</b></span></a><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-4-highest.html">EBC Trek Part 4</a></span></b> ~ Kala Patthar<br />
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Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com4Dingboche 56000, Nepal27.8923026 86.83144689999994627.878268600000002 86.811276899999953 27.9063366 86.851616899999939tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-85250858269102859202017-11-22T06:41:00.000-08:002018-08-03T03:29:21.418-07:00Everest Base Camp Trek 2017 Part 2 -From Namche to Dingboche.<br />
<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>Part 2 ~ After the acclimatisation at Namche, it was time for some thinner air.</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-2-from.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="859" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XsIoEUNaUvi79G3qi1-NJL66SuLz4_7MRv5pQNRhLxyL5Xc-J-AWSY_ggt0xQZIEpil-5BXf-lNfZo6kDsUejij9qhjgT8CB57It8ug0NNh0l_N8BdU18eRArULbPR_hbQxSPotxfWo/w859-h644-no/" width="400" /></a></div>
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We knew that we were going to enter a realm of higher altitude and it was time for some real action.<br />
This was time for our bodies to really start adapting. Little did we realise that the transition from 3400m to 4400m would be that great. This second quarter part of our trek was a period of reckoning. And time was not on our side. We needed to keep pushing, keep going. AMS and illnesses started hitting us. But the team spirit was still strong.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b style="color: yellow; font-style: italic;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />[In this Travellogue, I have tried my best to credit all the photos to their respective photographers, and I tried my best to recall verbatim what members said during the whole trip. Most events are as I could remember them. Those who have expressed clearly to me their wishes not to have their photos shared online I have post-processed the photographs so that their faces are pixelated to protect their privacies.]</b><br />
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<span style="color: #f9cb9c;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Table of Contents:</b></span></span></span><br />
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<ol>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-epic.html">EBC Trek Part 1</a> </span></b>~ An epic adventure. Kathmandu to Lukla. Lukla to Phakding. Phakding to Namche Bazaar. Acclimatisation in Namche Bazaar.</li>
<li><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-2-from.html"><b><span style="font-size: large;">EBC Trek Part 2</span></b></a> ~ The air got thinner & the body got more tired. Namche Bazaar to Tengboche & Debuche. Debuche to Dingboche. Acclimatisation in Dingboche.</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-3.html">EBC Trek Part 3</a></span></b> ~ The Final Push. Dingboche to Lobuche. Lobuche to Gorak Shep and to EBC and back to Gorak Shep. </li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-4-highest.html">EBC Trek Part 4</a></span></b> ~ Kala Patthar</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-5-return-of.html">EBC Trek Part 5</a></span></b> ~ The unrelenting march from day to night - Gorak Shep to Periche. Another long day to night march from Periche to Namche Bazaar.</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-6-back-to.html">EBC Trek Part 6</a></span></b> ~ No matter how tired... just go into Cruise-control mode walking from Namche Bazaar to finally arrive back in Lukla in the dark, yet again.</li>
<li><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-7-back-to.html"><b><span style="font-size: large;">EBC Trek Part 7</span></b> </a>~ Flying back to Kathmandu. Rest and Relax in Kathmandu and flying home!</li>
</ol>
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">EBC TREK Day 5: </span><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">We started to raise the ante higher. Tengboche Monastery 3860m here we come. And retire this night at Debuche 3700m.</span></b><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><b>22 Nov 2017</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/oUJxgxm5co4pd9mPj1T_HZbhpPJh796W7TFPRCOcoYysrbJ8OfsNAUGm1OoX6eRxoMMRs6rqXOle8WbwMved-TPTDQc9hx0CtN8kq4o4g0l5FSSmkpEKkIjMBTcVmjAFrW8LLqXExGSN_VmxO6VaePAqwjTiVj6cSArl8zUPuoO36dl3yKH3ld3eVSuKNXum03zmGlGCjvfKldnQKw5jcS8-BFvWOGETky3FQhMUvwOIOo5q6Pgz1G8l7AAuM3hts61z490UYwjSQK4LlSB4p9zm0Ps04sqHRcKxqheONtueHz1KYp2QWFK80TMxqciDMMUir1UIGJVl1WaUxdJCkR0XmWHEC0c6z17RfKqQtZYqrPQincXn25VtZ3mY8gHozIppItVTM-PlMDlaVADCVTdmPvPRxmNHwPRQzU5c_vNEbzhWERyq2bX74ijR-eCDcdtNLgLbTOIlqZehPEUodAbh_XM3YFgXHQ5eubfmstkh5V4wUGySwYEkU2a8pnY0ViIO16lmFi9eXuO2IJMnPGBaYC_YmvevoFXaTVFtMHw6JUJsmK61dzjVlbJeBN4r9_qJjAek0no6C5ei8v7f-ameeRdWq_UKGXi7v_RGalPC4rGjDYZvtKrLUAYYzXBPHBzDWkFZtwrzjlt33J57PL9U8Fa6QhmSuw=w1146-h644-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1145" height="359" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/oUJxgxm5co4pd9mPj1T_HZbhpPJh796W7TFPRCOcoYysrbJ8OfsNAUGm1OoX6eRxoMMRs6rqXOle8WbwMved-TPTDQc9hx0CtN8kq4o4g0l5FSSmkpEKkIjMBTcVmjAFrW8LLqXExGSN_VmxO6VaePAqwjTiVj6cSArl8zUPuoO36dl3yKH3ld3eVSuKNXum03zmGlGCjvfKldnQKw5jcS8-BFvWOGETky3FQhMUvwOIOo5q6Pgz1G8l7AAuM3hts61z490UYwjSQK4LlSB4p9zm0Ps04sqHRcKxqheONtueHz1KYp2QWFK80TMxqciDMMUir1UIGJVl1WaUxdJCkR0XmWHEC0c6z17RfKqQtZYqrPQincXn25VtZ3mY8gHozIppItVTM-PlMDlaVADCVTdmPvPRxmNHwPRQzU5c_vNEbzhWERyq2bX74ijR-eCDcdtNLgLbTOIlqZehPEUodAbh_XM3YFgXHQ5eubfmstkh5V4wUGySwYEkU2a8pnY0ViIO16lmFi9eXuO2IJMnPGBaYC_YmvevoFXaTVFtMHw6JUJsmK61dzjVlbJeBN4r9_qJjAek0no6C5ei8v7f-ameeRdWq_UKGXi7v_RGalPC4rGjDYZvtKrLUAYYzXBPHBzDWkFZtwrzjlt33J57PL9U8Fa6QhmSuw=w1146-h644-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Here is the Relive video of our trek on this day </span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">from Namche Bazaar to Debuche:</span></b></span><br />
<blockquote class="embedly-card" data-card-controls="0" data-card-key="f1631a41cb254ca5b035dc5747a5bd75">
<h4>
<a href="https://www.relive.cc/view/1285877424?r=embed-site">Relive 'Everest Base Camp trek Day 5- Namche Bazaar to Tengboche monastery finally to Paradise Lodge at to Debuche'</a></h4>
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<script async="" charset="UTF-8" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js"></script>
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<b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Here is the Strava Flyby </span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">for this trek. </span></b><b><i>Just click on the image below, <span style="color: yellow;">Play and zoom in to watch</span>. It was interesting to see how fast Alex, Lai Peng, KC Tng, Kai Sing, Patrick and Darric were trekking. We were all bunched up during the steep ascent right after Namche but once the trek evens out these power horse really cheonged ahead. See how fast and how far ahead was KC Tng, Darric, Alex, Lai Peng, Kai Sing and Patrick, leaving Kong Wan and myself right behind. THIS, was the spectacular pace of trekking displayed by these power men and ladies. And see just how KC Tng was leading the pack all the way.</i></b><br />
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<a href="https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1294056290?c=tuvwqqzz&z=D&t=1Q5a0p&a=YrshTQqDyEyiGCBNeb2lTbFGH02XHbZMf9jITBWxyEw" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="800" height="296" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4735/39285638171_8f406b8326_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is my Garmin Connect's record of the trek. Total trekking time was about 8 hours 15 minutes, bringing us to Debuche just before 5pm, around 4:50pm.<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/embed/2344814169" title="Everest Base Camp trek Day 4- Namche to Tengboche monastery to Debuche" width="465"></iframe>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">The </span><span style="color: yellow;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232;">:</span> </span></b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>The long climb and trek to Tengboche... rather tired by then, and then another 30 mins trek to Debuche for one of the coldest nights.</b></span><br />
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<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2tWkyg0BmNw?rel=0" width="820"></iframe>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>8:15am</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4638/38752305314_0eaf1d79c3_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4638/38752305314_0eaf1d79c3_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4638/38752305314_fe95f18a83_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting off from Green Tara. </td></tr>
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The whole group set off from a freezing Green Tara Hotel and started that unyielding climb up the steps of Namche Bazaar right up to the top of the village where the prayer wheel would be. Lonely Planet described the first twenty minutes of the trek to be a steep uphill climb. And indeed it was, not only the steps, but even after the prayer wheel.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/qk-tucO1dKS-uuiFDWJTuztLxp1k3-cyrglKiGen_mr-Wzg4CHGtig5-oq5g-MUf8bxAigEfZa46nW8_A2DFFncp0i6TBydgl5kNHqMZfqgyxn7U-R7F-kvL6Y4fxH04j09l797StEoLEgwZOF0ag6C25CEdd2rrRAqQHRB45r_qiEg_TJIQjn3Cn8XLoKWb0tUGNsbwJ4LHcmLOjRpVOUruJKUwNzaga50yfZOaa7h4QXEmzTAU8PDl7lGKdDFXr7avzGbGrQBfkI4u7xol5F53FUHj6cBpARQzEfccNNzZFw29ye9XJSbYeYS19RAcI5UmMYFyKnI_pY98NsaWvcmhTtIegriYPZMOOm8t7P4VtKrzWfiNw7om9RuHV_b_zheSwAoNRV3Vg4Ns33c-XCxeE_qdfUxKGxHs-2ePsC44ooOg9MD6ZNQn5JuCkD4Au9uLwQ0jsjf9ot3dhrHUR87mzPcSi1HLU5fozqy3oqlGYX5lMGld0ef20uioYLP3NBBlK6FhVRlJo2Hqp7puNre2tFFLti6dR_9_3EyK7D8TuYM20Stxns-M2v-oNPMVXH-NlejAAw2xeM7uNr3EHhXskXN0WRBGvT7nX6q7JRj0AWRGCIFz9YzcZKLXeAzGZGV2lk5oP3QgiCdjfdTIn1Xp7u5OS4JjJQ=w487-h649-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/qk-tucO1dKS-uuiFDWJTuztLxp1k3-cyrglKiGen_mr-Wzg4CHGtig5-oq5g-MUf8bxAigEfZa46nW8_A2DFFncp0i6TBydgl5kNHqMZfqgyxn7U-R7F-kvL6Y4fxH04j09l797StEoLEgwZOF0ag6C25CEdd2rrRAqQHRB45r_qiEg_TJIQjn3Cn8XLoKWb0tUGNsbwJ4LHcmLOjRpVOUruJKUwNzaga50yfZOaa7h4QXEmzTAU8PDl7lGKdDFXr7avzGbGrQBfkI4u7xol5F53FUHj6cBpARQzEfccNNzZFw29ye9XJSbYeYS19RAcI5UmMYFyKnI_pY98NsaWvcmhTtIegriYPZMOOm8t7P4VtKrzWfiNw7om9RuHV_b_zheSwAoNRV3Vg4Ns33c-XCxeE_qdfUxKGxHs-2ePsC44ooOg9MD6ZNQn5JuCkD4Au9uLwQ0jsjf9ot3dhrHUR87mzPcSi1HLU5fozqy3oqlGYX5lMGld0ef20uioYLP3NBBlK6FhVRlJo2Hqp7puNre2tFFLti6dR_9_3EyK7D8TuYM20Stxns-M2v-oNPMVXH-NlejAAw2xeM7uNr3EHhXskXN0WRBGvT7nX6q7JRj0AWRGCIFz9YzcZKLXeAzGZGV2lk5oP3QgiCdjfdTIn1Xp7u5OS4JjJQ=w487-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Namche prayer wheel. [Photo: Lai Peng]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
At the prayer wheel, we turned right on this day, the opposite direction to where we walked towards Syangboche the day before, and this time towards Tengboche.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/RL6pNxTQLm4zagmBZY7MGvN5h-oY7qCGZiBZEf5BY2jp9RKM-y_YHhnD91GqdUpk1vDkYNwtOWbAHRnySUpC-qZdD70rG8BVFxvosvrrf37Whq45bv0U4eTKn9WX8QUg6QG0kDcVWNSbsJL5duBxXXvbQhOlK-vLFZN18VqPTF15FA5cLKNVIZlgX9vEYm9SDgeMGxuKu4wmTi4kM1JYothhxsacfooB_pDYPz-XNtwQbXnkKplpycJC5HDd42xnN6gVyKlkMPPGl7B21c4dA_aHp5GIMYEMECO0gaSalps82B2DMTbiF-x5FXYBwwOmV_TK2m_fOBaIJV_1Y8pJRyozrDICapr9aV9o5NVS68Kil0Xhu40AyXP09TuYfk8nqQUvnPawUpo5-8LxCWDUSVvSNyA9yxXzjr9lCVAGDpbtqB4amdelbB64Vn2f9D5d5dAlPY0yXVROIJckWFWwwmF405NrtCA_H-j4j_eNYl0_Jp_J0eDoy5JJj1Axw30Sz8-jF4-f-9rTDSMsKix00yrOaUNMIVcd8cOcdEQmjj3QhIYBi3130dLU5ql6SWjEydB5Q5i2XUXDK8Z_SrrcePj2VlacnrDzWVzHuy8KNESsigzEQLdJdsZCotPo2F-MOG1gKXHjBgFdqhG-4PVooeGYildDrnOB=w487-h649-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/RL6pNxTQLm4zagmBZY7MGvN5h-oY7qCGZiBZEf5BY2jp9RKM-y_YHhnD91GqdUpk1vDkYNwtOWbAHRnySUpC-qZdD70rG8BVFxvosvrrf37Whq45bv0U4eTKn9WX8QUg6QG0kDcVWNSbsJL5duBxXXvbQhOlK-vLFZN18VqPTF15FA5cLKNVIZlgX9vEYm9SDgeMGxuKu4wmTi4kM1JYothhxsacfooB_pDYPz-XNtwQbXnkKplpycJC5HDd42xnN6gVyKlkMPPGl7B21c4dA_aHp5GIMYEMECO0gaSalps82B2DMTbiF-x5FXYBwwOmV_TK2m_fOBaIJV_1Y8pJRyozrDICapr9aV9o5NVS68Kil0Xhu40AyXP09TuYfk8nqQUvnPawUpo5-8LxCWDUSVvSNyA9yxXzjr9lCVAGDpbtqB4amdelbB64Vn2f9D5d5dAlPY0yXVROIJckWFWwwmF405NrtCA_H-j4j_eNYl0_Jp_J0eDoy5JJj1Axw30Sz8-jF4-f-9rTDSMsKix00yrOaUNMIVcd8cOcdEQmjj3QhIYBi3130dLU5ql6SWjEydB5Q5i2XUXDK8Z_SrrcePj2VlacnrDzWVzHuy8KNESsigzEQLdJdsZCotPo2F-MOG1gKXHjBgFdqhG-4PVooeGYildDrnOB=w487-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Fann.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/8kzuKeZbpuAkn-s_RTp1do9nrUt-4sclHuTYa8ukdt5JrvMCjEyf3jNNpsT5qAEYeh9QAbjq9aEW-L6clJbIoHCd6GH9JCesgVRnbkerwJc3ozNm6W5Z09QHcUh8p4vvkJKxEu9iUE1GBTHzOioKx4IziB-wGXZTaa2Je3akLZiUZvHPwtFaXxb3cl1ijugSMZpCipuPMYDs_NBnB1g7N1g7O-UdUuqJN-1i_kz0xMv68CYZc8y2QHXitcA7yTdVFpHYItAyWF7miIC0pnU2AseoG9Bp0WrgR7nnbH40ah1reboELTsLG7l3aRXiqt6MDeqvM_IXj2L57cIOLAnMOnma5su3rCkI4BPT7-4wF1Vjc4vCjtQaSgQqyIbxf4j1oxogdDjy7cQvYjWNljghhv2p4y51sBuNIDcYgu-gs348DrAQAQfNvjvauWmQnLSVqbBMBC6vs_2XsKm3u6K5yUCfGIvB79mdViCNI4LA3mR-xjVgA-yEfdt38576jOdrTPc_yYAusGJsH9drASWr3H5ar6yg0iet7rQpS5VPSwXQjbAwy3yyhZgB4hXK4Lcb62mVnSyKH62RQkeyQStrw-XXc1SSDqdmzbx4xSplhG8vqWLca8vvUPUDvp7AU8LvyZHfyW6J-pfZcbDWncGGzc8r079ttaCL=w866-h649-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/8kzuKeZbpuAkn-s_RTp1do9nrUt-4sclHuTYa8ukdt5JrvMCjEyf3jNNpsT5qAEYeh9QAbjq9aEW-L6clJbIoHCd6GH9JCesgVRnbkerwJc3ozNm6W5Z09QHcUh8p4vvkJKxEu9iUE1GBTHzOioKx4IziB-wGXZTaa2Je3akLZiUZvHPwtFaXxb3cl1ijugSMZpCipuPMYDs_NBnB1g7N1g7O-UdUuqJN-1i_kz0xMv68CYZc8y2QHXitcA7yTdVFpHYItAyWF7miIC0pnU2AseoG9Bp0WrgR7nnbH40ah1reboELTsLG7l3aRXiqt6MDeqvM_IXj2L57cIOLAnMOnma5su3rCkI4BPT7-4wF1Vjc4vCjtQaSgQqyIbxf4j1oxogdDjy7cQvYjWNljghhv2p4y51sBuNIDcYgu-gs348DrAQAQfNvjvauWmQnLSVqbBMBC6vs_2XsKm3u6K5yUCfGIvB79mdViCNI4LA3mR-xjVgA-yEfdt38576jOdrTPc_yYAusGJsH9drASWr3H5ar6yg0iet7rQpS5VPSwXQjbAwy3yyhZgB4hXK4Lcb62mVnSyKH62RQkeyQStrw-XXc1SSDqdmzbx4xSplhG8vqWLca8vvUPUDvp7AU8LvyZHfyW6J-pfZcbDWncGGzc8r079ttaCL=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The climb even AFTER Namche Bazaar.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But soon, the route levelled out to a nice gentle and gradual terrain. The paths were much less rocky and were actually smoother and flatter, much more pleasant to walk on. Dry and dusty paths were not exactly the best friends of noses and sinuses.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4643/39426666752_35b8f8059c_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4643/39426666752_35b8f8059c_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4643/39426666752_01c9847f8a_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the very rare occasions when the rear and front paltoons met.</td></tr>
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Times like these when the humidity was low every time one walked behind a front trekker, or when a herd of yaks or mules walked pass, with their neck bells ringing, they would kick up a whole fume of fine dust that would get entrenched deeply into the sinuses and the respiratory airways. Thus many would start developing nose allergies, sinusitis and the dreaded mountain cough. Adrian's constant nagging about pulling on the buff worked. But for some of us, yours truly included, after a while I gave up because it was really uncomfortable.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/dwT4vTEiglNTaRZ9zSJ1R--KUdVfdoeFLRzHoxzS6zb0JiyxdxYP0D8fTH-eVaqSG73QhlcBLFgt_P5WW0E-Xzk6rusZrX-qT1kiSDUYukjNGy8Gv7AqQrxllt-PIy6s8wkhGrSRZmZKsGFnsylt_99qwlfY0z4wz6UpEqeEbNKQApmiQvXIZPnbpwt3EFPn-oY0mBDHLdZp_DaK38Y-QjDrgjsPLAiu7MhQ6z0O8t8AQoaRyGXOECAuUekQ9vRpaWbp0SRA4yXTjeVX32VD9Cx0yJ0sL7ZkXII-dx80-Pk_kcEfhW3DaZ8F_cZJnrSIxoVz9397wrWW-NnUvePQoKRXE0iXwiYdDlwP8XRvbN-qcdeJpq7Z2_xw2C2NOs28ttVpYrDY84MAg3UkCWD4dqVkK-5EDaMRg-YWe2TA_YeguMpLbQaaL35_BozduqT9u74YmtAvI70UXODK39odHa0K7U7VWA6PVaI4lk0cOj0UviXVY-JEc1_yMeEXt_b4lx54GEU3y_El-fImUa_ESMQPjvPXPYUzupTxU-iq1RArs78JxHal3260nJ2cFL1vDJfol9t6w54gQALPcL4kHgYHFRSplwSTu3cnRmnaLqUvbPfl-iIEN4TrBtY70Vhr18ZP6WGlWo9DzvHf6jWF1GFE8is3pF1i=w866-h649-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/dwT4vTEiglNTaRZ9zSJ1R--KUdVfdoeFLRzHoxzS6zb0JiyxdxYP0D8fTH-eVaqSG73QhlcBLFgt_P5WW0E-Xzk6rusZrX-qT1kiSDUYukjNGy8Gv7AqQrxllt-PIy6s8wkhGrSRZmZKsGFnsylt_99qwlfY0z4wz6UpEqeEbNKQApmiQvXIZPnbpwt3EFPn-oY0mBDHLdZp_DaK38Y-QjDrgjsPLAiu7MhQ6z0O8t8AQoaRyGXOECAuUekQ9vRpaWbp0SRA4yXTjeVX32VD9Cx0yJ0sL7ZkXII-dx80-Pk_kcEfhW3DaZ8F_cZJnrSIxoVz9397wrWW-NnUvePQoKRXE0iXwiYdDlwP8XRvbN-qcdeJpq7Z2_xw2C2NOs28ttVpYrDY84MAg3UkCWD4dqVkK-5EDaMRg-YWe2TA_YeguMpLbQaaL35_BozduqT9u74YmtAvI70UXODK39odHa0K7U7VWA6PVaI4lk0cOj0UviXVY-JEc1_yMeEXt_b4lx54GEU3y_El-fImUa_ESMQPjvPXPYUzupTxU-iq1RArs78JxHal3260nJ2cFL1vDJfol9t6w54gQALPcL4kHgYHFRSplwSTu3cnRmnaLqUvbPfl-iIEN4TrBtY70Vhr18ZP6WGlWo9DzvHf6jWF1GFE8is3pF1i=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The front fast train. [Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/RsynsQraGnpdAlbE2H5C5BAz3kDOdehprjV29X0nA_oHpGTDJXp7quZ7OltI_BQBBOzQhp4URSWZQTSUbeMTHwUmpi3foQ7oV0e7BWm3-G7gKQ9boYVzdEs4Kigfn96j1o-Azx0q9HKM_5eSIGIFvxE9exqDlwth0r19alWr-MurmzpFWowNsV2_ESPRMTvEYLoC7r_9VH435uKETpHgCN6js8UsmsR90r8rjD3VXaaN0LhQ0_0dGWLiCYC6btcUVQjNeh9kvA9woITZWRsvHwUY9yJq0nO5NMsV1iP35i_n73YJgCQQCQiQyByKx1MQh8q4cHVJXGcjajUglpLYG2Xu0hvjRwACnNIxQeEU608gW6xDbLBBl9EycFu1623QNF9z5j_OABH5s5k-abdyHMBmRpHwBgKl2dOrv0Rva3FihcQIB4bDjYsj1Im7PCb19l3-iyTLDskioRPo3pdi1ezo3P-5XfDmmm-tW6XJw7J-c9YETqIJmSk0lihmdE1forSy1S6PKe1PlnDVTzvQ4pINKMpBlUMRzOtJZYZnv_zjCH0_mV6sTHsomGJsJgQ4q0PFfChCKKi6EQMOZI48x44F9nvb5FmBBwn_dGmUClSMvj-4D_OB8B7wscd14tYguPCCGGTELoJUiAUSE4vnAzDmn_XVc2yc=s649-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/RsynsQraGnpdAlbE2H5C5BAz3kDOdehprjV29X0nA_oHpGTDJXp7quZ7OltI_BQBBOzQhp4URSWZQTSUbeMTHwUmpi3foQ7oV0e7BWm3-G7gKQ9boYVzdEs4Kigfn96j1o-Azx0q9HKM_5eSIGIFvxE9exqDlwth0r19alWr-MurmzpFWowNsV2_ESPRMTvEYLoC7r_9VH435uKETpHgCN6js8UsmsR90r8rjD3VXaaN0LhQ0_0dGWLiCYC6btcUVQjNeh9kvA9woITZWRsvHwUY9yJq0nO5NMsV1iP35i_n73YJgCQQCQiQyByKx1MQh8q4cHVJXGcjajUglpLYG2Xu0hvjRwACnNIxQeEU608gW6xDbLBBl9EycFu1623QNF9z5j_OABH5s5k-abdyHMBmRpHwBgKl2dOrv0Rva3FihcQIB4bDjYsj1Im7PCb19l3-iyTLDskioRPo3pdi1ezo3P-5XfDmmm-tW6XJw7J-c9YETqIJmSk0lihmdE1forSy1S6PKe1PlnDVTzvQ4pINKMpBlUMRzOtJZYZnv_zjCH0_mV6sTHsomGJsJgQ4q0PFfChCKKi6EQMOZI48x44F9nvb5FmBBwn_dGmUClSMvj-4D_OB8B7wscd14tYguPCCGGTELoJUiAUSE4vnAzDmn_XVc2yc=s649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some more of the front train. [Photo: Kc Tng]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/G9xoX9MrLQBuTAPjdG-4_s9qOF9qRHnDvix40Hj2Ix8mZAV3_3crsUJDSlUtmXqo_GXclzy_OqeGKlxHXX55YuSR0wPmmb6Z3Ugx88Vn3opb6LOLHQ8ADnGHomv-tfCNMrKPYXIC7gzA_LLhUrEox44LdJPC9vEchmICpHAliMZW7xzwOQT51_L3OzPwtqjEV2pjhVY0KIgYV5IvGQODHpVuForDlmHWOXogKL7Gr1M4AEYJP4U5gpyJVSLDSbL8jY4IYqYCKb-GW1p_sKGmnAkykBDllyuP4DRSjJ2a4YmZVNZps3C76722ye4R7l-fR_qjjxQZrwDucZ3zBV1ghtwzFjog06QStQxuFcXBWUBAL5X1ZAeTVaP-CTySb36b2UvcAikW9NppI36wdMz04iwMYaXwzPnPGUeyADuInhTemuX9BPAshhy7KDDPm8yYpjkKnh49BdWGS8XOJV66ZrzcAneB7ws3pz8eK_CwmLwCwtdFe26KnzkleAPiNnoHnImwng1fZi03PUiOh2Evvx5nEq2VtsKwoT_YtFZEO7PYUGrcSL1C0FcLVstAdU_NehYbJzMRth8qN2FNiaXXYzXWFaBcokM_Q9ikCBWntyGLqCnqt8-2qB2arCXkaMQZ2Ng_SVnS0SBqw55q9Aled80vCIdkaeQH=w974-h649-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/G9xoX9MrLQBuTAPjdG-4_s9qOF9qRHnDvix40Hj2Ix8mZAV3_3crsUJDSlUtmXqo_GXclzy_OqeGKlxHXX55YuSR0wPmmb6Z3Ugx88Vn3opb6LOLHQ8ADnGHomv-tfCNMrKPYXIC7gzA_LLhUrEox44LdJPC9vEchmICpHAliMZW7xzwOQT51_L3OzPwtqjEV2pjhVY0KIgYV5IvGQODHpVuForDlmHWOXogKL7Gr1M4AEYJP4U5gpyJVSLDSbL8jY4IYqYCKb-GW1p_sKGmnAkykBDllyuP4DRSjJ2a4YmZVNZps3C76722ye4R7l-fR_qjjxQZrwDucZ3zBV1ghtwzFjog06QStQxuFcXBWUBAL5X1ZAeTVaP-CTySb36b2UvcAikW9NppI36wdMz04iwMYaXwzPnPGUeyADuInhTemuX9BPAshhy7KDDPm8yYpjkKnh49BdWGS8XOJV66ZrzcAneB7ws3pz8eK_CwmLwCwtdFe26KnzkleAPiNnoHnImwng1fZi03PUiOh2Evvx5nEq2VtsKwoT_YtFZEO7PYUGrcSL1C0FcLVstAdU_NehYbJzMRth8qN2FNiaXXYzXWFaBcokM_Q9ikCBWntyGLqCnqt8-2qB2arCXkaMQZ2Ng_SVnS0SBqw55q9Aled80vCIdkaeQH=w974-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The power of Leica Summilux 35mm. [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
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<br />
Looking around me I found my whole family walking together, including Ah Sing surprisingly. Today she seemed a little tired. Khim, Mimi and Kong Wan were also walking among us. After the last two days, every one had begun to feel the strain on the body.<br />
But Kong Wan walking with us too? Now that was strange.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Ai Lin saw my eyes last night and she told me my eyes were watery. I asked Adrian and he said these were early signs of AMS. And I knew I had been pushing myself a little harder the last few days. So today I'd better guai guai walk at the rear,"</b></span> replied Kong Wan.</blockquote>
<br />
Ah, no wonder. It took a wise man to realise what was happening to his body and to adjust accordingly. My utmost of respect to Kong Wan. Here was the true Ironman who knew how to conserve. I was talking to the boys just a couple of days before:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Hey, look... we are trekking an average of 7-8 hours or more a day at zone 2, occasionally zone 3 heart rate, for 11 consecutive days. Hey... that's literally like doing Half an Ironman race every day for 11 days leh!"</b></span></blockquote>
<br />
And of course we must conserve. Let no lactic acid even have a chance of accumulating in our muscles because otherwise the recovery will need lots of time. And up here where oxygen and calories were lacking, recovery will be even slower.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/7El4v3r2TcxAO2T-31HN59K_KP1rfl3UNs4GUbn1L_DzpWgZPVDvGc1FYZR17eAwGfOZTVLbRORpEFmeLAAHM08LLda-kNOBGJCjwYh7xDXjmiYuXPxS_ROYo2ZwDHCWLfBdfh1Zb90uZfNLeBCR8v8yJ3NQGPPOh1mEzQgvK_mhvWZd6F9VTRP0nqImkqArffIMaXJxpzAxy1U6A2tS6bNpbMDqcssWcxkDn81kEEIjnamFC525ObYlBDTBvuJCthYVinEbISiVrZ1E7L-_Iu8WyXob-BJ-uYUs-bzwH7Rkobww6FUgo1Olnl9mNwLacrohGId8-3gJGCv8b97xEKedIy-r80caoRqNY0y5jTF7vLTQhwfhuKxaIB3Jll_IZ4iPQ3wxMgzx91QVTjYdHp83zsbaxFwslAzi_l6XY6c0YLSQeCh2UpREjTalEFCLs05KxfgRZaDsXRyqM00xZmPHRmnGE2d_PaKKiOev6wX-vrcG1aoPOG_ES5FgXT0gT3JYc3QTWXQCJiEny4V6mvXcxIx3AQo8VpwbKVn3zZWqLO4kPhMMNKJBZldHVd8GE6Ose2L5lS-Mg86jxcfojWkdT2JMDCKfXyb7YcihUEaf2WyldAVMAZtt2Col58EjSHWYqRJazx1wJy1lYkZQie3ecsuvOsde=w866-h649-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/7El4v3r2TcxAO2T-31HN59K_KP1rfl3UNs4GUbn1L_DzpWgZPVDvGc1FYZR17eAwGfOZTVLbRORpEFmeLAAHM08LLda-kNOBGJCjwYh7xDXjmiYuXPxS_ROYo2ZwDHCWLfBdfh1Zb90uZfNLeBCR8v8yJ3NQGPPOh1mEzQgvK_mhvWZd6F9VTRP0nqImkqArffIMaXJxpzAxy1U6A2tS6bNpbMDqcssWcxkDn81kEEIjnamFC525ObYlBDTBvuJCthYVinEbISiVrZ1E7L-_Iu8WyXob-BJ-uYUs-bzwH7Rkobww6FUgo1Olnl9mNwLacrohGId8-3gJGCv8b97xEKedIy-r80caoRqNY0y5jTF7vLTQhwfhuKxaIB3Jll_IZ4iPQ3wxMgzx91QVTjYdHp83zsbaxFwslAzi_l6XY6c0YLSQeCh2UpREjTalEFCLs05KxfgRZaDsXRyqM00xZmPHRmnGE2d_PaKKiOev6wX-vrcG1aoPOG_ES5FgXT0gT3JYc3QTWXQCJiEny4V6mvXcxIx3AQo8VpwbKVn3zZWqLO4kPhMMNKJBZldHVd8GE6Ose2L5lS-Mg86jxcfojWkdT2JMDCKfXyb7YcihUEaf2WyldAVMAZtt2Col58EjSHWYqRJazx1wJy1lYkZQie3ecsuvOsde=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pine trees, the dusty tracks, and the yaks. "SAFE SIDE!" [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/1fx5UoCGaeCkcSw9yYGaA_6ol66ks4TcjriE9EhvusdGxrbwQGXzJ6yHAA8hjZch7sdh71dlmhKgSddLCUqwWRf28fISswdTbS6y0NNdIa9c5l04asMWmErNh7NadBVx43BBy-wwGpQGS288YYMom0LJcYDFSiBCw3hch2oLEoT2EBSaWhIQYggBUInHgX03paf422MrBODgotA07mfy4hlT860a0IrtAGqGN9lROPJ7LqT4jSHfwPNVUuSIx13XC1Sj7kcO5WFoVTHtDq8bxQh1C0TffBR-lZfg7BhAtzWUAjIJGVEy2oczytezSMxaU6OP0PlZA0uC9gVJARHul66obrxaTf3w8gg3IeQkzHL5nG7tIWV6A_pOQLAvdZDByDgwmJIep0A1AqJNl9rW_htshw9sKtnOABXJZhWnsEBGteMRs-lGA0IZ3W6WUIiQu4AhGSs7GytNRj0PBnSJF_8USbRY1VtlmLjDEZkODi5A8K6o47_72_ahS4vuBTsKkhTQDtMOjj_AHSLAHE6VD98mIEUr-aujWQ2RZXgbTJiWXkAGrOC5zrZQP2ul2LFuqaNVMn1TXfB2mtfVN3VSOAV3sI9DQyXpoOTHhOSJ_HqdXgJiVdETkpSMreK1cHAPnaCSWEdQ7oLJfcpLt7Bje0ASwe4lJz6LXQ=w670-h893-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/1fx5UoCGaeCkcSw9yYGaA_6ol66ks4TcjriE9EhvusdGxrbwQGXzJ6yHAA8hjZch7sdh71dlmhKgSddLCUqwWRf28fISswdTbS6y0NNdIa9c5l04asMWmErNh7NadBVx43BBy-wwGpQGS288YYMom0LJcYDFSiBCw3hch2oLEoT2EBSaWhIQYggBUInHgX03paf422MrBODgotA07mfy4hlT860a0IrtAGqGN9lROPJ7LqT4jSHfwPNVUuSIx13XC1Sj7kcO5WFoVTHtDq8bxQh1C0TffBR-lZfg7BhAtzWUAjIJGVEy2oczytezSMxaU6OP0PlZA0uC9gVJARHul66obrxaTf3w8gg3IeQkzHL5nG7tIWV6A_pOQLAvdZDByDgwmJIep0A1AqJNl9rW_htshw9sKtnOABXJZhWnsEBGteMRs-lGA0IZ3W6WUIiQu4AhGSs7GytNRj0PBnSJF_8USbRY1VtlmLjDEZkODi5A8K6o47_72_ahS4vuBTsKkhTQDtMOjj_AHSLAHE6VD98mIEUr-aujWQ2RZXgbTJiWXkAGrOC5zrZQP2ul2LFuqaNVMn1TXfB2mtfVN3VSOAV3sI9DQyXpoOTHhOSJ_HqdXgJiVdETkpSMreK1cHAPnaCSWEdQ7oLJfcpLt7Bje0ASwe4lJz6LXQ=w670-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mani stones... We must be getting near. [Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
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<br />
As we trekked, the rhododenron trees gave way to pine trees, and long-haired yaks started to appear in addition to Dropkyos. The yaks were really magnificent creatures - muscular, huge and hairy, but apparently of a less docile temperament than the Dropkyos. Beautiful were some of the albino yaks that were fairer in skin and hair tones. From afar we would hear the ding-dongs of their bells and as they closed in, someone in front or right at the back would shout out:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Safe side! Mountain side!"</b></span></blockquote>
<br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tPOE3h5V5w4" width="853"></iframe>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">A video by Kong Wan of a herd of long-haired yaks, with one albino right in front, kicking up loads of fine dust.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
It'd become a reflex action that once those words were uttered, one would mechanically step to the mountain side of the track. It was a funny sight to behold. And I loved it whenever it happened.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/GGxx5xDoc0pLMWsoIVsH7BKMk9gQ1BmIFTkYe1eWVeTxdOtOu0micKBK2NLAl3iL6up4vqnVp1h-zFSxrET7naDx6aVG7umywC9boAf6xIThwkcs1tRhzZjPjnfC1fgvOHKS2Ag-cqehYJkOZTtzIbbxnoneAwwNgLZ2tePabR4XAnWobb1QUycCts5IYSp8Z6I9c7NJWw0g8YFsVRloBA0IlYz06mFMO0Mg0yy4rPXvTx7dU4TzYV58wCqhYh5kEsrIfjs-qSSa9tZMLjXggqbWy96XsW5HGlR7ySjfwx89Oe_HhlBW0xchYmUMT8TPyxnEFcWE5lGqDfQ9PHd7Wln5aoYpCn28I5pwHOlYcQt0EL1FMTXrK0RlyQhpz7Ny7i-AJGAQ85DUIiFpzVfXUqcDV0gENiTcOtrJvrmb7rHvK-3ke--UrD6xe7_pnj4I5eiFP2l5OQK2LZF_eYtajCB7EI_7vTsXgglObkiU5B1-UuPwSfQZ-t6qbi0finMvPeUw0zH_0rpEy1pwXcP1JiHi1wRoThxe-dLifKKdDNFUcn3yJLi9UBHf1u8jMzXiKihQ_XTfOpffuIigLQTmOOPnkNRUfCJnPGeyVYSfnc2fksTCYwpOuzA0YMMwYjyLEerFv2JUWcQ1MRkGk_RYL8TxzdApU0nu=w866-h649-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/GGxx5xDoc0pLMWsoIVsH7BKMk9gQ1BmIFTkYe1eWVeTxdOtOu0micKBK2NLAl3iL6up4vqnVp1h-zFSxrET7naDx6aVG7umywC9boAf6xIThwkcs1tRhzZjPjnfC1fgvOHKS2Ag-cqehYJkOZTtzIbbxnoneAwwNgLZ2tePabR4XAnWobb1QUycCts5IYSp8Z6I9c7NJWw0g8YFsVRloBA0IlYz06mFMO0Mg0yy4rPXvTx7dU4TzYV58wCqhYh5kEsrIfjs-qSSa9tZMLjXggqbWy96XsW5HGlR7ySjfwx89Oe_HhlBW0xchYmUMT8TPyxnEFcWE5lGqDfQ9PHd7Wln5aoYpCn28I5pwHOlYcQt0EL1FMTXrK0RlyQhpz7Ny7i-AJGAQ85DUIiFpzVfXUqcDV0gENiTcOtrJvrmb7rHvK-3ke--UrD6xe7_pnj4I5eiFP2l5OQK2LZF_eYtajCB7EI_7vTsXgglObkiU5B1-UuPwSfQZ-t6qbi0finMvPeUw0zH_0rpEy1pwXcP1JiHi1wRoThxe-dLifKKdDNFUcn3yJLi9UBHf1u8jMzXiKihQ_XTfOpffuIigLQTmOOPnkNRUfCJnPGeyVYSfnc2fksTCYwpOuzA0YMMwYjyLEerFv2JUWcQ1MRkGk_RYL8TxzdApU0nu=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poor Serene must have been really hot, because she ended up trekking just with one sleeveless T-shirt!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The temperature always started off sub-zero early in the morning, and gradually rose to mid single digit on this day's route to Tengboche. But Serene was still the champion, on this day as midday approached, she stripped down to just a single sleeveless T-shirt because she was feeling hot - the power of hormones! The way of the mountains was indeed erratic, for as the clock ticked closer towards 4pm, as we approached Tengboche, the overcast sky brought the mercury southwards and Serene had to put on her down jacket again.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/ZwNnnqbZe_2Cx_-m_bb2kAHq5LJGgKbHLVh5vGXN98QvK2k5VF9YdAiWlwYPnLgbCc12-_3SiuD_zdjN82FtVPaBjCZzCyyaed5Y9abOiqQ-J-dHi2PJfrRpzEUR05PyVBAtNb6sUIkBKkOd_QNijSEOH6hPH6eoEjSz9tErCViGtLpN3YqRmmr2UTVfYe37BVmAer5LOPtHQAWgaKIt6p1dTCd1kwSUIuA9ThPg1ZKrN8k70H-Asdv07JAhCsb5caHAykrdReyALbl0EPvI649FKdotOPz3itgBdPVVkrgif4eWIAj19kV6lnV9dFVcSYzX0UGa1LCJbYg5At9HZFsc7eBZgDU9xRUkWAlaLmGqAB7ptt-oG5gzqbl7cAqNbBY--Ax0rQTxVAFaloX_bMYraXrQi0OwpP1Y1wU1YisCVIlFK0mhE6JxYGgw1Js6XbIwwDiRF1s8LuA-qEfHaNSwZ508P7DULjALgBTEo4sk9M82WsLjkzuT9Salo7aRXxzvrPyh9vBa4fIzhwLIfwAPtfXdwsVxFuRZfqE_9Ux1GoQ5YxsAOd9LCeul3e6KkuRaBGuZGGty-Np78f80jkGxT5fGE-08wwzurVh8f91BHSSpgZSZFhwGZXW-QRBLvxwBB0ZxyFDBlaULCNGU8X-uSxSc8skU=w1154-h649-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/ZwNnnqbZe_2Cx_-m_bb2kAHq5LJGgKbHLVh5vGXN98QvK2k5VF9YdAiWlwYPnLgbCc12-_3SiuD_zdjN82FtVPaBjCZzCyyaed5Y9abOiqQ-J-dHi2PJfrRpzEUR05PyVBAtNb6sUIkBKkOd_QNijSEOH6hPH6eoEjSz9tErCViGtLpN3YqRmmr2UTVfYe37BVmAer5LOPtHQAWgaKIt6p1dTCd1kwSUIuA9ThPg1ZKrN8k70H-Asdv07JAhCsb5caHAykrdReyALbl0EPvI649FKdotOPz3itgBdPVVkrgif4eWIAj19kV6lnV9dFVcSYzX0UGa1LCJbYg5At9HZFsc7eBZgDU9xRUkWAlaLmGqAB7ptt-oG5gzqbl7cAqNbBY--Ax0rQTxVAFaloX_bMYraXrQi0OwpP1Y1wU1YisCVIlFK0mhE6JxYGgw1Js6XbIwwDiRF1s8LuA-qEfHaNSwZ508P7DULjALgBTEo4sk9M82WsLjkzuT9Salo7aRXxzvrPyh9vBa4fIzhwLIfwAPtfXdwsVxFuRZfqE_9Ux1GoQ5YxsAOd9LCeul3e6KkuRaBGuZGGty-Np78f80jkGxT5fGE-08wwzurVh8f91BHSSpgZSZFhwGZXW-QRBLvxwBB0ZxyFDBlaULCNGU8X-uSxSc8skU=w1154-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nuptse on the left, Lhotse on the right, and one of the bigger stupas en route to Tengboche. [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Do a comparison of the peaks with this panoramic photo of an exhibit taken by Darric from the Sherpa Culrual museum at Namche.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4690/39376338942_6f8ded5615_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="800" height="430" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4690/39376338942_a9e2dd504b_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Darric</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7V0rxUsZKhS_LfGwB_DYq0JhVuJPuC_ODQGiaDmaqVGVixnmia1W0cAYU5QPK1DzryDZ_v5yg-kiN-IwJCq2E4qCMV0uYpu3tXnarM5bEjwi485ef5ynZemvaCyiXmzmFGQ98lDt-Ga0/w487-h649-no/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7V0rxUsZKhS_LfGwB_DYq0JhVuJPuC_ODQGiaDmaqVGVixnmia1W0cAYU5QPK1DzryDZ_v5yg-kiN-IwJCq2E4qCMV0uYpu3tXnarM5bEjwi485ef5ynZemvaCyiXmzmFGQ98lDt-Ga0/w487-h649-no/" /></a><br />
<br />
Remembering that Tengboche was the earliest settlement for the Sherpa, en route we were treated to magnificent views of Chorten (stupa) after Chorten. With multicoloured prayer flags hanging from their crown. The relatively flat trail allowed us to finally look ahead and enjoy the scenery more. Far ahead in the distant, the snow-capped peaks of Ama Dablam and Lhotse appeared again and again. These two magnificent pearks were distinctly recognisable, especially Ama Dablam. Ama Dablam essentially meant Mother and Daughter, because it was two peaks side by side - a Mother and a daughter. I joked with the girls if ever we were to summit a previously unknown peak, we would have it named Apa-Dablam.<br />
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Lhotse was on the left of Ama Dablam. Personally I simply just recognised the three slanted deep grooves running down the front side of Lhotse to identify this peak.<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>The importance of portable Solar panels</b></span><br />
<br />
The sun shone brightly on our back. All the solar panels were out in full force, each dangling from many of our day packs. These solar panels had been really life-savers. A full day of trekking with a 21W or 22W, 3 or 4 panel solar panel connected to a 20,000mAh power bank and a handphone would have both charged fully by the end of the day. Personally I believed if the sun remained like this, as it would usually be year end, I could easily charge two 20,000mAh power banks with a full day of trek. These solar panels essentially made all of us very independent of the need for electricity at guesthouses that charged exorbitant prices but yet only offered trickles of currents for our devices. Once at Dingboche, as we all sat down outside sunning our solar panel, Adrian jokingly asked me to help him charge his iPhone. In 5 minutes, it jumped from 40% to 59%. And another ten minutes it went up to 79%.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Holy cow!"</b></span> exclaimed Adrian. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I'm sold! Yes, these solar panels are really good. I am definitely going to get one of these."</b></span></blockquote>
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It made no difference whatever brands- Vinsic, X-Dragon, Suaoki.. as long as they were of the high-effeciency 21-22W type, they would deliver their job. And these weren't expensive, about S$65 from Lazada.com would get one a good set.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/AaJNzIK7Q1XwIbHMdJk1PnRpegL5SbtkKGgfTzsG9fcXnTxL9W_AJVnjmverNS2z1mkyhIkcD4RTgXez_2snjNQUH-qgeCM5Q3v6GYTQXV7-BCmJspuVjohrDGA0d_AWoJKcZIdB1VGsb0sxgUy8t0tkNb6FMY4ZJAyU_bUVYbntq2F4zhFJox6uvik05hfu3Ur86eGqboP3P8LO908FUJHEMgqTpe-JQ5RemqXN9URqcorpqwBQUNIiw0iLwR32e5coRXFmJts6bmk43tp9b9dSmwAfQ8Y49ltwVtQgY22gVvGRsrMW0AOUgvHDfRQBMtQ-vXce2bSUSfjpYX-aBvJsStdn1wJ0giUKbpfIZkoPSurRxyvLUhEPjbTc_4NM6bbnO-45lAzaOCbfh2R4Wi794rPABr865g40t3jAur1MjFm5q3Kfb5sEJi9UGOTNrzUqW5hsZ_GyAzT6zAXamFanveUZdWQL-Vr9V7nKeFyUkl-4EOtnwcaMQaSG-xpJhR3CGijcuCFU2NX0umfT-aQUGiHkl1GPPYugIcb_28P9OrxrIuWT-Wn5p-6QpccaN5i6bi66uBvKSbCq8kBxXRIpu2gn3enzdY0aAA6R-utS5T0G6vRsIQz0oDfF8NXB0tWP6JuA8YAq2V7us11Yzb8KOCCuFn6Z1Q=w670-h894-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/AaJNzIK7Q1XwIbHMdJk1PnRpegL5SbtkKGgfTzsG9fcXnTxL9W_AJVnjmverNS2z1mkyhIkcD4RTgXez_2snjNQUH-qgeCM5Q3v6GYTQXV7-BCmJspuVjohrDGA0d_AWoJKcZIdB1VGsb0sxgUy8t0tkNb6FMY4ZJAyU_bUVYbntq2F4zhFJox6uvik05hfu3Ur86eGqboP3P8LO908FUJHEMgqTpe-JQ5RemqXN9URqcorpqwBQUNIiw0iLwR32e5coRXFmJts6bmk43tp9b9dSmwAfQ8Y49ltwVtQgY22gVvGRsrMW0AOUgvHDfRQBMtQ-vXce2bSUSfjpYX-aBvJsStdn1wJ0giUKbpfIZkoPSurRxyvLUhEPjbTc_4NM6bbnO-45lAzaOCbfh2R4Wi794rPABr865g40t3jAur1MjFm5q3Kfb5sEJi9UGOTNrzUqW5hsZ_GyAzT6zAXamFanveUZdWQL-Vr9V7nKeFyUkl-4EOtnwcaMQaSG-xpJhR3CGijcuCFU2NX0umfT-aQUGiHkl1GPPYugIcb_28P9OrxrIuWT-Wn5p-6QpccaN5i6bi66uBvKSbCq8kBxXRIpu2gn3enzdY0aAA6R-utS5T0G6vRsIQz0oDfF8NXB0tWP6JuA8YAq2V7us11Yzb8KOCCuFn6Z1Q=w670-h894-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This very nice gentleman from England demonstrating to Serene how to adjust the height of the trekking stick when<br />
she climbed up and when she climbed downwards. [Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We continued trekking downwards until we arrived for lunch at Phungi Thanga. Thereafter the Phungi Thenga Bridge would bring us up on a climb all the way to Tengboche.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/ug7wJvIRlxyPVuEHzSOHyVhUTb6RH_bh3HE_GI_EpQbCryqiKfHU7romyNyFrYXE7c5Z61V6Rl1jN4q4fIzBBzQ2Tzrta8nuhNaDkxcTZJAkowzc4Qd1TWVgV48XL4NXvDsD4PAtnmTcPflV6UkOJcKZjYU6TgNJGB0R2IMG4SrB6EiWQUu63ugJLQXKC3BtQBhxfQ7lGAkHHIcWVonrhzhxuDVSiUzSlUzkriYBpdAganrY13m_70rwyKZ4qCuyADSeAGKeNVe63X-FYe_C_UIV3rYzf9LT4tl0orDD5YbhgQemtnqVIO0Fiv2URhWsqEdQBn__-llwgQ1vRCiX4cYdgkLPJTO2olkZdwOJpv5MPMJtzBNGRB6PbgNNd-3guqkwh2XEpF8ufCZKHz4zxgz1_Q61NFXNsKtppVdOpfAFcjEDQ8839sW4fGluYJc8uxT3IlW3DUid07Br9v2ydUroPkw58MuSCWu2Ro4ZHb8MtKawoGO9ijwUFtFIsB8kt095cL2RAZGgHhIYS2wOGSMX4-JKc2i9YATB33WPkEcN3xGNxXPUtINxlxztuDm1hl07s7xxPRFnssk6g7I-G9VQEGJeAd2MdKMYzpaeLUuupCKi4JVyxRyYm4kHYmcUuq3cTnYR2vtSbaOuy44g1tPvef5KVSm5uA=w670-h893-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/ug7wJvIRlxyPVuEHzSOHyVhUTb6RH_bh3HE_GI_EpQbCryqiKfHU7romyNyFrYXE7c5Z61V6Rl1jN4q4fIzBBzQ2Tzrta8nuhNaDkxcTZJAkowzc4Qd1TWVgV48XL4NXvDsD4PAtnmTcPflV6UkOJcKZjYU6TgNJGB0R2IMG4SrB6EiWQUu63ugJLQXKC3BtQBhxfQ7lGAkHHIcWVonrhzhxuDVSiUzSlUzkriYBpdAganrY13m_70rwyKZ4qCuyADSeAGKeNVe63X-FYe_C_UIV3rYzf9LT4tl0orDD5YbhgQemtnqVIO0Fiv2URhWsqEdQBn__-llwgQ1vRCiX4cYdgkLPJTO2olkZdwOJpv5MPMJtzBNGRB6PbgNNd-3guqkwh2XEpF8ufCZKHz4zxgz1_Q61NFXNsKtppVdOpfAFcjEDQ8839sW4fGluYJc8uxT3IlW3DUid07Br9v2ydUroPkw58MuSCWu2Ro4ZHb8MtKawoGO9ijwUFtFIsB8kt095cL2RAZGgHhIYS2wOGSMX4-JKc2i9YATB33WPkEcN3xGNxXPUtINxlxztuDm1hl07s7xxPRFnssk6g7I-G9VQEGJeAd2MdKMYzpaeLUuupCKi4JVyxRyYm4kHYmcUuq3cTnYR2vtSbaOuy44g1tPvef5KVSm5uA=w670-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phungi Thanga Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhP-vFPX39Q94LmgwKWsJR-symZVjqzNucp8eoUXSviEpsNsOyzVtCwzL4Vx1ULtliIPgU0QgL3nmR-Uh0s5k5erE-vDREGMK7AxYHK_dEssYIunuXMD0vevX2YTiYnGPZvb3GpwjxsI/w1191-h893-no/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhP-vFPX39Q94LmgwKWsJR-symZVjqzNucp8eoUXSviEpsNsOyzVtCwzL4Vx1ULtliIPgU0QgL3nmR-Uh0s5k5erE-vDREGMK7AxYHK_dEssYIunuXMD0vevX2YTiYnGPZvb3GpwjxsI/w1191-h893-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The climb up towards Tengboche. Mimi at a very steady pace.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/zMMiqz8K1QkSscnSHeppayE-2_pEoPXu_AwkcX_-A4hCUeulv4Z8qdaUOnOui8J3vB4WEeJLKISg0yHoAazDCb4_F1VFHUwZ0i9H_SyioextExgHznleX0qOVv6biGiw8wnpFCpc1arNKl4pA0jetDBOTLcZlZGy_4cMPrkdVdOXPr4-1owg6Q-x974qerxp62LleIpdM4-l2yA3fLrWKLdO38xI5BqDhVi9aWDu7uMcmwp9Hb-XDEikaUjjIHQ6qS1mAOda_CXWrAKS_AStolqEIdyapROMpMaJzsAY5QBPnoTqR5BodusbLabt4vLgaVAIBX4BKeBivmiAc2l_53AouBcLf85S71AabP_CPBA7Tm8QY9MQ9rwWeUrDJGuYBUukpmQ5QOBfQghfT2qagaism2b_klDNWDj7RehHNo3-pl2o6xh7QoR0A3Pg4lg863k7kEQx_RQJiLLZzJcPcG41s1NY5ZogEKrlQMETkyAyBaU8-xuo0_ud76YPOILOd3Mzr1NULaUdUvFuHo9muxqyod6_mQEbNg-Pma8ivRjm3rfSmqx_Sp7txp5qz8XqM_LkwI9auE9V9bFkWbpXEkdrmyZHoQOpun4oCeoPoInucvTjrYgmW9Acd0BrSOC0Z7MIZb9xBa6k8CofT_D7M2EFrDT8jtZ1=w866-h649-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/zMMiqz8K1QkSscnSHeppayE-2_pEoPXu_AwkcX_-A4hCUeulv4Z8qdaUOnOui8J3vB4WEeJLKISg0yHoAazDCb4_F1VFHUwZ0i9H_SyioextExgHznleX0qOVv6biGiw8wnpFCpc1arNKl4pA0jetDBOTLcZlZGy_4cMPrkdVdOXPr4-1owg6Q-x974qerxp62LleIpdM4-l2yA3fLrWKLdO38xI5BqDhVi9aWDu7uMcmwp9Hb-XDEikaUjjIHQ6qS1mAOda_CXWrAKS_AStolqEIdyapROMpMaJzsAY5QBPnoTqR5BodusbLabt4vLgaVAIBX4BKeBivmiAc2l_53AouBcLf85S71AabP_CPBA7Tm8QY9MQ9rwWeUrDJGuYBUukpmQ5QOBfQghfT2qagaism2b_klDNWDj7RehHNo3-pl2o6xh7QoR0A3Pg4lg863k7kEQx_RQJiLLZzJcPcG41s1NY5ZogEKrlQMETkyAyBaU8-xuo0_ud76YPOILOd3Mzr1NULaUdUvFuHo9muxqyod6_mQEbNg-Pma8ivRjm3rfSmqx_Sp7txp5qz8XqM_LkwI9auE9V9bFkWbpXEkdrmyZHoQOpun4oCeoPoInucvTjrYgmW9Acd0BrSOC0Z7MIZb9xBa6k8CofT_D7M2EFrDT8jtZ1=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YOLT Jason. [Photo: Ah Sing]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>Tengboche Monastery</b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
The trek kept meandering in a gentle fashion. Breathlessness I still was. But by now I had accepted that I would literally be panting for the whole of the trek, by attributing it to the low oxygen level and the Diamox.<br />
I looked around me. Serene was her usual self, kao beh kao bo-ing... asking me to slow down whenever we came to a climb.<br />
Khim was doing a good and steady pace, easy and maintainable. Importantly she was smiling and cheerful, chit chatting with Fann and the rest of the teammates.<br />
Mimi was tired, but this lady had iron-will in her. Every 5-6 minutes she would take a short rest, a breather, and then she would continue her way in her slow steps.<br />
Kong Wan was very conservative on this day as he trekked with Serene and I almost all the way. Personally I was happy to be seeing him all along the trek, because sometimes it could get a little lonely right at the back, with all the cheongsters disappearing out of sight soon after set off.<br />
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/zfCBgiRomq7OSPr9JprOwO3XDm495XjCshMQK_Op8ZJGmrkwDLI4350D9uhb9H4XWNPNLuJmaATyGd5cDi0xgDPvvJhT-HWHxj5SFIR8AEnSjxKbbb3JIu-hKTN10BBDxENIXG-63zTro-S3hRMM47MO56T6DRcIFpAAmk98zfj9PYXm-brHrFkxDevd58tQyKQtyElYF3GQbq_hhJqeAagr-S094-zf3KG-Q_9yFWatvy93QS5E1zlDCguGdCpPwvEjhmQKuP5D7ncBWB_XfxH_uFdOxdlgIu9STtdev1yW8UzlW5WM9Pie_NCGfZh57QoS3EyUNf9ai1ZO73JGoJFFpwXRsXuK_bmE2yo_zn_XLx3aazmwfIXCOzh7wThpTlmtJ8PPQ5cRaqQnAUkSxxh0ZWo-8cF1aSlO3lfCVg1YvR9JaJTCOjPin2MmKRgOx7UrH2e0AZFykjTALrZN3Zx1vZUxnJWd4wjLeziaZJC0DxA2twN-7LGoZZqqXC5K8T2owTHOf-IDphjW5TKpGkmdzggedbLO5d3J61Nlh_UUw9AAA8cgVYc0RSS_YS4GEz2Rs1SYYu2oumEygZDHytj7eRGh0hpN0y46mx3pAh4cdXN9fbEM-o4d2Dq4f5AsLCe42hPbjJlnbfd7-plFTKLIFyieC-r7WA=w670-h893-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/zfCBgiRomq7OSPr9JprOwO3XDm495XjCshMQK_Op8ZJGmrkwDLI4350D9uhb9H4XWNPNLuJmaATyGd5cDi0xgDPvvJhT-HWHxj5SFIR8AEnSjxKbbb3JIu-hKTN10BBDxENIXG-63zTro-S3hRMM47MO56T6DRcIFpAAmk98zfj9PYXm-brHrFkxDevd58tQyKQtyElYF3GQbq_hhJqeAagr-S094-zf3KG-Q_9yFWatvy93QS5E1zlDCguGdCpPwvEjhmQKuP5D7ncBWB_XfxH_uFdOxdlgIu9STtdev1yW8UzlW5WM9Pie_NCGfZh57QoS3EyUNf9ai1ZO73JGoJFFpwXRsXuK_bmE2yo_zn_XLx3aazmwfIXCOzh7wThpTlmtJ8PPQ5cRaqQnAUkSxxh0ZWo-8cF1aSlO3lfCVg1YvR9JaJTCOjPin2MmKRgOx7UrH2e0AZFykjTALrZN3Zx1vZUxnJWd4wjLeziaZJC0DxA2twN-7LGoZZqqXC5K8T2owTHOf-IDphjW5TKpGkmdzggedbLO5d3J61Nlh_UUw9AAA8cgVYc0RSS_YS4GEz2Rs1SYYu2oumEygZDHytj7eRGh0hpN0y46mx3pAh4cdXN9fbEM-o4d2Dq4f5AsLCe42hPbjJlnbfd7-plFTKLIFyieC-r7WA=w670-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh finally! Tengboche Monastery!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Hey Wee How, aren't you walking a little too slow for an Ironman?"</b></span> once Adrian asked me.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I glared at him. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Hey I am conserving myself ok!"</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Hahaha.. ok ok.. I am sure you can easily do a much faster pace if you are on your own without having to look after the family.,"</b></span> he hastily justified his earlier statemtn.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Yah, thank you, Adrian. What you just said more than made up for the insult"</b></span> laughingly I verbally jabbed at him</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Actually hor, what you are doing is correct,"</b></span> emphasized Adrian. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"This should be the way. Go at it easy, so that you can complete without pushing yourself to fatigue."</b></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/IsAZ3sbNCH3U1iitM0lpW46PaChJi4XjR7M_GHFPorUdu-MBONit8Kim5IzcvVvY5EpyIP83l56ipoOei8MTkZNipMRwDKjybNC2yDED_zF_xGcexF3zfNN7gMv5ddsYLpv-2iLfyFc1hG1T6XrMbq3cXSNPtse01qJQ6GVQOg6xTWcL0P_Nj01zQT9kIy8EpkqomogOaiwNggkbtWrFddZGGzv1FP8DYS26QgeMVcM_PuZpMlkeaDi7TMycuzNzV6hordCJQaYKx9GnwRoscu8TLoVTkUNd1k-v4W2ft-28uOKSN1JxfF0Cgpaj_rlPn_94PUcTVgt75fuR0l733oKGFdubj8cLNSdaihRaQ0rCTNiMg2fLudZY6z16SSTK47C3jkNF46PPcubPEQd3X2aWODaiMEboYEmifzVoNcSB4aVnF3Z5XySnZZHdlY8qEHp1LWTAVBuhWnrpc-zx-ODXLK6859fX9djhL06jkdDpCDTBbbABG6lSqoCghERMFpgYc5fttApwRW1h-fZJ0tKoUeCGNevCCioQjz6-kYeql39bIbMRgVe8Gq5jrY73vvNjMrVKleI3Cu52JIzNPzh2dd00jSoICAMF7A25cyPAnWFenRKP7gFlZe1sIdhqMbySyQafUIPDbEJwW0xiEaIj0Eh28scS=w1280-h773-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/IsAZ3sbNCH3U1iitM0lpW46PaChJi4XjR7M_GHFPorUdu-MBONit8Kim5IzcvVvY5EpyIP83l56ipoOei8MTkZNipMRwDKjybNC2yDED_zF_xGcexF3zfNN7gMv5ddsYLpv-2iLfyFc1hG1T6XrMbq3cXSNPtse01qJQ6GVQOg6xTWcL0P_Nj01zQT9kIy8EpkqomogOaiwNggkbtWrFddZGGzv1FP8DYS26QgeMVcM_PuZpMlkeaDi7TMycuzNzV6hordCJQaYKx9GnwRoscu8TLoVTkUNd1k-v4W2ft-28uOKSN1JxfF0Cgpaj_rlPn_94PUcTVgt75fuR0l733oKGFdubj8cLNSdaihRaQ0rCTNiMg2fLudZY6z16SSTK47C3jkNF46PPcubPEQd3X2aWODaiMEboYEmifzVoNcSB4aVnF3Z5XySnZZHdlY8qEHp1LWTAVBuhWnrpc-zx-ODXLK6859fX9djhL06jkdDpCDTBbbABG6lSqoCghERMFpgYc5fttApwRW1h-fZJ0tKoUeCGNevCCioQjz6-kYeql39bIbMRgVe8Gq5jrY73vvNjMrVKleI3Cu52JIzNPzh2dd00jSoICAMF7A25cyPAnWFenRKP7gFlZe1sIdhqMbySyQafUIPDbEJwW0xiEaIj0Eh28scS=w1280-h773-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tengboche Monastery. [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
During this very very short and perfunctory visit to Tengboche Monastery, to me the most important thing was to pray for blessings.<br />
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<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SkKRWVIP_X4?rel=0" width="820"></iframe>
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<br />
For reasons beyond my comprehension, on this day, the sky turned dark rather early. Soon after lunch, the sky became cloudy and we found ourselves trekking in a more shady environment. Earlier on I remembered Adrian was asking if we would like to see monks at their praying sessions at Tengboche Monastery, and the response was a strong positive.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/2bpl38bfZiQjP86n7PCDOubA7FcW7aGHc8XumvKj2F18Jz3p7OTQra5Zz-BDVCssmbTocxPIhQJNazHszK-6RPLujIp_lGd5CG08WU0V9k-MDz1BBpqHPAHNO20zOIJ78ktQKG2mQdjZsmr2fTNq3n0bJpFMwSHk7TamrqtS7LklE94OCinpxbCfwpjczxcYQ8DVKfn0LmhJVnnNUzOZCKhWXMIJ3bXfMEP1lxZYmQsHU0rWQ_-4OGPl9jrX1Bp0ZJ-BUYo_iPxK0lc2GF2oP72ewrtEHcys0UJp0zcd05dnM9u_d8BFGgTv21g3ZDmkn-5QZYTp5upWtxNTIyA4b5cFjTRQSU4ZrP-wDrhkv09t69DSO0fi8gDgE_C59m_OePU0bWxlUvwxenry-ud1K_HYlbaly-wKGFM-Iqt5TrY7rf5nMjjsbW4WA0dxI5tGhec30ssLigx6IyEhozb-En16dMK_jEoQVsW3SLf6eG28eGusSAScj_Emv0Tx3-AeUDo8lxG4Ml6eoxPOVhZ8s0xXJdd2p3fxg-M8F0u-cPzzHKxWovNVScbzzR_9svmhGP8gGoFsqdb8kRXiyFHIv_fSJNUp6r9DrODv0HLp6vQ9qBdT43bLwGBuGEAtDKOdH1p8Z2QtU9Ho3ltgHyegxt9MAzvoEQ6y=w1366-h303-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/2bpl38bfZiQjP86n7PCDOubA7FcW7aGHc8XumvKj2F18Jz3p7OTQra5Zz-BDVCssmbTocxPIhQJNazHszK-6RPLujIp_lGd5CG08WU0V9k-MDz1BBpqHPAHNO20zOIJ78ktQKG2mQdjZsmr2fTNq3n0bJpFMwSHk7TamrqtS7LklE94OCinpxbCfwpjczxcYQ8DVKfn0LmhJVnnNUzOZCKhWXMIJ3bXfMEP1lxZYmQsHU0rWQ_-4OGPl9jrX1Bp0ZJ-BUYo_iPxK0lc2GF2oP72ewrtEHcys0UJp0zcd05dnM9u_d8BFGgTv21g3ZDmkn-5QZYTp5upWtxNTIyA4b5cFjTRQSU4ZrP-wDrhkv09t69DSO0fi8gDgE_C59m_OePU0bWxlUvwxenry-ud1K_HYlbaly-wKGFM-Iqt5TrY7rf5nMjjsbW4WA0dxI5tGhec30ssLigx6IyEhozb-En16dMK_jEoQVsW3SLf6eG28eGusSAScj_Emv0Tx3-AeUDo8lxG4Ml6eoxPOVhZ8s0xXJdd2p3fxg-M8F0u-cPzzHKxWovNVScbzzR_9svmhGP8gGoFsqdb8kRXiyFHIv_fSJNUp6r9DrODv0HLp6vQ9qBdT43bLwGBuGEAtDKOdH1p8Z2QtU9Ho3ltgHyegxt9MAzvoEQ6y=w1366-h303-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A panorama of Tengoboche Monastery by Kai Sing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
But as we approached Tengboche Monastery, it was just after 4pm, and the overcast sky made it seemed like it was almost evening. There was either no more monks' prayer sessions, or there was not enough time for us to linger too long at the famous monastery.<br />
We had a short walk around the monastery compound. Before long, we were on our way down towards our final destination for the evening - Paradise Lodge at Debuche, where Serene and I spent one of our colder nights in the outer row of rooms.<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/FISOjxVEuRGvdqGvp5fjtg0rBbfsTnfcxECzcmddWS6GdbYSi7b2eGq2Nj5MHwHiXIF2328vULcvGw7O_IWijHoCiEOy3C9VMqelW4ZywvvbXVAZWJHxrWqgYDtI65hW98Ku_izPiP1KN1tufbw5ontJjy6-7bdPXJ0Nzu0f1P-kigWRK65kvqWXnzTYEFdkxOSPJwgTjnY0szQf0S9uym_2IdkiiZPj1lF0bT66JLJENiL-r1eFbtPk4DBgB8AnHuUvH6TMRe5-wn4SyrQiaptBJaxUBBADPjgeWMRBV522W22UPRsRjO6ZZffH2lQzQYKB2tMMlWmw1tOUr8QIAVhPbclUCiTNJBE5ier2vQyz68Zj_5S7mrqKJZV0RWnVmZZXD0152MgKowwHYxc39XG6rTQvTVuNv07mwzfe8NdNGoWgwdvSQyOj1vw8aQMotWiaX5bS_dve02SoiAo_YEYo8Gqe02CcQZCK7ohZoW-wr5G--zq5LBC2trnSQxLTGZ8dszneocTVsFs_UJ2PY6vH18Rj5j5J5BoFyiQkBTRyZDZYduCWHuQ6kynvVLO2own5brNp2E6u8Tor4LCN4lC9I8jb231jwxVbCXDKQwaAJ8xxt4Jeq6XC_06iVm3was7l0KSSUplaYHowdhjALMvTGVllC3dn=w1154-h649-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/FISOjxVEuRGvdqGvp5fjtg0rBbfsTnfcxECzcmddWS6GdbYSi7b2eGq2Nj5MHwHiXIF2328vULcvGw7O_IWijHoCiEOy3C9VMqelW4ZywvvbXVAZWJHxrWqgYDtI65hW98Ku_izPiP1KN1tufbw5ontJjy6-7bdPXJ0Nzu0f1P-kigWRK65kvqWXnzTYEFdkxOSPJwgTjnY0szQf0S9uym_2IdkiiZPj1lF0bT66JLJENiL-r1eFbtPk4DBgB8AnHuUvH6TMRe5-wn4SyrQiaptBJaxUBBADPjgeWMRBV522W22UPRsRjO6ZZffH2lQzQYKB2tMMlWmw1tOUr8QIAVhPbclUCiTNJBE5ier2vQyz68Zj_5S7mrqKJZV0RWnVmZZXD0152MgKowwHYxc39XG6rTQvTVuNv07mwzfe8NdNGoWgwdvSQyOj1vw8aQMotWiaX5bS_dve02SoiAo_YEYo8Gqe02CcQZCK7ohZoW-wr5G--zq5LBC2trnSQxLTGZ8dszneocTVsFs_UJ2PY6vH18Rj5j5J5BoFyiQkBTRyZDZYduCWHuQ6kynvVLO2own5brNp2E6u8Tor4LCN4lC9I8jb231jwxVbCXDKQwaAJ8xxt4Jeq6XC_06iVm3was7l0KSSUplaYHowdhjALMvTGVllC3dn=w1154-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ka Lin really in fantastic spirit, arriving at Paradise Lodge, Debuche. [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
.<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>.. that evening, during dinner...</b></span><br />
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<br />
Thinking back, this day's trek was one of the more comfortable days. Relatively flat paths with only the last stretch of climb up after Phungi Thanga bridge that was a little more siong. Walking around the central heating fireplace (actually a metallic barrel with either wood or yak dung burning inside, with an exhaust pipe leading up to the roof like a chimney) in the dining hall, some of our team members were starting to have some symptoms.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Suddenly Ah Sing came in: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">"Mr Tan is doing long exposure in the cold outside. Can someone go help him?" </span></b>And we all looked around at each other. This man was most remarkable. We were all so tired already and he was still doing long exposure shots out in that deep cold.</blockquote>
Fann had recovered completely from her food poisoning after the antibiotic. So had KL. Ah Sing was feeling somewhat unwell, some abdominal cramps. I was going the usual round - Khim was starting to have some throat irritation, but not too bad, Papin was starting a bad throat with cough and nasal symptoms. Clinically his throat was inflammed already - I dared not risk it so he was started on the necessary medicine. Casey was a little sick, but not too bad.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/AwYT6emgcZ0mIXtkdn6z3QielBxZ8CBOY3egdz3ARxbRXsPrh2IgYJqmz1G7vCP9fJGTxWFEuQKupTHEAj9DKPoxCpwt5MEAqhedMtWPopjWI0tma6M0IWbHisxTTs3qqjyWO7TzjD77ePjUOLqfrjJXvCh_GeUzpIWh_GbORXpOeZE7EhYS4g9WKw3kTccPUTyLIo66xy4eg33FGjNBIT_8yjBA5oSWi4Jn5_W9BwktQpD79ZSYy0utlCArFy6LLG7f4UqAl9StWYvDiccVzMbgFezX0gRTjCHVfjwF_pVfxCyP1PJx6a0zA9A-pQZDzQal35UMuEW2KJKYFVRvbptUwcBcrYkXeq8_VXO4AEVd1pU0JcO8R9K6AqE0zn9j-jT58FXwMfN1wmA-3928K_8P_J-PRyJZ-ErSd7Ns8eYyTULIh74kaoRre63ZzkUrKrjDtZxhBnAJDlTZbEJ1OudLI4_5ivxyeSLxYmcq_TY4Dufcj3RevD6jte5fwtP2OfTUs74QBY1jtCao2ds9-PT8H9dZ8Mpwq5LgehZflF_8hhvyLkVE5qrw3YUD908yGn8DOWe2_mJrV4t6ok_NjY7XwSb3zbDp5Ob4e79QAjYWUqa_OTtqrHJVZfuRG0cXQMMqsReoJr0LILlQEYzs1UW0NQG4JwsP=w1191-h893-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/AwYT6emgcZ0mIXtkdn6z3QielBxZ8CBOY3egdz3ARxbRXsPrh2IgYJqmz1G7vCP9fJGTxWFEuQKupTHEAj9DKPoxCpwt5MEAqhedMtWPopjWI0tma6M0IWbHisxTTs3qqjyWO7TzjD77ePjUOLqfrjJXvCh_GeUzpIWh_GbORXpOeZE7EhYS4g9WKw3kTccPUTyLIo66xy4eg33FGjNBIT_8yjBA5oSWi4Jn5_W9BwktQpD79ZSYy0utlCArFy6LLG7f4UqAl9StWYvDiccVzMbgFezX0gRTjCHVfjwF_pVfxCyP1PJx6a0zA9A-pQZDzQal35UMuEW2KJKYFVRvbptUwcBcrYkXeq8_VXO4AEVd1pU0JcO8R9K6AqE0zn9j-jT58FXwMfN1wmA-3928K_8P_J-PRyJZ-ErSd7Ns8eYyTULIh74kaoRre63ZzkUrKrjDtZxhBnAJDlTZbEJ1OudLI4_5ivxyeSLxYmcq_TY4Dufcj3RevD6jte5fwtP2OfTUs74QBY1jtCao2ds9-PT8H9dZ8Mpwq5LgehZflF_8hhvyLkVE5qrw3YUD908yGn8DOWe2_mJrV4t6ok_NjY7XwSb3zbDp5Ob4e79QAjYWUqa_OTtqrHJVZfuRG0cXQMMqsReoJr0LILlQEYzs1UW0NQG4JwsP=w1191-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Papin's medicine for dinner that night. [Photo: Papin himself lor]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In general, everyone's oxygen saturation levels were still stable, but some had taken a bit of beating after the long trek up to 3800m. Some of us had come down to early 80%, and we were keeping a close watch on these few. Ai Lin, Ryan, Zaid, Ah Sing, Ah Li, Fann and surprisingly myself- all were still in the mid 90% range.<br />
We were still tired despite it being a good day of trekking. Though cold it was, it never stopped us from our sleep. And I started using the sleeping bag from Debuche onwards because it was starting to be really freezing at night.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">EBC TREK Day 6: </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">The tiring tiring trek from Debuche at 3700m to Dingboche at 4410m</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">23 Nov 2017</span></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1qpmQZf9eQ2-W1PUnzx620nbKHgyI2T52WHwolIYTmldmiHbHZTCkDfIqsRZG-lHDX1igaJJGIOxXR28lCxr31d6VAvE2qjggPwhJwoqo4gdUqLyyVA9GHsg_r_QMRn1sYkBw2aLTHA/w1146-h644-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1145" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1qpmQZf9eQ2-W1PUnzx620nbKHgyI2T52WHwolIYTmldmiHbHZTCkDfIqsRZG-lHDX1igaJJGIOxXR28lCxr31d6VAvE2qjggPwhJwoqo4gdUqLyyVA9GHsg_r_QMRn1sYkBw2aLTHA/w1146-h644-no/" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Here is the Relive video of our trek on this day </span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">from Debuche to Dingboche. It was backbreaking.:</span></b><br />
<blockquote class="embedly-card" data-card-controls="0" data-card-key="f1631a41cb254ca5b035dc5747a5bd75">
<h4>
<a href="https://www.relive.cc/view/1294056290?r=embed-site">Relive 'Trek from Debuche to Dingboche'</a></h4>
</blockquote>
<script async="" charset="UTF-8" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js"></script>
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<b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Here is the Strava Flyby </span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">for this trek. </span></b><b><i>Just click on the image below, <span style="color: yellow;">Play and zoom in. This is a MUST watch. </span></i></b><i><b>We could see how Alex and Lai Peng were initially leading the pack, and as they neared Pangboche, Kc Tng, Patrick and Darric begun to push forward, and Alex, Kai Sing and Lai Peng were a short distance behind. And after lunch at Somare, how Kc Tng really pulled the pack, with Patrick, Alex and Lai Peng together. And Kai Sing and Kong Wan took it a little easier. As always I was behind all the way. </b></i> <b><i>I love watching this Flyby because it showed me how each person trekked. </i></b><br />
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<a href="https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1294056290?c=tuvwqqzz&z=D&t=1Q5a0p&a=YrshTQqDyEyiGCBNeb2lTbFGH02XHbZMf9jITBWxyEw" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="800" height="296" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4639/27534742989_2e3cb3c235_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is my Garmin record for the day's trek. We set off at around 9:12am and the moving time for the trek was about 6 hours, and we finally arrived at Dingboche at around 4:10pm, with time for lunch thrown in.<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/embed/2354910694" title="Everest Base Camp trek Day 5 - from Debuche 3700m to Dingboche 4400m" width="465"></iframe>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">The </span><span style="color: yellow;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232;">:</span> <span style="color: yellow;"> The back-breaking climb to Dingboche.</span></span></b><br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3KXyF4Z3LPQ?rel=0" width="820"></iframe>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Back in Singapore...sometime weeks later.</b></span><br />
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Driving to work in my car, I saw the people walking along the pavement to work, all rushing, all hurrying in their steps. The vehicular traffic was heavy and there were people and cars everywhere as Christmas was drawing nearer. The heat and the humidity of tropical Singapore bore down on us. I watched the faces of the city people. Etched on almost everyone's expression was a hint of a frown, a mild suggestion of some stress brewing inside, as worries of work and deadline floated through their minds. Every one was in his/her own world, deep in thoughts.<br />
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I was deep in my own thoughts, but my thoughts were of a vastly different kind - I was thinking back of the open spaces in the mountains, of the freezing cold air, of looking afar and constantly having the companionship of familiar peaks, of the smiling Sherpa people we met along our ways, and the happily running children in the village. There was no motorised vehicles in the Himalaya. Their cars? Yaks, Dropkyos and mules. Life was truly basic. You woke up, you pee-ed, your shit, you had your simple breakfast, the children would walk 1 hour to the next village for school from 10am to 4pm, from Sundays to Fridays, then the family will have dinner and then they just slept. Their only luxury was probably a bottle of orange Fanta.<br />
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Three weeks after coming back home, my heart and my mind was still living up there. I couldn't come back to earth....<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Meanwhile, back in Debuche...</b></span><br />
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By now my Dal Bhat regime for my daily breakfast, lunch and dinner had changed to the crispy Tibetan bread with honey instead. Somehow I had gotten the loose stools from some food or utensils, and I thought I had better keep to something simpler food-wise.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/R5bQM9OZA4plYKGF_guvaGEP1xJTaXbQPHWVPdYvetwQQ93B14ZLg7fnwWMg7R41ZBbrn4ybEaQ3BWjsJfIG-as9XEskxlzrWAcLtKcQGbP2QEbp2enOsV2IR2AOQRgy27vym2IBAzShXxlKS7BZ4daGgkLvI7OCJdBUwyrTtI39BYhUA1vNLixlE-Te8t1OsVJ12FsdZOp8ucRlzkMxvRvk8wuW4-aCWnkQiU6BN3kGMl2IDPl1tWSQlabMYBImG06XG5x3xWE_bYDm1qzsVu0ijL2nO3WS9_8643RsDnDBy8M8d7FGmsHxQkCWEOhdd2P35wXsdSVajnyuhaHFu4XsTI6xodwXwAf2AyBn2hwO7wCj8kJ-Csvltn0tPhyIc58OTub9_G6DEW_jUnDtUg9y64BC9Zj84pBLsBnBIJmvgRHmFGrt-qMT03LldrcWQn6sy4wbnJBeBAp5b0uQ21EvbYPDkMRy7QK8XKScQatGwIYHh4YNTyhMbDg5qdx6NmKJmjo4WN9NO-SNAaHh7j9jxVBIDaRi9oNnvNoiv2LBqK7iHtFngXAec62LU65uxf5Q4T-GzD4-Ld8EpSfzzUyIA_UqhVREvOqcZZeFDVHTk0bMSaW7cD9RfYANELbU0Bq8B4oNdJ_zObIvnzxLNoQfCjp1BYky=w1191-h893-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/R5bQM9OZA4plYKGF_guvaGEP1xJTaXbQPHWVPdYvetwQQ93B14ZLg7fnwWMg7R41ZBbrn4ybEaQ3BWjsJfIG-as9XEskxlzrWAcLtKcQGbP2QEbp2enOsV2IR2AOQRgy27vym2IBAzShXxlKS7BZ4daGgkLvI7OCJdBUwyrTtI39BYhUA1vNLixlE-Te8t1OsVJ12FsdZOp8ucRlzkMxvRvk8wuW4-aCWnkQiU6BN3kGMl2IDPl1tWSQlabMYBImG06XG5x3xWE_bYDm1qzsVu0ijL2nO3WS9_8643RsDnDBy8M8d7FGmsHxQkCWEOhdd2P35wXsdSVajnyuhaHFu4XsTI6xodwXwAf2AyBn2hwO7wCj8kJ-Csvltn0tPhyIc58OTub9_G6DEW_jUnDtUg9y64BC9Zj84pBLsBnBIJmvgRHmFGrt-qMT03LldrcWQn6sy4wbnJBeBAp5b0uQ21EvbYPDkMRy7QK8XKScQatGwIYHh4YNTyhMbDg5qdx6NmKJmjo4WN9NO-SNAaHh7j9jxVBIDaRi9oNnvNoiv2LBqK7iHtFngXAec62LU65uxf5Q4T-GzD4-Ld8EpSfzzUyIA_UqhVREvOqcZZeFDVHTk0bMSaW7cD9RfYANELbU0Bq8B4oNdJ_zObIvnzxLNoQfCjp1BYky=w1191-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready for set off, huddling around the central heater on a negative 11 degrees celsius morning. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Adrian was kind. He allowed us a later set off time of 9am from Debuche, knowing that on this day it was uphill climb all the way. We all woke up in high spirit and had our fill of breakfast.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4733/38616835934_ef15e19339_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4733/38616835934_46b45d18de_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast at Paradise Lodge, Debuche. 8:15am.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It was an understatement to say that it was freezing early in the morning at Debuche as we prepared ourselves. I virtually had to stumble my way out of the freezing room outside to enter the main building's dining area, and after that stumble back, catching my breath as the cold air hit me full on, back to my room.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgHXuo_NkBFnwHHgPWv_tjJa5iUYKR79i_GRS1Jfa4drWC2eHDSJQPWocBO7PeuiXSJ2yyW68iLjKFGrXLo-y_vH2AMWYmK4vwEbogkoXY8bxsrjBcx4li4ijv1g3ckiQpOXotCTbEMI/w1191-h893-no/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgHXuo_NkBFnwHHgPWv_tjJa5iUYKR79i_GRS1Jfa4drWC2eHDSJQPWocBO7PeuiXSJ2yyW68iLjKFGrXLo-y_vH2AMWYmK4vwEbogkoXY8bxsrjBcx4li4ijv1g3ckiQpOXotCTbEMI/w1191-h893-no/" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b>Nutritional requirement during trekking</b></span><br />
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The Tibetan bread I had for breakfast was delicious but never enough for a big and heavy man like me. Such a meal would accord me, even with copious amount of honey and a hot mango drink, at best 500-600 Cal. The boys were having a discussion during one of the meals about our energy replacement. An average day of trekking like this would burn an average man around 2000-3000 Cal. Add in our basal metabolic requirement of 2000 Cal daily, our daily expenditure would be in the range of 4000-5000 Cal.<br />
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The free flow unlimited refillable Dal Bhat I had on the previous days was my only way of delivering an amount closer to my personal caloric requirement. The daily bakkwa generously offered in turns by Darric, Khim and Kong Wan and Ai Lin added onto our energy replacement, not to mention boosting our morale. Kai Sing introduced me to a packet of trail snack made of nuts, dried coconuts while we were in Kathmandu and that was really an easy food while on the trek.<br />
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But in retrospect we needed more. At least most of us huge men. Khim was very cute.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I was so hungry one night, I had to wake up in the middle of the night and started chewing on my muesli bars while lying in bed. Darric heard all the noises and asked me what I doing. And I told him I was hungry."</b></span></blockquote>
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We looked back on the whole trek and identified one robot who slept well, ate well, trekked well and had no issues - Jeffrey the Robot. This man was amazing.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4516/38911175032_6ccbe431a8_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4516/38911175032_c686f4f409_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeffrey can eat anything, anytime, anywhere. [Photo: Darric]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Khim and Darric remembered his prowess:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"This Jeffrey was damn good. He would happy happy eat his instant noodles and keep his tummy full. No wonder he had sufficient energy and he was happy all the way during the trek."</b></span></blockquote>
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In fact Jeffrey was so good that more than once, Adrian had opportunities to deploy him as forward messenger to run forward to either rendezvous with some of the boys and girls in front, or in another occasion to pass messages forward.<br />
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The other two persons who ate well and slept well were Alex and Lai Peng. They adapted well to the food offered and whatever the sleeping conditions, and they slept easily. I realised that these characteristics were important for doing reasonably well on treks like these.<br />
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On my side, all our young daughter's snack bars and nuts and such did come in handy as I found munching on these gave me the highly needed boost while on the trail. So did Darric, who was also one of the beneficiaries of Ah Li's generosity, snack-wise, along the trek, with offers of candies, snacks and such. In retrospect I would, in future, bring plenty of Snicker Bars for trekking.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/6B8bw6cyQthCPzM7p1JDzV-olUhxWXD_lHNrcwPKWVElVrL-fH-cYvx25RX5HFn1ynl6lohFqrf9GZjsQLW6WaZAgdwnOzf6jlwFMd25-6YcyRsmIv6r7iKQ9JHaVaaOAFW-RWOKywPJscix47tEMsWr4zSN99ArXgaY0plZUrhryJ1zLbZA0mlPvNbEOX8vFz6MUUvoilnZcfUd95N0PiwM3DkfIFfDvTFyrLN-n7AsTP1VJfmh-NRqU7MnWC98ZVnAdUDWbw8PLIklOThgnSvLY7TGcx4LGwJH8IlfID0oQ5U5EbAdMYis72-v9vnPT1zQeDBAIahiTlBAOTG0qjEn-xget751SfmUWp55IXJFe1bIpPhiTi_evWLTzQCFxjHPabEhzav7lXCkEpaCNSezlyXm9i-8iTHtQHWy3UjnEUM83-fqG-TtZjJA0_Kzi4-Cw6eAQUpJEms3wWlZhrMXeTPPb72CD7zZuqeVNcHrfItXMcNu_EZpFBsoAHj2RjNRZ-E5Xhpq2HgEgqzuXMB3RHDExCEyygAyQ1QOyeJpMHzAQvHmQtZY8MTZcjxqyvZPfiEPeoMZQO1d8vAuXzAMWuSm1GeiJbgkWwZU_sd17War6KtWJAQuLDGeqFfPSQYGuQl_I6453E0SKmXvP-6vhUdsiJB5=w1191-h893-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/6B8bw6cyQthCPzM7p1JDzV-olUhxWXD_lHNrcwPKWVElVrL-fH-cYvx25RX5HFn1ynl6lohFqrf9GZjsQLW6WaZAgdwnOzf6jlwFMd25-6YcyRsmIv6r7iKQ9JHaVaaOAFW-RWOKywPJscix47tEMsWr4zSN99ArXgaY0plZUrhryJ1zLbZA0mlPvNbEOX8vFz6MUUvoilnZcfUd95N0PiwM3DkfIFfDvTFyrLN-n7AsTP1VJfmh-NRqU7MnWC98ZVnAdUDWbw8PLIklOThgnSvLY7TGcx4LGwJH8IlfID0oQ5U5EbAdMYis72-v9vnPT1zQeDBAIahiTlBAOTG0qjEn-xget751SfmUWp55IXJFe1bIpPhiTi_evWLTzQCFxjHPabEhzav7lXCkEpaCNSezlyXm9i-8iTHtQHWy3UjnEUM83-fqG-TtZjJA0_Kzi4-Cw6eAQUpJEms3wWlZhrMXeTPPb72CD7zZuqeVNcHrfItXMcNu_EZpFBsoAHj2RjNRZ-E5Xhpq2HgEgqzuXMB3RHDExCEyygAyQ1QOyeJpMHzAQvHmQtZY8MTZcjxqyvZPfiEPeoMZQO1d8vAuXzAMWuSm1GeiJbgkWwZU_sd17War6KtWJAQuLDGeqFfPSQYGuQl_I6453E0SKmXvP-6vhUdsiJB5=w1191-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the suspension bridge. [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/qrQye1bEqCjWG8tq8yCiyd14UvED0SObQMvbOPZjpG0KVQFq0LEsg1NqwhVsoDEWstZg8JvJtlfVktOFJ9wc5sO02oB-gYtrm_nLKoNNgqR9jt5oTdurAO8Bf40kbTuhovIskvGfyUSsPsSymmiXLOieS_gfA28uDRGdbGMb_5NzgBcmMoLgtt4KqH2OYMEWRqZfzh9j3w-WxKnLJ5x2alqikR-B_8EhEzNouxQ5eEs10lFC0iSfuO2ql6BPg3HWsCHETj5g6g_pKiIy6pm9G1UsbKdfO6HgjqIjCk2C5KlEJ0SQjQ4e07lMbzTqT-q0t7RXcAZ463duv3kxYkq6PnRdLlpb6XOvD5FrnTTN7-nDR4tHV3yrHC3QE44_MlwD9EJ3OGPkjP8-DOoKU8FVYga7Ll1ADpM8c-kYeJRtV6UPP-M2Y9AYtljK54lpZcbzGCYC644wfJvatSP0kxGlqEHFUBZWnMMzWztxb-c8osYLdE18021p1IVQvljp6QqAaQzlm5H13w5rjwmzxJ-T0jjkOxdsztuvts0kdpEjnRdiHhMu95LkfOFJyAo5Ykqli5PcpmqdaBZRAyW_kZUhKWPiwji9GW9vKCpY-cNOUxTTRgSml5ZYM_REq43kHyUyjPihekMEdfi5uq6SWABZeMPzdGpCMtgg=w552-h893-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/qrQye1bEqCjWG8tq8yCiyd14UvED0SObQMvbOPZjpG0KVQFq0LEsg1NqwhVsoDEWstZg8JvJtlfVktOFJ9wc5sO02oB-gYtrm_nLKoNNgqR9jt5oTdurAO8Bf40kbTuhovIskvGfyUSsPsSymmiXLOieS_gfA28uDRGdbGMb_5NzgBcmMoLgtt4KqH2OYMEWRqZfzh9j3w-WxKnLJ5x2alqikR-B_8EhEzNouxQ5eEs10lFC0iSfuO2ql6BPg3HWsCHETj5g6g_pKiIy6pm9G1UsbKdfO6HgjqIjCk2C5KlEJ0SQjQ4e07lMbzTqT-q0t7RXcAZ463duv3kxYkq6PnRdLlpb6XOvD5FrnTTN7-nDR4tHV3yrHC3QE44_MlwD9EJ3OGPkjP8-DOoKU8FVYga7Ll1ADpM8c-kYeJRtV6UPP-M2Y9AYtljK54lpZcbzGCYC644wfJvatSP0kxGlqEHFUBZWnMMzWztxb-c8osYLdE18021p1IVQvljp6QqAaQzlm5H13w5rjwmzxJ-T0jjkOxdsztuvts0kdpEjnRdiHhMu95LkfOFJyAo5Ykqli5PcpmqdaBZRAyW_kZUhKWPiwji9GW9vKCpY-cNOUxTTRgSml5ZYM_REq43kHyUyjPihekMEdfi5uq6SWABZeMPzdGpCMtgg=w552-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trek to Dingboche was really uphill climb all the way. [Photo: Kc Tng]</td></tr>
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Analysing our Garmin details, this day's trek from Debuche to Dingboche was simply just upwards, many parts with constant gradients, with some sections of steeper climbs. There were parts where rocky trails were scattered with huge slabs of rocks angled in such ways that required core muscle engagement.<br />
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4000m came. At this altitude the level of oxygen was 60%. Somehow the effect of this was quite obvious to our cardiopulmonary system. Serene, I and Ah Li were really taking our very own sweet pace walking. Fann, in her usual sleep-walking style, was taking the rear. We were happy to have Khim and Mimi accompany us. Ah Sing's gastro symptoms seemed to be worsening as she had some vomiting along the way. She was a tough girl. I urged her to just grit her teeth and carry on first until we arrived at Dingboche.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipI7DES5U64CFVJjHN4u0-zsuJ6RMBoQXKPGGlFYsMT5H5rNJwXmjn5jYgtaX_84rRhyphenhyphenxgKMAaFYP3EW2WqVTFFmAfBvTFbzqxkJ6DnLmnOxIyhBm5ERQN4y-PkgccSf8_5qXbb7qASL4/w670-h893-no/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipI7DES5U64CFVJjHN4u0-zsuJ6RMBoQXKPGGlFYsMT5H5rNJwXmjn5jYgtaX_84rRhyphenhyphenxgKMAaFYP3EW2WqVTFFmAfBvTFbzqxkJ6DnLmnOxIyhBm5ERQN4y-PkgccSf8_5qXbb7qASL4/w670-h893-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the rear, Khim and we all also kept going.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/Rlvr9i8B6Bk0W1-HjReK0GE10z3_xiuX_eopr12jW0119UH6Ems0N43Htx4DRovaG_h6lZ-CBuYJuv1cIMLKtw7dHOAnNDj5XIxz578A4a4Y3hKMHEDJNSFJZWQhT_ig_GAEJP04wKi7PfYK9ri38pnPQw0WO-LqbdCf7y_M8Nt8c-ode40W_KKanmlAlbb6_QmMNaeBMl-6HPrkbrRWvnMCixA-42GxoDmnVUpRqor_6uUKXxurFlFPNNvCLCvi6zRKcQFmFejv0Mzw-Bb1IXT_JrRWgGGbh0_XAiK5ZsEE_DFKHnzBH6DZQZgUlTB2GaF4808a3RAy5d1DyPF3VK9o8n0m5USXqvg7NAW1tCInzVDpjzMlVzuMaEvEpHyZ1jCV-_GGzaygaFgcXKI2O66hFe4nnGt8O-WynYk7oh0Y5wv8MKK8t9wqDSOMumj49kDf-2LtyXa3RQDg-MA3Dwp37Wkxq5XdA2px7cR_c2z-Qs49z6sYJZTYuH5oIBN5BXimZatf-RvPGN6zdmZSbSzcScPEwVtKzXGB8EyE5juPzUyCSm75SKJOOI5kZd-WhCm_1M2OdP8UxGdz9JnDaaX6zNYquO-s9s5XzOu6mRxh4L_raSkloR5C64M6C_unSqmdPgFk5ca7Qasa-uqaTtzDc_k8MYxe=w1191-h893-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/Rlvr9i8B6Bk0W1-HjReK0GE10z3_xiuX_eopr12jW0119UH6Ems0N43Htx4DRovaG_h6lZ-CBuYJuv1cIMLKtw7dHOAnNDj5XIxz578A4a4Y3hKMHEDJNSFJZWQhT_ig_GAEJP04wKi7PfYK9ri38pnPQw0WO-LqbdCf7y_M8Nt8c-ode40W_KKanmlAlbb6_QmMNaeBMl-6HPrkbrRWvnMCixA-42GxoDmnVUpRqor_6uUKXxurFlFPNNvCLCvi6zRKcQFmFejv0Mzw-Bb1IXT_JrRWgGGbh0_XAiK5ZsEE_DFKHnzBH6DZQZgUlTB2GaF4808a3RAy5d1DyPF3VK9o8n0m5USXqvg7NAW1tCInzVDpjzMlVzuMaEvEpHyZ1jCV-_GGzaygaFgcXKI2O66hFe4nnGt8O-WynYk7oh0Y5wv8MKK8t9wqDSOMumj49kDf-2LtyXa3RQDg-MA3Dwp37Wkxq5XdA2px7cR_c2z-Qs49z6sYJZTYuH5oIBN5BXimZatf-RvPGN6zdmZSbSzcScPEwVtKzXGB8EyE5juPzUyCSm75SKJOOI5kZd-WhCm_1M2OdP8UxGdz9JnDaaX6zNYquO-s9s5XzOu6mRxh4L_raSkloR5C64M6C_unSqmdPgFk5ca7Qasa-uqaTtzDc_k8MYxe=w1191-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
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We were heading northwards and Ama Dablam and Lhotse kept coming in and out of sight, with the occasional view of Nuptse. Personally I found Ama Dablam to be a beautiful peak, grand and imposing in her very own way - Mother and Daughter. Such a meaningful name for a mountain like this.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/TYihxvlNvuao1lezMn6Nx9kE_ZTNxOG-_KHwcxr8TY-yEGwuDx1LoU8IOGYZlY4iBo-VfwDl0A6_vQd3s64MvwD2BBx8-rbSMbhxRh3TdxnkA7IJA7rFwM39Nmjix53a_zIK_0kXOeUYNsuhVpSSWkwT1vJlwU6Oq4dq2ycfTrcd6_KCmDr0a5Vc-owTaMi2rUcB7x0ku3k3NQn-wsaBIetsa8FzCq3bYCRA49YpkepFuynD_oA1i9zfYHboFE7IQHOSOKVTul3SRFzzXAjhjOT3fYRjSTftdmO6LSaWh-SNZofNoUBIp5LDpWHYZVApnAQ1XrYLbiJmUrLfREr42jk_PEkNLl8dELhzF40KUOqyDt1-am7zB9bbXxZC9MR70_C9eNcr7saZ3n1jyyXW379krspo7ANah5qsrXV2yQseafnSO7Czb4Un8bjm8AguL3astXbFIoYEriW2_DhMJ9rCoEZMDLcWiB2jKSZNSJYgmXOKGR-TPihfUf-6mJYXKcXUJhn_ngmrybLt-kUNXDA0FI3pHBvltsNLVncEhY_71oZRxqVhn-txwOXAJpeAENh9jQiFUltijqXsaj-KTZnricPcbldQGFO1AD1HqnslfTVKdfBM4KDxR1w9LaDv81vWqz3ENkZ1EMJbacQpX3gD04pWZ9Rd=w670-h893-no" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/TYihxvlNvuao1lezMn6Nx9kE_ZTNxOG-_KHwcxr8TY-yEGwuDx1LoU8IOGYZlY4iBo-VfwDl0A6_vQd3s64MvwD2BBx8-rbSMbhxRh3TdxnkA7IJA7rFwM39Nmjix53a_zIK_0kXOeUYNsuhVpSSWkwT1vJlwU6Oq4dq2ycfTrcd6_KCmDr0a5Vc-owTaMi2rUcB7x0ku3k3NQn-wsaBIetsa8FzCq3bYCRA49YpkepFuynD_oA1i9zfYHboFE7IQHOSOKVTul3SRFzzXAjhjOT3fYRjSTftdmO6LSaWh-SNZofNoUBIp5LDpWHYZVApnAQ1XrYLbiJmUrLfREr42jk_PEkNLl8dELhzF40KUOqyDt1-am7zB9bbXxZC9MR70_C9eNcr7saZ3n1jyyXW379krspo7ANah5qsrXV2yQseafnSO7Czb4Un8bjm8AguL3astXbFIoYEriW2_DhMJ9rCoEZMDLcWiB2jKSZNSJYgmXOKGR-TPihfUf-6mJYXKcXUJhn_ngmrybLt-kUNXDA0FI3pHBvltsNLVncEhY_71oZRxqVhn-txwOXAJpeAENh9jQiFUltijqXsaj-KTZnricPcbldQGFO1AD1HqnslfTVKdfBM4KDxR1w9LaDv81vWqz3ENkZ1EMJbacQpX3gD04pWZ9Rd=w670-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The power of iPhone X. [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/qbxbxPutFDEGKgliRsxJ2102KqpeMtuwrHfID_--LAlbDHXPyK4LvR9vEG0kB1cMLjXRpa02CCqLVL2LwY2J3An3KK-uqxvNptxyNGZOwZjszVcOUu8CiPEkwPkGra5NHgTsOPOikLtdn791ZcEjAOaWEtAXRc19byGRHq2Z3IFd7w3t01Sp6mmSDXjsEiuCo7r-kk-cJW1v3EP7nktmD61Q_KLQdPs2qjjIXAd5SW5RV7r764uL1CSCTqo3DD9LUB4lBahiG3UZFSsJQamLnc5ELhu7K-Tpxgk9E6EP_7xdePPboum_FOwUv0rIYe67vc2lv1tAjRlaTKm_A-fV5psvnGtFFS0sU60TYJYx2CfHB7jn5Lhr6zgT85Tvg_lQZaGNaTNQoQiczmnZJCu0z_UciBxYf26UOuyRC2Uc5ue_m0pylSJ1IxwztCURbUg39b5xDZlHFQz85rD07suUPyJc1hkesotYzJb-3mxDNHagjHbfn_fo7KULWg3jwzrHg2jvn0ZOWRWila6roysd-Xt7adAaTr7U5VJatICISN7sXO-w95sS2hmCgfE1OaHH8Sf15kMXF093Z4DThFlzYdwNSI7vp3rZE06DRbh0OlYx7SuDdy0zyMU58mweaUyJUpydE2xVTP0PArWOMQDyH2KDFC83dM47UA=w670-h893-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/qbxbxPutFDEGKgliRsxJ2102KqpeMtuwrHfID_--LAlbDHXPyK4LvR9vEG0kB1cMLjXRpa02CCqLVL2LwY2J3An3KK-uqxvNptxyNGZOwZjszVcOUu8CiPEkwPkGra5NHgTsOPOikLtdn791ZcEjAOaWEtAXRc19byGRHq2Z3IFd7w3t01Sp6mmSDXjsEiuCo7r-kk-cJW1v3EP7nktmD61Q_KLQdPs2qjjIXAd5SW5RV7r764uL1CSCTqo3DD9LUB4lBahiG3UZFSsJQamLnc5ELhu7K-Tpxgk9E6EP_7xdePPboum_FOwUv0rIYe67vc2lv1tAjRlaTKm_A-fV5psvnGtFFS0sU60TYJYx2CfHB7jn5Lhr6zgT85Tvg_lQZaGNaTNQoQiczmnZJCu0z_UciBxYf26UOuyRC2Uc5ue_m0pylSJ1IxwztCURbUg39b5xDZlHFQz85rD07suUPyJc1hkesotYzJb-3mxDNHagjHbfn_fo7KULWg3jwzrHg2jvn0ZOWRWila6roysd-Xt7adAaTr7U5VJatICISN7sXO-w95sS2hmCgfE1OaHH8Sf15kMXF093Z4DThFlzYdwNSI7vp3rZE06DRbh0OlYx7SuDdy0zyMU58mweaUyJUpydE2xVTP0PArWOMQDyH2KDFC83dM47UA=w670-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Lai Peng]</td></tr>
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As we progressed, the trail started opening up into a broad piece of ground, almost like the bed of a valley, and we started enjoying the open space, the fresh crisp air, and the spectacular view that we would never ever be able to even behold back home where we came from. At this altitude, even with the sun brightly shining behind our backs, the temperature was sub-zero. Even the usually burning hot Serene was in all her layers on this day.<br />
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Lonely planet described this part of the trek as a much quieter part of the whole route as most trekker, even during trekking season, would make their return trek at Tengboche. The many other foreign trekkers who we trekked with and met along our paths up till Namche Bazaar and up to Tengboche, had somehow made their U-turn. And the trek was mostly ours now.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4690/38474959545_64c0f152eb_b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4690/38474959545_64c0f152eb_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were all so thrilled to see the sign pointing towards DINGBOCHE!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/rBMITAaARqbpLEaGqfqS2Y2nBHUW47ePEHv5Y49o5Xve2yHbN1WWRbfVRgYGb7rmoAGTxYYzBtw8i0Xhj-_pZkEw734OXbon87IGX3gzdFscblfXdJ71S3yKPbzm18PRBqVB9TaQAE6JDAsnjFTJryzQtlpV781xmkJp0Flj3uxNTPVzO10x2xAPakIQwwHkATofVvJHp2DVCOuZOXOAVvnyEmFi09NIzV16GG68I2t7kuYNIhB-ZazrQVj1TfBs3JYdoXBzclboOFJYfbgQaRyRrOvUTWPjrZdJk15Za1oq6l08t7ngrjSA4WFKg6QH-UGgLbJsAtEiUXQTN43mm4WsXN8HuV-qP82Mf7TyddT3lH1OQ8owrtj643joMheCAB9_QzN2jmKsgLM0qoEpa5yTlUGrLHtVy5gXXST4IdEIKJ6KFdiNMEs37NPz4srVHfBG7hn-a2yZ-1ow6MxYUe11fuQiyfPOYz_QUaRdVOyIes9QzoC483iOA5chDzE2kXLTOO9AGWTOd5EWINXmnvnYVyn8ECHTGFo4kwYXcWmHRoUjWa7IhYMmM05gI4JqX-UIQWxnAnAZv9Y4_tOR22V7FAufSrOebM1fybtM51VSipaY90llAxLYCuLaVBKip7AjfZVKQEKRCJSYeU-7Lst6EZwyIAGQ=w1043-h644-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The terrain opening up as we walked towards Nuptse in the distant. [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/4VdfFDqkicgm6zx0LF0IhlbqHBoTZEHxkhj8OvymaSl3-9orPxCde2F49_1m-48KH-5fo78m9ZnX8JNCG49h-NnMkMm4rE-mKuoJehJ9ghb-Ryil8h0pVjjSrvr_9XUgxC7F6gEHdh0FtgfCV5kizForkVN2F38dJacbV1zS8NVHKOdva80BbfqbPnIalEFwpxbVeF9fF1pB0pDp95Rq9C6j7BpS1JzYxWm_NB6K5t5MvE7GjQhpBaqyk-gU06qo7DgsGT95Q0WEPKrVG0fflS-fP_pkMjWmtN3D4inf494vFmy87E2nnuB1i4MDQJZManFsa01-5RFiuL_0P6Pc_cbFocjzsYl2177DbzE5_nd07GutfHUcFDXUInRoD44sZB-YHV36vNGtjHST8FarjNKwh8auu4Qd1iAuygs0ENk9enrdW6-t-FBTrhF9IKKRRzvaJ_Jd-SPSAnnThjg29cp_XngsKvumF7_GqPRk_o14TK7ZUVolMgxQ18EMVOmMVFp-Jg14vGmVlgph3cFBhBLE8EvXNLd5KGepF7nlXt4mzw1FGFAiTOvvoDzYyJgPfL_n9cmOstBQwcj1Fs3aJhxtB9AFSqx60UlTdtvpiMvasPWs6taRS6eu661M6HBB6fncSDLirFZz_7MmZTWh4vbL5sS57-Jc=w1191-h893-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/4VdfFDqkicgm6zx0LF0IhlbqHBoTZEHxkhj8OvymaSl3-9orPxCde2F49_1m-48KH-5fo78m9ZnX8JNCG49h-NnMkMm4rE-mKuoJehJ9ghb-Ryil8h0pVjjSrvr_9XUgxC7F6gEHdh0FtgfCV5kizForkVN2F38dJacbV1zS8NVHKOdva80BbfqbPnIalEFwpxbVeF9fF1pB0pDp95Rq9C6j7BpS1JzYxWm_NB6K5t5MvE7GjQhpBaqyk-gU06qo7DgsGT95Q0WEPKrVG0fflS-fP_pkMjWmtN3D4inf494vFmy87E2nnuB1i4MDQJZManFsa01-5RFiuL_0P6Pc_cbFocjzsYl2177DbzE5_nd07GutfHUcFDXUInRoD44sZB-YHV36vNGtjHST8FarjNKwh8auu4Qd1iAuygs0ENk9enrdW6-t-FBTrhF9IKKRRzvaJ_Jd-SPSAnnThjg29cp_XngsKvumF7_GqPRk_o14TK7ZUVolMgxQ18EMVOmMVFp-Jg14vGmVlgph3cFBhBLE8EvXNLd5KGepF7nlXt4mzw1FGFAiTOvvoDzYyJgPfL_n9cmOstBQwcj1Fs3aJhxtB9AFSqx60UlTdtvpiMvasPWs6taRS6eu661M6HBB6fncSDLirFZz_7MmZTWh4vbL5sS57-Jc=w1191-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Patrick</td></tr>
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The nature of the terrain with the gentle gradient meant those who were physically able would be trekking at a relatively fast pace, like the way Matthew, Jason, Raymond, Ryan, KC Tng and Patrick were, and arriving at the small remote village of Dingboche quite quickly.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/ZSI9b7UZvJ0YRWW_88G1hAA7iAzaUSxb6RkKAM5CVGP4EY5rnfgltIUu-ZBpZITlm7H-sZcxJwnWq_ZaOgtDOki4mq2CG9XKBgH_H_aW6x2iA5sKWceTKEdTMRy1tvYxWbliZOmaIa0nLPFGZPhku8NWb1fZ7oYw2UO3dUaOC2g3RVBQ10xm88bJXVChOXXQT8UeT9pyTCxcLnw5f93YuN84xWd_SgAayG9OvZ84IVjfDzCSvsW8pqYnO54YFOWaQFoZOHXbuC7fEMGN5k7NuvW9u4KaFFfOIvPARH-L9ayOIB9LmXxAWsLh2p3wLo3h-RSIDer5sTQKWYVPZdjubjCClvnI9J6_Ao-toljOn0UJlr_-ATlfzsdmW8rwNR5p1VOYFgHiYJMz9jGt0b5Ig7ODoE3koYawsOuJUMuFXdQ5Rgf46gEUN4bPruToTZtQMJkCkiqTVQLQiTodPS9h128i-ZyeoUbmtj391PczzlubNX07KjDjkAO51ZEZh6rMh-Arm42GSoSgvrCaBjmcOG6P4jSSBO7o1OombrNsw8wqRlPb0mK0ziUBTsdca2xNZXbWEQTG9IAXwoUIYNPgiv8f0nXZIm3iTZZURK6JkSshsgN9zpRsjVdIndXWWgFPItDRy2V1-nx6fTjOye_3oYhEJHraU1r7QA=w1280-h284-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/ZSI9b7UZvJ0YRWW_88G1hAA7iAzaUSxb6RkKAM5CVGP4EY5rnfgltIUu-ZBpZITlm7H-sZcxJwnWq_ZaOgtDOki4mq2CG9XKBgH_H_aW6x2iA5sKWceTKEdTMRy1tvYxWbliZOmaIa0nLPFGZPhku8NWb1fZ7oYw2UO3dUaOC2g3RVBQ10xm88bJXVChOXXQT8UeT9pyTCxcLnw5f93YuN84xWd_SgAayG9OvZ84IVjfDzCSvsW8pqYnO54YFOWaQFoZOHXbuC7fEMGN5k7NuvW9u4KaFFfOIvPARH-L9ayOIB9LmXxAWsLh2p3wLo3h-RSIDer5sTQKWYVPZdjubjCClvnI9J6_Ao-toljOn0UJlr_-ATlfzsdmW8rwNR5p1VOYFgHiYJMz9jGt0b5Ig7ODoE3koYawsOuJUMuFXdQ5Rgf46gEUN4bPruToTZtQMJkCkiqTVQLQiTodPS9h128i-ZyeoUbmtj391PczzlubNX07KjDjkAO51ZEZh6rMh-Arm42GSoSgvrCaBjmcOG6P4jSSBO7o1OombrNsw8wqRlPb0mK0ziUBTsdca2xNZXbWEQTG9IAXwoUIYNPgiv8f0nXZIm3iTZZURK6JkSshsgN9zpRsjVdIndXWWgFPItDRy2V1-nx6fTjOye_3oYhEJHraU1r7QA=w1280-h284-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Panorama of arriving at Dingboche. [Photo: Lai Peng]</td></tr>
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Kong Wan did a calculation earlier that morning.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Our climb today will be a total ascent of 700m leh,"</b></span> he declared. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Hey, that's quite a big amount of ascent leh."</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"700m meh? Oh yah hor..."</b></span> I replied. That figure did not hit me in the first place. </blockquote>
<br />
Dingboche stood at 4410m. It may only be a 700m ascent from where we were last evening. But boy, what I did not know was what a great difference this ascent made. A 4410m altitude was not something to be trifled with, which I would find out in due course later that evening.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/n-51gxdvizvNhiITMhmnINpya4nYcFjbogGs7EBMmFX2bbzFvU_lq5f8g89lMb61Xp2Iz2CCO1ZJXZgE77fDMubnsDY0PO6czfnLeE9k46NPCKb4rUIFkgWhsYLZKkDZ-ZRxNFaNT3LeVUYHYIkabW0EI36zePjyPaCHtDfSS3GcBcgny3t7Xc7k72oGF2-sD4a_uRu5xEfErGfJN0zLfn9mtinlV0A0EMyebdRdJee3GIGUOCUBFmvxwCHQiMCoTJBRVv-H6qLg1HNAJtmWJ-gDJFVVvpsJ6wphpfKsH4OayFpgziJingi5m7upcBVwOl4KJ5_n3Jj-OK_kIJncRyWH7rbGSd2QNrMip85UzX7GifSNGAxG49VTAugiKbETFUMzW7qBXCkeyZrg4h4bBJL_OANS5MJzrMR-xIRhi5LwA5qBp_1juQu5OF20NcT9otpckKZh9nlQz4Sjz4pI-DRc0aE3rCeJP4yLuXhLyT-qHu5fUObnFBCCXBktVibki7HOhswSrvb3lTe4uSODwqXX9xiDGj5pwvJsHoP6MTFekQePlS7S4MwzOlYzlra1p7MmBX9d3kid20gsj2ZJEagAc504v2XP76ZERkuRLMv2GkdtNIGD285LzApYhiCP2F8ghEWANTpOdXao9nsIsOxMNB-meYHd=w1280-h720-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/n-51gxdvizvNhiITMhmnINpya4nYcFjbogGs7EBMmFX2bbzFvU_lq5f8g89lMb61Xp2Iz2CCO1ZJXZgE77fDMubnsDY0PO6czfnLeE9k46NPCKb4rUIFkgWhsYLZKkDZ-ZRxNFaNT3LeVUYHYIkabW0EI36zePjyPaCHtDfSS3GcBcgny3t7Xc7k72oGF2-sD4a_uRu5xEfErGfJN0zLfn9mtinlV0A0EMyebdRdJee3GIGUOCUBFmvxwCHQiMCoTJBRVv-H6qLg1HNAJtmWJ-gDJFVVvpsJ6wphpfKsH4OayFpgziJingi5m7upcBVwOl4KJ5_n3Jj-OK_kIJncRyWH7rbGSd2QNrMip85UzX7GifSNGAxG49VTAugiKbETFUMzW7qBXCkeyZrg4h4bBJL_OANS5MJzrMR-xIRhi5LwA5qBp_1juQu5OF20NcT9otpckKZh9nlQz4Sjz4pI-DRc0aE3rCeJP4yLuXhLyT-qHu5fUObnFBCCXBktVibki7HOhswSrvb3lTe4uSODwqXX9xiDGj5pwvJsHoP6MTFekQePlS7S4MwzOlYzlra1p7MmBX9d3kid20gsj2ZJEagAc504v2XP76ZERkuRLMv2GkdtNIGD285LzApYhiCP2F8ghEWANTpOdXao9nsIsOxMNB-meYHd=w1280-h720-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dingboche! [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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Meantime, we were all relieved to be seeing Dingboche in the valley. And walking clockwise around the stupa at the entrance to Dingboche, I uttered a little prayer, glad that we all made it thus far. So far so good.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/Zrh7beG6Ji2B-zbEfNg2jsIhioRAMvf1eojFuNmUxY9xoCE7OVU5gnTU6n9CXYm8_M_8-4QhWQLaEYg1OBGV2TMMPr2pP5T4XPqOkKW0Y0B2X8_-2qm9uu2JO7MJFTKAA8vdV6WytHnDdSF-3prILKMmrl2B1kRBIG2YsXnua3ab3w734jhm46fvtLNEH84M8uXnE4z9DwgEuqKhaoN1JAdOBSCX4xVyXSTNCp8uQkG4nlUDdIs7-StBGYbXn_Z6RvnnDFfIUiuw6_lnwIKF1wGIXh3i9xPK0qNveamazLvZVcgjw9CCzbwbxEb186WbmJL_mrJkx8EEyKvDwcJ5n2PxBZs6tA1_biPVvunaayfu5iecWHnlNrDJBJhdHQqk5i7SsQ-qBktiWXWzTzeUbx88gl0kEjrvyaLGdrFBXNxI6U02aeNpuIjAEYTTujkV8kWWgZ7b0FXYPEWL8X6rcVp9ywHz5rhwePSlwprr0ZT52FqPc6l7yWFn3d-017cU5TuqHYenDlF81wcjtkP2rwln3HtPENJ2pnlA1_SswT2wLGJpLcE8zBOZgZuF2qNJ5ZRagPdRS6C86N4Q4uktmSBmd6TJwtTKmDHZ9IAplDuzcB609pCLJkGJ-f6h82R1Aq9YO9EsU1nH2qVgAxMnKp7XJjcwQV06=w1191-h893-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/Zrh7beG6Ji2B-zbEfNg2jsIhioRAMvf1eojFuNmUxY9xoCE7OVU5gnTU6n9CXYm8_M_8-4QhWQLaEYg1OBGV2TMMPr2pP5T4XPqOkKW0Y0B2X8_-2qm9uu2JO7MJFTKAA8vdV6WytHnDdSF-3prILKMmrl2B1kRBIG2YsXnua3ab3w734jhm46fvtLNEH84M8uXnE4z9DwgEuqKhaoN1JAdOBSCX4xVyXSTNCp8uQkG4nlUDdIs7-StBGYbXn_Z6RvnnDFfIUiuw6_lnwIKF1wGIXh3i9xPK0qNveamazLvZVcgjw9CCzbwbxEb186WbmJL_mrJkx8EEyKvDwcJ5n2PxBZs6tA1_biPVvunaayfu5iecWHnlNrDJBJhdHQqk5i7SsQ-qBktiWXWzTzeUbx88gl0kEjrvyaLGdrFBXNxI6U02aeNpuIjAEYTTujkV8kWWgZ7b0FXYPEWL8X6rcVp9ywHz5rhwePSlwprr0ZT52FqPc6l7yWFn3d-017cU5TuqHYenDlF81wcjtkP2rwln3HtPENJ2pnlA1_SswT2wLGJpLcE8zBOZgZuF2qNJ5ZRagPdRS6C86N4Q4uktmSBmd6TJwtTKmDHZ9IAplDuzcB609pCLJkGJ-f6h82R1Aq9YO9EsU1nH2qVgAxMnKp7XJjcwQV06=w1191-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dingboche Stupa greeting us. [Photo: Alex]</td></tr>
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Was I tired after this relatively short 6 hours trek? That was the question that I asked myself. The truth was, I was feeling the fatigue. The effects of 6 hours at 4000m and higher, compounded by the past few days of continuous trekking, had taken a toll on me. My abdominal muscles were aching from rapid hyperventilation of deep breathing. And a gradual deficit in caloric replacement was also beginning to show. My food poisoning symptoms were starting to get worse, as was Ah Sing's. Our whole family had been taking probiotics for one whole months to strengthen our gastrointestinal system. But somehow, the E.coli bacteriae were pretty strong out here. Many of us even had tyhpoid vaccination done prior to this trip, thus I was quite confident that we should be immuned to salmonella infections.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/mGg84KmAXY0OG_tliswUVxTJN0Pz_JHIsn-VP8OMwNCiUJOz6Lu-H0o4B4G7xNsZaP6U420qQ7BgmjYq4pme5AMWYT9WUHstybsQjDyVfHFUrDEHnyY-4G9Twq0vRyLo3fGzonjx_2uqJtzetGdNyo98lv9-GS9QByyMoz899hmAwkC40pjob5xIWi1xKsieeDvdldMmA5VBWaeCoXv_N_eXRSfCjlqGGeuvSUyj5eln5olbPFVf8WjfjpejGl1Y8lETB-RzRjB12aMcfrJiJP4Li10BiHKAcKgbDFwyOY0Wpdj2miM41DvMH8INmUf2zQKe_hMvpQGpWdi6m_vL4JB12o2Plg49AF7b7n8R2EEgFtDQfZ62c2oPsUT2gG1d5Bx7vGDJCXUGC7Ufi09IG_whQRRUJw1-pUSydeYmfJpTD6DnVTi9Dfe7JpD2ou6T4r7VqgzzqdO9Cjmv95R3zzxckozypQ34TvUbRGq3yV4ulOVwXhSP3orvhNxgPnJVVuEh-8jRL3xGk09lz-NDFXbjbex00xWwoqYDUKj7IfrgMM9i8EZbcX_H4IqJ9jHEl9_Xe8yyOyUlHgJR5J8zowiVq4V2ry1Xo0Fiq-AUFQ1oanIIOjGj6iS-nvdzklNt4lDeqTnbq4AVnuhT73pngp852hiyQei2=w1280-h791-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/mGg84KmAXY0OG_tliswUVxTJN0Pz_JHIsn-VP8OMwNCiUJOz6Lu-H0o4B4G7xNsZaP6U420qQ7BgmjYq4pme5AMWYT9WUHstybsQjDyVfHFUrDEHnyY-4G9Twq0vRyLo3fGzonjx_2uqJtzetGdNyo98lv9-GS9QByyMoz899hmAwkC40pjob5xIWi1xKsieeDvdldMmA5VBWaeCoXv_N_eXRSfCjlqGGeuvSUyj5eln5olbPFVf8WjfjpejGl1Y8lETB-RzRjB12aMcfrJiJP4Li10BiHKAcKgbDFwyOY0Wpdj2miM41DvMH8INmUf2zQKe_hMvpQGpWdi6m_vL4JB12o2Plg49AF7b7n8R2EEgFtDQfZ62c2oPsUT2gG1d5Bx7vGDJCXUGC7Ufi09IG_whQRRUJw1-pUSydeYmfJpTD6DnVTi9Dfe7JpD2ou6T4r7VqgzzqdO9Cjmv95R3zzxckozypQ34TvUbRGq3yV4ulOVwXhSP3orvhNxgPnJVVuEh-8jRL3xGk09lz-NDFXbjbex00xWwoqYDUKj7IfrgMM9i8EZbcX_H4IqJ9jHEl9_Xe8yyOyUlHgJR5J8zowiVq4V2ry1Xo0Fiq-AUFQ1oanIIOjGj6iS-nvdzklNt4lDeqTnbq4AVnuhT73pngp852hiyQei2=w1280-h791-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our hotel at Hotel Family Dingboche. And what a beautiful sunset! [Photo: Kc Tng]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The good thing was, Serene and I had no pain nor aches of our thighs and legs. That was reassuring. I was half expecting ourselves to be experiencing these, like our last few treks. But the consistent slow pace really had helped. There was no lactic acid accumulation and we were both fine, muscularly.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/WGpDrkskFHzpas3k4xD4c2b-9yh-TAkWvy578WR8A8ClOqC9UTKyiziJoTwh8hGm6YOCuX_WtC5UY146HoXqpUMSY7GFqN0R7R0QWQSumU4g_5GHUC4hMvAlOxvKBzYJsMfgJOObEQTiUVtwakUYXHjPHYyHahMMaYJ9Pbh0ABuYHoRzbCDkCLXIeoPKeuKIqRc7eKJiDLxKONXuFIW3MuRd-DclM8t04DZPtqu7KPY1AcK9M-CPwHGugvNibrOCET5p6voIyTGs4dmrEQ9GEyeSjchxVVwb16B5CXv5dkUc65mIs6PngXCSB2cQbCexSjbQ_9s-tyyJwRBbGpOhZT8WDbktozKj5PGHJqxg6Qo_Wpj7-OvGLSAeWw5Xgz40JDpxc7-iCBl7CK9MGYeCaxo3FUVQM4uKNsDPJUG8S1RY7HwLv00B6wdIxz5xfC2qvEETfEA20zFL9yv_TpD3YWNQqX37p1FzdgPiXAv611vF8J7nZ2FHbvqMyWe10Domy4eBVGgzooN-gP0HISXxpChlPA5xclApzZcjmn2ELPF29SCY-4VPlMk7PTEQc4Ij2dZbIressenOpVyvlkj5QQnjUZbEgI2IFDCwsd4Cwv7ZVZmMqZOxEpfYTbV36c93Z4p0N208CBSAks_fK5gD7H2El4zK-kk7=w1145-h644-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/WGpDrkskFHzpas3k4xD4c2b-9yh-TAkWvy578WR8A8ClOqC9UTKyiziJoTwh8hGm6YOCuX_WtC5UY146HoXqpUMSY7GFqN0R7R0QWQSumU4g_5GHUC4hMvAlOxvKBzYJsMfgJOObEQTiUVtwakUYXHjPHYyHahMMaYJ9Pbh0ABuYHoRzbCDkCLXIeoPKeuKIqRc7eKJiDLxKONXuFIW3MuRd-DclM8t04DZPtqu7KPY1AcK9M-CPwHGugvNibrOCET5p6voIyTGs4dmrEQ9GEyeSjchxVVwb16B5CXv5dkUc65mIs6PngXCSB2cQbCexSjbQ_9s-tyyJwRBbGpOhZT8WDbktozKj5PGHJqxg6Qo_Wpj7-OvGLSAeWw5Xgz40JDpxc7-iCBl7CK9MGYeCaxo3FUVQM4uKNsDPJUG8S1RY7HwLv00B6wdIxz5xfC2qvEETfEA20zFL9yv_TpD3YWNQqX37p1FzdgPiXAv611vF8J7nZ2FHbvqMyWe10Domy4eBVGgzooN-gP0HISXxpChlPA5xclApzZcjmn2ELPF29SCY-4VPlMk7PTEQc4Ij2dZbIressenOpVyvlkj5QQnjUZbEgI2IFDCwsd4Cwv7ZVZmMqZOxEpfYTbV36c93Z4p0N208CBSAks_fK5gD7H2El4zK-kk7=w1145-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mimi was so overjoyed to arrive at Dingboche. [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/zrKQv8h594Ioee4eQ3omXx3YZLL-ze0xh9GBt69lvT8it350d35R_qhUQBFiNDyeF8rUGDINUm1cekYWjgctvyX9ZUTxGgpjp336vgN_OB97qa3rt175oN7J4iYqzGqysUIc1JEdIl8Lo6YVnyQSILFeQ7NdFkpTrc4Ul7WM_DWXPI9QYqM5gBeh8Y6trL09EKAnC5HuoCX4WvquV_eJgR5ig1tVXkV41H6xhPITl2r6q5vSKDqIkvy51I0dW8ilDo-zChdkxKkEr-r0Zx3KEUUcDlzNEqaqmifiWc-gNpip4mGI-TWBC3YWmchN10gur7GXi005EEQaw1gxXTEZ1hKIkf1Km1X9hiWJsBvQGI9p4prCUFEENef2lmCGg1w47zH3VsmvmU3SwwK4cHlcw1inLIbIF8igB2KRlklsVjYEd-01A9-R5ZabZrR64Rg8yX2GVn2f8sUKvahmc4tTJ0dzmMILDcx3C6PmRQy9sjp82XzIDrrVCWWsRy_P8w6DU42Mmi_KkI6Zvbf5ztZ4_3jpcasGDbG0naSlYLKVjcoZYiloZBpXTG9p2o-qNmZXfpLhAKZ-znPSOMEV_I7x3-DtCdkNDP3NvpU3hucJw8Xj_bYqDyvhJ_LB0iYjJeqeI6L7t8IzrUAT2jCt7TXsjH0Hu63gpgNTxQ=w1003-h565-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/zrKQv8h594Ioee4eQ3omXx3YZLL-ze0xh9GBt69lvT8it350d35R_qhUQBFiNDyeF8rUGDINUm1cekYWjgctvyX9ZUTxGgpjp336vgN_OB97qa3rt175oN7J4iYqzGqysUIc1JEdIl8Lo6YVnyQSILFeQ7NdFkpTrc4Ul7WM_DWXPI9QYqM5gBeh8Y6trL09EKAnC5HuoCX4WvquV_eJgR5ig1tVXkV41H6xhPITl2r6q5vSKDqIkvy51I0dW8ilDo-zChdkxKkEr-r0Zx3KEUUcDlzNEqaqmifiWc-gNpip4mGI-TWBC3YWmchN10gur7GXi005EEQaw1gxXTEZ1hKIkf1Km1X9hiWJsBvQGI9p4prCUFEENef2lmCGg1w47zH3VsmvmU3SwwK4cHlcw1inLIbIF8igB2KRlklsVjYEd-01A9-R5ZabZrR64Rg8yX2GVn2f8sUKvahmc4tTJ0dzmMILDcx3C6PmRQy9sjp82XzIDrrVCWWsRy_P8w6DU42Mmi_KkI6Zvbf5ztZ4_3jpcasGDbG0naSlYLKVjcoZYiloZBpXTG9p2o-qNmZXfpLhAKZ-znPSOMEV_I7x3-DtCdkNDP3NvpU3hucJw8Xj_bYqDyvhJ_LB0iYjJeqeI6L7t8IzrUAT2jCt7TXsjH0Hu63gpgNTxQ=w1003-h565-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex very happy with his room at Dingboche. But that night was really cold. [Photo: Lai Peng]</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>That evening in the dining hall of Family Hotel Dingboche...</b></span><br />
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Dingboche was cold that night. The temperature registering a negative 11 degrees. We were lucky to have mobile phone signals on NCell SIM cards all the way up to even Debuche. But once we arrived at Dingboche there was no more signal. Some of the boys actually had to buy a 600NPR Everest trek WIFI package that allowed a maximum of 200Mb of usage at all the participating guesthouses from Dingboche upwards even to EBC. That was a smart move. That wifi package was quite useful. But at that point in time I was too preoccupied with other matters to think of buying that...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/khdGoqiMnOdflXlwF33DaCvz-yC4LlXfmctkQ0V9O1xr7G12ff3GBs3OKkjywIB0xAiPF5Ydh-Umgd7ENZs0XduvsYGyw3EnQ6IB8moN0H6RTX71_fScdlHgJR6kdStkbA6kR0l0-rKvAsGJ8dznrUIuwkUV3m5pHHNQn-xpobahOT5oFE9Jkudyj2lSl7ipXsyykjkxCyW7gkK2IlynZDuxlQNqMO4KEaN6_Wi-R14amJANwoDm4IHqO_AORXmTDqUU6f7LEyZT3098YlsC-iEQcR-pFPs2TVuh4VO7tjiWw0WaT0d-yOBYdZghcP07sQLO12zShppps5P81ZF17ikCHRTB0X7T6PQIvPfRPzMqPPmKM8iuvrPWugo8u0Bi-lNDHF4ts6gvRfjedJQlgUuOHhbqnxCqkd_ZK6bn1e53t3Vmof6sOKofXWKX_nkG2vm-WgdEmcRFec6V33Mezu9glsU21EAPCroTTJ3wBgMFYQlEOzvjHzcJra3kTsrxz8xFsZpwSrCHO3hZd2KWwl69StcYL-D_GCD1mTxMvN2mgHG0OKGbVFFv-oiKgKTq3C5IBhn1FYkOFs8Fq1NBUHEcVzWbwMmPvqJFcLaeJYIrrfv7C3Q7irBb6qiKGeBJtqLxpcDDXlEWcQsvb7yjg772GGmuwGCB=w859-h644-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/Zh4XlbIJc_kd5xQklow2UOirgsArY0dIAQEPWW-6NEUC2KvJOovIM-TWQ_ak39WGrzaEQIwL84AKLXAaAhEU0BSLypDKHBbJTVHMfCGpoKrokZLyWbMMV-43p8tetDWMaxCACw3iuKpq_RBSKYrZtP90OyewE8Zu0JgIm5GjcyQwUovuq6UkwQvy1HwZJUA0GX0kwblBzQzvZCK8-cQl3XSTDBOdUrgAmOUbtNSwm1n4KIb_YeSXs9-PF0JVTuoRUqtc4u6vDEjFSGFHhDjVunSiivi5fBYlXNFR0tYqZr9OiYuYqeW-VSilKL-MnkNBDeXnSwFFqU4Vm4XmPMZgURR4PKEdERqtmYZA9Osox6Qn5KOk1JVlOUzS6WOb_tyinTOd5lLcT0cjbTSYf5HXq5bUWrSSiU5d90MFSrTNJJRImbrEaSPIvAUsptp5G81YhTd21x2UjHvL3eKixo9d5StGt7NIPTxjJD_ZTioULaP3gWSOWRY4NsYmMaP_ceB4eL85LaconhEunWDdqP10zCn2nf3Rab_ckdPNlZIWNQXY-F7x2X0-HPCpJhQEaZ9kZi_4x8y7y3vziZcbF_h-Pnx0iC9hA7ukmIF65d5Pdfoom5gMe5Kt7ssO5DGEvIermv8zGgAfrDT0nF4mbQADf9JsknxzxaEM=w1191-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/khdGoqiMnOdflXlwF33DaCvz-yC4LlXfmctkQ0V9O1xr7G12ff3GBs3OKkjywIB0xAiPF5Ydh-Umgd7ENZs0XduvsYGyw3EnQ6IB8moN0H6RTX71_fScdlHgJR6kdStkbA6kR0l0-rKvAsGJ8dznrUIuwkUV3m5pHHNQn-xpobahOT5oFE9Jkudyj2lSl7ipXsyykjkxCyW7gkK2IlynZDuxlQNqMO4KEaN6_Wi-R14amJANwoDm4IHqO_AORXmTDqUU6f7LEyZT3098YlsC-iEQcR-pFPs2TVuh4VO7tjiWw0WaT0d-yOBYdZghcP07sQLO12zShppps5P81ZF17ikCHRTB0X7T6PQIvPfRPzMqPPmKM8iuvrPWugo8u0Bi-lNDHF4ts6gvRfjedJQlgUuOHhbqnxCqkd_ZK6bn1e53t3Vmof6sOKofXWKX_nkG2vm-WgdEmcRFec6V33Mezu9glsU21EAPCroTTJ3wBgMFYQlEOzvjHzcJra3kTsrxz8xFsZpwSrCHO3hZd2KWwl69StcYL-D_GCD1mTxMvN2mgHG0OKGbVFFv-oiKgKTq3C5IBhn1FYkOFs8Fq1NBUHEcVzWbwMmPvqJFcLaeJYIrrfv7C3Q7irBb6qiKGeBJtqLxpcDDXlEWcQsvb7yjg772GGmuwGCB=w859-h644-no" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;" target="_blank">First thing we did was to head towards the central 'heater' [Photo: Alex]<br />Click on the image above to see another photo of more of us gathered here taken by Kai Sing.</a></td></tr>
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The sunset that evening was very lovely, that was what I heard. But I was too shagged to even go out. But some of the guys did. I remembered Patrick, Kc Tng and Ah Tan being one of the several brave souls who were out in the freezing weather to catch the sunset.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It was later Patrick recalled asking one of the boys: <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"I still remembered that I saw he setup tripod and taking sunset shot at Dingboche. I approached him and stand beside him, I see his camera screen and ask, sunset美吗? he answered me, 一点都不美的.。</span><i>(Not nice at all)</i><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"</span></b></blockquote>
Heng ah! Luckily I just kept warm in the dining hall instead of being outside.<br />
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More of our team members were falling sick, or starting to fall sick.<br />
Cantona was really coughing and having sore throat. He was started on antibotic. So was LayK. Ah Sing's diarrhoea and nausea was bad. I had to give her an injection and start her on Ciprofloxacin. That night she would sleep with Serene and I while we keep an eye on her. Jeffrey's symptoms were still mild, this strong man, thus symptomatic treatment was administered.<br />
Serene kept urging me to let her give me a shot for my food poisoning but I refused (I would regret that later). But like Ah Sing, I had started myself on Ciprofloxacin. KS, Alex, Lai Peng were all strong as yaks. So I was quite reassured with them. Cheng Cheng, Raymond, Zaid, KK, Ah Leong, DT, TJK all were in good shape.<br />
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At 4410m, many of our SaO2 were already starting to drop. Many of us were registering lower SaO2 than the evening before. This jump of 700m really made quite some difference. It was a landmark altitude, and I found many at 80% and late 70% that evenings. The usual ones who were well adapted were still reading 92-95% - Zaid was still way above 90%, Ai Lin and Ryan were at 96-97%, Fann, Ah Sing and Ah Li were also in the mid-90% ranges. Myself? Surprisingly I was reading am SaO2 of 92% with heart rate of only around 60+/min. Not having experience in managing altitude sickness, I was very intrigued by the data I had been gathering over the past few days.<br />
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Our AlpineMat was starting to develop symptoms of gastroenteritis (food poisoning) and was having a diarrhoea. As I was checking someone's oxygen saturation, he suddenly managed to do a somersault and a vasovagal syncope (meaning, blacked out) right there and then at the Hotel Family Dingboche dining hall, <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">that really gave me one helluva shock</span></i></b>. But youth was a great resource in itself, for after elevating his legs and lying him down, and after some intramuscular injections of Copan, the recovery was miraculous.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"What happened ah? I didn't black out, did I?"</b></span> asked him, pale-faced after he came to. Yah, you didn't black out, what-the-fertiliser. He was the last person I expected to faint on me. Hahaha...</blockquote>
There was an Ang Moh man sitting on the next table. He later offered some kind help and spoke to Darric. Apparently he was also a medical doctor and he offered us medical equipment and medication should we be in need. Such a generous fellow trekker so remote up here in the Himalaya.<br />
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Among us, Ashley was really the poor one because not only was she having gastroenteritis, she was also having some upper respiratory infection, in addition to her AMS. Her fatigue had set in. Checking on her, her SaO2 was in the mid 70%. Hmmm.. still not good. Serene was chaperoning me. I held her hand and looked at her.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Ashley, your are really not that well now. I am going to help you. And I am going to give you two injections and some more medicine. But please, you must trust me. I am going to get you out of this AMS thing." </b></span>She nodded her head and grit her teeth. My admiration. She was a real tough girl.</blockquote>
With Serene's help, we administered all the necessary jabs and medications. And with just garlic soup for dinner, suggested by Babu, she retired early that night.<br />
Adrian surveyed the group and the decision was made for AlpineMat to rest from the acclimatisation climb the next day as he was dehydrated and tired from the food poisoning. That was, in my opinion, a good decision. I was grateful that Adrian was there. As a Team leader, any final decision was his. My presence merely was to assist in whatever treatment I could offer and my opinion.<br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">EBC TREK Day 7: </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">A really happy day of acclimatisation at Dingboche!</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">24 Nov 2017</span></b><br />
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<b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Here is the Relive video of our acclimatisation trek on this day </span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> at Dingboche on </span></b><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-size: large;"><b>Day 7, the 24th Nov 2017</b></span><b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #d9ead3;">:</span></b><br />
<blockquote class="embedly-card" data-card-controls="0" data-card-key="f1631a41cb254ca5b035dc5747a5bd75">
<h4>
<a href="https://www.relive.cc/view/1294058112?r=embed-site">Relive 'Acclimatisation climb at Dingboche'</a></h4>
</blockquote>
<script async="" charset="UTF-8" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js"></script>
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<b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Here is the Strava Flyby </span><span style="color: #d9ead3;">for this trek. </span></b><b><i>Just click on the image below, <span style="color: yellow;">Play and zoom in. </span></i></b><b style="font-style: italic;">On this day everyone seemed to guai guai trekked in a pack closely together as we breathlessly ascended the trek. </b><b><i>Everyone trekked at almost the same pace. It was an relaxing trek. Shorter than we expected, but still quite a climb. </i></b><i><b>A short but sharp trek. Nice.</b></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1294058112?c=tuvwxtz8&z=G&t=1Q5uta&a=gMIhTS6FyExhHSBNJ9nITOKzyEx5vaVNHEsfTafiIE0" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="800" height="296" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4728/25464293578_30a93832ee_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
Here is my Garmin record of the acclimatisation trek in Dingboche.<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/embed/2354912986" title="Everest Base Camp trek Day 7- acclimatisation climb to 4600m in Dingboche" width="465"></iframe>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">The </span><span style="color: yellow;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232;">:</span> <span style="color: yellow;">A lovely acclimatisation climb at Dingboche and a Special Guest appearance!</span></span></b><br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZbPz_xzoMsc?rel=0" width="820"></iframe>
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Last night the mercury really plunged in Dingboche. Ah Li's bottle of mineral water became frozen ice in the room early in the morning. And Fann had difficulty flushing the toilet after she pooped because the water in the toilet bowl had all became frozen. The nice lodge lady gave her a big tub of hot water to melt the toilet bowl ice and allow her to finally flush it.<br />
That was how cold it was. It had always amazed me, how simply the mountain peoples of the Himalaya lived their lives. With no heaters and totally at the mercy of the elements.<br />
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Fann was chit-chatting with the lady boss of the guesthouse in the morning. The nice lady revealed that Dingboche was too cold a place for her. Thus during winter from December to March, she would go down and spend three to four months in Kathmandu before coming back to Dingboche again. That was unexpected to me. I would have thought she would be so used to the bitter coldness in this little village by now. So it seemed that even the locals do take winter holidays to warmer parts.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/yoB3P2OQ9qSWT8ZskF4B-zpOnBbpPIyCnF5uwi5D8p51hb_07eRof9kIMlmoNcrxixR-sawGKsXH7xgI6-ubmff30jk_iN5m3uACb3UHLxvVEr5mErAQoCsO3bFBDL8p1zS2uZd9fpKnoMgKJ7owhY2d4VmVHi3g1lb36Us_jCdIlrmNQBV3ut3nP9Pa0UkQCFdcSheISKpV-43LK5stkdJFH2b3IITycRWOhmNdP0OhQetIRGPdZdSMG3hrbbLwYEctrL6NvV6shOCQo9xALWGl_zr9ASzvKOT_9oUzUtr_FM6_9hayWR2MT4AJ9ywAUlEPv1w_Lrmw0T09F_TpqZq8xxygE-DbzFdqR9uqM56pSjePO-V_Gs6V3h-P-lwzUpg2306u4Rt30WP64dRyDa0IUATkuW9jz9t6ZDhxhKqVhfRRq4Vx4dn8yV6toq_s3uSdbhR_0ATsfySUKfJpddp44VezP0BovpilTY_eZh7t5sTp0cB5OgiPPVbs70A3mGCgGOyXiTV80GFYDmmPhqSdGazm77iiYCtQqN8lWZw1bU4JkT-LN7qVubVI4RVnF2_3_uAdEmFm7ThuKagXTGQtGRh__e_waOwA9239pYqCz5E7RBIIVv4CPRzRRmjZ5RmvBXxXhqWlcaehjEnf8xYLcpKrl0Vj=w1363-h463-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/yoB3P2OQ9qSWT8ZskF4B-zpOnBbpPIyCnF5uwi5D8p51hb_07eRof9kIMlmoNcrxixR-sawGKsXH7xgI6-ubmff30jk_iN5m3uACb3UHLxvVEr5mErAQoCsO3bFBDL8p1zS2uZd9fpKnoMgKJ7owhY2d4VmVHi3g1lb36Us_jCdIlrmNQBV3ut3nP9Pa0UkQCFdcSheISKpV-43LK5stkdJFH2b3IITycRWOhmNdP0OhQetIRGPdZdSMG3hrbbLwYEctrL6NvV6shOCQo9xALWGl_zr9ASzvKOT_9oUzUtr_FM6_9hayWR2MT4AJ9ywAUlEPv1w_Lrmw0T09F_TpqZq8xxygE-DbzFdqR9uqM56pSjePO-V_Gs6V3h-P-lwzUpg2306u4Rt30WP64dRyDa0IUATkuW9jz9t6ZDhxhKqVhfRRq4Vx4dn8yV6toq_s3uSdbhR_0ATsfySUKfJpddp44VezP0BovpilTY_eZh7t5sTp0cB5OgiPPVbs70A3mGCgGOyXiTV80GFYDmmPhqSdGazm77iiYCtQqN8lWZw1bU4JkT-LN7qVubVI4RVnF2_3_uAdEmFm7ThuKagXTGQtGRh__e_waOwA9239pYqCz5E7RBIIVv4CPRzRRmjZ5RmvBXxXhqWlcaehjEnf8xYLcpKrl0Vj=w1363-h463-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early morning panorama of Hotel Family Dingboche [Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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By now, even Ai Lin accepted the fact that acclimatisation day meant trekking still. But this lady was really something. Her SaO2 remained in the high 90% ranges every time I checked hers, and on the trek she would be so fast and far ahead that Kong Wan had to chase after her often.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"How do you manage to trek so fast?"</b></span> we asked Ai Lin.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I don't know leh. I just walked lor. But I cannot walk slow. My natural pace is fast, because if I walk slower I will start to feel cold." </b></span>was her honest answer.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"You do a lot of running?"</b></span> she was asked.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"No leh.. I run lah.. But I can do endurance sports lor,"</b></span> that was her answer. And by now we could see why. Her VO2Max must be very high.</blockquote>
So poor Kong Wan, despite him trying to control his heart rate within zone 2 by falling back and trekking with the rear group, he often found himself hurrying to chase after his wife and son, both who probably had some genetic ancestry with some mountain folks.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/PNW8djYht9I_mSxBY6zw_FzNqwvvj-Cu4MCjthT0_EIcNUjz_475sBEXasPPTe-NQQskGB348ncKO0zUzd4UNwqi3Wv9G_UewNiHdliJ2HEntKXGRHq30-epKVXg_4nkcbPNTbp-PpRpovMPcpUbh8WoN4KCOfPIqyZ9cojPmCp0JpWtjKFJgRV_1vUHDGsiQG8WSapKVjqcyjUGY4rfD_lI_kt3C2DHCcgwmkOQSWGNv3tUrpA6ed0xWNYi55C0Rtwc2OaEoOdHhm0OS2VbArcqi6TxvGn_CiJIcrYxQxQjCyplvTKXXbeNWxgY8v_GLvs7zgKYCyXQefIFyyaJ-o-_BLPEv4vwGS3R4gj3JXZetMS_3OvdwGA-O3oXnUeUHe24eQfSrVhlMmNNFWhRlaBcDHyneV-GwxB2Cmw4tRC3HKmQSoAQ2Ew19Niq_L3m74sTUO2opfkWNelonLQ7u_buUp-9wUDbnAVmAoi9Kc1VdCiQje7JUb-57p6rFuGrqw-Oavf4H3a-lpPTUOyPDMl0HbdkhMl8m6-bPSgWrlDcuwe9veGlSQln6ULlV1cl8JCxyjVt_HcXsEy0hmd_-jAG8AqWd-XSZ-DzOZxcmgpLYDg5ICtWxJdK1gVStD0Y4vsGWWg6r3wZRLezKzywk2OQtuq4LCvozA=w859-h644-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/PNW8djYht9I_mSxBY6zw_FzNqwvvj-Cu4MCjthT0_EIcNUjz_475sBEXasPPTe-NQQskGB348ncKO0zUzd4UNwqi3Wv9G_UewNiHdliJ2HEntKXGRHq30-epKVXg_4nkcbPNTbp-PpRpovMPcpUbh8WoN4KCOfPIqyZ9cojPmCp0JpWtjKFJgRV_1vUHDGsiQG8WSapKVjqcyjUGY4rfD_lI_kt3C2DHCcgwmkOQSWGNv3tUrpA6ed0xWNYi55C0Rtwc2OaEoOdHhm0OS2VbArcqi6TxvGn_CiJIcrYxQxQjCyplvTKXXbeNWxgY8v_GLvs7zgKYCyXQefIFyyaJ-o-_BLPEv4vwGS3R4gj3JXZetMS_3OvdwGA-O3oXnUeUHe24eQfSrVhlMmNNFWhRlaBcDHyneV-GwxB2Cmw4tRC3HKmQSoAQ2Ew19Niq_L3m74sTUO2opfkWNelonLQ7u_buUp-9wUDbnAVmAoi9Kc1VdCiQje7JUb-57p6rFuGrqw-Oavf4H3a-lpPTUOyPDMl0HbdkhMl8m6-bPSgWrlDcuwe9veGlSQln6ULlV1cl8JCxyjVt_HcXsEy0hmd_-jAG8AqWd-XSZ-DzOZxcmgpLYDg5ICtWxJdK1gVStD0Y4vsGWWg6r3wZRLezKzywk2OQtuq4LCvozA=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone taking photo of sunrise over the peak/ [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To be frank, we didn't know what to expect for this days' acclimatisation trek. We kind of believed that we would be required to trek up to somewhere near the altitude of around 4900m or 5100m to get our bodies ready for the last push over the next few days. We had become rather blase about it after one week of trekking.<br />
The morning started off cold. At 4400m and higher, we knew the whole day we would be trekking in sub-zero weather. It was only how much sub-zero it would be. The nights were absolutely frigid. I was sure in Dingboche, Lobuche and Gorak Shep the average nightly temperature would have been around negative 15-20 degrees celsius, just that my mobile signals weren't working and I didn't have the information. One of the guys who was holding a Garmin Oregon did show a negative 20 degrees on one of the early mornings.<br />
<br />
Thus from this point onwards, I could see most of us trekking in all our layers throughout the day. The most one would do would be just to remove one outer layer when the sun shone during midday, but the rest of the layers stayed on. The only exception was still Jeffrey the robot. He was still trekking in his base layers and a couple of office T-shirts!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/1YgKpNWXOCj6cZG0V4ispFhTjGStg-ikSJhpWY8xpF2V23RkH9ttizdASqctiFzCiTUq3vu11OlrI_DKpoY5PBVql6DDAKHor4YSDC-T8EsnrcPfz87HAhm3Mk98op_OwTlsvRLWmdpymJ-rn4LwsxJn7OdX5WtQErF4-2nm9c9_OXUCVp5yxPgRmtbkov-Bp522AeVDtw3G3sMbP22hq8GKDgZYE0U6heNy7FWYJ5zy-BBgsHNT1RWAPZl9wCaz004U3JQhyrADy3POAdSGMWMbsIbTl4QHijV8Z7g3xklDA6z1LezTq5Ccrf9NyMSpY_PuOxs9xoHl184SiVIBiAa7Xd7bUHtynIhldgDzJHLu01rB1x-zr1WzEaFfQF1Zbyyb3Q-oO3kXVp83DoJR49kpXZo1Z4FCosO126uXRBB7XIcFGOg-d-8Yoq8X78UlopZZ7ju-jpmRtHE0y9mEUsq5nCmCv-Xy_0mFafOWHlrRv0c4j5ehL4N9iT9sZT6OyLzDrEiCZAIq2bITuWaOS8zlfRYsmSv2AevPFxCxaQVdsDdSnE7d_PxiKdxieR_Sb9VX6ZdSv2yX_W5t3x9L3cpgc0DzphYq8hlbY353xBE1VwpQRfbn4j80OcMTEyAFXhP-QN5VzSUqSNb5vjrWDQNxT6b3DQin=w859-h644-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/1YgKpNWXOCj6cZG0V4ispFhTjGStg-ikSJhpWY8xpF2V23RkH9ttizdASqctiFzCiTUq3vu11OlrI_DKpoY5PBVql6DDAKHor4YSDC-T8EsnrcPfz87HAhm3Mk98op_OwTlsvRLWmdpymJ-rn4LwsxJn7OdX5WtQErF4-2nm9c9_OXUCVp5yxPgRmtbkov-Bp522AeVDtw3G3sMbP22hq8GKDgZYE0U6heNy7FWYJ5zy-BBgsHNT1RWAPZl9wCaz004U3JQhyrADy3POAdSGMWMbsIbTl4QHijV8Z7g3xklDA6z1LezTq5Ccrf9NyMSpY_PuOxs9xoHl184SiVIBiAa7Xd7bUHtynIhldgDzJHLu01rB1x-zr1WzEaFfQF1Zbyyb3Q-oO3kXVp83DoJR49kpXZo1Z4FCosO126uXRBB7XIcFGOg-d-8Yoq8X78UlopZZ7ju-jpmRtHE0y9mEUsq5nCmCv-Xy_0mFafOWHlrRv0c4j5ehL4N9iT9sZT6OyLzDrEiCZAIq2bITuWaOS8zlfRYsmSv2AevPFxCxaQVdsDdSnE7d_PxiKdxieR_Sb9VX6ZdSv2yX_W5t3x9L3cpgc0DzphYq8hlbY353xBE1VwpQRfbn4j80OcMTEyAFXhP-QN5VzSUqSNb5vjrWDQNxT6b3DQin=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The morning trek started off sharply steep, giving us no chance to rest. I was surprised to find that quite a few of the cheongsters were willingly trekking slowly behind Serene on the way up.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"</b></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>Let Mama lead the way, we follow Mama's pace,"</b></span> declared Darric, who was guai guai following behind Serene.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Yah, I am happy walking behind Serene,"</b></span> said Kai Sing even.</blockquote>
These guys were clever. Acclimatisation climbs were meant to be enjoyed. I was still, however, hyperventilating all the way as I walked up. I gradient was steep all the way. And the zig-zagging was unrelenting.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">We looked upwards and there was nothing but the top of a small hill. We looked downwards, and Dingboche had become smaller and smaller. We were all in the middle of nowhere.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/aV1owpdpN8Lpjb56tdpOrMmMe2V0FCC8xfyAlUi8hrY0pT56lEGhioxrM8Bdbn6qWTVFwN3aI7U6KXXh-_oiCjI2Ipr7DE25PQilrpW4IfaykKB081VUbuU66m-cO9M2D-2TybKEhVrgKyCd8vP8xlxgzJsZGaW-8z_pEA0_bAuzscC0SUkcFKYn1p1wq9tCWTJhmFayGmr9qrhMszcsvqn7MhjbYnPWAVrIhufp0fFfxKXOTnEaB3dO0IkHpre4y9XpppndDauLwisc_6d4O-PmSnG7a7Dlrx036KK13UszThFx4I1qL4sYz1nsCrZ-L7H9Qm8b_j9DS9FxN2SVV4mjCZkVf6GUgg6QbeSF1wEojdrd4dHXlBYhxwYc8lnrprJK7LLVkPoneeh8P90fVcm7FP9Tvao74zDrLigBqb3XeNZ7UD3JtNgS-hOnzlmV3NMJAcOftKGDRF3RS8ifldyFAT0Hp6yZ3m6XvSD6jpyPaKeBka1B-geW3N3rQmPaYj1-x8jLhOR2Giz8Vvo5EcSnc1qgd1xltDz3QvMsHQBJBj50OBFDBPBNnVSo8Gh_Gbg6gAR_GmnDleKfR9YJYo1LT6_9HU4_uCvIH5-qFMBwv4F5MfII9pIPNWDzlettQMJla7bLCjg1fZrPLk0r41MdNwUNiof6=w966-h644-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/aV1owpdpN8Lpjb56tdpOrMmMe2V0FCC8xfyAlUi8hrY0pT56lEGhioxrM8Bdbn6qWTVFwN3aI7U6KXXh-_oiCjI2Ipr7DE25PQilrpW4IfaykKB081VUbuU66m-cO9M2D-2TybKEhVrgKyCd8vP8xlxgzJsZGaW-8z_pEA0_bAuzscC0SUkcFKYn1p1wq9tCWTJhmFayGmr9qrhMszcsvqn7MhjbYnPWAVrIhufp0fFfxKXOTnEaB3dO0IkHpre4y9XpppndDauLwisc_6d4O-PmSnG7a7Dlrx036KK13UszThFx4I1qL4sYz1nsCrZ-L7H9Qm8b_j9DS9FxN2SVV4mjCZkVf6GUgg6QbeSF1wEojdrd4dHXlBYhxwYc8lnrprJK7LLVkPoneeh8P90fVcm7FP9Tvao74zDrLigBqb3XeNZ7UD3JtNgS-hOnzlmV3NMJAcOftKGDRF3RS8ifldyFAT0Hp6yZ3m6XvSD6jpyPaKeBka1B-geW3N3rQmPaYj1-x8jLhOR2Giz8Vvo5EcSnc1qgd1xltDz3QvMsHQBJBj50OBFDBPBNnVSo8Gh_Gbg6gAR_GmnDleKfR9YJYo1LT6_9HU4_uCvIH5-qFMBwv4F5MfII9pIPNWDzlettQMJla7bLCjg1fZrPLk0r41MdNwUNiof6=w966-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/9XzUPWU84ArSkSCl9mutCbMl1EP3GTMasLpsc9LzYSAgnB6th76eNQbDjYxnyM5oqtEtjtYRcUXK77zsDpLSguPmfK-7N9hPUNC6WYzsKt6tbp14B9cOSJiRwOaegwVUhZjN8g0lOScnXQTrfaUENBQzt4y79DZAPU-O77qgscCrYoTQ6EslC6F_XIW5zxsNJjjUmgUFTfBvC4IF-ZYQFvIRgjII6AMo0mqg0p2ZHiT3PX-g6ywrGe1LcXiGL0J1BpB53dG-dLGvCcBWsJARWpZBsvTBIPL6ISAd2Jmpv8R55Cf3eHVQezHd9wP-R0bCINZFYWWYGBqs39BHAxFhSQaa14k1iYY8kOf9CovWKqo2j-1bwQbcOEVBJKYMdgdHBvveFY70m_Eref4pvsSiAyN7msMflTN06e0GSpJVKtqWE-3jc7WRSzeG34e7YiEuw5B1ihHRwN2SfDZee1n7gs2eVHvRZU5m0k9xcHML_3NuIJKhZFN4VJM6ywsoA-hZ6Xez9FncPkBflbVHtYGM_uXaqkjipwA9rDH9lUoZiu9rh8_dNQEDy33XpmK-uF9gBGux2hX0uTnKiQZrUFEg4o_Rjxw07LUm4rGQGiHTaSw8N8VkUVRmsAv9OYcm5ZXV4Snnu9sz16ehTVkk5-DqUVr39NIgyoI5_g=w791-h644-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/9XzUPWU84ArSkSCl9mutCbMl1EP3GTMasLpsc9LzYSAgnB6th76eNQbDjYxnyM5oqtEtjtYRcUXK77zsDpLSguPmfK-7N9hPUNC6WYzsKt6tbp14B9cOSJiRwOaegwVUhZjN8g0lOScnXQTrfaUENBQzt4y79DZAPU-O77qgscCrYoTQ6EslC6F_XIW5zxsNJjjUmgUFTfBvC4IF-ZYQFvIRgjII6AMo0mqg0p2ZHiT3PX-g6ywrGe1LcXiGL0J1BpB53dG-dLGvCcBWsJARWpZBsvTBIPL6ISAd2Jmpv8R55Cf3eHVQezHd9wP-R0bCINZFYWWYGBqs39BHAxFhSQaa14k1iYY8kOf9CovWKqo2j-1bwQbcOEVBJKYMdgdHBvveFY70m_Eref4pvsSiAyN7msMflTN06e0GSpJVKtqWE-3jc7WRSzeG34e7YiEuw5B1ihHRwN2SfDZee1n7gs2eVHvRZU5m0k9xcHML_3NuIJKhZFN4VJM6ywsoA-hZ6Xez9FncPkBflbVHtYGM_uXaqkjipwA9rDH9lUoZiu9rh8_dNQEDy33XpmK-uF9gBGux2hX0uTnKiQZrUFEg4o_Rjxw07LUm4rGQGiHTaSw8N8VkUVRmsAv9OYcm5ZXV4Snnu9sz16ehTVkk5-DqUVr39NIgyoI5_g=w791-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today all very guai. All followed slowly behind Serene! Funny lah!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/S49v6VHccXIihsnrNMhyFQfz0lkr9U25PCxY5LTNXSX_ztFOwG_AMv8hpzGt0K-RUVi4QhZsa7uh23mp9biwncJyy7WbEd-plbCfn9k0rDDgYdS-xpDrWNTwW80GbhXIT-13FBCy6j7vX2CB0dUCtnrzsM8xTsshmNfrAnrL6EVUig81QDbhvcSXTSOqQGFMfrCNj4siXvJOjIt95DwCQu9UuAnlKUtJDXs1cXvOYECKOzXUxTVR4ulNdXHqAhcoJocGemrUaMUrwGoYQnbdSSbpW_qXs8NhMHhwNYtLxJxVHbzQBjiquM5-SMaaaghSPXYzaasJoLgUR8hrM_AowWG5Wn1Lr5OUXkJXuJ6pXSAEPielpjs-YW44GXgNXm2Q6ynVK57nIgeAxIACcNudlM9hVgwbASOQzMTErfxtV99P1jvHdp7IA9l_wRy0n6KhnIflFgZQZ7E5QZsEHT_7c3SzcfBonkGegGrcH6gL2lEkLTFTR6Lh6hPkZ4UqVJ7fQsUpKkaSqrsdm_KPxeXHuDSps_axUkDzExG5jsv_ScONzdcHjh9-3zeYOSkyoHaiiCTRVkjVuiY-Q9FD59bvIR3KU77q7jOvyxkairlTCYAQyyROZ-mKpiW2YhAvuW-jEjI6j9lrTd9YVOF4DrvfvOvUcoKU4lJM=w859-h644-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/S49v6VHccXIihsnrNMhyFQfz0lkr9U25PCxY5LTNXSX_ztFOwG_AMv8hpzGt0K-RUVi4QhZsa7uh23mp9biwncJyy7WbEd-plbCfn9k0rDDgYdS-xpDrWNTwW80GbhXIT-13FBCy6j7vX2CB0dUCtnrzsM8xTsshmNfrAnrL6EVUig81QDbhvcSXTSOqQGFMfrCNj4siXvJOjIt95DwCQu9UuAnlKUtJDXs1cXvOYECKOzXUxTVR4ulNdXHqAhcoJocGemrUaMUrwGoYQnbdSSbpW_qXs8NhMHhwNYtLxJxVHbzQBjiquM5-SMaaaghSPXYzaasJoLgUR8hrM_AowWG5Wn1Lr5OUXkJXuJ6pXSAEPielpjs-YW44GXgNXm2Q6ynVK57nIgeAxIACcNudlM9hVgwbASOQzMTErfxtV99P1jvHdp7IA9l_wRy0n6KhnIflFgZQZ7E5QZsEHT_7c3SzcfBonkGegGrcH6gL2lEkLTFTR6Lh6hPkZ4UqVJ7fQsUpKkaSqrsdm_KPxeXHuDSps_axUkDzExG5jsv_ScONzdcHjh9-3zeYOSkyoHaiiCTRVkjVuiY-Q9FD59bvIR3KU77q7jOvyxkairlTCYAQyyROZ-mKpiW2YhAvuW-jEjI6j9lrTd9YVOF4DrvfvOvUcoKU4lJM=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/mD-oYiis4g56BVqbj9UkNmy-myVK_MKZRnS0nKoIAsswSe6UJduGLuFG_MInViPCeiS0mdKADrNFbHQ5F7l60k-NUto6CZFsShjpv19ZoSoVs2Ug4t88XmzuYpiZuxVXITj4b7ul0g6E1KDmawcs0BT7FEsiaDtoaHoEoBdTKELarRBspVEDC92qnZbBzRiRArdrk2E-ic9YfOKuwRCcXhRV7zNmp0JFQ7OZbHUy2ENEOxWqgaTvw9rzJTmz3Ba966twMjfkNVfG4CZjfVmGZACXO8K-_GUzujHoZCsJ-v0EjfWSzwbrl53OKTCPFn1yMbR_TDfE5diDNRDzIncfkQvAvQBRmtOqYU4rsV1RmBMCeDKhGzozZz7DgG363h7UlE_O33-W1nFeuvJBdyTHXD09KWJEsA-S8RzMyrSkPCucV8LWp4tVhkOYPBLaGT4qiuzvWmsoMMnjtv3Zjdy-6USWSJUo0iou8Wulvc9gcZXQXqu8auWNUCvq3bxDs9ingdMqrss1LnKZvtd5jH-Dlqjg4hOZmt1LNBJKXCrbPd1wRLSzQ11x8T3QdRTzX16l0CAHrkiH4xEXL87mA35twQFQ1kOEqtyeey-G5qUiFxP86HcGHfKMbNjRvh9e1jZcsIHkgPDpSTJiQ90R81fS_VsNqDI6oHG0=w859-h644-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/mD-oYiis4g56BVqbj9UkNmy-myVK_MKZRnS0nKoIAsswSe6UJduGLuFG_MInViPCeiS0mdKADrNFbHQ5F7l60k-NUto6CZFsShjpv19ZoSoVs2Ug4t88XmzuYpiZuxVXITj4b7ul0g6E1KDmawcs0BT7FEsiaDtoaHoEoBdTKELarRBspVEDC92qnZbBzRiRArdrk2E-ic9YfOKuwRCcXhRV7zNmp0JFQ7OZbHUy2ENEOxWqgaTvw9rzJTmz3Ba966twMjfkNVfG4CZjfVmGZACXO8K-_GUzujHoZCsJ-v0EjfWSzwbrl53OKTCPFn1yMbR_TDfE5diDNRDzIncfkQvAvQBRmtOqYU4rsV1RmBMCeDKhGzozZz7DgG363h7UlE_O33-W1nFeuvJBdyTHXD09KWJEsA-S8RzMyrSkPCucV8LWp4tVhkOYPBLaGT4qiuzvWmsoMMnjtv3Zjdy-6USWSJUo0iou8Wulvc9gcZXQXqu8auWNUCvq3bxDs9ingdMqrss1LnKZvtd5jH-Dlqjg4hOZmt1LNBJKXCrbPd1wRLSzQ11x8T3QdRTzX16l0CAHrkiH4xEXL87mA35twQFQ1kOEqtyeey-G5qUiFxP86HcGHfKMbNjRvh9e1jZcsIHkgPDpSTJiQ90R81fS_VsNqDI6oHG0=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The steep slope finally gradually even out to some kind of view point with many mani stones and longdas scattered over a plain, and prayer flags strewn high over them. This was a rest point. I was personally grateful to have a chance to slow down my hyperventilation a little.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MrctSYFd494TiuZtJLDRPTW3VBFDlm_2r8ZK30WoF4se36BBACmY8Cxlewl4qM8aPdTW_XOCeZ9QMD4AYF65lID__Au1tdgVW76JeWV5kFMq3rnOh5LkRoCn-E27W79sHcUrSCw9YZHhg9Um5ExgxfgygNWQOQgWkGX5ek1gU-nxZL9U96J2vyYYl5CCcDxwbOWKIqNC7WtGkskRCZtAiSuewvB7gnWpHzgqFwYtB3jRkiAtgpusVjdRA8Jg2mzeKS3acxYQwonBP3kdJpPpVDyZGX3rmgl8hWM7ieJ8Z_wXh-1GF1FtS9BHaQKzAP-SKKbjiMSBR6aVo-Ddu_npItq58slDOrnl8hPpgI6wcp-FsUVps7m1g2Ikj5Io0IGikoNrWw01HDGlay3uxfejbC5yA62IGamc4J_VPw7zdvpHzFFf0QhMjfW88uNRsJtnTocUlGxNifnhgbGlfVFV5J2-pGwqmpi_IavajQCtj0L3ZaTx-HQ9mQwk2WAWQJu-iCIqU7jUyOwdMlPIUQSs_W03XGDxrIY8jgZ3oLsmh3s-8m-zQqmeS855IdkH_Srzwp8c-rsHzerIwGipslDXSLWUkshIwLgYtzo_mAWfMWCca2qz7BUTDW_CVzYIsNYGiNh9iPGl_0gLyKqSj9WhwpNJE0imvFt=w859-h644-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MrctSYFd494TiuZtJLDRPTW3VBFDlm_2r8ZK30WoF4se36BBACmY8Cxlewl4qM8aPdTW_XOCeZ9QMD4AYF65lID__Au1tdgVW76JeWV5kFMq3rnOh5LkRoCn-E27W79sHcUrSCw9YZHhg9Um5ExgxfgygNWQOQgWkGX5ek1gU-nxZL9U96J2vyYYl5CCcDxwbOWKIqNC7WtGkskRCZtAiSuewvB7gnWpHzgqFwYtB3jRkiAtgpusVjdRA8Jg2mzeKS3acxYQwonBP3kdJpPpVDyZGX3rmgl8hWM7ieJ8Z_wXh-1GF1FtS9BHaQKzAP-SKKbjiMSBR6aVo-Ddu_npItq58slDOrnl8hPpgI6wcp-FsUVps7m1g2Ikj5Io0IGikoNrWw01HDGlay3uxfejbC5yA62IGamc4J_VPw7zdvpHzFFf0QhMjfW88uNRsJtnTocUlGxNifnhgbGlfVFV5J2-pGwqmpi_IavajQCtj0L3ZaTx-HQ9mQwk2WAWQJu-iCIqU7jUyOwdMlPIUQSs_W03XGDxrIY8jgZ3oLsmh3s-8m-zQqmeS855IdkH_Srzwp8c-rsHzerIwGipslDXSLWUkshIwLgYtzo_mAWfMWCca2qz7BUTDW_CVzYIsNYGiNh9iPGl_0gLyKqSj9WhwpNJE0imvFt=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Alex]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The view was magnificent. The mountains struck a grand pose with their snow peaks at an angle and the dark rocky base. The tundra shrubs lined the plain. Rocks and fine dust covered all the grounds. this was, according to our Garmin, at an altitude of 4500+m. A few of the boys who were wearing the Garmin watches were also puzzled that the altitude was around that level. It wasn't as high as we expected ourselves to be.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"What altitude does your watch say?"</b></span> asked Babu. And when I showed him, he said, <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Well, it's actually around 4700m here. Sometimes the GPS will show slightly differently."</span></b></blockquote>
Adrian and Babu made a decision to cut the exercise right here. I was personally hoping to climb higher actually. But in hindsight I thought their decision was correct because they needed to strike a balance between ascending sufficiently high, and not to tire us out, understanding that many of us were already fatigued from our days of trekking.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/XD9WTKTLkOnVFIg7HievtYxsDMNpjgiHsAonlsKCGv9irv9hQhcFy0ek4mWcTLECCGs9FaE2uR2QzghC-z5oHW91RYIbUUw8OT-MCQLaIpSQ2mraRioXDlWUZqz6UvuzL7LNIUcP7T_aLzbQ8fODw9ZpG3aRgw-b3hAEovRzvzD1J278-lRGWIkm7fJfTihqcuR6W__TubqQwJggYxRATceFeHQGlEi-QxR0XJ-FTAIE7ljgb3G6oKeilKOhfhnjk8zWf1TPemls6BWGs93-DdLVl7DlKZXoZBVfhX1WTGRQysiJ0nA3O2xvxeNM5BFIgUV2SSPW1Zy5Z46h_Z7BY9eZay2GyXEYA9AfU1AsP3W-qa4NnX9AGRNjTLvlSYQ-crehWrnUUArBsfa2aaBQ9KUE5jvwb4byBNFG8agkEgzVR8CBlxxRij4wKScJuc73OCKIT_21E1IGf2TIVYXFleWR8eBBAyATSC7MpdGUzcG2zV9bSFvL5y1r1M3drf2LCoyET-U-ePrktsfmbiePcXvmdhFiuPeIbIriSDcnx9Rw85_diHXEraosvk8MY0zkrFNFddfta2f56J0K9u6KBXMgNcy5JsItFTC3rFG14Qqn7lsvvdVNHph8Gn1JtehGs9qH5-EohValvbVzdcvlgBYwHcvNoUPnFA=w1363-h506-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/XD9WTKTLkOnVFIg7HievtYxsDMNpjgiHsAonlsKCGv9irv9hQhcFy0ek4mWcTLECCGs9FaE2uR2QzghC-z5oHW91RYIbUUw8OT-MCQLaIpSQ2mraRioXDlWUZqz6UvuzL7LNIUcP7T_aLzbQ8fODw9ZpG3aRgw-b3hAEovRzvzD1J278-lRGWIkm7fJfTihqcuR6W__TubqQwJggYxRATceFeHQGlEi-QxR0XJ-FTAIE7ljgb3G6oKeilKOhfhnjk8zWf1TPemls6BWGs93-DdLVl7DlKZXoZBVfhX1WTGRQysiJ0nA3O2xvxeNM5BFIgUV2SSPW1Zy5Z46h_Z7BY9eZay2GyXEYA9AfU1AsP3W-qa4NnX9AGRNjTLvlSYQ-crehWrnUUArBsfa2aaBQ9KUE5jvwb4byBNFG8agkEgzVR8CBlxxRij4wKScJuc73OCKIT_21E1IGf2TIVYXFleWR8eBBAyATSC7MpdGUzcG2zV9bSFvL5y1r1M3drf2LCoyET-U-ePrktsfmbiePcXvmdhFiuPeIbIriSDcnx9Rw85_diHXEraosvk8MY0zkrFNFddfta2f56J0K9u6KBXMgNcy5JsItFTC3rFG14Qqn7lsvvdVNHph8Gn1JtehGs9qH5-EohValvbVzdcvlgBYwHcvNoUPnFA=w1363-h506-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama by yours truly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As we were wandering taking in the sight, another group of Singaporean trekkers came up, led by none other than Khoo Swee Chiow himself. This was the group that was going to EBC like us, but after that they were going to summit Island Peak at 6189m. The summit was a really technical summit and looking around their small 10 person group, some of our members were muttering among ourselves that they were not young, but they were much fitter than us, and trekking at a faster pace. Apparently Khoo Swee Chiow trained his group members very strictly to ensure that they attain certain levels of physical fitness as the Island peak summit was going to challenging.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/mZ8-LUGKPrkGS8sX-1F7e9LN6gVNo1J6VQY9FA6C_VrSuS26wUrBwbMDhXsyQtlv2AeD2duAXVGGLaDrC93QGWNM2V6wOyMocOc9y5f6t9J7-ugLBg78YbR6_evu7Q7UrByDpkuw2_pjdC0bIIpJDwrVyi7JL8G5D3U35l47h2icTsLJa-f70BkUl4YqDqLWOLYX1EAqkrvYD9965NC5Wg0ZXO2pS15EN8ZSTCnRE1e8z4GhpCxF_zFZG6ekH5lJndIdyc5pL2aZJYFGQaV-mEKjSyyANHPb2FNXEfwWUXIEwW443wCMKv-GF51c-XWxRZCxFfbMx-3BM2PwOh4YKRefyuYWSc_jKqu140qPra6nhuCjHx-TbPTUvFV9esPJ53JNlIVaIcCgwsW74f45bwUhJopS1JOrkGzvX7s8FK1vHJndrj8ySZlgj4-gAuQgTN3nCa5WsDTsHGJ6b2go4DlDl4_ZMJKzR5PpPykx5QAUOCtD6NYZpVobJFQhqqDkaekQr0T9pxHxNPHoRPevbbhrhmsZbY-CfEaIwDCI8uk35qwHpf7P7TN3HRofagrAeLF3s5KnMtMtykcQFU2NI2jaZGKot-E_3gLgAQm9KxfUergti93S_SpRaNsOiro1vWnzmdMUQp_39VKNCmvjlMNmzq9ecOYU=w858-h644-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/mZ8-LUGKPrkGS8sX-1F7e9LN6gVNo1J6VQY9FA6C_VrSuS26wUrBwbMDhXsyQtlv2AeD2duAXVGGLaDrC93QGWNM2V6wOyMocOc9y5f6t9J7-ugLBg78YbR6_evu7Q7UrByDpkuw2_pjdC0bIIpJDwrVyi7JL8G5D3U35l47h2icTsLJa-f70BkUl4YqDqLWOLYX1EAqkrvYD9965NC5Wg0ZXO2pS15EN8ZSTCnRE1e8z4GhpCxF_zFZG6ekH5lJndIdyc5pL2aZJYFGQaV-mEKjSyyANHPb2FNXEfwWUXIEwW443wCMKv-GF51c-XWxRZCxFfbMx-3BM2PwOh4YKRefyuYWSc_jKqu140qPra6nhuCjHx-TbPTUvFV9esPJ53JNlIVaIcCgwsW74f45bwUhJopS1JOrkGzvX7s8FK1vHJndrj8ySZlgj4-gAuQgTN3nCa5WsDTsHGJ6b2go4DlDl4_ZMJKzR5PpPykx5QAUOCtD6NYZpVobJFQhqqDkaekQr0T9pxHxNPHoRPevbbhrhmsZbY-CfEaIwDCI8uk35qwHpf7P7TN3HRofagrAeLF3s5KnMtMtykcQFU2NI2jaZGKot-E_3gLgAQm9KxfUergti93S_SpRaNsOiro1vWnzmdMUQp_39VKNCmvjlMNmzq9ecOYU=w858-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Adrian was surveying the background and finally found a spot that he wanted to take a few group photos.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4691/39304710252_18c15276c6_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4691/39304710252_61f8b8b722_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group 1 photo at Dingboche acclimatisation point. [Photo: Adrian]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4516/25011133618_081b6cc16b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4516/25011133618_cd17802430_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group 2 photo at Dingboche acclimatisation point. [Photo: Adrian]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I really liked the vantage point as the mountain texture and lines in the distant were really unique, and made for a beautiful backdrop. For good measures, Adrian also took a <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4568/25011133768_f45688cb35_k.jpg">group photo for our family. </a>I think he was worried he might have missed some of us as we were so slow walking behind. Hahaha!<br />
<br />
Many of us started taking selfies, and wefies and shooting for each other. <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4636/39333883961_ce81b2cc35_k.jpg">Here was a beautiful wefie shot by Cheng Cheng.</a><br />
Serene and I couldn't help but strike a Korean pose. And Ah Li quickly grabbed a <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cezJO1TIVlBfFWyuveGyzZfOHoCGqZFF5lS3uz_IKKiVajt1PN0EBaz3aWYERVptIci6LYhwX6knaCcG1ryy5T7VzGFp7YrPDXmNlWKdvXfk9xtw6MlvC4F6ui-sa6cToLcXs3XpYO0ERP7Kik9nDQexSvm0xwtNt09yERPTqfHEMbvzHri-aK6uASGinssJBJiQAvHOt-NyIC7eyv-dgECzGnCnGqhNzCPjQW-GrjCZAHoRmA1y-Yh5YqVFBRhHNKp-hKZEey9bHb-foHXCL92HOSKj47fhEhQFEXKshjIWXKLXhQbKUsmrYQWYuijsNvdIfGxSSod_fKZVfgAU19p7wbR9Y2GKyage-pByL0HqCQTBajl9L0zFCADS6LvOHROhtm2KbrMxRBRIkApDji0awQNlKGlZ5dMKRjqyGEBU3YZktCxAv6qKnXqgo658Hu5j0gMkqP5epbOxMICgexye8gv0wuZpep6UNocJxpJtCFqvF8oxGnVPU82wgT-OJkmrBD9uj__ZZpmUTEgjw9El9-AdGKjzzyVdWTdUtt6A6UbUWbpm40wvn2SBdDoT_VvyaEPLsT-AkAK7ZA2OH8OUuBYzRv5u76RdbK4z0uR9j9knQ62GrVhuU5k_w1RSDBWeCHIePFxzvK2r4B9I-MfLL7LyByAFgw=w483-h644-no">shot of us.</a><br />
<br />
And then someone started shouting out..<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Hey, guys! Let's take a shot with Mr Khoo Swee Chiow!"</b></span> and this pleasant gentleman obliged. Despite his group starting to move off, he took his time and let us take group photos after group photos with him. Such a nice man!</blockquote>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/xWnQ_9PVnr5d-iSCZ7qHz2NPtQU0J7PR6_12378TxKuc3032OqkfuaL0qTYITJmVdlVjHHZw11eDNaPpyhQZifaeQGUxUL-xMscf4ZTT3YXUcZXPGHB7DL2sLI1dp1BUmJG1hf66z5kWB_G5UT1h3PAC1bAt1JByURbKzEslXxXFo5E0ZrVnQM8SBoMmumFKSeFEXeu5YF3sp_ve2x0hXiEOcCJ2_QB5QOJ5C3kyAZSSD_4KhPzrfkJ0KOclf755H5hv9FOc1F3TPK6DSjzWELnuLNKzFSk9mnijJnsIYD2SfdG4lfKo4M-zas3AhtaVe_ki7oYvZ-F_QjSRqN2TIgtiFj_3hS0yPCVzudp-4fhiw4FegQzU7r_0pJDeSkizlqT480TnxwdYjnWlRlxz-vnVDX8RBDB79QRwXd_54kvYUQPoHcLnU5Tv4ILctm0oxjmSjNLrkPb0C3yEcdG1fNZHse8qaCySVQ1ums79IIW1Mjroa33eMcJSsCsPqxkWlfnUCwdaJJeGnm24Yn9PE9yaloYbtdhvKbSofMpSo6CFctZD6B1Sbd_-eoGqYziEpr7boY-yWWwmoQsKZTbU2QFIjlMWOaOXIY19_AU8pLtHf45pxjsAtQRgT39uwY-LDJ6uuqNtR95fEVj0JjvbZ2EhJEPDwaRzVg=w859-h644-no" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/xWnQ_9PVnr5d-iSCZ7qHz2NPtQU0J7PR6_12378TxKuc3032OqkfuaL0qTYITJmVdlVjHHZw11eDNaPpyhQZifaeQGUxUL-xMscf4ZTT3YXUcZXPGHB7DL2sLI1dp1BUmJG1hf66z5kWB_G5UT1h3PAC1bAt1JByURbKzEslXxXFo5E0ZrVnQM8SBoMmumFKSeFEXeu5YF3sp_ve2x0hXiEOcCJ2_QB5QOJ5C3kyAZSSD_4KhPzrfkJ0KOclf755H5hv9FOc1F3TPK6DSjzWELnuLNKzFSk9mnijJnsIYD2SfdG4lfKo4M-zas3AhtaVe_ki7oYvZ-F_QjSRqN2TIgtiFj_3hS0yPCVzudp-4fhiw4FegQzU7r_0pJDeSkizlqT480TnxwdYjnWlRlxz-vnVDX8RBDB79QRwXd_54kvYUQPoHcLnU5Tv4ILctm0oxjmSjNLrkPb0C3yEcdG1fNZHse8qaCySVQ1ums79IIW1Mjroa33eMcJSsCsPqxkWlfnUCwdaJJeGnm24Yn9PE9yaloYbtdhvKbSofMpSo6CFctZD6B1Sbd_-eoGqYziEpr7boY-yWWwmoQsKZTbU2QFIjlMWOaOXIY19_AU8pLtHf45pxjsAtQRgT39uwY-LDJ6uuqNtR95fEVj0JjvbZ2EhJEPDwaRzVg=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/I4abd61U9LQ44dRF_JFFZij_48tgniRnF2zPojvH61sRz1ZubpO-iAPoEC_uMwkl3xxyE-Nv1OSBAJU7H_4MNIy28S0YiJmCiqAyn3VGlUKlFQOHHAuh9onyH-_eO5OY7AHmeteEihGvziWek0R7o9CyNhO8knZGIfN0WNSCFjef1xS-98a8b11IU_kHnjeSwvo2mKxTPPSmBmjh0BxGtEEcgQ0tgOFrxtxJn9gyLFT7iMio43BdRosg52H1v6V6LsaPW1Xj0PeUIb0XmidhghxUAvfccdDZWgHbON0gl_FEFeXgohgXlWFGjeq-CqZPDxhDftSewOZPK6_CQTfcwGLb_TxxBL67uuha8CwJbsv3qamOk_PPDh4yk85031i7qA5AsTCXhe7CTVchoNIhg1aQHc84MgDtJWKiSbX9jPg-FVJeG7mXQw3m232kTOd7393VH0VKi3lIZE9_eWBr3YUimFw7TznoDtroj1lhQVtnQsl9sFbXITxyHCZ2Ld1AFy42Q1fL50-wmxraQDaKzEzBlQuLDYhtrvGwELephzau8_hkvmdd0eShRzrZ8VvTMtWr-fdqP7tI61XQboBA7Oc_-jpHj3Cuberm9GJFfhFjZ3iKUi3W0aGUD1krFrLSHK_TfVprcNXWWicI39e6pYRrmgwpPVYX=w1043-h644-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/I4abd61U9LQ44dRF_JFFZij_48tgniRnF2zPojvH61sRz1ZubpO-iAPoEC_uMwkl3xxyE-Nv1OSBAJU7H_4MNIy28S0YiJmCiqAyn3VGlUKlFQOHHAuh9onyH-_eO5OY7AHmeteEihGvziWek0R7o9CyNhO8knZGIfN0WNSCFjef1xS-98a8b11IU_kHnjeSwvo2mKxTPPSmBmjh0BxGtEEcgQ0tgOFrxtxJn9gyLFT7iMio43BdRosg52H1v6V6LsaPW1Xj0PeUIb0XmidhghxUAvfccdDZWgHbON0gl_FEFeXgohgXlWFGjeq-CqZPDxhDftSewOZPK6_CQTfcwGLb_TxxBL67uuha8CwJbsv3qamOk_PPDh4yk85031i7qA5AsTCXhe7CTVchoNIhg1aQHc84MgDtJWKiSbX9jPg-FVJeG7mXQw3m232kTOd7393VH0VKi3lIZE9_eWBr3YUimFw7TznoDtroj1lhQVtnQsl9sFbXITxyHCZ2Ld1AFy42Q1fL50-wmxraQDaKzEzBlQuLDYhtrvGwELephzau8_hkvmdd0eShRzrZ8VvTMtWr-fdqP7tI61XQboBA7Oc_-jpHj3Cuberm9GJFfhFjZ3iKUi3W0aGUD1krFrLSHK_TfVprcNXWWicI39e6pYRrmgwpPVYX=w1043-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: KC Tng</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/FZrf3EAv4wgA2atwQngyCO5Tgxw_JAjU284XmotBg-OmYcolpLd5JLb2Xliab6KC0PakVBH3n60ay-eoyZpfREADfVO0Y3IRGNkdl8taA-o15cEO1L-qJxrUkA8v1hYUr7sY6ez6Z_MsIhSuXCN-ZvjwRua_B3mzUygZ5RHTTRd3ZyrUbpQg8tYitVU3cQIEbVnCIWdAqIZgBbh8ZhhOkfHnLIjWfobYdl0Z4lMmrnWS_30_ZCwcs228OjTq7_NNCwxEyoxjHpgrdGtQl2MglW0aunQ9f-Vrau7ROycT6KUsStueYRc1EC8JmFidlYpyWcVUar8Dh6iq4_qLlHwFv-BfXfr4gCtMm1h3HK0xI1joq8csEXOoBasZi4e3Uh_1tP2HG1BBEd4IsZMGw9Yxvs-XWFpRNKpLKnO0rmNErhmk24oEcaZyOWhB493JE-soxN1bJYqvp1AoSKVUAnubbMgwDSusZEkBikoiLYaTIj3cP5ht6chvgwhup5IdKtQwGwe9Nq0NtsXBI_SWlDkHPqQQuxsF7-JOoOwPQnK2Edb3Vnm47KBmES-qWk6rn0ra1Q-0O69UZt4iizJmKX02qgwPI4-TfIkVmTKKNgBzR8YsjaonFuuEBxClNn0wD2Lnwm1MIRvErelQpRX71E1XIYwkWiOwjy2k=w1325-h644-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/FZrf3EAv4wgA2atwQngyCO5Tgxw_JAjU284XmotBg-OmYcolpLd5JLb2Xliab6KC0PakVBH3n60ay-eoyZpfREADfVO0Y3IRGNkdl8taA-o15cEO1L-qJxrUkA8v1hYUr7sY6ez6Z_MsIhSuXCN-ZvjwRua_B3mzUygZ5RHTTRd3ZyrUbpQg8tYitVU3cQIEbVnCIWdAqIZgBbh8ZhhOkfHnLIjWfobYdl0Z4lMmrnWS_30_ZCwcs228OjTq7_NNCwxEyoxjHpgrdGtQl2MglW0aunQ9f-Vrau7ROycT6KUsStueYRc1EC8JmFidlYpyWcVUar8Dh6iq4_qLlHwFv-BfXfr4gCtMm1h3HK0xI1joq8csEXOoBasZi4e3Uh_1tP2HG1BBEd4IsZMGw9Yxvs-XWFpRNKpLKnO0rmNErhmk24oEcaZyOWhB493JE-soxN1bJYqvp1AoSKVUAnubbMgwDSusZEkBikoiLYaTIj3cP5ht6chvgwhup5IdKtQwGwe9Nq0NtsXBI_SWlDkHPqQQuxsF7-JOoOwPQnK2Edb3Vnm47KBmES-qWk6rn0ra1Q-0O69UZt4iizJmKX02qgwPI4-TfIkVmTKKNgBzR8YsjaonFuuEBxClNn0wD2Lnwm1MIRvErelQpRX71E1XIYwkWiOwjy2k=w1325-h644-no" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/JwGKkGphqd0ts3AQUlDFQ2G4zQnmr3Gh_kO9S0ykBKMghJEwC5JrTmLlZ8XDlTOobpkDnir8Nph1TvmLFqVxY1l5tblA6f0--FeLclOmNrFKEF8eCLfgu2UDFZmMB5ShSPGlONvd9gFRucj8WOR9D8oKLO89LzsF7G1FmbbDAoQwiIvZB-h3bFqfrnbkJDsEc_5s6rfE7KyTggzK99lDbCcv6QHXW0qye7dnA5NKRDbFR0pKim-gPPR_uNRpu9Wyk9950ugw_olLDZIkTcT7fZe1z0IcPqVbnf2RgHhH2uSHGpp3dKj4tXnnIoPo52il9x2HdVGRp8gdmAEEIs6DucQmsesf3_gz934rVxJJ67N8X-tKRILSaNHmj95WUqj61uXcREyc1eGj19pWKJ0vGVFNuD2wBTYUh1MsdwPbAhu0SSyy6hYhFQyG2xZlJD8Ackco0JDN1BhVIRRdFaRoaEby-P5KTBzHU1SWHksJ7qsBjZIhiQGmABNri7Fhuq8qQz9rPF_hVkxpZmPOPkt-EpZcsRvAt_gDaGcpH5e9OtPo39XIZMNoUF1dEMP1KWfaVa-bodNsg1laJD4k3bqOjCo1M_bKF-mMOzE-olGSO3Nex1k2ybtftHVt7ZH5llo3705YMeqhToWaBq4rXmUENMUoeT9vtNwKDg=w859-h644-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/JwGKkGphqd0ts3AQUlDFQ2G4zQnmr3Gh_kO9S0ykBKMghJEwC5JrTmLlZ8XDlTOobpkDnir8Nph1TvmLFqVxY1l5tblA6f0--FeLclOmNrFKEF8eCLfgu2UDFZmMB5ShSPGlONvd9gFRucj8WOR9D8oKLO89LzsF7G1FmbbDAoQwiIvZB-h3bFqfrnbkJDsEc_5s6rfE7KyTggzK99lDbCcv6QHXW0qye7dnA5NKRDbFR0pKim-gPPR_uNRpu9Wyk9950ugw_olLDZIkTcT7fZe1z0IcPqVbnf2RgHhH2uSHGpp3dKj4tXnnIoPo52il9x2HdVGRp8gdmAEEIs6DucQmsesf3_gz934rVxJJ67N8X-tKRILSaNHmj95WUqj61uXcREyc1eGj19pWKJ0vGVFNuD2wBTYUh1MsdwPbAhu0SSyy6hYhFQyG2xZlJD8Ackco0JDN1BhVIRRdFaRoaEby-P5KTBzHU1SWHksJ7qsBjZIhiQGmABNri7Fhuq8qQz9rPF_hVkxpZmPOPkt-EpZcsRvAt_gDaGcpH5e9OtPo39XIZMNoUF1dEMP1KWfaVa-bodNsg1laJD4k3bqOjCo1M_bKF-mMOzE-olGSO3Nex1k2ybtftHVt7ZH5llo3705YMeqhToWaBq4rXmUENMUoeT9vtNwKDg=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Lai Peng</td></tr>
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<br />
OK, finally it was time to descend. And we were glad to be heading back towards the warmth of Hotel Family Dingboche.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/nn2yhUTpejooqx9spptq_LsttWMG1UHK2gBdhmZFWZJ_Gak8zSoymS1WFFFGEUimZgVRip2vXmB0K6UahviQWxiPfDuUQY4kTpU2c-Wt5XTsu1VrjOyji3xWhZaXbtgUj4bORbm7nhLtvj8KV80EkwKthamfBqNZJh8doRWteKUNP756mLQG_7tjIXs_Z4mLUwdcWd3xGaSR-b8MK5-F4dvvyiTH8hVsPP4PeKOfHbQe1ZpVuba3-dleKsH7d0eJ4OQw2oi_8GJhFW59yomZPAYJsP41r7HM-wFxaF89gdCCXHMTw4myGmy0VNJqwhxo_qbLpaX4OnlRjK0ea0_PSg0QPPIZpGZmeeVi8ChHcbXZnEPKA7dwGhI_3CAMOvQCcMqNElUwQ3RfVzsIe5oYw5Fs27Sc4GHMfnBNZmZJ4DXC8imhe4f4RlreD-AWOdR63qEWh5dx6dBXEZLFxJnwZDbfZsue8OsFGE0orG12ijF5ypjrq0ENNG67nfkOZYex-tMzmawk6zeJssYJ5EDIHlPpOhdz_qVIL6MlhrxN2b_09Rp8FgY156-a5Fi8Xf9-HtAWh8rkOJPXG1phBn6cFoOQJvObUBip6PL7lO4nOFs3FspdkmrygXiQcMZQ7URn0z3Mb98_DJTEqFxM7GDstLQ7Jn1Le4er=w859-h644-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/nn2yhUTpejooqx9spptq_LsttWMG1UHK2gBdhmZFWZJ_Gak8zSoymS1WFFFGEUimZgVRip2vXmB0K6UahviQWxiPfDuUQY4kTpU2c-Wt5XTsu1VrjOyji3xWhZaXbtgUj4bORbm7nhLtvj8KV80EkwKthamfBqNZJh8doRWteKUNP756mLQG_7tjIXs_Z4mLUwdcWd3xGaSR-b8MK5-F4dvvyiTH8hVsPP4PeKOfHbQe1ZpVuba3-dleKsH7d0eJ4OQw2oi_8GJhFW59yomZPAYJsP41r7HM-wFxaF89gdCCXHMTw4myGmy0VNJqwhxo_qbLpaX4OnlRjK0ea0_PSg0QPPIZpGZmeeVi8ChHcbXZnEPKA7dwGhI_3CAMOvQCcMqNElUwQ3RfVzsIe5oYw5Fs27Sc4GHMfnBNZmZJ4DXC8imhe4f4RlreD-AWOdR63qEWh5dx6dBXEZLFxJnwZDbfZsue8OsFGE0orG12ijF5ypjrq0ENNG67nfkOZYex-tMzmawk6zeJssYJ5EDIHlPpOhdz_qVIL6MlhrxN2b_09Rp8FgY156-a5Fi8Xf9-HtAWh8rkOJPXG1phBn6cFoOQJvObUBip6PL7lO4nOFs3FspdkmrygXiQcMZQ7URn0z3Mb98_DJTEqFxM7GDstLQ7Jn1Le4er=w859-h644-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was half past twelve when we arrived back at Hotel Family Dingboche. And the sun was nice and warm. Some smart fellow started sunning his solar panel and shoes and underwear and base layers and wet clothes on the zinc roof just beside the front porch and soon everyone followed suite.<br />
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I was still fully clothed in my layers, except for the thick outer down layers. The sun was warm, but I could still feel that the air was cold.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VrxPDdS_klZyqy-9m_57EOdHafsnmJYf0TnSqGw-HpilBzvJC23vUVOT40O-g8zJAsaEgN3p_8JSnqWSfpdbS6UyCivrqn9rRzIde3J3lV-rvJISOD7KHilmhBt56LO-poeoSYyDPfc/w483-h644-no/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VrxPDdS_klZyqy-9m_57EOdHafsnmJYf0TnSqGw-HpilBzvJC23vUVOT40O-g8zJAsaEgN3p_8JSnqWSfpdbS6UyCivrqn9rRzIde3J3lV-rvJISOD7KHilmhBt56LO-poeoSYyDPfc/w483-h644-no/" /></a></div>
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Darric, Jeffrey and DT realised that their trekking boots had decided to call it half a day, and had started yawning in the front and at the side. Luck was on their side. Babu magically appeared with a can of super glue from the guesthouse boss and Dilip started working on their shoes. It actually did the job, and the boots all held. But just to be on the safe side, Jeffrey still went ahead and buy another new pair of trekking shoes somewhere nearby.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/IDv5ImCBU_E71g0QS_EPJyK9YshNTOYgwjq8CIoMssZOB6M2HzjGYVdPEUMU07YPuoOc3HTkrqMDK9iPYdnUtXOHisu71gnTp5oZMs-uCH9-RG6Kmz6QqlughKJ5RlEj13xG8GlEB1HhXDP5zCj5NgJJyXhYubeU3R33qoiiPHoNVA62u0NznCfubb-GZoz4CG0LxiKu_XqxeB62L1--P63URlGAzpjvYPojtdvdfx7bp79NgxsGUvyU2LKHiLyw8gALnE5fNkZ5Orw24a0jHgZGoNqsVkiiXEW4_K6IYgrERvUaESi0s47HybNR-uXx6AMDxU9oDthAPUF1MRMFsUIiyDi4PboaGJ72kO1sSmEpLiqAZ3jinj6ImDJ84nKTJEEXPLRCtWvVhkyb5G41DP_bwbJS-yC2jl-dGQeJZyNvy2aio_-isbn8OP8K4JojOEn5-LPyU_ZbeflOez38gKvtcNVmT2vnFuUqDwR8uJlnR_0xoKgzDeyJzujTzWlgRGuVDmxV0zjzDw2AM_lnmXMvgF5BcxIDHPWb2u0tERBjhmiJeQbqjdrp8xfe1rDz6IhtJ8JCFYVPHeEMogKy_4v4PEVekhJ0rB-UTkpRBOB2t_8Db-WhAhxG8vHPBcKWjosx-0SWFkH8VJWbBUHPaeDM018ayIgDTw=w483-h644-no" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/IDv5ImCBU_E71g0QS_EPJyK9YshNTOYgwjq8CIoMssZOB6M2HzjGYVdPEUMU07YPuoOc3HTkrqMDK9iPYdnUtXOHisu71gnTp5oZMs-uCH9-RG6Kmz6QqlughKJ5RlEj13xG8GlEB1HhXDP5zCj5NgJJyXhYubeU3R33qoiiPHoNVA62u0NznCfubb-GZoz4CG0LxiKu_XqxeB62L1--P63URlGAzpjvYPojtdvdfx7bp79NgxsGUvyU2LKHiLyw8gALnE5fNkZ5Orw24a0jHgZGoNqsVkiiXEW4_K6IYgrERvUaESi0s47HybNR-uXx6AMDxU9oDthAPUF1MRMFsUIiyDi4PboaGJ72kO1sSmEpLiqAZ3jinj6ImDJ84nKTJEEXPLRCtWvVhkyb5G41DP_bwbJS-yC2jl-dGQeJZyNvy2aio_-isbn8OP8K4JojOEn5-LPyU_ZbeflOez38gKvtcNVmT2vnFuUqDwR8uJlnR_0xoKgzDeyJzujTzWlgRGuVDmxV0zjzDw2AM_lnmXMvgF5BcxIDHPWb2u0tERBjhmiJeQbqjdrp8xfe1rDz6IhtJ8JCFYVPHeEMogKy_4v4PEVekhJ0rB-UTkpRBOB2t_8Db-WhAhxG8vHPBcKWjosx-0SWFkH8VJWbBUHPaeDM018ayIgDTw=w483-h644-no" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/j1kYP14kfaSpoSyingaWnwL96jxVDXvDSMi6r4utB4DiEI05RyJVgsy7UnZZ-lRctZad2qi3wwXOvwh2Jk1ac4UcT96a1Do1OHxTh3fEO0YcKLocibwf3IlQvMbEac-O7ea4KtaxGXfx2cHArLufBzNAioRah_WQdhkEXYr32FoZBFHlyn9E8DFTuoEOellHSp69Dzh3mo-XFVNwDTR9SVVNBMqZlSghVPjU7CKNNWlaG5nRV-m1LGiStUc40IYYOKddgPKRXC0UFC0UQYJwox9FkEf5yWOm3T5_xRBYBswYKSOCUzCIEn041z8CB7WVzwg5nGGQG55baKv7PP1e-ietxgbN0waBopLSIlv5TIDIye04Bl5vgtehVRO0fuCmItVJxVcrFp6CbHJNaNNR8NAdpNXU7eaqkptcNr9CthZEMVpUBKzeCDve727L53GGFNIFAwZGFqPGSP79n6qSeob7qY8tmqU4MDzzlLgV1GuD55fE4_iYxOih__VGEXt9-qdXvZk5fNoAxPVmEDwOVCC6NwsGaVo3n8hQz9Fi5OUmSpkyhKJl4qPtSxSnNT8DecdcUCMRsNj4meqq_4-8fw_AsExxMFVdBKKOA_ABkAnSAKOoHV3l1QuPsAqL_2-bebNn6NEK9RAS1mhuSlSTfoQ9Mqsz31FSdA=w859-h644-no" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/j1kYP14kfaSpoSyingaWnwL96jxVDXvDSMi6r4utB4DiEI05RyJVgsy7UnZZ-lRctZad2qi3wwXOvwh2Jk1ac4UcT96a1Do1OHxTh3fEO0YcKLocibwf3IlQvMbEac-O7ea4KtaxGXfx2cHArLufBzNAioRah_WQdhkEXYr32FoZBFHlyn9E8DFTuoEOellHSp69Dzh3mo-XFVNwDTR9SVVNBMqZlSghVPjU7CKNNWlaG5nRV-m1LGiStUc40IYYOKddgPKRXC0UFC0UQYJwox9FkEf5yWOm3T5_xRBYBswYKSOCUzCIEn041z8CB7WVzwg5nGGQG55baKv7PP1e-ietxgbN0waBopLSIlv5TIDIye04Bl5vgtehVRO0fuCmItVJxVcrFp6CbHJNaNNR8NAdpNXU7eaqkptcNr9CthZEMVpUBKzeCDve727L53GGFNIFAwZGFqPGSP79n6qSeob7qY8tmqU4MDzzlLgV1GuD55fE4_iYxOih__VGEXt9-qdXvZk5fNoAxPVmEDwOVCC6NwsGaVo3n8hQz9Fi5OUmSpkyhKJl4qPtSxSnNT8DecdcUCMRsNj4meqq_4-8fw_AsExxMFVdBKKOA_ABkAnSAKOoHV3l1QuPsAqL_2-bebNn6NEK9RAS1mhuSlSTfoQ9Mqsz31FSdA=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
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Talking about somewhere nearby, after lunch, Alex, Kai Sing, Lai Peng, Ka Lin, Kong Wan and family all went gai gai-ing around Dingboche and they found a French bakery and had a nice tea there. I really salute these good people. They would forever be on the lookout for luxuries, even during the most hardship trip.<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>That evening...</b></span><br />
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We were all tired. More were starting to have respiratory infection. Serene and I were making our rounds and started a few more on antibiotics and cough and nose medicine. So far no new cases of food poisoning. The fine dust and the mountain air really had been the triggers for all these respiratory symptoms.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/URERonZc0aWGQ1J5e0lwEZ3rdVvzm-6KjlugFx1YOS9T1n140SfdIIq7kRkwuhmG-iS6i4y5grDFG0UWvcNLdHz_r0prGIM2dA_5peOj3t_AkavpjzMYNaqwJjopAl-cLaOQxy8CeAb2hEo4t-PAq2D6DDbT_39hbK2M3-dC6qWPJSBxTcMWp08XeNFsB5OyeLN9rHqQpLACv2IZ435JVOC2S5n_o45StMjjuUkrYVQyxATbiqr4C1kWL9TyZEVpfe6lhaOiVKR4VRllevlL9GhqbB_QiAvgrKjKXV_uYVKhY_Wadycm6oypH6f4jQrgm07D45y6J5Rii9Ej4Rxg3xdelANiqVcA1DCTfZ96lWfch1QTXpcZkvG1dcugkpmKlzpAbT89uGQvZT3mc77-l0eisofJzhZB_YNR1NP_HGaf8Or6CmDatK37OedLyb1Ngn0IU4FcF9LIlfiYAm6WpIsYLVdE5oOb531p9SEY03d9AsinUqVCbMlar51ECHB-xCGHVgaxDbYRIIXFhuvzYtyE6k2DV5N3vBPC7Erxoc0tClTLTRj8oABJGBNrwdOxliN-DuPHLRlxfFWCHPx8GZWOYDYnTRb-8Nc4g9FcOhPXsjCYal5oCuKUd4SZa8pB-nBsOq31KKhP_w9oQVikC4NE6O-yQ_B7ig=w859-h644-no" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/URERonZc0aWGQ1J5e0lwEZ3rdVvzm-6KjlugFx1YOS9T1n140SfdIIq7kRkwuhmG-iS6i4y5grDFG0UWvcNLdHz_r0prGIM2dA_5peOj3t_AkavpjzMYNaqwJjopAl-cLaOQxy8CeAb2hEo4t-PAq2D6DDbT_39hbK2M3-dC6qWPJSBxTcMWp08XeNFsB5OyeLN9rHqQpLACv2IZ435JVOC2S5n_o45StMjjuUkrYVQyxATbiqr4C1kWL9TyZEVpfe6lhaOiVKR4VRllevlL9GhqbB_QiAvgrKjKXV_uYVKhY_Wadycm6oypH6f4jQrgm07D45y6J5Rii9Ej4Rxg3xdelANiqVcA1DCTfZ96lWfch1QTXpcZkvG1dcugkpmKlzpAbT89uGQvZT3mc77-l0eisofJzhZB_YNR1NP_HGaf8Or6CmDatK37OedLyb1Ngn0IU4FcF9LIlfiYAm6WpIsYLVdE5oOb531p9SEY03d9AsinUqVCbMlar51ECHB-xCGHVgaxDbYRIIXFhuvzYtyE6k2DV5N3vBPC7Erxoc0tClTLTRj8oABJGBNrwdOxliN-DuPHLRlxfFWCHPx8GZWOYDYnTRb-8Nc4g9FcOhPXsjCYal5oCuKUd4SZa8pB-nBsOq31KKhP_w9oQVikC4NE6O-yQ_B7ig=w859-h644-no" /></a></div>
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The next day would be another landmark day - the trek to Lobuche at 4900m. That would present with another hurdle as I believed 4900m would tax our bodies even more.<br />
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Meanwhile we could do nothing but rest and sleep.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/NFZCoeQ6sZUanZQr5zH0KFdwkD4YdhB3UOODWSMIDN-RVpFbNU_1fI5lJrp4uDK3Jqbsbpk-IWpiRvOLzHLc0ofUAFmOTzZCPGENIM6oHsO07cHVLNiZ1ZZieKPVD-KoSPanEKQj1bd0YyToRKKvxhigsFGqFcM8yi3sFD8rEmh5m3sdhmkc9YGVz187bozbVpbMvRwACUFytLCWJvpJL5_Zpi0dlaLWpgPIceTDFgIKREK3pd1MKcWsgeAgFzenEqdHs9woUIekJJ9fbmbeuk8wDTly9vOX6eUqLkSQ5tGtM4NYbLa1wcOKB5xy-bIZhIdTkjgam0Lu-AuND2B1lWH72Suf16-9NL4ExKrM1kFyqaU_le2lohwYNQLDXecu-HapwTyJSCyFkxoD4TJyDi8GEkjaDzmMDT1vGMSLv-r8Xz1Si0OjvZhVj8t4XqhpzT4MWm49h-DJSLxoxzWmT_RpbArbCzpxti88Z7AM_qnG83m7-3XPcUoZYKV5oTps2Nk8-DLCGYhDY9icsw6rgPKujkW80SoDq7SnyNyVyiIx7AhAF_pqzooSoCu196AJxrsChNhTn_zK1rGn43kBUFHbP5loj3DiFhHS8pEeczYAxeryagW_fHJVjbV0h40FxphnHV8Hxnm46o2OUYsYuqgA_gaf6OKG=w670-h893-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/NFZCoeQ6sZUanZQr5zH0KFdwkD4YdhB3UOODWSMIDN-RVpFbNU_1fI5lJrp4uDK3Jqbsbpk-IWpiRvOLzHLc0ofUAFmOTzZCPGENIM6oHsO07cHVLNiZ1ZZieKPVD-KoSPanEKQj1bd0YyToRKKvxhigsFGqFcM8yi3sFD8rEmh5m3sdhmkc9YGVz187bozbVpbMvRwACUFytLCWJvpJL5_Zpi0dlaLWpgPIceTDFgIKREK3pd1MKcWsgeAgFzenEqdHs9woUIekJJ9fbmbeuk8wDTly9vOX6eUqLkSQ5tGtM4NYbLa1wcOKB5xy-bIZhIdTkjgam0Lu-AuND2B1lWH72Suf16-9NL4ExKrM1kFyqaU_le2lohwYNQLDXecu-HapwTyJSCyFkxoD4TJyDi8GEkjaDzmMDT1vGMSLv-r8Xz1Si0OjvZhVj8t4XqhpzT4MWm49h-DJSLxoxzWmT_RpbArbCzpxti88Z7AM_qnG83m7-3XPcUoZYKV5oTps2Nk8-DLCGYhDY9icsw6rgPKujkW80SoDq7SnyNyVyiIx7AhAF_pqzooSoCu196AJxrsChNhTn_zK1rGn43kBUFHbP5loj3DiFhHS8pEeczYAxeryagW_fHJVjbV0h40FxphnHV8Hxnm46o2OUYsYuqgA_gaf6OKG=w670-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steaming our buffs. [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-3.html">Click here to go to the next part:</a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-3.html">EBC Trek Part 3</a> ~ <span style="color: #f4cccc;">The Final Push. Dingboche to Lobuche. Lobuche to Gorak Shep and to EBC and back to Gorak Shep.</span></b></span><br />
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Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com1Namche Bazar, Namche 56000, Nepal27.8068745 86.713970427.7787845 86.6736299 27.834964499999998 86.7543109tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-46555336155170232052017-11-18T04:00:00.000-08:002018-08-03T03:42:56.522-07:00Everest Base Camp Trek 2017 ~ an epic adventure <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-epic.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" id="id_e506_e8db_96d2_6999" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4521/25011133528_83a953e98a_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole group at Gorak Shep. [Photo: SgTrekker]</td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Everest Base Camp Trek</b></span></h2>
<span style="color: yellow; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b> 18 November - 2 December 2017</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffe599;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #ffe599;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">" ....The only noise audible was my own heavy panting as my lungs laboured to suck in as much oxygen in the rarefied air at 5190m. My footsteps were tiny shuffles, weighed down by my pair of trekking boots which, merely a couple of days ago felt as light as feathers, but now behaved like tonnes of Himalayan rocks bound to my feet.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></i> </span></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: large;">My eyes never lifted off from the ground as rocks after rocks appeared in haphazard fashion, threatening to trip my trailing foot should I be just so careless to lift it a little less high. A few steps. And another long pause to catch my breath. Peering in front, the ridge led straight to Everest Base Camp. We were not far, but time was running out for us... "</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: yellow;"><i><b>[In this Travellogue, I have tried my best to credit all the photos to their respective photographers, and I tried my best to recall verbatim what members said during the whole trip. Most events are as I could remember them. Those who have expressed clearly to me their wishes not to have their photos shared online I have post-processed the photographs so that their faces are pixelated to protect their privacies.]</b></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>A short prologue</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a>Some holidays were but just plain holidays. Some were downright forgettable. Others were literally life-changing, where one was left to draw on the last reserve one had in the attempt to complete even the seemingly simplest of tasks. Seeing how one's teammates grit their teeth to go on, and how each adapted in his or her own ways, in the face of potentially debilitating illnesses, and how they fought back against the odds of what Nature dished out to them to finally accomplish their objectives; importantly, seeing how our children learned and put into practice the true meaning of the word 'GRIT' and how they were mentally prepared to go all out for the ultimate target of the journey, made trips like these so much more meaningful.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It had been three weeks since our return. And even until now, I still could not distinguish what appeared to be real (but in actual fact was all artificially man-made) back here in metropolitan Singapore and what was the <b><i>real </i></b>reality back up in the mountains where everything was exactly how Nature had been for millions of years - it was just you, your clothing, your will against everything else the elements hurled upon you. Every day as I drove and as I worked, flashes of memories of scenes from up in the mountain came - seeing my teammates struggling to walk, labouriously gasping for air, and remembering their expressions of relief by the end of the day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An indescribably sense of malaise had been robed over me these three weeks. Nothing had changed back home. But everything else inside my heart, inside my mind seemed to have been permanently altered. The drudgery (in Adrian's own word) of life became a numbing automatic conveyor belt of events. I have, I think, unknowingly become Himalayanised.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>The 2015 Kathmandu earthquake</b></span> and another one with its epicentre very near to Namche Bazaar derailed our original plan for a trek to Everest Base Camp in November that year. Time flew, and when 2017 came, we knew the time was ripe again for the attempt.</div>
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<span style="color: #f9cb9c;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Table of Contents:</b></span></span></span><br />
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<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-epic.html">EBC Trek Part 1</a> </span></b>~ An epic adventure. Kathmandu to Lukla. Lukla to Phakding. Phakding to Namche Bazaar. Acclimatisation in Namche Bazaar.</li>
<li><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-2-from.html"><b><span style="font-size: large;">EBC Trek Part 2</span></b></a> ~ The air got thinner & the body got more tired. Namche Bazaar to Tengboche & Debuche. Debuche to Dingboche. Acclimatisation in Dingboche.</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-3.html">EBC Trek Part 3</a></span></b> ~ The Final Push. Dingboche to Lobuche. Lobuche to Gorak Shep and to EBC and back to Gorak Shep. </li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-4-highest.html">EBC Trek Part 4</a></span></b> ~ Kala Patthar</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-part-5-return-of.html">EBC Trek Part 5</a></span></b> ~ The unrelenting march from day to night - Gorak Shep to Periche. Another long day to night march from Periche to Namche Bazaar.</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-6-back-to.html">EBC Trek Part 6</a></span></b> ~ No matter how tired... just go into Cruise-control mode walking from Namche Bazaar to finally arrive back in Lukla in the dark, yet again.</li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2018/01/everest-base-camp-trek-part-7-back-to.html">EBC Trek Part 7</a></span></b> ~ Flying back to Kathmandu. Rest and Relax in Kathmandu and flying home!</li>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b>Training for EBC </b></span><br />
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Our Ironman friend Rudin Leong warned us:<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"> "Hey, for EBC you all MUST train one ok!" </span></b></blockquote>
Deligence marked the characteristic of training for many of the team members. Kai Sing has been conditioning his core and lower limbs for years just for this trip. Alex and Lai Peng have been doing their weekly runs. Kc Tng even ran 10km after 10km while on business trips overseas. The children were naturally the least of our worries as cross country runs, Tae Kwondo training and rock climbing dotted their weekly schedules. I was off seasoned from all my races for the year, but I found stair climbing with loaded backpacks a great conditioning exercise. Serene, the veteran Nepali trekker, was the most relaxed of us all, doing her usual 10km runs on a 'only-when-the-stars-are-aligned' basis.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;">"Alex, Lai Peng, don't worry. Trekking in Nepal is like walking with a zone 2 heart rate all the way one. It's not siong. Very easy one,"</span></b> I remembered two years ago I tried convincing these two good people to embark on this trek of their lifetime. Heart rate zone 2 all the way was probably correct. But everything else I said was wrong.</blockquote>
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Trekking to EBC is a serious undertaking, the long duration of the route daily, the gradient of the climbs, and the harsh and freezing environment with rarefied oxygen levels meant that it will never be a stroll in the park. That is why Lonely Planet describes this trek as a moderate to difficult trek. Running alone is not enough. Conditioning and strengthening of the gluteus, quadriceps and calves muscles that are crucial to climbing is important. And at more than 5000m altitude, one's cardiopulmonary system has to work doubly hard to compensate. So it is critical to build one's aerobic capacity.<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b>What’s this thing about Everest Base Camp?</b></span></div>
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The old EBC was where the mountaineers of old used to set up camp to await their window period of ascent, and thus was of historical significance. And as the Khumbu Glacier retracted over the decades, the new Base Camp is now a little further away, closer to the infamous Khumbu icefall. We were told that in the past, the Khumbu glacier surface was levelled with the side of the path, but as it melted it sank lower and now in order to reach the base camp one has to climb down a cliff of rocks. At 5350m, this ancient piece of ice saw the footprints of many a great mountaineers.</div>
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About 80 million years ago, the Indian tectonic plate broke off from the central land mass called Gondwanaland and sped northwards until it hit the Asian plate around 50 million years ago. This impact lifted the Himalayan ranges, which used to be deep beneath the sea, right out of the water and jutted as the highest peaks in the world, the highest being Chomolangma (in Tibetan, also known as Sagarmatha in Nepali). Despite the famous peak being named in history by the natives, the Welsh geographical surveyor George Everest was the fortunate one who (apparently with reluctance from his own self) had his name tagged to the highest peak in the world. Until today Everest and her surrounding peaks are still subjects of many researches. Presence of ammonite fossils found up in the Himalaya attested to the fact that this whole region used to be submerged in water. The monsoon that brought rain and erosion from the east side of Everest wore off its height year by year, but the continual movement of the Indian plate beneath the Asian plate kept pushing the peaks higher, thus annually Everest still grew at a <b><i>net gain of a quarter of an inch</i></b>. The constant pursuit of the unknown was the impetus that propelled the British expedition, and the New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary became the first person to summit Everest together with his sherpa Tenzing Norgay on the 29th May 1953. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>Why would anyone want to trek to Everest Base Camp?</b></span></span><br />
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We have always wanted to trek to EBC. Summitting Mount Everest is a totally different thing altogether. But trekking to EBC is something within the reach of mortal beings like ourselves. After several smaller, shorter Nepal and Sabah treks, many of us in the group were ready. And so we thought.<br />
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Some had been harbouring the thought of EBC for a couple of year as it was something that needed to be ticked off as part of their bucket list. Some really fit ones in the team, who were experienced trekkers and mountaineers, simply wanted to trek to EBC as a relaxing holiday trek. Some, who were new to such ventures, and perhaps not exactly physically nor mentally prepared for something of such magnitude, were still determined to give it a go, simply because YOLO. Of course, to some who were strong advocates of YOLT, this EBC trek was even more important. Most interestingly, some of us who signed up for the trek, most likely in retrospect, did not know what he (they) signed up for on the dotted line until it was way too deep into the trek.<br />
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For our family, doing EBC was a tour of duty. Of the many treks in various regions in Nepal, Solokhumbu must be done.<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: x-large;"><b>Packing for the trip</b></span><br />
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Many websites would expound the importance of packing light and with just the essentials for a 15 day trip like this. There was one Ang Moh woman who did the whole trek with a 50litres backpack weighing only 10kg. Scrutinizing their packing lists, we found that they really brought only the bare essentials. Apparently nowadays, the aviation authority in Kathmandu has reduced the individual's weight allowance for the STOL flight to Lukla to 15kg per person. Every kg of extra will cost about S$2. Not a huge sum, but it would be wise to keep as close to the stipulated weight allowance.<br />
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Don't pack too many unneccessary clothing," </b></span>I instructed Serene</blockquote>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"But we must still bring bakkwa leh,"</b></span> said Darric.</blockquote>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"I also need to bring my drone mah,"</b></span> complained Kong Wan.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Wah lau, packing also get stressed out! I rather pay for the excess,"</b></span> joked Alex.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Should I bring an extra pair of trainer shoes?”</b></span> wondered Cheng Cheng.</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Or can I bring a hard case roller luggage instead of a backpack, because I am worried for my back?”</b></span> considered Mimi.</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Must buy a trekking shoes one ah?”</b></span> asked Tan JK. Adrian replied: <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>“Yeah, better. Can get a cheap one from Decathlon. Quite decently priced.”</b></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And the discussion went on for weeks. In retrospect, after the whole trek, I personally will bring my stuff <b><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/p/packing-list-for-everest-base-camp-trek.html" target="_blank">according to this packing list</a></span></b>. There is really no need to sweat over the packing. Because up there above 4000m, it would be just simply too cold for one to even want to shower, not to mention change. Thus whatever goes out in the day comes right back into the sleeping bag at night.<br />
For those who are not keen to buy a minus 10 degrees sleeping bag (costing about $149 at Decahtlon, weighing at about 1.25kg), one can just borrow a used one that is just as good from the local tour operators. Same goes for the down count 900 down jacket. This can be borrowed from the operator themselves and throwing the thoughts about cleanliness aside, this would be more than sufficient for the whole trip, with the middle fleece layer and middle down layer thrown in on top of the base layers.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>EBC Trek Day 1 </b></span><br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">18th Nov 2017</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0XBh7U-JClReszHs9vAEky5_SmvJjp04d66Rk6Ab9pftVTcusy9Fw9mWOv5gyAAoroXZMFp2iODekJlCxiZzSJJ0n3T1jcdHRRmQkvNQ7533z9RcPybTiLAReaoL1nfh_r1jQ9ZwUT0z2xB8iCNnP26WQ-a9oS_-UFdf7YqrAEwwhG_8P8oSgt02SQQYg2ZS8m0I8aGf-3weO8Aj9n3Cvz_p-20OeTuOeklKlcCg3d1r-rUo_hXBGE_bH7aDcwtJ6JLVsY4hg0YVRUafE7j6USFGF5BDGcteRki0aVTClaAT9F041P9n1TKYFklDVnaMF1Sl1d-H51K7JS-E_pklnh0WousBP3Og4C8B2sP9BWbkHYr1LZDNDuM8P4nusjruViqsalOmd_BuWkAENLSOwRtxjdjmL8uqFxtmhIYEsj_KPC-p2R9BCsv4VpHPond7NnpLhlwrvfrUUP51BjDWVSz-hdRWht25RNMYtzo50lS2-b35DPuD2fXkJYK9yOvzVdK-9N87ZPWII4OJTesP-EMdPV_HXhZnhS6vDjqY0wtIO9GuLQlHPaviN22UVaRzLdG_TGfj2uiNueDZlM1hRIzf_GPBTIjghZbOg3TTtsSgAsBZUzj60pd-Korv9QyPMmXkRh9ecj-V86lE3GXFA-9fHI6BhaIqR2I=w890-h667-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="889" height="480" id="id_afc6_f3d3_658f_5f58" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/aRI-7AigJ4Dm7i_snAOiLgg71U44kw6QgWPjJ0V3tp8HxMsI02PaHMf8qY2-leLiCS2iqnLf1ZjmKK7LrRLie5kt9hqr8UMiQpg9GKZ_344yFdUMr7bDbbL4hULgR3hZC1PfhOWf-PFPCJVFLCokQU_xnf-_DLdWBv0H_ruvrgAkXFU72SZ8Z4WVsKoZOb8JaPC6mJBlG-FleddkENmksbYtG91MFXWkN-iw8w9wGV_JRwMgQKZrTTICIqDRVPD9XWCpVgQkvAUL0k1BlOCbe30yb5X66P5PNHnnbCBQIrd0ayMLEvDeNlTUlncGSVl6dDMpwLVkKNs8F7Gytfc5-pmHxvFqOUzYMGXlaxEy8522zJitcesLbIo1AgpKDiowRbVnjiDYyWNguwMjrqXOdmGfZEgePjAVk1QvBMhsxpsG5YISQinK-FSmwhumnWc0dGqnR3sHJVMgUHJGxqZdChRPty5NAvv2kHiPqo1gMjd_ijk6IrFJCZ9ueKfh31U47RE5VRd-Ur7Pmkfc4X2rP9B2d8Yzk47tzizBD8DJDiFrPShya2hpyb9RKFxv5UeMTouPVz-alDeZv_n4gYrXSZh46XA4P-kop1VipAplLIVuv7GwAUuT5plxlKf-4feLItp__ctXqOK9FeKXNpCkQCmp_UmPVK3zRsI=w890-h667-no" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the photo above to see who sent us off at 3:45am at home.</td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>"The beginning of an adventure... and plenty of adventures with Professor Murphy to start off with."</b></i></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpW2FpGy2aFX5BO7pL8uyNym6RsNEhFK5AnX5kfQWhYwucv6GZELXedbKQrzpflhlRFDx2i5nQokRQj8gbIniXNHJE5tDACGgBcMlNMG5R0gGMhFjAw-134t86xOO2D2NZjeIYpCNiqe8/w888-h667-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="888" height="300" id="id_378d_72d9_fda2_4792" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpW2FpGy2aFX5BO7pL8uyNym6RsNEhFK5AnX5kfQWhYwucv6GZELXedbKQrzpflhlRFDx2i5nQokRQj8gbIniXNHJE5tDACGgBcMlNMG5R0gGMhFjAw-134t86xOO2D2NZjeIYpCNiqe8/w888-h667-no/" style="height: auto; width: 400px;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wow! Roydon was there at 4am to send us off at the airport!</td></tr>
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<span id="goog_849264672"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_849264673"></span><br />
One couldn't be blamed to harbour a dreaded sense of consternation when planned to fly on the infamous Malaysia Airlines. Granted the price at S$450 a person for a transited flight to Kathmandu was a real great deal, we managed to suppress our anxiety just below the water level upon our tour leader's repeated reassurance. Everything went on smoothly, too smoothly for comfort, knowing well the notoriety of Prof Murphy striking several of our SgTrekker's previous trekking trips. We enjoyed our breakfast with little suspicion of what was to come.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/MC12mEjC-Ih9bJ1kro5SYT-zhFMt62B_NT3uyLWe23hz5yZ0iIa5_kRbqKopuiTq95ZrJp8QquGRNfCeZyE_ZVuFK-mau4Q-fu59m78v7IYnUSBO1zhh7hjBqjHxcODFovrGfzvlbLzBZy1SYclSuoJyfPZNKRxkKhswaqDJNk-I6_sD1dUii8dbdovab7P2hb87qJLCy1nxO0t1DkPEHTgM6-vapXT7n7uHnKJEduMmUI4Ff7GiwcMxEPb6JhgWxQblKpLA2RM-78N40be2BLx0tuCFHl6XVBCNdzP5McR5ChBknhLl4KYuTTHbNTFQjRCjRMlmV27JuKiwm-yhxCeYfowCRywy-Y34UwuPhJVKIYQ-Rz4UgJYZcypDYmA-V3XK2XfRSDZfWJ4d7k9jo9BqpGKaAptl_8HZn9NnLTpe0t-bRTrjjBeSWGa-QzatiB0wXePhdSfgS5HXPtGd1PU71Wqrayn5agGzjXrCSEbwRnNUrjsucXRw9i4LxR4hFOg4Gasnm4mWf6uk0RvLQw2nygerOup-m-DHVbtyuXnKQ-mCXtIJyg8Hw0qT8uczrgFMTzwFSrKeNZiKAp6I2VpAs4JQztytaOyjaDRkCIvSPPZJwrQ0nT8NMEIiivzzP3Wth-wtWhaxkBTuOuFjyaE_ZFUXlK8xOESB=w890-h667-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="889" id="id_45c_7d00_cf15_4ae2" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/MC12mEjC-Ih9bJ1kro5SYT-zhFMt62B_NT3uyLWe23hz5yZ0iIa5_kRbqKopuiTq95ZrJp8QquGRNfCeZyE_ZVuFK-mau4Q-fu59m78v7IYnUSBO1zhh7hjBqjHxcODFovrGfzvlbLzBZy1SYclSuoJyfPZNKRxkKhswaqDJNk-I6_sD1dUii8dbdovab7P2hb87qJLCy1nxO0t1DkPEHTgM6-vapXT7n7uHnKJEduMmUI4Ff7GiwcMxEPb6JhgWxQblKpLA2RM-78N40be2BLx0tuCFHl6XVBCNdzP5McR5ChBknhLl4KYuTTHbNTFQjRCjRMlmV27JuKiwm-yhxCeYfowCRywy-Y34UwuPhJVKIYQ-Rz4UgJYZcypDYmA-V3XK2XfRSDZfWJ4d7k9jo9BqpGKaAptl_8HZn9NnLTpe0t-bRTrjjBeSWGa-QzatiB0wXePhdSfgS5HXPtGd1PU71Wqrayn5agGzjXrCSEbwRnNUrjsucXRw9i4LxR4hFOg4Gasnm4mWf6uk0RvLQw2nygerOup-m-DHVbtyuXnKQ-mCXtIJyg8Hw0qT8uczrgFMTzwFSrKeNZiKAp6I2VpAs4JQztytaOyjaDRkCIvSPPZJwrQ0nT8NMEIiivzzP3Wth-wtWhaxkBTuOuFjyaE_ZFUXlK8xOESB=w890-h667-no" style="height: auto; width: 889px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kaans and the Ng's were all ready to go!</td></tr>
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<br />
Spirits were high and the team members looked and felt ready for the back-breaking trek.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/WczaPhZDBiPnKGQ3f1sEzN2iizb-03doKKeKNP_d4GUhPeJkTc1bebkP7I5oVb_TrRmuibGTysQvBgkpF5tvHPepnvTG4XN7hexBkcmIQynotzFSIM6uOS4-c5QlEgg31RNitrj8Z-CaxoG6QnRWwlRcJtDc127lzp1uywz8rzBUdb38-uaB8tFwpa2fIVnXH2e6wOF-Maz_CpcFOYin5cy7hXIxOopR48ZsbtE34SdjShDWnJvjEYAi7Ls1pCIK54SPjfYJ9jH4T-kLOo5c3RA8Or-E-fvrrrmaM1zkjM19GN1tLQRgNL8g9uWhLN9flbxfPbX-b9KenNLiD9m6ZaKFgywvpNIsZo_G_h5qv-JdHdR6MNTv-AL1NcWkvUIcnqSENC5kfRGd1dm6cg0y-BAJZ7xlN13S8dh2R-oTWikbqE9EnHHs6BehcsFeQrTx-ilW5ZrSSwjGuK8gdKc42EJbMIHNr_97QQ0Ls6A6ju1V85JzJR1wjy6ydYd-t3m29KkaccPOrc1v5Ey53o5aWnOkrNb69n97oa04OI7SPyf0WnoFt8Ua2ddaRzWR4u9JgKFnJ2GLpNDx4tLZBiaRE0-DdTlEieUihufLRB5XDQJHX5oc3fSrvYJSouqTIBuBuOakUtznPSw6M3Xq8lfLOtBU6mzG0lHbx3mZ=w1191-h893-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1191" id="id_396d_b578_2efc_3496" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/WczaPhZDBiPnKGQ3f1sEzN2iizb-03doKKeKNP_d4GUhPeJkTc1bebkP7I5oVb_TrRmuibGTysQvBgkpF5tvHPepnvTG4XN7hexBkcmIQynotzFSIM6uOS4-c5QlEgg31RNitrj8Z-CaxoG6QnRWwlRcJtDc127lzp1uywz8rzBUdb38-uaB8tFwpa2fIVnXH2e6wOF-Maz_CpcFOYin5cy7hXIxOopR48ZsbtE34SdjShDWnJvjEYAi7Ls1pCIK54SPjfYJ9jH4T-kLOo5c3RA8Or-E-fvrrrmaM1zkjM19GN1tLQRgNL8g9uWhLN9flbxfPbX-b9KenNLiD9m6ZaKFgywvpNIsZo_G_h5qv-JdHdR6MNTv-AL1NcWkvUIcnqSENC5kfRGd1dm6cg0y-BAJZ7xlN13S8dh2R-oTWikbqE9EnHHs6BehcsFeQrTx-ilW5ZrSSwjGuK8gdKc42EJbMIHNr_97QQ0Ls6A6ju1V85JzJR1wjy6ydYd-t3m29KkaccPOrc1v5Ey53o5aWnOkrNb69n97oa04OI7SPyf0WnoFt8Ua2ddaRzWR4u9JgKFnJ2GLpNDx4tLZBiaRE0-DdTlEieUihufLRB5XDQJHX5oc3fSrvYJSouqTIBuBuOakUtznPSw6M3Xq8lfLOtBU6mzG0lHbx3mZ=w1191-h893-no" style="height: auto; width: 1191px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group photo: sans Mimi, Zaid, Cheng Cheng, Leong, Jason and Matthew.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4544/27107329519_8e19de2ece_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" id="id_2fe8_7e87_9bd_e979" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4544/27107329519_34692709fa_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 0px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></td></tr>
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</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXL9kmKzqOAJS7QAS7JoVFiYfnJcxZqzzTPcIZKHbo33B8vyCEBDEX1QvIX9VSMFrJs0LJCBTXUdcOLKY2p7JQMA9x6d8-OFXXK6Je63Yyk1coytsQPFfhQHAEDCx8CjO5pX2vNgUmcb0/w890-h667-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="889" id="id_7c89_5d88_c150_9c81" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXL9kmKzqOAJS7QAS7JoVFiYfnJcxZqzzTPcIZKHbo33B8vyCEBDEX1QvIX9VSMFrJs0LJCBTXUdcOLKY2p7JQMA9x6d8-OFXXK6Je63Yyk1coytsQPFfhQHAEDCx8CjO5pX2vNgUmcb0/w890-h667-no/" style="height: auto; width: 889px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah Leong and Kai Sing were so happy to have that extra leg room.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/PY-4m5JfGDFeXOSrpS3KhfVJDTZMODkR9wsYnFwFYP-5dBGwtnG9dN9IydMQua-eEkBhTaaLz9i6KxbYS_Bn6cfMXhFueADV4A62Dj-wTaqGglzOcVITyAHNiAvbe49DOC71hfHDt7sy6sbfJPBK6jtUElDTB5AVlvSq1iSCd22WgW7YBc4mAI11Q4tEVLr-OlGBth7ZqEymZvIED11ywivUy7DCMt-j2EbXga8AxUQWPqWMkBxK20Uc7Z1mxop5RnOUPDIBOsnCNyiG8Y4RnIjekIXSwEBugm_Z9dasE2s9UZ_AId4-c0IbFy73H0PZODsugt69x81YoDMOi_myoZ35GCAWrCG-N047l12N5ws1LdBVzbN3nTP6OQKNBBAnIe_MLcKmMxSYrXAM3ppmQUcRXx2L7Njkvx5TBtnLspgsOrX5kXvX-6RkV5fSd2Wdkbd6xUsxomn9nn2JBE7cit3UjBmeH0_lkKtxeTpgwwIRjEfanUj3BJ7Hp24x92gli74kaQr0qiN7l6I0UBCtPiVHVG2Ru7o6P2ov7ldkDte9jLwU0Rx2epltm9M5W8frzfZ8tp1ODYbGFSUvyhZvNCUyJKXJnF5pDQvztiLPY1sJ55zXl2GPLcDkN1gOzFkYN7gkAw3WPgcIpSu6tqt0S0JpJawrEZd44ATr=w890-h667-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="889" id="id_f045_5c4c_c12a_5251" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/PY-4m5JfGDFeXOSrpS3KhfVJDTZMODkR9wsYnFwFYP-5dBGwtnG9dN9IydMQua-eEkBhTaaLz9i6KxbYS_Bn6cfMXhFueADV4A62Dj-wTaqGglzOcVITyAHNiAvbe49DOC71hfHDt7sy6sbfJPBK6jtUElDTB5AVlvSq1iSCd22WgW7YBc4mAI11Q4tEVLr-OlGBth7ZqEymZvIED11ywivUy7DCMt-j2EbXga8AxUQWPqWMkBxK20Uc7Z1mxop5RnOUPDIBOsnCNyiG8Y4RnIjekIXSwEBugm_Z9dasE2s9UZ_AId4-c0IbFy73H0PZODsugt69x81YoDMOi_myoZ35GCAWrCG-N047l12N5ws1LdBVzbN3nTP6OQKNBBAnIe_MLcKmMxSYrXAM3ppmQUcRXx2L7Njkvx5TBtnLspgsOrX5kXvX-6RkV5fSd2Wdkbd6xUsxomn9nn2JBE7cit3UjBmeH0_lkKtxeTpgwwIRjEfanUj3BJ7Hp24x92gli74kaQr0qiN7l6I0UBCtPiVHVG2Ru7o6P2ov7ldkDte9jLwU0Rx2epltm9M5W8frzfZ8tp1ODYbGFSUvyhZvNCUyJKXJnF5pDQvztiLPY1sJ55zXl2GPLcDkN1gOzFkYN7gkAw3WPgcIpSu6tqt0S0JpJawrEZd44ATr=w890-h667-no" style="height: auto; width: 889px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KC Tng, Patrick Papin and Darric looking forward to some mountain action.</td></tr>
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<br />
Professor Murphy did strike not long after we took off from SIN to land at KLIA for the transit. For no reason, Ka Lin and five of us from our family got bumped off the next flight MH 170 to Malindo Air OD184, scheduled to arrive one hour later at Kathmandu. No amount of table banging would help as the equally confused transit counter staff guided us unsuccessfully to the first originally promised lounge that rejected us, and we ended up in another CIP lounge for some measly breakfast while the rest of the group took off. Ka Lin was a great help. Her fluent Bahasa lubricated the whole process for us, and four and a half hours later we set foot on the grounds of Kathmandu Tribhuvan Airport, only to find a Telegram message from Lai Peng on my handphone waiting for me:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b> "We have 2 bags missing n cannot find yours. Our luggage confirmed MIA. Raymond's luggage also missing. Stressful. Adrian has already brought the rest to the hotel. Now it's Alex, me and Raymond in the airport waiting outside for you all. Officially 10 pieces of luggage missing!"</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I Telegrammed back while still stuck in the queue applying for our visa on arrival: <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>"Aaaaw man, this is really an adventure!"</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Alex: <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>"My adventure also started. 2 out of 3 missing. 😢"</b></span></blockquote>
After a while, we decided that the easiest method of communication was with the walkie talkie. So we turned on our walkie talkies and Alex, myself, Kai Sing we started all radio-ing each other inside and outside of the immigration area, like officials working in the airport. Well, at least the walkie talkies came into good use right from the beginning.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGVfv_ZxaUfQSzTFG9E2_4uGPjDyJ9IOkhPqxzYHoRI-ewXuB93-HPSd2e_a07paANRzpdkesgQlYS-Z2JEXuHbu95KZoS6oU3JFnMWkXLZr6IWeZBlvLrAP3goXCnVJjlKdxH2reKhbE/w1189-h893-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1188" height="480" id="id_bc60_7556_a8ee_5da8" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGVfv_ZxaUfQSzTFG9E2_4uGPjDyJ9IOkhPqxzYHoRI-ewXuB93-HPSd2e_a07paANRzpdkesgQlYS-Z2JEXuHbu95KZoS6oU3JFnMWkXLZr6IWeZBlvLrAP3goXCnVJjlKdxH2reKhbE/w1189-h893-no/" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first group was on the way to the hotel while Alex, Lai Peng, Raymond waited in the airport for their missing luggage.<br />
[Photo: Darric]</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">The </span><span style="color: yellow;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232;">:</span> <span style="color: yellow;">Arriving at Kathmandu</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>Adventure in Thamel</b></span><br />
Most everyone visitor to Kathmandu will find himself/herself spending plenty of time in this 'Orchard Road belt' of Kathmandu, where shops abounds- from butcher shops, vegetable stalls to bookshops, coldwear/hiking shops, restaurants to even modern supermarkets with POS systems. I never failed to be amazed by the buzzle of Thamel.<br />
It was always a good idea to leave a few items to be acquired in Thamel, as the obligatory roam of the streets would take us from shop to shop. For our family, as well as Tan JK, Raymond, Ka Lin and Alex. Lai Peng, who have all lost our luggage, this shopping trip was of even more importance as we were mentally prepared to wear what we had and a little more additional that we were buying for the next 15 days.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">The </span><span style="color: yellow;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232;">:</span> <span style="color: yellow;">Buying up a storm in Thamel!</span></span></b><br />
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I had always loved the sights and sounds of Thamel. The earthquake of 2015 probably hadn’t changed Thamel much, but from what Adrian and Cheng Cheng said later, the devastation of the earthquake was still apparent at Drubar square. Things might have become slightly more expensive after the earthquake of 2015 but bargainability remained unchanged, especially when in the company of the likes of Darric, KC Tng, Adrian, Alex and gang. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffca28; font-size: large;">Winter wear and hiking equipment </span></b></div>
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Admittedly I had one of the most enjoyable evenings in Thamel with KK and Leong haggling with the stall owner Binot over their pants, Zaid and Mimi trying to bargain with him to bring their buffs down to 100NPR, and Darric, Kc Tng and Kong Wan threatening to walk out when their friendly ‘demands’ were not reciprocated... and Alex and Lai Peng found a cheaper store further down the road. Poor Tan JK was left with only his jeans and some T-shirt and Adrian’s paternal instinct kicked in in grabbing a 2200 NPR set of ‘North Face’ base layers and a 1650 NPR North Face fleeced trekking pants, both of which I also acquired.</div>
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Kai Sing had the foresight of getting everything in Singapore, thus Ka Lin was partially spared the trauma of last minute acquisition. Ah Sing and Ah Li were also fortunate as they both cleverly carried a full set of middle and outer layers including base layers in their hand carried luggage. Thus, Serene, Fann and I were the only ones left without most of our middle and outer layers. </div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>“Look,”</b></span> I told the family. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>“We will buy what we can buy here with the expectation that we will not receive our luggage up in the mountains. We should be able to last three days until Namche with what we have right now. If we are so unlucky to totally lose all our luggage up there, then we will buy some more clothes in Namche Bazaar. Meanwhile, three of let’s just make do with the down jacket rented from Mountain Delights.”</b></span></blockquote>
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While everyone else was clearing the stall keeper Binot’s stock of 600 NPR (S$7.80, some I heard managed to bargain down to 500 NPR) trekking sticks, we made a decision to stick it out without the sticks for the first two days of trekking first.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #ffca28; font-size: large;">NCell SIM Cards </span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting our phones NCell-SIM-carded up at Thamel. [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
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Nepal is definitely not amongst the most advanced countries when it came to mobile communication. But the telcom NCell did provide relatively reasonable reception for Kathmandu up to just before Dingboche along the trek. There was totally no signal from Dingboche upwards, through Lobuche up to Gorak Shep. The NCell SIM cards were available everywhere in Thamel, one just needed one’s passport. Prices did vary a little from vendor to vendor. At 1300 NPR (S$16.90) for a 5Gb data SIM card or 900 NPR (S$12.10) for a 2.5Gb data SIM card for a 30 days period, I felt it would be good enough for most of us. Apparently at EBC some of the guys even had signals on their NCell cards. Some of the teammates ended up buying a 600 NPR 200Mb Everest trek link, a paid WiFi Service amongst the guest houses at Dingboche and further onwards just to have some form of link with civilization. Enough for Darric, Patrick, Kong Wan (represented by Ryan) and I to put in our predictions for the EPL for the weekend!</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"You are very familiar with Nepal, Raymond?"</b></span> I asked him while waiting for the NCell card.</blockquote>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Well, that last time when I was here in Nepal was 20 years ago, I climbed ABC,"</b></span> came his reply.</blockquote>
Wow! A seasoned Himalayan climber here! Such a humble man, this Raymond was. I would never have known. Thinking back, this explained his pace throughout the whole trek. He was almost always in front with the fast boys and girls. My respect.<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Back in Kathmandu Garden Hotel...</b></span><br />
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I had the opportunity to have a good chat with Matthew. So he and Jason were army mates, and while this was Jason's first trek, Matthew himself had done plenty of treks in Europe, climbing the alpine slopes and tackling even steeper slopes. An avid trekker he was. In addition to that he rock-climbs a mean 6B high wall. So we had in our team, plenty of good and experience trekkers and climbers. I was sure this was going to be great fun.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b>EBC TREK Day 2</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">19 Nov 2017</span></b></div>
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The kindness of the teammates touched our family when Mimi, Cheng Cheng, Khim and KC started offering disposable underwear and heat packs to the girls and myself. Losing our luggage wasn’t exactly the best way to start the trek. But knowing that we had such caring group mates, among all the others who offered their help, was comforting.</div>
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I did not recall us ever leaving the Kathmandu hotel so early at 4:30am to make our way to the domestic airport. In retrospect I now knew why. The early start ensured us a pole position in the push towards Lukla. Summit Air operated the 19 seater propeller plane that took us all in two flights up. The weather was with us that morning. And although Ah Sing was separated from our family by being pushed to the second flight, the smooth landing gave all of us the much needed relief, both heart-wise and bladders-wise. The apprehension I had on my first round six years ago ok this Lukla-bound flight evaporated with the sight of the pretty air stewardess. I was quite sure that apart from Ah Li, everyone else was quite calm.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/j67_LfqQLf49XEpwwXnPRjpCiJe8Y9DZn5scU8IwvX6fYpZrbM0lg2DuID0cdr6iKP8Wg-jfK12HzaPOtujYTdEhEjhbtYaPLNjZrl5bhyAzAMvIbSs83AG3uz8ZzZOo_OfqAM4BZvkN0JPOklYOtm5z3KhQDLEd-wD275u7wYpXSzPCnDmSTnxwG13uUPrgi91pQrQKNUA9z67i0-Xy6_uKZR4RuvKrcGduVFtVOKaWteJ9oQStAqkKwNGGdjsiOz6SN9aWuo0o8oIBDKuXlc6nZUwAkF4m5cmpHRZqtvkZVmxtWjzx98W0ZMNEirRpXgB3pV-j6TVYDI8QsybeN0WIo5JFwhiDE0ZWmUQoGPEFHQAT7J6dGukdRQ2o5hQhU7F1znawxvZnaD_ATAaCVGNu9UkuizI1MeRKBRUJxm1eMOO68XJ3pzmHpgFICyNNwIJYj3YDyfLYLTwnlD5gl2Mv5HG0A0GfCXy0rs-2nQp76n_Wyo01SzJnqpjstIpoEK0kfTYEjScxJVq9ZD4e6bKKIUMWPZO8eA6DeuRYcPn4BZ6XXm5V5v0zD56KpqQLNRzy9pVOV13ysfEmQRcHH1LHoEKl65c0a5yYgJfKD7wCh7-Ykmm-SwM_Kk7QfmWBk5BBtV4VC9rU73qTftFY7HjyADsOG9VFmg=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/j67_LfqQLf49XEpwwXnPRjpCiJe8Y9DZn5scU8IwvX6fYpZrbM0lg2DuID0cdr6iKP8Wg-jfK12HzaPOtujYTdEhEjhbtYaPLNjZrl5bhyAzAMvIbSs83AG3uz8ZzZOo_OfqAM4BZvkN0JPOklYOtm5z3KhQDLEd-wD275u7wYpXSzPCnDmSTnxwG13uUPrgi91pQrQKNUA9z67i0-Xy6_uKZR4RuvKrcGduVFtVOKaWteJ9oQStAqkKwNGGdjsiOz6SN9aWuo0o8oIBDKuXlc6nZUwAkF4m5cmpHRZqtvkZVmxtWjzx98W0ZMNEirRpXgB3pV-j6TVYDI8QsybeN0WIo5JFwhiDE0ZWmUQoGPEFHQAT7J6dGukdRQ2o5hQhU7F1znawxvZnaD_ATAaCVGNu9UkuizI1MeRKBRUJxm1eMOO68XJ3pzmHpgFICyNNwIJYj3YDyfLYLTwnlD5gl2Mv5HG0A0GfCXy0rs-2nQp76n_Wyo01SzJnqpjstIpoEK0kfTYEjScxJVq9ZD4e6bKKIUMWPZO8eA6DeuRYcPn4BZ6XXm5V5v0zD56KpqQLNRzy9pVOV13ysfEmQRcHH1LHoEKl65c0a5yYgJfKD7wCh7-Ykmm-SwM_Kk7QfmWBk5BBtV4VC9rU73qTftFY7HjyADsOG9VFmg=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landed at Lukla. [Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Dek41WUeOzNnZsaKxzhKRIxnh_Y8MWtD75sHNnB7zOKY2s2YIGE5915f0gnUOjK92niBCYR0qQLhBNiy3HIsv9T9V5pfZzzM_6ZinMrU3PldpXaTqI_MsbKX8Zr1ZpRuzgItt5W-7BslQkYs9_P6yI7NhthVEqrGneRmL809YrIAZ2sLWb93SqH2_R12N-BuT96ViDeGD3pc7Ei9WjLcjNnEqXU_boznqNcdNJugwBBPUIvVXFRkAJTGA447e-JIcA_Pejg56933Gk3vRoFJxcTm_6N1NQXByx_hnVsFmp696T9UZt2EUtxFuJSWBxBjbfKOPhZfNCux_wzd-cyyC5yT-kkAGG5d7p1_1uFOLn1zC4prm-L3puJpPV1wJbMlTaQ54ih9MZ4LhYuWNIfgn7PAdiDJ2ENaS3kodWbhY-UY0LfH2svDy5BwrVgWvfFK9GT6GU-DzBowdY-zOzHeGM0qF6cZaLWbdPSA0ma1M4oN2LcGPtVo7nfD666J5D1abOs6W6lVJ8H7HBpRN7DV3WYflqO5eihlbqePSurpGg2aUqbOvXgxq9wPW4cXlQeF1-KqEwaILc3GuhPbWWZLtLdwnk6D9p5ge9DQP8oRERXIZO8UpBTjVF6Pe5RyYCZQO6vXhAudPQbgO4t4OXer7Q1-1XpM0m4=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Dek41WUeOzNnZsaKxzhKRIxnh_Y8MWtD75sHNnB7zOKY2s2YIGE5915f0gnUOjK92niBCYR0qQLhBNiy3HIsv9T9V5pfZzzM_6ZinMrU3PldpXaTqI_MsbKX8Zr1ZpRuzgItt5W-7BslQkYs9_P6yI7NhthVEqrGneRmL809YrIAZ2sLWb93SqH2_R12N-BuT96ViDeGD3pc7Ei9WjLcjNnEqXU_boznqNcdNJugwBBPUIvVXFRkAJTGA447e-JIcA_Pejg56933Gk3vRoFJxcTm_6N1NQXByx_hnVsFmp696T9UZt2EUtxFuJSWBxBjbfKOPhZfNCux_wzd-cyyC5yT-kkAGG5d7p1_1uFOLn1zC4prm-L3puJpPV1wJbMlTaQ54ih9MZ4LhYuWNIfgn7PAdiDJ2ENaS3kodWbhY-UY0LfH2svDy5BwrVgWvfFK9GT6GU-DzBowdY-zOzHeGM0qF6cZaLWbdPSA0ma1M4oN2LcGPtVo7nfD666J5D1abOs6W6lVJ8H7HBpRN7DV3WYflqO5eihlbqePSurpGg2aUqbOvXgxq9wPW4cXlQeF1-KqEwaILc3GuhPbWWZLtLdwnk6D9p5ge9DQP8oRERXIZO8UpBTjVF6Pe5RyYCZQO6vXhAudPQbgO4t4OXer7Q1-1XpM0m4=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the fences. [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
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The day just broke as we walked, bladders decompressed, out of Tenzing Norgay airport and surprisingly breathlessly up the path towards the Main Street of Lukla. At 2800m, there should be generally not much effect. Somehow the slightly thinner Air did had an impact. Namaste Lodge found the whole group seated, dole-eyed round her dining hall, with Adrian giving a final briefing before setting off.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/v3ifFgAmjpFqfaU24rbxU4HnVq5PLZTgspdGBRyIgMoPPoi7NOxEeA-9aQ_Fbq5Tv6kGRuJHrwn_qbyrhGd9X3H9zeTYEjKNT1Hsijdivee61Vh-CpPGX4eYEaBUU83MGIwNZl2xnHeY-cZhYmiRuUOi3Txva_3ykC3VtcQE64t-x7PFLlM26LmKnoYqjQ7D5QQa1eKPhfTxU20Grz5Ks-mOpqnkqpZH1QSRsBdGt_rdvhX85UnXP6fPW1ddqALuvxInj_EIMFLcuZBvp2avtkXZ4ugDBP5MEYCubdG71iCFMmD7AYd6XhW35B2PbzL4I3l_opKMO7JWuAUObpY2oYODv1mzgwK6rJobmOyzLbiiGfsHTmlX4hTR5JcPo1nTiXnb8Qq8uJ14007BujLslfFMlcDMp58FA2ELtj5iBGolBGxgCehvuwJZgmvJytEf6laycGgSHrN9dasBF0dOVo9O3fsoKzdq7DYPxw0ZlcPvvrFyX749qaZqkLgX7t6XwDQhTsZEkBkzEsSy0ZenPC3ks8yD5jd67_222JNTu4_86pk9JHHqt8MH0j1rsFXCQ9lCV1f4oRbzgUyqRvOwyezVQEXgYDImFa9qCQkqAsC25KzBJamJIV0E1Qy-qngpke-KseQNqO8B4BpDyEE1MO26Bac0ODf2xw=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/v3ifFgAmjpFqfaU24rbxU4HnVq5PLZTgspdGBRyIgMoPPoi7NOxEeA-9aQ_Fbq5Tv6kGRuJHrwn_qbyrhGd9X3H9zeTYEjKNT1Hsijdivee61Vh-CpPGX4eYEaBUU83MGIwNZl2xnHeY-cZhYmiRuUOi3Txva_3ykC3VtcQE64t-x7PFLlM26LmKnoYqjQ7D5QQa1eKPhfTxU20Grz5Ks-mOpqnkqpZH1QSRsBdGt_rdvhX85UnXP6fPW1ddqALuvxInj_EIMFLcuZBvp2avtkXZ4ugDBP5MEYCubdG71iCFMmD7AYd6XhW35B2PbzL4I3l_opKMO7JWuAUObpY2oYODv1mzgwK6rJobmOyzLbiiGfsHTmlX4hTR5JcPo1nTiXnb8Qq8uJ14007BujLslfFMlcDMp58FA2ELtj5iBGolBGxgCehvuwJZgmvJytEf6laycGgSHrN9dasBF0dOVo9O3fsoKzdq7DYPxw0ZlcPvvrFyX749qaZqkLgX7t6XwDQhTsZEkBkzEsSy0ZenPC3ks8yD5jd67_222JNTu4_86pk9JHHqt8MH0j1rsFXCQ9lCV1f4oRbzgUyqRvOwyezVQEXgYDImFa9qCQkqAsC25KzBJamJIV0E1Qy-qngpke-KseQNqO8B4BpDyEE1MO26Bac0ODf2xw=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Namaste Lodge</td></tr>
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Things hadn’t changed much over the past 6 years. Lukla still remained unchanged. Except that the fake Starbucks was no longer in existence, being replaced by another Cafe.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">The </span><span style="color: yellow;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232;">:</span> <span style="color: yellow;">Flying to Lukla!</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Trek from Lukla to Phakding</span></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGv26clOg4K-y98dw-DUHh6kYlPIBrrOmZzIfSCQDCUaKtMBwmrbNVQV06vMVn2C9KNG7G4PpqO8r9ik14xuzRs1qcs7WnqUthZJDcU3HnkkSZz3cUQIsrNj7k3z2Mf90xHnGRaYMtWBU/w365-h649-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGv26clOg4K-y98dw-DUHh6kYlPIBrrOmZzIfSCQDCUaKtMBwmrbNVQV06vMVn2C9KNG7G4PpqO8r9ik14xuzRs1qcs7WnqUthZJDcU3HnkkSZz3cUQIsrNj7k3z2Mf90xHnGRaYMtWBU/w365-h649-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[From Lukla to Phakdin]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0igbmpe1_CphrGFOmpvrEaPD3ILvgVQXso3L7NqKI77EeI9rMP3R-FFBzDxXiOE_EcrcApYel6z-4yJJEmcFjGtB3yEoEHTfA-0exvDaE5GMMtxem7R7W_B2GhhqxHLRwGrVluFBd3v8/w866-h649-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0igbmpe1_CphrGFOmpvrEaPD3ILvgVQXso3L7NqKI77EeI9rMP3R-FFBzDxXiOE_EcrcApYel6z-4yJJEmcFjGtB3yEoEHTfA-0exvDaE5GMMtxem7R7W_B2GhhqxHLRwGrVluFBd3v8/w866-h649-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting at Namaste Lodge to start the trek.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/2Kx-0TBZcBqHxoEqZjq3s-jM5BtUN4jZ6br6zrbxod9oqujIoKf1KE0SKW_X457UETr_TYvf-hlAuxqIZdtZSUS7o6SyzfrCCki-sRbU5G-vBF2AC4e4ecvcdjL7Jp8pKua3OmIvIjlncGxvNwmKcECsR4WdyqRs7YKKAeRUOxAolED3LFViHj-Cr8sIwKzT7KGc2S23__tSzM1FC9p_g9zpjAfY8J-SnqlK4n2xFsjj_6DsidD3Oe5mq98XYxS55TWNfcIFQzJ537GB_ZmyXzJ3EcqlTG2HuYy48rinKeTz6TliZ-nxb2XVL4AmSncK5H9iFGK7dUSDtq70ATSjd8Dx07abcrfrBJQUUxafeiusx9e5qQgYlvBRYkRw4KXHVTweD1Jb3_bqBEDRmjvcYkrRTixpL8FSYcE1evsSbXA4XxuredMWPaW7LtT-CzcMcidP1v0D1EbI2vbFTots0YPRCAgz-rx2Hju2uUX0kiSZbSTceTCflLpzWgF0O8v_GTnEyDANGdhBWslOIo2JTDk9XSGyD19OQUgJH5ttX6VzBQSJvLKECJwEbR9LRCKDVXvxy352UStugb-B6f_se2C8ujj_edzmoDvgF00w0ZPNeA42Lh8b5MO4tNfgRiC8CMQWNc8Ld3wrpm5fug1FFjfpxYnKMl2J=w973-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="973" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/2Kx-0TBZcBqHxoEqZjq3s-jM5BtUN4jZ6br6zrbxod9oqujIoKf1KE0SKW_X457UETr_TYvf-hlAuxqIZdtZSUS7o6SyzfrCCki-sRbU5G-vBF2AC4e4ecvcdjL7Jp8pKua3OmIvIjlncGxvNwmKcECsR4WdyqRs7YKKAeRUOxAolED3LFViHj-Cr8sIwKzT7KGc2S23__tSzM1FC9p_g9zpjAfY8J-SnqlK4n2xFsjj_6DsidD3Oe5mq98XYxS55TWNfcIFQzJ537GB_ZmyXzJ3EcqlTG2HuYy48rinKeTz6TliZ-nxb2XVL4AmSncK5H9iFGK7dUSDtq70ATSjd8Dx07abcrfrBJQUUxafeiusx9e5qQgYlvBRYkRw4KXHVTweD1Jb3_bqBEDRmjvcYkrRTixpL8FSYcE1evsSbXA4XxuredMWPaW7LtT-CzcMcidP1v0D1EbI2vbFTots0YPRCAgz-rx2Hju2uUX0kiSZbSTceTCflLpzWgF0O8v_GTnEyDANGdhBWslOIo2JTDk9XSGyD19OQUgJH5ttX6VzBQSJvLKECJwEbR9LRCKDVXvxy352UStugb-B6f_se2C8ujj_edzmoDvgF00w0ZPNeA42Lh8b5MO4tNfgRiC8CMQWNc8Ld3wrpm5fug1FFjfpxYnKMl2J=w973-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of the trek from Lukla. [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
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This was the easiest day of the whole trip. From Lukla at 2800m to Phakding at 2600m, there was a net descent of 200m. Of course in between there were plenty of ups and downs. At 2800m, it was not common to suffer any altitude sickness. Thus most of the difficulties encountered were simply the climbs and the descents. Right from the beginning, among our family, we have already promised each other to keep a comfortable pace. Technically what we would term, a zone 2 heart rate pace. I made a pact to trek with Serene and not away from her. And I kept that promise right to the end.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/HQuu5MEbjTIXIg8FxiPZ0DKzCwEqh3iyUKOKaEqLmN7Zkxb2ju3LYPNOW3w7EUSvuLh4envmaOHefozovgABBoZIlbicRfnM78oWs6rea69uRGoGhVsq8ekcgZqzW5Uv8jOcyI9-KaqAnjRecY0YPUSBy-xQtfthZKjiKnDnjW3VAQgWENAQI9HSTJZTKoP8qpwVXB1_TRvDB82Aoh4WfUSqL8OwNJATGPf1i-2qru4XgqhKFcQFAJCBFg_HxTk8YwyRUntuqBFLnvAPCdp1vMoZzePDNJnGw3BWRy3vLua4LsU8VOv7CvTzWRqYkM5Q4M1jqkwwClqIhsVbqCUFg4v5Ymkt1QA3g39IYYu0tYzzPmmd4S3b0myaV17LUUN_Y2DApilYUayAMkeSNbKjk97mNl_uiC2ZSu1zwfk7Op3Pyk2E63-ssr8YRZzxsZEnv_4l1oPsaWYDCPgDR1p3GNhVCWhrvOpJH8T9HHGp7MY4HkyF9-nrZuEQpaLB0q6cdF53ubZ1lmcTtiCNDz5M7Ft_SvumMN96T3xj_bYa0-PgxfXwuJCPP-YtKY9fCQXUQGdlvcbObCuZcZof8_Vf8CVcUlBt92yOnSoCYs3uvYGFS_nhTdxIiaMrxcM0YXa3-MsgfkBXkOKPwcpo4iMOzC9F5CIS_By_ig=w487-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="487" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/HQuu5MEbjTIXIg8FxiPZ0DKzCwEqh3iyUKOKaEqLmN7Zkxb2ju3LYPNOW3w7EUSvuLh4envmaOHefozovgABBoZIlbicRfnM78oWs6rea69uRGoGhVsq8ekcgZqzW5Uv8jOcyI9-KaqAnjRecY0YPUSBy-xQtfthZKjiKnDnjW3VAQgWENAQI9HSTJZTKoP8qpwVXB1_TRvDB82Aoh4WfUSqL8OwNJATGPf1i-2qru4XgqhKFcQFAJCBFg_HxTk8YwyRUntuqBFLnvAPCdp1vMoZzePDNJnGw3BWRy3vLua4LsU8VOv7CvTzWRqYkM5Q4M1jqkwwClqIhsVbqCUFg4v5Ymkt1QA3g39IYYu0tYzzPmmd4S3b0myaV17LUUN_Y2DApilYUayAMkeSNbKjk97mNl_uiC2ZSu1zwfk7Op3Pyk2E63-ssr8YRZzxsZEnv_4l1oPsaWYDCPgDR1p3GNhVCWhrvOpJH8T9HHGp7MY4HkyF9-nrZuEQpaLB0q6cdF53ubZ1lmcTtiCNDz5M7Ft_SvumMN96T3xj_bYa0-PgxfXwuJCPP-YtKY9fCQXUQGdlvcbObCuZcZof8_Vf8CVcUlBt92yOnSoCYs3uvYGFS_nhTdxIiaMrxcM0YXa3-MsgfkBXkOKPwcpo4iMOzC9F5CIS_By_ig=w487-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mimi and Jeffrey taking it easy. [Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
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In all honesty, on this day's trek, very soon, I lost sight of KC Tng, Jeffrery, Patrick, Darric, Alex, Lai Peng, Kai Sing, Zaid, Ka Lin, KK, Ah Leong and DTan. Ah Sing was also quite ahead of the rear group, once in a while appearing and then disappearing again.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch time!</td></tr>
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Trekking is thus. Every single trekker had his or her own pace.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Remember, this is NOT a race. Please trek at your own pace!"</span></b></span> was Adrian's constant reminder. </blockquote>
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I only managed to see the great majority of the group when we stopped for lunch. Dal Bhat was my usual order. It was a great rest. And soon, we were on our way again.<br />
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Here is the Relive video of our trek:</b></span></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="embedly-card" data-card-controls="0" data-card-key="f1631a41cb254ca5b035dc5747a5bd75">
<h4>
<a href="https://www.relive.cc/view/1281358561?r=embed-site">Relive 'Everest Base Camp trek Day 2 - Lukla to Phakding'</a></h4>
</blockquote>
<script async="" charset="UTF-8" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js"></script>
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Here is the Strava Flyby of this day's trek. </span></b></span> Just click on the image below, <span style="color: yellow;"><i><b>play and zoom in</b></i></span> to see how fast the boys and girls were cheonging WAAAAY ahead of me.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1281358561?c=tuvtset0&z=D&t=1Q4FPP&a=4fpfTFjPX0w0-F9MeapfTHm9pU3cj19MCIxfTECbX0w" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1281358561?c=tuvtset0&z=D&t=1Q4FPP&a=4fpfTFjPX0w0-F9MeapfTHm9pU3cj19MCIxfTECbX0w" border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="800" height="304" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4733/24399273837_ce40ca4dcb_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the Strava Flyby image above to see a realtime trek amongst all of us who were on Strava.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/Q8_wmSpS-iYQEJXmYDL4EbQrnbv7COIZ22GxS6g12KjsNxp8B6xxqBVBCPnBVrw58SS5z0358Bgo9MEeIRH_yOiy0Nijekh9C8VIowWuMzwj7S7i48t83EtIfGzloPIudHpF6blcuMMAjH69wH_5P5B0QAXxlN-r87s-0hlYk_wG0Q8O2HrepzfX2BQn2u1ILXTrb9UmKg6do8NWxtpv9ZopmItprQm1jZIPl9mOhjyeU34kNiiKpYJcN9VqFzGyy02gmZVyVAXImY5mnURxxOOYvfrzI3duo3PapCh4wEt5bpEAcz2IY9OyaDP6WdsX72ynrMC6_5id3QU4tAXApYwhJDSQIHX55RcpYSpDkz9EAWHL3ff50nrz9j1BihYzf7b2UshRK7cmsNa5yA-2LT6GNwG2mmIV-ff-yAtlBDGiZEzISSPL09o7Efa5-oOyAb74XsHQyN3vU_W9PlATOEjVjEiKTb-FmX68-juRSP5r_uGGy6Coi-5JAeokXMEIAkS-6c2DYsGk1Mn5pG31AUSFN05y5CatMErv0MdfKSN6nTz4ANfCCT5SDp20vIcOu7WLSKlHtEBHxT02HuJo-GZ6v8O1sGcpqRZLL8B0dJYBD1j0_7bmrpDEp__0JNW8bgEXKV0d43EOyMdlwNcTR6zGaOAZwLwoEA=w487-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="487" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/Q8_wmSpS-iYQEJXmYDL4EbQrnbv7COIZ22GxS6g12KjsNxp8B6xxqBVBCPnBVrw58SS5z0358Bgo9MEeIRH_yOiy0Nijekh9C8VIowWuMzwj7S7i48t83EtIfGzloPIudHpF6blcuMMAjH69wH_5P5B0QAXxlN-r87s-0hlYk_wG0Q8O2HrepzfX2BQn2u1ILXTrb9UmKg6do8NWxtpv9ZopmItprQm1jZIPl9mOhjyeU34kNiiKpYJcN9VqFzGyy02gmZVyVAXImY5mnURxxOOYvfrzI3duo3PapCh4wEt5bpEAcz2IY9OyaDP6WdsX72ynrMC6_5id3QU4tAXApYwhJDSQIHX55RcpYSpDkz9EAWHL3ff50nrz9j1BihYzf7b2UshRK7cmsNa5yA-2LT6GNwG2mmIV-ff-yAtlBDGiZEzISSPL09o7Efa5-oOyAb74XsHQyN3vU_W9PlATOEjVjEiKTb-FmX68-juRSP5r_uGGy6Coi-5JAeokXMEIAkS-6c2DYsGk1Mn5pG31AUSFN05y5CatMErv0MdfKSN6nTz4ANfCCT5SDp20vIcOu7WLSKlHtEBHxT02HuJo-GZ6v8O1sGcpqRZLL8B0dJYBD1j0_7bmrpDEp__0JNW8bgEXKV0d43EOyMdlwNcTR6zGaOAZwLwoEA=w487-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking to Phakding also quite siong one. [Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/nZGPok7JsA3BktqkE9P30dhSWfQ3rSGNB2T5L6TEQxOWPTYGYrftaN_4vDBEqP8Tf41yEF6pp2tCHCqTkb4W-VwWp918E3nvCa5fW6X9u_Kj1Kzy5u7htoFbLHlnluBLq-Jzw1T7XUEQidnvrsXwwk6WTTZAfXrSN0xD8NWCdXk49QYq47Jbp_5lRlUzkUJl_dSdzBzsMXLc7omCS6MCOKLPO-dohjBs0qXfO3jU3HhJUGfGnEo9KIQxx29aeR0pDKa-DFh6w33h-oymOvrgy4M2R4R0W2cLPLZFPVmSfKunr8LYpTNP94y0ttzBd4M-StbbT-d22o0v0GnThNqW38qmzRg5m58sF3MCyFZQWXy3HaVV_ltG1WfVExzY6bKX_vjZV7XSJlhgjShTGlT1LH5ko4evUMu-941p3mScTPj__4q37G_1-GJOvu6YztOvmXyd-w9t9bdRAjr2PqPd8iPDMyUHpsY_eyA4gLPufurMyn6luNJJSadGtUaRmtKbKNYVlSegIX4IqclEidcSoN-LIeSacxE0mAz8_GaBsPHCNIFB7vnHVm1iimh8hO_rXruNXOytA69n3evCoEmiQTcsgQ8R5Pc0a5zji2kSsfh7ydfK2knlAACyoT-QWa-QV_73QpgOnc5BahxOltC6dnQk-0LoLdmM=w487-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="487" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/nZGPok7JsA3BktqkE9P30dhSWfQ3rSGNB2T5L6TEQxOWPTYGYrftaN_4vDBEqP8Tf41yEF6pp2tCHCqTkb4W-VwWp918E3nvCa5fW6X9u_Kj1Kzy5u7htoFbLHlnluBLq-Jzw1T7XUEQidnvrsXwwk6WTTZAfXrSN0xD8NWCdXk49QYq47Jbp_5lRlUzkUJl_dSdzBzsMXLc7omCS6MCOKLPO-dohjBs0qXfO3jU3HhJUGfGnEo9KIQxx29aeR0pDKa-DFh6w33h-oymOvrgy4M2R4R0W2cLPLZFPVmSfKunr8LYpTNP94y0ttzBd4M-StbbT-d22o0v0GnThNqW38qmzRg5m58sF3MCyFZQWXy3HaVV_ltG1WfVExzY6bKX_vjZV7XSJlhgjShTGlT1LH5ko4evUMu-941p3mScTPj__4q37G_1-GJOvu6YztOvmXyd-w9t9bdRAjr2PqPd8iPDMyUHpsY_eyA4gLPufurMyn6luNJJSadGtUaRmtKbKNYVlSegIX4IqclEidcSoN-LIeSacxE0mAz8_GaBsPHCNIFB7vnHVm1iimh8hO_rXruNXOytA69n3evCoEmiQTcsgQ8R5Pc0a5zji2kSsfh7ydfK2knlAACyoT-QWa-QV_73QpgOnc5BahxOltC6dnQk-0LoLdmM=w487-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I simply loved the prayer wheels [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4591/24439538987_b1a39bb62b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4591/24439538987_b1a39bb62b_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="601" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4591/24439538987_734b078601_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing one of the bridges. [Photo: Cheng Cheng]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I kept a close watch on my Garmin Fenix 3HR watch, and I kept my heart rate at an average of 104/min, with a maximum of 140/min during some climb. This was only day one. Conservation was the key.<br />
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<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4593/39430136622_d821fc1cf8_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4593/39430136622_d821fc1cf8_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4593/39430136622_bce49c50c5_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A very cute video of us resting by Kong Wan. </span><br />
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The weather from Lukla to Phakding was in the early teens. Although we started off with our full layers, very soon we were all down to our base layers as it got warmer. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/jdFSpzTC_RBb1IHz0pmiDnmEgzxUE-AmB7tUjcDv-6SMHeqOt15sT0q3No9dkpCw7SON9475ZCfuv6ckIxMGTWJSdbyhxfUO2asavvkxPQ1hSIuO-l4uP3j8OUJ7wpAVEbXNognt4xGNgqtWibCE6HKqFz9Pp9Kr2ZzLkXj0R5CLD_PxMI6kHxCVneGGdFnYj4tlzpdLvs8hCYUQ4JTw9XIx3bhjhFhFlyOBZ13ox2ey7bViViIVAWI15tw8vesGusZmtcbvlXWxSbKABEdL8dwlHuorjMLGiWs-ftK30brULd_tYm4MUrcfzCCtLQFA48XBHkbT1v8r_w2OI0WpK9YSZISxRc_dvfItCxCe5EbIaUN61pegL2V-hpjxqHl8X-4OjkZVZYGWfsl33r8t1gvunfFjZwRY51HcxYBxxt3WikhWorFzb8Q4jX8gFk5QbC9IwxjsDett_8foPv5NL3qo6nsN8Z2DmfC-dAZKf1fNSUaGrx9EYGynnB3toC3gLK23SHp6a2V2zllwvTfw51TkZCP-WVyMTLeoBRdLHQ17c4P_-zqlQxsNqQ6BOIv_Z3d9JCzsrN47_S6d34v9oG_0e82XFpfX4N3nQsVW1cd1i-qdPaM20NJ6ypZytcqv7oy8VNlL3ttIv8iv9d9E6Dq9WIDSDSFE=w537-h716-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="537" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/jdFSpzTC_RBb1IHz0pmiDnmEgzxUE-AmB7tUjcDv-6SMHeqOt15sT0q3No9dkpCw7SON9475ZCfuv6ckIxMGTWJSdbyhxfUO2asavvkxPQ1hSIuO-l4uP3j8OUJ7wpAVEbXNognt4xGNgqtWibCE6HKqFz9Pp9Kr2ZzLkXj0R5CLD_PxMI6kHxCVneGGdFnYj4tlzpdLvs8hCYUQ4JTw9XIx3bhjhFhFlyOBZ13ox2ey7bViViIVAWI15tw8vesGusZmtcbvlXWxSbKABEdL8dwlHuorjMLGiWs-ftK30brULd_tYm4MUrcfzCCtLQFA48XBHkbT1v8r_w2OI0WpK9YSZISxRc_dvfItCxCe5EbIaUN61pegL2V-hpjxqHl8X-4OjkZVZYGWfsl33r8t1gvunfFjZwRY51HcxYBxxt3WikhWorFzb8Q4jX8gFk5QbC9IwxjsDett_8foPv5NL3qo6nsN8Z2DmfC-dAZKf1fNSUaGrx9EYGynnB3toC3gLK23SHp6a2V2zllwvTfw51TkZCP-WVyMTLeoBRdLHQ17c4P_-zqlQxsNqQ6BOIv_Z3d9JCzsrN47_S6d34v9oG_0e82XFpfX4N3nQsVW1cd1i-qdPaM20NJ6ypZytcqv7oy8VNlL3ttIv8iv9d9E6Dq9WIDSDSFE=w537-h716-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plenty of Mani stones. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/fvDuI465si7ve74O39sHAW5E8aogWVN0F2VFZovQHQ3EParqhmuDxxOWvKILAMhro_RQSEJNhjviNEughrtTmnOw1R5UWAZQY0ql5nLwqBlXQY0YbELPjxPmsQ7mzJ6kouiSvHvr7wC0zpL1vcCaqRqZQ3OpMFEo3w73Ig1CzWbIiDfho13x66fDzs6BwMnxpZoPpVVPmSGHjhY0OdTZYR5MtB5BHJjOcazx5l-GtZJtg9MFdPpM9EZhDaOMAP3uPUs-blfydp5WeTxwv-1jt7-p1iLZ_Ie_Djd4l0GbRXFWi_vE6obEUE5WGpyqx63ErmB0hQWElBsAt3Eyk4H9juj7gJYuoAgTlVmUopFFHKh0gPIzQNujEuzYE9DXWY6jBb2Le63hlkR6JmeYO97923jBGA3FFL71PJsJMeUQen3bK4N-xTQWxs6iVWazUveNEZ7dadj1TZ0xl6XTDFoIbIbRAZgsxJ_iRRlw18bTDpxH2BNqh9gwyORKZVA-XX3AGaR6VSM_mG-s9xWiwujwv_gVX2tVNdoD5OaHCiU95hGWv_U2WsO6kw5aay6EKnBgm2rOqHfNkgx4f5myPfq_03-SdXHIomBMvYHPgs-Al8FxYtLrWusZHAHiV4HqneOXrD_aLG5NHuodr94dHuTp00YX_4MZclx6=w537-h716-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="537" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/fvDuI465si7ve74O39sHAW5E8aogWVN0F2VFZovQHQ3EParqhmuDxxOWvKILAMhro_RQSEJNhjviNEughrtTmnOw1R5UWAZQY0ql5nLwqBlXQY0YbELPjxPmsQ7mzJ6kouiSvHvr7wC0zpL1vcCaqRqZQ3OpMFEo3w73Ig1CzWbIiDfho13x66fDzs6BwMnxpZoPpVVPmSGHjhY0OdTZYR5MtB5BHJjOcazx5l-GtZJtg9MFdPpM9EZhDaOMAP3uPUs-blfydp5WeTxwv-1jt7-p1iLZ_Ie_Djd4l0GbRXFWi_vE6obEUE5WGpyqx63ErmB0hQWElBsAt3Eyk4H9juj7gJYuoAgTlVmUopFFHKh0gPIzQNujEuzYE9DXWY6jBb2Le63hlkR6JmeYO97923jBGA3FFL71PJsJMeUQen3bK4N-xTQWxs6iVWazUveNEZ7dadj1TZ0xl6XTDFoIbIbRAZgsxJ_iRRlw18bTDpxH2BNqh9gwyORKZVA-XX3AGaR6VSM_mG-s9xWiwujwv_gVX2tVNdoD5OaHCiU95hGWv_U2WsO6kw5aay6EKnBgm2rOqHfNkgx4f5myPfq_03-SdXHIomBMvYHPgs-Al8FxYtLrWusZHAHiV4HqneOXrD_aLG5NHuodr94dHuTp00YX_4MZclx6=w537-h716-no" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Fann]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/7S8fDkzsgbw4bGsTbEsP_PAhX8K3_LDf3_u7HWu8XVcFpERagdvlIk4adZWEAjnJ3csFIqhEoSgNKip_NuMVqyAcVjt5so_jLpfjjxlinTQsbURqSjD-NrzFEsCXnu3KoZGHsl0GPkHtVrBn_oNewOridngWak2KtkGVuqlws6yWCRY65GfHLn2W6zTlOBuFwCs8gsfbbkyxXFOo3jyDnUsW-3dJh6MdLBg5JHI_UO516soFT2Q-NgBugvbj2lFsz0F9DVI5_OZ7LdJ-Ye8I2JE85RfZucB8BG5yrVuDnIBX6K-ZCt8BFAQBil7EQ-QrBOavYdOPXKAcekemx1LWLqWHRN3ewfv23MAMQkzZZmr2hZEKUWA9poeZjR6HFs5_YcDFsaxa4qLN4JaAHbrJmnvsqbxVzOavIw0Jk3B7RLOdkUjLV0ZD7eUBVW4l9o4D-l_aHa0Qgve5Y4KzQxAABNkgh81h4-hGYFayqjSuEnvjl7Bp5Hy1mZd-D_oBuWqT-4KM_wgYcr4tDOcG-Iqs1gES2p7wzYqDH11DZyfMyxlvEmyQCkt2zpx_EjqqHevfWteNO6XUJvc9vdlewlHQHGx4bUsmluH0q_L7QCsgkg8RATMtJUfmx2OmIimrHEMwdli7LSpd6oRovR5F49m2pgvmhLhx-K8XJA=w955-h716-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="955" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/7S8fDkzsgbw4bGsTbEsP_PAhX8K3_LDf3_u7HWu8XVcFpERagdvlIk4adZWEAjnJ3csFIqhEoSgNKip_NuMVqyAcVjt5so_jLpfjjxlinTQsbURqSjD-NrzFEsCXnu3KoZGHsl0GPkHtVrBn_oNewOridngWak2KtkGVuqlws6yWCRY65GfHLn2W6zTlOBuFwCs8gsfbbkyxXFOo3jyDnUsW-3dJh6MdLBg5JHI_UO516soFT2Q-NgBugvbj2lFsz0F9DVI5_OZ7LdJ-Ye8I2JE85RfZucB8BG5yrVuDnIBX6K-ZCt8BFAQBil7EQ-QrBOavYdOPXKAcekemx1LWLqWHRN3ewfv23MAMQkzZZmr2hZEKUWA9poeZjR6HFs5_YcDFsaxa4qLN4JaAHbrJmnvsqbxVzOavIw0Jk3B7RLOdkUjLV0ZD7eUBVW4l9o4D-l_aHa0Qgve5Y4KzQxAABNkgh81h4-hGYFayqjSuEnvjl7Bp5Hy1mZd-D_oBuWqT-4KM_wgYcr4tDOcG-Iqs1gES2p7wzYqDH11DZyfMyxlvEmyQCkt2zpx_EjqqHevfWteNO6XUJvc9vdlewlHQHGx4bUsmluH0q_L7QCsgkg8RATMtJUfmx2OmIimrHEMwdli7LSpd6oRovR5F49m2pgvmhLhx-K8XJA=w955-h716-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My take of the Mani stones.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1281358561/overview" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.strava.com/activities/1281358561/overview" border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="800" height="184" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4686/25395033818_dd6f6c50c8_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the above for my Strava of this Day 1's trek.</td></tr>
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Total moving time was 3 hour 40 mins from Lukla to Phakding. Well, it could have been faster. But hey it was only the first day. <br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">The </span><span style="color: yellow;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232;">:</span> <span style="color: yellow;">Finally trekking! From Lukla to Phakding.</span></span></b><br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="470" id="id_2dd5_a37b_7a70_2570" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yw4Qygb3ZcQ?rel=0" width="820"></iframe>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Beer Garden Hotel</span></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/qjTED616qgYSpnxCzayNL1-WE8fqt4BlV8Oq5sf3O_Ru-GDDsdRsv1bnMcUoRO0y7q419PlIF1bAEgzNir-nbFhSvKMzNiOdEu8xDS_ApuahmRlAf2tRmP2LR_aoAVWLEZwbdjUAUvG5GrJ0Fuy7NkCMy9cNNBDOQvHtRw8SH61MVab6ssiEjhu4wdHCodC_bNYB672O9rBXTXJGBIlhTc7IMX1Ytz3Fzz31JOMPzh9zkOjKZSUFhvHGCCH1C-2ZYvqQ4ntn9RWrHGEORTyl7NDx78zPl4x6zWT_fCiHg9A9_-ERSXAh7DxhJ3R_5SxL99swSm959-vLACuSokqiaYEJ4e2KJyQcNpRJQgOcseCoCMMEcVQf5RDJ3fzByydwpPSQCHdT_9vCicbhkRW04y15LAzrBLrIbB-H8MVpWaYbscuwDoqN-Ia68N42aJnTzKw2U34I6bipG2d1VShb54cv9DEajVY5m22kyFMcctiRneNy4zpdA6kkB1vmbpyxBIZ3x2V2IT_MTUfd3kGOWpRvxa5fTXci5ZpOVIl9E3SWz6lZUaK1uSCJXndoBvfMJvRVXo9TAoLaUD4OvTxSe1xyRF5mn8cvGL7zCBZ6C-nbZQLL300sSu5MAVkQdvQmpa7yIFgxbJvTLBSNR2TMDNNadKfvzvOr0w=w487-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="487" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/qjTED616qgYSpnxCzayNL1-WE8fqt4BlV8Oq5sf3O_Ru-GDDsdRsv1bnMcUoRO0y7q419PlIF1bAEgzNir-nbFhSvKMzNiOdEu8xDS_ApuahmRlAf2tRmP2LR_aoAVWLEZwbdjUAUvG5GrJ0Fuy7NkCMy9cNNBDOQvHtRw8SH61MVab6ssiEjhu4wdHCodC_bNYB672O9rBXTXJGBIlhTc7IMX1Ytz3Fzz31JOMPzh9zkOjKZSUFhvHGCCH1C-2ZYvqQ4ntn9RWrHGEORTyl7NDx78zPl4x6zWT_fCiHg9A9_-ERSXAh7DxhJ3R_5SxL99swSm959-vLACuSokqiaYEJ4e2KJyQcNpRJQgOcseCoCMMEcVQf5RDJ3fzByydwpPSQCHdT_9vCicbhkRW04y15LAzrBLrIbB-H8MVpWaYbscuwDoqN-Ia68N42aJnTzKw2U34I6bipG2d1VShb54cv9DEajVY5m22kyFMcctiRneNy4zpdA6kkB1vmbpyxBIZ3x2V2IT_MTUfd3kGOWpRvxa5fTXci5ZpOVIl9E3SWz6lZUaK1uSCJXndoBvfMJvRVXo9TAoLaUD4OvTxSe1xyRF5mn8cvGL7zCBZ6C-nbZQLL300sSu5MAVkQdvQmpa7yIFgxbJvTLBSNR2TMDNNadKfvzvOr0w=w487-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Ah Li</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Arriving at Phakding's Beer Garden Hotel at around 5:15pm. The weather was turning a little cold as the sun dipped. Trekking the whole way without trekking sticks and on just what we had with the loan down jackets, we decided that roughing it out was the best option. So we simply wet-wiped ourselves and powder bathed. But man, was it cold. I hated cold.<br />
The boys and girls were in good spirit at the dining hall when we gathered for dinner that evening. I felt so naked without my medical kit (still lost somewhere in Kuala Lumpur). Glancing around, all looked alright. Strangely I myself had a headache.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Cannot be AMS lah,"</span></b></span> laughed Adrian.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Don't know leh. It felt like AMS to me."</b></span></span> maybe I was simply paranoid. Most of the team were already on Diamox.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">"Aiyah.. go take a Panadol lah"</span> </span></b>OK lor. Thus on the records, I must have been the first among the whole team to suffer AMS, and at a mere altitude of 2600m some more! </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"No lah. It's because of the stress of being bumped off Malaysia Airlines, and losing your luggage and maybe not enough sleep lah."</span></b></span> someone consoled me. Well, hopefully it was just that.</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/LregjaSp-hFn8XdQxObo6L_Pekr3c8SfheahYRgdWNPf5llthvaHcxMTFXTxJQOaLJIDHtRTzS_dmqz-K8w-Uj8N1BhWlTI-4KJZrZAt0BAtk5Hbk4fTgq1_g1a2gZ13IG_DYGTFWbTYyODFNgLWYS99AJzP2pvPZv1PIhPLA5R0r_8yg6rWE6rinnYN_PI14BIDEtPcl9B0Fkyl4CM0xVY7SXGOzNVbWIFMNTQLBo4MY38IfABfqPo-cQYCxglWUTPJKZRglKyCdjnzqFOK1-lE_ORxpyLT3VkneQ3CQaP-88GsKsRL7gyPsyCeIbB0KBCSITYNU80_Ov9aufPR304dktF633V8Mj5epehIkbyoRGJYclcj39BFF652JoOrpnfM2gcm4GIRON8oXCU6RH3F6JkWWpnTqK7bpBuLNiEO6w6xF1W_Vq43hoqNd-4c0F3rzX5vNxtlyze3XULuCOesVXJP_e5ig3W1dCcj_vYoaRZXvkUphRskcf1P1iFZirHrorwoyayzm4gHpdPzy2jZ6sr8zOanuqcGlgo-rb5GZkIDhQgeOJ6_MgKKKv-3KlNyg23SEjTAKz0yTufWuoGMB0Q_nYtObx7l43xSIlAy0OtmJpKFEgkI6w-7ReWslUrYbu2rXFyacOCQgMZM9ASAmPqK4a8hZw=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/LregjaSp-hFn8XdQxObo6L_Pekr3c8SfheahYRgdWNPf5llthvaHcxMTFXTxJQOaLJIDHtRTzS_dmqz-K8w-Uj8N1BhWlTI-4KJZrZAt0BAtk5Hbk4fTgq1_g1a2gZ13IG_DYGTFWbTYyODFNgLWYS99AJzP2pvPZv1PIhPLA5R0r_8yg6rWE6rinnYN_PI14BIDEtPcl9B0Fkyl4CM0xVY7SXGOzNVbWIFMNTQLBo4MY38IfABfqPo-cQYCxglWUTPJKZRglKyCdjnzqFOK1-lE_ORxpyLT3VkneQ3CQaP-88GsKsRL7gyPsyCeIbB0KBCSITYNU80_Ov9aufPR304dktF633V8Mj5epehIkbyoRGJYclcj39BFF652JoOrpnfM2gcm4GIRON8oXCU6RH3F6JkWWpnTqK7bpBuLNiEO6w6xF1W_Vq43hoqNd-4c0F3rzX5vNxtlyze3XULuCOesVXJP_e5ig3W1dCcj_vYoaRZXvkUphRskcf1P1iFZirHrorwoyayzm4gHpdPzy2jZ6sr8zOanuqcGlgo-rb5GZkIDhQgeOJ6_MgKKKv-3KlNyg23SEjTAKz0yTufWuoGMB0Q_nYtObx7l43xSIlAy0OtmJpKFEgkI6w-7ReWslUrYbu2rXFyacOCQgMZM9ASAmPqK4a8hZw=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time to sleep at Hotel Beer Garden</td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">EBC TREK Day 3: From Phakding to Namche Bazaar</span></b></span><br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">20th Nov 2017</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hDcHFQQT5IL1B9mo3A-VQ52k7KpLlEYsR8v52zq5vYGVvAODzb14Nb13YGQv6IU8Kav8EaCVpjn_EsYfI8otPNl8gwZisk2nazaFNxV9IwA0Io1wZfh57rq1vLubbLnGMMGTQZStYSk/w365-h649-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9hDcHFQQT5IL1B9mo3A-VQ52k7KpLlEYsR8v52zq5vYGVvAODzb14Nb13YGQv6IU8Kav8EaCVpjn_EsYfI8otPNl8gwZisk2nazaFNxV9IwA0Io1wZfh57rq1vLubbLnGMMGTQZStYSk/w365-h649-no/" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Here is the Relive video of our trek from Phakding to Namche Bazaar:</b></span></span>
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<blockquote class="embedly-card" data-card-controls="0" data-card-key="f1631a41cb254ca5b035dc5747a5bd75">
<h4>
<a href="https://www.relive.cc/view/1283188048?r=embed-site">Relive 'Everest Base Camp trek Day 3 - From Phakding to Namche Bazaar'</a></h4>
</blockquote>
<script async="" charset="UTF-8" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js"></script>
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Here is the Strava Flyby of this day's trek from Phakding to Namche Bazaar. </span></b></span> Just click on the image below, <span style="color: yellow;"><i><b>play and zoom in</b></i></span>. The discrepancies between the fast trekkers and the slow trekkers were very obvious. And yes I was one of the ones right at the back.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1283188048?c=tuvtu9qj&z=E&t=1Q4ZMK&a=UOV7TBT1ekyO43pMdc96THm9pU3A7HpMfhZ7TEIHe0w" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1283188048?c=tuvtu9qj&z=E&t=1Q4ZMK&a=UOV7TBT1ekyO43pMdc96THm9pU3A7HpMfhZ7TEIHe0w" border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="800" height="296" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4679/38385767185_60227af53e_o.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the Strava Flyby image above to see a realtime trek amongst all of us who were on Strava.</td></tr>
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Here is my Garmin Connect's record of the trek. Total elapsed time was about 9 hour 30 mins, bringing us to Namche Bazaar just around 5pm.<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/embed/2341529490" title="Everest Base Camp trek Day 2 - From Phakding to Namche Bazaar" width="465"></iframe>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/25kXBNNGl8qoNAtSIm_sv53mc1ZAmlnJQ0LStJki5xtiKRqv8dZ6D2djDvOcm0UGq7bybXZvtWjJ9YtkiqlHzTB0PKxJj2M18tu1JfD1sdwzWZh2X5o8A4OG7nEP_URscWcNsfc9fzODoXP_A_JN0OctUHtT7XAzcSw9Gg4ZAc0-8G2X48iunn2C1Db35iSvgeaBxWmbkQffc2CaATO0XwixjwXtJ6x-V--3okKDRaV85pwaukyTDIVTClLaq1QjyoJOhMe8EGO6K9xe_Coh4OT3JdUrbHqTTlObZahxe3G0XI1yWY_xqnRmtNQnwNNeZshStuZ_G_yV7wVpioOUeKj-X6JcgE7PHBRfb7CLMUs2UzUTdVTseD-ZjH4WkgU8k7wOAGPTYa1sWwdD0JWjqUXxBQ4csWUiyjskmeEzXqT9JztQV3BAInBrTSqzfJI2SIWhyOlj-8g94CotlsISTOeRPbtoI8u3O_BNq1bJH015KiKyMzq2CwNY7DPP6p6UH5K0foQd6GB0Mo_nKpZdwWtHM0tBpY7Oic6WtuyBU4-2ewER8M9XflcI38ys92EtgamnTnVb9VgwlBvD8n86oBPBD57FomUaVYXGbHGF6_IthQ_oMoG-dlkxlDFnVCTO4p-XB6W01mT0TxCQXyIsnCv0AquVLvbugA=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/25kXBNNGl8qoNAtSIm_sv53mc1ZAmlnJQ0LStJki5xtiKRqv8dZ6D2djDvOcm0UGq7bybXZvtWjJ9YtkiqlHzTB0PKxJj2M18tu1JfD1sdwzWZh2X5o8A4OG7nEP_URscWcNsfc9fzODoXP_A_JN0OctUHtT7XAzcSw9Gg4ZAc0-8G2X48iunn2C1Db35iSvgeaBxWmbkQffc2CaATO0XwixjwXtJ6x-V--3okKDRaV85pwaukyTDIVTClLaq1QjyoJOhMe8EGO6K9xe_Coh4OT3JdUrbHqTTlObZahxe3G0XI1yWY_xqnRmtNQnwNNeZshStuZ_G_yV7wVpioOUeKj-X6JcgE7PHBRfb7CLMUs2UzUTdVTseD-ZjH4WkgU8k7wOAGPTYa1sWwdD0JWjqUXxBQ4csWUiyjskmeEzXqT9JztQV3BAInBrTSqzfJI2SIWhyOlj-8g94CotlsISTOeRPbtoI8u3O_BNq1bJH015KiKyMzq2CwNY7DPP6p6UH5K0foQd6GB0Mo_nKpZdwWtHM0tBpY7Oic6WtuyBU4-2ewER8M9XflcI38ys92EtgamnTnVb9VgwlBvD8n86oBPBD57FomUaVYXGbHGF6_IthQ_oMoG-dlkxlDFnVCTO4p-XB6W01mT0TxCQXyIsnCv0AquVLvbugA=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very cold face wash and teeth brushing at just before 5am at Beer Garden Hotel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/o6CC1uCMHSnLT7Wxsy_JJ3-FXD1C3sMDjJbpnRNCkDsqKcMW3wl_59Eb0W6ITKMPx16dXgAXrAcbsq39bUwz0Xt35ZWIDYr9_-kpfjBKcSSXiwIHqYHXlES48lRU0f05wnvUsqx32gHKv-FReOBTn-D_zx4koywlUM9jGMzDp8nq6E_-tLnkrPHoApLh5HwgDJNfIuox8pxt-OFljzWQH-Oj6o2Sj9WN3LuV0XWkwgSbLRE1dRMqB626S5lPRl-IwL819kzLgsplD0Y6peSrI5CncZVIYGWBcSVCam9GWyHr8Wp_K1-Pz5kqsgNl37sY9JmgEE8LoccvnwIRJ2-DneMNmfPIQ870K2hZjpE072nx8C9FAME8F2_Pf4DC2ukkeR5CtAqrcDn9PpqaYSsvF0kUIHuEbjiljOmDWUq3SNxFxzpwgShl2-Ao8797bhoJF9FM38nYaHEH-zjMhGhLqkNJSSxGB62v-VHX5L97ha8Nr5uT0Fug1ArqbTxcYBGNEvfrDznHJm_yoAxRkcF4Yt1hC5AboS9xJlBj0OLPIIO7MCC4e11_V9DDLZsGr1AhAPdhxI_bX_ANQyzmRxry5kKy6VOLZH1RqISnGx8P2qtluPkYBBFTYtqUf2GCogO-vFgiI8TrNxbIBlPFsxP6svU6uYE9KXnOcg=w1154-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="1154" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/o6CC1uCMHSnLT7Wxsy_JJ3-FXD1C3sMDjJbpnRNCkDsqKcMW3wl_59Eb0W6ITKMPx16dXgAXrAcbsq39bUwz0Xt35ZWIDYr9_-kpfjBKcSSXiwIHqYHXlES48lRU0f05wnvUsqx32gHKv-FReOBTn-D_zx4koywlUM9jGMzDp8nq6E_-tLnkrPHoApLh5HwgDJNfIuox8pxt-OFljzWQH-Oj6o2Sj9WN3LuV0XWkwgSbLRE1dRMqB626S5lPRl-IwL819kzLgsplD0Y6peSrI5CncZVIYGWBcSVCam9GWyHr8Wp_K1-Pz5kqsgNl37sY9JmgEE8LoccvnwIRJ2-DneMNmfPIQ870K2hZjpE072nx8C9FAME8F2_Pf4DC2ukkeR5CtAqrcDn9PpqaYSsvF0kUIHuEbjiljOmDWUq3SNxFxzpwgShl2-Ao8797bhoJF9FM38nYaHEH-zjMhGhLqkNJSSxGB62v-VHX5L97ha8Nr5uT0Fug1ArqbTxcYBGNEvfrDznHJm_yoAxRkcF4Yt1hC5AboS9xJlBj0OLPIIO7MCC4e11_V9DDLZsGr1AhAPdhxI_bX_ANQyzmRxry5kKy6VOLZH1RqISnGx8P2qtluPkYBBFTYtqUf2GCogO-vFgiI8TrNxbIBlPFsxP6svU6uYE9KXnOcg=w1154-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting off at 7:30am</td></tr>
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The day's trek started at 7:30am. Adrian made sure everyone was out and walking early because this was one of the tougher days with plenty of climbs and long long routes. Being right at the beginning of the journey, many might not be psychologically conditioned yet. Memories from 6 years ago taught me that this was really a challenging climb (at least for me and Serene) especially when we climbed up towards Monjo and on the last stretch up to Namche.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Hf08i7I3vuT1DkvFOO90ldMbxk2WLAkks4r9Jvo0m8DBFu2MghrWQb9JbeQ9gBWG676WTBMpCgS6oEfevlzsvLgIp_ykYvoSEmmcB-8ZYHtO2CU7ClntbEBQanhQ1fZpxZL5pBOP1RFhNxe7XAnpCAQ_OC3Qe7yTzdaE9KbXiSh_zoAqf4DJJKpjXY2GoIHa0225ML-j6NQwvozZlxR9Z9syGx25UeKk0vKrcxCbgZ8uaQ_xOFRy8RZIR4Srwpl8a2dMBSoc2WGhA_qbkkWv9GrpOYAyXF6gQiKZFFUrOUuaycK1057bGZSjVGP40SMabjj9ZzZTsknydcDbUsXSEKpwOZrIgv6y5dq5cC3ZwW6wmOxoqqpnpGYqAD5stspFyjxw6edLv6ga5xrqZYhmGFu5Nz1mlqf8Q122TlMM2praZWZm6hK5odLrYbr6iJcrDf8aZ3oRSDkLF2qb2Qtdp_8zw3L0eBTwt_fi5pZ03WvISsI9aLxAfilLCqv0wCoWlAIcFe1fZ6XsXS7lBsmxcOgTWneLgJHbJ5PgvDICEn88ik2VVIyxsdm9DkF07WrHZWRY0_OZOHF9Pz2WXNLPnagWYPaYjB39_fKrIUaPpLQ5CI-f0aRUfrdQ4MyjxDmBzCUWxUCWCAm5GHMRlh1DadtS6cffQMcjpg=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Hf08i7I3vuT1DkvFOO90ldMbxk2WLAkks4r9Jvo0m8DBFu2MghrWQb9JbeQ9gBWG676WTBMpCgS6oEfevlzsvLgIp_ykYvoSEmmcB-8ZYHtO2CU7ClntbEBQanhQ1fZpxZL5pBOP1RFhNxe7XAnpCAQ_OC3Qe7yTzdaE9KbXiSh_zoAqf4DJJKpjXY2GoIHa0225ML-j6NQwvozZlxR9Z9syGx25UeKk0vKrcxCbgZ8uaQ_xOFRy8RZIR4Srwpl8a2dMBSoc2WGhA_qbkkWv9GrpOYAyXF6gQiKZFFUrOUuaycK1057bGZSjVGP40SMabjj9ZzZTsknydcDbUsXSEKpwOZrIgv6y5dq5cC3ZwW6wmOxoqqpnpGYqAD5stspFyjxw6edLv6ga5xrqZYhmGFu5Nz1mlqf8Q122TlMM2praZWZm6hK5odLrYbr6iJcrDf8aZ3oRSDkLF2qb2Qtdp_8zw3L0eBTwt_fi5pZ03WvISsI9aLxAfilLCqv0wCoWlAIcFe1fZ6XsXS7lBsmxcOgTWneLgJHbJ5PgvDICEn88ik2VVIyxsdm9DkF07WrHZWRY0_OZOHF9Pz2WXNLPnagWYPaYjB39_fKrIUaPpLQ5CI-f0aRUfrdQ4MyjxDmBzCUWxUCWCAm5GHMRlh1DadtS6cffQMcjpg=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Phakding Bridge!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/oURpurJn-gVkPELQBTWYVZH1c_45W0Csegdy8uaH-RGh63hA6_JlMtYgAHuG4en1D1jCKoe78_AUx9DhYq9Y9xo0-e-zaMUrgKu7lCRnn1JEzaG3-5puqBYIQNRxYJvinMcQJtT1DHFfKCW2qvLBeEnm5_J5hO-qO02Kfm8f-xvN8iBDhYFe_fdoFp5hMtQR4kauAZDI4sDlPs0szbYi1JV05778K_dPlEygsjL09esbmk1nUFlwLAWIFNbTGBJqSOyHtZKQOl_Ng6tePFGmPd3fYFa8s0f8BpaU1SeXC82h1anwbtkNt0Nyka-UT43h0D8aHT68xuJb9_WWRWjTfycPxn9sxy5g1s8xBYv5sfn2B_9-fqpG4WC0LLlr_fU9zK7rfzfWrVT5aaBrELlKthBrIZtW71h07GIu7YAHmPKnrvBYqZCgDyMubxAi-ji41vhJBQoLpBgF7iPgU60AESOtQxKHmr0C-7CoLIBuB3S746oE1uwBl5d5ItNOgDoz7rHaXA5wvR5lcWzEtcThxlLzY_8_6IENWHfU5TwMOfqpfVkiuzMMRhD4wNBsPYTlzuW9DqEDq2F9X8mil1X06ugHFH8xEJX6JWZGNukdugJ4wTXgexht7sNAImGcs6Odvm9jeHpxT7TLc7wkkYrI9y7nIB_DJRW_mg=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/oURpurJn-gVkPELQBTWYVZH1c_45W0Csegdy8uaH-RGh63hA6_JlMtYgAHuG4en1D1jCKoe78_AUx9DhYq9Y9xo0-e-zaMUrgKu7lCRnn1JEzaG3-5puqBYIQNRxYJvinMcQJtT1DHFfKCW2qvLBeEnm5_J5hO-qO02Kfm8f-xvN8iBDhYFe_fdoFp5hMtQR4kauAZDI4sDlPs0szbYi1JV05778K_dPlEygsjL09esbmk1nUFlwLAWIFNbTGBJqSOyHtZKQOl_Ng6tePFGmPd3fYFa8s0f8BpaU1SeXC82h1anwbtkNt0Nyka-UT43h0D8aHT68xuJb9_WWRWjTfycPxn9sxy5g1s8xBYv5sfn2B_9-fqpG4WC0LLlr_fU9zK7rfzfWrVT5aaBrELlKthBrIZtW71h07GIu7YAHmPKnrvBYqZCgDyMubxAi-ji41vhJBQoLpBgF7iPgU60AESOtQxKHmr0C-7CoLIBuB3S746oE1uwBl5d5ItNOgDoz7rHaXA5wvR5lcWzEtcThxlLzY_8_6IENWHfU5TwMOfqpfVkiuzMMRhD4wNBsPYTlzuW9DqEDq2F9X8mil1X06ugHFH8xEJX6JWZGNukdugJ4wTXgexht7sNAImGcs6Odvm9jeHpxT7TLc7wkkYrI9y7nIB_DJRW_mg=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old Sunrise Lodge</td></tr>
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Morning was cold at freezing point right out of Phakding. Very soon we reached the famous Phakding bridge just beside the infamous Sunrise Lodge. A right turn took the trek into an upward spiral. Through rhododendron trees on each side we trekked. And Dropkyos and mules constantly interrupting the momentum of our trek. Suspension bridges abound. I still remembered those that our Civil Engineer Kai Sing complained had no lateral stabilizing cables and thus were prone to swinging. All I knew was that Ai Lin was rushing me from behind.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"So scared already, you still walk so slowly. Quickly quickly walk and get out from the bridge!" </span></b></span>rushed Ai Lin from behind me on one of the bridges, as I pulled Ah Li up to the other side.</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/VuhSRbAWto8uRyYJfP_fLvEeetC-EXBgHX8cYjUxSy__O53V280NzE0I51GjGVnXGZvUXXejvNHBuObxszM9g3nWFz1dq1pHTLdz2W1pQpJLYlDXRJPeSRz4reZzfwZFhXc6_cEhwTtkAWdReKnmx2r66HHRp4D4zUiOKJ9ihDpAUfEPjUKgnX43IiKdxIIyhg_F6QhaskDt_ohYdKg7_7NZvFTH2vHb5pw0dK9IH1xE5WocSXZ7gjO8RRVHuXEqW7LwYjuTAZFr_3Si_glvwRgIomuETNS8N33axnWj-hOWMinIrq_aSWbO2QfnpRJx5vAjlZOjGZXcFUP1Zw-lR-LbmaurgwEnMLlA5Tx80RB6pdG0uzgzJx5d9_CJWRHhVy40FTaYc8aeim_lKbmZ_XEmpVLHfnOQmQ7k14VaD_VVHSZmy3xBrgT5S5QS614UsRYjG_Lq4A3qy5nDNCGvxn-RxfTpZ7VgV_yI0_ioNF9EtsILzk4Bj1UPZTJ-FMvyVv09uUMixTXhkwIso34BhhqwN3x25BIOYgrkZyBTmH4_TOps2-gcdX_n6qgzrs2IK3_xEts87Nl1s5kuDmBYVn8kugVU8wQyCdaZaEO_vM6NHXLO0Cm3VBkmsPwsvIwaMNReQACnFryeoEiFt7a-AfbizohLW0uI=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/VuhSRbAWto8uRyYJfP_fLvEeetC-EXBgHX8cYjUxSy__O53V280NzE0I51GjGVnXGZvUXXejvNHBuObxszM9g3nWFz1dq1pHTLdz2W1pQpJLYlDXRJPeSRz4reZzfwZFhXc6_cEhwTtkAWdReKnmx2r66HHRp4D4zUiOKJ9ihDpAUfEPjUKgnX43IiKdxIIyhg_F6QhaskDt_ohYdKg7_7NZvFTH2vHb5pw0dK9IH1xE5WocSXZ7gjO8RRVHuXEqW7LwYjuTAZFr_3Si_glvwRgIomuETNS8N33axnWj-hOWMinIrq_aSWbO2QfnpRJx5vAjlZOjGZXcFUP1Zw-lR-LbmaurgwEnMLlA5Tx80RB6pdG0uzgzJx5d9_CJWRHhVy40FTaYc8aeim_lKbmZ_XEmpVLHfnOQmQ7k14VaD_VVHSZmy3xBrgT5S5QS614UsRYjG_Lq4A3qy5nDNCGvxn-RxfTpZ7VgV_yI0_ioNF9EtsILzk4Bj1UPZTJ-FMvyVv09uUMixTXhkwIso34BhhqwN3x25BIOYgrkZyBTmH4_TOps2-gcdX_n6qgzrs2IK3_xEts87Nl1s5kuDmBYVn8kugVU8wQyCdaZaEO_vM6NHXLO0Cm3VBkmsPwsvIwaMNReQACnFryeoEiFt7a-AfbizohLW0uI=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dudh Koshi. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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Ryan was the youngest and naturally the most free-spirited and mischievous trekker. His favourite pastime would be to wait for Serene at every single one of these suspension bridge and jump as she tread gingerly on them, knowing very well that she was frightened of suspension bridges.<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Sherpa population of Solukhumbu</span></b></span><br />
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We passed villages after villages. The buildings were typical Tibetan/Sherpa squarish houses with the unique square Tibetan/Sherpa windows. The villagers were really a hardy lot. The cold bothered them not. Not even the little toddlers. There was one stop where we saw a young lady in socks and rubber sandals with just normal clothing washing vegetable outdoors at a flowing tap, while our teeth were chattering from the freezing temperature. We were impressed by her resilience to the cold.<br />
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<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4597/38752247364_955a239d19_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4597/38752247364_955a239d19_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/7E5QQUVDArPxIDJSpPu_DpmdJbP_q8Evhs8amrFf7gFbCBwQXX65vgeaYcWhxajK4O58BDzAP7QWc3Nf7CvCNiwKBY3-HVCt4CwJr0f3h8d9F84riRBNqH2LrfkNGy_e8yHlivmgwyfCh0t1QI6kbeVmZiBNTYTd4lN_eEasQYGnCFEfthiThNxD8TJeE5Xr3XN257PoX6_Gxwfj0zsoRaA3SVZcZqH6vEbewZRs0POCFdzEZ2i8dwkerO0QBc7a_rjo0AkucS9Y1K3XXbxYiV7BOzVpkHxXPJ9xtLe0ZEXJ3scc7MySKrCFeyGc3BSSQu8PmaCbGf7HFjSUQ14l0ShD2L_AqlT2Z8z1j68pcSdRbERaWYRVjrYYe3DkapGZajvA0yzd4HoALM8_2mOig1VrmwRkoN_qF-USXGO3jFVE1TpSnvYYAOwiDma958I37drDdQmPwsT8JcLfHFQQwrr20E6dpvUvD0oPmrFu1GJ1ziGvS-MVQUohyfCHGYGl7RedtAbBDct9KgygVASD1yAg2auVUKCdT6ekZaTCwe2L-EB4sAlu4SohHqUxVCeOa_f8r-e-5WihE1HyY2hb3loY0FEQm7b_P5kJzlXoSq3mE92E1dXXdXZOAlLSXLOuHklUGN_CTJDFgEgHsCXbdqxf4Y26b8yJ=w1170-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="1170" height="354" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/7E5QQUVDArPxIDJSpPu_DpmdJbP_q8Evhs8amrFf7gFbCBwQXX65vgeaYcWhxajK4O58BDzAP7QWc3Nf7CvCNiwKBY3-HVCt4CwJr0f3h8d9F84riRBNqH2LrfkNGy_e8yHlivmgwyfCh0t1QI6kbeVmZiBNTYTd4lN_eEasQYGnCFEfthiThNxD8TJeE5Xr3XN257PoX6_Gxwfj0zsoRaA3SVZcZqH6vEbewZRs0POCFdzEZ2i8dwkerO0QBc7a_rjo0AkucS9Y1K3XXbxYiV7BOzVpkHxXPJ9xtLe0ZEXJ3scc7MySKrCFeyGc3BSSQu8PmaCbGf7HFjSUQ14l0ShD2L_AqlT2Z8z1j68pcSdRbERaWYRVjrYYe3DkapGZajvA0yzd4HoALM8_2mOig1VrmwRkoN_qF-USXGO3jFVE1TpSnvYYAOwiDma958I37drDdQmPwsT8JcLfHFQQwrr20E6dpvUvD0oPmrFu1GJ1ziGvS-MVQUohyfCHGYGl7RedtAbBDct9KgygVASD1yAg2auVUKCdT6ekZaTCwe2L-EB4sAlu4SohHqUxVCeOa_f8r-e-5WihE1HyY2hb3loY0FEQm7b_P5kJzlXoSq3mE92E1dXXdXZOAlLSXLOuHklUGN_CTJDFgEgHsCXbdqxf4Y26b8yJ=w1170-h649-no" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local houses. [Photo: Alex Kaan]</td></tr>
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Each time I passed by a small village, my heart rate would rise a tad. Along treks like these, I had always loved to walk pass the local Sherpa village. Sherpa is a Tibetic ethnic group native to the Himalaya. Their ancestors originated from Kham in Tibet and crossed the Nangpa La to migrate to the Himalayan region in Nepal. Little known to us, the oldest Sherpa village in Nepal is actually Tengboche.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/u8Co3VHRR5B9EeZ4ww1DfZJG_eK4vtTX7jqzZd_tgD8FWaTCFDemaQVkAnxs_vCrf5SiCEHEpsf2Fh8cs4H8hMdYZwEnlnhvkKitpXXcf8AyLfhvIRQNr1LrUTpc75CxP6uiK1nOS3ljO3kAUMlVKrS7dxRmNnJ4nA91q2JtYFDPuZSmk9V4DxUBZdFkkcLCFLdz1PI51EtyxMdyn-vW54nurEPU-lTsihI-SE0McFRv3p7pI-g7EQxntyl-yacV9T1oICrk8n1H2BZOUWuwJtg9e8gjJnTOwEm_dvtmcHVriDninSb9QQdjQHc2ukCNwGb_K1fe9FZGBfKznZzv0vp_CyvEzcnswR9L3F-jV1uRzGdLczR1TfL1jw-MZrSIyhAkZUrqTZ-evar17biXvi4lTjWQqlgVhgtmwmGVRJxsRv0AWE0D3GlYxEbWK3M8_vK8FcRmI7Kr4FPVaEduU7V3x2a-to9kT0OUhmSWxQ2CirjNp4IdPEkVEY_4wnzkGezedo3XEdVZ3cZPf5HfXPw5O3lWjbrjIs1-MjGXjoHGXjmYOZnUcpBZEEJ3jA6eepSRJwAOpl6YcMqe3KL6OPe20UzCSiokr6mPNsFuRP3GV_GgGu-jcrmqwch8IQMZRcNMIchB6J0utjJ1varXZvrnxi558f-omg=w487-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="487" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/u8Co3VHRR5B9EeZ4ww1DfZJG_eK4vtTX7jqzZd_tgD8FWaTCFDemaQVkAnxs_vCrf5SiCEHEpsf2Fh8cs4H8hMdYZwEnlnhvkKitpXXcf8AyLfhvIRQNr1LrUTpc75CxP6uiK1nOS3ljO3kAUMlVKrS7dxRmNnJ4nA91q2JtYFDPuZSmk9V4DxUBZdFkkcLCFLdz1PI51EtyxMdyn-vW54nurEPU-lTsihI-SE0McFRv3p7pI-g7EQxntyl-yacV9T1oICrk8n1H2BZOUWuwJtg9e8gjJnTOwEm_dvtmcHVriDninSb9QQdjQHc2ukCNwGb_K1fe9FZGBfKznZzv0vp_CyvEzcnswR9L3F-jV1uRzGdLczR1TfL1jw-MZrSIyhAkZUrqTZ-evar17biXvi4lTjWQqlgVhgtmwmGVRJxsRv0AWE0D3GlYxEbWK3M8_vK8FcRmI7Kr4FPVaEduU7V3x2a-to9kT0OUhmSWxQ2CirjNp4IdPEkVEY_4wnzkGezedo3XEdVZ3cZPf5HfXPw5O3lWjbrjIs1-MjGXjoHGXjmYOZnUcpBZEEJ3jA6eepSRJwAOpl6YcMqe3KL6OPe20UzCSiokr6mPNsFuRP3GV_GgGu-jcrmqwch8IQMZRcNMIchB6J0utjJ1varXZvrnxi558f-omg=w487-h649-no" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A shy little local girl [Photo: Lai Peng]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Y5nTYini80u0UWyhukO9dNQzBJNR4SPxvfRU_Szc4M7vSAIWB73ZrBD29pMwC2ccqAJn_kmx18MkMn1vhM-dJUjabAIwWwjCJziKEnfzt3G_XGik8LjzR99OtpizIadYRcH_0fbH2amEYPUquF9nHj8poN2T4ww-24zz5yGjWwLSiu8T5Hc8002lZTFLSvwK_dolXRn7gdIqs92mxYsh1k-tx1XXINCJ-Df1KAVJE26_ZIX1qcBUeMgB7uDrhDvXPspT7so4rVcmagQkJA-kotP6LWbcxylV0hwKymKmpBI0GGxizHPtKy3_Q2GYMOQbLlChNzYrkkYM7ccq7jjNowwRmPx86ocb5LhGDYUUn7lapMQAeZxIByPnaELWeRxcSaIZKOq9fjOKNDGkmLT3flgYiDxXFxfxrb-psQ_e5XIfirp4Epuo42jmOSLPvfjY0p_oJ1yMWC3Ljuaa6WKptWtjjSsIIszYaCiE_uyVe3kqeGwUbIVvn9ywV8_lMtQ4OdI7sm5zuxzBiw9w03bv5yv1d20nsmDwkLCAzXfgy_G-TizjpRymDl6m430h_58zRPnVFX1SPTCbxDwpwrqCVWexAj3S3GeRDc6Gtfbe6Ek0ErL_k5XC-6t0rUlMPLHV468tp7VaCQL_wNS_cJK6dT93Z07l86-xyg=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Y5nTYini80u0UWyhukO9dNQzBJNR4SPxvfRU_Szc4M7vSAIWB73ZrBD29pMwC2ccqAJn_kmx18MkMn1vhM-dJUjabAIwWwjCJziKEnfzt3G_XGik8LjzR99OtpizIadYRcH_0fbH2amEYPUquF9nHj8poN2T4ww-24zz5yGjWwLSiu8T5Hc8002lZTFLSvwK_dolXRn7gdIqs92mxYsh1k-tx1XXINCJ-Df1KAVJE26_ZIX1qcBUeMgB7uDrhDvXPspT7so4rVcmagQkJA-kotP6LWbcxylV0hwKymKmpBI0GGxizHPtKy3_Q2GYMOQbLlChNzYrkkYM7ccq7jjNowwRmPx86ocb5LhGDYUUn7lapMQAeZxIByPnaELWeRxcSaIZKOq9fjOKNDGkmLT3flgYiDxXFxfxrb-psQ_e5XIfirp4Epuo42jmOSLPvfjY0p_oJ1yMWC3Ljuaa6WKptWtjjSsIIszYaCiE_uyVe3kqeGwUbIVvn9ywV8_lMtQ4OdI7sm5zuxzBiw9w03bv5yv1d20nsmDwkLCAzXfgy_G-TizjpRymDl6m430h_58zRPnVFX1SPTCbxDwpwrqCVWexAj3S3GeRDc6Gtfbe6Ek0ErL_k5XC-6t0rUlMPLHV468tp7VaCQL_wNS_cJK6dT93Z07l86-xyg=w866-h649-no" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This boy couldn't help but caught my attention because he was smiling all the way as he walked with his Mother.</td></tr>
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The word Sherpa or Sherwa, means East (Sher), people (wa). Sherpa people live mainly in the eastern part of Nepal. There are also Sherpas living in China, Bhutan, Sikkim, West Bengal near Darjeeling district. Their Tibeto-Burman language is a dialect mixed of Eastern Tibetan and Lhasa. Strangely, the Sherpa language is not understood by Lhasa Tibetans. Genetically, the Sherpa people are closely affiliated with the Tibetans and the Hans in China, and also with the Rais in Nepal.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/seTrzYG1ntNcINVVpG_XnoGgQm4b21Az2lciLSCVwDlcxuKJnn2Um-oeU2Mlci6_OkYc0UUkQCm0m8J3G2fGZeSMTHKHOjm5IMfCIHn47xercXmsHcSS2vz7t5P8LmsClbkLlrO2PzY0f1I8BUjMsPG3zyLSPqDZhb5UwSw5Mu7hZDPM87d053B5rd6gnyckOlOESi4Ut8WPxPb2mhGQ28qahx8kmAKFMVLypZdroei9FEuah-N8SHCh4MRG3XxYOw1IKeZ_HzaHRCWuq3HfUmFSohWTysSDGkamIJGGGLCEYzV8PPBkvaDfWaquQTConqKHKHGhNaayfoPQvhPcOBIqugp71FnysWn0gElAuT-ZUQnChVsQIMaanSYjRUYkAKB3Vsp0jQGTvSYbKudbRShJUC3_EMt4DREJQ1CvXwg6rZFKFK_sP72AhGGL5QMOnyhqhDMWhse3xkTsu-XaRJZSnAHec3D2xZOgxkIep0KhfB7lkCnjwOVsdB_gYoj4EA7Jv6uTst_ZpZNDn8yUy7_gly5vroeqLM3RM1mclU5HapVV-6uuj3yGOR01ofmSzYhV7VeY8PQKqxsteZ09JUa6_UVjgw0PJi-mqOmC3-0oZyZtPn-0odJGPdb-TIEWMOVTwzN-A8cFp3yClYRhKri639HygNLo=w433-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="433" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/seTrzYG1ntNcINVVpG_XnoGgQm4b21Az2lciLSCVwDlcxuKJnn2Um-oeU2Mlci6_OkYc0UUkQCm0m8J3G2fGZeSMTHKHOjm5IMfCIHn47xercXmsHcSS2vz7t5P8LmsClbkLlrO2PzY0f1I8BUjMsPG3zyLSPqDZhb5UwSw5Mu7hZDPM87d053B5rd6gnyckOlOESi4Ut8WPxPb2mhGQ28qahx8kmAKFMVLypZdroei9FEuah-N8SHCh4MRG3XxYOw1IKeZ_HzaHRCWuq3HfUmFSohWTysSDGkamIJGGGLCEYzV8PPBkvaDfWaquQTConqKHKHGhNaayfoPQvhPcOBIqugp71FnysWn0gElAuT-ZUQnChVsQIMaanSYjRUYkAKB3Vsp0jQGTvSYbKudbRShJUC3_EMt4DREJQ1CvXwg6rZFKFK_sP72AhGGL5QMOnyhqhDMWhse3xkTsu-XaRJZSnAHec3D2xZOgxkIep0KhfB7lkCnjwOVsdB_gYoj4EA7Jv6uTst_ZpZNDn8yUy7_gly5vroeqLM3RM1mclU5HapVV-6uuj3yGOR01ofmSzYhV7VeY8PQKqxsteZ09JUa6_UVjgw0PJi-mqOmC3-0oZyZtPn-0odJGPdb-TIEWMOVTwzN-A8cFp3yClYRhKri639HygNLo=w433-h649-no" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portraiture of a local Sherpa child. [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>continuing with our trek...</b></span></span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/MJQcJTmKJ5SwPM4uqthc2z4HspApjuEgB79zqKPAJAf_cbc6V0agAX5RVOxu-pLHjJ7bzKGU_qmyJQnWU9fsLqWRt1eAl69plFxeQCzALtTb4x8jdC92FJhzNpeuRZVCFSbLH6Q7HU-hgTj7sUUW9IOnEXynfBDueL_FrHubhGK9G92mGGrZXhhrbWikbVYBLq3kgAgxm6mvk_j5g9zNGGJAnSRTBM-kinafjb9kslD0nc9WZ5pQTpxvLR5oScoqgRUtZvYebtHxtcXlfigQT5_0gcPGLySvV6BjQdilDynsZ_5L-IZog_sBMP4AJACt-nZ5UZnmyn5CACRhBq2jZVGPFImnvZr8MkGk2bURXGXWzdOqAY2AD6WGlXLMqIDHlxf7fyb7SlcPa6a2uYxxqBHDDtUWzxbXgLBw9eovQuyVzVCxP0cS1XE8qQpPkgCs8MKUwog4_OSBezBzlTLFqQmzBL2LGleUCbl2WxDuiRvjJiDSX3mrGckZAVVCJkUHnRif8SfB9sS6ywvS5r26v3_tuKKEjBvVEVk35k7Cqlp0uhwrwSvQJ93ynM2Z9ueCsvGRwWdwx24yUeUR2OEaHqowcPlQx45LUuCrT3vy9RKJrsuKbcc8rn7wRUH4iIpjFm7CgL-vShtxcguu2fJnLLl9wPjMq4Co=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/MJQcJTmKJ5SwPM4uqthc2z4HspApjuEgB79zqKPAJAf_cbc6V0agAX5RVOxu-pLHjJ7bzKGU_qmyJQnWU9fsLqWRt1eAl69plFxeQCzALtTb4x8jdC92FJhzNpeuRZVCFSbLH6Q7HU-hgTj7sUUW9IOnEXynfBDueL_FrHubhGK9G92mGGrZXhhrbWikbVYBLq3kgAgxm6mvk_j5g9zNGGJAnSRTBM-kinafjb9kslD0nc9WZ5pQTpxvLR5oScoqgRUtZvYebtHxtcXlfigQT5_0gcPGLySvV6BjQdilDynsZ_5L-IZog_sBMP4AJACt-nZ5UZnmyn5CACRhBq2jZVGPFImnvZr8MkGk2bURXGXWzdOqAY2AD6WGlXLMqIDHlxf7fyb7SlcPa6a2uYxxqBHDDtUWzxbXgLBw9eovQuyVzVCxP0cS1XE8qQpPkgCs8MKUwog4_OSBezBzlTLFqQmzBL2LGleUCbl2WxDuiRvjJiDSX3mrGckZAVVCJkUHnRif8SfB9sS6ywvS5r26v3_tuKKEjBvVEVk35k7Cqlp0uhwrwSvQJ93ynM2Z9ueCsvGRwWdwx24yUeUR2OEaHqowcPlQx45LUuCrT3vy9RKJrsuKbcc8rn7wRUH4iIpjFm7CgL-vShtxcguu2fJnLLl9wPjMq4Co=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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KL was one of the first to be ill on this trek, having brought back some Suzhou E.coli gastroenteritis a few days back. Amazingly she did well on this second day of trek with some of her own medication. The tough genes ran in her family. Like brother, like sister.<br />
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</div>
The village Monjo held a very special place in my heart because that was where I distinctly remembered <a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5251/5585646603_8a6c7c2f86_b.jpg" target="_blank">myself and Serene suffering terribly 6 years ago</a> when we literally dragged out feet up to the top of Monjo, where the Sagarmatha National Park building was.<br />
Just right before the climb, we would come to a waterfall where on our previous trip, we set up tripods and took long exposures of the tiny waterfall. This was also where <a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5144/5585943734_d067b52a8c_b.jpg" target="_blank">Adrian took his virgin bath 6 years ago</a> in the streams beneath the waterfall.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/OKWrplrf0wD5PvhrJokaTLnuNfSrQAIozmP9-LNPSTRPgjylY08GUmzox2M1_pFMSV2S94Ef8InKABAWSAbgYf85uiQfDM4FJsV7lPZLleRyYhusAO2AIXHmUIEzKGG22iDb4yqfOaRW90XZtmgC666YzHm-6YfnUBazKdSkNKux66MW4ADMvP2b-Q8f34-NkiqIsTV1kx7qsxiWTx2OyzwYn6tCWWdRmLNWf9-0t1NqH7mDOuN7hve446ZJCfQIx38_UxsN7YLh__-hlLh1ZrKYmazeWu99zY47tU77tGyycDTGLQi2XfbpPm0oJNj5hg8VsjcEaFZAzb0I2oP6wATN4FAU_qJRJtsmXnjqr7ZF3Q6ufvDICtmEYME226GcGgHbbyIq4gCl6UJQL1_ARtVclsD2y0EXMpPzJnJZqKpffs4zIwYYg0ljNFffqG8OcSAzG_j45lAOCgxOm6KIU9Kv8hOYBsWbWQc-ohaOjBbOr4OvaC1jA0fu846OROk2al2bfJkQUewqZTv_T8vL-ajKEpb3h1VAr6X2haHT68jDFozDmeV_NATQBm3HV5iyzhbQ7EEcbLFtau2a3TeWDNTBWq8DS0bbkQY0aW9hQGG5u8Lt2SR_WRCc73TPxbu7qTSwVsAvucBPX3H0YdmBeW4Ez85ifCbzvQ=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/OKWrplrf0wD5PvhrJokaTLnuNfSrQAIozmP9-LNPSTRPgjylY08GUmzox2M1_pFMSV2S94Ef8InKABAWSAbgYf85uiQfDM4FJsV7lPZLleRyYhusAO2AIXHmUIEzKGG22iDb4yqfOaRW90XZtmgC666YzHm-6YfnUBazKdSkNKux66MW4ADMvP2b-Q8f34-NkiqIsTV1kx7qsxiWTx2OyzwYn6tCWWdRmLNWf9-0t1NqH7mDOuN7hve446ZJCfQIx38_UxsN7YLh__-hlLh1ZrKYmazeWu99zY47tU77tGyycDTGLQi2XfbpPm0oJNj5hg8VsjcEaFZAzb0I2oP6wATN4FAU_qJRJtsmXnjqr7ZF3Q6ufvDICtmEYME226GcGgHbbyIq4gCl6UJQL1_ARtVclsD2y0EXMpPzJnJZqKpffs4zIwYYg0ljNFffqG8OcSAzG_j45lAOCgxOm6KIU9Kv8hOYBsWbWQc-ohaOjBbOr4OvaC1jA0fu846OROk2al2bfJkQUewqZTv_T8vL-ajKEpb3h1VAr6X2haHT68jDFozDmeV_NATQBm3HV5iyzhbQ7EEcbLFtau2a3TeWDNTBWq8DS0bbkQY0aW9hQGG5u8Lt2SR_WRCc73TPxbu7qTSwVsAvucBPX3H0YdmBeW4Ez85ifCbzvQ=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The waterfall before the climb up to Monjo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I saw no one setting tripod this time round. Kai Sing, Jeffrey, Alex, Lai Peng, Kong Wan, Darric and all the usual hard-core photographers were right ahead and gave only a perfunctory glance at this quite beautiful little natural structure.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>"OK Dar, this is it. The climb up to Monjo. Slowly ok?"</b></span></span> I instructed Serene as I slowly led her up.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wei, slow down! I can feel my heart beating very fast!"</span></b></span> the reprimand came fast and often from behind me. </blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/HOZDhH44SyaYgl1wsSP1xNJhy61bJbIAj6AAPYDHcG7I4yVVTMKKJbAE1uTLA7khlNl2kKgqYNEvqhoPTBNWw4X5fPqAau2-8bhJdXpRu10VkwgDfJXV2-JjzXfhxnUSOu0IjSVHB-fnamzNXm1zfQIMTDXyLMquHywZnin_21za-XdRZk7Dfdw8zwUrNAvOGt2Qg4jWhLYgaUY8gioDNVvefP2biT_ZU7koyGLSFTgkI6T29lFSW1HNLYCgoTTlJDdpzd4xUFyEC-P4hy6ysFdYnXwhpx5VQZsYGQ5DnjIaFEWagNmI_tjNsOeb2p7ksNfPmsTUXB9NaI_eWv8QYm4-4yv7qaNoHYoVNIbDezoSFoCwQAq-saOIU0OBjmy0XPgN39U-MXXQZ1QRdq_3iaJ7S7vXRbKqLtfUUuTpfGVkI0kyoVV2pQ4H6wxFFU-1u8aodcLyuWXs9h56b_Q6iLMSv1QG3xo9btrgEavInXUZgXEntHivbcqyYH4nuKvwyIklCYhKhmEMgogKJlKPbx9jOztD8p2dcGq9KaqB6ao9ClBiJ2WfKmeFQiD6oEkO_adZcvo_c8xFOiihHEwPUQJgMGGnEckkSbTc9-V5C2H_gIBmEuBV_298OC9-GayLG3cK-jjPYeo_chWJjMTmDbmRch3oIcoJGQ=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/HOZDhH44SyaYgl1wsSP1xNJhy61bJbIAj6AAPYDHcG7I4yVVTMKKJbAE1uTLA7khlNl2kKgqYNEvqhoPTBNWw4X5fPqAau2-8bhJdXpRu10VkwgDfJXV2-JjzXfhxnUSOu0IjSVHB-fnamzNXm1zfQIMTDXyLMquHywZnin_21za-XdRZk7Dfdw8zwUrNAvOGt2Qg4jWhLYgaUY8gioDNVvefP2biT_ZU7koyGLSFTgkI6T29lFSW1HNLYCgoTTlJDdpzd4xUFyEC-P4hy6ysFdYnXwhpx5VQZsYGQ5DnjIaFEWagNmI_tjNsOeb2p7ksNfPmsTUXB9NaI_eWv8QYm4-4yv7qaNoHYoVNIbDezoSFoCwQAq-saOIU0OBjmy0XPgN39U-MXXQZ1QRdq_3iaJ7S7vXRbKqLtfUUuTpfGVkI0kyoVV2pQ4H6wxFFU-1u8aodcLyuWXs9h56b_Q6iLMSv1QG3xo9btrgEavInXUZgXEntHivbcqyYH4nuKvwyIklCYhKhmEMgogKJlKPbx9jOztD8p2dcGq9KaqB6ao9ClBiJ2WfKmeFQiD6oEkO_adZcvo_c8xFOiihHEwPUQJgMGGnEckkSbTc9-V5C2H_gIBmEuBV_298OC9-GayLG3cK-jjPYeo_chWJjMTmDbmRch3oIcoJGQ=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sagarmatha National Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To be most honest, I never thought we would arrive at the top so quickly, and with relatively lesser effort from what I could recall from memory. I praised Serene on a job well done. All the years of cycling and running ever since the last time we step foot here had done both of us some good. Fitness-wise we were both in a better condition, although adipose tissue distribution seemed to have gone a little astray in Serene's case due to age. My issue with the climbs was that many of these were rocky climbs and the paths were simply rocks haphazardly arranged and one needed to watch where one's feet landed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/2oVKJBfMIEYYC90Z2hhqRNVfhckFkZNiSqxV96WnQlOH1ra1GBZlmD8KtGueacDa3Bph350y8PU3bx6_4jkVxDSyUKZVxM8sL7ItGin9xqg1Hdm2e1l9s8LZPd5fyw2M1OecCkXXiiq5r-yMT2YU7gspqyYc6rNiXB2qBoUo5KqLSpTHwsuALZcuOw_bbNuMvgPrKa5Quf4IR5PCdFaWDMHbq_TQi_xVEWqUuyv19TWKNk_HfyXglh0WawQoAdIUhiCj0OPmXX09W482fubIoto1vlcJQFUhd1T-ODDLzpQch_9nRnnhUqqDapKU5BSHSCg0Vy0po6wu4n_vGGRm3EM_QjzhEvEVyxgTooahTDo0rwCGT-UH0P4JooQdrQtsZbCLpyfUpaTL51kl4BABwaLNMb3jNfCGEq21VmaL9fcbg_dLdVqIJM0YSd6I_fTmaWcfjdkXBojwS-oEaEKWMmyvK6bjznovwdxRPhs2UcazavMkYiPXOEByJEJVIxrwy2kfeyLsgx5Lkh-hhg0qrIHLFbaHKkVEWoAeuXgAyVBm83HlVSPp-OadofR5Ha3eUVGtjgGYowh2CdULvxVwP2xnzsWmJohaLP5LHuj_b7LayWWkZeUM0UVv6KVHc-akfsaDovJmQvsdfw11ScKeGc8G3WhAUN2K3g=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/2oVKJBfMIEYYC90Z2hhqRNVfhckFkZNiSqxV96WnQlOH1ra1GBZlmD8KtGueacDa3Bph350y8PU3bx6_4jkVxDSyUKZVxM8sL7ItGin9xqg1Hdm2e1l9s8LZPd5fyw2M1OecCkXXiiq5r-yMT2YU7gspqyYc6rNiXB2qBoUo5KqLSpTHwsuALZcuOw_bbNuMvgPrKa5Quf4IR5PCdFaWDMHbq_TQi_xVEWqUuyv19TWKNk_HfyXglh0WawQoAdIUhiCj0OPmXX09W482fubIoto1vlcJQFUhd1T-ODDLzpQch_9nRnnhUqqDapKU5BSHSCg0Vy0po6wu4n_vGGRm3EM_QjzhEvEVyxgTooahTDo0rwCGT-UH0P4JooQdrQtsZbCLpyfUpaTL51kl4BABwaLNMb3jNfCGEq21VmaL9fcbg_dLdVqIJM0YSd6I_fTmaWcfjdkXBojwS-oEaEKWMmyvK6bjznovwdxRPhs2UcazavMkYiPXOEByJEJVIxrwy2kfeyLsgx5Lkh-hhg0qrIHLFbaHKkVEWoAeuXgAyVBm83HlVSPp-OadofR5Ha3eUVGtjgGYowh2CdULvxVwP2xnzsWmJohaLP5LHuj_b7LayWWkZeUM0UVv6KVHc-akfsaDovJmQvsdfw11ScKeGc8G3WhAUN2K3g=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dancing duo Jason and Matthew. [Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Right after Monjo was a descent that brought us right down to the level of the Dudh Koshi River and another suspension bridge. Another climb and another descent would bring us to Jorsalle, the lunch point. I remembered Jorsalle with plenty of trepidation because this was our last comfort point. After lunch, the trek would linger along the banks of Dudh Koshi for a short way before the non-stop climb to Namche Bazaar. <br />
<br />
<br /><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wah lau eh.. Alex, Lai Peng, you both are cheongsters! No lasa one ah.. So fast you all!"</span></b></span> complained Serene as she stepped into the small eatery. But she was correct. These two were on their Lonely Peak trekking shoes (though the low cut ones, as their mid cut ones were still missing somewhere in KL).</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Alex and Lai Peng are really very fast. They just walked right in front like that. Really no lasa one."</span></b></span> even Kai Sing, our muscle man, concurred. </blockquote>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4736/24589213477_4c7bcec49a_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4736/24589213477_4c7bcec49a_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the Dzopkyos to pass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wei, Khim, you must eat leh. Wait later you will have no strength for the climb,"</span></b></span> urged Darric. Khim had no appetite during lunch and could hardly eat. I could understand how she felt. It was a combination of fatigue and a little bit of altitude setting in. But still, some form of force consumption must take place because the road ahead was energy-sapping.</blockquote>
As we waited our turn for the toilet at lunch point, Alex, Kai Sing, Raymond and myself counted the number of hours our luggage had gone missing, and were counting the potential compensation that the insurance company would pay up.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Until now, there is no news about your luggage,"</span></b></span> said Adrian. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I am really hoping that we will be able to get some updates this evening at Namche."</span></b></span></blockquote>
I was sure those ten of us with missing luggage were just as anxious. Having to go through the next thirteen days with next to nothing more than what we had wasn't the best way to do an EBC trek. Personally, I was more concerned about all the medical kits and medicine that we would potentially need as we progress further higher.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/J1qMm20wQ8MC3UUhvPA9vfEiem5mM4qs9NydLAaDLlWq7pYyFKnXiVFrLXgle4Qs4YoVMHZbIzMp1DmmnEyTsjvinmJT8xEawe0REv2v0fIX1ur78-qM4d21zq1hK_BdS47XYJrtFXbUCvxcszQvK6yfE5nBuuB64x2bLgUwblKXbM2AoS1MmuTbgnIttU95-8uLLU1ts1hSkzqrIxSRNNLH7uzj82xpswCqg5YqbfG6ddCsk-4o18uWvtgt6_CmfiwBDBV9RfYxfncsOTeTok-xxkEFKWcBA6yuf1rupYO_ELnUw77DweX88t02j51yGeh4_ACJubpZ8SQgwKTktizqMrnxTlhOtMdYtE2lUnaOzsdZbCvohhos5REOPKwTccdZKf32vfnUd7gSALTnx3o1Qb49usJgApMoFSCHjpNzTtEnREpPZJ11lX8OIDdvYWqnw6vneiPa3LFNIvCkBgqUT744Sm65_uDgwtmZlZKLMlZ-lkWT6MMywWNx-iT1vihj8SjCLaNw-FfNqb6e2aTuBZI4UmWU8Xz5GWut6eVG3OS311nhH4MMSVVY1YZPTdK1YzvsZQV9_xJiW_wJIoWOb_MIsiqOhOxHqRQaRG7vz14g8kWq7k_YF599KCNAGYeQ610ufOofLcCJCqJ2ycVpBz-RjU2_=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/J1qMm20wQ8MC3UUhvPA9vfEiem5mM4qs9NydLAaDLlWq7pYyFKnXiVFrLXgle4Qs4YoVMHZbIzMp1DmmnEyTsjvinmJT8xEawe0REv2v0fIX1ur78-qM4d21zq1hK_BdS47XYJrtFXbUCvxcszQvK6yfE5nBuuB64x2bLgUwblKXbM2AoS1MmuTbgnIttU95-8uLLU1ts1hSkzqrIxSRNNLH7uzj82xpswCqg5YqbfG6ddCsk-4o18uWvtgt6_CmfiwBDBV9RfYxfncsOTeTok-xxkEFKWcBA6yuf1rupYO_ELnUw77DweX88t02j51yGeh4_ACJubpZ8SQgwKTktizqMrnxTlhOtMdYtE2lUnaOzsdZbCvohhos5REOPKwTccdZKf32vfnUd7gSALTnx3o1Qb49usJgApMoFSCHjpNzTtEnREpPZJ11lX8OIDdvYWqnw6vneiPa3LFNIvCkBgqUT744Sm65_uDgwtmZlZKLMlZ-lkWT6MMywWNx-iT1vihj8SjCLaNw-FfNqb6e2aTuBZI4UmWU8Xz5GWut6eVG3OS311nhH4MMSVVY1YZPTdK1YzvsZQV9_xJiW_wJIoWOb_MIsiqOhOxHqRQaRG7vz14g8kWq7k_YF599KCNAGYeQ610ufOofLcCJCqJ2ycVpBz-RjU2_=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking along the banks of Dudh Koshi. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Walking on the <a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5184/5589673802_5958e3d873_b.jpg" target="_blank">rocky paths next to the Dudh Koshi </a>was fun. Fann and I had so much fun releasing our bladders in the open just behind some bushes next to the raging river that we didn't mind being a little slower right at the back of the troupe.<br />
As we <a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5265/5589686960_d6324fb003_b.jpg" target="_blank">finally started the climb up towards Namche</a>, the altimeter started at 2996m and the gradient became more and more unbearable. Very soon we arrived at 3000m, my watch told me we had arrived at one of the most memorable spot where six years ago Mahesh uttered his famous words: "Ok, it's 3000m here. Go slowly from here onwards." And it was also here that I remembered the pine tree that I took a <a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5221/5589689166_aefc988b37_b.jpg" target="_blank">picture of Serene to remember the 3000m by</a>.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Sloth speed!"</span></b></span> cried out Serene behind again.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMujMOnyRRa8ywy3sR122qQ5KivaTl7StYYM8EavrNxrJRYzrh4XbYeXzEqCsOzdDiXTjJZoNpGeaE7DEMilNH_2XIqWsZFhqHb4T4Rb-Tt_IX-jGVgupTPND_qDeIqYhQm60-SKkLh68/w487-h649-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="487" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMujMOnyRRa8ywy3sR122qQ5KivaTl7StYYM8EavrNxrJRYzrh4XbYeXzEqCsOzdDiXTjJZoNpGeaE7DEMilNH_2XIqWsZFhqHb4T4Rb-Tt_IX-jGVgupTPND_qDeIqYhQm60-SKkLh68/w487-h649-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The exact same spot I took a shot of Serene 6 years ago at 3000m.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I kept glancing at my watch. My heart rate was averaging at 115-117/min. Not too bad. I was still able to control my pace so that I would not bust my lactate threshold. My only fear was Ah Sing may have busted hers way in front with the fast boys Jason and Matthew. Fann and Ah Li were guai guai walking with us slowly.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/KcsU6oAB9siE2BAZPfNVMFMq02-96XfxdM5qDcfTVsasNA0xhqrnh_EAlk6_7iHenAkUHPnRnhOWQYMNPmBLrwgsizXzvLvuyYjT5zzqwNVALk-fEaTBcvImZZWmWyw5R6iNjAufFDtYEH1ZmSQ4v8bARdzIqQ4tXzMHgVCIO79NbmcZO12VOmQ7AWX3ld1587iV9BeOda9sT2r2jJJsFo2tXCkHR-OclSD56FIC2dlHL9ZzfZx8ZUARfDLXCc16MHtDqK98RV5UitQDIE14ncbmJiKZUiSTdwU28Xk9SYT9pNc0Gt4-CTKTe-bcGctTBwRBiUJWCGmDQbzkn1zmNu5Hk2ZyTCufE6JaF1az5fiyVaGFQ44KOzqrlxK60iB5SVZo-gcsbiGYf7QkrG1rvVKSHFARhvUoBcoR4iGW2QzACiC8P4RJFEfSymw6IVobPi9_d-AG-apa3Nxo1FDfjMxNktocuHMk2nIzUrE_BN8FFmdtV0CwokGcCe_IDLnudZ2t7Z57nqLZVtD-OJU4wmeV4RgDlEC-V-lNDrHYd7QF6_Gd0LHhLapKR2iYcjSdCrRCNk0VG1Bv8Y-MwQ-RSvmFjLHnOFWn-4R_7ptDcqnsundbnxeHyDEAfMqA1Gt0vUo7jMEmI9vcUTR0p9H17MQBO0HuE6m-=w670-h893-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="670" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/KcsU6oAB9siE2BAZPfNVMFMq02-96XfxdM5qDcfTVsasNA0xhqrnh_EAlk6_7iHenAkUHPnRnhOWQYMNPmBLrwgsizXzvLvuyYjT5zzqwNVALk-fEaTBcvImZZWmWyw5R6iNjAufFDtYEH1ZmSQ4v8bARdzIqQ4tXzMHgVCIO79NbmcZO12VOmQ7AWX3ld1587iV9BeOda9sT2r2jJJsFo2tXCkHR-OclSD56FIC2dlHL9ZzfZx8ZUARfDLXCc16MHtDqK98RV5UitQDIE14ncbmJiKZUiSTdwU28Xk9SYT9pNc0Gt4-CTKTe-bcGctTBwRBiUJWCGmDQbzkn1zmNu5Hk2ZyTCufE6JaF1az5fiyVaGFQ44KOzqrlxK60iB5SVZo-gcsbiGYf7QkrG1rvVKSHFARhvUoBcoR4iGW2QzACiC8P4RJFEfSymw6IVobPi9_d-AG-apa3Nxo1FDfjMxNktocuHMk2nIzUrE_BN8FFmdtV0CwokGcCe_IDLnudZ2t7Z57nqLZVtD-OJU4wmeV4RgDlEC-V-lNDrHYd7QF6_Gd0LHhLapKR2iYcjSdCrRCNk0VG1Bv8Y-MwQ-RSvmFjLHnOFWn-4R_7ptDcqnsundbnxeHyDEAfMqA1Gt0vUo7jMEmI9vcUTR0p9H17MQBO0HuE6m-=w670-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mimi and Ka Lin in fantastic form! [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/HAxGjgSt2ag3PX6L6j4QDIQI3k7_kjBxDyeJhQiPaDQNlPy1xduZBfPIA_XHw_qa3ukeId8DTEj-cWqpe-ix-9GuE6yiQP3XPgYUCMLmvDoI6o-CJO4li4-LdGHrD4U9-xO_kF8GTtagXdj21WOSHRgckZhykYMmu3z_CRDbiiYVDTdTAtMU0GYPGRAmsPNxoHGl6MyeHIquX7bBm0nZBRgbHGR_XVhs0SHWEwS8nHzotyx-cjT92nWVJdYq6ZVeHCg5p-KPNNnqBdg5J7b5AqqylCYSuyj4jXYZ7-dffS01DZIqj0c8J044KYaTPiNM01SiE8cVUPJZs7xvgr1QoByzlJQQwuvSeb79qI88EE1B5YTowYhQuDS8ZyIilh_-sW4-6OibzRULU5FOnYivPTYlpu9agw_1VcKWbagjuJHiJWeCEk4WuDOgx813nXQf6CxvHwXNhEQc1rZhu6_eMLISSpb89xkBJFCtFBiGLS5l1RaDRp2m3tsILuuh2x6PK8PQbIAS13TrxMbnMaVoyu9h70KWb7XdB233jRJ22vGtCOAuBRZioAkRE7gjoev06A0-dvUKuGXlgjdZgmOtASchK25X_AytFL6KRwiu8S6ejbjfhJt6D-EZhMFIlKWH2MoHG0L734Kp9GFiXqyBQDkPj4M4qeel=w401-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="401" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/HAxGjgSt2ag3PX6L6j4QDIQI3k7_kjBxDyeJhQiPaDQNlPy1xduZBfPIA_XHw_qa3ukeId8DTEj-cWqpe-ix-9GuE6yiQP3XPgYUCMLmvDoI6o-CJO4li4-LdGHrD4U9-xO_kF8GTtagXdj21WOSHRgckZhykYMmu3z_CRDbiiYVDTdTAtMU0GYPGRAmsPNxoHGl6MyeHIquX7bBm0nZBRgbHGR_XVhs0SHWEwS8nHzotyx-cjT92nWVJdYq6ZVeHCg5p-KPNNnqBdg5J7b5AqqylCYSuyj4jXYZ7-dffS01DZIqj0c8J044KYaTPiNM01SiE8cVUPJZs7xvgr1QoByzlJQQwuvSeb79qI88EE1B5YTowYhQuDS8ZyIilh_-sW4-6OibzRULU5FOnYivPTYlpu9agw_1VcKWbagjuJHiJWeCEk4WuDOgx813nXQf6CxvHwXNhEQc1rZhu6_eMLISSpb89xkBJFCtFBiGLS5l1RaDRp2m3tsILuuh2x6PK8PQbIAS13TrxMbnMaVoyu9h70KWb7XdB233jRJ22vGtCOAuBRZioAkRE7gjoev06A0-dvUKuGXlgjdZgmOtASchK25X_AytFL6KRwiu8S6ejbjfhJt6D-EZhMFIlKWH2MoHG0L734Kp9GFiXqyBQDkPj4M4qeel=w401-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A brief sighting of Everest at 3000m. [Photo: Kc Tng]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/5i-4eZrbuefsGTFeorF80Ro_3hxJ9l2NDLzOOldkThy3nCrCR6wBctXlGYOv71i-HJAOEPvLOX12nBAujeatXhQpmuJaU717ild0MTiTEnsj71WP1w3o39OZeoVRQDor6OJDy9AXTomEqzO9PavP3FI7kmt1S9soeFAfxFAw-FGrtozDCkexqShSLCJ6vlWfo_rI7ZPFhDERuLgbcLHLZiFu4D2dwuB9-RQoRu2vd1wqcMmzXkaULD69vY1dqKAb8qWAWOB0MFRaym1ospbfcRspmuMgRORzhJAykbDE3km8hF1Fd4bPLesQon1zf3zHsqH5oRDbMB-7i0VoGeHWTqXElUuRdYR8o05DU2lTrHpj29OthEbLqUZtFjsAtbZ9pnRwhQZPE5xF3nr0Bm_h3QK4KY72tpdn0idWTiUp1jfQx5zzREuN10d1Wv88wagg2z_8aHNnP3sGhoKz9jYQ6Js-WH6S2tFoHJBLatDG6mkNDWtYAiN4rpEn30BYqALwKbgwvPuzCG0yjdTOLf480EwQWMTa0PLku2v0KxQHXqqml49dvtrb-4JMcxJYTVRCOyfQxnVJdtwPaKkkJ3XiSfC56-C1LKw0l7UwGIkbAy5mHYrBLyTi70Ml_3SYZ7LWEOJYvcfCYLepLMspSpK9fc0J4uZQh_Rc=w670-h893-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="670" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/5i-4eZrbuefsGTFeorF80Ro_3hxJ9l2NDLzOOldkThy3nCrCR6wBctXlGYOv71i-HJAOEPvLOX12nBAujeatXhQpmuJaU717ild0MTiTEnsj71WP1w3o39OZeoVRQDor6OJDy9AXTomEqzO9PavP3FI7kmt1S9soeFAfxFAw-FGrtozDCkexqShSLCJ6vlWfo_rI7ZPFhDERuLgbcLHLZiFu4D2dwuB9-RQoRu2vd1wqcMmzXkaULD69vY1dqKAb8qWAWOB0MFRaym1ospbfcRspmuMgRORzhJAykbDE3km8hF1Fd4bPLesQon1zf3zHsqH5oRDbMB-7i0VoGeHWTqXElUuRdYR8o05DU2lTrHpj29OthEbLqUZtFjsAtbZ9pnRwhQZPE5xF3nr0Bm_h3QK4KY72tpdn0idWTiUp1jfQx5zzREuN10d1Wv88wagg2z_8aHNnP3sGhoKz9jYQ6Js-WH6S2tFoHJBLatDG6mkNDWtYAiN4rpEn30BYqALwKbgwvPuzCG0yjdTOLf480EwQWMTa0PLku2v0KxQHXqqml49dvtrb-4JMcxJYTVRCOyfQxnVJdtwPaKkkJ3XiSfC56-C1LKw0l7UwGIkbAy5mHYrBLyTi70Ml_3SYZ7LWEOJYvcfCYLepLMspSpK9fc0J4uZQh_Rc=w670-h893-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kai Sing and Alex enjoying the climb thoroughly. Power man! [Photo: Kai Sing's iPhone]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The rocks on the path were unrelenting and many a times unreasonably random, if they could be such described. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Just look for the easiest and smallest step," </span></b></span>said Fann, who, as a rock climber, had a natural instinct about rocks.</blockquote>
It was easier said than done. Without our trekking sticks, we were literally depending on our quadriceps and gluteus to climb. The sticks would have made it easier for us. But for the time being, we just had to make do without. We entered the shades of the forest as we ascended closer. And finally made it to the vantage view point with the public toilet. In our hearts we knew it was getting nearer, but how much nearer we didn't know.<br />
Khim rendezvous with us at this point. It has apparently been a tiring stretch for her post-lunch, as she was low on energy. An energy bar or two pushed into her hands would give her the much needed boost for this last part. But she had to be really slow, and pace herself like everyone else, including myself and Serene.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Khim, 加油!"</b></span></span> I shouted out to her as I breathlessly moved out from the Viewpoint for the last attack on Namche.</blockquote>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/i0BaE30w-JFURuXX6Lz2dNIxsZg_Z3xRTlSnkndajYcuI9YSkp37FY5Fihv_gH6upWNovnzfld9NvkC-fUJz_T8xJoax_Qg1Uwy7DH8Ho9MCh2LRnL-sj6pbwg17fHl4nptWI-JPNWB5nnNNJOjRGhIzowvVaiO_gAg9T5pDePJJpwGAAH8BL0bFiFvRt-mUoDrs9rKIlM8HlVVfIpBYVdtl4zL862djXdOt7CPd9kEe7wUMfo9uTkTu_CTXH8K2gsI7MvR1j3GG1zd2Eu3EW3HfrSAeYYt1G7DYMsk4nI4Pi0O6kMar8Q0HQhUjMFnhyhIfGboN6iC1UanhQtzlQypVKQCPMw7ZRKt8sKATPwaC5bUIecxzr-B--43cvKelwaFbtIZIUitDBBknumGEfuG5ECCOz-ractFROsWkt8AuUwXQYuV3Y36E5bkHJwB6fKXh0Aqr_6G8CPNyixPObDiiUVeEhm1-wqWLbONZc0Fw4TTyNsgWyL82o4sHJ-OM9iDBXhVnEaYiMe10EeI5sDsv9tWTn6pLh27KGNOH2QGiOn5XjdsqxAgGwwdG83dHM7UuDjuTnifydr9TaaJNnJkcqIbRT95OM4yDxT_af5vLPNvPcaNy2PcG3XQsAV70nZ0d5PIVRUp9aaJuaP2jvh8r7Inb1VVa=w401-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="401" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/i0BaE30w-JFURuXX6Lz2dNIxsZg_Z3xRTlSnkndajYcuI9YSkp37FY5Fihv_gH6upWNovnzfld9NvkC-fUJz_T8xJoax_Qg1Uwy7DH8Ho9MCh2LRnL-sj6pbwg17fHl4nptWI-JPNWB5nnNNJOjRGhIzowvVaiO_gAg9T5pDePJJpwGAAH8BL0bFiFvRt-mUoDrs9rKIlM8HlVVfIpBYVdtl4zL862djXdOt7CPd9kEe7wUMfo9uTkTu_CTXH8K2gsI7MvR1j3GG1zd2Eu3EW3HfrSAeYYt1G7DYMsk4nI4Pi0O6kMar8Q0HQhUjMFnhyhIfGboN6iC1UanhQtzlQypVKQCPMw7ZRKt8sKATPwaC5bUIecxzr-B--43cvKelwaFbtIZIUitDBBknumGEfuG5ECCOz-ractFROsWkt8AuUwXQYuV3Y36E5bkHJwB6fKXh0Aqr_6G8CPNyixPObDiiUVeEhm1-wqWLbONZc0Fw4TTyNsgWyL82o4sHJ-OM9iDBXhVnEaYiMe10EeI5sDsv9tWTn6pLh27KGNOH2QGiOn5XjdsqxAgGwwdG83dHM7UuDjuTnifydr9TaaJNnJkcqIbRT95OM4yDxT_af5vLPNvPcaNy2PcG3XQsAV70nZ0d5PIVRUp9aaJuaP2jvh8r7Inb1VVa=w401-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The climb after climb after climb. [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The only monster who were not slow were most of the Ang Moh trekkers. They would walk so fast overtaking us, and even while doing so, were engaged in intense conversation with each other, as though this was a stroll in their neighbourhood. I really could not imagine what these Ang Mohs were made of. How could anyone be so fit, and at such altitude?<br />
<br />
The walkie talkies were going off like crazy with Alex, Kai Sing, Kong Wan and the rest announcing their respective arrival at Namche Bazaar. These were almost as monstrous as the Ang Mohs. The paces with which they trekked were unbelievable.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/kHUzqEAKFhZ_VsKurbaaVddWLxS_Us9c5JPjdLoXGS4WL1W3bR9LOY9R-pzldJYQ9TpwAFexaPMxepbv1RBbSnVoIY3cwVQVvde3_sc1T-1g9bgYSx606FtLhdqG_d5PQlTw_575ouYPzAsKyKIem2-ukskx1cooSun8XigzTi2JAvSIJlachYrRRF_UZ5JkSDl7g1pYQkPiER_AZUy0VWBQ7xcSwNS6jst_B2oFTzbPkX_TbrWaNeac-eSPxWAntUdnEUrOgNl6WgDXdScU3gdvhloP2Z7LJ_u9aEsjxJu-VCw-0HHXGuJ2T5ybe898eS_THyd9bwjPHXiYCyxxRTsIyEZNk0DoE8FECIYL_W4rTVXmyZaUaVSr0I8SJjLqcD54UGql7drd-2DFl2t2oAKyewkJ_OHtGwR6n7B5wzJ-0DMWc0Ralt7E-lwR1A1-tslSnP4YJTtHSBCjShJca_rHy9oe3kVr_VVRql2wz7sFj5k4_oZXjSfxV0-5gzoly6X5KxPOxaBD3iXpByT8yjS65YYpVfIlLHO4xD1JKcsGKujwO38WXWBoyv5Oof4tI8jCjNK_70amDvg9WLs4nQ0ms0ofCo0qIMHJoSZV-dwiaiYG5-c8WyY5aduVmw_xJwT5BMDDGjocDLuje0ujqPcz1ZMv_ckGPw=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/kHUzqEAKFhZ_VsKurbaaVddWLxS_Us9c5JPjdLoXGS4WL1W3bR9LOY9R-pzldJYQ9TpwAFexaPMxepbv1RBbSnVoIY3cwVQVvde3_sc1T-1g9bgYSx606FtLhdqG_d5PQlTw_575ouYPzAsKyKIem2-ukskx1cooSun8XigzTi2JAvSIJlachYrRRF_UZ5JkSDl7g1pYQkPiER_AZUy0VWBQ7xcSwNS6jst_B2oFTzbPkX_TbrWaNeac-eSPxWAntUdnEUrOgNl6WgDXdScU3gdvhloP2Z7LJ_u9aEsjxJu-VCw-0HHXGuJ2T5ybe898eS_THyd9bwjPHXiYCyxxRTsIyEZNk0DoE8FECIYL_W4rTVXmyZaUaVSr0I8SJjLqcD54UGql7drd-2DFl2t2oAKyewkJ_OHtGwR6n7B5wzJ-0DMWc0Ralt7E-lwR1A1-tslSnP4YJTtHSBCjShJca_rHy9oe3kVr_VVRql2wz7sFj5k4_oZXjSfxV0-5gzoly6X5KxPOxaBD3iXpByT8yjS65YYpVfIlLHO4xD1JKcsGKujwO38WXWBoyv5Oof4tI8jCjNK_70amDvg9WLs4nQ0ms0ofCo0qIMHJoSZV-dwiaiYG5-c8WyY5aduVmw_xJwT5BMDDGjocDLuje0ujqPcz1ZMv_ckGPw=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting nearer and nearer to Namche Bazaar.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My watch indicated 3100m, and then 3200m and finally 3300m. We WERE near. <a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5011/5589102779_a25c8f026e_b.jpg" target="_blank">And the row of houses with blue roof finally appeared.</a><br />
<br />
<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Oh look!"</b></span></span> I told Cheng Cheng, who was walking with us. "<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">After this row of houses, there will be a short stretch in front before we will make a right turn. If my memory serves me well, right after the turn we will see the entrance to Namche Bazaar."</span></b></span></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/wx9sE7UfYensXY-A8gw8i6xcLZfYMFe_P7MhtpUBjoaRdgv5E7TRLzNMX-uzOR1lvhk5v3gXzYgJQZ0Rw71QpUz3a9pUe6TA2KizJdecNKL7p336RcIWBP5uOJtiXQ83Nw-3BXA59y8_JSvzhiCrjBGaT5do4Tb6FZunLS4BdaZpTlASoYdiONqcwdombyFTX0HrD-wV3qF1R0ZpZAfBdUyf0kUd4mlRaynXsrFyEqxjZb9s_-O0YklSlXDv8Dz-KJCcM4vJRZOh-pDLoQfcMXAAVkyHNtK26UBhUHtcaAkh364Z-DLxV65VYiiGjpB8Amdcx5blT3FZw1cTUQrwOTMKKvI9WyZN1QLjU0FdcAhv9vFcbcQNx74kaeXV5dXyQWw1q4G8AG51phulDuv1rvr6gcHzLqJiXoTfe87Unr2Hkj6lRiztCkRTzfsVVFdf6l_rFJnTAkdBUXc_J9mwf9J-tU9OGJksrXYVn6V5xJnKQkFAWgJ5zCUmEXJwoWblVqXjvMdbrne1dd89O9q-hl7kgJR9Ew46LbcUD16I7Zfzm8ot8kHM-N7far-x__4L2TnISI_JkPe-thhKIgWzKzqCMSyebsvuli6TpHw05BjlGmEsaopCBgKl18K2U4Ynvu8XtQFP1csTlpSOWtL4f-M3tRbqdn_CEw=s649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="649" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/wx9sE7UfYensXY-A8gw8i6xcLZfYMFe_P7MhtpUBjoaRdgv5E7TRLzNMX-uzOR1lvhk5v3gXzYgJQZ0Rw71QpUz3a9pUe6TA2KizJdecNKL7p336RcIWBP5uOJtiXQ83Nw-3BXA59y8_JSvzhiCrjBGaT5do4Tb6FZunLS4BdaZpTlASoYdiONqcwdombyFTX0HrD-wV3qF1R0ZpZAfBdUyf0kUd4mlRaynXsrFyEqxjZb9s_-O0YklSlXDv8Dz-KJCcM4vJRZOh-pDLoQfcMXAAVkyHNtK26UBhUHtcaAkh364Z-DLxV65VYiiGjpB8Amdcx5blT3FZw1cTUQrwOTMKKvI9WyZN1QLjU0FdcAhv9vFcbcQNx74kaeXV5dXyQWw1q4G8AG51phulDuv1rvr6gcHzLqJiXoTfe87Unr2Hkj6lRiztCkRTzfsVVFdf6l_rFJnTAkdBUXc_J9mwf9J-tU9OGJksrXYVn6V5xJnKQkFAWgJ5zCUmEXJwoWblVqXjvMdbrne1dd89O9q-hl7kgJR9Ew46LbcUD16I7Zfzm8ot8kHM-N7far-x__4L2TnISI_JkPe-thhKIgWzKzqCMSyebsvuli6TpHw05BjlGmEsaopCBgKl18K2U4Ynvu8XtQFP1csTlpSOWtL4f-M3tRbqdn_CEw=s649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a collage of some of our boys and girls upon arrival at Namche. There are more of our team members but<br />
these can be found in the video below.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGxgb1vHGcxOH0HGKDmMOmC8dPRPheiGf3cXCAETKOhD5AMxf9b9yv2NTlS2ZT3EVOmnUONCc4e-h4js7aey5IopiFS0wOYq_MV_Sb7vL0h3vEC-d7jFE6Li8TNmSDjYUDmJCTylu9z0/w866-h649-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGxgb1vHGcxOH0HGKDmMOmC8dPRPheiGf3cXCAETKOhD5AMxf9b9yv2NTlS2ZT3EVOmnUONCc4e-h4js7aey5IopiFS0wOYq_MV_Sb7vL0h3vEC-d7jFE6Li8TNmSDjYUDmJCTylu9z0/w866-h649-no/" /></a></div>
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And it didn't fail me. At 5pm, we all arrived at the highly anticipated village. I wondered how it had changed ever since the 2015 earthquake that had the epicentre not far from Namche. But the sky had turned dark, and I would not be able to find out until the next day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/9tx3qmqso6VJVpyajb2GIiiMG0FPF0gSTMU7IQzt4tnq_6iJIzxb4VH_Wf-LwFD8nm4_d80BzhRWdy98X7NkNmUoVedd5hO3MCID-doSyEo0fVvv2TxL4Rt0vS3dtRmz2LX5uDZr3jNYvMAgBsFd6cIgA67VZPxka5MAdXnsJ60uKlPYn25C9rqx90xorwJkSNqcTPMUJ7zOfiEhRpoyhGBnLZN40ZVX5f70mY2qjovd4wtS8I72VZum_n8Pe6aigvJEzMQ_XTY5spo1uWC8QU_-Im5hiQaiok_gj-oCugmUDPftpG3dyuPsjTVBj2SgoFF1-ODqgltmJ2BtXuNIs5gqfYt_DQHzO2luWkf7tNoDvy31tuuNGm8EGq2X7yEu_UVQbtGf8xaburXV5PZxB79_X8iJBL2qc8txdOQEHr6SMhF6Cch57nGmld9hswGS2052zIKN5B4olH62DKjQ5QUhpLlgytgv0RiCiIxfUZzJFijmpbJTPwz1lapWcY3fhge6Zc2NpTQ_GM1I1m8GHM7V82szWqfgAei1fqQF869lIxFz1o0QkJ3usXKDZQ9YqTuqkDOcnzZWjvYWzJqfT9xn92GnSoXAnhGcOrOeRHGOqIjQ6MbN07YkGhRTj-mj5XJQ8lfaGU4X4rWKrvYfJnfN5ySSbo_J=w1366-h538-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="1366" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/9tx3qmqso6VJVpyajb2GIiiMG0FPF0gSTMU7IQzt4tnq_6iJIzxb4VH_Wf-LwFD8nm4_d80BzhRWdy98X7NkNmUoVedd5hO3MCID-doSyEo0fVvv2TxL4Rt0vS3dtRmz2LX5uDZr3jNYvMAgBsFd6cIgA67VZPxka5MAdXnsJ60uKlPYn25C9rqx90xorwJkSNqcTPMUJ7zOfiEhRpoyhGBnLZN40ZVX5f70mY2qjovd4wtS8I72VZum_n8Pe6aigvJEzMQ_XTY5spo1uWC8QU_-Im5hiQaiok_gj-oCugmUDPftpG3dyuPsjTVBj2SgoFF1-ODqgltmJ2BtXuNIs5gqfYt_DQHzO2luWkf7tNoDvy31tuuNGm8EGq2X7yEu_UVQbtGf8xaburXV5PZxB79_X8iJBL2qc8txdOQEHr6SMhF6Cch57nGmld9hswGS2052zIKN5B4olH62DKjQ5QUhpLlgytgv0RiCiIxfUZzJFijmpbJTPwz1lapWcY3fhge6Zc2NpTQ_GM1I1m8GHM7V82szWqfgAei1fqQF869lIxFz1o0QkJ3usXKDZQ9YqTuqkDOcnzZWjvYWzJqfT9xn92GnSoXAnhGcOrOeRHGOqIjQ6MbN07YkGhRTj-mj5XJQ8lfaGU4X4rWKrvYfJnfN5ySSbo_J=w1366-h538-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama of Namche Bazaar. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Walking up, we could see quite a lot of changes. Some of the water features were new, and to our shock, very modern looking boutiques with high-class fashion.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I don't like this," </span></b></span>lamented Fann.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Hmmmm.... I agree with you. This is not what Namche used to be like. This has become so much more touristy after the earthquake."</span></b></span> I said. But fortunately, I was to be proven wrong the next day as I found many parts of old Namche Bazaar still preserved the way they had always been. </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: yellow;"><b>The Green Tara Hotel</b></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4739/38752249324_206f2180b7_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4739/38752249324_206f2180b7_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4739/38752249324_cee849fc8a_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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This lovely hotel was our shelter from the increasing cold for the next two nights. For 500 NPR (S$6.68) per person with towel, we got to take a hot shower each. We all did. Serene and I the first and second night, while the girls on the second night.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I suggest no more hot shower after Namche,"</span></b></span> instructed Adrian. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Because it is going to get much colder and the chances of you catching a cold is very high." </span></b></span> Everyone guai guai followed his instruction.</blockquote>
The elapsed time on my watch showed 9 hours 30 minutes, and a moving time of 8 ours 4 minutes. It was long enough a day. Thankfully the next day was an acclimatisation day. A short trek was in store. But it would be a relaxing day indeed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5WnHmmft9Hiw__1imV5JLMjgrUJS0s7PXrQYM9DK4H2GuPfL14aqpVisVJNwfaOMYxz0R6bNSnbsZdK2Aa78a7ip43s-iagHEnHLzkWgU6s6PCt8OWHJmZDcjhkrhNdZGoMBl1dfHMA5TvFsmuScGTGBmq1B8nKRqCI2oIPD60fxoUzYQo8XlvfVbQZ-tdRKdWeSgAVLdw3N8C3-xAlwzntK6hXWBQkeebaE1WdDUtNAq_XsiymKfGLRT5jooW5vlL2vz-vIf_Qy9XFI3cIesspOQ6ktFvQ4aotKgnuHcsO4cwZdS7uwPAyTS0Mjk4kiiUEI7Gw2FDYi5niLrQgooylCOf_BEfeeQuIPKhFaWF0KvoIiWKZK855xhhaLkWdzzP4UdcSZ0nbGqzIorLYNEVZU0hqsGDgL-d9b2KuqgCdZZJTfNBrwcxrJCSxl_nM_eKyuNN3qQ2xVL38ohihlVzOMGu3ZuQIGZcui0l_sTZ_WipTuFbVhFI1s0Od4r6XSeoeDIS_c0woDhYUNfUP8j-gDdeaNIczjEiYR9r3w7fq0DTCtCjuGyTeKU13-5kbuoLCjH5TMo597oUg-SkHiVkHR-emTsVFHWIB2djhw2mwC3ifELK62ZXwBOi5xcAgGUjDSTkw9fCbo101EuUkA8fRFzA2P2LJ=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5WnHmmft9Hiw__1imV5JLMjgrUJS0s7PXrQYM9DK4H2GuPfL14aqpVisVJNwfaOMYxz0R6bNSnbsZdK2Aa78a7ip43s-iagHEnHLzkWgU6s6PCt8OWHJmZDcjhkrhNdZGoMBl1dfHMA5TvFsmuScGTGBmq1B8nKRqCI2oIPD60fxoUzYQo8XlvfVbQZ-tdRKdWeSgAVLdw3N8C3-xAlwzntK6hXWBQkeebaE1WdDUtNAq_XsiymKfGLRT5jooW5vlL2vz-vIf_Qy9XFI3cIesspOQ6ktFvQ4aotKgnuHcsO4cwZdS7uwPAyTS0Mjk4kiiUEI7Gw2FDYi5niLrQgooylCOf_BEfeeQuIPKhFaWF0KvoIiWKZK855xhhaLkWdzzP4UdcSZ0nbGqzIorLYNEVZU0hqsGDgL-d9b2KuqgCdZZJTfNBrwcxrJCSxl_nM_eKyuNN3qQ2xVL38ohihlVzOMGu3ZuQIGZcui0l_sTZ_WipTuFbVhFI1s0Od4r6XSeoeDIS_c0woDhYUNfUP8j-gDdeaNIczjEiYR9r3w7fq0DTCtCjuGyTeKU13-5kbuoLCjH5TMo597oUg-SkHiVkHR-emTsVFHWIB2djhw2mwC3ifELK62ZXwBOi5xcAgGUjDSTkw9fCbo101EuUkA8fRFzA2P2LJ=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls were asleep even before dinner came. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">8:20pm.</span></b></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Guys! Your luggage have caught up with us finally!"</span></b></span> announced Adrian to a round of cheers.</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtqaiwdZaU_8HkAM1_KG1sWOCWvjD8qbUTYx7XeMQEY4aZ0EinsFFMvK4-hng1Yv31obJJJM6kRbLQKiMHTfTLedDxxr5B24s2zi1iJ3SS3tsvIB3jxeI8ggqkuV6nJ97Et7jMxyTj2g/w866-h649-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtqaiwdZaU_8HkAM1_KG1sWOCWvjD8qbUTYx7XeMQEY4aZ0EinsFFMvK4-hng1Yv31obJJJM6kRbLQKiMHTfTLedDxxr5B24s2zi1iJ3SS3tsvIB3jxeI8ggqkuV6nJ97Et7jMxyTj2g/w866-h649-no/" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our missing luggage! Finally!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>During dinner that evening...</b></span><br />
<br />
All the missing luggage had been flown from Kathmandu into Lukla and a group of porters specially tasked to carry them in double time up from Lukla to Namche. A group of our porters had gone downwards to meet them half way to help carry the luggage up.<br />
Having all our clothing and equipment back was such reassurance. We were all relieved.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/jUNFEq5RSffQhJ5jbKbUGpmcbNo5-y_g-wZt2OloYp4zShl6yudrzcEQDKMCJHO7SFPrSTQX7UvXwjacpT-m82tsJ2emuU3YqOU21UZ0fiD5PUPQu1v3A_V7teHCrlVkTWjdbJ3c7a2lV1n5hiRsJehLPNWyUKpMEkdzi1GPFuUJ8v2Z-7WlPdJGt1CUcsOPYE832fict8SMm3qDq6Oks4eXk5HLdmHt6SqqeHLHqZPVY0t8bEJLjXIExbHgiZGfkC3zjFIkHhTuly0EpcZv64wpFhUMKtnPa6ayT_1ZQ-dcMkgubjW0JTXZWet51t1BRjbQmTucW4iSxjBjM_Bbgu1pEdyA4coCI1ke-EleCr8Z-WmVAepTJWrWhzbY1MOcw3bGnziRwEi1wItLFLSoGVFy1U1hMWou4ygXD9taQug_sOWaxejAt2DtFpRaeFuOQAQY_oDqLswmNDkQ6dfgrjQuJICymgwx-ywI-mIY3O8jrRaYG69ZJbKRCRLp4B7ECIkrTKaq111r3eohk47m3QsFKvxfkK8Fb084U0WrMDpoX685ZzHgUVaoetgSYTwYjMJQaWGNDTibYuEK8v1eqe-q4oEo1h2DrjAOVP7VA6qVD9Ur4bo0YoEFsYq6xOszcs2nf0VK_zKO0PGEO-3H0KbRUlon6MUh0A=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/jUNFEq5RSffQhJ5jbKbUGpmcbNo5-y_g-wZt2OloYp4zShl6yudrzcEQDKMCJHO7SFPrSTQX7UvXwjacpT-m82tsJ2emuU3YqOU21UZ0fiD5PUPQu1v3A_V7teHCrlVkTWjdbJ3c7a2lV1n5hiRsJehLPNWyUKpMEkdzi1GPFuUJ8v2Z-7WlPdJGt1CUcsOPYE832fict8SMm3qDq6Oks4eXk5HLdmHt6SqqeHLHqZPVY0t8bEJLjXIExbHgiZGfkC3zjFIkHhTuly0EpcZv64wpFhUMKtnPa6ayT_1ZQ-dcMkgubjW0JTXZWet51t1BRjbQmTucW4iSxjBjM_Bbgu1pEdyA4coCI1ke-EleCr8Z-WmVAepTJWrWhzbY1MOcw3bGnziRwEi1wItLFLSoGVFy1U1hMWou4ygXD9taQug_sOWaxejAt2DtFpRaeFuOQAQY_oDqLswmNDkQ6dfgrjQuJICymgwx-ywI-mIY3O8jrRaYG69ZJbKRCRLp4B7ECIkrTKaq111r3eohk47m3QsFKvxfkK8Fb084U0WrMDpoX685ZzHgUVaoetgSYTwYjMJQaWGNDTibYuEK8v1eqe-q4oEo1h2DrjAOVP7VA6qVD9Ur4bo0YoEFsYq6xOszcs2nf0VK_zKO0PGEO-3H0KbRUlon6MUh0A=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking everyone's oxygen saturation.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVm5nyT9YZJeiGJpMOF4FNOMpkaI7YTWQi_S788CdtSbgJqm6bfgVqT91KFwBJrYWlbt_4NNZaleukjFG8rhknJQ8S1raYPWth5qZiVWOQrdaFL_ZhlE9KhA3Q6SZMcuFEZRJmoGt3S1A/w866-h649-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVm5nyT9YZJeiGJpMOF4FNOMpkaI7YTWQi_S788CdtSbgJqm6bfgVqT91KFwBJrYWlbt_4NNZaleukjFG8rhknJQ8S1raYPWth5qZiVWOQrdaFL_ZhlE9KhA3Q6SZMcuFEZRJmoGt3S1A/w866-h649-no/" /></a></div>
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Now that I was finally equipped, I began my round of checking every one. I was glad I could finally start KL on the needed antibiotic for her gastroenteritis. And as I monitored the oxygen levels, I was shocked to find almost everyone's Oxygen saturation at 80% on the pulse oxymeter, even after warming up the fingers. Everyday at sea level back at home, all my patient's SaO2 were 99-100%. Anything below 90% back at home was alarming.<br />
On this evening, aside from finding most of our team member's SaO2 at 80+%, <i><b><span style="color: yellow;">I was shocked to find TJK's SaO2 (Oxygen Saturation) to be at 73%</span></b></i>. I took a look at this 57 year old man's face. No clinical signs. But up here in the mountains, we could not wait.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Hey, you better quickly go get Diamox from Adrian,"</span></b></span> I warned him. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Your oxygen is so low your risk of AMS is very high."</b></span></span></blockquote>
It was only later at Lobuche that I found some of the important information that I needed on this handwritten chart hung on the wall of the guesthouse.<br />
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So it meant that at the altitude of 3400m at Namche Bazaar, most people's blood oxygen saturation should be about 85-90%. Anything lesser we should be careful. And on that night, quite a number of us were indeed in the 80% zone. Ashley herself was in the 70+%, like TJK. And she was feeling winded after the long climb up to Namche. I passed CC one of the pulse oxymeter to keep measuring her oxygen levels through the night.<br />
Some of us were already starting to have symptoms of food poisoning and respiratory symptoms. Fann herself had been having watery stools, and I left nothing to chance by starting her on Ciprofloxacin antibiotic and made her sleep with Serene and I for both nights. The rest with upper respiratory symptoms were treated quickly. But the most worrisome ones were those with early signs of possibly AMS.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/VHIo6D-09z0K1qpntJFYCsXymVYRCQ0xil7pgk3kQ8T99GEgQOhrE-vb6fOyTpECuSFnIKCkWgf969PfjHDbc4RvJCRNB_nP2aMCDenoNYwCsbwmqIDaGKKS5K_OY7fzAEBAzIecJfwiKKQChG9SY_2MU5jkVp3g9a93EWr8nlltw1sDkBYsu8xGhpht0oKbNjcf_pJk2C9-UhUrA0aYUuq_UStE2AXWQn6ChRyY0PjO2oVIBbdYKlxn4D64MmyXCZcg8ZdGRCMyszTQM5xPvq_4OkamikJfYm0c2VnhoyIjRhhpDDq-yVk8t1yceMAYIXme1wOPrsEBRxWPSoDNtJp6mkFKMEEVGBqLhHnyoX_RwymFAmdOiKTfrfQQr66dCfAgVJkwOS0bJ-ezZzgnYn1HknsqQJz2haB9hETRHAQ9cgSOYkuYDVZYdlWL1EM4odyVVn7Z_Ukq9cdxz2eafqeToF1ZXuqaaT8fM1By-D3MPoX8syNYwkyu8bpHVmZ4luB5sW15wBRBbfigA4BCpMW-QSJxM7zDuMhKfgLRNytQ4JooHovpvnvmA6_iJjLluC8adANLUbZHQx2uCIyMYyGq-AWiY7F5Kyk2zUFO3N_5xWvu5OYzxr0Z8btg3YhEBcv4tGM5hPxa-octZ_McM8hHEEtxP80cRA=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/VHIo6D-09z0K1qpntJFYCsXymVYRCQ0xil7pgk3kQ8T99GEgQOhrE-vb6fOyTpECuSFnIKCkWgf969PfjHDbc4RvJCRNB_nP2aMCDenoNYwCsbwmqIDaGKKS5K_OY7fzAEBAzIecJfwiKKQChG9SY_2MU5jkVp3g9a93EWr8nlltw1sDkBYsu8xGhpht0oKbNjcf_pJk2C9-UhUrA0aYUuq_UStE2AXWQn6ChRyY0PjO2oVIBbdYKlxn4D64MmyXCZcg8ZdGRCMyszTQM5xPvq_4OkamikJfYm0c2VnhoyIjRhhpDDq-yVk8t1yceMAYIXme1wOPrsEBRxWPSoDNtJp6mkFKMEEVGBqLhHnyoX_RwymFAmdOiKTfrfQQr66dCfAgVJkwOS0bJ-ezZzgnYn1HknsqQJz2haB9hETRHAQ9cgSOYkuYDVZYdlWL1EM4odyVVn7Z_Ukq9cdxz2eafqeToF1ZXuqaaT8fM1By-D3MPoX8syNYwkyu8bpHVmZ4luB5sW15wBRBbfigA4BCpMW-QSJxM7zDuMhKfgLRNytQ4JooHovpvnvmA6_iJjLluC8adANLUbZHQx2uCIyMYyGq-AWiY7F5Kyk2zUFO3N_5xWvu5OYzxr0Z8btg3YhEBcv4tGM5hPxa-octZ_McM8hHEEtxP80cRA=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The children's SaO2 were good. At around 90%. [Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/8cyg-d449Nx9l4PAYmh6kqbrYZ3k-biysly1eQZXo8nWvCWk8z4DYW-9W3YhQRR08u22mR9zPrT7odRODX4LTowxS9SO6MgEZAkwxjVoJtU1wlAtxapM8LyzurWZu8s6OIqWVygrsSsECy2ZPBZJ0UrnVLyjEpxPt8mLgyIllqAR3oZOEURFOIr0ggUcLXzPSKZVeUpAu8ZivYwqt24tUtTRtu8yAzNtUcu7XNM7wRE3LqenEUMQzVeQURjP3znfKQFWjpSNe1O5cnb3U5mx5thz5h-5Tvn2BP34AjM0JSMZdZYs0wDHVdmCskn8dqQoYAag_nDN5N46o08oKz2dKVlbJ-O9NFZfw8eBhBVS_anuAZXQWdRPrV0ik7gTkqsKBXvescyH5NINviUQPQrDLDKRMhWg_e_GVJKCy80mPyM3SemfnDCPSta_qLrjsRowoqlTR1dkV72YuisIOCzwQ-DKbKXA01K6-CkZt3xmCQWSSRUSCVF9YiQojaDa9FtVXyOHiFluGUiSfwNKooN6kKzz5gRnf3qhKkRXapQw5AQYt08R3Q_2L6CPKSFpy3DNWzM3fSWy-5TSvqHLePOvS5jvhGbOGt7AL43hZh7R6YKw26IyX1eVDN3L9UwXBCTwfjG8B5OH2fdph9stB4_6wcfQLofbFPSzUA=w487-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="487" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/8cyg-d449Nx9l4PAYmh6kqbrYZ3k-biysly1eQZXo8nWvCWk8z4DYW-9W3YhQRR08u22mR9zPrT7odRODX4LTowxS9SO6MgEZAkwxjVoJtU1wlAtxapM8LyzurWZu8s6OIqWVygrsSsECy2ZPBZJ0UrnVLyjEpxPt8mLgyIllqAR3oZOEURFOIr0ggUcLXzPSKZVeUpAu8ZivYwqt24tUtTRtu8yAzNtUcu7XNM7wRE3LqenEUMQzVeQURjP3znfKQFWjpSNe1O5cnb3U5mx5thz5h-5Tvn2BP34AjM0JSMZdZYs0wDHVdmCskn8dqQoYAag_nDN5N46o08oKz2dKVlbJ-O9NFZfw8eBhBVS_anuAZXQWdRPrV0ik7gTkqsKBXvescyH5NINviUQPQrDLDKRMhWg_e_GVJKCy80mPyM3SemfnDCPSta_qLrjsRowoqlTR1dkV72YuisIOCzwQ-DKbKXA01K6-CkZt3xmCQWSSRUSCVF9YiQojaDa9FtVXyOHiFluGUiSfwNKooN6kKzz5gRnf3qhKkRXapQw5AQYt08R3Q_2L6CPKSFpy3DNWzM3fSWy-5TSvqHLePOvS5jvhGbOGt7AL43hZh7R6YKw26IyX1eVDN3L9UwXBCTwfjG8B5OH2fdph9stB4_6wcfQLofbFPSzUA=w487-h649-no" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/ePLPbJuzrt2tYNvO8Q1LuW8zhpKJTZzxegCh0RDg6qfEa_tm7U8OY6oKx5CxEhCekRxSdR8UEn-PLrT_KZBCb0tKYot7dGTEOMSQcAteGX3QMEoFwPyPaqk0dKbvEf0shM0cHQhKbkePsRHZ1CZIBeVtV55lus7PAWCy4OApQU7LSnbu7TYp06swUOcKcVuMQlNszlrw2ICijyU4y5JnpWLoxCaMjlwkW1u13-TCTaN11ld23e_XQKTGUm6gb9Bdx0Y1QjTddiVnqlyiLxmdGtCEK0ajhPOIsUR0nFFx86BLrlzbsPjaEyDQ5qu2Rydgc0tTw1jlVYMKgrBthmIy-T18K1H_H8NGTk15iNWduTgUSbuLgyqLsUXkiQRyRVZvrtazaY_lmjHwJ4nR9Nr30otr_t6XJwkcc9ciobIBGpDZv1sNwb-gTm5Wd-SGTV8cNvGfpVg0HcF2RbT4piNmIs0lBE1h2Hx-sObZNRyU8KSnThflbFaVd9nv_C7zXV5xb-QpceA8t2xVilnzc0iI6E6B306Op1riQcK2rSrus-_FAAPErcB5cvGMoJer3-DANZrhDULdE7YKYyYPl5Nz26xx6MS4qlTcGgnfU3__qRj0ln_oYcmT2TVZwsucGLGNPZJvZfylAjXku8GwTP8c8qmMsNvIYL_1=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/ePLPbJuzrt2tYNvO8Q1LuW8zhpKJTZzxegCh0RDg6qfEa_tm7U8OY6oKx5CxEhCekRxSdR8UEn-PLrT_KZBCb0tKYot7dGTEOMSQcAteGX3QMEoFwPyPaqk0dKbvEf0shM0cHQhKbkePsRHZ1CZIBeVtV55lus7PAWCy4OApQU7LSnbu7TYp06swUOcKcVuMQlNszlrw2ICijyU4y5JnpWLoxCaMjlwkW1u13-TCTaN11ld23e_XQKTGUm6gb9Bdx0Y1QjTddiVnqlyiLxmdGtCEK0ajhPOIsUR0nFFx86BLrlzbsPjaEyDQ5qu2Rydgc0tTw1jlVYMKgrBthmIy-T18K1H_H8NGTk15iNWduTgUSbuLgyqLsUXkiQRyRVZvrtazaY_lmjHwJ4nR9Nr30otr_t6XJwkcc9ciobIBGpDZv1sNwb-gTm5Wd-SGTV8cNvGfpVg0HcF2RbT4piNmIs0lBE1h2Hx-sObZNRyU8KSnThflbFaVd9nv_C7zXV5xb-QpceA8t2xVilnzc0iI6E6B306Op1riQcK2rSrus-_FAAPErcB5cvGMoJer3-DANZrhDULdE7YKYyYPl5Nz26xx6MS4qlTcGgnfU3__qRj0ln_oYcmT2TVZwsucGLGNPZJvZfylAjXku8GwTP8c8qmMsNvIYL_1=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah Li's was around 91%. [Photo: Ah Sing]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/jfAyZE4NWJGhhkI7puBu00oOKzx5FYduEEMft0eleGeFjcV6MpP96OQkeR7CAhNQ7jEKKjRPJIw62CeDnaaSLK5I4cUDPyPxTpUbIWWDlCBXczqS6-LB70jM1CbyqDV_FpxLd-ftk8vjJrSzyp_Cu52MT-1bhlRHpsqeZB2Uu6lF8TEonMnTDueCBBkeL_wwM7jxM3NbQshoGz6NjNCd5wYs4N8aa_pGcrfydddWc7jpz0CVZGSxaSkjZfKH29uIxtgVeCuZN2wrdEMABJkicNo345qySJiaxNFbrcztAqsJP9APG-NZGl-NLA0h-nmQEp0YWBF3ZlwGUnR59hwpfhG8Zq6skzBYa0TqT0vsu1vfo3VSm6s85NXkseFstPiQDx2Q7EgK_2JfRmxWzl_7mVf5uvq8N182tNjqQ-bBs7kaMjnexUxXEpmexUVArlDiJFnupsNSYwRYeP62k-B9oCEGm0-th91a3encq4cqkIdpvmFtEhmCjqfXUcm7g2lFyOrlwyyI_dcuxCvh_gPL5yLKyxInxpoMK4SDG_OFAHkb5qMa90UtYfaebXTEUzxnvbQstZNRRJR3VYQ3ynCcfGZTQdOBxR007nd0GtjBO0ZpZ9Sc2uNMbGQqVUkddEIPLlTJo6-gUcLWfrpNYKLcCcBtIPQTfOQFVg=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/jfAyZE4NWJGhhkI7puBu00oOKzx5FYduEEMft0eleGeFjcV6MpP96OQkeR7CAhNQ7jEKKjRPJIw62CeDnaaSLK5I4cUDPyPxTpUbIWWDlCBXczqS6-LB70jM1CbyqDV_FpxLd-ftk8vjJrSzyp_Cu52MT-1bhlRHpsqeZB2Uu6lF8TEonMnTDueCBBkeL_wwM7jxM3NbQshoGz6NjNCd5wYs4N8aa_pGcrfydddWc7jpz0CVZGSxaSkjZfKH29uIxtgVeCuZN2wrdEMABJkicNo345qySJiaxNFbrcztAqsJP9APG-NZGl-NLA0h-nmQEp0YWBF3ZlwGUnR59hwpfhG8Zq6skzBYa0TqT0vsu1vfo3VSm6s85NXkseFstPiQDx2Q7EgK_2JfRmxWzl_7mVf5uvq8N182tNjqQ-bBs7kaMjnexUxXEpmexUVArlDiJFnupsNSYwRYeP62k-B9oCEGm0-th91a3encq4cqkIdpvmFtEhmCjqfXUcm7g2lFyOrlwyyI_dcuxCvh_gPL5yLKyxInxpoMK4SDG_OFAHkb5qMa90UtYfaebXTEUzxnvbQstZNRRJR3VYQ3ynCcfGZTQdOBxR007nd0GtjBO0ZpZ9Sc2uNMbGQqVUkddEIPLlTJo6-gUcLWfrpNYKLcCcBtIPQTfOQFVg=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah Sing was so cute. Totally knocked out she was.. with gloves, middle and outer layer and beanies and all.</td></tr>
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Sleep came very easy that night, as most of us were shagged out. But some ended up tossing and turning a little as mild AMS begun to set in.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">The </span><span style="color: yellow;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232;">:</span> <span style="color: yellow;">Climb and climb and climb and finally climbed to Namche Bazaar</span></span></b><br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b4iciU-G9oI?rel=0" width="820"></iframe>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">EBC TREK Day 4: </span><span style="color: #fce5cd; font-size: large;">Happy Acclimatisation Day in Namche Bazaar!</span></b></span><br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;">21 Nov 2017</span></b><br />
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It was customary to rest one extra day in Namche Bazaar for acclimatisation. This acclimatisation thing was important for long treks and especially for those not used to high altitudes. Skipping an acclimatisation day could mean all the difference between making the objective and developing debilitating AMS.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Huh? Tomorrow morning still must climb meh? Not rest in Namche and go shopping one meh?" </span></b></span>asked a bemused Ai Lin.</blockquote>
Well, that was the whole idea about acclimatisation. One would climb high, ideally to the next altitude that one would want to attain, and then descend and rest. By thus, the body would be forced to adapt to a higher altitude and yet be given a chance to rest.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Yes, we will be climbing to about 3800m to a nice vantage point above Namche Bazaar and then towards Syangboche, and then come back. Then you all can go shopping after that."</span></b></span> announced Adrian.</blockquote>
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Here is the Relive video of our acclimatisation trek to Syangboche:</b></span></span><br />
<blockquote class="embedly-card" data-card-controls="0" data-card-key="f1631a41cb254ca5b035dc5747a5bd75">
<h4>
<a href="https://www.relive.cc/view/1284522077?r=embed-site">Relive 'Everest Base Camp trek Day 4- acclimatisation hike to Syangboche and back'</a></h4>
</blockquote>
<script async="" charset="UTF-8" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js"></script>
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Here is the Strava Flyby of our acclimatisation trek from Namche Bazaar upwards. </span></b></span> Just click on the image below, <span style="color: yellow;"><i><b>play and zoom in</b></i></span>. This was really one of the happier treks, because almost everyone was smiling.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1284522077?c=tuvwjj9v&z=G&t=1Q4yMQ&a=XUCQTAlhi0zLO4pMdUuKTA9ZikygUopMeb2lTQ" target="_blank"><img alt="https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1284522077?c=tuvwjj9v&z=G&t=1Q4yMQ&a=XUCQTAlhi0zLO4pMdUuKTA9ZikygUopMeb2lTQ" border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="800" height="294" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4726/38566776664_d92b597514_o.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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And here is the Garmin Connect of our acclimatsation trek to Syangboche today. A really short one, 3 hours 45 minutes. But good enough.<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/embed/2343166261" title="Everest Base Camp trek Day 4- aclimatisation hike to Syangboche and back" width="465"></iframe>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">The </span><span style="color: yellow;">V</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">I</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">D</span><span style="color: #ffd966;">EO</span><span style="color: #f1c232;">:</span> <span style="color: yellow;">Acclimatisation Day in Namche - a really Happy Day!</span></span></b><br />
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="470" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xfa2pOHcHIg?rel=0" width="820"></iframe>
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First thing in the morning, Cheng Cheng reported back to me that Ashley's SaO2 the whole night through was around 80% something. That was quite reassuring. I was really grateful to Cheng Cheng for being the nurse for the night.<br />
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The night before Adrian re-emphasized that it would be a minus ten degrees Celsius early moning as we move out at 8am, and that we would all need to be in Full Battle Order - by that he meant in all layers - base layers, middle layers (as many as we needed) and the outer shell. With that expectation, we were all ready for a freezing day. It was indeed freezing Namche at 3400m was cold early in the morning, below freezing point. But the sun rose quickly and once the warm rays hit us, the layers started coming off.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/ve9rV5vvej-4_RoeETGv67MfW-4UbiFv0p1AzaEUjuwP_b4yI0HRSPKwRF4ZsEJ-X2t0ZELX6q4BG8PHTKh95CA-QA_TD0Xm9Ibq7nk08QcpiGOkN7daYZ9nn0LE0WSyfq8sf5HBC7cPtMMX4Kl2p8KFAFnMBz3B5daIdlo20hiu2Ovb7Ssa3Z-PPbMRHkpkzxMjUsjTQMjF2tBQGCU8x5JC5OTM5t-I7eItl24DhWuX5aM3LAkSiaUUmstCmNXY472urw4lCBCeDMIZkvrPm2ZvHHloasJ_YWxmRqph0tDTp3rXlevH1Zd6GTXttVXrb51nBdx-71nieUKxTr-7Hh0_9sww3Y_e09lasTYldrQxbxHwcBOcJMENC27lbhUnlBJ-RCOGvXXFe6Vo7TMpp2hRORJ1cNA6eNq1mRpCaKcQUxJ18p6b5Kxosr5ZI-GyoKCmmKzsadgheuaSjAFVUysggocJdWbwj_90id1G4eBPF8gyAMR525YKyHHsSkV-nqiPHEl36k17e92TL7Nf2qwsira0NlleXociqXdfkdDjBAyP1djN-WuO4KTUtkb2CVkbphjoVew9sv8ycVE-N1N8c_oG664TYha0FkLqm-BOaKlK7ePXN4lWRS9ks48WGQK_xN2G-t3BvnjYEomkofsXO4GIRSAT=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/ve9rV5vvej-4_RoeETGv67MfW-4UbiFv0p1AzaEUjuwP_b4yI0HRSPKwRF4ZsEJ-X2t0ZELX6q4BG8PHTKh95CA-QA_TD0Xm9Ibq7nk08QcpiGOkN7daYZ9nn0LE0WSyfq8sf5HBC7cPtMMX4Kl2p8KFAFnMBz3B5daIdlo20hiu2Ovb7Ssa3Z-PPbMRHkpkzxMjUsjTQMjF2tBQGCU8x5JC5OTM5t-I7eItl24DhWuX5aM3LAkSiaUUmstCmNXY472urw4lCBCeDMIZkvrPm2ZvHHloasJ_YWxmRqph0tDTp3rXlevH1Zd6GTXttVXrb51nBdx-71nieUKxTr-7Hh0_9sww3Y_e09lasTYldrQxbxHwcBOcJMENC27lbhUnlBJ-RCOGvXXFe6Vo7TMpp2hRORJ1cNA6eNq1mRpCaKcQUxJ18p6b5Kxosr5ZI-GyoKCmmKzsadgheuaSjAFVUysggocJdWbwj_90id1G4eBPF8gyAMR525YKyHHsSkV-nqiPHEl36k17e92TL7Nf2qwsira0NlleXociqXdfkdDjBAyP1djN-WuO4KTUtkb2CVkbphjoVew9sv8ycVE-N1N8c_oG664TYha0FkLqm-BOaKlK7ePXN4lWRS9ks48WGQK_xN2G-t3BvnjYEomkofsXO4GIRSAT=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All on Full Battle Order as per Adrian's instruction. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
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The unique characteristic of this village Namche Bazaar was, everywhere you went, it was uphill climb and the only way of commute was by climbing steps after steps. Early morning at 8am, even merely climbing the well chiselled steps of the village, we were already feeling breathless. It was nostalgic of exactly what we went through 6 years ago. That walk up towards the vantage point was really breathless. The steps seemed never ending. Serene and I were kao-beh-kao-boo-ing all the way. The thinner air at 3400m most likely contributed to our breathlessness.<br />
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At this altitude, the oxygen level in the air was 64% of what we were used to at sea level. And our lungs had to work harder. Keeping a close tab on my watch, I kept my heart rate at an average or 108/min. Sincerely I was surprised that my heart rate never went too high. Kai Seng shared my sentiment:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Yah, I am surprised. My heart rates are all very low... 90+ something, 100 something like that only. But I pant like crazy,"</span></b></span> said Kai Sing.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/zqItCK-xUl2OvHE2ROM4wobqaJIQ1ESfivLHPmv09-dFsLvW5s5oqyAkcX2CBFnWgUAbdSF1ITd75sbL-T5DDQUcAANPwGJwB9pr7mV76iMqfk7yuSXwGO-65yhuqY5pob6NiF5WcYt7nVLxOZOaH9u4wYclg8m6AT2g0GmBY-bBKidZaS4gfQ2IqGi-BqRANM7nFOjdgtBifr71MwlJQe_jjfIvcfdwe47C1k-Pja2iq12yAbhAyebB4ecgQ-PLCMV-Gu-F2RE0vfnb8My8kByiw31enMYAwwT02CqGDHWNPLYZvXMbuoV0-ygEUdOJ-XWXlIg6KYVl13NkuRllupa0ut2ilevB8CDwxahAXZrZ1RDlZ_SIPAwXIOaJJwdSJXKMHU0VsVbHN0TY-btBYhpF-XfgSv65S38S86qE6CgKQYIN3o46QBAbuZSbu1-D0loWSOofQEcISiszPsal_52E9BMlQfMUv4FmD0lFNNgpTvaWEFqWtUuAwbAFcxXcVE2dJiVxWWPSOFWWZ_eYFw7h3rltjnUw5k6KulJ7iB-_ymmNz-QVCRY7XkGgsaVYYruR9by__mDKg7jaAtCIXOHJFDTaA8U8kMazestZhWjgzn42tWqVCsfOJyTHBkcw3OBwccA6QnQvDiGEpbzwzF0rXQEVgjf1=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/zqItCK-xUl2OvHE2ROM4wobqaJIQ1ESfivLHPmv09-dFsLvW5s5oqyAkcX2CBFnWgUAbdSF1ITd75sbL-T5DDQUcAANPwGJwB9pr7mV76iMqfk7yuSXwGO-65yhuqY5pob6NiF5WcYt7nVLxOZOaH9u4wYclg8m6AT2g0GmBY-bBKidZaS4gfQ2IqGi-BqRANM7nFOjdgtBifr71MwlJQe_jjfIvcfdwe47C1k-Pja2iq12yAbhAyebB4ecgQ-PLCMV-Gu-F2RE0vfnb8My8kByiw31enMYAwwT02CqGDHWNPLYZvXMbuoV0-ygEUdOJ-XWXlIg6KYVl13NkuRllupa0ut2ilevB8CDwxahAXZrZ1RDlZ_SIPAwXIOaJJwdSJXKMHU0VsVbHN0TY-btBYhpF-XfgSv65S38S86qE6CgKQYIN3o46QBAbuZSbu1-D0loWSOofQEcISiszPsal_52E9BMlQfMUv4FmD0lFNNgpTvaWEFqWtUuAwbAFcxXcVE2dJiVxWWPSOFWWZ_eYFw7h3rltjnUw5k6KulJ7iB-_ymmNz-QVCRY7XkGgsaVYYruR9by__mDKg7jaAtCIXOHJFDTaA8U8kMazestZhWjgzn42tWqVCsfOJyTHBkcw3OBwccA6QnQvDiGEpbzwzF0rXQEVgjf1=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KC Tng taking a shot of Namche Bazaar from on top. [Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There laid the difference between a conditioned and a slightly
not-so-conditioned person. At such altitude, with only 64% of the usual
amount of oxygen, the body would push the respiratory system, often
taxing the lungs to breath harder and increase the respiratory rate.
The hyperventilating end-effect of Diamox would certainly add on to
that. And everybody would be panting like yaks,
and breathing twice as rapidly as usual. By taxing the respiratory
system, the heart could still work at its normal rate. Therefore our
heart rates remained. Unless one pushed really really hard, or if
one's fitness wasn't really sufficient, then the heart rate would start
to rise - never a good sign as it meant that lactic acid would start to
accumulate.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/HbfTDbPbJG8SeRy2_Gg9Jij9W9G0rLP1vNc1KoVhkp1fruu67Dr4IB-GbvppT4ZmQby-7a-IcrNjl7DrPmPr9oC-jZesg_Wh6K0KHwrIAlFKcVOAz_P4xrs0b5hNDJLTciDNC62NSdYIIjOwWKC3ibTP3sSH4n2ClBMoax12bitkJeUVDD6RjCjxVNldDDjDuMAukiZN6b0t9RpxoUi9FHTWvaGaTy_e_7_-Lx6DB0PLMAO9b0BLnxGV_tNM5i1ZrLcXi0FYrRZ6SmS2oDqKiKCJlNtwmArUq-Cae125iVeXRwmgpP8JQbbKsWSf4HkTs1qR2SaN3hRNLZScAV3ibw_SyEAJIo8x8AGc40Ray6VtxVHKmE4Lhy6b1thc4jZepFQ45H4J1tuwwGgKmmuDwvhSlefpyqrgDlfpD5f9stqFag4S4Aj0gUs9ofx_Lmfb1WT62VfhxVXXZql96FmuENmb-7BeUTQwvvAXdjDimvg1mTiEE8b1o5Iazn7mPYNs6RA4icNuGcD8RQxCvUMDkfw6qS1dSHLZjDYrHDhMg1VkvSCFPNCTsgXkjAl2DQmI0_xz1pJB2BN9gCXEv_iJLdYyhs3tjE4SQwFYiJ9KEsic2YC4Fo52Nh6QcEaKp0YZgkqnDB4uzHacP0w3vZX2IwL3mk5MSv7Y=w487-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="487" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/HbfTDbPbJG8SeRy2_Gg9Jij9W9G0rLP1vNc1KoVhkp1fruu67Dr4IB-GbvppT4ZmQby-7a-IcrNjl7DrPmPr9oC-jZesg_Wh6K0KHwrIAlFKcVOAz_P4xrs0b5hNDJLTciDNC62NSdYIIjOwWKC3ibTP3sSH4n2ClBMoax12bitkJeUVDD6RjCjxVNldDDjDuMAukiZN6b0t9RpxoUi9FHTWvaGaTy_e_7_-Lx6DB0PLMAO9b0BLnxGV_tNM5i1ZrLcXi0FYrRZ6SmS2oDqKiKCJlNtwmArUq-Cae125iVeXRwmgpP8JQbbKsWSf4HkTs1qR2SaN3hRNLZScAV3ibw_SyEAJIo8x8AGc40Ray6VtxVHKmE4Lhy6b1thc4jZepFQ45H4J1tuwwGgKmmuDwvhSlefpyqrgDlfpD5f9stqFag4S4Aj0gUs9ofx_Lmfb1WT62VfhxVXXZql96FmuENmb-7BeUTQwvvAXdjDimvg1mTiEE8b1o5Iazn7mPYNs6RA4icNuGcD8RQxCvUMDkfw6qS1dSHLZjDYrHDhMg1VkvSCFPNCTsgXkjAl2DQmI0_xz1pJB2BN9gCXEv_iJLdYyhs3tjE4SQwFYiJ9KEsic2YC4Fo52Nh6QcEaKp0YZgkqnDB4uzHacP0w3vZX2IwL3mk5MSv7Y=w487-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anybody was more than welcomed and encouraged to give the prayer wheel a spin in<br />
a clockwise direction. For blessings and as a form of respect to the local people and<br />
the mountains. [Photo: Fann]</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We continued to climb until we reached the top of Namche Bazaar where a prayer wheel was. This point was the intersection where we would return to time and time again, from the Namche Viewpoint to Syangboche, and on that fateful night trek back to Namche Bazaar days later.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/nd86wSfGv7om_Wyxt4qQFRW6ZsveQdNwL_fxwKAt3VXT21N1c6fRdXW7cbBUgKEbVacTNFI62NKXTOh5O0hFlzPCGHBvavXrqukf5u5kd6lXPMCUyO7p2xuYK30reOo8H2B38iD__YAjubHA7ZDIGU2KRrsIAF-3RCJiwfEshuO9-eSAnnN0vcr3xZPMK4TW9xzJ0h-63yLGpc0_r_sFb3Fj55r2gF1VwjWXDbWoP0R0qb_i6BO6APOoGpjxWriL22tou1iTdLo05LXSNjIQ3y_uke-o6ze9VJRrYG2k-kjcdIChGQ3MjASiLT-eTpVpIVAv_stwNSLexumjbo1uXRDe9ctwHdCW7FvZZ2ArBng4lqAKHau9DAL_Fgs9_ZUqYcm6Xem0FykxrcJTpyD5TxO8U07g7-MGGbQFkdM0h7rsj5l79D93wHcvuov5PbWT6WUBhS4NZUcAun5TjtH8fADKoVQ9Ji_s24g_z7iKmn_EtCgn5PFadgjOD-xd5dfCh0kLg0DY6qVusTrJQZkADzAmXcax3INv3aFIK5GjJIVK2aGbToDIZjladzAP6_khXZJRcaB6nFN57Z6xA-kShpeZhgqilPD0f23puXxeRFh13cxL1H780CtP1eeH2qlybGHhNXP7MKykSAqKTPfh2nQJClHdNdbU=w1366-h507-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="1366" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/nd86wSfGv7om_Wyxt4qQFRW6ZsveQdNwL_fxwKAt3VXT21N1c6fRdXW7cbBUgKEbVacTNFI62NKXTOh5O0hFlzPCGHBvavXrqukf5u5kd6lXPMCUyO7p2xuYK30reOo8H2B38iD__YAjubHA7ZDIGU2KRrsIAF-3RCJiwfEshuO9-eSAnnN0vcr3xZPMK4TW9xzJ0h-63yLGpc0_r_sFb3Fj55r2gF1VwjWXDbWoP0R0qb_i6BO6APOoGpjxWriL22tou1iTdLo05LXSNjIQ3y_uke-o6ze9VJRrYG2k-kjcdIChGQ3MjASiLT-eTpVpIVAv_stwNSLexumjbo1uXRDe9ctwHdCW7FvZZ2ArBng4lqAKHau9DAL_Fgs9_ZUqYcm6Xem0FykxrcJTpyD5TxO8U07g7-MGGbQFkdM0h7rsj5l79D93wHcvuov5PbWT6WUBhS4NZUcAun5TjtH8fADKoVQ9Ji_s24g_z7iKmn_EtCgn5PFadgjOD-xd5dfCh0kLg0DY6qVusTrJQZkADzAmXcax3INv3aFIK5GjJIVK2aGbToDIZjladzAP6_khXZJRcaB6nFN57Z6xA-kShpeZhgqilPD0f23puXxeRFh13cxL1H780CtP1eeH2qlybGHhNXP7MKykSAqKTPfh2nQJClHdNdbU=w1366-h507-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The panorama from atop . [Photo by Alex]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Sherpa Cultural Museum</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M9stQzusWJWqt2MwroMPEHLCNu1PSAw8qkW2lgm1QIHHYGWMQgYewAOaSYHYzh_i8pqTSA3r0-cukuJOZd9VDL8lD4YYmrLp9ZrwO7_FKwGdFH4Vm0hdnjEm7QLW_JWVRXBqIMkT-UmtR0URtBGKVyx3r0H6dTn-Qs39Pt4klts_F5UWpCPPvrivD1aop5DcZ1i0cmS3x1khJG4-wvs4IAVX5Fb6OfyOVGrbL7dn9R7jER-eU0YUvIKpgr028PWa8TM_0_QToWCpjWJE_a2stgd-STLGq-p4jMVgj70kd7KuVnvVv4s-1QWPJETArcjFU7blBIbxCRODDlKuDWrmzxm_eOe_t1Fkpeg1qBeX4W2WNeJNmSea7LtHw8a_1Ettnl_nm9fQxFRs36udBVJPmx5_ZqgDM2M4TVgnWwuC44GFLhfiUm1zEYDMdvUVDRJmohwZ_TNkQ_4G0Jai9h-oLRyQ8hoGozckQQoxs-98xENUgrvvicB7IwIzAkOOJTRCN_e-n86ZVYIlqfAjOXSRhDEhPaPvbL5fAaSeYXQFuoKbPLyWpcXutNJBGKnkl94mrXcJp1dva-Ahx9SsLvKeZEWJhoaKKOcwAKnMd7DFyWF2Yd9cZLNrCDBkJtFDSGLcFVhweJYaQg9XLjgtBBMtuBb_7AWdO6u=w487-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="487" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M9stQzusWJWqt2MwroMPEHLCNu1PSAw8qkW2lgm1QIHHYGWMQgYewAOaSYHYzh_i8pqTSA3r0-cukuJOZd9VDL8lD4YYmrLp9ZrwO7_FKwGdFH4Vm0hdnjEm7QLW_JWVRXBqIMkT-UmtR0URtBGKVyx3r0H6dTn-Qs39Pt4klts_F5UWpCPPvrivD1aop5DcZ1i0cmS3x1khJG4-wvs4IAVX5Fb6OfyOVGrbL7dn9R7jER-eU0YUvIKpgr028PWa8TM_0_QToWCpjWJE_a2stgd-STLGq-p4jMVgj70kd7KuVnvVv4s-1QWPJETArcjFU7blBIbxCRODDlKuDWrmzxm_eOe_t1Fkpeg1qBeX4W2WNeJNmSea7LtHw8a_1Ettnl_nm9fQxFRs36udBVJPmx5_ZqgDM2M4TVgnWwuC44GFLhfiUm1zEYDMdvUVDRJmohwZ_TNkQ_4G0Jai9h-oLRyQ8hoGozckQQoxs-98xENUgrvvicB7IwIzAkOOJTRCN_e-n86ZVYIlqfAjOXSRhDEhPaPvbL5fAaSeYXQFuoKbPLyWpcXutNJBGKnkl94mrXcJp1dva-Ahx9SsLvKeZEWJhoaKKOcwAKnMd7DFyWF2Yd9cZLNrCDBkJtFDSGLcFVhweJYaQg9XLjgtBBMtuBb_7AWdO6u=w487-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yours truly panting my lungs out even walking on relatively flat slopes up towards<br />
Namche Viewpoint. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The climb towards the vantage point took us
through some rocky paths and through a nice shady path with pines and
rhododendrons on each side, and finally to the top of the view point
where one could catch a glimpse of a small part of Everest hiding slight behind and beside
Lhotse. Located there was the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAd6wymoN6TovvNlxVF6VzSO77FRGVOK1XdPpcg-tPF9Lw4FIcHgP4JZE2xNKgOH3LmETxi_rnZsAzH3jcDDdi2SXHMPDaqr0VXBda4NfZdHMh-qcD72LoO7wAXYHIy8DLP3Ad_TYZdNA/w866-h649-no/" target="_blank">Sherpa Cultural Museum</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/PFYRSy5f2SLCwcex3xTewht_ZG6q_tekvF0NcaBbsO8dkxp1g0F9j0aOOmEVKn0HSap62aq-d8Rk494RjQrNCjvjHIID3yNkwq7ruMqn1K2hwV4cmAc4HW_lsHJBpUPzPA6vFFdIqHV1LspaMriDz6StBp-DRHSVdwWgFh3qnxR54tvCJ5z7lM-y820NpEqAWGGmQjIquzCbA4X6vO46lHWv0wB9WosvnLVUUJH0wVJCWqgzxIipqCYyamZRSTaiPPoUkNAlTO-VLZYyfkacZtz0OdkSt2JD4zyM9Q9tUOtXL4dwmSBIbd2hBInT3HHjnccD7llCumD_hE_ctXzg0RM3KimohNAcWLYvVgsIfkceAU9sgOoSXwlr1uZmUN4J0uaDbyirbu9mLbWCAcvw63PK_Dy8uMPq5uIFKyhVwBWvaeplr4LfN0kfSUWOEUehF_Y1IEnUWb58GSRJEP3alR7gf00TrEEOq2ytRBkGrSFKIOjbeD4b36dcp58fT1jABgXWN4QrBxy665T2vjDWO3gbAwAVhztNanAkPF8xB99stgP6BM2mnv1MUgty9PixluZKkxpOHIckuMIsNJm-n1rBrlDA2JIZUoX2aTYvO5UhzDHUK1dmIhmkR2S4nC6NhK8Ak8ba-WGX2CcHQa_nkT3WllbAWffs=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/PFYRSy5f2SLCwcex3xTewht_ZG6q_tekvF0NcaBbsO8dkxp1g0F9j0aOOmEVKn0HSap62aq-d8Rk494RjQrNCjvjHIID3yNkwq7ruMqn1K2hwV4cmAc4HW_lsHJBpUPzPA6vFFdIqHV1LspaMriDz6StBp-DRHSVdwWgFh3qnxR54tvCJ5z7lM-y820NpEqAWGGmQjIquzCbA4X6vO46lHWv0wB9WosvnLVUUJH0wVJCWqgzxIipqCYyamZRSTaiPPoUkNAlTO-VLZYyfkacZtz0OdkSt2JD4zyM9Q9tUOtXL4dwmSBIbd2hBInT3HHjnccD7llCumD_hE_ctXzg0RM3KimohNAcWLYvVgsIfkceAU9sgOoSXwlr1uZmUN4J0uaDbyirbu9mLbWCAcvw63PK_Dy8uMPq5uIFKyhVwBWvaeplr4LfN0kfSUWOEUehF_Y1IEnUWb58GSRJEP3alR7gf00TrEEOq2ytRBkGrSFKIOjbeD4b36dcp58fT1jABgXWN4QrBxy665T2vjDWO3gbAwAVhztNanAkPF8xB99stgP6BM2mnv1MUgty9PixluZKkxpOHIckuMIsNJm-n1rBrlDA2JIZUoX2aTYvO5UhzDHUK1dmIhmkR2S4nC6NhK8Ak8ba-WGX2CcHQa_nkT3WllbAWffs=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everest on the left, and Lhotse on the right. At Namche Viewpoint. [Photo: Fann]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4640/38406586565_d1ee73727b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4640/38406586565_d1ee73727b_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4640/38406586565_02a2083343_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group photo at Namche Viewpoint [Photo: Adrian]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I found this museum most intriguing and the information and exhibits that they presented there were most informative.<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/p/the-sherpa-cultural-museum-at-namche.html" target="_blank">Here is the link to the page I have created with the exhibits of this museum</a>.</span></b><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Onwards to Syangboche!</span></b></span><br />
<br />
Coming down from the Sherpa Cultural Museum, most of us thought that was it. End of acclimatisation. But no. Adrian and Babu had other plans for us. We were to climb up to Syangboche at 3860m as the final destination of our acclimatisation climb on this day. THIS was the actual real climb.<br />
<div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">“That’s the direction towards Syangboche airport,”</span></b></span> pointed Babu.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
Now
this acclimatisation climb was not less taxing. The usual zig-zag
rocky paths right from the start at 3500m brought on the panting in many
of us. Serene in particular had to walk and stop, and whalk and stop
again.<br />
<br /><br />
The problem with climbs like these was, you looked up and see the zig-zag route and inside you would curse and swear, but you still had to go on. So you grit your teeth and followed the one in front of you, one foot ahead of the other. By now, many of us had learned that deep breathing using the diaphragm, or in a simpler term, belly-breathing, would deliver air deeper into the lungs and send more oxygen. But 2-3 days of diaphragmatic breathing had brought on pain on the lower part of my chest, something that M.Ashley herself also kept complaining to me. It was un-accustomed usage of our abdominal muscle for repeated deep breathing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/pzfQSozvvOvZRXjGZ8kg4apukKIroi6ehcu8cg2OuTAYAV03R7w3iSIy-iocqytsxc5mdFfIUbteG4xK5xTUqpYHpRByzm82lo3tak5QVptS9utqA_JQThkGByuGXyUxJGPB4-x05bUS3EFAN3phFSeBcwXYfiFbUNa8gg9NTtTeKulNy2ZD6V5g7JnJzohCmzMVqtlreadBJnMQztjMcBDg1FaHzZafLdue7GZ_A4JlbaCFt3eiWqwzRJCln0g0pr9rCja7SCaDWW-ajRViuVw-5vW4kktRFiYOUKhikOzzCUKsYoQkqWx7sBDQWiTCaDahX2i8HJ0d5S2wOD3JdDj2H5YMLKUfVB2NuJX18hFP8kvo6LwLwRjeJHd0WcVvFK2m5fkgKRHi5-1b-VApqAWpbT-1vNtn5Q9qnxs1nw81NkiDe-7PHK1g6XumeYBWWZTy0T_um8S_ocOsbAgpaXGVsInOo_P-p2tTmBxz8S1YP5QogIX5PTJ_HeyzgPxeidfed67mGQIfdUQUCsokkIE3H0MVFivJ4pAXPV9WPhMUg1HFtl9CGkstNFwpO63FnqmxeixQW02MWpfwvUez_h06HGHKN9CK2HR5kTvZ119thvw7Pw_VS05ls4KmbhHsrGUjhCIK13Vul1n5uOu0EiOIYmj_66BK=w487-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="487" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/pzfQSozvvOvZRXjGZ8kg4apukKIroi6ehcu8cg2OuTAYAV03R7w3iSIy-iocqytsxc5mdFfIUbteG4xK5xTUqpYHpRByzm82lo3tak5QVptS9utqA_JQThkGByuGXyUxJGPB4-x05bUS3EFAN3phFSeBcwXYfiFbUNa8gg9NTtTeKulNy2ZD6V5g7JnJzohCmzMVqtlreadBJnMQztjMcBDg1FaHzZafLdue7GZ_A4JlbaCFt3eiWqwzRJCln0g0pr9rCja7SCaDWW-ajRViuVw-5vW4kktRFiYOUKhikOzzCUKsYoQkqWx7sBDQWiTCaDahX2i8HJ0d5S2wOD3JdDj2H5YMLKUfVB2NuJX18hFP8kvo6LwLwRjeJHd0WcVvFK2m5fkgKRHi5-1b-VApqAWpbT-1vNtn5Q9qnxs1nw81NkiDe-7PHK1g6XumeYBWWZTy0T_um8S_ocOsbAgpaXGVsInOo_P-p2tTmBxz8S1YP5QogIX5PTJ_HeyzgPxeidfed67mGQIfdUQUCsokkIE3H0MVFivJ4pAXPV9WPhMUg1HFtl9CGkstNFwpO63FnqmxeixQW02MWpfwvUez_h06HGHKN9CK2HR5kTvZ119thvw7Pw_VS05ls4KmbhHsrGUjhCIK13Vul1n5uOu0EiOIYmj_66BK=w487-h649-no" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex and Lai Peng showing how to ascend the correct way. [Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
So the route continued its zig zag ascent and you kept looking up, seeing what you thought would be the top, only to realise that there was a higher ground when you came to it.<br />
The vegetation was just shrubs at 3800m.<br />
Even the Ang Mohs who were trekking up with us were panting. So this was indeed quite a climb. For more than a couple of times, I found my left foot landing wrongly and mildly twisted my already weakened ankle. If not for my good trekking boots, I believed I would have sprained it worse. Mimi and Khim and all of us just made our gradual ascent. The boys were already walkie-talkie-ing from way in front, telling us they have reached the top.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/w8QSRh4sdqXj_bo351tPkfICS20RBqDk2_t2R2k7udKWnLPyzn1p_A7KkYx-zl8Y9EMyI9P5FlOTahHFuL40X1acJ9bw0RQZdrXWmuaTrwHSzNCCeftsYNjrzCrV2dzit6uuhCmxyd8tYqLbhjoPTDmtNDxfVMEeTMj64tZJiWFE6wXWryQojh5Y9Q9Aq68lucR4UxS_eWelEALsCbhLd1WgGXyp546BK8E5YAnKPpkehDkA1tekuKnvaSsQWbKI1o00IVAmrXTU8aUU3G8E4rRX0VTlOalCTP53_PWFOKj-v9hNn8d0tLUsP2MNmo6iDwSc4ew9pcpBEIifw5ObKHzyXLy3iLJcrxZCdQkURoumVoWMwE4MVupUuBUatUGzAscvGiOzhS2QLJSiZjGWhXzle6B4vXKibodXZTe7FvP0ZT8gaHLfMSPTJXyaMbG8M1Zqp0Zd7kupGVpX5v_vZYfcjBt777wSbevR7fcjLMhzQAMermPHdpS4c8mdx1DN5IRSj3f14oFaAb8db4qfiL6PvYsuMYx72RDqigt9pjQYCtwn3zF3aA32uObs7xNqUYyWIeJl3zWmN5Zf3bGLPWnicHYmuVyXG45EpK_4MxoAxwehOJJslF-ifILt7fFwMLRnzWVGVpta6a1O5vyEz0AhYe6KtWtuWw=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/w8QSRh4sdqXj_bo351tPkfICS20RBqDk2_t2R2k7udKWnLPyzn1p_A7KkYx-zl8Y9EMyI9P5FlOTahHFuL40X1acJ9bw0RQZdrXWmuaTrwHSzNCCeftsYNjrzCrV2dzit6uuhCmxyd8tYqLbhjoPTDmtNDxfVMEeTMj64tZJiWFE6wXWryQojh5Y9Q9Aq68lucR4UxS_eWelEALsCbhLd1WgGXyp546BK8E5YAnKPpkehDkA1tekuKnvaSsQWbKI1o00IVAmrXTU8aUU3G8E4rRX0VTlOalCTP53_PWFOKj-v9hNn8d0tLUsP2MNmo6iDwSc4ew9pcpBEIifw5ObKHzyXLy3iLJcrxZCdQkURoumVoWMwE4MVupUuBUatUGzAscvGiOzhS2QLJSiZjGWhXzle6B4vXKibodXZTe7FvP0ZT8gaHLfMSPTJXyaMbG8M1Zqp0Zd7kupGVpX5v_vZYfcjBt777wSbevR7fcjLMhzQAMermPHdpS4c8mdx1DN5IRSj3f14oFaAb8db4qfiL6PvYsuMYx72RDqigt9pjQYCtwn3zF3aA32uObs7xNqUYyWIeJl3zWmN5Zf3bGLPWnicHYmuVyXG45EpK_4MxoAxwehOJJslF-ifILt7fFwMLRnzWVGVpta6a1O5vyEz0AhYe6KtWtuWw=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Round the corner along the perimeter of Everest Sherpa Resort to reach the Syangboche view point. 3861m.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/RTXuYK4AJcTynPXFqdBZ9e5foI0Vam6Z0cEUKTlCYrWLLQBV5xPtSBW5pLcYO8wU1vWJysSm_emLEtklBuyRjy4uRNkoep3OZcig9P7HlSHYBjbXX1-KwQ4BjkeRcXbLLYc5L1vUdTrxxRnkznJftg1Hfl2NlUDaBcv0g2o8n_6zoW9dj8XFzUPhYtjBobcYnLdnJICYcrGR0Ux0M7XQpjAtEbf95cJWITN5ERgIpga0OPeFKHMUokdl_IKCbSlClaGjuKs_hjzVOb_jeY5mId-2LzuIE0_Y_nweuJQ171srAzsC-NqGoth9d__M-2ZgJYMn5aHMn3LmiHahwsZWEbBlKR46BLrLvneaBMAVaJTXxedR0bGw1Ut4SKyJq0BnaM1FGGCjCYsDiONedAQKN3u1s7fhFw5IqrI_87D6XIMyOir6Z33AKIif17EF06H_jN50D2WPacJOmqnX519GsGs5GRCvRhv_D02YwXc80OianxLLTm44fgMX7FOn5qIL3DP9Bb5kX2HjaQA363sRzxpQ-if62IALFAp8D9IH_Rf55NYFB825Xwoa8-P_aPTqiL9iDrKbbvxYWM8hanR-7yblQxbmtsRKB_-XTYcpOZI4bpRZRC8D1mwQq6RaGElmxZ7nAay3rjFQeZsFb-5HhcgoGV1oqboj=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/RTXuYK4AJcTynPXFqdBZ9e5foI0Vam6Z0cEUKTlCYrWLLQBV5xPtSBW5pLcYO8wU1vWJysSm_emLEtklBuyRjy4uRNkoep3OZcig9P7HlSHYBjbXX1-KwQ4BjkeRcXbLLYc5L1vUdTrxxRnkznJftg1Hfl2NlUDaBcv0g2o8n_6zoW9dj8XFzUPhYtjBobcYnLdnJICYcrGR0Ux0M7XQpjAtEbf95cJWITN5ERgIpga0OPeFKHMUokdl_IKCbSlClaGjuKs_hjzVOb_jeY5mId-2LzuIE0_Y_nweuJQ171srAzsC-NqGoth9d__M-2ZgJYMn5aHMn3LmiHahwsZWEbBlKR46BLrLvneaBMAVaJTXxedR0bGw1Ut4SKyJq0BnaM1FGGCjCYsDiONedAQKN3u1s7fhFw5IqrI_87D6XIMyOir6Z33AKIif17EF06H_jN50D2WPacJOmqnX519GsGs5GRCvRhv_D02YwXc80OianxLLTm44fgMX7FOn5qIL3DP9Bb5kX2HjaQA363sRzxpQ-if62IALFAp8D9IH_Rf55NYFB825Xwoa8-P_aPTqiL9iDrKbbvxYWM8hanR-7yblQxbmtsRKB_-XTYcpOZI4bpRZRC8D1mwQq6RaGElmxZ7nAay3rjFQeZsFb-5HhcgoGV1oqboj=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from atop the Viewpoint towards Everest Sherpa Resort, wherre Darric was ready to make his descent. [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QdvR4hgdUXcEDu981uLOXAvri2F5zPPxiWA1ixM6hnNL068dfoAdeRt2sJz620Vf-Diz7vXvMfENoYCMoPVanVUpGltIl36gzMe6iQ3ESBstb4jw1obzMiYE69dFLWuk34_dsPH-x0moSeFYisoq6omOSLzYlMlECHJ8Op39G4eDHZ6NOehdf9nVJPdLpA6rORxzE916StpNqcFOXcg0mNsQCT9kbKlhKSSh8sMHC6F9iQq1h7SzC7PqNG3MaDhW7dMNik9d7qCT8Uf_9kzb1DH2oe-MYQEym-QcMk61cQNPtDiEjG6JSfQPA7d6n3EBmfLaWFKpBTdGZglCACUL4wX8CUWhtP5W1BlZacUHeB9GPGC7uM3yPck430HTAVA-IolcDvpLW5kC3y29ZOM2jrPAhMYZYRBWhDkXXX1q46sBiKsa9IbQy2vpedwTddUHGtsoZvXfBAXX0BeXP2lvKkTcOHCczw21CevQq9lwTAvwRO4l5uW6MMzcotdkmrX-si8CzPZR1_ucU9N_ndsM-drhtZa_R8K0hSBRYQrVwLV_ymiGqypAISEU9NSQwlIm_o1FDIlwv_6VWzRrWKSlvHRa8G6U6rklAZJQXqK0_naKxZCJgBwldzSo3abvfoYoBouMNMkMXBU4scZI8qQjfzWshqO2ynqp=w1366-h333-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="1366" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PUjp2Zz937L6MiJoPagaOgBcI152WH1FGZrC_CVFLOxUuSuxa90X_LZWQZ9y-pBJwhAP3u2tQR4cD0qqeK7Cu7c8fsu6GjfOMxrV9oq5FYX6zz3ShKqtbF5bCTDRG2uVfOFDN19b5l888KgFcVFXkdpoGj_-UwLjh3RQkb7b35jx7wukbIKR5VZGEpeI4QbZmyQVmoV1TSMZ7tjV2xtM2p3DlRGt1QcqhvqjbjfcWPHxXybKuRBEgp1mgtV3LuXRXMcJhnSgK1wf0PB3oLHnPub6vZ-z5NcoiwexUhk2TpjfGrhYRhMU2NplmQrsfxpoUfEzCknPOuIw1i_yJoY0mfevFNB2bBdV29K2Ba6ua-fV0HXe5YyNJ3RgcA-0_XSfJLwa144rwGV4H57g6s80eAbwlahrqhk_Vifs6Ns8JfRfB9vrxWKXCbaJNnJZ8EThumAcIj99D4gwBYV9mxVhPVr3K7opcF6YMFFaVyjuaESIuQvPgJGo8xs64bMTD0JhvufbIiQWqknsSP6UJk_kziA992spoztSN-PUccf6Dwdmj98NeX_0av_Dbw614p3-y6S6KtUwnJ_fn4LZ8L9oaO65UlONqXWsXm1DfsnbNm16WjOZbdtzTxp4qsFyGYtdtJPARM2IqElg8D4LIJjbCyNgOMJf_RI=w1366-h361-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QdvR4hgdUXcEDu981uLOXAvri2F5zPPxiWA1ixM6hnNL068dfoAdeRt2sJz620Vf-Diz7vXvMfENoYCMoPVanVUpGltIl36gzMe6iQ3ESBstb4jw1obzMiYE69dFLWuk34_dsPH-x0moSeFYisoq6omOSLzYlMlECHJ8Op39G4eDHZ6NOehdf9nVJPdLpA6rORxzE916StpNqcFOXcg0mNsQCT9kbKlhKSSh8sMHC6F9iQq1h7SzC7PqNG3MaDhW7dMNik9d7qCT8Uf_9kzb1DH2oe-MYQEym-QcMk61cQNPtDiEjG6JSfQPA7d6n3EBmfLaWFKpBTdGZglCACUL4wX8CUWhtP5W1BlZacUHeB9GPGC7uM3yPck430HTAVA-IolcDvpLW5kC3y29ZOM2jrPAhMYZYRBWhDkXXX1q46sBiKsa9IbQy2vpedwTddUHGtsoZvXfBAXX0BeXP2lvKkTcOHCczw21CevQq9lwTAvwRO4l5uW6MMzcotdkmrX-si8CzPZR1_ucU9N_ndsM-drhtZa_R8K0hSBRYQrVwLV_ymiGqypAISEU9NSQwlIm_o1FDIlwv_6VWzRrWKSlvHRa8G6U6rklAZJQXqK0_naKxZCJgBwldzSo3abvfoYoBouMNMkMXBU4scZI8qQjfzWshqO2ynqp=w1366-h333-no" target="_blank">A panorama of the smooth meadow at Syangboche. [Photo: Serene]<br />Click on the image to see another Panorama by this wonderful photographer.</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/tCr_QvInGsJY_dv6yijm3lkzi86FdLl6nPgvjhqd3OqFuqfgHuOdfO-7fpgU8xMmwOngld98spq2cTfXUMwAKgmotwrixVQAf8bDVk1vFe7NaNgLgr_OWHiaSWr9dcSQNwLRuI_dJdk1kqBAtvWbk2QIR8k5D3b27JffH4Mz9D67Nw9Fc9fUG-mgScA4HUvbnABfl9T_7YUg6wOLAD5O5TKAApUzWlsRgDJQizTMiiHI9V_8xs9tCwHAT_zUrnPiGMCTJByijTvsemccqycSWHgto68LZaRYE5C1paMLnq4EmXQ7CEVcxno1gupm93X6QadejGs0nnRDsd27aamNsxG_1RMVdkDpYvr6OoG98dGX8lxn9F32QoyV5ccgvh2ldQ2rRevXDVfUMY7kA_qbSHXEEHS-I549AY-F7dT_c_w3V8wLAolEYdZybhDopChvsNuTe6F0NNEdJtlR7Uc370cT_m7U_5YHpWTQUBzuVSjTbY_55msXfiy-3avyJyG5yQTd2p1wlmr9qBr5tPiKHlWr6wFY3L31IuEjVEufXhVrwVjEtCGjYUGB7_Smdr6ifGvszjvViWr5UXYTIAkxKufnmcv6qqouVgZEyQqTUpa7Qum53TsJZOfYj3_moQKEn3YkTmnlJ41jlVEjjWid2I68pBV3QX9gZw=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/tCr_QvInGsJY_dv6yijm3lkzi86FdLl6nPgvjhqd3OqFuqfgHuOdfO-7fpgU8xMmwOngld98spq2cTfXUMwAKgmotwrixVQAf8bDVk1vFe7NaNgLgr_OWHiaSWr9dcSQNwLRuI_dJdk1kqBAtvWbk2QIR8k5D3b27JffH4Mz9D67Nw9Fc9fUG-mgScA4HUvbnABfl9T_7YUg6wOLAD5O5TKAApUzWlsRgDJQizTMiiHI9V_8xs9tCwHAT_zUrnPiGMCTJByijTvsemccqycSWHgto68LZaRYE5C1paMLnq4EmXQ7CEVcxno1gupm93X6QadejGs0nnRDsd27aamNsxG_1RMVdkDpYvr6OoG98dGX8lxn9F32QoyV5ccgvh2ldQ2rRevXDVfUMY7kA_qbSHXEEHS-I549AY-F7dT_c_w3V8wLAolEYdZybhDopChvsNuTe6F0NNEdJtlR7Uc370cT_m7U_5YHpWTQUBzuVSjTbY_55msXfiy-3avyJyG5yQTd2p1wlmr9qBr5tPiKHlWr6wFY3L31IuEjVEufXhVrwVjEtCGjYUGB7_Smdr6ifGvszjvViWr5UXYTIAkxKufnmcv6qqouVgZEyQqTUpa7Qum53TsJZOfYj3_moQKEn3YkTmnlJ41jlVEjjWid2I68pBV3QX9gZw=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With our Chief Guide, Babu.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The ground smoothened out into a flattish but still up-sloping meadow. And the walk became more pleasant, no longer having to watch over which rock to avoid. Far ahead there was a small little house. That was actually a <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Uo5pJ_bIQh2YcoZpyX6R49eKrn9TY9LYogmBUVlo9jNAp3D88xOB-uhGSrIlt6uVvdutt71uEFPgQRjSglYZAnVs7T3OplJdDLr_4kW0cVZhZeTHiUIiPOJJh5nAlJUWmFwaabf5DDGuKeJIuhsjomlDlRPqkP37RyGnLpAT-u5KtLX15Zn6EDgnzkPMp5NwaMhbtygNnuZQweOuun7Hd80Q4Gd7aq_rdI3fgjM15y0TS3Yu-e5P67QQjURQB5Uwoyyt0NsBa48f7c5zJ1miaQfNu__0yRDjAbug32Lsw96WwDTlNh27jCGhhFzdvQOwt9jF7mUwPkJ1w68kfFZX-Yoc--DmADAY9JRJIDieTRUZX24rLlT9XdV5v7B_tPYfExnmY1iLRhAaFWUY6cWbAmX94X7WG9iod7_UnHuSA_K2XnhNEDqNg2-yiA-eP0-cC4d4mFALsOV2txj2wjUN3M-URQ8V34PLHC-kT46iAfLnzuIp2SHC9V9lBijRBRqW3OblThWof3gaJ9rFS9MjBu400yf1esv1wq60AP8dcnG5wnFbd67Rodvtkh9edmVQ9GghnDUTYDHvFO-XBs0mG8bIvoV-aTSEg48jqS3OnLdw5gGxBPW714hbMhexN8OdstgFj2c4_wYLjq5CKyGPmZMb0YpXIJ8o=w1051-h649-no" target="_blank">guesthouse in Syangboche</a> (Everst Sherpa Resort) that looked over to the highest point. Rounding the perimeter of the guesthouse finally took us to the top. 3860m. Job done.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/VBJ_AWiazjHu8XBzYpVy4HwvpIIqw4MNzWQKEzxN2IHRZVDfSUaROE_m--2yTdUt4Q4ByVYac_5c-xy3ESruHOHSbHdTWTNrZH8SHA6nTQ00NGNT9YzBLXeTejm1v0mRCpT3ZyqBqm8nvaXMRLpjqzq9-tnLb0MhwjaEvvi3OH80inf9zDvjM3521sjT3nFDOjTRwPH6iYhxp4P5NKBiPN2b8OV3E2fTPoqUW1mYoBjTtPTg7tFmmsBn0QiNrBA4Vf8gz0NvQZEK4NIAvD60v5T0oTdgKAnMGE6Clx1-0fwsRDZ22Vjswq-QFaLF4AxkrcNBMswYBaEFnnroqnmCOqHa6ocIn0JfgT_6KQuO1S3epWd0_NAHzDEKGn-wuCMbYYMQ7NhwMG7iQ39u6hRx8aWGvEYbrYFwaP3lbITkSZQuWwuRTXLcyNn8g4bsTdOl7pjsE2y-Mzd87cgyCEtObrdv7-YcGKgo3xM5SMOKp_Th8Xz7TYLTAsXzzncEcIcBiGXfLA80D4O1775OhgcbMQNXJ4S3IwDIlCR4UGrX4JlWW_KQXM2gNXhyJ4_Q5JRD0mWim3pXRamAWAdVDZEaV_f9KAEpt_vl1ZX0ybH6le1_ESj1wgbkJnu5zBhWi0t-Jz0xIsCxlD_-N022sMZqQ9eO4_tJJfQTZg=w487-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="487" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/VBJ_AWiazjHu8XBzYpVy4HwvpIIqw4MNzWQKEzxN2IHRZVDfSUaROE_m--2yTdUt4Q4ByVYac_5c-xy3ESruHOHSbHdTWTNrZH8SHA6nTQ00NGNT9YzBLXeTejm1v0mRCpT3ZyqBqm8nvaXMRLpjqzq9-tnLb0MhwjaEvvi3OH80inf9zDvjM3521sjT3nFDOjTRwPH6iYhxp4P5NKBiPN2b8OV3E2fTPoqUW1mYoBjTtPTg7tFmmsBn0QiNrBA4Vf8gz0NvQZEK4NIAvD60v5T0oTdgKAnMGE6Clx1-0fwsRDZ22Vjswq-QFaLF4AxkrcNBMswYBaEFnnroqnmCOqHa6ocIn0JfgT_6KQuO1S3epWd0_NAHzDEKGn-wuCMbYYMQ7NhwMG7iQ39u6hRx8aWGvEYbrYFwaP3lbITkSZQuWwuRTXLcyNn8g4bsTdOl7pjsE2y-Mzd87cgyCEtObrdv7-YcGKgo3xM5SMOKp_Th8Xz7TYLTAsXzzncEcIcBiGXfLA80D4O1775OhgcbMQNXJ4S3IwDIlCR4UGrX4JlWW_KQXM2gNXhyJ4_Q5JRD0mWim3pXRamAWAdVDZEaV_f9KAEpt_vl1ZX0ybH6le1_ESj1wgbkJnu5zBhWi0t-Jz0xIsCxlD_-N022sMZqQ9eO4_tJJfQTZg=w487-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wonderful GIF of a series of photos of our family taken by Kai Sing (and one by myself)<br />
at Syangboche.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/p5UaAyx99CArfBP7Ffe4SGIw6XMZH5MvfeuCZSmIRNrsMQmf4hxfd9fKnTF44RLB2rrntFwksEhyaVlTVkQSpWjbG2BvEVnf4CaYcuZpe8SZ2_5sV_qxmBI0tdvilOWXsIVd-g_krPORThD1TIGqcE8ULmX9RaKxkoPX9Cr7WAKoL_VDbrH_4Ps83ADj34oX-pVXy62DaZmp79dvsOGDBeSrFO3AvqGIylZ0fDGZSh9kNms08bAF9ANFo_2W2PMcjBPXuT0Uj7mtyoKx8pwQldnsqzS04wKaOUY1mbUua_tSN6uEh5MaCLvoaIG5MDKFi6HRwCskGyTPJyJAPCwUWrkHpzDi7vkZmptwzFn9H9Fx6jdEwCq0xpk9lCHbx9ADR_zTjITwbFi0i_e8TeTU2nfSJPeG6dqTAX74q-nh0i_1fAFmhxumlM_3aZGP7Tep1M6-3ONiJjJK0EJYdeje3aHAJ6zRZtktxTWtahrIvxCcyoyyp6cSDyNzR8eNIxNnixyzdGIpXJfAdvgvnqaihwiR5-_CExKfx2By1bwrUryJZ_Bzk1HUJpVHq_WhDTIHfUhz9QHyiex4qnaTH5fr8SHTpeC-hqosrSs-bb7HJfMQO5E9EwwTzSrFcoS7-QYGDc_Rh8rGSlLBMDohHdnciLPDtlPikqHQ=w487-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="487" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/p5UaAyx99CArfBP7Ffe4SGIw6XMZH5MvfeuCZSmIRNrsMQmf4hxfd9fKnTF44RLB2rrntFwksEhyaVlTVkQSpWjbG2BvEVnf4CaYcuZpe8SZ2_5sV_qxmBI0tdvilOWXsIVd-g_krPORThD1TIGqcE8ULmX9RaKxkoPX9Cr7WAKoL_VDbrH_4Ps83ADj34oX-pVXy62DaZmp79dvsOGDBeSrFO3AvqGIylZ0fDGZSh9kNms08bAF9ANFo_2W2PMcjBPXuT0Uj7mtyoKx8pwQldnsqzS04wKaOUY1mbUua_tSN6uEh5MaCLvoaIG5MDKFi6HRwCskGyTPJyJAPCwUWrkHpzDi7vkZmptwzFn9H9Fx6jdEwCq0xpk9lCHbx9ADR_zTjITwbFi0i_e8TeTU2nfSJPeG6dqTAX74q-nh0i_1fAFmhxumlM_3aZGP7Tep1M6-3ONiJjJK0EJYdeje3aHAJ6zRZtktxTWtahrIvxCcyoyyp6cSDyNzR8eNIxNnixyzdGIpXJfAdvgvnqaihwiR5-_CExKfx2By1bwrUryJZ_Bzk1HUJpVHq_WhDTIHfUhz9QHyiex4qnaTH5fr8SHTpeC-hqosrSs-bb7HJfMQO5E9EwwTzSrFcoS7-QYGDc_Rh8rGSlLBMDohHdnciLPDtlPikqHQ=w487-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of Kai Sing using Serene's iPhone for this wonderful family portrait at Syangboche</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Was this acclimatisation trek tough? Yes, for me it was. Because I was letting my gluteus do most of my climbing. And I knew my body was most likely still not acclimatised to 3800m yet.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4640/25434613708_cf9c710aea_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4640/25434613708_1883db5b68_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But for Cheng Cheng it wasn't tiring at all as she still had energy to jump!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I was so glad I carried my daypack on the acclimatisation climb and pushed my body hard on this climb, so that on the actual day of continuing forward without the daypack, I would feel so much better,"</span></b></span> remarked Kai Sing.</blockquote>
Yeah, this trek must have been tiring. Because the children fell asleep right after lunch...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/V-Vd9vd5TWQJmOK56oJB11v5yn2Jq9DxNoZvQCqTG1EsQMnTLLZ1b8p7cDth-XtGnJHtWFUmNb8AsAS4hA5MYFtARl9HOLjgMqAXA_7xq_p2qjl_lsaOHtIJp_vsgvgAp6XzyPFrkJrschysqdodc5dkFlHBa1N9eXqOrv4vkGvQWLW28lhDbCQHuYL4UtjZvkCi6WcXk3f4Wuf7QmF_nieOtOHOirupXwyE9_ZT-ysgViBZmwCLqbCVqjJQuBTISj27BB5LgZy1fKFKa02t1mQuKqnGw2n6VegU1HuIuO4ckY6T61euzl_Ty1d9D9aCYT6o8pXHjiiKM0RV7DJdJZ-MwFJ9nC34zgzq3XhqCIzMaL8fvgJimsSOJzhXun01j7mmUJDsQXmaqygCZTcOlLuu2rYfCrJEmHwMS_izLzGwkcD9r_3WewSpNB4BtE0ZLZETpIywmmMRGEDaDRJ8iXvgzz6PzxZav3XJwxsUymQ7xLUvjuHeG-SZlAKRY6gKSKkT82ZPERxG6Jwk2S3QICtjbTVkSmTGDz8SloaRa3UGyd4BFe9HRtdR7usH2lhIIqDF30Hi1I2Pd6N-8xqxsA97worO8x-tCXRmxMWvPWdvRW7qAHsBabD_oplWbyNNVMMd-9xykOWkRfNw1IGnmInztTn5dOPO=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/V-Vd9vd5TWQJmOK56oJB11v5yn2Jq9DxNoZvQCqTG1EsQMnTLLZ1b8p7cDth-XtGnJHtWFUmNb8AsAS4hA5MYFtARl9HOLjgMqAXA_7xq_p2qjl_lsaOHtIJp_vsgvgAp6XzyPFrkJrschysqdodc5dkFlHBa1N9eXqOrv4vkGvQWLW28lhDbCQHuYL4UtjZvkCi6WcXk3f4Wuf7QmF_nieOtOHOirupXwyE9_ZT-ysgViBZmwCLqbCVqjJQuBTISj27BB5LgZy1fKFKa02t1mQuKqnGw2n6VegU1HuIuO4ckY6T61euzl_Ty1d9D9aCYT6o8pXHjiiKM0RV7DJdJZ-MwFJ9nC34zgzq3XhqCIzMaL8fvgJimsSOJzhXun01j7mmUJDsQXmaqygCZTcOlLuu2rYfCrJEmHwMS_izLzGwkcD9r_3WewSpNB4BtE0ZLZETpIywmmMRGEDaDRJ8iXvgzz6PzxZav3XJwxsUymQ7xLUvjuHeG-SZlAKRY6gKSKkT82ZPERxG6Jwk2S3QICtjbTVkSmTGDz8SloaRa3UGyd4BFe9HRtdR7usH2lhIIqDF30Hi1I2Pd6N-8xqxsA97worO8x-tCXRmxMWvPWdvRW7qAHsBabD_oplWbyNNVMMd-9xykOWkRfNw1IGnmInztTn5dOPO=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah Li sleeping in broad daylight. [Photo: Ah Sing]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/k90NHGXaSD8B00k5_U8vixP1lMTbWhWF8x_M9pW3R_3l6a4RcHI_2OhMIByJkdlGb8WnXKj3kqgYHlUix_k8abHcUWgTyiH17ITUfcKsbCTxyYXFj2WNO4wIv4efVawz8vkBnZKXitkQhL8rlyY5tyBnXcw06oDYOhZP_rcXvTdQb5J6yqTI-OFaZLCGsNmPv3rkzluD5PnZo_IL7CaXZfPO8MRMS4xKdMd7g1fQDRRRbzV9dZVYhtjhjPAdUW_ZTxL1tD1wb6DtPj00gjW8gIQMXAIxaFQ1SXko09M6RbNrjDPoNa5yx0jXpoiLpb7kKtm3OBETNNpMwn9ZVJ367BEQX-W7gUUe8NixtZwAM810R2y_ORkpHxApeWIEar_sCCaENPMAJzf1OhxWOae0q3LhZGctaD78UKktfzrp-TUDdAJ26Tdsp6JtzEwqD0Tux9c4YSu8Vybojz6xb0sAb6QFvLD_io2d1YseuhJl-8dmuslN_ppNpkbNL_xhC0OPN7EvCQlUth5JRqJImv-FoBmRyAb-Wr3D6rEFw97LOlExXb3UhaYOm51EGUqFKYXc5Hhv4NsaBi0RuJrmv5eP4xWawZ5uI-upkfyUlLx0DROXaX5LloBlmcc7li9yZlz_okRuqiO_6fzTJEvNaBZ8OZlydN1pbTRC5Q=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/k90NHGXaSD8B00k5_U8vixP1lMTbWhWF8x_M9pW3R_3l6a4RcHI_2OhMIByJkdlGb8WnXKj3kqgYHlUix_k8abHcUWgTyiH17ITUfcKsbCTxyYXFj2WNO4wIv4efVawz8vkBnZKXitkQhL8rlyY5tyBnXcw06oDYOhZP_rcXvTdQb5J6yqTI-OFaZLCGsNmPv3rkzluD5PnZo_IL7CaXZfPO8MRMS4xKdMd7g1fQDRRRbzV9dZVYhtjhjPAdUW_ZTxL1tD1wb6DtPj00gjW8gIQMXAIxaFQ1SXko09M6RbNrjDPoNa5yx0jXpoiLpb7kKtm3OBETNNpMwn9ZVJ367BEQX-W7gUUe8NixtZwAM810R2y_ORkpHxApeWIEar_sCCaENPMAJzf1OhxWOae0q3LhZGctaD78UKktfzrp-TUDdAJ26Tdsp6JtzEwqD0Tux9c4YSu8Vybojz6xb0sAb6QFvLD_io2d1YseuhJl-8dmuslN_ppNpkbNL_xhC0OPN7EvCQlUth5JRqJImv-FoBmRyAb-Wr3D6rEFw97LOlExXb3UhaYOm51EGUqFKYXc5Hhv4NsaBi0RuJrmv5eP4xWawZ5uI-upkfyUlLx0DROXaX5LloBlmcc7li9yZlz_okRuqiO_6fzTJEvNaBZ8OZlydN1pbTRC5Q=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back in the hotel, the boys and girls are hanging up their solar panel to charge their powerbanks. [Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UEO0OJMh9_b0FIO85GR42-wHvk4_XPsWCk_TE5MZI_FUpPlfkYx6SSssrxymEl6BL0F1y0-sDg_nYmwmsBeuRWGvYhMKs_wuERaFXFeFMs5OHA5IPm1ItGQqlb1p00JgK9D-LvfXoWjb-NIFPv08Vu6uvyvBS0Z4hgxBCYulD6ondtLYHdh3pmxmOkfrMzYrbt9ZPNL9Xd3Pnwg5wTbXrZhouu0ELwk-7QroPM4G3uwmj6EPMeW49sA_qXskV0BN-pXjZ66A2GDGY7TSORUUG6K-sCud7mLqdOlTl20qIQR4CTfMnOgL1qm9LvBZqosp39xtc4opUeaaDARD3pRCzrAgDdo9qxAMDV5mJn9ZuFc5KC74JvUhm46SRw4DHrmZyK4ov48s17d_TWEd43qVpnDNSX1B4vI6GFPK-xfLflsS1RxXVfdajAMZGwAmytyaZCdftBkSguM5GNmVxf0gwHlo-MbAw27oPwrNYtQvc2-cJzRDnmNlNhRfrMnYatUNBpPMP-lsI-gIQnZK6kuTNOuGFfhm8gdfZS5wlSvi5pknXSOnJ5UdXPCP3Gv3p5tGCBnBFuw5pe0usrsBVdYKFS9vY9IFuT7zDl4VmcdmCsW11R39K8qQNRF2Klu_ONZtnc69UJ9a36LlXQCx0VaAN5Pa_4RTxDOJQ=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UEO0OJMh9_b0FIO85GR42-wHvk4_XPsWCk_TE5MZI_FUpPlfkYx6SSssrxymEl6BL0F1y0-sDg_nYmwmsBeuRWGvYhMKs_wuERaFXFeFMs5OHA5IPm1ItGQqlb1p00JgK9D-LvfXoWjb-NIFPv08Vu6uvyvBS0Z4hgxBCYulD6ondtLYHdh3pmxmOkfrMzYrbt9ZPNL9Xd3Pnwg5wTbXrZhouu0ELwk-7QroPM4G3uwmj6EPMeW49sA_qXskV0BN-pXjZ66A2GDGY7TSORUUG6K-sCud7mLqdOlTl20qIQR4CTfMnOgL1qm9LvBZqosp39xtc4opUeaaDARD3pRCzrAgDdo9qxAMDV5mJn9ZuFc5KC74JvUhm46SRw4DHrmZyK4ov48s17d_TWEd43qVpnDNSX1B4vI6GFPK-xfLflsS1RxXVfdajAMZGwAmytyaZCdftBkSguM5GNmVxf0gwHlo-MbAw27oPwrNYtQvc2-cJzRDnmNlNhRfrMnYatUNBpPMP-lsI-gIQnZK6kuTNOuGFfhm8gdfZS5wlSvi5pknXSOnJ5UdXPCP3Gv3p5tGCBnBFuw5pe0usrsBVdYKFS9vY9IFuT7zDl4VmcdmCsW11R39K8qQNRF2Klu_ONZtnc69UJ9a36LlXQCx0VaAN5Pa_4RTxDOJQ=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The porters were curious about the finger Pulse Oximeter... and their SaO2 levels? In the HIGH 90+% levels. Perfect!<br />
[Photo: Ah Li]</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Roaming the streets of Namche Bazaar</span></b></span> <br />
<br />
<br />Namche Bazaar still retained its old charm despite new buildings and new changes after the earthquake. There were many parts of Namche that remained the same. We had had the obligatory tea at the famous German Bakery, enjoyed the coffee and pastries. Some went to the real North Face shop to pick up some real stuff.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/T-CvORuxYAfVdLtst7llZ3oiDx_srCH3aOHLrTKC_uxcRN4Hn8NmCPTcxKjH2nqCvEwF9XAIf4_ttfv22EbST04J8Y4AEJNUNjSqdCOe8UhRxJZRjoaF6hFOBqgE7StC6no_Ru51yi4sakw-RZZGwwexr25OBd5N7zZqAnZgOuyS76SmC2fmUEWFCS8U1s68xtn1eovkycE5yQKm_dJiWZYPutE7ZgJVJ07ymOsrgpxYQYZpV6zd2XswDe5fWTHJK4oMGpgmg9kcBZ2oCmsv5pbptBn7eyO1P9dB6sIWpjBaaWoLka7LUnEkdC7IpKwZy0oFFOxzv9ek_itKZgOQS1IfShn6UlMx85c-ikV3RVL6ez1_E3Za6EdhG1wSjrPeu_rga6Wn9csEME8Iy2EI7Gtif6fgVu3IRoJHgCb7g1yNlcx1TKzuA4_FeY6znJKZMhjRtHsjYqqIkQ-bhMBRLsGUeIbno2gseQ3vAEI-X8irwcyu5SlBQ1AjgdItQIhX8ftmNLLcFo338s1LKyo1t3jqggoYVjf4nu4H8f7kd1veisOUs1igFSdQRRJwVYCnpVQXvSONT4BetxfwEAmvHhK6qHpNKopMF3BJRXPOPXjLIpCSSGNoNic0OXLocWyafu7FGAe2R0uOHeeDkGN7LirJWLOfiP3X=w487-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="487" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/T-CvORuxYAfVdLtst7llZ3oiDx_srCH3aOHLrTKC_uxcRN4Hn8NmCPTcxKjH2nqCvEwF9XAIf4_ttfv22EbST04J8Y4AEJNUNjSqdCOe8UhRxJZRjoaF6hFOBqgE7StC6no_Ru51yi4sakw-RZZGwwexr25OBd5N7zZqAnZgOuyS76SmC2fmUEWFCS8U1s68xtn1eovkycE5yQKm_dJiWZYPutE7ZgJVJ07ymOsrgpxYQYZpV6zd2XswDe5fWTHJK4oMGpgmg9kcBZ2oCmsv5pbptBn7eyO1P9dB6sIWpjBaaWoLka7LUnEkdC7IpKwZy0oFFOxzv9ek_itKZgOQS1IfShn6UlMx85c-ikV3RVL6ez1_E3Za6EdhG1wSjrPeu_rga6Wn9csEME8Iy2EI7Gtif6fgVu3IRoJHgCb7g1yNlcx1TKzuA4_FeY6znJKZMhjRtHsjYqqIkQ-bhMBRLsGUeIbno2gseQ3vAEI-X8irwcyu5SlBQ1AjgdItQIhX8ftmNLLcFo338s1LKyo1t3jqggoYVjf4nu4H8f7kd1veisOUs1igFSdQRRJwVYCnpVQXvSONT4BetxfwEAmvHhK6qHpNKopMF3BJRXPOPXjLIpCSSGNoNic0OXLocWyafu7FGAe2R0uOHeeDkGN7LirJWLOfiP3X=w487-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous German Bakery. [Photo: Kai Sing]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Serene and I went shop-hopping from one to another, those little shops run by the locals, selling cold wears and such. And very much enjoyed ourselves being soaked in the Namche atmostphere. Multiple shops selling tinklets of Buddhist artefacts and souveniors. By 4pm the temperature started dipping rapidly, and Serene and I rushed back to the hotel with whatever additional base layers and trekking pants we could find.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmy45FGnIMZaC_TlpoVGiKBSxMc56S1hVmNgOlWP5dcCUsHdtVYXvqUDo0z7MgW5io-6jqC9CW1z8or5Q1kS83Q7BX85KEJ3ecu8UJoGZ75sN5OOr1zbGUUUWmkSF5KIf9H3OYGA530qU/w866-h649-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmy45FGnIMZaC_TlpoVGiKBSxMc56S1hVmNgOlWP5dcCUsHdtVYXvqUDo0z7MgW5io-6jqC9CW1z8or5Q1kS83Q7BX85KEJ3ecu8UJoGZ75sN5OOr1zbGUUUWmkSF5KIf9H3OYGA530qU/w866-h649-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having a last comfortable tea before all the suffering really started was Ai Lin, Ryan, Kong Wan, Darric, Khim and Jeffrey.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/TI_rhmySQAHukBXDGpjSqT1naSYaZVK7xE7nRhlimhdJ2nq8Gd9qtvaeyophmxf9B6izaSWNl_nkcaqJuKgC0Bfs9kWWRZbUqE-xXZvzLM4W-10RmvhyFudOKaUsjgLAcdBviUrMbo4PECpLhJnPiE60qNIbQ3CuzjjUwjGOoyLtHeUGO_EkCu1MNVEwdp5P3Bgs7stMIG5huAr4_W5LECOBfni739UNJYeS_yf2vTYGT-n-IGxRwNq3LCiuM_SvdSPi1DwcJEVWSrk9_eAGi1GfDmE1kzMb61zjsGG6cwiDrqDGLUq-wM2NfuxMk4LJ1ph8qDGiSHYeYsFDo778UWJIc84d910mK3YNCeFJ2juP3sL3Yadebh3JfuTWYeAdALsmV33hsIm8ykleAgiPt21AINrm1CRxwRrJdeJOXc7h7d8AGJO6cv_hxlUrJC3F0p6l7WN6tPW1QZnYVBxYda5GijDQ79e3EsSISgH-11tqu_vKSQiyp-CoXE1fWsbEuQblSiY7XsGgJUq4GB8r5K56BwatLEBqOB_cxWY_gmc6yxpGn7pV7o8_SY53SZgP6VRzQ6aprPdls-RKzZ0MBu1VpuQREFb1xtfPdSWvWC8hUijqpXnmWesSQ8Y75iAdbWT2t5b4xrLZVgyy-MwhxD-0-EHwAoPzsQ=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/TI_rhmySQAHukBXDGpjSqT1naSYaZVK7xE7nRhlimhdJ2nq8Gd9qtvaeyophmxf9B6izaSWNl_nkcaqJuKgC0Bfs9kWWRZbUqE-xXZvzLM4W-10RmvhyFudOKaUsjgLAcdBviUrMbo4PECpLhJnPiE60qNIbQ3CuzjjUwjGOoyLtHeUGO_EkCu1MNVEwdp5P3Bgs7stMIG5huAr4_W5LECOBfni739UNJYeS_yf2vTYGT-n-IGxRwNq3LCiuM_SvdSPi1DwcJEVWSrk9_eAGi1GfDmE1kzMb61zjsGG6cwiDrqDGLUq-wM2NfuxMk4LJ1ph8qDGiSHYeYsFDo778UWJIc84d910mK3YNCeFJ2juP3sL3Yadebh3JfuTWYeAdALsmV33hsIm8ykleAgiPt21AINrm1CRxwRrJdeJOXc7h7d8AGJO6cv_hxlUrJC3F0p6l7WN6tPW1QZnYVBxYda5GijDQ79e3EsSISgH-11tqu_vKSQiyp-CoXE1fWsbEuQblSiY7XsGgJUq4GB8r5K56BwatLEBqOB_cxWY_gmc6yxpGn7pV7o8_SY53SZgP6VRzQ6aprPdls-RKzZ0MBu1VpuQREFb1xtfPdSWvWC8hUijqpXnmWesSQ8Y75iAdbWT2t5b4xrLZVgyy-MwhxD-0-EHwAoPzsQ=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kai Sing bought everything for us to enjoy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/8V8G2Q2vtltTobFKUwNrJZeJZf6bVp7YNXckisnIvVFWo7KqOcH_5AaLgaeSpA81CAZ9rSBA6EitGoY5abxe0GAvKjk9E2EqyK5uHFh_XUTjiopW0d0YWRDLcDfAXEVAzLUen2P-B31OsPIwKKW6q26KGijzbPSf-xRNskOH-kHgWpbwCnh1PAWb_F4pilFVQjhfDGkZt17ycdxJTnbK0nv38pjofVAhsT5otQ2QgGJHaObZFHhjQRD0UZgX6qxUVC4GVv-AwJQalqNqSEvRSu2hufJjCbCb-jjtntxl6yboQrkqEaGdXRd-9ypEzvKiV0k7j41C6-9CbbKt4jqgxAhk3XCmhB356u_YfVhqVXuwS8Lfn7qrX29xIRG3FvRTve4fEAW6z7AHuy59_5FAss2H4IaXboU2FKY0W5dQDnPsw-NYDUE0Qf_YrGVMmfSFgbLxbW8gh2j0r-BBm7V7BG_yCClwn7n89I0msSF7u5g--gmmcGexmEzH94WHeQYP4lZlQ5O4bou7721jkZjnMzJrFxPF890yF3w_TFkwpDXWDjD6_kaERiyIlKe-dUKGWbMBzkt-ph40Cjbi0DfdpNMgBZ0OlYMzSPqsr4wjuM8tMRtbnVRGWp58a9cBZX6-BuLkGyHgVw9lSBIw1aFgyjtotNBmeubX=w864-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="864" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/8V8G2Q2vtltTobFKUwNrJZeJZf6bVp7YNXckisnIvVFWo7KqOcH_5AaLgaeSpA81CAZ9rSBA6EitGoY5abxe0GAvKjk9E2EqyK5uHFh_XUTjiopW0d0YWRDLcDfAXEVAzLUen2P-B31OsPIwKKW6q26KGijzbPSf-xRNskOH-kHgWpbwCnh1PAWb_F4pilFVQjhfDGkZt17ycdxJTnbK0nv38pjofVAhsT5otQ2QgGJHaObZFHhjQRD0UZgX6qxUVC4GVv-AwJQalqNqSEvRSu2hufJjCbCb-jjtntxl6yboQrkqEaGdXRd-9ypEzvKiV0k7j41C6-9CbbKt4jqgxAhk3XCmhB356u_YfVhqVXuwS8Lfn7qrX29xIRG3FvRTve4fEAW6z7AHuy59_5FAss2H4IaXboU2FKY0W5dQDnPsw-NYDUE0Qf_YrGVMmfSFgbLxbW8gh2j0r-BBm7V7BG_yCClwn7n89I0msSF7u5g--gmmcGexmEzH94WHeQYP4lZlQ5O4bou7721jkZjnMzJrFxPF890yF3w_TFkwpDXWDjD6_kaERiyIlKe-dUKGWbMBzkt-ph40Cjbi0DfdpNMgBZ0OlYMzSPqsr4wjuM8tMRtbnVRGWp58a9cBZX6-BuLkGyHgVw9lSBIw1aFgyjtotNBmeubX=w864-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patrick and KC really not frightened of the cold, even as it was starting to freeze outside the German bakery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPM68qMzLMaKyYXzB_EPEdNVhjFssvDP5UUOZr2ZNe7-qAT0AiTauWa1w8RnHxjPN4RMCixj7ZVrXazqrBPGTJg-ayROoB_lWWi8uAmZ5LPQIiXpBh3et0kSbjqAB3yO6T4K_zFWhmz2k/w866-h649-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPM68qMzLMaKyYXzB_EPEdNVhjFssvDP5UUOZr2ZNe7-qAT0AiTauWa1w8RnHxjPN4RMCixj7ZVrXazqrBPGTJg-ayROoB_lWWi8uAmZ5LPQIiXpBh3et0kSbjqAB3yO6T4K_zFWhmz2k/w866-h649-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raymond, Matthew, Jason and DT enjoying their warm tea in the cold air.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Echoing Kai Sing's words, I would love to spend a few more days simply exploring Namche Bazaar. In fact, it was after the whole trek that Kong Wan actually raised this very interesting notion - we could actually plan to extend our stay for a few more days just in Namche Bazaar to soak in the atmosphere and enjoy a relaxing holiday, post-trek, of course.<br />
<br />
Well, I must say one of the highlights of the trek was meeting the famous Singapore mountaineer Khoo Swee Chiow who was the first Singaporean to summit Everest. He was leading a group to EBC and to summit Island Peak.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"You look familiar! You are the famous Singapore mountaineer, but I cannot remember your name!" </b></span></span>was Lai Peng's first words to him when she caught sight of Khoo Swee Chiow. And the rest was history.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mdgMoyJTe9GFcQI6o91rUNqUjK4cjcN_WTcbxTt18i-BJgkUYUUTJcFjWrQv-m_T7jnuXOm_CKXjXNJvcee5Uw274Nww6q82I-0B1so-mH8nsaI1T-U3vis3_xlDRrdRZ2OiikrqgTrnbgaRSUTBOhw_TfwIzCdTNsNyOHwx_oPx_EqGBtOQEx3e5CjYZGeszESLnXDdzrwzGrNeYASdOMPqpqzL58YqfYHIFeMAg4mnRpyfsas84kyFR22EVjkA6uQg1vwPoCHQkvZHKjSW0X_zVuO4LHdP7crEUltFAS1m3YpOi2ynvJPupUAuv7mN8Kg8HGrH_pf4O4NbnMRB_Av_ovL6WmydScxe0bwYGkqPVAaRmoRLMa3PQwidQnebLgdQ0Y0ONq7SNWqEwnDxIv_hi_7D2BrZyX7n9AD0fsiMOZaa2gkTB7DSj9mWrTvyzg7qiwObITVd1SFece1bhB_FNNsy87goL4RlCxPkNa3uVXs_7tiUh0GwwygPEeAtuuDnG0vitmKe7tH_BK78nvkp1t4FifTmPuq3CrBUoucVF0XBjWvaVh3sUEDuGm6Me6rE9w30JTsojS16qJM-zKhdmKFrcVDm__9IVopGa0alXSrm9DJ79cfMYI4q94Niclze2fe5xp5GpmbW-A-CjB3vP6uNpM8XA=w866-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="865" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mdgMoyJTe9GFcQI6o91rUNqUjK4cjcN_WTcbxTt18i-BJgkUYUUTJcFjWrQv-m_T7jnuXOm_CKXjXNJvcee5Uw274Nww6q82I-0B1so-mH8nsaI1T-U3vis3_xlDRrdRZ2OiikrqgTrnbgaRSUTBOhw_TfwIzCdTNsNyOHwx_oPx_EqGBtOQEx3e5CjYZGeszESLnXDdzrwzGrNeYASdOMPqpqzL58YqfYHIFeMAg4mnRpyfsas84kyFR22EVjkA6uQg1vwPoCHQkvZHKjSW0X_zVuO4LHdP7crEUltFAS1m3YpOi2ynvJPupUAuv7mN8Kg8HGrH_pf4O4NbnMRB_Av_ovL6WmydScxe0bwYGkqPVAaRmoRLMa3PQwidQnebLgdQ0Y0ONq7SNWqEwnDxIv_hi_7D2BrZyX7n9AD0fsiMOZaa2gkTB7DSj9mWrTvyzg7qiwObITVd1SFece1bhB_FNNsy87goL4RlCxPkNa3uVXs_7tiUh0GwwygPEeAtuuDnG0vitmKe7tH_BK78nvkp1t4FifTmPuq3CrBUoucVF0XBjWvaVh3sUEDuGm6Me6rE9w30JTsojS16qJM-zKhdmKFrcVDm__9IVopGa0alXSrm9DJ79cfMYI4q94Niclze2fe5xp5GpmbW-A-CjB3vP6uNpM8XA=w866-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who else should we meet but the famous Singaporean mountaineer Khoo Swee Chiow at Namche!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>That evening...</b></span><br />
<br />
The next day would be a tough day ahead, as we would breach the 4000m barrier to arrive at Dingboche 4410m. This last night at Namche Bazaar would be most probably the last night of what little comfort we could afford, for the next seven days, until we arrive back at Namche again on our way back.<br />
<br />
As I finished dinner, I saw Raymond whip out his notebook and started writing. I was impressed and I asked him what he was doing.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Oh I am just writing down my thoughts for the day, as a record of our trip,"</b></span> came his reply.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Wow.. that's really good. How I wish I could do that,"</b></span> I said. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"Why don't you write it into your own blog?"</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: large;"><b>"No lah, for years I have kept my diary and I'd rather keep my stories in my own books"</b></span> said Raymond.</blockquote>
Very impressive. One who keeps a daily record of his life would always be one who thought deeply and would do a lot of retrospection.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b>Blue lips, Alex?</b></span><br />
<br />
Walking out of the dining hall, suddenly Lai Peng noticed something strange on Alex's face.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Hey... how come your lips are so blue ah?"</span></b></span> Lai Peng was very very sharp. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Got meh? My lips blue meh?"</span></b></span> a puzzled Alex.</blockquote>
I drew my face closer and indeed his lips appeared cyanosed. A quick check of the SaO2 found that he was on the low 80%. Hmmm... the day's trek up to 3860m might have pushed his body a little bit harder. AMS often just come out of a sudden and an early pick-up like what Lai Peng observed was critical in preventing further deterioration. Alex and gang had been diligently consuming their Diamox twice a day. But this was time for something a little aggressive. Tomorrow would be a long day. I got Serene to pass him a Dexamethasone tablet one for the night and one for the next morning. This would work. And it did. Heng ah!<br />
<br />
So we slept. But at this altitude, AMS was already starting for some... and some had already begun to toss and turn a little in bed struggling to sleep. I knew Serene and I had to start to be a little more mindful and be more alert to early clinical signs.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/3jQS0Ytv3AS6dKixONqjqKjRhY3deFrDK2jnX2kQh_w9kX-FIYE3PZi3M-FyUg60BF5pQZP65Te2WfekiQHTfq8GYuNt-QypMxzkHkRLCrp_OxQMkE2_Eu6wvctowaTerQNmu8o2OUuf4oY5j970aCzW_p0vwPcSZkbJsvBtj1Gu5XqVzmBo4BhF8ugwDuHFPmP4kS_huHbDtrm7pjUgjpYcwHok0bucl8Y7INfr6IxHDLMcNHbUE6S6TCJ2caXl2JODsVRKEET8CNae2CO6Qv2x4875Z1CnpVFMrgWgTVCwaYR6iKK0C8TEC5MP5NrpsxsGgNwunJ4DxNg02Hs3JRbJTHNG8a58KN-6bBNEJudc7era-9qcfEvwaTPPdcA9q80zbc52kqvPEMSdjmbFlQpyLgDRdyw70SsZSzhCChqWxpp8t2SVKXfXyMJ284d3x_JP0NQxTrKlYpbMgIuR1XVCsW-LMwADml9JYmVLkzhUIbknLtKKr4odFvVdYiMU2CFlQHjwouNqa3P_vXXkKAuzNogDE8A4Ca5aOpzgByCigU3Ylq1GMmBIt1Q3pVk3CjN1JuQdNozd-QZZQb6XyzOTF3VAGHg4graCDkalAnKby6Em7gVo-VH-afMqTLnkWxT1E6ek3UNQnA3ZOvgZ4AvczUGG8lg2=w973-h649-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="973" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/3jQS0Ytv3AS6dKixONqjqKjRhY3deFrDK2jnX2kQh_w9kX-FIYE3PZi3M-FyUg60BF5pQZP65Te2WfekiQHTfq8GYuNt-QypMxzkHkRLCrp_OxQMkE2_Eu6wvctowaTerQNmu8o2OUuf4oY5j970aCzW_p0vwPcSZkbJsvBtj1Gu5XqVzmBo4BhF8ugwDuHFPmP4kS_huHbDtrm7pjUgjpYcwHok0bucl8Y7INfr6IxHDLMcNHbUE6S6TCJ2caXl2JODsVRKEET8CNae2CO6Qv2x4875Z1CnpVFMrgWgTVCwaYR6iKK0C8TEC5MP5NrpsxsGgNwunJ4DxNg02Hs3JRbJTHNG8a58KN-6bBNEJudc7era-9qcfEvwaTPPdcA9q80zbc52kqvPEMSdjmbFlQpyLgDRdyw70SsZSzhCChqWxpp8t2SVKXfXyMJ284d3x_JP0NQxTrKlYpbMgIuR1XVCsW-LMwADml9JYmVLkzhUIbknLtKKr4odFvVdYiMU2CFlQHjwouNqa3P_vXXkKAuzNogDE8A4Ca5aOpzgByCigU3Ylq1GMmBIt1Q3pVk3CjN1JuQdNozd-QZZQb6XyzOTF3VAGHg4graCDkalAnKby6Em7gVo-VH-afMqTLnkWxT1E6ek3UNQnA3ZOvgZ4AvczUGG8lg2=w973-h649-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Namche Bazaar by night. [Photo: KC Tng]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Whatever it was. No one could beat KC Tng that night as he had on a super warm bootie for the freezing night.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxnhLx4IZuqN5QcP8KWC086Mj20jcq2InnLRV6jf-9q4oc6fSgGSN74Yfjl85mciRyhW09C9qF81PFTV5HMZwm0TbVp6PELw8EDSzKFT9K3d7qMxk7PRKaOUEVayqEn_QZIZ8LZdx8KA/w487-h649-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="487" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxnhLx4IZuqN5QcP8KWC086Mj20jcq2InnLRV6jf-9q4oc6fSgGSN74Yfjl85mciRyhW09C9qF81PFTV5HMZwm0TbVp6PELw8EDSzKFT9K3d7qMxk7PRKaOUEVayqEn_QZIZ8LZdx8KA/w487-h649-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well done and well prepared, KC Tng! [Photo: Patrick]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-2-from.html">Click here to continue to:</a><br />
<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/12/everest-base-camp-trek-2017-part-2-from.html"><b><span style="font-size: large;">EBC Trek Part 2</span></b></a>
<b>~ The air got thinner & the body got more tired. Namche Bazaar
to Tengboche & Debuche. Debuche to Dingboche. Acclimatisation in
Dingboche.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com1Lukla, Chaurikharka 56000, Nepal27.6856603 86.72780590000002127.6715998 86.707635900000028 27.699720799999998 86.747975900000014tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-10973421027189944072017-10-09T03:19:00.000-07:002017-10-10T23:07:44.359-07:00Bangkok- Roam freely & appreciate the Terrain<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: large;">Just roam.</span></span><br />
<div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/C47AMilL-nkleAP7v-G47JEQgrjaFDZg4_fTvI1_myPb2HEy8dcIDYaURGK7syvhFtPv5vfDCG3c05DaRlWu9Z3cx0w4WFDVWnLIqPkHqN-w711AHU8mU_hbFJ2sczrx8NNVyiPfpCsNUAArrrb3fzbY2LDigTgDjKlLEuysFDWo-40EpQ9yNjSh6_zDmhEeu9OqAM7ldOvLsAsW-Of4MCp1T10Up6x83rCQtcC_UCH38bIrGDFZJwp3qnTECZInJFm9oVxoSqt8KFpnDY8G7LijbRuNsWxZDi4JNQkFUOgLWLm1VWeMbLi1Dt_2D9iE0Yt9XuDAzYWlHiNCFE0kEut2Af33rwh32lnmivLQ6N04Ngba6qFAt-usRncyC3HTCacZtsdahYVmMc7Mv-5xuhp1wY7jLTlBGFaDCuwObYnk3drQmsCmr0Jb4PVTeleu-1CmEI3GfUqEuTnFRX0m6Mq4kN8M2MwxRt0DpABz_-q33KlEsNHFQUHm7chQitl8aZwPv6MBauPUB_32QNb_X_kZg7X4FUlCXMXba5SOoIiuAVvdLjQLt0wYix60nzblNp7AApp_HdDK1OlKaEAbBD6k4dA79VsrY_jrH1Nu-ek6L_SXHB1GI1Cnb_XUbMRenIUAMAeYKTxScCcki3eoxU4NDeOOU7BeXPU=w632-h891-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="631" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/C47AMilL-nkleAP7v-G47JEQgrjaFDZg4_fTvI1_myPb2HEy8dcIDYaURGK7syvhFtPv5vfDCG3c05DaRlWu9Z3cx0w4WFDVWnLIqPkHqN-w711AHU8mU_hbFJ2sczrx8NNVyiPfpCsNUAArrrb3fzbY2LDigTgDjKlLEuysFDWo-40EpQ9yNjSh6_zDmhEeu9OqAM7ldOvLsAsW-Of4MCp1T10Up6x83rCQtcC_UCH38bIrGDFZJwp3qnTECZInJFm9oVxoSqt8KFpnDY8G7LijbRuNsWxZDi4JNQkFUOgLWLm1VWeMbLi1Dt_2D9iE0Yt9XuDAzYWlHiNCFE0kEut2Af33rwh32lnmivLQ6N04Ngba6qFAt-usRncyC3HTCacZtsdahYVmMc7Mv-5xuhp1wY7jLTlBGFaDCuwObYnk3drQmsCmr0Jb4PVTeleu-1CmEI3GfUqEuTnFRX0m6Mq4kN8M2MwxRt0DpABz_-q33KlEsNHFQUHm7chQitl8aZwPv6MBauPUB_32QNb_X_kZg7X4FUlCXMXba5SOoIiuAVvdLjQLt0wYix60nzblNp7AApp_HdDK1OlKaEAbBD6k4dA79VsrY_jrH1Nu-ek6L_SXHB1GI1Cnb_XUbMRenIUAMAeYKTxScCcki3eoxU4NDeOOU7BeXPU=w632-h891-no" width="226" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>“Let’s go Bangkok to 拜拜.”</b></span></span> I told Serene.<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> “And while we are there we will try to do some running, and go for your favourite Ai Sa Waan massage beside the hotel. And we will eat your Deep Fried Snapper.”</span></b></span></div>
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The BTS brought us to Chit Lom BTS Station early this round, arriving at 8pm. Plenty of time to have a nice dinner. Determined to have her Deep Fried Snapper at The Terrace, Serene ensured her wish was obliged. Disappointment was apparent when the young waitress at Central World Terrace waved her hand and gestured with her demure expression that they had run out of fish, chicken and quite a few of the items on their menu at 8pm on a Thursday night. In retrospect, we should have dropped off at Siam Station and walked to Inter Restaurant for a nice sumptuous dinner. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">The VIDEO</span>. Click on image below for the VIDEO.</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/XPfw4gxDYz78MrQ32" target="_blank"><img alt="https://photos.app.goo.gl/XPfw4gxDYz78MrQ32" border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCNZD-_YfrfWtPRiUTesEVXECc-SVL3dYWQQRGdPJtBB70iXw4_l4YwaFfz1_4LpdF_A4Y0OAwHB9-1Jd93Zhv4RKc766x3PW1IhPYim1pYeXgGzbL7T_2-JDitQxFrQyhgv7De89Tnc/w887-h665-no/" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Traditional Thai massage at Ai Sa Waan</span></b></span></div>
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What wasn’t compromised was her desire for a one and a half hour Traditional Thai massage next door at Ai Sa Waan massage. With a 10% discount coupon from the hotel counter, the final price of 675 Baht (S$27.60) for a 90 minute Traditional Thai massage to lull us into dreamland was enjoyed to the utmost. This was my first time going to Ai Sa Waan, although Serene had done massages a couple of times there. And she was right. This Traditional Thai massage here was better than the Foot Massage at Foot Master in Amarin Plaza. Granted Foot Master was a foot reflexology institute and specialised in foot reflexology, Japanese style. <br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/1UJqO--lrTSkFOP1mZbslzOF5objAYjRjv83E-ujptXb2nnTn9NrTIIZQqIqleghHSU-uOsJ7ob9OlWYnN2sd1i7dmFEILby3rEo-gAkOqfIl_fAcY9EisPze3qCB_ls_7uj__hycVL1G5NAc4fhoEO60nFGQW4xkXj7CRNeYJMnY6DDD7rED7u7w-j3_sO6A2ZkTXGDRrm0NwqXTMOHsJLKVtZ7tce8srLt3qvWC6yl6gsI-oX6IulBt6HJzltFr9N6KrpAlYDz09T9TqS55JbSyvSf0OjYSoGB7cI4u3s-MFrpygrGuUMFgNzEw3IB32I_YLg7HSwEMsh6ErQsVCxpiw0Cqhsct7ExIoyYYklhefaqYS2VsAZFWVZNM28cRce7CRxD0KuA_mnfFlko6M5X1tL4h_LfXJIyxLredLHv1ugjFlpD7Pd6ycBAcy7vlnUTke1zUJvQqmvbr41gB6wYgyj41__8d4baKC7JGP2wzVHWWbLjGhQCRBuCU1cOu3kbZiMmi11CDnkOTEBRicGK0wOz5tniBbEBbPnVn5kVS0revHtWtrDjserQ00llSadxymTxGLJtmlc4rOaKng2EOUs7sKsCpsJhJyAsoSERVV1IziwsGGzN7J2KYMYeK6GAo6YnE2n4sjKONlENxboqlZgTgNjrHkvi=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="478" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/1UJqO--lrTSkFOP1mZbslzOF5objAYjRjv83E-ujptXb2nnTn9NrTIIZQqIqleghHSU-uOsJ7ob9OlWYnN2sd1i7dmFEILby3rEo-gAkOqfIl_fAcY9EisPze3qCB_ls_7uj__hycVL1G5NAc4fhoEO60nFGQW4xkXj7CRNeYJMnY6DDD7rED7u7w-j3_sO6A2ZkTXGDRrm0NwqXTMOHsJLKVtZ7tce8srLt3qvWC6yl6gsI-oX6IulBt6HJzltFr9N6KrpAlYDz09T9TqS55JbSyvSf0OjYSoGB7cI4u3s-MFrpygrGuUMFgNzEw3IB32I_YLg7HSwEMsh6ErQsVCxpiw0Cqhsct7ExIoyYYklhefaqYS2VsAZFWVZNM28cRce7CRxD0KuA_mnfFlko6M5X1tL4h_LfXJIyxLredLHv1ugjFlpD7Pd6ycBAcy7vlnUTke1zUJvQqmvbr41gB6wYgyj41__8d4baKC7JGP2wzVHWWbLjGhQCRBuCU1cOu3kbZiMmi11CDnkOTEBRicGK0wOz5tniBbEBbPnVn5kVS0revHtWtrDjserQ00llSadxymTxGLJtmlc4rOaKng2EOUs7sKsCpsJhJyAsoSERVV1IziwsGGzN7J2KYMYeK6GAo6YnE2n4sjKONlENxboqlZgTgNjrHkvi=w887-h665-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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The uniquely Thai way of using all the sharp and poking joints and body parts of the masseues to prod and provide resistance while contorting one’s joints and limbs was in essence like doing extreme stretching in yoga. This was much more appreciated after I had studied and understood the need for flexibility and embarked on an aggressive quest to stretch all my stiff joints to reduce injuries.</div>
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Little wonder why all the aged Thais are still so nimble, in my opinion. Between Muay Thai and Traditional Thai massage, no elderly Thais would be caught dead with stiff joints!</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/4Dm1CLzM7GyFy7rrpRltevMELDccEDcrm4vN9XyBHjk5HnZgS1yfbhi49ez92s4jJ7rVds_29P0ODRAq68kGqyODWErCcDlo49XWUDVl9g-fMSs5aowsHXprcKNCz4IbRpkS62FmMK0e3P7q_tDkf3HO7r2HeGLWthzzShhk3mK_ZAQxtofav2yI3NdCZRZTdCf_dH8-9e5Q6FIuMBX_f-CDryGpUBmee-BRGAWWdSnYeWzbOqPDvqIl6jdeQg_v3Ev-Kfw7b-gfm65pxtb_VslTSx6dWfx3nDS29j7g3vPTcmpM43a4GH9rcb8-8vQXYCjnJnCixmmWrTpWYySNQNqPoRCPu8vhA3lRYEh34Njy__Xin5Jc-_cHorpTxl-ui4fy08rUh54_NTWpUizZgO8W3gk96FY8RH4CPgasbsupSTwfWxHqet9Pr_sQUklTDGrw6E3wSWl46IgvEyHRAAExu97Ff1rDiXxFz0Cv-j6aMlwyWpRxoeRNg4ET-h8nwc2fTOgLMLk26rtn71kMRln9Y6OEEV6rfbk51dWztsWlbYOQBlSGyFWI_m3AwO1mr8P-sGX8Ceb_FI8TRy2pR2AccTBVwNqFu2CTVmbXiLXzyojzqZfr9QeFiX9THtQbGhwkvWsMEwzxjkM1EjtqGTeBVLQEM6qjQTKv=w499-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="499" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/4Dm1CLzM7GyFy7rrpRltevMELDccEDcrm4vN9XyBHjk5HnZgS1yfbhi49ez92s4jJ7rVds_29P0ODRAq68kGqyODWErCcDlo49XWUDVl9g-fMSs5aowsHXprcKNCz4IbRpkS62FmMK0e3P7q_tDkf3HO7r2HeGLWthzzShhk3mK_ZAQxtofav2yI3NdCZRZTdCf_dH8-9e5Q6FIuMBX_f-CDryGpUBmee-BRGAWWdSnYeWzbOqPDvqIl6jdeQg_v3Ev-Kfw7b-gfm65pxtb_VslTSx6dWfx3nDS29j7g3vPTcmpM43a4GH9rcb8-8vQXYCjnJnCixmmWrTpWYySNQNqPoRCPu8vhA3lRYEh34Njy__Xin5Jc-_cHorpTxl-ui4fy08rUh54_NTWpUizZgO8W3gk96FY8RH4CPgasbsupSTwfWxHqet9Pr_sQUklTDGrw6E3wSWl46IgvEyHRAAExu97Ff1rDiXxFz0Cv-j6aMlwyWpRxoeRNg4ET-h8nwc2fTOgLMLk26rtn71kMRln9Y6OEEV6rfbk51dWztsWlbYOQBlSGyFWI_m3AwO1mr8P-sGX8Ceb_FI8TRy2pR2AccTBVwNqFu2CTVmbXiLXzyojzqZfr9QeFiX9THtQbGhwkvWsMEwzxjkM1EjtqGTeBVLQEM6qjQTKv=w499-h665-no" width="480" /></a></div>
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The two ladies, in their gentle Thai way, laughingly ignored both of our ‘eeek eeek aaah aaahs’ and proceeded to lengthen our muscle fibres by kneading the knots out of them. I didn't remember a moment of more than a couple of seconds when there wasn't any groaning emitting from us. At the end of the 90 minutes, we panted and heaved a great sigh of relief, well-contented that the pain we suffered would translate into great benefit for the next day.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/jzAQpfq5CTvwGCMjuVOiaW973Z7wR6sm5TfAleGlJ2d6RBUi3WsYxlinDbE6LxmDnXAl0xwV04YsuQy9KPNzyvtFFYzHilzSsWe0Pr-RHOouuco8Ng3GYfyBCjtZYllWCfm26_0j8_n13jqerS2KFsYjsEjY6uinkRdTehz4-AgGN5jLYiMU_ls3DNZX79kmq2A6KwJbyx6sDyrAymFLz1eXTHCXaWNuPlH06Z6FRpC_FPBzl9rlrhz4hyMJzKj4dRgIBkT2j0Zjy6Qj4IxhWB_9arssQkuaqYZZELwcAddRnYRRmvP3Rb-DWU_IVGB-Xj0__hpW4WmxBFLhpMULQ0_WPmkpWDa4RA6qZBhyMVPkdK_BZL76mROldE3-QGiRjvKwh_q5ZMnWDDFRQmwru3R8mbyipTf52dhVz1emIGwZIIMlF93zzLKLPlPukEfdL5_jK22YSfojYbnpxX0NWYwSw4W5YYQjlFl4GFNLWeBSc-3BDkBlpb7_oVTyuk_jUcumMFYrmLDLBzLGVyGo9qZ5rkDMx5e4vPW5OvRrO1tvdntvk9p0eSddJTPTBZDc0Wj2-bX-nqC19Byrj2jcb-ptEtg25Cxa0Kp6pXHwW7-1ZPENAEfW9reCcnU4P6A3swvG0g6pYfWXb9hXbTVLg-5nr-BSy0f6MK72=w669-h891-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="668" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/jzAQpfq5CTvwGCMjuVOiaW973Z7wR6sm5TfAleGlJ2d6RBUi3WsYxlinDbE6LxmDnXAl0xwV04YsuQy9KPNzyvtFFYzHilzSsWe0Pr-RHOouuco8Ng3GYfyBCjtZYllWCfm26_0j8_n13jqerS2KFsYjsEjY6uinkRdTehz4-AgGN5jLYiMU_ls3DNZX79kmq2A6KwJbyx6sDyrAymFLz1eXTHCXaWNuPlH06Z6FRpC_FPBzl9rlrhz4hyMJzKj4dRgIBkT2j0Zjy6Qj4IxhWB_9arssQkuaqYZZELwcAddRnYRRmvP3Rb-DWU_IVGB-Xj0__hpW4WmxBFLhpMULQ0_WPmkpWDa4RA6qZBhyMVPkdK_BZL76mROldE3-QGiRjvKwh_q5ZMnWDDFRQmwru3R8mbyipTf52dhVz1emIGwZIIMlF93zzLKLPlPukEfdL5_jK22YSfojYbnpxX0NWYwSw4W5YYQjlFl4GFNLWeBSc-3BDkBlpb7_oVTyuk_jUcumMFYrmLDLBzLGVyGo9qZ5rkDMx5e4vPW5OvRrO1tvdntvk9p0eSddJTPTBZDc0Wj2-bX-nqC19Byrj2jcb-ptEtg25Cxa0Kp6pXHwW7-1ZPENAEfW9reCcnU4P6A3swvG0g6pYfWXb9hXbTVLg-5nr-BSy0f6MK72=w669-h891-no" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serene struggling to walk down the steps after the massage.</td></tr>
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Night after night we subjected ourselves to the massage. The general standard of this massage centre was very consistent. But of course I was doing an experiment with human reactions to rewards. The first night our tips of 80 Bahts per masseuse for the 90 mind sessions (total of 1620 Bahts for two of us) brought about luke-warm reactions.<br />
The second night I placed 170 Bahts for each masseuse in the hands of the counter girl even before the start and the two ladies, one of them number 15 by the name of Phy, came in and very cheerfully worked mightily hard on both of us (total package for the second night was 2810 Bahts for two hours as Serene’s was some body scrub followed by aroma therapy).<br />
The third night, a different set of massueses. My older masseuse was perhaps a tad too tired, while the younger one, number 19 by the name of Lay, worked Serene’s joints and muscles thoroughly. Nevertheless a tip of 120 Bahts each for the two hour sessions given at the end of it was in appreciation of their hard work. </div>
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But this experiment certainly has given me the gauge to what amount made them happy and that it was always a great idea to present them with happiness right at the start.</div>
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<i><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Moving forward my plan was simple- if I ever had the chance and the fortune of taking a trip to Bangkok ever again- we would train in the morning and massage at night, daily for the whole duration.</b></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Discovering Lumphini Park</span></b></span><br />
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The buns Serene wisely bought from Mo Chit BTS Station the day before and the 4 litre jumbo gallon of water from 7-Eleven at 7 Bahts, made a simple yet filling breakfast. </div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>8:30am. </b></span> We started our run despite not capturing GPS on our Garmin watches yet. Slowly jogging down past Erawan Shrine down along Ratchadamri road southwards toward Lumphini park. The sky was cloudy and overcast. Quite a good weather.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/H3-E-NISojlbWAtPabg2_vzEcwS8NhjHMYeBBNBBgxfCeErZb07BbWxuR-nDs33wvAnX-Pu-m4pkAmCCnLfgVW-pPolUHVRE7nY47vDH_NSCymtuQeVBW5o-5_vuPAWVMaReVmA2y39lIXOgU1kXSuIucwJ-URcvqm1kuBfyYuNXfS_1HaUEzfEyAoAGvLH1nGFE_aDR3QnTfMRqndtuzIFGxglVLeM8QMzAt7mrzd-bqgnz_oYzKxwEtDavZ9KyPd8ARMhz33KFgPDPi12lBcQW_Gh7j4l95B57BEIo2qc7hxNO2HvGMWgMaK2zVkintBo6P2aOK7KXwlM1MnlR_LmTJu6Pa9XwVrBVeDhkI8x9_qE7n-ADxDL62vI-IvEc8vvzCjC8iCqAmpopmq2y8qwsOJXiO_Tog8QcM1gl-RTXqdLOEXIs9UK2MoUj6JOgf9Tn2Y6EfDYGfxpOhNhwv9brQAokKtEiGjqxHgCNw80B480p-sPATC4TsuDx27AKleyAH1BQoZKPLcM0Z-fwOuAawKt3MN_H51417M1HGMLjJ8lccIRQXVMVIbySvdIpj0Vz_hM8XzjKUrD8mKnOXtd0vGFRlaFvFr7buWPxHvIBCDb0R_meVAK16A66Lk6j_u0v83r1XElE0GQU5zKUGoQybN2u7AnH6bgb=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/H3-E-NISojlbWAtPabg2_vzEcwS8NhjHMYeBBNBBgxfCeErZb07BbWxuR-nDs33wvAnX-Pu-m4pkAmCCnLfgVW-pPolUHVRE7nY47vDH_NSCymtuQeVBW5o-5_vuPAWVMaReVmA2y39lIXOgU1kXSuIucwJ-URcvqm1kuBfyYuNXfS_1HaUEzfEyAoAGvLH1nGFE_aDR3QnTfMRqndtuzIFGxglVLeM8QMzAt7mrzd-bqgnz_oYzKxwEtDavZ9KyPd8ARMhz33KFgPDPi12lBcQW_Gh7j4l95B57BEIo2qc7hxNO2HvGMWgMaK2zVkintBo6P2aOK7KXwlM1MnlR_LmTJu6Pa9XwVrBVeDhkI8x9_qE7n-ADxDL62vI-IvEc8vvzCjC8iCqAmpopmq2y8qwsOJXiO_Tog8QcM1gl-RTXqdLOEXIs9UK2MoUj6JOgf9Tn2Y6EfDYGfxpOhNhwv9brQAokKtEiGjqxHgCNw80B480p-sPATC4TsuDx27AKleyAH1BQoZKPLcM0Z-fwOuAawKt3MN_H51417M1HGMLjJ8lccIRQXVMVIbySvdIpj0Vz_hM8XzjKUrD8mKnOXtd0vGFRlaFvFr7buWPxHvIBCDb0R_meVAK16A66Lk6j_u0v83r1XElE0GQU5zKUGoQybN2u7AnH6bgb=w920-h690-no" /></a></div>
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Serene’s feet were aching on this first run, and she was feeling breathless even just climbing up the steps to the Skywalk. Persevered she did and with big drops of sweat she made it to Lumphini Park, 1.7km from the hotel. The crowds of makeshift stalls and the laughing high-pitched chatters from the smiling hawkers at the entrance to the park attracted her attention, and her urge to procure a packet of <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cEdyYKdIuSVEaVr15RiqDZNX43EVf4d_GJ3uhWYve48EqgCaUZetbUn9znShbfeQE_0eJXdKkE7h1TiS9N8B6gPWZsfoN5HdD-t9nIf-BB6lBAj1wDMzpnDRhNTw8P-_bls2fzbaSjeCSnA7j_AuA3-_BWLWAWTQTt6b4Y32W4Uj7iH75ZhcipJplC5IM4R8bCuC_ENHyUsg03jzCq8MtS6zOSNPAL7lUU2KF5YLomDw5PQ1W49Y8X6CQbBG0n5i4PQ4Mbs085VtauU_A-7aqZTpQaIzTINtlhUP6t79WXUKxJCJOy5-e2HFlnVqTjG8C3t1TfVbaRIBTCtcpMDoPrwYDCf2A1FwuNJsacXsCanQgScPKKdNCVYvCt84Ozv9c0y79iVpDfar59UMny_3bTR-Ka2lcbrRoxunqlBarO4d_JRIdIWZiUdHcIGRIdtJ5l-V6u7baaxzU2yHsaaQua-Vw0z-dJQCVECG2EhzQPKGqxPao_twIAJDr3zxAehbb-gQU6PVXUnv06LkamlBlAjKA2SEoe4ZthAhjY5vCu9DIgaGc18oXgsruSG2Ir5rpPCZM-O8aMv7qo3MWr4JAzn18WLhqkgQKhNeA0iBS5AdIjHrlHKZ8mnpuRGJvVWRbkghzEDubZ1qCCxOfYONcgS5nfBbM6Is_fJ2=w887-h665-no" target="_blank">some fruits</a> after the run around the park.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/1vmXbjfRx9UvkrrzLE8JzP9uQcR4iQJAl1hAtck-CaHh-28mgFstxeWk4NuQxfT5lGzw7AAi99MoqmC0j7I6Bxd40CQaTwuD8WHT6BHcHJt4q1SzNYDKzM9sFSs53DW-CKUUaFm_K4yGqpIQxu2Ls2LerJe4na3_SNAU8xWG6vsA83xAVvdcNbpAYRgY4jiwmQTB9ze-PGYXN1JD9KyHvxaq2Clz-IIWHViomMQrQfthcFoxyXKrq-3C79ETYuTU5CF7vi_vwqVl5MwReIQZ9OzqduGBor5kuBpJBXoTUhJgEPsx_vI5aeDxpnMV_xS7gSQKCz2C0exmzdIXEe6dMClZv_jJ1mZc2kEZqul0w6ukKV4wBIVpQyPBii8UGYO_YtPEPOV5tYrRy1av80E1nAsW9_Efkobn28la_pZIdmNXwraLmaiXRtLoHgbdpkp6SooyNlj_mfrZsRUi-xCc6wkQBVdUK8_1VcNAdmbpLOMQcXyTjiQibWUuvlrMZ0Nt9qXTtl0kapETpHcTFlpgrYSiVGdQIWtwNggytWQ-L-JE2Z7O05p5NYTmHv4JsOSvM9xwTORJOn5ssVQSjxm1FBBSn9bQjjG_cbwI_u-fpWLbkTFOwI541LOwRx0Xm-M-JcIQfHzskHT4IcPAC-9umhfEYUnSb49Jryas=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/1vmXbjfRx9UvkrrzLE8JzP9uQcR4iQJAl1hAtck-CaHh-28mgFstxeWk4NuQxfT5lGzw7AAi99MoqmC0j7I6Bxd40CQaTwuD8WHT6BHcHJt4q1SzNYDKzM9sFSs53DW-CKUUaFm_K4yGqpIQxu2Ls2LerJe4na3_SNAU8xWG6vsA83xAVvdcNbpAYRgY4jiwmQTB9ze-PGYXN1JD9KyHvxaq2Clz-IIWHViomMQrQfthcFoxyXKrq-3C79ETYuTU5CF7vi_vwqVl5MwReIQZ9OzqduGBor5kuBpJBXoTUhJgEPsx_vI5aeDxpnMV_xS7gSQKCz2C0exmzdIXEe6dMClZv_jJ1mZc2kEZqul0w6ukKV4wBIVpQyPBii8UGYO_YtPEPOV5tYrRy1av80E1nAsW9_Efkobn28la_pZIdmNXwraLmaiXRtLoHgbdpkp6SooyNlj_mfrZsRUi-xCc6wkQBVdUK8_1VcNAdmbpLOMQcXyTjiQibWUuvlrMZ0Nt9qXTtl0kapETpHcTFlpgrYSiVGdQIWtwNggytWQ-L-JE2Z7O05p5NYTmHv4JsOSvM9xwTORJOn5ssVQSjxm1FBBSn9bQjjG_cbwI_u-fpWLbkTFOwI541LOwRx0Xm-M-JcIQfHzskHT4IcPAC-9umhfEYUnSb49Jryas=w887-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serene so happy to find pineapples at 35 Baths for one.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/H_ukYhnK7UgpfLMkNviZEoaqd46vAYWB-zf4UyBKypE11j5_sNcGSWPioZaucfHbMWqv_Ak9GMminUkNKJ62x3sYcgxRgU9w4Y_49F3j9-ZRQoSM5O0uQ_tHdh3sA_Dqvh7bae8-Wf6X1j69ywdbNKJB0n1zYWm1O1qHVlzTl9_agl_xeO2udUgGBDdlWCzfLs1HbTdbz_XVypnOEejJX4eX9s-hoO6ygyGiojzDANYd_szl7oBaFtJeVbdUAU31nlOsqAmpEqxNXWwng_1a2G3GJV1hDOA93_w877BOE8P97HayLJp62bIOyqcWFaWheeF3uameElI0XNkjMxMz31siRik3x-cvmHAb2-EgBW0srd-8pvSBw2irwD90MTJlXjcgiRXzDjVHNgMsDExZ_p7iiLdRJzb0dC3HYvicVrBFwEFWYs0XSEZbZ3KeY7KriRn8Kefwt4KQaYlWt14nMA0AGcdVNQQ3YaUciGRk80vl0f7tXeftG6tg-Qjinxugqxl73S3tN6DOesD6qx6IoAE06Jx7sIdqzt4vB-STA6f0jXv2MNwDyP3mV1GroHFKwq5pBG__TeJU157YZ3zTDzeFzDpnxclbyKguf3Za4EanudLLyUEia98lNauQ-NSyhbTu1ecexZXtkfOsoFl77aTMf4rvHSGnnF_5=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="478" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/H_ukYhnK7UgpfLMkNviZEoaqd46vAYWB-zf4UyBKypE11j5_sNcGSWPioZaucfHbMWqv_Ak9GMminUkNKJ62x3sYcgxRgU9w4Y_49F3j9-ZRQoSM5O0uQ_tHdh3sA_Dqvh7bae8-Wf6X1j69ywdbNKJB0n1zYWm1O1qHVlzTl9_agl_xeO2udUgGBDdlWCzfLs1HbTdbz_XVypnOEejJX4eX9s-hoO6ygyGiojzDANYd_szl7oBaFtJeVbdUAU31nlOsqAmpEqxNXWwng_1a2G3GJV1hDOA93_w877BOE8P97HayLJp62bIOyqcWFaWheeF3uameElI0XNkjMxMz31siRik3x-cvmHAb2-EgBW0srd-8pvSBw2irwD90MTJlXjcgiRXzDjVHNgMsDExZ_p7iiLdRJzb0dC3HYvicVrBFwEFWYs0XSEZbZ3KeY7KriRn8Kefwt4KQaYlWt14nMA0AGcdVNQQ3YaUciGRk80vl0f7tXeftG6tg-Qjinxugqxl73S3tN6DOesD6qx6IoAE06Jx7sIdqzt4vB-STA6f0jXv2MNwDyP3mV1GroHFKwq5pBG__TeJU157YZ3zTDzeFzDpnxclbyKguf3Za4EanudLLyUEia98lNauQ-NSyhbTu1ecexZXtkfOsoFl77aTMf4rvHSGnnF_5=w887-h665-no" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At 15 Bahts per bottle these chrysanthemum drinks were nice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">“How come we don’t have such nice park to run in back home?”</span></b></span> asked Serene, obviously enjoying the park, sweat glistening on her face.</div>
</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugRoChxv4smsajFlZfUBS1t7x9u94pkZXxdIuMVSkp_ynMHJSGfymR_313IZjasL6Q6xJBiRXL-YdD-RTHE0Kh0WgfHgvCkfdwLtwieYrjLZNG0bcfQzJraeqiQjuiSa5_JZV94p5wwQ/w591-h891-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="591" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiugRoChxv4smsajFlZfUBS1t7x9u94pkZXxdIuMVSkp_ynMHJSGfymR_313IZjasL6Q6xJBiRXL-YdD-RTHE0Kh0WgfHgvCkfdwLtwieYrjLZNG0bcfQzJraeqiQjuiSa5_JZV94p5wwQ/w591-h891-no/" width="424" /></a></div>
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The sun, high up in the mid-morning sky beat down. Young Thai men and women run round in an anti-clockwise direction round the lake in the middle. An old style chime clock tower and a Chinese-style pavilion marked the park. Several lovely sculptures dotted as landmarks. We were impressed to see cyclists, both locals and farangs taking onto the cycling paths going in circles. Beside the lake, small groups of old folks in long pants and cotton shirts arranged themselves in rows doing Taiji. Immersed totally in their Chinese newspapers were other old men, obviously of Chinese descent, seated on the many benches amongst the landscaped grass. I was happy to see farangs enjoying their runs side by side with the locals. One round the park on the designated asphalt running path was around 1.7km.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/a5ubddR7mbvT9k4ymm_c_uxlypzkmlgI4emz4fscIdjGcPB8_JvQKg9XidG18fH1V67WsRIJUjkUF54hlTooQU97RIRXZwdOBlXRY16hDB1TOSrU9EaWKkALha42Eoel1dpuBz7FpKHS3rykgmkaEBSnWmnLTAEV6O06tTVynUaGjA36N5_ZFpyNQ81zh1wlWdm0RxF4UKIaKFqw4uM-YBuE88UgyQYDIVPam8uaO2vZuFQt35bxeIB6u2EPJVTFNqtrylsQQEawbOgKTnYrfdciWDeTfHYdskTLxZFLyq3iouYqjX-TtX9ml_FrT1UbqMMd-v7fNOydoWdpiX735cSYiX8RFIKsjdV3FCmd2lfJdPvneAuvM3OzTiVavsxmD2ySFki6Nh97lr-FNuGiGBhpLn2ugmZW5abu2rZ5aU_v7fF_XiN-rvElSjP9SghWdTEqTIeI0K5ZYkBimlaj5rPuCKOfyP8RRrCaCRRu9gaRG8whgbBzmeof9P9Cw09NXBEF09QIDLv2yvEThhRDrUDnwftepnraSLixvaHNyYmJXmIO7DlAqd87dt1L4yrNdtjn1QoRceBTuoDIJR_OXGFAVyb-suOCmRxCNhJ-u_stts2M3kxW1NhFW28JRmFweWz7IyzHzIoQu5-k_axqvLmp09x5DyQIleA=w669-h891-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="668" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/a5ubddR7mbvT9k4ymm_c_uxlypzkmlgI4emz4fscIdjGcPB8_JvQKg9XidG18fH1V67WsRIJUjkUF54hlTooQU97RIRXZwdOBlXRY16hDB1TOSrU9EaWKkALha42Eoel1dpuBz7FpKHS3rykgmkaEBSnWmnLTAEV6O06tTVynUaGjA36N5_ZFpyNQ81zh1wlWdm0RxF4UKIaKFqw4uM-YBuE88UgyQYDIVPam8uaO2vZuFQt35bxeIB6u2EPJVTFNqtrylsQQEawbOgKTnYrfdciWDeTfHYdskTLxZFLyq3iouYqjX-TtX9ml_FrT1UbqMMd-v7fNOydoWdpiX735cSYiX8RFIKsjdV3FCmd2lfJdPvneAuvM3OzTiVavsxmD2ySFki6Nh97lr-FNuGiGBhpLn2ugmZW5abu2rZ5aU_v7fF_XiN-rvElSjP9SghWdTEqTIeI0K5ZYkBimlaj5rPuCKOfyP8RRrCaCRRu9gaRG8whgbBzmeof9P9Cw09NXBEF09QIDLv2yvEThhRDrUDnwftepnraSLixvaHNyYmJXmIO7DlAqd87dt1L4yrNdtjn1QoRceBTuoDIJR_OXGFAVyb-suOCmRxCNhJ-u_stts2M3kxW1NhFW28JRmFweWz7IyzHzIoQu5-k_axqvLmp09x5DyQIleA=w669-h891-no" width="478" /></a></div>
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">“It is known that if you happen to see a monitor lizard coming out of the lake, then it’s your lucky day.” </span></b></span>I told Serene. Searched and searched we did, until finally as we approached the entrance again we saw one just peering out from the surface of the water.</div>
</blockquote>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/JyqS7bhF8hvokx7m_BqFELWqgaDeqrcBoZhmSxlpXbr2eGVlebiVU5vB3O-5whJFNU0NojCDeNMMfNQ7EB7NKbcgbE5F83JwxQw4V0XKQqLWyOUhSEzM6LNv866br_y13q8qyWqu9-pUSKGwsGlg5xMm3lYhGQ4Yyl2HoS06UQ4YDAxKjXkZtHmFyhSSO6cEj91gXDIVvfvHWu0ZoG-xnqK3vKk8E-UNnCw5Qin_TfNvlTeOWdOYtG-WK5gzPSDvFuf6Aoi1FtYCmxex0nmQ72YfY_8dKlu0ZglS8ol8-kARPw6pKymIEedMDz-4ydE24ED6cFiJyZW7crXKaItHrjWY7irFCnz_oZvpyYQrq55WHNmQNWR8wE0gy9x5Gec3FarSc9hxFxGS9ZPeIPHDddFCsRdvu8OGCLV7b5zHJY_oU_5gtPK38oaupUm0CM8-5DXcyIN_LJ_TbtE7LkzN1wwyvcIltYa-zds0Acdh3KwGQ-U5oZeiXXm9yt5VWG1_xrabG35t1xJjPCOCUV1_DnEQD2wv0aJh7gvgw2nh71ZyVYQfQou20CU5CNQEJ92RQcqhJoOiCN22Cd8OQI66hLkNMnQVaCD5yf9krGnAM37FiS8Xs3pUTBoK0pOsV55szSCpbCcsRoqdZvt2E1SYVbDytTazPdxX6-k=w921-h571-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="920" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/JyqS7bhF8hvokx7m_BqFELWqgaDeqrcBoZhmSxlpXbr2eGVlebiVU5vB3O-5whJFNU0NojCDeNMMfNQ7EB7NKbcgbE5F83JwxQw4V0XKQqLWyOUhSEzM6LNv866br_y13q8qyWqu9-pUSKGwsGlg5xMm3lYhGQ4Yyl2HoS06UQ4YDAxKjXkZtHmFyhSSO6cEj91gXDIVvfvHWu0ZoG-xnqK3vKk8E-UNnCw5Qin_TfNvlTeOWdOYtG-WK5gzPSDvFuf6Aoi1FtYCmxex0nmQ72YfY_8dKlu0ZglS8ol8-kARPw6pKymIEedMDz-4ydE24ED6cFiJyZW7crXKaItHrjWY7irFCnz_oZvpyYQrq55WHNmQNWR8wE0gy9x5Gec3FarSc9hxFxGS9ZPeIPHDddFCsRdvu8OGCLV7b5zHJY_oU_5gtPK38oaupUm0CM8-5DXcyIN_LJ_TbtE7LkzN1wwyvcIltYa-zds0Acdh3KwGQ-U5oZeiXXm9yt5VWG1_xrabG35t1xJjPCOCUV1_DnEQD2wv0aJh7gvgw2nh71ZyVYQfQou20CU5CNQEJ92RQcqhJoOiCN22Cd8OQI66hLkNMnQVaCD5yf9krGnAM37FiS8Xs3pUTBoK0pOsV55szSCpbCcsRoqdZvt2E1SYVbDytTazPdxX6-k=w921-h571-no" /></a></div>
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<div>
The run was nice and slow. Literally zone 2 pace. I shared with a Serene what I read in the book by the Japanese author Hiroaki Tanaka called <i><span style="color: yellow;"><b>“Slow Jogging”</b></span></i>. In this book, this old Japanese marathoner expounded the benefits of just slow jogging to maintain health and to lose weight.</div>
<div>
Slow jogging means running at such a slow pace that you can talk and even hum a song. When you first start, at this pace you may even be over taken by many people who are walking. But don’t worry about it. Just enjoy the run at this speed because what is important is to enjoy the run and look forward to it, rather than to go into it with apprehension.</div>
<div>
The calories burnt by slow jogging is twice the amount as when walking the same distance. And interestingly enough, the calories burnt for the same distance run, be it a slow jog or a fast one, is the same. Thus for older people who need to be extra careful about injuries and need much more time for recovery as compared to a younger runner, a slow jog is one of the best ways of exercising. Just keep the heart rate at zone 2, which for many will be just around 120/min and below.</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">“That’s what I have been telling you right from the start,” </span></b></span>insisted Serene. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">“I just want to run to enjoy my own pace, and not to cheong one.”</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
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The side pavement along Ratchadamri road back towards Erawan Shrine was nice and wide, passing by many services apartments and high class hotels. This was a neighbourhood for many expatriates and foreigners who worked and lived here in Bangkok. The shades from the trees along the side afforded us some reprieve from the heat. Tourists strolled along the pavement, hand in hand.</div>
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We did another longer run at 9:30am on the next day, luckily, as Serene did not hear my protest first thing on this second morning declaring that we would not run, and dutifully prepared all the running clothing and shoes. Reluctantly, but after a while gladly, I kicked myself out of bed and did another run with her. Our second run to Lumphini Park took a different route, this time round through Wireless Road on the other side of the blocks, passing by the American Embassy, to reach the other entrance of the park. The weather on the second run was spectacular, under a lovely drizzle that never threatened to blow us into a heavy downpour. The locals must have been very used to the drizzle. They simply continued enjoying their run, unperturbed by the darkening sky.</div>
<div>
Our lucky star must have been shining upon us as we spotted another monitor lizard sunning itself out on the grass.</div>
<div>
On this second run our watches registered the GPS signals better and the distance clocked was around 7km.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/kNoDSq5IvMB2n04aJsk221IKgpPl74HnASQTbBQTanVnGrrk52p1cLa8-c4r017yxdf19nwMWl4E8rzfu7GH1OwfvEeJrTSe_bcL9gFszVX9TMVRdOOwsa1chvzFsi-BTNGoHApgaimEv3d6QIy8KkIJrRcw6s6MC6YltCh80PyfqwhN11Uf0e9nqrus8VyBZWAQIiNhaMsbVdZbiWPm1-hPn_uaoSeYp03XFRcv5rDloDrNQHsUDNcAtDte8lMZjErQ5_FzJ-pBPTs0V2PkDF2PHDhuk_ikjSFooLnbnEmLcdnV0UFA-yg94pIM9t9wiIyUaILqxFYVBZgIvaSBteP4eCnemHP92o8JQFLKKZEQcBNPOqdpQ7oWWMX5rhOcot0mc2hE-6KSCW40HjgzVh41TzqVhWaZ72mb1slCqLl4FQfKM7UWSuvZa481fdUu4Sc99CsISWPlkedcCI5j57H0TzZpQbhgQoLTdXgWkd---abhCd99Gx1tqQhSFQdadh2Vs0ewYJ5Hh6nBtRuCN4mhAH-uJkq3VL5UQMRq-fUsM8Yicno1yv2wsYeNG9-LGPx3x5rL030UhtRJV0QchCbwPNmnjbYDWANkkzwZN5mUtewspb57TTEQ1Fp8_gmMT5Gucn7SOPAcJ9h77tbvfWyS7i6ODMR-zsr4=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/kNoDSq5IvMB2n04aJsk221IKgpPl74HnASQTbBQTanVnGrrk52p1cLa8-c4r017yxdf19nwMWl4E8rzfu7GH1OwfvEeJrTSe_bcL9gFszVX9TMVRdOOwsa1chvzFsi-BTNGoHApgaimEv3d6QIy8KkIJrRcw6s6MC6YltCh80PyfqwhN11Uf0e9nqrus8VyBZWAQIiNhaMsbVdZbiWPm1-hPn_uaoSeYp03XFRcv5rDloDrNQHsUDNcAtDte8lMZjErQ5_FzJ-pBPTs0V2PkDF2PHDhuk_ikjSFooLnbnEmLcdnV0UFA-yg94pIM9t9wiIyUaILqxFYVBZgIvaSBteP4eCnemHP92o8JQFLKKZEQcBNPOqdpQ7oWWMX5rhOcot0mc2hE-6KSCW40HjgzVh41TzqVhWaZ72mb1slCqLl4FQfKM7UWSuvZa481fdUu4Sc99CsISWPlkedcCI5j57H0TzZpQbhgQoLTdXgWkd---abhCd99Gx1tqQhSFQdadh2Vs0ewYJ5Hh6nBtRuCN4mhAH-uJkq3VL5UQMRq-fUsM8Yicno1yv2wsYeNG9-LGPx3x5rL030UhtRJV0QchCbwPNmnjbYDWANkkzwZN5mUtewspb57TTEQ1Fp8_gmMT5Gucn7SOPAcJ9h77tbvfWyS7i6ODMR-zsr4=w920-h690-no" /></a></div>
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<div>
These two runs have given us the confidence that running in Bangkok is so enjoyable. Running in the morning, followed by crackling Traditional Thai massages at night really prepared us for another run the next day. For once we finally experienced what the professional athletes enjoyed for decades. It was truly like having your own physiotherapist in the team. My plan was, if I ever were to come back to Bangkok again, and for a longer period of stay, I would do slow jogs daily followed by Thai massages every night. It could be planned like an intensive one week of overseas training in preparation for races. The mere thought of it was exciting, to say the least. </div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/DRLDlPTyPeBtTM39rCX3WDCMA6YaCxj29a2mRBZoI1M_ILfhN0XzqnxAdHPCpxyVuaA_lhSIg-oy2iFRdKmLMO81uC7BAyV43OGLmiWmFloiNiU_5Noh1tRAJ3bnSYlOpZvnq9dPl41VPEdk8omsPzVTy1_y8GpVOzPUqeer-gNXoupwLJoBNs4hLQIc7-9NJqN4RWgIU6RAcU22u2SeNDKX_I01bRPDxg3zEdaJCDome6TL9BsMT6jsOLn7lyKnDci4_Hg4sIlZu7TG9sWKXHeDczvtfPCbNpwG59dq_heQmLQkPhbnmmhPXVjAq6wF45_qHOr9vNCFMpGk7mAwL_bIVL7dI9oFWrU_9xIXZHDt2_l3KUHnVg8ELNTfyjugfN72TWE8lSdqMjhuWLfz95NS9Chl5-OpmxTslaY69GzIkTIZgimDW8UZS1l75munLF1ZnTWksz9W7nCTCJSWQkFHjGmQt2sn0EONrruhponB2FRg6_LnnBBxq-FsbUmlgPPVUEbNdbnQfO3nuR30RDiqaokZ8UXShYu2C2qpAGF35f_uOUVcuGlVBoL_Vr1vD1ymPObxBLs4_puHfhG8id2mGq9n-BhrjPSEfYr5KMzRbuxeT5LIu5Wt4M1sDjfI6yBkbKzEvXs4NXJ8XbUuNwiZzEQnpzfBVevr=w668-h891-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="668" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/DRLDlPTyPeBtTM39rCX3WDCMA6YaCxj29a2mRBZoI1M_ILfhN0XzqnxAdHPCpxyVuaA_lhSIg-oy2iFRdKmLMO81uC7BAyV43OGLmiWmFloiNiU_5Noh1tRAJ3bnSYlOpZvnq9dPl41VPEdk8omsPzVTy1_y8GpVOzPUqeer-gNXoupwLJoBNs4hLQIc7-9NJqN4RWgIU6RAcU22u2SeNDKX_I01bRPDxg3zEdaJCDome6TL9BsMT6jsOLn7lyKnDci4_Hg4sIlZu7TG9sWKXHeDczvtfPCbNpwG59dq_heQmLQkPhbnmmhPXVjAq6wF45_qHOr9vNCFMpGk7mAwL_bIVL7dI9oFWrU_9xIXZHDt2_l3KUHnVg8ELNTfyjugfN72TWE8lSdqMjhuWLfz95NS9Chl5-OpmxTslaY69GzIkTIZgimDW8UZS1l75munLF1ZnTWksz9W7nCTCJSWQkFHjGmQt2sn0EONrruhponB2FRg6_LnnBBxq-FsbUmlgPPVUEbNdbnQfO3nuR30RDiqaokZ8UXShYu2C2qpAGF35f_uOUVcuGlVBoL_Vr1vD1ymPObxBLs4_puHfhG8id2mGq9n-BhrjPSEfYr5KMzRbuxeT5LIu5Wt4M1sDjfI6yBkbKzEvXs4NXJ8XbUuNwiZzEQnpzfBVevr=w668-h891-no" width="478" /></a></div>
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Although many of the other parks are further away, I am determined to try out other routes around downtown Bangkok the next time we are here.</div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Praying at Erawan Shrine - for all my negative karmas</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/024bGnxgjLTcKhzIA8blzNgosXcc1uwWgVMYz6HMP2M5I4nEdQJATc-khyIgA-ulrmdz-74xpr9vCVhslZoJwOmEZd1rlegpaRWiuNiKeHUDhOzDpPPM5_ix2bqaMolW1EdvM6uTNpUNUMz7lt8zNOOzW3NSM2cQ0EkrBFk1qtnUuDmWYWvsmpX7fLMU6mO7-09bijrHj58wBxzC1SqKodfMYkWXiTFQy6uaiOeqisiXLCL-VA0SWqXKT6OOpITc_i9mq1lzx1wdHMNM_fOY6WKR4KXWSy0eazsFA0bK-utOcAm9mJ5iB1xxTWAgYHqT5hnqfVZZFdhRmh1Xw7x_gxlnoEnsyXXDvBm9CpuSpYQn1C-TelGl36gN-1nCAJo4MZgbG-gZNWd6bcIBhlkjMnSMCioUY9nbU6QeISfOm2_0HUa1I5KlNFAWrWwBKBfjNgT8trk3uBuJZB5XJhbv4vDAKw-oN1-cEo-gMRy-AiiX3R7MOnH7fsY4OWXVfSaNllG4Ilyuo_5tx4qz-dd_K-6IrUuFmmK0J1Asa8M6JoZbTz5DpX9k_b3QT0l-lCjOC90aRjwAgbwoG0OUz-h9swYB1Y9Pte3JkhZjI4cUVKBWnmL32lZvaj53UL_2dzE-QaCAxhn7rpl_wZFVbc9_2EdWxTJrAh89hVw=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/024bGnxgjLTcKhzIA8blzNgosXcc1uwWgVMYz6HMP2M5I4nEdQJATc-khyIgA-ulrmdz-74xpr9vCVhslZoJwOmEZd1rlegpaRWiuNiKeHUDhOzDpPPM5_ix2bqaMolW1EdvM6uTNpUNUMz7lt8zNOOzW3NSM2cQ0EkrBFk1qtnUuDmWYWvsmpX7fLMU6mO7-09bijrHj58wBxzC1SqKodfMYkWXiTFQy6uaiOeqisiXLCL-VA0SWqXKT6OOpITc_i9mq1lzx1wdHMNM_fOY6WKR4KXWSy0eazsFA0bK-utOcAm9mJ5iB1xxTWAgYHqT5hnqfVZZFdhRmh1Xw7x_gxlnoEnsyXXDvBm9CpuSpYQn1C-TelGl36gN-1nCAJo4MZgbG-gZNWd6bcIBhlkjMnSMCioUY9nbU6QeISfOm2_0HUa1I5KlNFAWrWwBKBfjNgT8trk3uBuJZB5XJhbv4vDAKw-oN1-cEo-gMRy-AiiX3R7MOnH7fsY4OWXVfSaNllG4Ilyuo_5tx4qz-dd_K-6IrUuFmmK0J1Asa8M6JoZbTz5DpX9k_b3QT0l-lCjOC90aRjwAgbwoG0OUz-h9swYB1Y9Pte3JkhZjI4cUVKBWnmL32lZvaj53UL_2dzE-QaCAxhn7rpl_wZFVbc9_2EdWxTJrAh89hVw=w920-h690-no" /></a></div>
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Every sentient being exists in ways in full accordance with its karmic forces. Positive deeds create merits while negative deeds entail negative karma. There are no perfect beings, and we all suffer from ignorance and greed, as long as we are still striving to attain enlightenment. I have had my share of negative karmas and even until today, I believe I am still committing negative deeds due to my ignorant nature. My past negative karmas have time and time again, caught up with me and haunted me. Suffering is a debilitating constant in my life. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCq9r1bAjmARKPAiwDAke06q6ZCnKVMJdR8pPnuAiq5kI2UEbb2KcmkVJtMXrJOCi-kMz8P7glN9NZpAqIUVus_XarkCq39vmaFt-mdclZXUohlbafSNOt1354TCVH-IpzfGJ0jrZcsQ/w920-h690-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCq9r1bAjmARKPAiwDAke06q6ZCnKVMJdR8pPnuAiq5kI2UEbb2KcmkVJtMXrJOCi-kMz8P7glN9NZpAqIUVus_XarkCq39vmaFt-mdclZXUohlbafSNOt1354TCVH-IpzfGJ0jrZcsQ/w920-h690-no/" width="640" /></a></div>
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Every time I come to offer my prayers to the Four Face Buddha, I pray for His Blessings for all my loved ones. Ultimately I am of the opinion that my punishments would still be correspondingly severe in line with all my past negative deeds.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/Py516kmElecRI5iulF7Wf_vZJefSgHcrvoe_wODK7aaETtH7eNcgB3mhn850mtyVL6mEWI52P6CFSLqtl675OGJvLczUTZkjw5AJt8tfQr9LN35IRbdy-Wfek6nvwFPhxbh0o2Io_uEmLIl-q440eLbt_ai23F3NKsI7x96njmgZ0XzysohNTANg-0iw_4MevTA0JEmh5wuGAv2mOHYlPyJGnrsGZ1ZccP7-sKluxalinXq_BUhDlI1ptZbKoq6dfd8mr2AZz-4e0NWviji5JRc52ZiLDs47FrCSoMtwftdH6ZNDdLFMtB8yoLVvUoF214_Jehd-nFqJD6mLNefdUxMu8WM1xkZA0No-rOCjJexrAVOFgkMbL5nj6KFpN13uRPxwKHYQSUMdEjwQ-Ex57kebvr4s5RNtsMoP9wYPbzMii5Z0bGZBI_WPnIzZwXOuddDsyCSBVAGDS1-vIgY8jkWNBu9epZqvRFsMTxFbVKf5zuKsKjL6bLZC0IS5MU3Wg66NaLo0yu8ac8Y5_JVwA_voTJqofUFDTQpzPGz3zzrBJahBvyAudjmzM5YIXN9BatvyBJIibjnPqtmJauhBfd43Sul-BtYnc-JsG6Ywnhd3wJ72aVjGb_gahOR_0I8HM4OedtXyFd9chxMmYRrlebbzYUbkkP1Z-YA=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/Py516kmElecRI5iulF7Wf_vZJefSgHcrvoe_wODK7aaETtH7eNcgB3mhn850mtyVL6mEWI52P6CFSLqtl675OGJvLczUTZkjw5AJt8tfQr9LN35IRbdy-Wfek6nvwFPhxbh0o2Io_uEmLIl-q440eLbt_ai23F3NKsI7x96njmgZ0XzysohNTANg-0iw_4MevTA0JEmh5wuGAv2mOHYlPyJGnrsGZ1ZccP7-sKluxalinXq_BUhDlI1ptZbKoq6dfd8mr2AZz-4e0NWviji5JRc52ZiLDs47FrCSoMtwftdH6ZNDdLFMtB8yoLVvUoF214_Jehd-nFqJD6mLNefdUxMu8WM1xkZA0No-rOCjJexrAVOFgkMbL5nj6KFpN13uRPxwKHYQSUMdEjwQ-Ex57kebvr4s5RNtsMoP9wYPbzMii5Z0bGZBI_WPnIzZwXOuddDsyCSBVAGDS1-vIgY8jkWNBu9epZqvRFsMTxFbVKf5zuKsKjL6bLZC0IS5MU3Wg66NaLo0yu8ac8Y5_JVwA_voTJqofUFDTQpzPGz3zzrBJahBvyAudjmzM5YIXN9BatvyBJIibjnPqtmJauhBfd43Sul-BtYnc-JsG6Ywnhd3wJ72aVjGb_gahOR_0I8HM4OedtXyFd9chxMmYRrlebbzYUbkkP1Z-YA=w920-h690-no" width="640" /></a></div>
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As the <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zzuz19y3A9mnXgjddfSoJrS5txFPIGeJ7BVybHtqV4CcqmUyek4cmGrLGR7n5OfvIO4O7fUo5QJPSpHCCi1Ew39DnuPTNDbwYaftJ2vAv-iTcSDVvWi6kAfCC6yeAHcX8nfxETGKoMctGY2a_HggedqDjUO4yv0PJK8mZ2W8lJqXVmeVeDK5lA-5wpHlzXArx0WA51dil2TXf1crK9VmU0OZRi4CgVwoH0VYmWqbSTJuCZAtGdPPXaft72Z0MSQ1DSATa7IXMMP8SPVZlrZU6iKD9KyrqhQOpWX95Hq5ZnGalqk1saUK6jQ9sw6UD6P0C5BXnAYQS2VM7OzaXUbZJAX0rTY3nCHSkpCSNpAx53Mot2uMMT7uQSxYx_hqV0tI2FD5kdkFZ317-UfN7y-mys6fmh03f3Ew081I-uqyw_mue1eH0GYJvBeb8FpNgB00hvtrrPE0MVliLrtFo3sCS70B2tqaRH0jPyUGVucI-O9CRDXDWU9gB1fEKjBwDsYbGjZVikFKhEsybiGHsPF8sylQpsTdnONZbHs2sFAB9B-krCNcURadKLAGdw5mPR8hSTW23Dg4Y0X1HvSfWywOviA9HdAYuCDBESfAa5OVve44AZZEfb9enstXv0W0N9_uQMHyeDDPZ1yW77YWuC4Bz-oe1YETkeQHpEdF=w612-h892-no" target="_blank">eight</a> ornamented Thai dancers danced to the tinkle of the music and chanted every name of the members of my family, I couldn’t help but feel a deep pang of regret for all the crimes I have committed in this short life of mine. Perhaps that is why the Catholics ask for forgiveness from the pastors and to be rid of their sins.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/KjxyESG9aRCtIqRxbb0LCGUYqrSx3xAgUkBxue8E_dbGsIjpPB5TFARPNYbsuiPGFhLJatGo1ENZIZVxFVTW6MLs1SJnwbbDwtj1Z-ZBrxPjKWjZEvQ6wi-aAdrrX73v3r5FbmKZG7bh889kunR7NtJszQ3qZfrOoCVsG_8K2TcFzwBGjJLTIs7iLNUZ3DlxJzmaZBoUzVFgt_-zsEi93FyGjUqgimQwKemk1Eg9_a4WXxoZ3t7W43UBZC7Br-540MsFfyJOk3We2PYg6a2pOYxb_UGiN4Q_J9-cBDUG--IyDqEfyf-wPS58VCmCgbb3_gJ7_skQ7sHLn1-DZCNlw-x-uBxLyRoYMhR2zh0om-tcjBmxZbb025xiA9624pa-7XEKN1EgaZIahLTvj1I9wHf5gjmJKPNC0syDjcRxlC5YAia1yLKSyJoKYooGTGf2_Cxf0ClRMSKSQ2pvR91tIFqM4wyxbiVao-lCW0sQCKDEG3r7Op5KYHicRB3qs-eHpcjT39jZDqfuovDeT8mD8TPGZi0crGMUYaWVpAoKCTvlgVGBvQq56q-IYe2mHqjh_eeSO0IzDhHQU06KyeHHweeNTy9bAxJcoFoVyKl4CRUUwyTiiMBcrMMB1aMfnFtVLxvKIk_P2yYRega-LqgPneLIgTW-7_olfUU=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/KjxyESG9aRCtIqRxbb0LCGUYqrSx3xAgUkBxue8E_dbGsIjpPB5TFARPNYbsuiPGFhLJatGo1ENZIZVxFVTW6MLs1SJnwbbDwtj1Z-ZBrxPjKWjZEvQ6wi-aAdrrX73v3r5FbmKZG7bh889kunR7NtJszQ3qZfrOoCVsG_8K2TcFzwBGjJLTIs7iLNUZ3DlxJzmaZBoUzVFgt_-zsEi93FyGjUqgimQwKemk1Eg9_a4WXxoZ3t7W43UBZC7Br-540MsFfyJOk3We2PYg6a2pOYxb_UGiN4Q_J9-cBDUG--IyDqEfyf-wPS58VCmCgbb3_gJ7_skQ7sHLn1-DZCNlw-x-uBxLyRoYMhR2zh0om-tcjBmxZbb025xiA9624pa-7XEKN1EgaZIahLTvj1I9wHf5gjmJKPNC0syDjcRxlC5YAia1yLKSyJoKYooGTGf2_Cxf0ClRMSKSQ2pvR91tIFqM4wyxbiVao-lCW0sQCKDEG3r7Op5KYHicRB3qs-eHpcjT39jZDqfuovDeT8mD8TPGZi0crGMUYaWVpAoKCTvlgVGBvQq56q-IYe2mHqjh_eeSO0IzDhHQU06KyeHHweeNTy9bAxJcoFoVyKl4CRUUwyTiiMBcrMMB1aMfnFtVLxvKIk_P2yYRega-LqgPneLIgTW-7_olfUU=w920-h690-no" /></a></div>
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In the same vein, despite the magnitude of wrong deeds, I still prayed for enlightenment to right many of these in the hope that I could create some merits for the children and the family. My life was half done. What would be good was to just have a peaceful second half of my life.</div>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Drinking (coffee) and eating in Bangkok</span></b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGVUvViVBbn_PsgaYGhYJK4xPfWh_b3kf_5OF-dsqIioE_7RyuXgSugia3IaYwph1cdrx9WOVE9_NU7GQdopPAP-6DhvaDxNoDz9azauanEPIz8mLz-m0ZIQ5zvajyiEujBGFk7NW5ZE/w887-h665-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGVUvViVBbn_PsgaYGhYJK4xPfWh_b3kf_5OF-dsqIioE_7RyuXgSugia3IaYwph1cdrx9WOVE9_NU7GQdopPAP-6DhvaDxNoDz9azauanEPIz8mLz-m0ZIQ5zvajyiEujBGFk7NW5ZE/w887-h665-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bakery shop at Mo Chit BTS. Serene's favourite.</td></tr>
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All the planned destinations for dining simply got chucked until the table once we started our trip. Certainly a good idea to have some plan, but plans must never be rigidly executed because fatigue and leg soreness invariably get in the way of the best intentions. Thus I told Serene: <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>“Let is just roam around freely and see where our feet take us to and wherever we are we will eat there.”</b></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/Jt78WNQTtmJlPH-_bZMHInP2weJiIM5wvFxwTeEuosY69AEeZOXdcGz8RabB_-m3ndAeLgaLq_kxLxlgNIp_TWhI77ZHYpA-3p_pfZYWHyuama5BymnxBG4wKHfhQahF0mfFWg3B8kq3FHewGRkxJlB4Z_nElBF6nZPmnTdwTo7oQhyN5C04mFA7Cbq7ZJjllwYoWyfalVn16snj89BonbzYn--qDX5J2bmw8_NYKQOAAu_tUJ6wjgnBMvJQSwwQYsPXh7O5wJbbt7a4G5IYLo3yns0XjAm1NEtS8gMdCoQNx60uFu5tZFzoRcLeB6rlKSkz8iIaLs5oSo5G82tPY5EC_4t1cIffUHok52tP587s9S8Xa3L-OCIlXLZLlF2EABFJM-Rt64zaSmwnmKj6W6YcnBcRmoDLRfGqa-sprRQn29HGwAYoI4REp_rmeobtuMHMrjmPXMKOirkWgRIMQ5XnJV9xoFDu1tkxo-o_wm6QiFr9m8J2ODMHSOuPprMYaK4lNo2vVqXtDIDgUE5vAfnhtlbe8E3SSiHZxWFto9YvTMS1FJ9tglNUo5GrlLg_Olt8mKZAW97tQZ8l5nrPM4NNSWMbaL8qKty8D8TTozgpasGFbFd0XvSXxRBRitrYoavj7T7w1Lr06hECH1pEy3L6c3c5YOffhW0=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/Jt78WNQTtmJlPH-_bZMHInP2weJiIM5wvFxwTeEuosY69AEeZOXdcGz8RabB_-m3ndAeLgaLq_kxLxlgNIp_TWhI77ZHYpA-3p_pfZYWHyuama5BymnxBG4wKHfhQahF0mfFWg3B8kq3FHewGRkxJlB4Z_nElBF6nZPmnTdwTo7oQhyN5C04mFA7Cbq7ZJjllwYoWyfalVn16snj89BonbzYn--qDX5J2bmw8_NYKQOAAu_tUJ6wjgnBMvJQSwwQYsPXh7O5wJbbt7a4G5IYLo3yns0XjAm1NEtS8gMdCoQNx60uFu5tZFzoRcLeB6rlKSkz8iIaLs5oSo5G82tPY5EC_4t1cIffUHok52tP587s9S8Xa3L-OCIlXLZLlF2EABFJM-Rt64zaSmwnmKj6W6YcnBcRmoDLRfGqa-sprRQn29HGwAYoI4REp_rmeobtuMHMrjmPXMKOirkWgRIMQ5XnJV9xoFDu1tkxo-o_wm6QiFr9m8J2ODMHSOuPprMYaK4lNo2vVqXtDIDgUE5vAfnhtlbe8E3SSiHZxWFto9YvTMS1FJ9tglNUo5GrlLg_Olt8mKZAW97tQZ8l5nrPM4NNSWMbaL8qKty8D8TTozgpasGFbFd0XvSXxRBRitrYoavj7T7w1Lr06hECH1pEy3L6c3c5YOffhW0=w887-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favourite coconut ice cream on the left side. The other coconut red ruby dessert on the right. The Terrace.</td></tr>
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So there went the famous local seafood zhi-Char stall Lek Seafood at Chong Nonsi BTS Station, so did our plan to try Lae Charoen seafood in Central World as it was closed for renovation. Grand Oishii at Siam Paragon was off the radar, as was Inter Restaurant, because we went nowhere near Siam Square this round. Deep in my heart, I decided that our next trip to Bangkok we really need to get to these restaurants and stalls to have our meals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4r_YR-9YN6PkPuhl9d7Xs2PzzhFn9fDyOzMWjyoZgD5SiRtqX7jZRJq8wBd6DzVH266O_Rh8XvxndNOpnRDx_oS1wdAp_IVnYyN1D5qOn0oxge-4k9_Yo8gU-IuAeeNN2vNfb4de56s/w887-h665-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4r_YR-9YN6PkPuhl9d7Xs2PzzhFn9fDyOzMWjyoZgD5SiRtqX7jZRJq8wBd6DzVH266O_Rh8XvxndNOpnRDx_oS1wdAp_IVnYyN1D5qOn0oxge-4k9_Yo8gU-IuAeeNN2vNfb4de56s/w887-h665-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A stuffy hot evening we sat at the periphery of Rod Fai Market...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/wuSvmb5dD0Nm7J2RnIF0x7XKk9eX8-XCRzsgmUf-T8QsTUoex6nGn1acibjCvkO3ifZ9jIbtt-xWwN47c5Whrhxfus-SW2OjNzp5ndhSMDOEVwoNvw4bizRRD7Nyf4INaNnQUN-JL25EhxlUawY4rzJXy-uiSvxbxIt8Q9YSEP0cOsNBjBRCA5i1mKskkBb-EtvXd6_xEA8fJAOaGLOoAVtcxp81TmaELjxt6Uwbl53S5q3V3OT7-_uBzN7O55Mdw13KOZyqdMWn1utW4OUCvf5m2JIPkUTS4lEXmT1auVlUfRXow0_MC3MTqZcnWWUaeClClnW5XhJJZJOoaybecOPisKN_WlXBoQAM1yZ57ixWm3nThk899XjtkHbo8d0-9i4q09Y7x0ZIoX_fr3qLD4R6LLsbUtPrv-sCCrQsWgydVw9xzZ1E1-oM7drY3jH5U13bQ5KkUvl4wwVtdh3SA4cDbh6Dv4eHGBxGKmkchLmftblfxa23K7M1WT7eRK5HJ_uWoP_u1h6pCifa2twNC2H2z4J4p2he8aVGi2w40B5jX2VKh_T0x7OHFbu6Cxv8rGfz4z9YlY38_FnSEv4o-VnqzznstnaUdxZ60jU7vWd6RJi1zLhkABD8fgl7fi6w77LKwD2AwWdysgV_l4wdNnrBIHEp3AapYlc=w499-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="499" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/wuSvmb5dD0Nm7J2RnIF0x7XKk9eX8-XCRzsgmUf-T8QsTUoex6nGn1acibjCvkO3ifZ9jIbtt-xWwN47c5Whrhxfus-SW2OjNzp5ndhSMDOEVwoNvw4bizRRD7Nyf4INaNnQUN-JL25EhxlUawY4rzJXy-uiSvxbxIt8Q9YSEP0cOsNBjBRCA5i1mKskkBb-EtvXd6_xEA8fJAOaGLOoAVtcxp81TmaELjxt6Uwbl53S5q3V3OT7-_uBzN7O55Mdw13KOZyqdMWn1utW4OUCvf5m2JIPkUTS4lEXmT1auVlUfRXow0_MC3MTqZcnWWUaeClClnW5XhJJZJOoaybecOPisKN_WlXBoQAM1yZ57ixWm3nThk899XjtkHbo8d0-9i4q09Y7x0ZIoX_fr3qLD4R6LLsbUtPrv-sCCrQsWgydVw9xzZ1E1-oM7drY3jH5U13bQ5KkUvl4wwVtdh3SA4cDbh6Dv4eHGBxGKmkchLmftblfxa23K7M1WT7eRK5HJ_uWoP_u1h6pCifa2twNC2H2z4J4p2he8aVGi2w40B5jX2VKh_T0x7OHFbu6Cxv8rGfz4z9YlY38_FnSEv4o-VnqzznstnaUdxZ60jU7vWd6RJi1zLhkABD8fgl7fi6w77LKwD2AwWdysgV_l4wdNnrBIHEp3AapYlc=w499-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and enjoyed this sweet pan cake cream thingy.</td></tr>
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</div>
<div>
For the first time we had street food at <i><b>Rod Fai market at Srinakarin</b></i>, 13km away from our hotel. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/X7jKYGDPD62nGd5xFDpgTd0s694cmHJe4_esSGtdLqtoX_X5Z8m4jm-ZoEOs73295E0N8cd6YhIZVnVO5g3PdkSHi7X6dyyr1AVVk3V2osX8RZEY0dZdg6enX_pNLP1EIVS78SnIw_vNioV5-jE0Z8EzyxYbQA8t12FpBPb2hixSVBGVZuxnuzQNtVfszdzJf_k8s-wZ69qqL2Rbsgv4NQ4POCzehXhfO22JKuVNo_Z-WUIjL3NYgIf1BET0pQMjHJIJfwYNAlCjd1bmViNLO6Y763CMLD4vkE7baJkWHKPXcmRo026xJFK6LTsieTVots4O-o8zoyMwiwJGpTeZr1ppK_bc6erIaybDfcdtYLw43rO0KjoTV_93IXzOmHC2tMRB7q0eAUYmYJgiaVX03Iz_XyX89DW6BSFfGuVi1R8TShwJ8Ha4nq577lmXISmixN6_brspycg4PVtSLbfWiI1Wpu1aRY95pKBnyE6AGnCF-U640e3XTd1p0lQjoWNwBKoSLATHzjCTzzVVg4hRw-xYfQMtvVFsmu85lpypPGXqiSI3iTLQ9OBreNzDWDtMTYr00Ii9_XBEXfx9NZjrCylMI4-U8n2dXZ5QxylnF0HzYuyLPbChagv3LIMh4omLPPesZixTQP-TjMD2cFvMoY1lwLdZhm61ETJm=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/X7jKYGDPD62nGd5xFDpgTd0s694cmHJe4_esSGtdLqtoX_X5Z8m4jm-ZoEOs73295E0N8cd6YhIZVnVO5g3PdkSHi7X6dyyr1AVVk3V2osX8RZEY0dZdg6enX_pNLP1EIVS78SnIw_vNioV5-jE0Z8EzyxYbQA8t12FpBPb2hixSVBGVZuxnuzQNtVfszdzJf_k8s-wZ69qqL2Rbsgv4NQ4POCzehXhfO22JKuVNo_Z-WUIjL3NYgIf1BET0pQMjHJIJfwYNAlCjd1bmViNLO6Y763CMLD4vkE7baJkWHKPXcmRo026xJFK6LTsieTVots4O-o8zoyMwiwJGpTeZr1ppK_bc6erIaybDfcdtYLw43rO0KjoTV_93IXzOmHC2tMRB7q0eAUYmYJgiaVX03Iz_XyX89DW6BSFfGuVi1R8TShwJ8Ha4nq577lmXISmixN6_brspycg4PVtSLbfWiI1Wpu1aRY95pKBnyE6AGnCF-U640e3XTd1p0lQjoWNwBKoSLATHzjCTzzVVg4hRw-xYfQMtvVFsmu85lpypPGXqiSI3iTLQ9OBreNzDWDtMTYr00Ii9_XBEXfx9NZjrCylMI4-U8n2dXZ5QxylnF0HzYuyLPbChagv3LIMh4omLPPesZixTQP-TjMD2cFvMoY1lwLdZhm61ETJm=w887-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grilled squid at Rod Fai market. Tasty!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/9HiiSaaIziK0LUJgo2bD_5J6V7jgwb7jPw2CWxIWIvmyzN0XVqOnRZk2OgiuEWDepnzODJrCYcC0LntzVja9Az1wsbvX3MyYXkkd-73iCeS1Sov9EXYsLCCAk4n_4q4WPD487o-kfAQESDJxY2OGadKwqTJQNVC9NoqUMUNsSe8swbxSt6AY9UWOO8g1laaResCt2qP9F2hBI8monrRGhjHlGbDvTCYKuLxoEtDtau6bH2Q4qXWtjjSsNZ87zHug2QYlKKDQ6I-MvxnKM1LtOLB3i3VTcuR6by6BI53A74wBlLys178G1g-aS_j6qOzFJsltIP9HqwBYqT-uiwkEvq89znwNvKSvAG14OSb93u9Iquu2XUpVlF21VO9UkI1fu7DUbWqpLqDHpq98AGjPpfEQGcPSGceBmV9L2i_83h13l_sp3LyWLyMhJ-Vqfy0GLF35-mpYhWtCH41AnY7OQ04HsE3qzc5iqilrD12_bJRq7vdSoKSnuRopaxcAqBKXthP9aplBdgjsRdhHeF82NRwsMab3Xu4w1OghnZkEmLSqPFUNbD5C0rjQDQSF_5BsZonCNkcOzcOGqlUKlCO8Po1VfvqGeLe48spl2gVEvmFpN2cNcxEVMOIQ0a2KeYGcASTpl2XlCY2vRfv6xYPG2A2S2jMmsyNgAZA=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/9HiiSaaIziK0LUJgo2bD_5J6V7jgwb7jPw2CWxIWIvmyzN0XVqOnRZk2OgiuEWDepnzODJrCYcC0LntzVja9Az1wsbvX3MyYXkkd-73iCeS1Sov9EXYsLCCAk4n_4q4WPD487o-kfAQESDJxY2OGadKwqTJQNVC9NoqUMUNsSe8swbxSt6AY9UWOO8g1laaResCt2qP9F2hBI8monrRGhjHlGbDvTCYKuLxoEtDtau6bH2Q4qXWtjjSsNZ87zHug2QYlKKDQ6I-MvxnKM1LtOLB3i3VTcuR6by6BI53A74wBlLys178G1g-aS_j6qOzFJsltIP9HqwBYqT-uiwkEvq89znwNvKSvAG14OSb93u9Iquu2XUpVlF21VO9UkI1fu7DUbWqpLqDHpq98AGjPpfEQGcPSGceBmV9L2i_83h13l_sp3LyWLyMhJ-Vqfy0GLF35-mpYhWtCH41AnY7OQ04HsE3qzc5iqilrD12_bJRq7vdSoKSnuRopaxcAqBKXthP9aplBdgjsRdhHeF82NRwsMab3Xu4w1OghnZkEmLSqPFUNbD5C0rjQDQSF_5BsZonCNkcOzcOGqlUKlCO8Po1VfvqGeLe48spl2gVEvmFpN2cNcxEVMOIQ0a2KeYGcASTpl2XlCY2vRfv6xYPG2A2S2jMmsyNgAZA=w887-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fried squid omelette at Rod Fai.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/sh4roVT_nSf2s6BLOAFtZZV7LfqVmuEZdjkSuT0zudYaseGTtwYWZIbBxIfU3pG9WbNNSG32Jadkx2iyMMBqINAexxadClF-1tyAkPluYII3tRkw2BULoGwLJZw8Hquk3UYjhDalUz3QxDL-2nfx-WzZnuA7-oUp2h37jqj4LYEFM2EhYKVpWid6VLXAwp0vKv_Kxm3gWu2xFza7F_tPBHRuBDuVzwYkkKua5EbI0Lu1Xl1p-uDNNQgNi--Dp6lNP9uhc5MBUrdawVoO85C9rFUoBRXiYYebXtCDKZi_CoZpZpSGJXXjndhaSvIiHKFbzeJxbrO4RqCFwvsD-S1w_StjMCLbnjS2Ov4eD2sP5rwfzD3nplvlKJ_lmyHFa5GLzihAFTf28EBdLvZfDA8BEhDWCKg0SJJpAZwsuNrL9_PjzmCBCaXEI7GBEHXvOio3iWnVZ-Y6uMQ_SbCskFgkuLp6TbhnGx0WqS9WEo-N3S1-ZuHlq2sLmM__mEa1sSBNTWAYzKCYvtbR2YWg30eQRhbYgGnQMBrFi5T1MEjtvzkML71lN_4AWIgqGwVVgQiuXyRdKR2L359IIys4zw3_Y7a3i7XD0thi-Z_ZFr4lLhoY-1Xwl5oJ1PiWZYCPzlXdzN6QqQBDdez8GFUKsEYoSB1CBenfPKmILPM=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/sh4roVT_nSf2s6BLOAFtZZV7LfqVmuEZdjkSuT0zudYaseGTtwYWZIbBxIfU3pG9WbNNSG32Jadkx2iyMMBqINAexxadClF-1tyAkPluYII3tRkw2BULoGwLJZw8Hquk3UYjhDalUz3QxDL-2nfx-WzZnuA7-oUp2h37jqj4LYEFM2EhYKVpWid6VLXAwp0vKv_Kxm3gWu2xFza7F_tPBHRuBDuVzwYkkKua5EbI0Lu1Xl1p-uDNNQgNi--Dp6lNP9uhc5MBUrdawVoO85C9rFUoBRXiYYebXtCDKZi_CoZpZpSGJXXjndhaSvIiHKFbzeJxbrO4RqCFwvsD-S1w_StjMCLbnjS2Ov4eD2sP5rwfzD3nplvlKJ_lmyHFa5GLzihAFTf28EBdLvZfDA8BEhDWCKg0SJJpAZwsuNrL9_PjzmCBCaXEI7GBEHXvOio3iWnVZ-Y6uMQ_SbCskFgkuLp6TbhnGx0WqS9WEo-N3S1-ZuHlq2sLmM__mEa1sSBNTWAYzKCYvtbR2YWg30eQRhbYgGnQMBrFi5T1MEjtvzkML71lN_4AWIgqGwVVgQiuXyRdKR2L359IIys4zw3_Y7a3i7XD0thi-Z_ZFr4lLhoY-1Xwl5oJ1PiWZYCPzlXdzN6QqQBDdez8GFUKsEYoSB1CBenfPKmILPM=w887-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yours truly enjoying the fried squid omelette.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We had peng-kanged squid, some sweet pancake topped with cream, squid-omelette. The only street food I had so often wanted to try but even today still hadn’t was the salt-covered garlic-stuffed fish left crispily-cooked on the grills. Man, I am quite certain the next round in Bangkok I will sink my teeth into one of these.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/bcjBiYalBZVfhBAa5MPq22hw4U9oye6fF-M99pGCfyKPZc9az4nHD_RK1fKnn43xRErACczj8XCL3HO2A48ljTnLX0dqVS_2KgxBx2-WXVZKisiV4mP5mxMFdvEMS59QxlEqbPmQLdg5vBHoIfD5JSGKWjRMXZm5AtwRUC_jb3JluSvpBbE6cwEdmPReA4A8LGNUNtsCzgA0dpkMxWEcuqJwLNB9YvN30I-18ZjO7XM-6bg2tPxqEmISoU-c7tUa6o7X1wlEmaLYDk_hef23hEQgLFGLrOoTpeVCkGgy-giR7plSGwDah0BLTBIK7zJZu8vFbGUs7XMLqgC4Jz_GPYWjCZfL2U2RWoEQ-9KiGKSM7d8RpGNNnEegWLj7Q1i6WDR8nHw7MdscWZt7VU15X-jyLHfUvg71PjnRIig6kt3W-eJnjdcO1rlYR9zKv1oXnzi667sGDoZNctY2cnRr9nMAaLa3hlI9eeJgditELfNWAlwMKOrZM2fmdZ4fODmQb5XSZURGOjwAkrLjQTXZ0W9FkEp4gxcHp2iDfkNpDN2gcBwDfBPQ4mLvDBi1BzOxjtC5eYucFGlgiAeXhpapqiA4cdlsX8-svzpBSJDs5D2DDY1k-jkwqqm46DFti-s4JIyeqms9Wxtzme5-zsQqHVc7CT1XT1ZkMi8R=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/bcjBiYalBZVfhBAa5MPq22hw4U9oye6fF-M99pGCfyKPZc9az4nHD_RK1fKnn43xRErACczj8XCL3HO2A48ljTnLX0dqVS_2KgxBx2-WXVZKisiV4mP5mxMFdvEMS59QxlEqbPmQLdg5vBHoIfD5JSGKWjRMXZm5AtwRUC_jb3JluSvpBbE6cwEdmPReA4A8LGNUNtsCzgA0dpkMxWEcuqJwLNB9YvN30I-18ZjO7XM-6bg2tPxqEmISoU-c7tUa6o7X1wlEmaLYDk_hef23hEQgLFGLrOoTpeVCkGgy-giR7plSGwDah0BLTBIK7zJZu8vFbGUs7XMLqgC4Jz_GPYWjCZfL2U2RWoEQ-9KiGKSM7d8RpGNNnEegWLj7Q1i6WDR8nHw7MdscWZt7VU15X-jyLHfUvg71PjnRIig6kt3W-eJnjdcO1rlYR9zKv1oXnzi667sGDoZNctY2cnRr9nMAaLa3hlI9eeJgditELfNWAlwMKOrZM2fmdZ4fODmQb5XSZURGOjwAkrLjQTXZ0W9FkEp4gxcHp2iDfkNpDN2gcBwDfBPQ4mLvDBi1BzOxjtC5eYucFGlgiAeXhpapqiA4cdlsX8-svzpBSJDs5D2DDY1k-jkwqqm46DFti-s4JIyeqms9Wxtzme5-zsQqHVc7CT1XT1ZkMi8R=w887-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really wanted to eat this salted fish for 150 Bahts per fish at Rod Fai. But the only hurdle between me and the fish was....... Serene</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jThYcfkc-9Oxh12vYkK1ENCuz46-hLAa24rP3GZiKnSMR4iF03roBtJJ7QCcbk42chvg5PUqAPdzQWb62puQtBqzGvz1H6GzaNfwVHQSZXMgXRQ_WU_tWfAfBO8zJZ0TecurtenJr_M/w887-h665-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jThYcfkc-9Oxh12vYkK1ENCuz46-hLAa24rP3GZiKnSMR4iF03roBtJJ7QCcbk42chvg5PUqAPdzQWb62puQtBqzGvz1H6GzaNfwVHQSZXMgXRQ_WU_tWfAfBO8zJZ0TecurtenJr_M/w887-h665-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kway Jap stall at Rod Fai market</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/iKU_1KOUG3Y0liPJ33jT4Gh36PePUZItJ5EPOQozd0wWtbvoWtHl7vGMsVa6vmOgUNSWOao5D_kYeb8rQ8IKWQMqmdK1FS3W6o6DK2bX8tx-GNSeUiyw5qt9uK628CW25Rju8RJ32FnkpntCpUx_8Gvu9ELtYhzLqS2yFAcygIeg2P8QnsO8TLNgfm9pTcEs79zGkieelhEp6UJKu8t1jSAKzjTYQUxvx-FyUEQ4UEyotmvjzait38qpR-hPJxOLOLm73hI9E9xJwBqWe99_v_PNNFRWEjt2_rhre0hFfyHLNReqr8DpLNVC0qhl0RGGiVdUIgKJmq0XTdvQJD6qxMtRCVRO7YEbPU2uCrwq7HmXs0JTr8lvRWXRUIjGV3-0Yvl90O9LmBQKFkQw1RjTmIk-34qmAFq3Z6NjuCnMSruJsN6XlDIdKK-liJLqdy5u4vewov0aw96AM5e85KOxn4yXcDVRnSnz2CdL3vgjaDSuiyZlQ632MmSILruT1K0SUtmu96Y9e0n0b2oSAfa7c4U9fjOPn82RjnqUVqOiHHynChkdVT_cvd-hSo1EqRCc66i8KSR6qFkolMqigeVNn7M8HhIzcJkO12ur6DkJAQXs-Jnzy6x7OkvlRb9fs89DfTOpNfIH6rYe7BS7RUObfMVyvE3yma6pQII=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/iKU_1KOUG3Y0liPJ33jT4Gh36PePUZItJ5EPOQozd0wWtbvoWtHl7vGMsVa6vmOgUNSWOao5D_kYeb8rQ8IKWQMqmdK1FS3W6o6DK2bX8tx-GNSeUiyw5qt9uK628CW25Rju8RJ32FnkpntCpUx_8Gvu9ELtYhzLqS2yFAcygIeg2P8QnsO8TLNgfm9pTcEs79zGkieelhEp6UJKu8t1jSAKzjTYQUxvx-FyUEQ4UEyotmvjzait38qpR-hPJxOLOLm73hI9E9xJwBqWe99_v_PNNFRWEjt2_rhre0hFfyHLNReqr8DpLNVC0qhl0RGGiVdUIgKJmq0XTdvQJD6qxMtRCVRO7YEbPU2uCrwq7HmXs0JTr8lvRWXRUIjGV3-0Yvl90O9LmBQKFkQw1RjTmIk-34qmAFq3Z6NjuCnMSruJsN6XlDIdKK-liJLqdy5u4vewov0aw96AM5e85KOxn4yXcDVRnSnz2CdL3vgjaDSuiyZlQ632MmSILruT1K0SUtmu96Y9e0n0b2oSAfa7c4U9fjOPn82RjnqUVqOiHHynChkdVT_cvd-hSo1EqRCc66i8KSR6qFkolMqigeVNn7M8HhIzcJkO12ur6DkJAQXs-Jnzy6x7OkvlRb9fs89DfTOpNfIH6rYe7BS7RUObfMVyvE3yma6pQII=w887-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The innards.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/AEejbisFN1By3C6SSke6V-F97EKD3VDdr6OItR2ZGxTc42TwLWtrz1GnTl89p7MbVOzimx5A5TWw5t0RsNgVpnOIfxDmVs5KpZkEJLB77zvfxE7BLq8Pk36mGXGC3qujfBhwx0G0WmAkkbDDZLqEnSzwNvgc41s_12O0XF1C4zK-qxJgmDbjtNSAXhctrmzQZFCZB7JLPAqjgckGiX2006W-v-EeyDubam_e02Xm7VxUnb5QVfiA_3Aah8CsvQuWuinhKJloxPpV4oij4n_Q8bMBS5SP7cv-uoxVf_JVQWEzM__4FJDEP6QwOejcjdesJ5Dy2ScJP5ZzKirnCYlzrq0MEhqCqQwsu62rqMUrRQizK2EZzV6O8Gypi0BVuluLAWrYG4OuwAomDdmbxM-BoKwcu9xzyH-gW4o13pW38HgfoI8BO8Fv9-pgRV3mfjsKw-JbTYAHyr821wfTks1mY1NtcGYQqS6hKL72bGQhLIdcgypeLlKgvMc1nD1uDhVoyosagDwwTzMp3G6gH9I9-_7m41NbLaLP8sJHOJY-K8Tw7YCryg42GwH3t0rHxxxrlfq6wu6NhXzi4jnQtioPEZXpOTG_13LmqlvBqbndtZHCDOarJ3V3IGdaLmXO7fTNpMTQWVxohtr43HlW4-P7SE1VMLB9R_03qEE=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/AEejbisFN1By3C6SSke6V-F97EKD3VDdr6OItR2ZGxTc42TwLWtrz1GnTl89p7MbVOzimx5A5TWw5t0RsNgVpnOIfxDmVs5KpZkEJLB77zvfxE7BLq8Pk36mGXGC3qujfBhwx0G0WmAkkbDDZLqEnSzwNvgc41s_12O0XF1C4zK-qxJgmDbjtNSAXhctrmzQZFCZB7JLPAqjgckGiX2006W-v-EeyDubam_e02Xm7VxUnb5QVfiA_3Aah8CsvQuWuinhKJloxPpV4oij4n_Q8bMBS5SP7cv-uoxVf_JVQWEzM__4FJDEP6QwOejcjdesJ5Dy2ScJP5ZzKirnCYlzrq0MEhqCqQwsu62rqMUrRQizK2EZzV6O8Gypi0BVuluLAWrYG4OuwAomDdmbxM-BoKwcu9xzyH-gW4o13pW38HgfoI8BO8Fv9-pgRV3mfjsKw-JbTYAHyr821wfTks1mY1NtcGYQqS6hKL72bGQhLIdcgypeLlKgvMc1nD1uDhVoyosagDwwTzMp3G6gH9I9-_7m41NbLaLP8sJHOJY-K8Tw7YCryg42GwH3t0rHxxxrlfq6wu6NhXzi4jnQtioPEZXpOTG_13LmqlvBqbndtZHCDOarJ3V3IGdaLmXO7fTNpMTQWVxohtr43HlW4-P7SE1VMLB9R_03qEE=w887-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crispy pork belly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"So what else you want to eat?" </b></span></span>asked Serene, eyeing me suspiciously as I walked among the stalls. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Oooooh.. I know what you want to eat liao!"</span></b></span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wm6qXrzpMd81h75UVU6ICkS_R1NT-AQmp18hSkdupNBpOw2dFPRWfzO_crMXvnUdFHP0qRBAWqd-vF1fQ6A-0z2mCnrA8I5wOspvbqyXvkUyWqbwKWJN83OjTHNdzTYfIozP2Z5Yc2I/w886-h665-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="885" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wm6qXrzpMd81h75UVU6ICkS_R1NT-AQmp18hSkdupNBpOw2dFPRWfzO_crMXvnUdFHP0qRBAWqd-vF1fQ6A-0z2mCnrA8I5wOspvbqyXvkUyWqbwKWJN83OjTHNdzTYfIozP2Z5Yc2I/w886-h665-no/" /></a></div>
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And the first thing I saw was the crispy, crackling pork belly 三层肉. And it turned out that the stall sells Thai Kway-Jap. Despite Serene's customary refusal, I ordered two bowls and did she enjoy it! We literally whacked the Thai Kway-Jap with pig blood and crispy pork belly, which turned out to be unexpectedly delicious!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/UnTH2tFtinHp3bD21wpPWpj9BvgDgZ933ddIAc4bm1k-Hu4JH3ttVFE_wQdy1vXehgAymCTYlv97DFFc5a2Tnjci5ZQ6Awv_yhe4ygUpnwOeRpzH1qQYuzwbzJfLJ5jFDRe2h3tyoAzWGrdda5Hft-7PffFt3Lgfvq7qYTn6mq0cgSOhzcwrXrM9K1fxQXzogb_2HaP0dgUPPlcl4HJWlTZ0B_JpMVkWma1bnY23zdn3nCErqEkeICYG464J-7ndioUKdTTdSkkG9bxIqc4FZVlmHE9R9HQCvd3NFPBC9qcSXsYsvZ4fyKUN1TRVTgEm7MEnmMg1BQ5cZQg4eRr10lr66_NoOqGVJ_XLrUZySI9HbVt32dql4URBOdQJ3OPXjlR0ilrdj6uDNRFzKikPaWvMqdiCVD378gD56CnJopZwhnzvjarsB_kGC4lPywzklYUG5V6_d1rg9A52AIbvIqpFEpg4zSSUWTkwY3yMpK0bEaJ27hPYwaXB5mVujBcLzfokeSir6DaSoG_mN0oF-qLxx_rrAyq6rzWoYBXE8q4c5FPtSmImgzFW4ndYQ5leEvJq6EDejP9eg92gv64pSi4jh3aX7PZNLu0ErNphT_MfvTXTsHCQ6OqPzbKfUWBGibP10UhY__th0fp4uYcpvxaeLD8T8SIGXns=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/UnTH2tFtinHp3bD21wpPWpj9BvgDgZ933ddIAc4bm1k-Hu4JH3ttVFE_wQdy1vXehgAymCTYlv97DFFc5a2Tnjci5ZQ6Awv_yhe4ygUpnwOeRpzH1qQYuzwbzJfLJ5jFDRe2h3tyoAzWGrdda5Hft-7PffFt3Lgfvq7qYTn6mq0cgSOhzcwrXrM9K1fxQXzogb_2HaP0dgUPPlcl4HJWlTZ0B_JpMVkWma1bnY23zdn3nCErqEkeICYG464J-7ndioUKdTTdSkkG9bxIqc4FZVlmHE9R9HQCvd3NFPBC9qcSXsYsvZ4fyKUN1TRVTgEm7MEnmMg1BQ5cZQg4eRr10lr66_NoOqGVJ_XLrUZySI9HbVt32dql4URBOdQJ3OPXjlR0ilrdj6uDNRFzKikPaWvMqdiCVD378gD56CnJopZwhnzvjarsB_kGC4lPywzklYUG5V6_d1rg9A52AIbvIqpFEpg4zSSUWTkwY3yMpK0bEaJ27hPYwaXB5mVujBcLzfokeSir6DaSoG_mN0oF-qLxx_rrAyq6rzWoYBXE8q4c5FPtSmImgzFW4ndYQ5leEvJq6EDejP9eg92gv64pSi4jh3aX7PZNLu0ErNphT_MfvTXTsHCQ6OqPzbKfUWBGibP10UhY__th0fp4uYcpvxaeLD8T8SIGXns=w887-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kway Jap.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/63vDdBv5_Gq9cgOLlonKi7KbkZlSKguQDqghIvcGuTlhKuP_G2XgdPsrQc7fkvfL0HVH4Pif0wImIm6gYYV7-d2Yv8zdc3C-pE_s3ybhdDEoXUbeQO9jTiLcOHNRRvGdLF0oA-w2G4G999v-rOrtJcob7Lel_g5sidaQKstqQ_pUDWBh8FmIMEImbdbn6zf8j6Or-mhWsEE1vJawbfmct0GY8Z4zMJqQui9D4DGGKw5oEhiRfFINCMDs_p3BPcRG-QD2YuSrrEf5wZBf1GEoIy4PU_-5hNdPhgsMkk9cJ9WJ7wRtQFY2CmaRkP4goxEG6JCUHsfePBQIdthkH090iGT4ZHLy-RNTQgxydl98tFOLm1D4vz9-6aIK0cegTZ7rF30ku2gZHJ5I6-Ktaxnx7BWYpYx_b0aH1z1zkxlF5jpIHHZIYGvUd6r7bReL7n0D1cyHwoU9EIZ671Rzl_F4WGTrWgNY6z61M_Ilx1a5W-hLtUKB3bPOQtlHd3qjC-xsZV4DQi96wki9lqg5xDSl_k9QLn0s_5p9cr-w7Nmd8mEbGU-yvNHBIarK5H5rW79qbvEpiLA80vuwTRlXVf1Ry2Ee0mS0i0uDdjEBsjcpIqpuUpdzHEhak79Ejy59Tmdu2t66VRGkl4g2OXJSTF_yDv26BuGwnQqvUyxC=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/63vDdBv5_Gq9cgOLlonKi7KbkZlSKguQDqghIvcGuTlhKuP_G2XgdPsrQc7fkvfL0HVH4Pif0wImIm6gYYV7-d2Yv8zdc3C-pE_s3ybhdDEoXUbeQO9jTiLcOHNRRvGdLF0oA-w2G4G999v-rOrtJcob7Lel_g5sidaQKstqQ_pUDWBh8FmIMEImbdbn6zf8j6Or-mhWsEE1vJawbfmct0GY8Z4zMJqQui9D4DGGKw5oEhiRfFINCMDs_p3BPcRG-QD2YuSrrEf5wZBf1GEoIy4PU_-5hNdPhgsMkk9cJ9WJ7wRtQFY2CmaRkP4goxEG6JCUHsfePBQIdthkH090iGT4ZHLy-RNTQgxydl98tFOLm1D4vz9-6aIK0cegTZ7rF30ku2gZHJ5I6-Ktaxnx7BWYpYx_b0aH1z1zkxlF5jpIHHZIYGvUd6r7bReL7n0D1cyHwoU9EIZ671Rzl_F4WGTrWgNY6z61M_Ilx1a5W-hLtUKB3bPOQtlHd3qjC-xsZV4DQi96wki9lqg5xDSl_k9QLn0s_5p9cr-w7Nmd8mEbGU-yvNHBIarK5H5rW79qbvEpiLA80vuwTRlXVf1Ry2Ee0mS0i0uDdjEBsjcpIqpuUpdzHEhak79Ejy59Tmdu2t66VRGkl4g2OXJSTF_yDv26BuGwnQqvUyxC=w887-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We haven't had pork blood for a long time!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/W9qOLNoQE00t0_sjoNa_rLZPtlGfD4pwKJgEZUXqslyTYUOvpKUSCfEgNsnhk8ACwL0DUwtQN8rNwiMVnmJKoKWjvoPEmcDBIzQzFtdQfsuvetL4aAHXoXC_vmfdMPVbuSG6cB9Fy5CwXntHcQPeTHQYJngublrM35HV4lqopVkonFfejS6dZzWnYSglB-2XS2-1H2b-1WRblrTFonhbxWLbkiWrxPJ_jccBCVe-IrEJOZp3Z3DUgLyIGIrM-IzpMRqwXNpS3xl3_WH7Y_i8GxSeXYLscnaYApYGP_xSpBNdV5uARqmInJb6XPfHvMr5IUElCjYWs7VEyLQBTafCsckhFFuCyMpYQCmJGRmvSVvD3QoeDpIAr43p8fxqXTtZLgaNiBG2RlNR1oOKWZWLpHnjzjaT4HeqRng3RUnl_eiCP0da9K1dH_V5IX2-my9hrpT0snD28ETBNwzpq6yeQ5oln2EMTqyM94e5mKQFqHLTiKzWKGfE6aGm_Vj8aOVUuvugj6CbVs648It599vmAmK_mpdXZGXGmVSWH-zx7y9Ti-eDduYUoWoLD06BNJgjJxoVI5O1wqLKC7pK4tTZFl1KXM2ug3dm9D1puhQPwXN2KvgOsorxlOtjfubEh92OFC0oX_rBQnIUOODF9715JmO0iHzQJhYtC8E=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="478" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/W9qOLNoQE00t0_sjoNa_rLZPtlGfD4pwKJgEZUXqslyTYUOvpKUSCfEgNsnhk8ACwL0DUwtQN8rNwiMVnmJKoKWjvoPEmcDBIzQzFtdQfsuvetL4aAHXoXC_vmfdMPVbuSG6cB9Fy5CwXntHcQPeTHQYJngublrM35HV4lqopVkonFfejS6dZzWnYSglB-2XS2-1H2b-1WRblrTFonhbxWLbkiWrxPJ_jccBCVe-IrEJOZp3Z3DUgLyIGIrM-IzpMRqwXNpS3xl3_WH7Y_i8GxSeXYLscnaYApYGP_xSpBNdV5uARqmInJb6XPfHvMr5IUElCjYWs7VEyLQBTafCsckhFFuCyMpYQCmJGRmvSVvD3QoeDpIAr43p8fxqXTtZLgaNiBG2RlNR1oOKWZWLpHnjzjaT4HeqRng3RUnl_eiCP0da9K1dH_V5IX2-my9hrpT0snD28ETBNwzpq6yeQ5oln2EMTqyM94e5mKQFqHLTiKzWKGfE6aGm_Vj8aOVUuvugj6CbVs648It599vmAmK_mpdXZGXGmVSWH-zx7y9Ti-eDduYUoWoLD06BNJgjJxoVI5O1wqLKC7pK4tTZFl1KXM2ug3dm9D1puhQPwXN2KvgOsorxlOtjfubEh92OFC0oX_rBQnIUOODF9715JmO0iHzQJhYtC8E=w887-h665-no" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mung bean paste sweet dunno what thing at Rot Fai market.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Un5Wpn6TfxGlBpD1UbBFvuUPbD9DvxcdY5RlnetGENztgsovsHtHHfZNMpalxM2lZ4bqmQtliJntRuWYa8HIjkTdda-q3kC_1h7N0PZc0YKL27Jm56I5GVtQJv3cjbuIQ85zT06-XrFSGVn3Q57DCDZjS-58nCkJ8xOF3h0RSNxxaJiArFMK1Hgaw8-iihArku6wPNYo4x0XJZQkCFKHIvVztq-dtWTTIuwbsPbdGIINlriMO0ajpDNl94JdSpOhWm6v26yBXatOIr06nT1mySJESXHkspArjtiZacF7zxg4AiJ3YRkXX_SEIvlzliG-WweNf1y_mi9XMEee-7llPoN3S1LjfPYMLDZblyVfGOdMqnE5bAmF6F5hsRanz9PCmH6b7yCiQmbYPGu5BYGDZ6R7lgfHZuxk2Hm1AjA3Ov_7Z5yJBV0-JuuLuOx2TkGxudS8z3u24CavElbKhhInIm8u-EjQoI8Hiq-ABq6USCtuQPmvpTbVWaLKyMqDVExjMvyq1L-XsQfxMjO1I1KxQ-TEXUeStVp-B_jEqHLjhw4k9hL37AtnAYGuPEtRfeqqg28yNE8-nZlLC8i2Nr-NapYJ195lEEyTJpJQj9Qtj9qGLMLQxdU8eJ3WSMB9NLwUgAQQguLE021iontHFC61CQtpjgv4li6IziA=w499-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="499" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/Un5Wpn6TfxGlBpD1UbBFvuUPbD9DvxcdY5RlnetGENztgsovsHtHHfZNMpalxM2lZ4bqmQtliJntRuWYa8HIjkTdda-q3kC_1h7N0PZc0YKL27Jm56I5GVtQJv3cjbuIQ85zT06-XrFSGVn3Q57DCDZjS-58nCkJ8xOF3h0RSNxxaJiArFMK1Hgaw8-iihArku6wPNYo4x0XJZQkCFKHIvVztq-dtWTTIuwbsPbdGIINlriMO0ajpDNl94JdSpOhWm6v26yBXatOIr06nT1mySJESXHkspArjtiZacF7zxg4AiJ3YRkXX_SEIvlzliG-WweNf1y_mi9XMEee-7llPoN3S1LjfPYMLDZblyVfGOdMqnE5bAmF6F5hsRanz9PCmH6b7yCiQmbYPGu5BYGDZ6R7lgfHZuxk2Hm1AjA3Ov_7Z5yJBV0-JuuLuOx2TkGxudS8z3u24CavElbKhhInIm8u-EjQoI8Hiq-ABq6USCtuQPmvpTbVWaLKyMqDVExjMvyq1L-XsQfxMjO1I1KxQ-TEXUeStVp-B_jEqHLjhw4k9hL37AtnAYGuPEtRfeqqg28yNE8-nZlLC8i2Nr-NapYJ195lEEyTJpJQj9Qtj9qGLMLQxdU8eJ3WSMB9NLwUgAQQguLE021iontHFC61CQtpjgv4li6IziA=w499-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The menu at The Terrace. Central World.</td></tr>
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Our lunch on the second day did finally saw Serene’s highly-awaited <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVVaJ8wUklR9ySDfPlhLm29BSlEQ8pjEHbzKm0a9BlvzVFM8vx4CJ0DYP9BUbeeJCmgsqMDM6OW79xBxNTyqVXv6zuO1eA-diIc5-JB5ua1sRGWso13e5dCurBESm-Nmecp3NP7bMLGc/w491-h665-no/" target="_blank">Deep Fried Snapper</a> materializing. We ordered two for good measures and walloped them down.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmda57ir9SdI_htJubwiizdXpqFFUqVdzoECOX9PrXHxQy9BUl4tNGQ5AwqFUdYJ-PmoA9mjPPNxbJyGvrITdodk3zNQ7I3f7sbFv-IkHHVHCfTxdTD1QAH95UNpP7QtejOCDv5E76Lag/w804-h665-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="804" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmda57ir9SdI_htJubwiizdXpqFFUqVdzoECOX9PrXHxQy9BUl4tNGQ5AwqFUdYJ-PmoA9mjPPNxbJyGvrITdodk3zNQ7I3f7sbFv-IkHHVHCfTxdTD1QAH95UNpP7QtejOCDv5E76Lag/w804-h665-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two servings of Deep Fried Snapper at The Terrace</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimTyBVQS1Y-CycnzYQPVykJ4a3nrktO5x8QCyNBuJ88MlJfy9P6KaHcCT6Lp_FyH4WEuJUieYuJcy0BT7GR84KhwoSyb7JTk8IeYYjL-5cAA-N32jF3vdAwRRcz_w8pGbLZ_f-5RmNLA/w888-h665-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="888" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimTyBVQS1Y-CycnzYQPVykJ4a3nrktO5x8QCyNBuJ88MlJfy9P6KaHcCT6Lp_FyH4WEuJUieYuJcy0BT7GR84KhwoSyb7JTk8IeYYjL-5cAA-N32jF3vdAwRRcz_w8pGbLZ_f-5RmNLA/w888-h665-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serene's favourite Tom Yam stall at Chatuchak weekend market!</td></tr>
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The other meal that was on our radar was that small little local Thai stall located at the periphery of <i><b>Chatuchak weekend market,</b></i> where Serene craved for her Tom yam gung and the chicken wings. We found it on the third day midday when we arrived at the Chatuchak Market. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/LMjgbV4Nt3wqLlf4M25XLfJ1UhPey7rOXoU5tp7Qxt4Mpsv5p0VozVEHDARJwfJ0UpxxoDLYwBdOXjQ1FaicEm_wgsJwzAKe1k3X1DJrXy4QYGvGzGOFOsj87Y2cYdjNjmNhTsdSYAzbVQA9WpeXdg91rLVoH5eqEVroNSqHlEFr1_p9dI_dlUS8iqYNR66jA6yf293W8cObXCcTltCDGOw065f37y4hPkjvFA8qkPZqghbdeuwVf5lKmVMo9a5cfzuOSuo77trrOLcSkYWaDUI7FIJR6i0tEH37-GrH1owk0AzKQnL3edWePMskI_gnmr9dtDC92YIyVoBziel1Ft4iQOM7nCI4T0GDoCap5uJoROKM_68-uK2Dhbzvo7qnFAAWbnDWOKuWq2kGyn-0KDJlaB-eQLu6OiifO-CiOnAcDRexZiVPENyMspBHtXVjUF4HqwFwqOisVXCnmWnebvNaUP4H7c3iYEqD4We7-ZwPW7r8GZL7EzPI3dkRy7r0Q5pnCVnroK-eEeFu6y3s6HQkvsHbrBf0OiPHu7T_sNeo8yCoS2cXidKlx2tGuiK19TlsFN7kk3fTrro7Gc3a2svD1DZ0171BuhdyJsdNANoGXBhEcVbXRFvIUzlSGHKHGIjJ_KzRZUz66zyVsJFxyxN9HKD89NAmNq18=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/LMjgbV4Nt3wqLlf4M25XLfJ1UhPey7rOXoU5tp7Qxt4Mpsv5p0VozVEHDARJwfJ0UpxxoDLYwBdOXjQ1FaicEm_wgsJwzAKe1k3X1DJrXy4QYGvGzGOFOsj87Y2cYdjNjmNhTsdSYAzbVQA9WpeXdg91rLVoH5eqEVroNSqHlEFr1_p9dI_dlUS8iqYNR66jA6yf293W8cObXCcTltCDGOw065f37y4hPkjvFA8qkPZqghbdeuwVf5lKmVMo9a5cfzuOSuo77trrOLcSkYWaDUI7FIJR6i0tEH37-GrH1owk0AzKQnL3edWePMskI_gnmr9dtDC92YIyVoBziel1Ft4iQOM7nCI4T0GDoCap5uJoROKM_68-uK2Dhbzvo7qnFAAWbnDWOKuWq2kGyn-0KDJlaB-eQLu6OiifO-CiOnAcDRexZiVPENyMspBHtXVjUF4HqwFwqOisVXCnmWnebvNaUP4H7c3iYEqD4We7-ZwPW7r8GZL7EzPI3dkRy7r0Q5pnCVnroK-eEeFu6y3s6HQkvsHbrBf0OiPHu7T_sNeo8yCoS2cXidKlx2tGuiK19TlsFN7kk3fTrro7Gc3a2svD1DZ0171BuhdyJsdNANoGXBhEcVbXRFvIUzlSGHKHGIjJ_KzRZUz66zyVsJFxyxN9HKD89NAmNq18=w887-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This tiny little stall</td></tr>
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The very small stall with barely enough stools and tables to sit 10 plus customers was a gem. Serene knew precisely what to order.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/mByQ22Y4BrxPHBWbbChPl0c7yd_0o-QZfoXT-9aSfA0LxwU97eBuR8pCxh6uxkX20IDtcxoVs18LQis0qeppUsvdZKIWWqWum7ruFUAbOxaBZVGz2hphqT-hai-JNdfTqJWzJ3aAoFy8FuVN9h-u1BH-VH1CTlc9s-Vm7PNnzPwjgOje4-AFL4N_GavlU3siV-Edm6IDlKT9As0hVp3Lo37o6-yf5kvlbivM_-qThGypBd1sBCIQ5K5OPOliHEOCaMvBWRzsLPpHCZ9zvBXslGKtDcd8EokcBtRLKKjnm-5RG5TJRGkemmWeLrRep_06oRziqBRvNr8KkscQ6TwvBm8eiepxlv2NLu6MP_zMSDFsnYjJ6n8yypED-UE4830eBldMcUBHPKOpEVN3n5ic9bq5fGBw_XbhaP-eTyXNvSoN0iU-sVFXxUOwhSr38jhIS73bYJJAsrjeT9tpfUayIL-86c7zh-EC1h0NI-ugFgLHGrNsIlYJTp731DDuaNNCBL4r7eYK_V8sWt3c7vbiomfK_VC_TfZyzk_5PKY6acsCVwT9veHTGD3l2fgHU9SbstRg-eyOiQpqCjYbGPtYdCZOZipfoaU3JKV50S8cxHRXscaDZtkg1MFfDml9T1wl18Tp-Wo8ihNmQyKIedVMMNcVT-ZJ8uyXAGqO=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/mByQ22Y4BrxPHBWbbChPl0c7yd_0o-QZfoXT-9aSfA0LxwU97eBuR8pCxh6uxkX20IDtcxoVs18LQis0qeppUsvdZKIWWqWum7ruFUAbOxaBZVGz2hphqT-hai-JNdfTqJWzJ3aAoFy8FuVN9h-u1BH-VH1CTlc9s-Vm7PNnzPwjgOje4-AFL4N_GavlU3siV-Edm6IDlKT9As0hVp3Lo37o6-yf5kvlbivM_-qThGypBd1sBCIQ5K5OPOliHEOCaMvBWRzsLPpHCZ9zvBXslGKtDcd8EokcBtRLKKjnm-5RG5TJRGkemmWeLrRep_06oRziqBRvNr8KkscQ6TwvBm8eiepxlv2NLu6MP_zMSDFsnYjJ6n8yypED-UE4830eBldMcUBHPKOpEVN3n5ic9bq5fGBw_XbhaP-eTyXNvSoN0iU-sVFXxUOwhSr38jhIS73bYJJAsrjeT9tpfUayIL-86c7zh-EC1h0NI-ugFgLHGrNsIlYJTp731DDuaNNCBL4r7eYK_V8sWt3c7vbiomfK_VC_TfZyzk_5PKY6acsCVwT9veHTGD3l2fgHU9SbstRg-eyOiQpqCjYbGPtYdCZOZipfoaU3JKV50S8cxHRXscaDZtkg1MFfDml9T1wl18Tp-Wo8ihNmQyKIedVMMNcVT-ZJ8uyXAGqO=w887-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Their Pad Thai.. not the best. Soury. But eatable.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/0GF6i0iSadaCjvROh7WvOyWaTZ6KZ2T8O8hzZPPmok8PtaMU_2gUYMkPvanmHEFr2-r4eUHgue4n4qWHG2wvjegaRtvRqZ8V-V4IFmF-z6FYl8wpA1w8qLNoUygbRBzwA9lVVD2BQ8_HoYimaPzB4QSTqn48EUIxCUoSDbnH9CCEDfTBTj01ZjZEJ3xKBw7bo03_JFq7uWgGN23OacTiwX8bfFlex9seX50ri8LLkeViLyr54iIDowrC5exAFEdcweBn4dMNn1BzEG6lJbkm6c9Ra8qzlhrefzvuwDf7cmPbxRn3YbNgxlA4AGwuBHCKJBBRgL_Z7OKzGN18HVhArgk4rSzZIJ4sfcvobQhHS7_WZeZNybBx8v_58l9VG-utRsI6qeHNZqh4eDklQFI-L23I_lW44RtHSJ1nTdYOhOJy9X-1wJbO-Igz3rcxGchDQvJrtv4LBklTtaXtGYvk7DPYy_fUTHWymQR3G8k4Y_cBqABApk1AVK0WqAjFFVKjR59uE7Lyz1Ga6hHllH4S2sDEXZSvVkr2wZczP_uD7ejIpC4eQ9s8riZ518l8v52IDdjZAdexNjj_E5zQ4pusCRkdyV0RF9w7oiVGkOuwaPJ2B3nUpzZ7Y3_ZdFnb_da4Pjc7N-FZnO2WJMX4sCbcAljH4CXaH6HS57s=w499-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="499" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/0GF6i0iSadaCjvROh7WvOyWaTZ6KZ2T8O8hzZPPmok8PtaMU_2gUYMkPvanmHEFr2-r4eUHgue4n4qWHG2wvjegaRtvRqZ8V-V4IFmF-z6FYl8wpA1w8qLNoUygbRBzwA9lVVD2BQ8_HoYimaPzB4QSTqn48EUIxCUoSDbnH9CCEDfTBTj01ZjZEJ3xKBw7bo03_JFq7uWgGN23OacTiwX8bfFlex9seX50ri8LLkeViLyr54iIDowrC5exAFEdcweBn4dMNn1BzEG6lJbkm6c9Ra8qzlhrefzvuwDf7cmPbxRn3YbNgxlA4AGwuBHCKJBBRgL_Z7OKzGN18HVhArgk4rSzZIJ4sfcvobQhHS7_WZeZNybBx8v_58l9VG-utRsI6qeHNZqh4eDklQFI-L23I_lW44RtHSJ1nTdYOhOJy9X-1wJbO-Igz3rcxGchDQvJrtv4LBklTtaXtGYvk7DPYy_fUTHWymQR3G8k4Y_cBqABApk1AVK0WqAjFFVKjR59uE7Lyz1Ga6hHllH4S2sDEXZSvVkr2wZczP_uD7ejIpC4eQ9s8riZ518l8v52IDdjZAdexNjj_E5zQ4pusCRkdyV0RF9w7oiVGkOuwaPJ2B3nUpzZ7Y3_ZdFnb_da4Pjc7N-FZnO2WJMX4sCbcAljH4CXaH6HS57s=w499-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Their Pineapple and mango smoothie - really good quality.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/w0mYHUwN2IC66TcCMDtC7S64N6maH_Ao7u7KJ0pr817KeSjx6Bio_HT_dXvs29N-qRC9wyZnbcEe6XdnBAqStucfS59d-6uNKVQz5h7JzX2XcU8CgOllfh9XzFqnp80R0aT339eK7zdZBZm2lSpjMAUwaajJvKUB-fWOuTIUuNtqUGFXENPboIjtzFvRIe-19Hwl-FCpjiwl4K0dMtTcMP3tW9isrFOcQVT0HO9yEEdEFK6fPxFt2cbQA1VXOpFLDHagPFWMjXtxwNQAeyQzikTEyDr0mwL4F_24GCAKQ-3XKJDKfvoQ4xZwlsTZeG-gg-61CJsuzkuKTPpvpapTxZ154JUUWZyE1W76FxmUeI_5x76hQy6j60_Urs6syYQi3StH03lVvVAgAqqOfPxfOOiIUKs9uMtGKXgvJkIpR_9vgWNtYzRFvfWjlgpF6covK1GiqG1WGcNrOoScreu4lY3LWB5K2CDqEeEudvzR698Plbk0YEt4pC6e6uxyLlbCdpBLHx3mMzpbzUEYWoVbulNApCD6RSyHa27W-UyB_7HTlwlqQtM7PBVuq5_nKZgfhoKKoKJ_izL1iZvcZWksiOO2fpzJ7Za110eYQFepnDWwFC4tkIVWvXgYGxvhhmwuAb-nMe4xOtNANW2RqcIbOWtmDx9wj9k-OBE=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/w0mYHUwN2IC66TcCMDtC7S64N6maH_Ao7u7KJ0pr817KeSjx6Bio_HT_dXvs29N-qRC9wyZnbcEe6XdnBAqStucfS59d-6uNKVQz5h7JzX2XcU8CgOllfh9XzFqnp80R0aT339eK7zdZBZm2lSpjMAUwaajJvKUB-fWOuTIUuNtqUGFXENPboIjtzFvRIe-19Hwl-FCpjiwl4K0dMtTcMP3tW9isrFOcQVT0HO9yEEdEFK6fPxFt2cbQA1VXOpFLDHagPFWMjXtxwNQAeyQzikTEyDr0mwL4F_24GCAKQ-3XKJDKfvoQ4xZwlsTZeG-gg-61CJsuzkuKTPpvpapTxZ154JUUWZyE1W76FxmUeI_5x76hQy6j60_Urs6syYQi3StH03lVvVAgAqqOfPxfOOiIUKs9uMtGKXgvJkIpR_9vgWNtYzRFvfWjlgpF6covK1GiqG1WGcNrOoScreu4lY3LWB5K2CDqEeEudvzR698Plbk0YEt4pC6e6uxyLlbCdpBLHx3mMzpbzUEYWoVbulNApCD6RSyHa27W-UyB_7HTlwlqQtM7PBVuq5_nKZgfhoKKoKJ_izL1iZvcZWksiOO2fpzJ7Za110eYQFepnDWwFC4tkIVWvXgYGxvhhmwuAb-nMe4xOtNANW2RqcIbOWtmDx9wj9k-OBE=w887-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This tom yam is what we came all the way 13km for.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/x8J5YhYeZc-RzlopDafMFaJixJjVpvFNNrs0O-hm3ey2GwhxT7M63krkVG5beGWL1vDv9P2ZtZ7XicI2GdqP-xFhS9SWz6FmnOvHh5p0aH_FHokuD6cwgbY_AQS2yV3IaO2bPUtUQd0k_fdkRVc_S7arOLtknohhNj56BoNkp6czO7Hj6t4Rt-CvCHyCLz_pYZFcfDFgmiP4uTfAdVvBrafqSZkJ0D8TAO9bzuiLkf64ONnltU_idqShemr7AfVrBU9e23_iQB86pCVV-8cRGpb5O1nw5HpgSOIZ1Vq74YXaU_56MlA6MvYgJdJDyMa8t1OAnySFYCtfPUGuwyWpwoweKKbiYyQGjqpSZTI-uPifNW_yC0O6J38Ebb8uNj-RuQYsaeaWCAh-eaYZtd26km_Ww6uBZe9aVuyaSPRc5B_lM-drnEzelIbqARH_QLA95_HkOr5Z2Vvu5vm2_6AeyTywMld-m9HjVdN7VnM0b-nGHL0jDGzNsKGYuznWnFJF5hGyxIRZ5uG_1pijBsSRCOi7qIvaMVx18w56jeuEvWKe8S9SS70aEr_tWrB-IrCJZLx7hB_GOI2fA3e-BA9xiF9ae3TzXC9SCxA0AQpHEeBiIOTIZxDWlZxcad3LflZhUlnjG6zwL29Kd7Zk1Hfxpj1dG8gjAfta_lE=w721-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="720" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/x8J5YhYeZc-RzlopDafMFaJixJjVpvFNNrs0O-hm3ey2GwhxT7M63krkVG5beGWL1vDv9P2ZtZ7XicI2GdqP-xFhS9SWz6FmnOvHh5p0aH_FHokuD6cwgbY_AQS2yV3IaO2bPUtUQd0k_fdkRVc_S7arOLtknohhNj56BoNkp6czO7Hj6t4Rt-CvCHyCLz_pYZFcfDFgmiP4uTfAdVvBrafqSZkJ0D8TAO9bzuiLkf64ONnltU_idqShemr7AfVrBU9e23_iQB86pCVV-8cRGpb5O1nw5HpgSOIZ1Vq74YXaU_56MlA6MvYgJdJDyMa8t1OAnySFYCtfPUGuwyWpwoweKKbiYyQGjqpSZTI-uPifNW_yC0O6J38Ebb8uNj-RuQYsaeaWCAh-eaYZtd26km_Ww6uBZe9aVuyaSPRc5B_lM-drnEzelIbqARH_QLA95_HkOr5Z2Vvu5vm2_6AeyTywMld-m9HjVdN7VnM0b-nGHL0jDGzNsKGYuznWnFJF5hGyxIRZ5uG_1pijBsSRCOi7qIvaMVx18w56jeuEvWKe8S9SS70aEr_tWrB-IrCJZLx7hB_GOI2fA3e-BA9xiF9ae3TzXC9SCxA0AQpHEeBiIOTIZxDWlZxcad3LflZhUlnjG6zwL29Kd7Zk1Hfxpj1dG8gjAfta_lE=w721-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This crispy fried pork was aromatic.</td></tr>
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<br />
The Deep fried pork and the chicken wings certainly were as good as ever, on top of the coveted Tom Yam soup. The Pad Thai from this stall was a little soury. The mango and pineapple smoothies were the staple here. Coconut ice cream were aplenty at Chatuchak but after a while they all tasted the same.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/3YgVVYf1G5rpcfq8YhXTVEWICLErJXYOi2B00093yQGOS2Zo0ldtxguKXsZvzMVIvEHiWS66Ei6f3WOjySH4gosznGZPBSI8lGXMBIA_Z_9vMKSxmeOiXufPA-tnop3hS-WHqy4Ve-dhDVvl2D2IgmjaUv4P9Jm9WMKHMynexCYyu03eCt-12T7gqVi7EwmGDYVAOMBHSqdij5GB8NqpKOMkQ3Ma4p6LrooTJ-9ugJlrSKfK2Ex7atZnwk5VPfoaTwpJlp-iDaFmUvBDG7Yk-86ym87yFI6S_6iIFprkEQtlVE-1JijMIgkQAOj2IKdv91b1R3uYavi54x0y4-Nr3Gz-2IdW7kKFiTmdnf-5ix1nM5Ie04Nt7ScEkcLq48LcvZwpS-5XAaspxAgXfI4Yo9B666oy89Oqz4XLlvBXvzrFdCRp9ec1KEUn5PfNxBWG7T_iOhBtyAceZjbDgNfsYuKIMEayqyy_ZlMIidQPXleDJs4SwDRQhinvj88BJmCppvN6Auf_TZOEo4tHuyZLXQXRG7UY-NFVK2t_dsxZbxYrJFfkIffm7vRc196BP8CL7P3dtxYjmAJc1kesLfUQJLfXdAh26bMnKIzzw9_wwUNqHx7DIiRFhqxNfiY9axmhYBzpZLPoyg_F5pnjA0EJft-9m_O8XZi7KMQ=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/3YgVVYf1G5rpcfq8YhXTVEWICLErJXYOi2B00093yQGOS2Zo0ldtxguKXsZvzMVIvEHiWS66Ei6f3WOjySH4gosznGZPBSI8lGXMBIA_Z_9vMKSxmeOiXufPA-tnop3hS-WHqy4Ve-dhDVvl2D2IgmjaUv4P9Jm9WMKHMynexCYyu03eCt-12T7gqVi7EwmGDYVAOMBHSqdij5GB8NqpKOMkQ3Ma4p6LrooTJ-9ugJlrSKfK2Ex7atZnwk5VPfoaTwpJlp-iDaFmUvBDG7Yk-86ym87yFI6S_6iIFprkEQtlVE-1JijMIgkQAOj2IKdv91b1R3uYavi54x0y4-Nr3Gz-2IdW7kKFiTmdnf-5ix1nM5Ie04Nt7ScEkcLq48LcvZwpS-5XAaspxAgXfI4Yo9B666oy89Oqz4XLlvBXvzrFdCRp9ec1KEUn5PfNxBWG7T_iOhBtyAceZjbDgNfsYuKIMEayqyy_ZlMIidQPXleDJs4SwDRQhinvj88BJmCppvN6Auf_TZOEo4tHuyZLXQXRG7UY-NFVK2t_dsxZbxYrJFfkIffm7vRc196BP8CL7P3dtxYjmAJc1kesLfUQJLfXdAh26bMnKIzzw9_wwUNqHx7DIiRFhqxNfiY9axmhYBzpZLPoyg_F5pnjA0EJft-9m_O8XZi7KMQ=w887-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But this fried chicken took the Thai cake! Serene's favourite!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Torn between Mo Mo Paradise and <i><b>Aka barbecue at Central World</b></i> for dinner on the third night, I chose Aka. The meat remained delicious, especially the beef bacons and dory and the cuttlefish. The prawns were huge but relatively tasteless according to Serene. The meat kept coming as we ordered and topped off at the end by the potent small glass of bitter lemon. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/kF9gMGSw_gYtbMYRrCHPaHxE03j-BybEZTAd0T9jE7GdNuFnMk2Ea0QB-LKdy_Plk1EwWQ2ygCroRWWLHiN8NXWxShWwQ28oUhZJA5hmjXpWFq66-dTv3hJQzb43CacuQQtH4BIH2NO1taB2uxvO9QCLv1DKH5ZBVaOrs-h4XRW-PTS8y-NZxP3j_6UVEB0OKp50I01TFSKkNhXKmtYVMZVE4S90335csuv3KQaNQnL36TLVNgGDGXqwqnqpU3jtf0DqeGcKDawIgOVGu9FhHfneTMS02MFfs2P5XZYlzTBgpTFeD0zKJY_Hakj2nHMBf77m3ZfLhut1097cLPeEmPQWS-_09-2Og0INZny_zIjFyVU59OO-uQz0eKtFdIgYIV56cG3nkkHQXuEh60pnTM_FUfCm9GUSJ0slwZi8Ktz0XSs0F7sEb0KKvXtWDHuEJ3HtTtU6OG5SPyCNxHqnJ00Sr2xSUVb5s-SCkELrQuSv7msXcjQ3kIlfkecc7OS1pNJt7hHzncItYl7oS-gKoK11Qdt1QPyzQ0d8I64VLIQcmbU-1Qn1_rbMlSleu_Xp6udSyp5YD4syRsLDriqjNXGxSolKygPaGXftdWl7ituQ6b78gZ79SqiKrBaZScHCc7FQdfXdyBdmWti5HZ_J3akFml7nq4ERq5g=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="478" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/kF9gMGSw_gYtbMYRrCHPaHxE03j-BybEZTAd0T9jE7GdNuFnMk2Ea0QB-LKdy_Plk1EwWQ2ygCroRWWLHiN8NXWxShWwQ28oUhZJA5hmjXpWFq66-dTv3hJQzb43CacuQQtH4BIH2NO1taB2uxvO9QCLv1DKH5ZBVaOrs-h4XRW-PTS8y-NZxP3j_6UVEB0OKp50I01TFSKkNhXKmtYVMZVE4S90335csuv3KQaNQnL36TLVNgGDGXqwqnqpU3jtf0DqeGcKDawIgOVGu9FhHfneTMS02MFfs2P5XZYlzTBgpTFeD0zKJY_Hakj2nHMBf77m3ZfLhut1097cLPeEmPQWS-_09-2Og0INZny_zIjFyVU59OO-uQz0eKtFdIgYIV56cG3nkkHQXuEh60pnTM_FUfCm9GUSJ0slwZi8Ktz0XSs0F7sEb0KKvXtWDHuEJ3HtTtU6OG5SPyCNxHqnJ00Sr2xSUVb5s-SCkELrQuSv7msXcjQ3kIlfkecc7OS1pNJt7hHzncItYl7oS-gKoK11Qdt1QPyzQ0d8I64VLIQcmbU-1Qn1_rbMlSleu_Xp6udSyp5YD4syRsLDriqjNXGxSolKygPaGXftdWl7ituQ6b78gZ79SqiKrBaZScHCc7FQdfXdyBdmWti5HZ_J3akFml7nq4ERq5g=w887-h665-no" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beef bacon was my favourite at Aka barbecue restaurant. Central World.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/zbKgWW98EkqZn6zmjCWPfhLr25QttGS312op8bcHUIpRL4nDuQ9fa0CmObCt3mkiGblIDXI742NTjI557BlyClKGPgyuLxy6ODh-OJfJQx7Z2ysQlxhHq8ZUgug0xjbtSCsaChxPvKzSXuzkQGFvbsjBjWGhiqjI--0EeNoYf46VbDEN5LKrxMmoahJlJcjqF6GuezTxu2R7RWUNRLIvgp1l2P_C5ocpvti4HXvx6uAVfP52vqpLT0TUwuvdwO_LjVKGGQKXUPdgi8DtPrN3E-5CCQxCLQLY0kKeekM9jIngiNWcTbbJAR5X5VdOeD38aLDCtnSix1ujlIyLJ-1X3dk47AiCwRc0s-mCpIW3oeXRfPVIUW7Adsj2VN-n6r2h6oK7VGP_CMUlHNePpFJfxBMnooRSb17TPtU4pY5iU12refLtBCKZaPaR4-t86JXeAFEUsN2Wn5kuKrPnyDTkA7blvDCuXvUEKOF8xGsrMjwHeKljtaLhYN5VJ27LO_J-Tb7zj3gdJvs1_5VpNXuMFKMhfZU0lAdMV_rjzDjHGBGcwOlFL5DNjmz8h4KoYGRNwBFzPghNcs0eXdP0xGxImsD1jutsiOSXYdKvN7PhbaANs_kTHLXNcMxVP8UgMu6C5bbgt-0E0-N5_rIbO_HJJjBq0ODQC2-TDjE=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="478" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/zbKgWW98EkqZn6zmjCWPfhLr25QttGS312op8bcHUIpRL4nDuQ9fa0CmObCt3mkiGblIDXI742NTjI557BlyClKGPgyuLxy6ODh-OJfJQx7Z2ysQlxhHq8ZUgug0xjbtSCsaChxPvKzSXuzkQGFvbsjBjWGhiqjI--0EeNoYf46VbDEN5LKrxMmoahJlJcjqF6GuezTxu2R7RWUNRLIvgp1l2P_C5ocpvti4HXvx6uAVfP52vqpLT0TUwuvdwO_LjVKGGQKXUPdgi8DtPrN3E-5CCQxCLQLY0kKeekM9jIngiNWcTbbJAR5X5VdOeD38aLDCtnSix1ujlIyLJ-1X3dk47AiCwRc0s-mCpIW3oeXRfPVIUW7Adsj2VN-n6r2h6oK7VGP_CMUlHNePpFJfxBMnooRSb17TPtU4pY5iU12refLtBCKZaPaR4-t86JXeAFEUsN2Wn5kuKrPnyDTkA7blvDCuXvUEKOF8xGsrMjwHeKljtaLhYN5VJ27LO_J-Tb7zj3gdJvs1_5VpNXuMFKMhfZU0lAdMV_rjzDjHGBGcwOlFL5DNjmz8h4KoYGRNwBFzPghNcs0eXdP0xGxImsD1jutsiOSXYdKvN7PhbaANs_kTHLXNcMxVP8UgMu6C5bbgt-0E0-N5_rIbO_HJJjBq0ODQC2-TDjE=w887-h665-no" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I regretted not ordering more of this delicious cuttlefish!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/gnyAo4zvo0JzsleHEJ1spu8pf5VZtV3QLmVmT7bkYDlLnzr2zZpnxdtV-N1AoEWVPq6WzG-WcIgq0hDUhq_lrKw8XD8ebmIPoj2tobXDfO3ygc0diU73yLmEXT4tiWDHeNWom4X6djJmKakUgEFHf55nr0cwTMGpW66LpQuz5Dun0272VJ6CKLtAUst8Jpo3IDtAD0v_ahJ_FwxlcYdR12o2LTRk-IwAh1Cdia5350PSsIA6PzjOnLGRnzU9HUOZ-Bn1Yhpj32F7j7qtjq-ouNVeWeyaQ4OZCTedeINCZJ35dFnsjKnry6I6jVHurFT93CL0EJMjj8YWqe05y068vsgL-Mp1RcNYEcAqNgEmsORAqDidw_OyOXHuDYDVjUDGEehkolekmNm8ypl0nn2aW4RCYC_A_7HKVsQcw_CFS_U9QX7Gln_urpMiP799uZ7rGO1FUTFo-knUUdbZvOew0T-fI4zCdeQKhJkqAruONeNT59qd3tT6nIKrqH7COdaEYdYVyRZOSSzc5wG7NUVpDrhyaG54v_EG8mZpEDor70qmZYgJqL3cEnk6ysQqhSeL6rkZICFCk6N31oiZ4OJT7W0JMVWkmcVYsNa32H9d8vqx0nZfpkfcLrM-xOPvGjIFOYYjzd772W9p3-6SijZktDaLUmCPhbp76TqX=w997-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="997" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/gnyAo4zvo0JzsleHEJ1spu8pf5VZtV3QLmVmT7bkYDlLnzr2zZpnxdtV-N1AoEWVPq6WzG-WcIgq0hDUhq_lrKw8XD8ebmIPoj2tobXDfO3ygc0diU73yLmEXT4tiWDHeNWom4X6djJmKakUgEFHf55nr0cwTMGpW66LpQuz5Dun0272VJ6CKLtAUst8Jpo3IDtAD0v_ahJ_FwxlcYdR12o2LTRk-IwAh1Cdia5350PSsIA6PzjOnLGRnzU9HUOZ-Bn1Yhpj32F7j7qtjq-ouNVeWeyaQ4OZCTedeINCZJ35dFnsjKnry6I6jVHurFT93CL0EJMjj8YWqe05y068vsgL-Mp1RcNYEcAqNgEmsORAqDidw_OyOXHuDYDVjUDGEehkolekmNm8ypl0nn2aW4RCYC_A_7HKVsQcw_CFS_U9QX7Gln_urpMiP799uZ7rGO1FUTFo-knUUdbZvOew0T-fI4zCdeQKhJkqAruONeNT59qd3tT6nIKrqH7COdaEYdYVyRZOSSzc5wG7NUVpDrhyaG54v_EG8mZpEDor70qmZYgJqL3cEnk6ysQqhSeL6rkZICFCk6N31oiZ4OJT7W0JMVWkmcVYsNa32H9d8vqx0nZfpkfcLrM-xOPvGjIFOYYjzd772W9p3-6SijZktDaLUmCPhbp76TqX=w997-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AKA barbecue restaurant. Central World.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What was a disappointment was the deteriorating service from the waitering stuff. But at 499 Bahts (S$20) for all you can eat premium buffet, if one was there for the meat, and already knew what one wanted to order, then there wouldn’t be much of a difficulty.</div>
<div>
But if one wanted the undivided attention from the waiters and waitresses, for almost the same price, the shabu shabu dinner at Mo-Mo-Paradise would be a more desirable affair.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/Y_pGXEAbvCwA7TpVWc6L13M5fhMdiEsMgAhoSN7gpMKBojM5XrNbU8aAOTLdRCWavoh2-HBSXG9dEBx7ICSaKqSX79fMRmFyRLUf40d895KoasWnazN6ZnBzy6UwTGFeUemOqFZGL69oAIsZ-mVkr0EZ2le97CVDyezQmrvRc2YqcKgjDf2Nh8BuazhpxUnPm6v9zQBWLHz2_83BDddzHfNbbPzUfAMbPzgow_psS6FBI287O4yYvMHTsseW9ZVy3o4LoMdbYtIeZPs5ogfEqmpPOu9tx-zUQoB7nNquU_O-Kq7tCDz6mj8TLB4eFvfPSCrJs0T5nmuxsUGWTs7WnMKQ9yrUzNxTScn7qemdle3k7eD9-N--00EZX_0h-TxTh0Qd_NH37BCBj4VueoLnib_xOSF39UTo9QNWTNxrxUQ0ewYyVCVLXanlz95OfzXNY9JqljgsCXbhosUpD4gFHCByXluscWF2b_r_EBxw0XJolwcdSRFNwU2tjdDSWcRKQYrVxebWQHTBcZtwfG9jtITbZcIfCYnypUUw-jMhFOWwf7WBDjRmkT9Pj-xTdYmqg-aLSM_qNYNaF-h3WwYLogoVOXns9zLL9GAtVio8pTCpR3ZR7q729__sjBdODhzLddEkZk9ENY-jmsps_m_QbXzf9Sq-L8403Znl=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/Y_pGXEAbvCwA7TpVWc6L13M5fhMdiEsMgAhoSN7gpMKBojM5XrNbU8aAOTLdRCWavoh2-HBSXG9dEBx7ICSaKqSX79fMRmFyRLUf40d895KoasWnazN6ZnBzy6UwTGFeUemOqFZGL69oAIsZ-mVkr0EZ2le97CVDyezQmrvRc2YqcKgjDf2Nh8BuazhpxUnPm6v9zQBWLHz2_83BDddzHfNbbPzUfAMbPzgow_psS6FBI287O4yYvMHTsseW9ZVy3o4LoMdbYtIeZPs5ogfEqmpPOu9tx-zUQoB7nNquU_O-Kq7tCDz6mj8TLB4eFvfPSCrJs0T5nmuxsUGWTs7WnMKQ9yrUzNxTScn7qemdle3k7eD9-N--00EZX_0h-TxTh0Qd_NH37BCBj4VueoLnib_xOSF39UTo9QNWTNxrxUQ0ewYyVCVLXanlz95OfzXNY9JqljgsCXbhosUpD4gFHCByXluscWF2b_r_EBxw0XJolwcdSRFNwU2tjdDSWcRKQYrVxebWQHTBcZtwfG9jtITbZcIfCYnypUUw-jMhFOWwf7WBDjRmkT9Pj-xTdYmqg-aLSM_qNYNaF-h3WwYLogoVOXns9zLL9GAtVio8pTCpR3ZR7q729__sjBdODhzLddEkZk9ENY-jmsps_m_QbXzf9Sq-L8403Znl=w887-h665-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The menu at AKA. We ordered the 499 Baths premium barbecue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In the previous trip, Fann and Questal mentioned that the <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/F3_ZxrLRW7W-es11jeVeC79tS_A5hsxwL4P6ARX17ekIRG-i-ECRxX1EYwWAav5Dh1qGPEMvvmRfMJYUOjbGtJ2J4_vI1b2isUuD1srI_Qe6LN9P_uYdr_UlsMgIFJx8A87mgerP8g8xvjzSbAU6Yh_i2lrpPLiVb9ysdrz5fx0qoRuliAuhtPGx0w6_N1UGL5bxZaltjFKggHRI4tQTVsfw8rtT1FkzlZC62TYRgPOqmSs2lYvQzVUsAlPoODIT6CEWTUa7SBxhmmYxRHpzCDO8AQvlWYTUih0oSnR3aEbbYMla3F3JvLfxZnMgJNRRQWxAWVEesU23_9a7xAfJDIyIRYZ9Gq3leMcIL8qq-DV1D2onkFm3-KR5RmmzcwnrmHEmu1Q-IpTeNC4F1vRALPmEkbuz6zHZWuNbs71nwhcs-gS8eCMOQDGERwxjP8GIf0YoUpZWsCd_6JH-1E1VaUhrFZkysVDfQNi-B_t97WXi6PNZGJJBPG0YgPqs1muuWK2OVsRxT1R3NJ2Q5y25du-NfTk-l_h3asem-IeK5KcmgF2mbWHEROeARJbjLkLFOYDi-cNCdpvVUuOnP5lGdMTuI_fVA7O-RoH2iFhY11sR-So5OxHdq4CVNksMbfRIuf-KNYUOnWXKr1DhiEXP06LJ_Paw2AieYzc=w499-h665-no" target="_blank">cafe down the road </a>from the hotel was very nice. And so we tried.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><b> Click on the bottom image for an animated photo</b></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHuTz4b9AUosZhd_97_JQbzTjeQtGOZpO1qCqZvn5t7i1dvh8sjA7jETtTv9kyMUd2FoW01ecuts1x3DGf0mHGVWoqTE33BYPZj_lczkoEVPvj3zzaoidd5YwquVdOCJhFZF_LWwuwvY/w500-h665-no/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHuTz4b9AUosZhd_97_JQbzTjeQtGOZpO1qCqZvn5t7i1dvh8sjA7jETtTv9kyMUd2FoW01ecuts1x3DGf0mHGVWoqTE33BYPZj_lczkoEVPvj3zzaoidd5YwquVdOCJhFZF_LWwuwvY/w500-h665-no/" border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="499" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZOeyhLaKmbkU6qibrPdOxTK3L4OjQ7FTbdZ1Djrgm6_iyxzdej58mkXoKxmxQSG-h0AJeJUBgFgpTUDY3apTm8l7LpfEznEUU3sNPXDJ_Q8LA3QLfOMG0HQUOS20i8r7ZIuoCrmjR7xA/w499-h665-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A man did a high jump outside the cafe in the rain as we sat enjoying the coffee.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Heavy rain outside the cafe, as a man did a high and long jump in front while we were seated.<br />
And on the third day, walking back just about reaching our hotel, the sky opened up and it rained cats and dogs. What a beautiful opportunity to <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3ShTZBZICTSXAWgluUQkTA5IMQn7k8gxFuFtWlUGPHgwp3eFWHKVgJ_9jO4aFUiBI2Obsvat8xGYlRxjDeO2jXNvzcn9g91lH9preQeGf1SvxvT8nqPkORQIzB6dg1O_u1lnxuQ0QKvQifViDwteNip8LhY8GWSmdhSEIpiWxpFFPBYzCeIzUyK5fG4L85fka1t-xd5ERb9bPKElwaZ1ILQtR24oTbIvHLrhdZtlbbrJMEgwsoMrGCDCZ7E2Rgif4XgonYXBY2gnrPz_B_nuJiyD6kPMOvJriY7gV4j4rA_z2RuASRGqYarD_PPWHp8IUfpczXPDW587mSNsCeh2taeJI4GmQW1-2fZRH6faDOWsk5Re0s7UEoPs2D0jSj0jA381YX02nlyiZXtqQET2to1N--Mc0nhOz5HsGnDPDtvoe3d2C6Ha0RcU8jqdNXrXYcDZ_2x0ly0WDIb1--dJekTVurG9wTK4aklzdNdprhLmHxfbkoqrySe8MbnMUgaCjoHJ3fWrwKWV-KYHKWDIf8igy4NA-USc8Lm11mJvrVBHe5dZPtzGINnRBd9yoHAD8HsWurFn9I_m82CtDttS5iScMPpW7L4cwKd3oAycL1pkfOpe8_AqShMWZZ3SjStC62iw8ln6f3l3zbHF3UUr2C8sfCtIumjJW6dY=w886-h665-no" target="_blank">cuddle up</a> in the cafe for a cuppa.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCaP19A2EIeVSoFKxw7bSYp1bmUGvoSGPtKP3-nnQjz3vm8ZvkaMfXVJMFV3ZadCPjVQasE1u5W0jQmD5chPuYkzQJjssYVPHc_YB_QIaJZ20Iy2-h8JEVpqRsGzwTG-O53kVtWX2jw_g/w887-h665-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCaP19A2EIeVSoFKxw7bSYp1bmUGvoSGPtKP3-nnQjz3vm8ZvkaMfXVJMFV3ZadCPjVQasE1u5W0jQmD5chPuYkzQJjssYVPHc_YB_QIaJZ20Iy2-h8JEVpqRsGzwTG-O53kVtWX2jw_g/w887-h665-no/" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aromatic coffee for 75 Bahts.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/MmvK4LsYVbmvT-PTZNSO3rdXW_Dh-vx6_xadpJr9QvZBnGyTxcLXzZBkGP3tnbHXkwhNnaBQY8Zuy6FP6PglVmzMJzPp3_ausdCeewu44kqze90E6orbDG9oqj-kpP620NGcJ60vw8jfgGnjzcTsCRIDxQ1pYXvbI90KdhkiRhJRPWjPkptxJ3_y_nppBwjah--Ngt-HNTWDKUrHbg_3JFcXD96CQlSvTgAHxRcXy0Bs9TO43jR0xyO4hQ2YvI4w7NXJyOYz4qfRid2KEx-d76KSrQeElYJ8SbKPeRnYQ1BhCJcBb01yOt00__KV7n_QF1mB9X67FLsmAAVsVHAxAieRCWrzm13ls0i0-XLHtB6cmLSQXVk3Hq2TxM2XcoEOAOVSsYiHqgUoraKApy8I1LnI4KCmyhL_AUHudvQOjceVG7veE81r68e1e_qA4qiSoAwSX_nqdG7M-0mzdqEYTL6i2tDM5ObwJ70QFHes0qQYNR3rRKJU9TFPmWn935IXbDe-W0wqFZoyExTON5l6Li1IWSAFuCUNwlDLwhqyOiSt132O8jz9W3Dmz1H1LQCqN3MY_3DLXzwMiHCAMlMSHnH1wpDigSlJY3Covdoesk-bA9q0fXgUIR_MJMb9xeBi5WggAkC5mHo4O5XqZZ-tcWy92jCCWr1mjnbz=w887-h665-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="478" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/MmvK4LsYVbmvT-PTZNSO3rdXW_Dh-vx6_xadpJr9QvZBnGyTxcLXzZBkGP3tnbHXkwhNnaBQY8Zuy6FP6PglVmzMJzPp3_ausdCeewu44kqze90E6orbDG9oqj-kpP620NGcJ60vw8jfgGnjzcTsCRIDxQ1pYXvbI90KdhkiRhJRPWjPkptxJ3_y_nppBwjah--Ngt-HNTWDKUrHbg_3JFcXD96CQlSvTgAHxRcXy0Bs9TO43jR0xyO4hQ2YvI4w7NXJyOYz4qfRid2KEx-d76KSrQeElYJ8SbKPeRnYQ1BhCJcBb01yOt00__KV7n_QF1mB9X67FLsmAAVsVHAxAieRCWrzm13ls0i0-XLHtB6cmLSQXVk3Hq2TxM2XcoEOAOVSsYiHqgUoraKApy8I1LnI4KCmyhL_AUHudvQOjceVG7veE81r68e1e_qA4qiSoAwSX_nqdG7M-0mzdqEYTL6i2tDM5ObwJ70QFHes0qQYNR3rRKJU9TFPmWn935IXbDe-W0wqFZoyExTON5l6Li1IWSAFuCUNwlDLwhqyOiSt132O8jz9W3Dmz1H1LQCqN3MY_3DLXzwMiHCAMlMSHnH1wpDigSlJY3Covdoesk-bA9q0fXgUIR_MJMb9xeBi5WggAkC5mHo4O5XqZZ-tcWy92jCCWr1mjnbz=w887-h665-no" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forever Hungry Cafe.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">To-ing and Fro-ing in Bangkok</span></b></span><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/T2V385PAR59KPErNY9tnr4nJIBD51xIiDMhMqA-XVppmMHg_UBJWRSxIhu8DZH_NotZWaPk8L0zkhmSp_oJIQiaDYHjX5XH_Ws9ogdb6ff69Nhhg6XWsAuqepwd_5mwR_Ghf6HzknEjUn1HB1irZQrz4yDrrzxIiZn2tN7813dT27TCu6wR7FT9qpbOAbAYK-Mw_MfirHg1n6a9Ml7hz8mQ6fG05BSISj60FKTOBKnrnWFfyP0-77koff__TSy9_nD5slyqYDeCrbMTsQnc5WoWSDqbUqREe8BQDuKzy3p8mgm8OnO00QBdIu5HZhgfp6hiLYUd1b2FdSnK0vMjxy_MHTdNUdkkP5ei0GaiFc9DiKBI8fbEgn2jNupc5ddr4TAlGMXjY-zDp7dMjdK7bXuY0hhGhK-S_5SFPJT9aFrNR2OmxIhDpqVvTffOLOW0B7ugjQiTAOOOEroEI7QDcCx59FKhD8DMWu3q5EJn4lERxBTJ6XS40mC36XH1MbtpI9VBZihoDe5JrYuCCBcs08BLoPBouUcHk0uAn07llAQKSRjC557P7H1X7Sa75801C4XY3fglFo3HAdbJROC8wWmm-YWoGJxettLIvK-PKiztK_KJnO8rV34Zxa0grEi1oiab5Blz4xLzKyg4zqq6k_7JJF8Yp4JAEwtM=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/T2V385PAR59KPErNY9tnr4nJIBD51xIiDMhMqA-XVppmMHg_UBJWRSxIhu8DZH_NotZWaPk8L0zkhmSp_oJIQiaDYHjX5XH_Ws9ogdb6ff69Nhhg6XWsAuqepwd_5mwR_Ghf6HzknEjUn1HB1irZQrz4yDrrzxIiZn2tN7813dT27TCu6wR7FT9qpbOAbAYK-Mw_MfirHg1n6a9Ml7hz8mQ6fG05BSISj60FKTOBKnrnWFfyP0-77koff__TSy9_nD5slyqYDeCrbMTsQnc5WoWSDqbUqREe8BQDuKzy3p8mgm8OnO00QBdIu5HZhgfp6hiLYUd1b2FdSnK0vMjxy_MHTdNUdkkP5ei0GaiFc9DiKBI8fbEgn2jNupc5ddr4TAlGMXjY-zDp7dMjdK7bXuY0hhGhK-S_5SFPJT9aFrNR2OmxIhDpqVvTffOLOW0B7ugjQiTAOOOEroEI7QDcCx59FKhD8DMWu3q5EJn4lERxBTJ6XS40mC36XH1MbtpI9VBZihoDe5JrYuCCBcs08BLoPBouUcHk0uAn07llAQKSRjC557P7H1X7Sa75801C4XY3fglFo3HAdbJROC8wWmm-YWoGJxettLIvK-PKiztK_KJnO8rV34Zxa0grEi1oiab5Blz4xLzKyg4zqq6k_7JJF8Yp4JAEwtM=w920-h690-no" /></a></div>
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Kat has given me some very good pointers on taking Grab cars or Grab taxis in Bangkok. Arriving in Don Mueang, we still preferred to use the time tested method of taking a 30 Baht per person A1 or A2 bus to Mo Chit BTS Station followed by a 44 Bahts per person train to Chit Lom Station. I took slightly more than an hour but since we just arrived we had all the time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/nwFmiFm8GiykDctTImoRzgXkB6rIAyhd5QbbjwBKQMcXUQil9EvlH4taslFvtIsyDwDEW02NZPc70KCzyxtPtiqoi8qZfrHcst_Zg_iW-BiSwvxSCgSxZJuukOfCVB8wxWL7e5___MusBd_Hy8qPy0tttvifgOhHdEGVXMDNDVqQe7do7UUmmyZKpQVklnuCtxOwf1SLyeGdzR-ZpeSSId9fkj2_Lz5jsuZbi16_ZYCnm5RkISYx-_371x8q6i0pQTltgFSAh3coLVB17MA9gowQ4lT1EWuFkLBsvGeEGevn_8RgtjPf9xGUc3LwwYji9Kp-4o9EgIS6MU4rNTrJbPvfc28Gc4OEMpFK3IsuW00UTWQWRdH10H7T9O2B9k9UyaA0_ZLBseYbMU7Z9xP4DNfO9J5FXAJJ_h621MCo8mAmgJdSvpQ5qhIH9blCBZ0B6-kyo-cS9j5VEvVJmqfE_axPHLJueQG7vg_D2Rgm7C_APSrbQUkY8u-o794pAmrTewIfhC_ERMvi0fbm6N3OAAaExyQxnvzU9fUK9ppOS9f-pMclhI60bQ2LqhfTm3DVAO1N_AQlsUzklsiE194WxOnukeV5gG0dL_fZLL6V1LJVJGoqKh0PPkk8GfoCcJEuFP8JIuatczJQAL2qsM6CqPebGeGr0cCoFcpS=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/nwFmiFm8GiykDctTImoRzgXkB6rIAyhd5QbbjwBKQMcXUQil9EvlH4taslFvtIsyDwDEW02NZPc70KCzyxtPtiqoi8qZfrHcst_Zg_iW-BiSwvxSCgSxZJuukOfCVB8wxWL7e5___MusBd_Hy8qPy0tttvifgOhHdEGVXMDNDVqQe7do7UUmmyZKpQVklnuCtxOwf1SLyeGdzR-ZpeSSId9fkj2_Lz5jsuZbi16_ZYCnm5RkISYx-_371x8q6i0pQTltgFSAh3coLVB17MA9gowQ4lT1EWuFkLBsvGeEGevn_8RgtjPf9xGUc3LwwYji9Kp-4o9EgIS6MU4rNTrJbPvfc28Gc4OEMpFK3IsuW00UTWQWRdH10H7T9O2B9k9UyaA0_ZLBseYbMU7Z9xP4DNfO9J5FXAJJ_h621MCo8mAmgJdSvpQ5qhIH9blCBZ0B6-kyo-cS9j5VEvVJmqfE_axPHLJueQG7vg_D2Rgm7C_APSrbQUkY8u-o794pAmrTewIfhC_ERMvi0fbm6N3OAAaExyQxnvzU9fUK9ppOS9f-pMclhI60bQ2LqhfTm3DVAO1N_AQlsUzklsiE194WxOnukeV5gG0dL_fZLL6V1LJVJGoqKh0PPkk8GfoCcJEuFP8JIuatczJQAL2qsM6CqPebGeGr0cCoFcpS=w920-h690-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the Grab car.. peak traffic jam even on the Expressway en route to Rot Fai Market Srinakarin</td></tr>
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The traffic in Bangkok was terrible. And being in a vehicle placed one in an absolutely stuck position, many a times not moving in traffic jam. Thus I much preferred to take the BTS, although for more than two persons it made more economic sense to grabs Taxi, but one had to verbally remind and visually ensure that the driver used the meter instead of calling a fixed price for the trip.</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/di4SZBqCPtcI5hnEAlE8ItHKOv6vMDWEI8kaHRUmg_TMh_cx1mHBgm1KCjnnLsBFIhIdHwwCM3tQCo-VjGHuV0WbUJADhQ5rIpd91qN3QPaPYUBn5moN-9KFbOu9Dr0jlHn3pj-FEj0knAhlpupTqyvqNed3-FXTTkOdFnku21gJb_K2k1dD3RfIACtThtKAN9b6ygwRhoK5KWbU_NaHD9RyGliWDjVs8dC6IrSqig6tCj7G1nzwXOymHMAYj2sZ1d0ZYEcl6Dls5Y3cu8_R1_2HgFqvDk1HRRxkIB6gj5XgUPotVFAxHRvAbTwZR_Wq7SFCF32x90D6nEJZ6DtwPM09U5JIp3wZJiKT8ebqwAp3hi85X4EPptY74ux4FrW6Ix3W1EH2ylFjy_gzbVPdYUiyp_pLJNX_eBDNEbv-g3J2HxFeDTX23n6M5vvmV117UrIMf5C7Qro7q4LpzNl4-ntKnAIBw2L3UetOVNYppQi3JQpKqHsyR0CJNex_ypEczai2UwN_C9b0_exsN2yjaxOiUB5rlBCr2mo6TELseKGsksB3TM2orRi-Qm6olFWM0emKl_HnGsJoOZdyP4Pt3LVhYQkaawyyK--CeI6CPFR5EBsVIPtSpuvwDKN9fjsvS_UfTqvzg27dEMH2_VMIF68KLfQjMd0gRiSx=w501-h891-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="501" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/di4SZBqCPtcI5hnEAlE8ItHKOv6vMDWEI8kaHRUmg_TMh_cx1mHBgm1KCjnnLsBFIhIdHwwCM3tQCo-VjGHuV0WbUJADhQ5rIpd91qN3QPaPYUBn5moN-9KFbOu9Dr0jlHn3pj-FEj0knAhlpupTqyvqNed3-FXTTkOdFnku21gJb_K2k1dD3RfIACtThtKAN9b6ygwRhoK5KWbU_NaHD9RyGliWDjVs8dC6IrSqig6tCj7G1nzwXOymHMAYj2sZ1d0ZYEcl6Dls5Y3cu8_R1_2HgFqvDk1HRRxkIB6gj5XgUPotVFAxHRvAbTwZR_Wq7SFCF32x90D6nEJZ6DtwPM09U5JIp3wZJiKT8ebqwAp3hi85X4EPptY74ux4FrW6Ix3W1EH2ylFjy_gzbVPdYUiyp_pLJNX_eBDNEbv-g3J2HxFeDTX23n6M5vvmV117UrIMf5C7Qro7q4LpzNl4-ntKnAIBw2L3UetOVNYppQi3JQpKqHsyR0CJNex_ypEczai2UwN_C9b0_exsN2yjaxOiUB5rlBCr2mo6TELseKGsksB3TM2orRi-Qm6olFWM0emKl_HnGsJoOZdyP4Pt3LVhYQkaawyyK--CeI6CPFR5EBsVIPtSpuvwDKN9fjsvS_UfTqvzg27dEMH2_VMIF68KLfQjMd0gRiSx=w501-h891-no" width="358" /></a></div>
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That was why I liked Grab cars because it was a fixed price. For Grab taxis, and administrative charge of 20-25 Bahts may apply. And if the traffic jams on the surface roads were bad, the driver would often suggest taking the expressway in which case you would need to pay an additional toll charge- 50 Bahts to most destinations 13-15km away but another additional70 Bahts if going to the Don Mueang airport by expressway all the way. Still I found that the total bill of 321 Bahts on a metered Grab Taxi (including toll) for our return trip to the airport at 11am Sunday morning very enjoyable- save me the trouble of changing to the bus and having to wait in anxiety when the buses were late, worried about missing the flight check-in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/i83o4GE3FurXAwXrLFbUG-0Xl0ANkgt5ZtPwArw3cYmyWQwr7uJT0H0b9uPVZ1aLV0Tq63rTJY8byyo23gQifb6QGHsl7hF8T17sbSrDEU8YZ4wF34GxAqZD4Y_xjZnTeRUpEG6FQ5LcTTICh0gpY0J6_Xy9lfhvv3TQchMWi0u1SSlyH5q471kIQ3ezU5EUkZtU0lxcjdE7EXpAG3DvyV-3hBXnXqsZMk9DR-Z_ZLcNRNROavhWsDTZhE6unVyVkK8eeJD38DTIOdkbIGlu8QtW6sAaoO300lYMcpC-bOp26jH_kq_ntNTmwJjWCmE-gm1v_PvUyNCAJ1muYJsXGF0H61qCs-A9pvlEuWeSkBeeflIx5FPov4yCjiOZTkIHBvozx-oE88WkLqql-cOtoR9ikvbb1k_Ke2zCZbUFsP0fSu1Vxx4tzREJQqOf6bCixFmjn74O7ygp5aZ75GB4AZPzX_N3MFXMkbTv848UyHXi7kgQ-CSc3F7sN-T4b_ldRpOWTJUf0dHdQGmZhsyyMrf3bAXSSuga0BJ4Rd_cG3NyD-DXp1mV1B5uieiRd7kfpA9WH-eoCCIx6k8Z7hy2HaAikM5KVC5xwaOj_cWUKoA4THL3kKFgrjit2di_PJSjoNP2mlTi8DAMIHiFdvqS6iVXveG-isVtfWwq=w501-h891-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="501" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/i83o4GE3FurXAwXrLFbUG-0Xl0ANkgt5ZtPwArw3cYmyWQwr7uJT0H0b9uPVZ1aLV0Tq63rTJY8byyo23gQifb6QGHsl7hF8T17sbSrDEU8YZ4wF34GxAqZD4Y_xjZnTeRUpEG6FQ5LcTTICh0gpY0J6_Xy9lfhvv3TQchMWi0u1SSlyH5q471kIQ3ezU5EUkZtU0lxcjdE7EXpAG3DvyV-3hBXnXqsZMk9DR-Z_ZLcNRNROavhWsDTZhE6unVyVkK8eeJD38DTIOdkbIGlu8QtW6sAaoO300lYMcpC-bOp26jH_kq_ntNTmwJjWCmE-gm1v_PvUyNCAJ1muYJsXGF0H61qCs-A9pvlEuWeSkBeeflIx5FPov4yCjiOZTkIHBvozx-oE88WkLqql-cOtoR9ikvbb1k_Ke2zCZbUFsP0fSu1Vxx4tzREJQqOf6bCixFmjn74O7ygp5aZ75GB4AZPzX_N3MFXMkbTv848UyHXi7kgQ-CSc3F7sN-T4b_ldRpOWTJUf0dHdQGmZhsyyMrf3bAXSSuga0BJ4Rd_cG3NyD-DXp1mV1B5uieiRd7kfpA9WH-eoCCIx6k8Z7hy2HaAikM5KVC5xwaOj_cWUKoA4THL3kKFgrjit2di_PJSjoNP2mlTi8DAMIHiFdvqS6iVXveG-isVtfWwq=w501-h891-no" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Communicating with our Grab driver</td></tr>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/wF88JjE5HhWb3i5WXaNCrsSO5BiiKDgzVKUplzODpwpA_JBOIhHuj_Eg7NdU0T5hFtjnIdDr0UAZgKq2BSfPNXE34G5DABAslVnmT9KR2usFfqOgcD5o-kyjKYqudtEmsW_Q6q4hrs3zVSkeuzE2RoWNYXf3tFVhwfyzuoEGnDKHwMqIbmPm4SdtBWOvNiI4pNvwxxxbKEfQP0DUys4SQYkSX8YRrQiDD-tbe6yFhr2wBjrGYH6zIsnSAL1c2gYd2LaEJUmhodMANzgxxqYynvybc8WC6A8eGbmG_4E0W4bob8TUTdRZTcgO1pglSg3LSNDbGrUa-5hGA0OH-_lmh7cKNys1CXazElsm9NYHVbBVQ1d5nTWQ2L58leDy71mKNjQ6tsHNmNQnvWR_cD7sABZbBn1wJbIUBTKKWjeVar0aCBo0llUAdUdS8bepAfrc7oaJbYAEb6zbVaLJf7575SKlxXNf18wZwtWlWZQmu776haihpz22WlSqvagQaqBUmpuTEDNuXEB10Q7eBSSl7lPx2zImNEy42cWiedxPDE9oL73bqKR7qfL6SFz5BDF3zRfXsxode3aCPF_ZWqNrDD9ykZB2pIN2lzjQxsXXkyRsaIpwQjYOvkQ5IG5YFhpLgsOx13rgaX1HQd33H1N4UbSBeM8DCreRk1Mo=w501-h891-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="501" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/wF88JjE5HhWb3i5WXaNCrsSO5BiiKDgzVKUplzODpwpA_JBOIhHuj_Eg7NdU0T5hFtjnIdDr0UAZgKq2BSfPNXE34G5DABAslVnmT9KR2usFfqOgcD5o-kyjKYqudtEmsW_Q6q4hrs3zVSkeuzE2RoWNYXf3tFVhwfyzuoEGnDKHwMqIbmPm4SdtBWOvNiI4pNvwxxxbKEfQP0DUys4SQYkSX8YRrQiDD-tbe6yFhr2wBjrGYH6zIsnSAL1c2gYd2LaEJUmhodMANzgxxqYynvybc8WC6A8eGbmG_4E0W4bob8TUTdRZTcgO1pglSg3LSNDbGrUa-5hGA0OH-_lmh7cKNys1CXazElsm9NYHVbBVQ1d5nTWQ2L58leDy71mKNjQ6tsHNmNQnvWR_cD7sABZbBn1wJbIUBTKKWjeVar0aCBo0llUAdUdS8bepAfrc7oaJbYAEb6zbVaLJf7575SKlxXNf18wZwtWlWZQmu776haihpz22WlSqvagQaqBUmpuTEDNuXEB10Q7eBSSl7lPx2zImNEy42cWiedxPDE9oL73bqKR7qfL6SFz5BDF3zRfXsxode3aCPF_ZWqNrDD9ykZB2pIN2lzjQxsXXkyRsaIpwQjYOvkQ5IG5YFhpLgsOx13rgaX1HQd33H1N4UbSBeM8DCreRk1Mo=w501-h891-no" width="358" /></a></div>
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In fact for our trip to Rod Fai market at Srinakarin 13km away from our hotel, we took a Grab car to and fro and gladly paid the 50 Bahts toll. Because although one could take a BTS to Udom Suk Station one still needed to take a taxi to Rod Fai. The trip to Rot Fai at 4:30pm when the Traffic was at its peak cost us 325 Bahts (excluding the toll) and the trip back at 9:30pm cost us 226 Bahts (again not including the toll), both on Grab cars. We were getting the hang of taking Grab cars in Bangkok. Finally.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/qLAlAxwLSJ9NREAAjgV8FGuxp8Ci8JwIRnleFCxH0kbCQr7eQQAZd0P4Yh7cX5etV0RpS_5_1j08A_ynY1X3lWKqNRJ4-DoBtankUmrXPyvAnEgOqunrCtbs-Jcofwq_yqBV22NUwlm-MruX1sxq2WP_g0kFZ1fqDqoyV6LVV5JQBC1lotAt1HN45ApvfQPF9TrkAWnIKWmThZXjT4EpT6wEMnRlb63cJUI8LfuRpKPNSz1unPNBRIB4w-pS7StFMWevWD7A03Mowyio6PbLz5_KOOmUQfk0TXq3IDXc5hY5pSqV0hjyCkLmXREE1N8Di3vpqH_MTXys9Fa4gAptnmYd-4ZBUkZR_1u2kqdyYrjc26H8k-8wlOaoI3H4zw8N0AnKGP7eq69VxbqswxAk5OkAVmQZmmGgDnZt1HMZTIk8U769Cr_vNo1JWsYSvQxuL6L24QN8E9jqK9lmOlZVIpt9XnvWcro82z--5nhcToa3fcM12d0vrfJ4E-vqgGsH10g0FyGrhmbkB0NZnYdxfRGPNfZS-EFUTBgsQayETDwxsX6oeKCDw4TCXxhxcOb9Wn1L_v4SMe0ZbTHHSe2n1HC32zUNv1jJCm8ki20QwQEVuZYC-H4xbiRs5pXiy-n_m24T1c8dRaHNaStd3FbIA3-M0wam1Xxo8nL4=w501-h891-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="501" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/qLAlAxwLSJ9NREAAjgV8FGuxp8Ci8JwIRnleFCxH0kbCQr7eQQAZd0P4Yh7cX5etV0RpS_5_1j08A_ynY1X3lWKqNRJ4-DoBtankUmrXPyvAnEgOqunrCtbs-Jcofwq_yqBV22NUwlm-MruX1sxq2WP_g0kFZ1fqDqoyV6LVV5JQBC1lotAt1HN45ApvfQPF9TrkAWnIKWmThZXjT4EpT6wEMnRlb63cJUI8LfuRpKPNSz1unPNBRIB4w-pS7StFMWevWD7A03Mowyio6PbLz5_KOOmUQfk0TXq3IDXc5hY5pSqV0hjyCkLmXREE1N8Di3vpqH_MTXys9Fa4gAptnmYd-4ZBUkZR_1u2kqdyYrjc26H8k-8wlOaoI3H4zw8N0AnKGP7eq69VxbqswxAk5OkAVmQZmmGgDnZt1HMZTIk8U769Cr_vNo1JWsYSvQxuL6L24QN8E9jqK9lmOlZVIpt9XnvWcro82z--5nhcToa3fcM12d0vrfJ4E-vqgGsH10g0FyGrhmbkB0NZnYdxfRGPNfZS-EFUTBgsQayETDwxsX6oeKCDw4TCXxhxcOb9Wn1L_v4SMe0ZbTHHSe2n1HC32zUNv1jJCm8ki20QwQEVuZYC-H4xbiRs5pXiy-n_m24T1c8dRaHNaStd3FbIA3-M0wam1Xxo8nL4=w501-h891-no" width="358" /></a></div>
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The only place that I would still prefer to take the BTS was to the Chatuchak weekend Market because it was too easy for us- Chit Lom BTS Station was right in front of our hotel and it just went right to Mo Chit, where the weekend market was. It would be a shame not to take the BTS.</div>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Markets and more markets</span></b></span></div>
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Bangkok is famous for all her marketplaces - rows and rows of packed stalls displaying and selling their wares in densely arranged compounds. These markets were where the locals would gather to barter and trade but had since evolved into markets where the local small businessperson make a living. Even more so, the latest night market, namely the newer Rod Fai (not the older and bigger Rod Fai at Srinakarin Road), had a good number of young Thais selling their stuffs, a good way for the younger generation to run their own retail businesses.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/VAgc_rTjgt93B19EN-Z1VCERkj1ccm3T7o8loRkxK4JsX8DCWzjZ1OwDWttF7URQrVIXQ22Pdd6dmESdzVtgkHv13KKQ8V6DWORgEKFiQThw7Id5ONWWg-7RMjmlyKBMsz0abrzcCOQhP0LodBXAXNllJw1FMNgeKze-pOzxXoeyNwL0ii5vfaMArGEBxb0qmnmFT280WR2qaFGQzEFsBzODNfwQfu4mT3nLsCeldKxr5Oz7aWM1Q3JazILW9KHSEiK-SHeXGgmFTpCQhZBdgeWinfhCIJz9Eep1DbG_xLBAqdpuU4ZGc-dCIVcVMAoqz_9C833_6dcb7hfFE0U_QXCO9jsrG4nKznLAqDtOX2thrVUl3yu8Bk8nnljXzzjvLCDUkrqs8lRrMziCB2WFZ93hF_N7uvkrhd2q2gVCDuDBUyPTjh8po_xS0rzIzApibJfVs-ZQhiRG1X02kU_6EDz4Sj1PpHGKrcIU7cfJJ_Nkt31uIygjxK6V8SK9s5Tbsm6wcj7i4pkUJy_HCOksQnrKNInMdavcdum8xuQIveEwYm6OayJwTLNrUf2tQrzmrjRBIGf4Xu2hqpcWDBt2pgc-y2zJLUWbud-Ho3Gx08VtZ3b-i-kZteDvbZ2pkOLDb9nGLA7D-5SzuO9D7lVlANkbjesEJRNdaSkq=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/VAgc_rTjgt93B19EN-Z1VCERkj1ccm3T7o8loRkxK4JsX8DCWzjZ1OwDWttF7URQrVIXQ22Pdd6dmESdzVtgkHv13KKQ8V6DWORgEKFiQThw7Id5ONWWg-7RMjmlyKBMsz0abrzcCOQhP0LodBXAXNllJw1FMNgeKze-pOzxXoeyNwL0ii5vfaMArGEBxb0qmnmFT280WR2qaFGQzEFsBzODNfwQfu4mT3nLsCeldKxr5Oz7aWM1Q3JazILW9KHSEiK-SHeXGgmFTpCQhZBdgeWinfhCIJz9Eep1DbG_xLBAqdpuU4ZGc-dCIVcVMAoqz_9C833_6dcb7hfFE0U_QXCO9jsrG4nKznLAqDtOX2thrVUl3yu8Bk8nnljXzzjvLCDUkrqs8lRrMziCB2WFZ93hF_N7uvkrhd2q2gVCDuDBUyPTjh8po_xS0rzIzApibJfVs-ZQhiRG1X02kU_6EDz4Sj1PpHGKrcIU7cfJJ_Nkt31uIygjxK6V8SK9s5Tbsm6wcj7i4pkUJy_HCOksQnrKNInMdavcdum8xuQIveEwYm6OayJwTLNrUf2tQrzmrjRBIGf4Xu2hqpcWDBt2pgc-y2zJLUWbud-Ho3Gx08VtZ3b-i-kZteDvbZ2pkOLDb9nGLA7D-5SzuO9D7lVlANkbjesEJRNdaSkq=w920-h690-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chatuchak market nowadays is inundated with foreigners. The only Thais are the stall keepers.</td></tr>
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Chatuchak weekend market, right at Mo Chit BTS Station had been around for many years, and nowadays one would find more foreigners than locals thronging the aisles of this stuffy and flavourful market of literally thousands of stalls under thatched roof. I never managed to make sense of which section sold what despite reading the coloured map. But Serene simply just loved to roam the periphery which held stalls that sold what she loved - clothes. And of course he favourite Tom Yam and chicken wing stall. We didn’t spend too much time in Chatuchak on the Saturday of this trip, because she didn’t manage to find the singular most important item she set out to find- the forest green slim neck tie for Kairen, but instead acquired quite a few pieces of blouse for herself.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94y6-ZVu68RYn-m9inVoO5WVfNsHGfrMEg8b_XZmr9e9AFpZXYWHr5D0cbQ-juO9RAp9a7zqnphaVzSXAtU9Q9cLUNk0vKdeR6jYHcmy-KYdtB1vkfhz08puXXgZHENl1-UnMZktFJpY/w920-h690-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94y6-ZVu68RYn-m9inVoO5WVfNsHGfrMEg8b_XZmr9e9AFpZXYWHr5D0cbQ-juO9RAp9a7zqnphaVzSXAtU9Q9cLUNk0vKdeR6jYHcmy-KYdtB1vkfhz08puXXgZHENl1-UnMZktFJpY/w920-h690-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the periphery of Chatuchak market<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></td></tr>
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Rod Fai market at Srinakarin Soi, was a different story. This was our first time there, and as it was a night market, we arrived around 5pm, just before it started turning dark and the crowd started coming in. What was different was Rod Fai here catered almost solely to the local crowds. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vQs2jTTKR5ewC2E5dyGpj0i89iYt70RAlc5uxCqnwTmwWAmnkyR1wIHezFgF90eYjLdP1-a9W828G-mqlMxaOOXUDyNk657h4JFcHDo8AlBl4_6ltWSBU3T6G51RwtW97kK-DOm1BUA/w920-h690-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vQs2jTTKR5ewC2E5dyGpj0i89iYt70RAlc5uxCqnwTmwWAmnkyR1wIHezFgF90eYjLdP1-a9W828G-mqlMxaOOXUDyNk657h4JFcHDo8AlBl4_6ltWSBU3T6G51RwtW97kK-DOm1BUA/w920-h690-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rot Fai market - every row got things to buy one!</td></tr>
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And the things were also cheap... and in many ways more bargainable than Chatuchak. I liked the fact that as we zig-zagged our way through the snaking lane, every other lane we found something to buy, be it a S$27 watch, a whole heap of tempered glass screen protectors at S$4, or a silicon case for my iPhone 7 Plus at $2, or a whole pile of boxer shorts at 3 pieces for $4, and socks at 7 pieces for $4. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZ5vdCQrG7tS6FNn34cfjmvTEIJKv1Ms3j0Sm3YU3Uy_7wdZpC-qlqyvQlqEw9mSdmBNr2ZznfjdqpZK7L_aVkCybXAMLwagliuuGOf60FBbopCkkQahga0JI7-YIHY91SOHbv0zZx6U/w920-h690-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZ5vdCQrG7tS6FNn34cfjmvTEIJKv1Ms3j0Sm3YU3Uy_7wdZpC-qlqyvQlqEw9mSdmBNr2ZznfjdqpZK7L_aVkCybXAMLwagliuuGOf60FBbopCkkQahga0JI7-YIHY91SOHbv0zZx6U/w920-h690-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boxer shorts? Not for me.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxNF4DCd18c3Kveix7Sn8QQ_Hj3DR9Llk3sxnij4yxR0fXh26GZd4cGo6fabgGf-VvYH0b4CO6Oj_oL-qB23CoI3BLYR-ztVs4i-CuywOjRzxc_QM2VHzXsxtHssCGTVOW_E41Qj-weY/w920-h690-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxNF4DCd18c3Kveix7Sn8QQ_Hj3DR9Llk3sxnij4yxR0fXh26GZd4cGo6fabgGf-VvYH0b4CO6Oj_oL-qB23CoI3BLYR-ztVs4i-CuywOjRzxc_QM2VHzXsxtHssCGTVOW_E41Qj-weY/w920-h690-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fish slippers at Rod Fai Market!</td></tr>
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Serene totally busied herself and at the end of the rampage, still had the galls to said Rod Fai was ‘so-so’ only. In my opinion, Rod Fai was a good introduction as it was significantly smaller and cooler than Chatuchak, but no less stuffy as both of us navigated the market with huge droplets of sweat hanging from every pore.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/VIhYoZ_kwceKN3ZqtJrjzyMsML5ybU3cpPR0QA4KBHV1jD_A9xFEbxJ7ipoBV42AcKoitMoCE1BcE8YInjuPN_LE4oXM3PxO6O5x1AvKJverJpCH6UD0P6B-iyVGhGOhvft3HHnsUVGNFVroFq-yWCEfyA75nbNsZH5AHmFtdEcroaP5I_i6dsRfLDjYsyhrZDY7bqLugcMV6TRNlBK25tpxtbruKy_ZL7Z7E5cwpsY2L72cpPhgnypU5z5YB4BFFnQ7WIr4T3K3PCdMk87LM7mfRZtetSH-_aZ9Yz1gPrZRmpWdstXAb26Cx6w2Zhcy5m0Mf8_RGLFqUnAdkiPv_w99vuCSzkeEGKrTS4VL1pVR-XS3Fcorm6VC6Jk6BBSzyrmJgeSp7AE-aZB5g0f6qeRsRYKEj7Ox421i6oD_qmNzMZ22T9b_QX3tvJpuoDyoR8fa1jpf1_OLJn843G-8qjrM-HOMRgtdRF7qj6P9Krkj4RFfoorfm0BO_0S3mXf_90LkmQhsbYoXqY8JPqGGn-aNTMIREkTS8JCUpjhN12gCGHZyx9lBrVGTzd4Ah6sXkBXUfY6o_p_Sk0uJuab4BjJ0DSsH3c-a6ybtoR0C2ZOz2pn1z9qtRUmyFZzIfDmqqPzDm8qHF14XW8MkA_1RMkUB-HoZWUxoekA=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/VIhYoZ_kwceKN3ZqtJrjzyMsML5ybU3cpPR0QA4KBHV1jD_A9xFEbxJ7ipoBV42AcKoitMoCE1BcE8YInjuPN_LE4oXM3PxO6O5x1AvKJverJpCH6UD0P6B-iyVGhGOhvft3HHnsUVGNFVroFq-yWCEfyA75nbNsZH5AHmFtdEcroaP5I_i6dsRfLDjYsyhrZDY7bqLugcMV6TRNlBK25tpxtbruKy_ZL7Z7E5cwpsY2L72cpPhgnypU5z5YB4BFFnQ7WIr4T3K3PCdMk87LM7mfRZtetSH-_aZ9Yz1gPrZRmpWdstXAb26Cx6w2Zhcy5m0Mf8_RGLFqUnAdkiPv_w99vuCSzkeEGKrTS4VL1pVR-XS3Fcorm6VC6Jk6BBSzyrmJgeSp7AE-aZB5g0f6qeRsRYKEj7Ox421i6oD_qmNzMZ22T9b_QX3tvJpuoDyoR8fa1jpf1_OLJn843G-8qjrM-HOMRgtdRF7qj6P9Krkj4RFfoorfm0BO_0S3mXf_90LkmQhsbYoXqY8JPqGGn-aNTMIREkTS8JCUpjhN12gCGHZyx9lBrVGTzd4Ah6sXkBXUfY6o_p_Sk0uJuab4BjJ0DSsH3c-a6ybtoR0C2ZOz2pn1z9qtRUmyFZzIfDmqqPzDm8qHF14XW8MkA_1RMkUB-HoZWUxoekA=w920-h690-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The facial mask girl at Rod Fai.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oGfvgKNAD66c1iG4T6Z7AqixoET0hejgXqjp8rXnbPx_T94_73RaQqOsmozIAgn4Re2vZs9SIxiBBtK0bXkXQpbgAtOi3JZROy9uwGxDjr9wR26FKdEoReCKAXKxvYdbjSBWVyHzi7E/w920-h690-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oGfvgKNAD66c1iG4T6Z7AqixoET0hejgXqjp8rXnbPx_T94_73RaQqOsmozIAgn4Re2vZs9SIxiBBtK0bXkXQpbgAtOi3JZROy9uwGxDjr9wR26FKdEoReCKAXKxvYdbjSBWVyHzi7E/w920-h690-no/" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The iPhone screen protector and case girl in Rod Fai.</td></tr>
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What other markets would we explore? For me, I definitely would want to go back to Chatuchak again but to start much earlier, maybe about 8-9am, and try to walk through all the lanes. And I would like to experience the other newer and nearer Rot Fai market.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/f1U0tavDF_zuayCyAL2P7TqRNp14HRjp52Q8Ph4Be07EuLqVnSRUIVX_Sz8jSP3SoXdQxHR-TAeNl5lNGtHTYb55FDaGi1XcDgUJAqwfGCEMDGtmhGyT_c6XuUxiuRMVy2SPzrKntCnS-EzFsSPR1yjWpGafftJALCQR6xZ3GKkE6rSxlpYyknDBMlGW-k1LZGuzzpT2N9zNSakRJG-64Zrbfr_LIQGMz0_mr14DZ7NraAar7HpDE6_M1Q5aC3OAhYOU7orkRHRuEEbum9vc-gNB7pqN-mKKsV_VrnFmtaUVboXyvPYZdsaa2ORJOmk0jmsdTVySQ_KSlAiQTOSaueRc-MRunmX356hwLg6rDNqM6GtxBg6_0cSINzpL_VMMuDGgCap_w5qZnK8YVPe2r6nFJeXUWaxUbiEZTZvz8wlszwSehn9vAUr0NTVDBnBM5ujAjS8SfX-8sIVlG_-iI6ZgsVqIPjwsP9CU860TuPcWRhbz_Cw7m3rrKA5g02OCtfPlMf3-Zw3WYDOtzSK5wWbgWosPMYsgdoG2ZPF_55RIDVvXopuFXmdjIhwa494q9J5X070m61aV1zkDO3NJhjZ4fTrlsvVAJErYA21kZhTEvdf3LlHw0_SShkyI84wDLjTZ1nvWGMXuMXSU2m9fbJX1igRp5RMn6ZJT=w920-h690-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="920" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/f1U0tavDF_zuayCyAL2P7TqRNp14HRjp52Q8Ph4Be07EuLqVnSRUIVX_Sz8jSP3SoXdQxHR-TAeNl5lNGtHTYb55FDaGi1XcDgUJAqwfGCEMDGtmhGyT_c6XuUxiuRMVy2SPzrKntCnS-EzFsSPR1yjWpGafftJALCQR6xZ3GKkE6rSxlpYyknDBMlGW-k1LZGuzzpT2N9zNSakRJG-64Zrbfr_LIQGMz0_mr14DZ7NraAar7HpDE6_M1Q5aC3OAhYOU7orkRHRuEEbum9vc-gNB7pqN-mKKsV_VrnFmtaUVboXyvPYZdsaa2ORJOmk0jmsdTVySQ_KSlAiQTOSaueRc-MRunmX356hwLg6rDNqM6GtxBg6_0cSINzpL_VMMuDGgCap_w5qZnK8YVPe2r6nFJeXUWaxUbiEZTZvz8wlszwSehn9vAUr0NTVDBnBM5ujAjS8SfX-8sIVlG_-iI6ZgsVqIPjwsP9CU860TuPcWRhbz_Cw7m3rrKA5g02OCtfPlMf3-Zw3WYDOtzSK5wWbgWosPMYsgdoG2ZPF_55RIDVvXopuFXmdjIhwa494q9J5X070m61aV1zkDO3NJhjZ4fTrlsvVAJErYA21kZhTEvdf3LlHw0_SShkyI84wDLjTZ1nvWGMXuMXSU2m9fbJX1igRp5RMn6ZJT=w920-h690-no" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One last Mango smoothie at Rod Fai before going back.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Hotel staff</span></b></span></div>
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This must be the third or fourth time we were back to the same hotel and after a while the hotel staff also got to know us.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">“You go exercise??”</span></b></span> asked an astonished Charlita when she saw us coming back from our run.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">“Yes. Here in Thailand we ate too much,”</span></b></span> I joked.</div>
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The extra large Kat, the bilateral arms-tattooed Charlita, and the bespectacled Kalaya were all friendly and helpful once they got to know us.</div>
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The other night shift girl Woot, with an eye patch on one eye, was the blur blur one.</div>
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Still, for a small little budget hotel like this, we could not ask for more.</div>
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This trip consolidated several things for us. One is, we can actually plan to do runs to Lumphini park or even explore Bangkok further every morning when the pedestrian crowds haven't started to form, and when it is still not too hot. And definitely Traditional Thai massages are the way to go for both of us, because that is where we find relief for our stiff joints.<br />
Food will forever be on the platter, and with further trips to Bangkok (Insha 'Allah), I hope we can explore more. And knowing that Grab car is so easy to use, moving from one part to another in Bangkok, especially when the journey involves changing of BTS/taxi or Bus/BTS, I am more inclined to use Grab instead.<br />
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Till our next trip. If it materialises. </div>
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Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-43171988295613061712017-09-06T22:30:00.000-07:002017-09-21T21:06:45.477-07:00DNF in IM Guyre ~ Kwenchana-yo! Happy to just be in Korea.<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: yellow;"><b>IM Gurye, Korea 2017 ~ the story of many firsts.</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/09/dnf-in-im-guyre-happy-can-already.html"><img alt="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/09/dnf-in-im-guyre-happy-can-already.html" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" id="id_92a0_9434_6c6_c323" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4391/36250963014_5b309fcd4e_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 320px;" width="320" /></a></div>
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When I first started putting pen to paper, I wasn't sure if I would be writing a story of a successful virgin attempt on my Full distance Ironman, or if it would be a sob story of my failure. It turned out to be neither. For despite my DNF on the run leg, I must admit I have never enjoyed a race so much.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tricators at Changi Airport</td></tr>
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<b>What made it so enjoyable was:</b><br />
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<li>the beautiful unspoilt natural scenery throughout the whole race course in Gurye </li>
<li>The beautiful weather </li>
<li>The highly-organised Korean coordinator </li>
<li>The fact that the race was in Korea, one of my favorites countries </li>
<li>And finally, that I was in the company of a bunch of experienced, highly positive, highly motivating seasoned Ironmen from the team Tricators, led by Jamie Goh.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4369/36897710036_68d7bdc5e7_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4369/36897710036_68d7bdc5e7_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_749a_a62d_578b_f994" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4369/36897710036_beebc6230d_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Incheon Airport</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Short introduction </span></b></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suburban Gurye</td></tr>
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Gurye-eup is a province five hours drive down south of Incheon. Almost to the southern tip of the Korean peninsula. An ulu little agricultural town, covered by miles after miles of padi and plantation. Tiny hamlets of houses scattered sparsely in the province, interspersed with farmland. In the distance, mountains ringed the magical lands. Glancing afar one could catch sight of Korean Ajumas in hats lined up in rows planting in the fields, a surreal sight that one could find only in the Korean dramas. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gurye is far far away from Seoul</td></tr>
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And Wanda Ironman aptly selected this perfect setting to give its participants an experience unmatched elsewhere.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4416/36944761471_c9a5af8a57_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4416/36944761471_c9a5af8a57_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_7108_c4_fcbc_39fe" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4416/36944761471_9c39f5684a_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Kheen very tickled by the fact that we ended up doing what the Korean drivers usually do.<br />
Gerard laughed: "You guys spoilt by Cebu liao lah!"<br />
Stella He: "Yah, usually the IM athletes have to find their ways on their own."</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">My first attempt at a full distance IM race </span></b></span><br />
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Having DNF-ed my first 70.3 in Putrajaya, done a relay Bintan 70.3 with Serene, and finally gained enough confidence to go on to complete another six 70.3's, I felt that it was time that I gave my body and my mind the chance to up the ante. </div>
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<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4397/36897733976_860ae8ce7d_k.jpg" target="_blank">Ann Kheen</a> and <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4335/37103151685_9745371aa9_k.jpg" target="_blank">Wai Meng</a>'s registrations for the event were certainly an impetus for my hastily-made decision. </div>
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I didn't think there could be any one more last minute than I, in submitting a plea to the organiser for an eleventh hour slot. My sincere naivety must have touched the Korean organisers, and they relented with a special race slot. This granted slot, three and a half weeks before the race, for a severely under-trained and under-prepared me, started the whole process of scrambling for plane tickets, for accommodation and transport. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4357/36689989530_ab664efc6d_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4357/36689989530_ab664efc6d_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="800" height="394" id="id_36d5_e05f_8312_d949" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4357/36689989530_0f7ab3901f_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tricators at Blue Sun Hotel</td></tr>
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My good friend Jason managed to link me up with Jamie Goh, a very accomplished Ironman herself, who was leading a huge contingent from the group<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4395/36689881570_51d04a73f2_k.jpg" target="_blank"> Tricators</a>, to Gurye. I was so grateful to her and her Hong Konger operator Kent Wong, for making all the arrangements for me so quickly. And the rest was history.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">VI</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">DE</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">:</span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">Gurye</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> 01</span> - Gurye 求礼邑, here we come!</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">So how from this point? </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">"You are very courageous,"</span></b></span> said my good friend Geok Lin, in disbelief. I don't blame him, because I kept questioning myself too.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>"You have the physical and mental determination to complete this,"</b></span></span> said Charles.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">"Just pace yourself. Can complete one,"</span></b></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>reassured Gerard, trying his best to comfort me.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">"You can do it one,"</span></b></span> encouraged Ah Chua.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">"You have done several 70.3's already. You are ready,"</span></b></span> said Ewin.</blockquote>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">"You signed up already so just go there and enjoy man!"</span></b></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>said Geok Lin. <span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">"看我怎么死!"</span></b></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>I jokingly replied him. </blockquote>
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Day after day, I laughed at my own lunacy.<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I must be quite mad!"</span> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">"Yes, you are. You are really quite."</span></b></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>confirmed Inn Inn laughingly. </div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">"Still, you are undertrained hor,"</span></b></span> Kai Sing very rightfully reminded me. I was really thankful because that was a wake up reminder. </div>
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Desperate times called for desperate measures. I just had to make quite a nuisance of myself with the barrages of questions to my good Inn Inn, Stella, Tom and Jason, who tirelessly replied me with all their experiences. </div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"It's time well-spent."</span></b></span> Quietly said Stella, when I thanked her for all her time.</div>
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I even had the gall to text my newly-acquainted Jamie, who didn't hesitate in sharing with me all her advice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4408/36250890514_203000e8ec_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4408/36250890514_203000e8ec_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_33e3_c44a_9a62_eddc" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4408/36250890514_8ef5e98597_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lesson learnt- never disrespect the distance & the race.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Important advice that a first-time IM participant needs to know</span></b></span></div>
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For myself, I was absolutely certain the only way I could wriggle my way out of this was by training myself mentally. And I needed all the advice I could get from every body. </div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Jason Tan</b></span> came to my rescue with his many gems:</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><i><b>"Leading up to the big day, make sure you keep yourself injury-free," </b></i></span>said Jason.<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><i><b> "No point last minute hugging Buddha's legs. Do a 5 hour ride in preparation for the race. And remember, the fourth discipline is the most important one, as most experienced IM will tell you. Nutrition is the most important thing. I underestimated the importance of nutrition and I paid the price by suffering in my previous IM. My failed fourth discipline started kicking in 10km into the run.</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><i><b>Plan your attire. <span style="color: yellow;">Fashion is great for the camera, but comfort is key.</span></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><i><b>When it comes to the run, mental is key!"</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Tom Yang</b></span> gave me plenty of advice:</div>
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<i><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>" I usually wear two piece tri suit for long races. But my trisuit will always be my base layer, with wetsuit over my trisuit. During my IMNZ, I pulled on a cycling shorts over the tri shorts for added padding, but (when doing this) be careful of abrasions.</b></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>For IM, your heart rates won't be high. I won't look at my heart rate at all. I will just watch my power meter. In fact my coach had asked me to remove the Speed field on my Garmin so that I won't get pressured by the speed but just focus on my power."</b></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Goh Inn Inn</b></span> offered her experience:</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><i><b>"I would change into cycling shorts because whatever little discomfort will be magnified during the cycle leg. I'm frightened of the cold and I heard that the temperature could drop to 15 degrees during the run, so better prepare a long sleeve for the run. And make sure we go for the test swim because I read that the lake could be cold. </b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><i><b>For the ride, there is one big climb right when we go out and three small ones on the three loops, I heard that it is higher than mount Faber and two times longer but not as steep as vigilante. So gotta take it easy on that first big hill.</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><i><b>Nutrition is one big consideration. I placed a peanut butter bread in my survival needs bag and it never tasted so good! There are some who could not eat anything at the run leg and their systems shut down and they couldn't continue any more."</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Stella He</b></span> spent hours dishing out invaluable advice to me, squashing my last hope of even using a trisuit for the race, hoping to look nice and sexy in the photo:</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><i><b>"Firstly, wear cycling gears for cycling and running gears for the run. Take your time to change. My coach taught me to unclip at each station on the bike and stretch for one minute each time. And eat solid food on the bike. I would cycle on the aggressive position for about 59-60% and the more upright position the rest of the time, because the different positions alternate different muscle groups. For the FIM, aero is not really that important because most of the time you're bike speed is less than 35km/hr. Comfort is important and your aero position is for you to rest. Must keep in mind - you BIKE for the run!</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><i><b>On the run, if you have to walk, walk for 2 minutes and then run. During the run, may be difficult to eat solid food because it's hard to digest."</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Jamie Goh</b></span> very kindly shared many of her pointers, seeing that I was a total newbie:</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><i><b>"Stepping up to the Full, it's less speed and more endurance so you cannot Chiong otherwise you risk burning out. I will do 25km/hr for my bike to make about 7 hours plus. I may push a little for the swim to have more allowance fire my bike. </b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><i><b>I usually take a salt capsule every two hours, and a gel every one to one and a half hours. It's a little more enough, but I tend to get bloated. So I under dose myself on nutrition, although I know if I improve on my nutrition I may have energy to perform better. </b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><i><b>There is a special needs bag that you can use on the bike and run leg. But after they lost my special needs bag during my first race I stopped using them."</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Ewin Teo</b></span>, when asked what was the pitfall for first timers, said this to me:</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><i><b>"Most people bonk on the return leg of the bike. I make sure I replenish 360Cal of gel and 1500mg of sodium per hour. I tend to over dose on my salt intake but that's my preference. You must be very careful and meticulous with your gel nutrition. Cannot be complacent. There was one race when I thought I felt good and I delayed taking my gel for 15 minutes. It was only 15 minutes but it made me bonk."</b></i></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow;">Charles</span>'</b> parting message was so profound:<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> "look at it this way. It's just a long 17 hours normal day at the office."</span></b></span> Now THAT was comforting.</div>
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So the stage was set and the seedlings in my mind had started germinating and sprouting. Day by day my confidence grew as I rehearsed and fine-tuned my gel, Saltstick capsules and water intake while I slogged it out on my 3- and 4-hours trainer sessions. I even bonked on one of the longer trainer sessions when I attempted to under dose myself on the gels, going into a nosedive giddiness, a scary sensation.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"It's good to be on the trainer for long sessions,"</span></b></span> said <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Gerard</b></span>. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"It's quite Siong one because you cannot stop to free-wheel."</span></b></span></div>
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Like myself, Ann Kheen and Wai Meng were deeply pondering their nutrition. It was strange how different the preparation for an IM was from a 70.3. There were simply so many more components and variables. </div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Anything that may go wrong can go wrong. It's Murphy's Law,"</b></span></span> reminded Ann Kheen.</div>
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And my good Francis took so much time to coach me again and again to make sure I didn't sink when I was out there on the lake. Many thanks!<br />
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Arriving in Korea</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Day 1: 7th Sep 2017</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">VI</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">DE</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">:</span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">Gurye</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> 02</span> - Blue Sun Hotel & Athlete Check-in</b></span><br />
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I love being in <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4338/36897742506_f985db1bcc_k.jpg" target="_blank">Korea</a>. I love the <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4402/37086034635_5972627217_k.jpg" target="_blank">aroma</a> of her air, the taste of her water. Setting foot on<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36916027392_38e8990dd0_k.jpg" target="_blank"> her soil</a> on the 7th September 2017 made my heart flutter with a totally different type of emotion. A challenge awaited. I came with little expectation of myself. I'd always maintained: <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"My first Full Ironman I will do it with the intention of a DNF if it is meant to be thus. But if I finish, it'll be a bonus to me."</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Don't talk Lao Sai talk lah please,"</span></b></span> reprimanded Ann Kheen, bouncing my basketball really hard in the hope that he will get me fired up in the positive direction. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All crowding the IM coach counter. Must be asking for special seats lah these boys.</td></tr>
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The coach trip took a full five hours- the magnitude of the sheer distance from Incheon only became apparent to me when I slept and woke up, only to fall asleep again. It was the beginning of autumn but the sun was still hot during midday. </div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Just that the air is not humid,"</span></b></span>said Inn Inn. </div>
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The scenery started changing as our latitude turned southwards. There were several Malaysians who were on board the same coach and they were delivered to various hotels around there Sandong-myeon 山洞面 region, about 6km from the race venue. There were about three or four areas officially designated by the organisers for the athletes to stay. This Sandong area was the nearest to the venue. On one of our several tries to and fro the race site, we encountered a group of three poor Australian ladies who were strangely being arranged to stay in a hotel a 40 mins bus ride away. The frustrations written all over their faces, having to deal with the daunting distance as well as communication problems, were painful to see. I was glad that we were with a group of experienced racers led by a knowledgeable group leader. </div>
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<span style="color: lime;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Blue Sun Hotel </span></b></span></div>
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This quaint little hotel was perched on a steep slopes up from there main road. The staff was very courteous and patient with us and the concierge could even speak Mandarin. Gurye probably doesn't receive many foreign tourists usually, thus we were tickled to see them hurrying to bring up new mattresses to all the <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4377/37091280345_cc3a17af96_k.jpg" target="_blank">rooms</a>. We must have arrived a tad too early for many of these mattresses were still piled up in the lobby. </div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Athlete check-in</span></b></span></div>
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The air was crisp at 4:06pm at Blue Sun. </div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Ok everybody just dump your luggage in your room and we meet in 10 minutes' time to walk down to take these hotel shuttle to do or athletes check in quickly today,"</span></b></span> that was quick thinking by Jamie.</div>
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It was much better to get this settled before the other athletes started arriving the next day. </div>
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The <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4390/36272757123_b060b42c39_k.jpg" target="_blank">shuttle bus stop</a> for the athletes was located about 600m away from Blue Sun hotel. A short pleasant <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4409/36915902622_d49ef00950_k.jpg" target="_blank">walk through the village</a> provision shops and eateries took us to the<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4439/36944648491_310bdd8598_k.jpg" target="_blank"> small little main road</a>. </div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>5:15pm</b></span></div>
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The <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4355/36689822930_f0734cfef9_k.jpg" target="_blank">impressive gigantic tent</a> at the expo was there first thing that caught my attention. I had never seen anything like that. The level of coorporation between the local government and the Ironman organiser are usually very apparent from the way the event is run. This being the inaugural Full distance Ironman race in Gurye (the previous ones were 70.3), I was sure the local government must had paid plenty of emphasis. </div>
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There was a hotel right at the expo venue. Sadly it was reserved for the race officials and organisers. </div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Were there any convenient stores at Gurye-Eup?</span></b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4429/36689858770_7eba0c4bec_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4429/36689858770_7eba0c4bec_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4429/36689858770_076f2556f4_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The convenient store in Expo.</td></tr>
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Yes indeed. A very well-stocked convenient store right across the huge tent at race expo, a German cages and restaurant and a local restaurant provided the much needed support. </div>
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Nearer our Blue Sun Hotel, off the main road, were several nice restaurants selling local traditional Korean ramen, Neng myeon, local food, <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4372/36388392474_4021504b2f_h.jpg" target="_blank">pizza, chicken</a></div>
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After <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4393/36915880742_1cca328be1_k.jpg" target="_blank">dinner at the hotel</a> we all went back to set up our bikes. At 8:14pm we received Wai Meng's telegram text that he <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4356/36944662611_00c5cec664_k.jpg" target="_blank">didn't have his skewers</a> with him. His were special through axel skewers for his bike and it would be near impossible to procure anything like these here in Korea. </div>
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Amidst the mad scramble, I was deeply impressed by this man's total dedication to his race and his decisiveness. Within half an hour he already had the situation fully under control and by 2am on Friday his skewers were already on board the next Singapore airlines flight on their way to incheon. Kudos to the Elite Customs boys for a very rapid personalised mobilisation and a job well done. </div>
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We all finally <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4419/36944672391_dc50c54e67_k.jpg" target="_blank">managed to sleep well</a> that night. </div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Race Expo</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Day 2: 8th Sep 2017</span></b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fatty at the M-dot.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">VI</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">DE</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">:</span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">Gurye</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> 03</span> - Race Expo, Gurye tour & Carbo-loading dinner</b></span><br />
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Having delayed our test ride to the next day just so that ZhongXuan may set up Wai Meng's skewer, we didn't join the main body for their test ride this morning.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4442/36827921460_dc7c012a56_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4442/36827921460_dc7c012a56_h.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" id="id_fe71_5725_2971_ea93" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4442/36827921460_78d074ef3d_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 1024px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main body test ride (most likely at unfriendly pace & unfriendly distance. haha!) that we missed.</td></tr>
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The night before Edmund and Jason were discussing going on a one hour to one and a half hour long test ride, a magnitude that was beyond a newbie like myself, thus I was secretly glad that I couldn't join them for the ride. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4361/36827921660_14344ae85b_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4361/36827921660_14344ae85b_h.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" id="id_edec_5ca0_88cf_3d42" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4361/36827921660_68be6f69ab_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lovely view during the main body's test ride.</td></tr>
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A late wake up and a simple breakfast of buns and whatever we bought in our room prepared us for the now accustomed downslope walk through the neighbourhood 25 Mart provision shop and then by shuttle bus to the expo. We were really spoilt by our previous races, according to what Gerard jokingly said. Stella remarked in the group text thread that for IM races it was very common to stay far away from the race venue and often athletes had to find their ways to the expo and transition.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The non-Gurye-touring bunch, touring the Race Expo instead.</td></tr>
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We must had been early, arriving at about 10am. The expo stall selling the event t shirts was not exactly ready and we spent half an hour under the hot sun just waiting for a t shirt. I must have dehydrated easily a litre within that period.<br />
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While we were browsing the expo a huge group of the boys and girls were doing a free tour of Gurye organiser by the IM organiser. It looked really fun and they had lobster for lunch and visited temples and attractions in Gurye. This being my first time, I thought I was probably better that I just conserve my energy.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Gurye fun tour!</td></tr>
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The nice lunch at the German restaurant at the expo site filled us up with all the necessary carbs and protein from plenty of fried chicken, beef and potatoes. The small super mart at the village foot of the hill from Blue Sun Hotel 6.4km away supplied us with the rest of the water, Pocari sweat and whatever tit bits and squid jerky. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4370/36373192844_c84bb7528d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4370/36373192844_c84bb7528d_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" id="id_122f_a90d_c16a_2569" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4370/36373192844_128ab09ec9_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking back the distance to our hotel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Today was really a nice rest day for me. It was relaxing all the way, and even the race carbo loading dinner at 5pm(free for participants and 20,000W for spouse) was nice. Just didn't know why Serene's stomach was throwing tantrum and ended up not eating even a single mouthful of the dinner.</div>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4407/36812235740_923ca27c4b_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4407/36812235740_923ca27c4b_h.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" id="id_51b0_a61e_56fb_2af6" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4407/36812235740_93277e96f0_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for shuttle bus (again! hahaha..) to the Expo for carbo-loading dinner.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4357/37067734461_aead3ee499_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4357/37067734461_aead3ee499_h.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_c5ec_dccf_5f85_3c97" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4357/37067734461_da02881ee6_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post carbo-loading dinner group photo back in Blue Sun Hotel</td></tr>
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<div>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Preparation of the Transition bags and Special Needs bags</span></b></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_4518_cfbf_8efb_5eef" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4438/36373203144_85a561c80c_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4438/36373203144_85a561c80c_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" id="id_763a_bca8_f664_fb3d" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4438/36373203144_4c69108b94_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 300px;" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Bike Gear Transition 1 Bag</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I am going to prepare my transition bags and my special needs bag tonight,"</span></b></span> I declared to Ann Kheen and Wai Meng.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
I dared not take the risk of something going wrong. The seasoned IM we're much more at ease, choosing to leave the packing to be next day, the actual day of the bike and Transition bags check-in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4412/36373196044_c495a720a4_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4412/36373196044_c495a720a4_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" id="id_a097_4dc9_70e7_2651" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4412/36373196044_bee7ef2947_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 240px;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Run Gear Transition 2 Bag</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was a rites of passage, preparing the transition bags and the special needs bags and the street gear bag for a full IM. There were five bags altogether, compared with almost none in a 70.3. After listening to so many experts, and internalising their inputs, I formulated my own plan. <br />
All three of us - Ann Kheen, Wai Meng and myself - we found that doing this IM was so much more technical, involving many hours of thinking and re-thinking, and a total understanding of oneself and one's nutritional needs.<br />
Some of the seasoned IM do well with little nutritional replenishment, and some totally discarded their Special Needs bags, choosing to be more independent. After thinking long and hard, I decided that since this was my first IM, I had better just make full use of all the five bags.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_1fcd_e76d_b44_2695" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4395/37037945792_5bf5ad7dbf_k.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4395/37037945792_5bf5ad7dbf_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" id="id_30ad_13a6_aafd_f1a8" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4395/37037945792_f2930724d4_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 240px;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Bike Special Needs bag</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Different IM races have different check-in schedules for the bags. IM Gurye's schedule was like this:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Bike check-in, <i><b>T1 Bike gear bag</b></i> and <i><b>T2 Run gear bag</b></i> check in at the same time on pre-race day. Once checked in, we will have no more access to the T1 and T2 transition bags. So everything must be planned accurately. What more, we will only have access to T1 bag during T1, and T2 bag during T2. So there could be no mistakes. The T1, T2 bags will be available for collection right after the race. </li>
<li><i><b>Bike Special Needs bag</b></i> and <i><b>Run Special Needs bag</b></i> plus <i><b>Street Gear bag</b></i> check in on the very morning of the race day. The Special Needs bags will be collected the next day together with the bike.</li>
</ol>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_12e1_31ba_68e0_94e1" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4439/37210108765_0c366da016_k.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4439/37210108765_0c366da016_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" id="id_c879_3521_c1_db2e" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4439/37210108765_9cdec8b5fa_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 240px;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Run Special Needs bag</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Frankly, the more I thought, the more confused I became. That was where the fun was all about, because it was like planning a battle. Only, it was my own battle.<br />
<br />
The helmet and cycling shoes had to be placed into the T1 Bike Gear bag, together with the cycling attire and nutrition. The running shoes and running attire, together with the racing belt and bib would go into the T2 Run gear bag. Being super worried about saddle sore, I placed one tub of BodyGlide in every Transition bag and Special Needs bag. For the Bike Special Needs bag, I plonked a whole tub of Emulsifying ointment (this turned out to be my saviour). And each Special Needs bag has three packs of fried salty Silver fish 银鱼 that was my happy food, lovingly prepared by Serene and 妈妈.<br />
<br />
Like what Ann Kheen said, Murphy's Law always applied. True to Prof Murphy's theory, I ended up having two green Bike T1 gear bags, instead of one green and one red bag.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">"Better don't risk it,"</span></b></span> said Ann Kheen. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Better change to a red run gear T2 bag tomorrow."</span></b></span> He was right. Otherwise I might just find my T2 bag being misplaced because the volunteers were trained to look out for the specific coloured bags at each Transition.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_daf3_d35c_10ff_51d6" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4342/37019876976_4367a84e95_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4342/37019876976_4367a84e95_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_97d0_3834_6d02_f6f3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4342/37019876976_43ffe3d5c3_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to Sandong, Zhongxuan!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Test Swim </span></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: yellow;"><b>9th September 2017</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4368/36382392714_2360f1c12a_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4368/36382392714_2360f1c12a_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="800" id="id_52a3_8b57_c40b_9e44" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4368/36382392714_58370a48f7_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 1024px;" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Gather at the lobby at 5am so that those who wants to do the test swim can take the 5:30am shuttle down the hill to the test swim area. Test swim starts at 6:30am,"</span></b></span> instructed Jamie.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wear the wetsuit half way and then go there and pull it up before the test swim,"</span></b></span> advised Kelvin Kwek. Clever, this man!</div>
</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wee How,"</span></b></span> said Ann Kheen early in the morning when we met at the lobby. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Remember that video of that girl demonstrating how to wear the wetsuit after turning the arms and legs inside out? It's way easier just to use the NTUC plastic bag."</span></b></span> I laughed after hearing that. Indeed I found that morning that using my Yaohan plastic bag was easier.</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4390/37029137256_b3120d1147_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4390/37029137256_b3120d1147_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4390/37029137256_426a62a02e_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fatty putting on wetsuit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
It was nice cool morning. Not cold. Probably about 17-18 degree Celsius. Not like Busselton. I could see the happiness in Wai Meng and Ann Kheen's faces that they were happy about the weather. Cool enough but not cold. The calm waters of the Jirisan Lake and a thick layer of mist shrouding the surface of the water conjured a scene right out of Lord of the Ring. I felt like we were going to jump right into a magic lake.</div>
<div>
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<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4418/37219663875_367c5450a5_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4418/37219663875_367c5450a5_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4418/37219663875_43ef76f24a_b.jpg" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"If you don't know how to plunge off the platform, don't."</span></b></span> Advised our SEA Games swimmer. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Just hold on to your goggles and leap off the platform with one leg in front and the other leg behind to break your sinking."</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I am going to just sit down and push off."</span></b></span> Announced Wai Meng. With a couple of recently fractured ribs, he really was worried about the water.</div>
</blockquote>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4436/37219667045_55610aa6c9_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4436/37219667045_55610aa6c9_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4436/37219667045_a2da0fd4ac_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy bunch of guys - the Tricators.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div>
Some of the boys were wondering if they should ditch the wetsuit and wear just a swimming trunk or trisuit instead, as it was announced during race briefing the day before that wetsuit was optional (water temperature was 23.5 - 25 degree Celsius). At the end only Ram Toh and Bert Grobben did the actual race without wetsuit. Our swimming coach Kelvin Low, and our Ann Kheen found their swims more comfortable with the wetsuits and chose to keep them on. For the rest of us, we were happy with the extra buoyancy offered by the neoprene.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wah.. the swim was so nice,"</span></b></span> said Wai Meng after coming out of the water. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"But I did not apply the anti-fog, and it was so foggy both inside the goggles and outside in the air that I couldn't see anything."</span></b></span> he continued to complain. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"I only did one buoy and then I swam back."</b></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Me too. I only did slightly further than one buoy, about 110-120m, and then I turned back. I did only an 8 minutes of test swim. Good enough liao."</span></b></span> I said.</div>
</blockquote>
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<div>
The string of closely linked small yellow buoys on my right made sighting unnecessary. I just slowly stroke and enjoyed the lightness of the swim. </div>
<div>
One by one the boys and girls emerged with the many Koreans, huge turnout of PRC Chinese, a multitude of Japanese, many Thais, many Pinoys, some Hong Kongers, several Malaysians, and 60+ Singaporeans.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4432/37219668835_cb322a7fc4_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4432/37219668835_cb322a7fc4_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4432/37219668835_809a032ef9_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dolphin Kang jumping outta da water.</td></tr>
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<div>
<br />
Almost everyone was out of the waters and was happily chatting away on the platform.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Where is my Ann Kheen ah?" </span></b></span>asked Viena.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
Many minutes passed, but still no signs of that powerful swimmer. Wai Meng, Serene and I kept peering into the fog, trying to pick up anyone who swam remotely like him. But one after another we were disappointed.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Hey.. where could this Ann Kheen be?"</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4400/36382385734_23335c0508_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4400/36382385734_23335c0508_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4400/36382385734_7d34191551_b.jpg" /></a></div>
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And finally, half an hour after the rolling jump off, the man emerged smiling from side to side.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wah lau! I was so worried for you!"</span></b></span> Kao beh-ed Viena.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"It was such a nice swim. I was swimming so relaxly and the wetsuit felt so good. I didn't want to stop. So I swam all the way to the u turn. I would have continued to the other arm of the swim route but they didn't allow me. So I only did 1.9km." </span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
My goodness! This SEA-gamer did a 70.3 swim for a test! Unbelievable.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4399/36821716050_d065e539a1_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4399/36821716050_d065e539a1_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4399/36821716050_469bf5f8c1_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">月朦胧,鸟朦胧.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4334/36821718690_9b61776c7a_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4334/36821718690_9b61776c7a_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4334/36821718690_551390e58f_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poor Bobby had to walk walk walk until just before walking up the hill then<br />
he gam guan take out his wetsuit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">VI</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">DE</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">:</span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">Gurye</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> 04</span> - Test swim, test ride and Bike check-in</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Test ride for three of us </span></b></span></div>
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Everyone else had done his/her test ride. Now that Wai Meng's machine was out, three of us we were ready to do our own test ride. </div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Why don't we turn right from the slope down the hotel, and follow the actual race route to point A. It's 5km of uphill,"</span></b></span> suggested Wai Meng.</div>
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Man, what a 5km it was! It was a gentle upslope right from the start and gradual it was, though the increment in gradient was apparent as km by km went. Ann Kheen was right in front, and Wai Meng a short distance behind. No matter how I spinned I just couldn't make any advancement towards these two. Granted, I dared not flood my thighs, with the race a day away. But still, I was feeling breathless with the ride. Towards the last part of the slope we were slowed to a crawl. Ahead in the distance I could see the round about where we would be doing a u turn. In front, the two boys were also slowly spinning.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See beh chuan for me on the test ride.</td></tr>
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How I wish I had another gear. It was afterwards when Ann Kheen said: <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I think we should really consider the Ceramic Speed Oversized pulley, like what Edmund Lim uses. If we want to get an OCP, I will want to get this CeramicSpeed brand."</span></b></span></div>
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In Edmund Lim's own words: <i><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"The OCP is like giving me another gear during a climb."</span></b></span></i> How true, his words. At times like these I needed something like this.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elaine Young also uses Cermaic Speed Over-Sized Pulley!</td></tr>
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As we made the U-turn for the returning 5km, Wai Meng called out to me: <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Be careful of the downslope. It is going to be very fast."</span></b></span></div>
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His words didn't strike me until when I descended. Wah lau.. it was fast, as all the potential energy we stored going against gravity exploded into kinetic energy. Ann Kheen let go all the way, with his legs squeezing tight against his saddle, a skill he learnt over the years from his MTB cycling days and his Scrambler riding. This man is a devil on the descent.</div>
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Wai Meng kept braking and keeping a distance away from Ann Kheen. Me? I was just far far away behind, hands on brakes.. making sure I came nowhere near.</div>
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Sadly, I had no power meter reading on this test ride as the deep cold in the airplane cargo cabin enroute to Korea killed my power meter batteries. Again Murphy's law applied. I was wondering what else more could go wrong. </div>
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I was lucky for Edmund and Jean very kindly bought me a set of Energizer AAA batteries from the 25 Mart convenient store coming back from lunch, and my problems were solved. They were my saviour.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Man, I am totally humbled!"</span></b></span> I declared coming back from the short test ride.</div>
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We didn't even dare cycle up the steep slope to our hotel, but unclipped and pushed our bikes up instead.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"On race day, if I come to a steep slope, I will unclip and push up. Like what Jamie said. No point cycling up and getting your legs tired out."</span></b></span> announced Wai Meng wisely.</div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Enlightening Lunch with Bobby Lim and Kelvin Low</span></b></span></div>
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We had a great lunch at the Neng myeon and Ramen stall along the row of shop houses. It was a great lunch as theee of us sat down and listened intently to the advice dished out by Bobby and Kelvin.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bobby: "Commando become Makando."</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Nutrition is very important and need to make sure we eat/drink well on the bike even if we feel we are ok as the nutrition is not meant for the bike but for the run later,"</span></b></span> Bobby advised us. He added: <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"about the last 30km of the bike we need to ease up and go higher cadence to ease the leg so that our legs won't feel heavy when the run begins." </span></b></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Gurye neng myeon</td></tr>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Bike and Transition bags check in</span></b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4337/36382409554_8c732ded15_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4337/36382409554_8c732ded15_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4337/36382409554_de93fec6be_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edmund Lim very expertly led Korean platoon one out.</td></tr>
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Jamie decided that it would be wise to do an early check in. So around 3pm a small group of us cycled off that 6km to the transition area, led by Edmund. The rest of the group cycled off half an hour after us. It was a pleasant downhill ride, hardly needing to pedal at all. Along the river we cruised, arriving at the transition feeling the warmth of the air as the sun rays started to changed into a slight golden hue at half past three. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nice ride through kampong roads to reach Transition.</td></tr>
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The Transition bags were hung in their respective areas and pushing our bikes to the tent, we collected our time chips and then finally we racked our bikes on a row of metal frames with slots to fit our rear wheels.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Better don't leave any gels any CO2 canisters and CO2 pump heads on your bike,"</span></b></span> advised Kelvin Kwek. He pointed to everybody's bike. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"You see we all go in with our bikes naked. You will never know if your stuff on the bikes are going to be lifted off. All someone needs is to twist out the canisters and they are all gone."</span></b></span></div>
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Wise words. Looking around, many of the experienced Tricators IM were sending in their bikes empty.</div>
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I obediently took off my CO2 canisters and pump, but after some thoughts, I decided to risk it and leave my five gels inside my bento box and covered the bike with the bike cover. That cover should at least serve as a hindrance, I felt. Some of the bikes around me had their helmets hooked onto their cockpits even. Champions, these fellows were.</div>
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Walking back, a couple of the senior members told us that they needed to go back and sleep early and would not be joining the group for dinner. In retrospect, I felt that they must be very in tuned with their own bodies and knew that they needed to sleep very early, as the wake up time would be 3am the next morning. This would be something that I would take note of for my future races.</div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Dinner with ZhongXuan</span></b></span></div>
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We were all so glad to have ZhongXuan here to our rescue. And we enjoyed a nice private early dinner of pizza and delicious chicken wings at another small stall. The Ajuma was very candid and with gestures we placed our orders and surprisingly, though a smiling Ang Moh patron before us had to wait 40 minutes for his food, ours arrived very shortly. </div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Birthday dinner for Joanathan Kang (aka J J Lin)</span></b></span></div>
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We finished our dinner just in time for the main body pre race dinner at the pizza restaurant. The boys and girls were having a birthday celebration for <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4373/36821721550_0029999ee7_k.jpg" target="_blank">Jonathan Kang</a>, and we were really tickled by his speech. This man has talents no less than J J Lin himself!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">A surprise Video</span> <span style="color: #b4a7d6;">from our children</span> <span style="color: #b4a7d6;">the night </span><span style="color: #ead1dc;">before the race!</span></b></span><br />
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Such a wonderful video! Touching!</div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">RACE DAY</span></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4387/36966993680_30ba04efef_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4387/36966993680_30ba04efef_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4387/36966993680_70767ea932_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Phillipino photographer Jepoy Hizon</td></tr>
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Terrible night I had before the race. Either I had too much to eat, or being the first time on an IM course my mind must had been partying overtime without me feeling it. </div>
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The troublesome thing about staying 6km away from the transition was the slight inconvenience face by my quirky bowels. My fortunes were smiling at me that morning, as the toilet at transition, though with a long queue, was clean.<br />
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I didn't know about the others, but my heart was light and I was in the mood for fun, experiencing none of the usual pre-race jitters. In retrospect it may had worked to my advantage in completing the race had I had more adrenaline flowing. But I could not look back too much without reprimand from Ann Kheen. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Look forward! Don't look backward!"</span></b></span> he would bark.<br />
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I looked around and all the experienced boys and girls were smiling - Jonathan Kang, Bobby Lim, Ram Toh, Edmund Lim, Kelvin Kwek, Andrew Teo, Ken Ng, Clarke Wan, Nigel Sng, Alvin Yap, Johnny Chng, Elaine Young, Tammi Lim, Edwin Lee, Tom Yang, Goh Inn Inn, Jason Tan, Conrad Yeo, Bert Grobben, Melvin Leong, Lee Joen Yen, Khina Ong, Celine Lo... and of course the woman herself, Jamie Goh.<br />
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Ann Kheen was his usual sombre self. Wai Meng was perhaps cursing the waters of Lake Jirisan inside his heart, water not his most favourite environment. But kudos to him, he was not showing any signs.<br />
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The wetsuit kept me warm. I loved the feeling of having neoprene on skin. But somehow I felt that my wetsuit was getting tighter and tighter with every passing year.<br />
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wah your wetsuit so seasoned already ah,"</span></b></span> someone pointed at the torn and tattered wetsuit of mine.</blockquote>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Mine then is seasoned ah!"</span></b></span> said Tom Yang, poking at the wetsuit glue pasted armpit of his suit.</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">VI</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">DE</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">:</span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">Gurye</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> 05</span> - The Race</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The Swim Leg</b></span></span><br />
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There wasn't a sense of urgency, no haste, no kan-cheong-ness at the flag off. I felt a total lack of the highly-motivating usual adrenaline rush. In the wake of the magical misty lake, everything seemed to be taking place in slow motion. There were no waves of flagging off. Everyone was recommended to do self-seeding, meaning chin-chai if one wanted to go in front one could. And the athletes were let loose in sets of 4 or 5, at intervals of a few seconds, according to the electronic beep. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">VI</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">DE</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">:</span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">A nice video of the swim start <span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: small;">by AsiaTri</span></span></span></b></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fasiatrilive%2Fvideos%2F1329828303807161%2F&show_text=0&width=560" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="560"></iframe>
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<div>
Beside me, swimmers were plunging headlong into the cool water. I must have been a laughing stock had anyone seen how I plonked in straight. </div>
<div>
The floaty feeling accorded by my wetsuit removed my last bit of anxiety. I wasn't a fast swimmer. And with no nervousness driving me, I was merely stroking along. Black neoprened bodies streamed past me. The multiple small yellow buoys on my right kept me in line. Simply, my objective was to only decide how far away I was to swim from the buoy line- one metre away or just by the side.</div>
<div>
There was the usual grabbing and slapping. And the Pinoys and PRC Chinese were no less aggressive. Somehow being in a dreamlike state, the sting of the collisions was taken out. The lake water was murky. Seeing nothing in the water, and nothing out of the water through the mist floating on the lake surface, every stroke felt strangely serene.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I just swam buoy to buoy,"</span></b></span> recalled Wai Meng afterwards. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"But someone grabbed my foot and my calf went into cramp. I had to hang onto the buoy line for a while to let it go off. Around me the swimmers all kept asking me Kwenchana-yo Kwenchana-yo?"</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I was in front and there was almost no fighting,"</span></b></span> said Ann Kheen.</div>
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<div>
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Unanimously the group agreed that the lake swim was better than expected. My initial fear of having no buoyancy was proven wrong. I kept to my original plan of being really slow in the swim. The inverted U-shaped route brought us first on the outside of the buoy line, and after make a u-turn at the right leg of the inverted U, we swam on the inside of the U. </div>
<div>
I kept hearing whistle blowing through the magic mist. No one around me gave it much of a notice. It was later that Serene told us the story:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"The fog got so bad that the race director decided to cancel the swim half way through and the marshalls blew the whistle to stop and fish everyone out of the water. But no one hew them. Then after a while the director announced on the loud hailer- swim continue!"</span></b></span></div>
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On the last leg, my strokes became more aggressive. I hadn't swum 3.8km for the longest time. Boredom (haha!) must have set in. My outstretched left hand began to find itself slapping buttocks in front and at times pushing buttocks. One instance the left hand must have found a sweet young thing's face and the next I heard a loud but sweet female voice <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Ouch!!"</span></b></i></span>. Poor girl. I would have loved to stop and say sorry. But on my part I was constantly watching me watch, in fear of it being kicked off its bike mount. I had my fair share of kicks in my goggles, taking the brunt of the toes in two instances. </div>
<div>
A couple of hundreds of metres from the finishing, I suddenly heard a familiar voice on my right.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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Wait Meng called out: <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wee How! Wah lau eh! Why you elbow me?!"</span></b></span></div>
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I did? Hahaha.. sorry Wai Meng. I didn't know it was him mah. </div>
<div>
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<div>
The exit ramp came up finally. And Wai Meng and I climbed out together. 1 hour 58 minutes! Steady lah! I was contented. Wai Meng was happy, because now that he was out of the water, he was totally in his elements already.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I'm so happy to see you,"</span></b></span> Wai Meng said. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"That means I'm swimming ok." </span></b></span>This Wai Meng very humble lah, he.<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4404/36938376540_0a80251427_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4404/36938376540_0a80251427_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4404/36938376540_723ff0f313_b.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This time round Chew Ann Kheen appeared. Not only did he emerge, he emerged<br />
very early in the pack.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
I felt my petrol tank, and was glad to find that it was quite full still. Of the two strips of Clif Bloks I had before the swim, I possibly used up all of these (400 Cal) and another 500Cal from my own glycogen store. Not bad. After my intensive carbo loading the past three to four days, I reckon I should have about another 1500 Cal left in my glycogen store.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/37225899135_4e8746595f_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/37225899135_4e8746595f_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/37225899135_dbcd378c5c_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swim Coach Kelvin Low very very fast out too!</td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Meanwhile, in Transition 1...</span></b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4346/36411086533_1335ca30a0_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4346/36411086533_1335ca30a0_h.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4346/36411086533_47d4cb60ee_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tammi really stopped, posed and smile!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4418/36411069033_430bdf61df_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4418/36411069033_430bdf61df_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4418/36411069033_a7d84278e6_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jason Tan showing (almost) full.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4392/37048361076_e4db1cab17_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4392/37048361076_e4db1cab17_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4392/37048361076_5aeebfa54b_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alan Yap stripping to show his Tricators underwear inside.</td></tr>
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<br />
It was so easy in the transition. The volunteer grabbed my Bike gear bag 1147 and I walked into the changing tent. I was amused by the changing men around me. They were all taking their own sweet time. My cycling pants worn, bodyGlide applied, and my brand new Pearl Izumi red jersey donned, I put on my cycling shoes, slapped on my sunglasses and my Bambino, and the Sweet Varnvarn image was all ready to go.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4355/36388352694_8dfd38b49f_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4355/36388352694_8dfd38b49f_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4355/36388352694_c5e1a66ed1_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Yang very fast too!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4437/36823011160_387b1a05af_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4437/36823011160_387b1a05af_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4437/36823011160_ceb4ab619e_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelvin Kwek giving the super thumbs up!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4379/36388345164_26245ea710_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4379/36388345164_26245ea710_h.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4379/36388345164_a116a625e8_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tammi Lim running with a huge grin. Now for her Zone 1 ride.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Wondering where Wai Meng was, I turned my head and saw him standing motionless behind me at one side of the tent. My curiosity made me take a peek at him and the fellow was pee-ing there, a precedent that I gladly followed!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4437/37162990441_f4a03b6c93_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4437/37162990441_f4a03b6c93_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4437/37162990441_ef8e1412d8_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lee Joen Yen's wetsuit was custom-cut to facilitate removal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4339/36551765093_67c4644c4d_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4339/36551765093_67c4644c4d_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4339/36551765093_1046948596_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the first out of water drink was Goh Inn Inn.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4402/36388349564_8acbe8c88b_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4402/36388349564_8acbe8c88b_h.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4402/36388349564_e66af6dbd7_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three huge races in a short period of time. This Bert Grobben was really something.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4362/37225911305_c7ac6675e0_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4362/37225911305_c7ac6675e0_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4362/37225911305_bce850659c_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edwin Lee's whole set up must have impressed that jaw-dropping cyclist beside him.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
My wetsuit, swimming cap, goggles and whatever nonsense just went back into my transition bag and a volunteer was eagerly waiting to take it back from me. So, that was how things go on a Full distance IM race. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4400/36388374284_3f6a57cc91_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4400/36388374284_3f6a57cc91_h.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4400/36388374284_321d73556e_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jonathan Kang JJ Dolphin coming outta T1</td></tr>
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I'd gotten all my nutrition prepared on my bike, and I would rather eat once my heart rate settled down while I was cruising. So T1 was more for me to bathe in the pleasure of the moment, and to enjoy pushing my bike out. Never had I a race with such calmness. Charle's words echoed in my mind - it's a long day in the office. That must have been the main reason.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4402/37225903545_749acb8f2d_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4402/37225903545_749acb8f2d_h.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4402/37225903545_7b62d01f82_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy Peasy for Ram Toh the Elite.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4425/37221094635_6a9c987a2d_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4425/37221094635_6a9c987a2d_h.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4425/37221094635_e745e2d4a5_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steady-pace was Goh Inn Inn's plan on the ride.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Cycle Leg</span></b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4423/36939641860_3d254469d1_o.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4423/36939641860_3d254469d1_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="567" height="640" id="id_f1e4_bd5b_8c63_e3db" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4423/36939641860_de7deacd2e_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 452px;" width="452" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4410/36966996290_a043405874_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4410/36966996290_a043405874_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="720" height="430" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4410/36966996290_fa003b9af8_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jamie on the purple aero machine.</td></tr>
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Negotiating the Bike out was simple enough. Just follow the red carpet and we were off. At 8am, the mist still shrouded the mountains, and the air, though not as crisp as Busselton, was still at a comfortable coolish 20 degrees Celsius. No wonder the only liquid on my skin was the lake water and not my own sweat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4441/36551769953_605874e64f_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4441/36551769953_605874e64f_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="800" height="430" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4441/36551769953_f8f4a3b91a_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elaine in a magical setting.</td></tr>
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The cycling leg started off smoothly enough. The roads were smooth, the cool breeze was therapeutic. What I found even more enjoyable was the fact that I transited literally from a magical lake right into an enchanted countryside, a corner of Korea that a normal tourist may not venture into. The Seomjingang (Seomjin river) flowed first on our right, and then on our left as we traversed the bridge northwards to the Sandong area for point A.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4339/37174070576_32781f4d8b_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4339/37174070576_32781f4d8b_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="800" height="430" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4339/37174070576_1ee037818f_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celine Lo was petite but look how aero she was!</td></tr>
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To both sides, the meadows stretched out as far as the eyes could sea, abruptly ringed by the ranges in the distance. Punctuating the farmlands were farmer ladies in conical straw hats in a row, backs bent, working hard in the fields, like their ancestors had for centuries. This Jirisan National Park was a spectacular place. As I cycled, my thoughts drifted to those historical periods during the Korean War, when the US marines encountered so much difficulty scaling these mountains in their northward conquest from Busan, to overcome their North Korean foe. These were the very soils that the American and Korean soldiers tread on, fought each other, and died painful deaths.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4335/36966998520_fff6b289f7_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4335/36966998520_fff6b289f7_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="800" height="430" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4335/36966998520_afe746ff30_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alvin Cheong cheonging down the mountain</td></tr>
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And on this day, as history temporarily sank into oblivion, what was more difficult was the constant reminder to myself to pedal smoothly, breath deeply and relax my shoulders. I watched my heart rate very closely, making sure it kept in my zone 2 range of 120+/min. The first climb out of transition towards Point A came, and remembering my tough test climb the day before, I took it even more easy, with my speed slowing to 6-7km/hr only. I lost Wai Meng very quickly, and I was all on my own. I was past by time and time again. I simply bo-chap them, as advised by many an article. Cycling at zone 2 was such a pleasant feeling. Certainly, that 5km up towards Point A was a slow crawl, but I successfully kept my heart rate at around 135/min. Feeling absolutely no burn in my quadriceps, except for a slight heavier heave in my breaths, I made the U turn and shot back down the 5km downslope initially at 59km/h and later about 37-39km/h with frequent application of the brakes, followed by another 5km of gentle descent to point B1, our first aid station at 20km.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4384/36966996150_b248275274_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4384/36966996150_b248275274_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="800" height="430" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4384/36966996150_7fc2062006_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken Ng the invincible - come what may, kerb or whatever.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I remembered Stella's words to unclip and rest at every station. And I did just that. Before the race, Lee JY shared with me his own experience. He was one who would not stop at any station on the bike leg because time was precious in his race. Perhaps one day, when I became a seasoned racer like him I could attempt that. But as a newbie, I had better not take the risk.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4387/37174072986_f008e748b6_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4387/37174072986_f008e748b6_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="800" height="430" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4387/37174072986_d1955366db_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conrad Yeo with the zroom zroom disc wheel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
The 180km bike leg felt like a long long ride. At some turns there were groups of Ajumas and Ajushis cheering us on <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Huating!" </span></b></span>they would shout. Another turn another group of drums-beating and cymbals-clanking old folks. The young volunteer marshalls were assigned flags and seats and they were much more docile than their older uncles and aunties. </div>
<div>
I paid little attention to my speed, neither to my power (surprisingly). The instinct for survival meant that I just looked at my heart rate, glad to keep it at mid-120's.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4426/36551770173_eb78ee158e_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4426/36551770173_eb78ee158e_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="800" height="430" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4426/36551770173_a844b46d17_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelvin Kwek making sure he is totally compressed calves to thighs to counter vaso-vagal symptoms.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Nutrition on bike, and the Special Needs station </span></b></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Bobby's and Ewin's words rung in my frontal cortex. I delayed not even a minute in my consumption of the Clif Bloks, strictly a 200Cal strip every half an hour, coupled with one Salt Stick capsule each 30 minutes. I calculated, with 1000ml of Pocari sweat and the sodium from the Clif Bloks and the SaltStick I should be replenishing 1000mg of sodium an hour. Just nice for one who sweats buckets. </div>
<div>
The bike ride took me 7 hours 33 minutes. I started off with five Clif Bloks in my bento and one in my rear pocket. By the time I arrived at the B2 aids station at 41km I had consumed four 200Cal Clif Blok gels. Another one more gel, and I arrived at the 50km Special Needs station, sheltered in a bay on the right side of the main road. The highly efficient Ajushi called out my bib number and the Ajumas behind the tables grabbed my special needs bag. I replenished three Clif Bloks into my bento box and chew greedily into my ziploc bag of air-fried silver fish. These were my happy food. And gave me much pleasure. I heard some guys saying that one needed to eat real food on an IM race. So I guess this was the closest I could come to real food. With a cheeky smile at the old aunties at the table I reached inside my special needs bag, dug a huge glob of emulsifying ointment, turned my back to them, and applied them generously over my nether region. This emulsifying ointment was really such a life saver. The cycling pants did make it much more comfortable for me, with mild saddle discomfort. In contrast, many of the Tricators were in their custom-made Tricator Tri suits. I was impressed by their resilience in taking on the 180km ride on Tri suit paddings. They must have seasoned their perinuems over years.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4368/36551771063_fd4da8bcfb_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4368/36551771063_fd4da8bcfb_h.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4368/36551771063_18dde8d608_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I must have been doing some overtaking here. Steady lah, me! Siao siao ah.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
I had access to the special needs station at 50km, 93km and 136km. Somehow on the third run through the special needs station I found enough gels on me to last till the end, and I decided not to go into the pit stop.</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4354/37174070126_d9ab5ab539_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4354/37174070126_d9ab5ab539_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4354/37174070126_9300a98dcc_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarke Wan, the one who uses the same Tri Vent shoes as me, showing how easy it is.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div>
Aid station-wise, I was deligent and made sure I stopped at everyone even after I gave the third Special Needs station a miss. That really helped my recovery.</div>
<div>
All in, I consumed 12 strips of Clif Blok chews and one Honey Stinger from the last aid station, a total of 2600Cal, which more than replenished my Garmin-estimated 1770Cal expenditure during the bike leg.</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4407/36522869653_ae6f7d1efc_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4407/36522869653_ae6f7d1efc_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4407/36522869653_d62c669c76_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Kheen climbing the slope at 8-9km/h this very moment, according to himself.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Terrain on the three small loops</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<br />
The outer leg of the bike route consisted of three loops from about 30km onwards, each loop measuring around 43km. Thus the B2 station was encountered three times at 41km/84km/127km. The one special thing about the B2 aid station was, after you were given a chance to replenish your hydration, it rewarded you with the climb. This smaller climb was nowhere as crawling as the first big hill up to point A. Although one could feel the exertion of the climb, it was gentler but yet equally unrelenting. It was too easy to let go and flood the thighs in the haste to mount the crest. For a newbie like me, the will to curb that constant urge to push was paramount to surviving the ride.</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Bike to prepare for the run," </b></span></span>was the mantra for many a seasoned IM. For me, I wanted to bike to survive it first.</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4333/36967000460_3f7c5cea1a_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4333/36967000460_3f7c5cea1a_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4333/36967000460_018154fe31_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bobby so happy just letting the weight of the bike carry itself downslope.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Technical aspects of the ride</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<br />
I was in the aero position for roughly 70%, especially when the road was flat and straight. The times when I took to the base bars were mostly during steep and fast descent, and when climbing in a slow crawl. Glad I was, that in my last few weeks of training, I focussed aplenty on strengthening my core with planks, to keep myself maintained on the aero bars.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4352/37174070376_3969f38ea6_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4352/37174070376_3969f38ea6_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4352/37174070376_d15406f230_b.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wai Meng showing what REAL COLOURS is all about.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There wasn't any sharp turns on this route, and the only technical part was really the descent. One may opt to zham-brake all the way or grip the saddle tight with the thighs, shift one's weight back and grit his teeth and let loose all the way down. For a less experienced cyclist like myself, it was a risk I dare not take. Otherwise I believed I would have hit the kerb more than once and flipped. Ken Ng had the misfortune of such an accident but his skills and reflexes must have saved him from injuries.</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4349/36551765143_77e653698b_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4349/36551765143_77e653698b_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4349/36551765143_0a7b66f028_b.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew Teo with his Bambino Visor up. Must be too hot liao.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
There were no potholes nor uneven ground so pathonomonic of a Bintanian or a Cebuano race. The asphalt was smooth as Korean silk. I counted myself lucky that my two CO2 canisters and the two inner tubes ended up still intact on my saddle bag. Kelvin Kwek apparently had a puncture right out of transition on his bike. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4414/37335982955_ff27faadaf_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4414/37335982955_ff27faadaf_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4414/37335982955_d6825a26fc_b.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fully aero, even the legs, was Chew Ann Kheen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ann Kheen and Wai Meng both kept harping on a headwind on a downslope that kept their speed from going above 25km/hr. Strangely I experienced none of that. There wasn't any headwinds for me. Perhaps it depended on when one hits that stretch. On a long 180km ride, I guess the wind conditions could change.</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36551768383_28ee5d6074_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36551768383_28ee5d6074_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="720" height="430" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36551768383_8584572782_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johnny on his way to the finishing line for his first Full!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The last stretch of the bike leg</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I must have been the last few on the bike. I saw hardly any one. And on the outer three loops, the number of cyclists dwindled from my first loop onwards. When I was doing the third loop, the roads were so empty I felt quite demoralized. Just when I started towards the road into that Namdo bridge, I saw Wai Meng heading out. I mentally calculated he should be about 10km ahead of me. Somewhere earlier I saw Ann Kheen coming in the opposite direction. That was much earlier. I was sure that dark knight should be well on his run leg by now.</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4343/36966999510_a063147ff7_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4343/36966999510_a063147ff7_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="800" height="430" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4343/36966999510_be919b8bd3_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nigel is one heck of a relax Ironman. From fat fat 10 years ago until Ironman today.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
I spotted Inn Inn in the opposite direction. "Inn Inn!" I called out to her, finally glad that I could call out to a familiar face. </div>
<div>
Throughout the cycle leg I saw no one else I could recognise, a reflection of my slowness. My speed has been consistent, consistently slow. However that could mean the difference between a bonk or completing my bike leg.</div>
<div>
Making the last u-turn, I drew abreast with Inn Inn.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I just hope to make the cut off time,"</span></b></span> she called out to me, clothed in her dashing purple blue full arm-sleeved outfit. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
I glanced at my watch. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Hey you are a runner! We have enough time!"</b></span></span> I shouted back.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4354/37145641316_abb3cfa52d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4354/37145641316_abb3cfa52d_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4354/37145641316_c0cf729b2d_b.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still more to practise.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">A lack of focus</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<br />
A list of concentration gradually crept upon me on the last 20km of the ride. I believed some mental fatigue must have set in, and I lost my discipline in rehydrating myself. Especially that one last hour, I drank possibly only a few sips of water. And consumed only one Clif Blok, although the total number of calories I replaced on the one leg added up to around 2609 Cal. On hind sight I believed that slackening on the last one hour must have had some impact. </div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4354/36551767783_c024409fbf_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4354/36551767783_c024409fbf_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="720" height="430" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4354/36551767783_a4991e4a06_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Khna Ong stylish as can be.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div>
The last 10k was spent on the highway back to Transition. That highway was straight as an arrow but it was deceiving. Masquerading as a mirage of flat straight, it was actually a gentle climb. And I found an inability to mount my speed. I was starting to feel impatient. The last few kilometres was so elusive. When I finally made that right turn onto the ramp and started towards the small road leading to the transition, the sight of many happily running on the side of the road really was discouraging. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4367/36511699124_218fceaebf_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4367/36511699124_218fceaebf_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4367/36511699124_61427493b9_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lee Joen Yen steadily spinning up the slope.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
I have finished the swim and I was coming to the end of the 180km ride. I was starting to feel fatigue, both from the ride, understandably, but perhaps also from a slight dehydration. The 42km walk loomed. My mind started throwing doubts at myself, if I could possibly have the physical fortitude to complete the run. And my confidence started taking a dip, slight, but still a dip.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Transition two</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<br />
I couldn't wait to arrive at the dismount line. This 180km had been one of my most enjoyable ride, truth to be told. I suffered very little, my heart rate was steady, and my quads were not flooded. All these could be attributed to going at a real easy pace. For me, a really weak runner, my real stumbling block laid ahead.<br />
<br />
By the time I racked my bike, the whole transition was filled already. It was dejavu like many of my previous races. The volunteers were not as attentive by now, as I was the last few. I walked up and looked for my own Run Gear bag, and walked to the Male changing tent.<br />
<br />
By this time, the changing tent flaps were opened and a few sides were lifted up and no official bothered to lowered them to preserve the decency of the male athletes. Those last few inside the tent were also, like myself, too tired to care.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Heck lah. See, see lor,"</span></b></span> I grumbled, and stripped myself naked.</blockquote>
Girls, female marshalls, and anybody everybody walked outside the tent as I struggled to pull up my long compression tights, my running shoes and my race bib. I followed Wai Meng's example by keeping my cycling jersey on so that I can keep my gels in the rear pockets.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Was I smiling? Yes, I was still smiling as I jogged out of T2, and made my way slowly round the curvy wurvy road and the right turn up the ramp over the river to the other side. I spotted Inn Inn coming back and I waved to her. Inside my heart I was happy. She was a good runner, and now she just needed to execute her run to perfection. As I continued I thought I spied Lee JY coming in too. This good man had my utmost respect. A real fighter.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Run Leg</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4334/36828256640_9005be98a8_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4334/36828256640_9005be98a8_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4334/36828256640_a36c5823e7_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew Teo very good! Running time the sky still bright bright!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4386/36939641850_af9db6e3db_o.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4386/36939641850_af9db6e3db_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="570" height="640" id="id_3cf9_72f9_34c9_affc" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4386/36939641850_3252bf918e_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 456px;" width="456" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I felt really good jogging out of transition 2. It was 10 hours into the race. This timing cheered me. I had been conserving myself right up till now and things had been great. I was not prepared to waste all my efforts. Looking back, smiling and running seemed to be the secret to a successful completion. Most every Tricator was smiling as he/she ran.</div>
<div>
The 5km from T2 to the loop point at the Expo site went though the slight elevation where we usually walked. Reaching the 5km was a landmark for me. My body felt good. My mind was calmed. I was smiling. My heart rate was lowish about 120+. I had two strips of Clif Bloks hung on my race belt and I was ready to eat 200Cal an hour. I should have accumulated sufficient sugar store from all my feeding on the bike leg.</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4382/36551770893_828f6f570a_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4382/36551770893_828f6f570a_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4382/36551770893_5935dc22f8_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conrad Yeo with matching jersey and running shoes!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div>
Serene and all the supporting spouses cleverly posted themselves right at that point and their cheering lifted me. I had about another 6 hours plus at this point to complete 37km. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Let's see how my legs hold up!"</span></b></span> I told myself, and I just slow jogged. </div>
</blockquote>
<div>
There were still plenty of runners on the to and fro loop. The temperature was off the high of midday and at about 4:40pm it was beginning to cool down, though the sun was still smarting. </div>
<div>
After being on the roads for close to 11 hours my brain was in a zen state of emptiness. My left hip pain had been numbed by now, and the ankles were simply just doing their jobs. It was 6km towards the outermost I-turn and this 6km felt great.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4352/36411134393_8f3d5cc40c_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4352/36411134393_8f3d5cc40c_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4352/36411134393_ec81971d03_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edwin really no sweat ah! Respect!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
100m before every aid station I slowed down and walked and grabbed a couple of cups of Pocari sweat and ate some gels. I dared not consume the banana nor any other food as I wasn't used to doing that. My stomach was starting to feel bloated by then. And I figured it must be due to so many gels that I have eaten. Perhaps all the isotonic drink could also have contributed a little to the dyspepsia. </div>
<div>
Happily I chugged along. From the corner of my eyes I spotted Ram in the opposite direction running back. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Man, these guys are good!" </span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4335/37053780492_1d4fc4ce7f_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4335/37053780492_1d4fc4ce7f_h.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="450" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4335/37053780492_793d9365b1_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johnny Chng smiling so happily... must be his last loop liao.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I was guilty for not putting in enough training for my run. Excuses after excuses I offered myself to explain my inertia in getting my butts up. The deficiency was especially stark at this stage of the race, when my body started to deteriorate rapidly kilometre to kilometre. </div>
<div>
From a kilometer away I could hear the drum rolls at the turn around point. Drawing nearer the cheering drummers and supporting volunteers were urging me to go on. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Huating!"</span></b></span> they shouted.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4442/36411075993_3c0766eac2_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4442/36411075993_3c0766eac2_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4442/36411075993_6304de89e2_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelvin Low showing what tough stuff he is made of!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div>
The sky was turning a deep dark blue behind them. I slowed down and walked to grab a drink and a Honey a Stinger gel. I squeezed it down my throat and tried to run again. But somehow the machinery didn't respond.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Shit, so many people walking. I'd better walk too."</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4357/37053783672_070c28356c_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4357/37053783672_070c28356c_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4357/37053783672_7291961e42_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Jason Tan ah... even when the sky was dark, his smile forever brightened the day (night)!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div>
Really many were walking. But with a difference. Many already had the first loop yellow band and many already were displaying the yellow AND the second loop pink band on their wrists. I felt pathetic with nothing on my wrist. I felt weak. My mind was spiraling. Walking did my pace no good, registering 11min/km on my watch.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This next 6km back towards Expo was torturous. My legs couldn't lift themselves up for a trot and I felt breathless. My heart rate remained still low. My nausea and gastric discomfort started to amplify. The summation of these- my mind started telling me stories. All the classic signs of bonking were in full bloom.</div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"DNF? Yes yes yes..." my mind playing tricks on me</span></b></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Wai Meng ever said, and later Geok Lin reinforced it, that the body would hit a wall at the 30km mark. For me, I was hitting mine at 11km.</div>
<div>
Inn Inn ran passed me. But none of her encouragement could hasten my pace. I found the sensation surreal. So his was how the cookie crumbled. The mind was the first to give up, followed by everything else. No amount of inspirational material I read about how to push your mind when it got tough worked on me. My dropping heart rate corresponded with the cooling of the fire in my heart. I just couldn't wait to see my Serene again and hug her.</div>
<div>
The video that my children made and sent to me the night before flashed through my mind. I cried deep inside to think what I would have to tell them in disappointment. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The 17km mark finally came. The first person I looked out for was Serene. The moment I saw her, I totally crumbled.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Dar I cannot already!"</span></b></span> and I retched and retched. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"I really cannot already."</b></span></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4441/36551766863_f7e7b2e6d1_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4441/36551766863_f7e7b2e6d1_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4441/36551766863_6e8954989d_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah Fat mentally kaput liao.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
All the wives were encouraging me to just keep going and just continue walking. But my mind was gone by then. I ripped off my time chip and passed to an official, gesturing to him I called it quits.<br />
I was just glad I could hold on to Serene's arms. And I sat down on the kerbside dejected.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4352/37174069346_9607786ac5_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4352/37174069346_9607786ac5_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4352/37174069346_81a1b22fd8_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bobby going for his nth Ironman.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It was afterwards that I heard about Kelvin Kwek's story, how he loss consciousness just before the dismount line of the bike leg, and had to rest in the first aid station for one hour, before he insisted that he would continue running. And how he made it back up on the run route just with sheer grit. And how our brave Alvin had to lie down on the floor and sleep for 15 minutes before picking himself up and continued, living off will power. And how Wai Meng even had to walk some parts in between.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"The last few kilometres were tough. It was really tough,"</span></b></span> admitted Ann Kheen.</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
I was ashamed. I didn't have the mental strength to push another loop. But it was ok. Kwenchana-yo. I told myself, I would live to fight another battle another day. I only felt that I had disappointed all around me who had so hoped that I completed.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4337/36938376160_997bdc5894_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4337/36938376160_997bdc5894_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4337/36938376160_f09f9ed1ec_b.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Ann Kheen Chew from Singapore - You ARE an Ironman!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4382/36551765533_ac5be871c2_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4382/36551765533_ac5be871c2_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4382/36551765533_e418491144_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bert Grobben taking a mischeivious dive at the finishing line.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
All the good boys and girls one by one crossed the finishing line. I was thrilled for them, especially for those few who were attempting their first full distance IM, and more so for those who have failed in their previous attempts at the IM. This was sweet sweet revenge for them. This bunch of guys and gals were a gutsy, ballsy bunch. Many things that I could learn from them.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4344/36966994640_48b48f81d9_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4344/36966994640_48b48f81d9_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="531" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4344/36966994640_a741b2fde8_b.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Wai Meng Tan of Singapore. You ARE an Ironman!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Post-DNF</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Everything was a total blur. Serene held me arms all the way and somehow we went walking up and down the slope that 1.4km to the transition to collect my bike, the T1 and T1 bags, and then back to the finishing line to collect my street gear bag, and in my confused state leaving my bike pump behind.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I didn't even remember the events leading off to me closing my eyes that night. Euphoria from a completion would have sent enough chemotransmitters through my neurons to keep me alive for the night, had the unthinkable happened that I actually completed. But now, with my synapses totally jammed up, there was nothing left to uplift me. Even that 20 odd gels with caffeine failed to give me relief from reality.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It was deja vu. It felt like my first Putrajaya. But it felt better. I really had a better chance this one round. I just needed to train more, eat less, drink more, HTFU my brain cells. And then I should be there.<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Post Race Holiday in Seoul/Busan</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The huge group finally broke up the next day after gathering in the lobby for one last time. Some were en route to Busan while a big chunk of us headed towards Seoul. Some had already flew up very early that morning.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I love Seoul. And I couldn't wait to be back into her warm embrace and suckle in the sweet nectar of her food and Bingsul.</div>
<div>
This was perhaps my only one consolation after the failure to deliver. But hey... this was merely just another Korea trip. It was not as if some ICBM was going to hurl down south from nowhere and Myeongdong and Gurye were to disappear overnight. Gurye will still be waiting for me to eat it up next round. I hope. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">VI</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">DE</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">:</span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">Gurye</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> 06</span> - Yay! R & R in Korea!</b></span></div>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Conclusion</b></span></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So what have I learnt?</div>
<div>
There was so much and it was too simplistic to just pen it down in a short story thus. Many of the experiences were nuances that have been assimilated into my being, some have become brain cell memories that will only emerge as a reflex sometime in the future when the situation calls for them.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One thing I knew. Like what Kai Sing said, I had undertrained. And I believe I had been over-confident, a manic state brought about by a whole chain of events leading up to Gurye. Like what my good friend Charles said, I just didn't get lucky in Gurye- I didn't train enough.<br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></b></span><br />
But what would life be without a little sense of adventure, a little bit of uncertainty? I was just glad that I had the honour of being a part of this great bunch of crazy guys in their quest for some fun.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Till the next race!!!</div>
Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0Gurye-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea35.2024947 127.4626534000000234.7874562 126.81720640000002 35.617533200000004 128.1081004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-77006333403890597622017-08-04T09:00:00.000-07:002017-08-26T04:15:55.956-07:00Cobra Ironman 70.3 Cebu Phillipines 2017<div>
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">One of the toughest yet most enjoyable 70.3</span></i></b></span><br />
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4432/36418303086_ebde3a7f5b_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="532" height="320" id="id_4f13_a483_dc76_8500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4432/36418303086_ebde3a7f5b_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 212px;" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Time
and time again, I overcome my indolence to face head-on yet another
70.3. I quite enjoy the stubbornness of the human mind in the way it is
willing to subject itself to many weeks of suffering, and a few hours
of sheer grit for a measly piece of metal, and a priceless memory of
running over the finishing line.</div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">VI</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">DE</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">:</span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">Cebu</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> 01</span> - Cebu here we come!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Preparation</span></b></span><br />
<br />
The
decision was certainly made easier having a group of good kakis pushing
oneself. Very soon after the euphoria of Busselton, the groups started
pushing again. Gingerly I joined the Wednesday night cycling sessions,
throwing myself into a Kong Wan concussion mode, hanging on with gasping
lungs behind Lucas Lee our sifu.<br />
Collectively, a group of us who have been thus trained by Lucas, our Singapore's National Cyclist representing us in SEA Games 2017, have made improvements by leaps and bounds and are indebted to the tireless pulling by our Sifu every Wednesday night. <b>Our sincere appreciation to Lucas!</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4436/36353122320_0fd3da5432_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4436/36353122320_0fd3da5432_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4436/36353122320_96bf034b43_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With our Sifu Lucas. [Photo: Kong Wan]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
For myself, in additional to the Wednesday training by Lucas, I have the fortune of being pushed by Kai Sing on Saturday mornings for our modified Eastern Loop, not being able to join the big group of the fuller loop due to work. <b>My gratitude to Kai Sing for all his hard work!</b><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Preparing for Cebu 2017 was a little different. </span></b></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"What is the main difference in your training for Cebu?"</span></b></span> asked Charles.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
To which my answer was- plenty of weights and strength training, with constant advice from Kai Sing. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Take your Creatine!"</b></span></span> reminded Francis repeatedly.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Yah Creatine is very importantly. Let you push really hard,"</span></b></span> affirmed Darric.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
</div>
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<div>
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Strategies</span></b></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
After
doing several races, I think it was time I grew a little smarter and
wiser in my approach. I was resigned to the fate that I would never be a
fast swimmer nor a fast runner. But just be a steady-paced
participant. </div>
<div>
Thus for Cebu, I was determined to really enjoy
it. Many an article I read expounded the importance of being in a
relaxed mood days before the race, feeling happy, and getting into the
'zone' during the run leg. Almost zen-like was this approach. I was
just going to adopt a twist to my strategy this round.</div>
<div>
As
the weeks drew nearer, I saw with joy all my friends improving week by
week on their Stravas. Ann Kheen was pushing his own boundaries and
Charles was becoming a monster with his SeaMonsta-drilled swims, with
Kong Wan strongly side by side in the water. Jemmy was doing superhuman 3
minutes pace on his runs. Darric and his regular 5am runs was an
inspiration. Gerard peaked in very little time and took up his usual
position as the sprinter on the bike, launching himself powerfully
towards the finishing line during training, with PL not far behind.</div>
<div>
The
seasoned competitors Cyrus, William, Stella were already doing ultra
distances and this Cebu was merely part of their training for their FIM
shortly. </div>
<div>
Raymond was training really hard every time his head
popped out from the sea and when not busy brewing coffee, as could be
seen from his strava. </div>
<div>
Francis and I were contented to be the slow-twitchers in the group and we continued our slow-twitching lead-ups to the event.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Plagued by injuries</b></span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"... once injured, from there it's downhill all the way.."</b></span></span> jokingly complained Gerard.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
Age
was never an advantage when it came to recovery. We all had our fair
share of training injuries, some mild others bad enough to prevent
training. Chronologically-challenged tendons and bones made pain a
constant companion for many of us. Protein powders, glucosamine and
anti-inflammatories might mitigate it a little, however full healing was
a rarity. Mine own ankle and knee injuries were happily chugging
along. I had accepted them as part of my life, sadly.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Everyone ok? No injuries right?"</span></b></span> was Charles' oft-repeated query after every training. </div>
</blockquote>
<div>
Looking around me on D-2 day, I saw battle-hardened comrades limping to the airport. Such admirable spirit.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Leading up to Changi Airport... </b></span></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_143c_f28b_8a3e_8e4b" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4412/36593712526_5223541e64_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4412/36593712526_5223541e64_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="602" height="400" id="id_13ef_c81d_60e2_f2db" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4412/36593712526_05e115db4f_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 300px;" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were fortunate to have Charles and Elaine do the recce-ing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Charles
and Elaine volunteered as our advance party to arrive a day earlier and
were already <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4353/35654620283_925ae156e1_h.jpg" target="_blank">acquiring gears</a> and attire for the group in huge orders at
the Shangri-la MacTan Expo.</div>
<div>
Raymond was in Cebu earlier to explore the dive spots.</div>
<div>
The
Telegram chat group exploded into a cacophony of comments the couple of
days before as adrenaline started to surge, with Jemmy posting photos
after photos of Guinness stout.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Jiaklat.. the
screw on my bike tube was worn out. I cannot dissemble the bike. Have to
bring it to the bike shop..."</span></b></span> sighed Gerard.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"The
Velcro on my arm rest got torn out... luckily Bike and bites had
replacement, needn't use super glue,"</span></b></span> a relieved Cyrus posted.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Whole day my heart kept beating irregularly,"</span></b></span> wondered Stella. </div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4372/36640011605_bbbb894ec6_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4372/36640011605_bbbb894ec6_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_ec8e_212e_e070_4be0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4372/36640011605_2ae81955d8_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cyrus, Joe and Stella getting ready for their flight. [Photo: Cyrus]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My
heart was beating irregularly too the whole day before departure,
albeit perhaps in anticipation of a different set of excitement -
Charles' acquisition of some sweetness at the Expo on my behalf.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Aiyah, I only charged my Di2 a bit. But don't care lah. Pack the bike first,"</span></b></span> decided Kong Wan.</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4410/36593712286_87280563ec_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4410/36593712286_87280563ec_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_516d_9652_d189_9b2e" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4410/36593712286_e0773cece6_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raymond and Charles, the advance party checking out the Expo first! [Photo: Charles]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Finally... </span></b></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">VI</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">DE</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">:</span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">Cebu</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> 02</span> - Arriving at Shangri-la & Athletes check-in</b></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" id="id_ce68_46ea_50e_87c6" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wu288SMErTI?rel=0" width="853"></iframe>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span> <br />
Friday 4th August 2017. The <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4354/35654779583_c9d35f18ff_k.jpg" target="_blank">9am flight on Silk Air</a> provided us with some well-needed sleep en route.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"It's
going to be a nice holiday!"</span></b></span> laughed Wai Meng. Haiyah... this Wai Meng
ah, he flipped roti-prata one time too many liao lah.</div>
</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4372/35654778473_f590480086_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_77e0_9247_251a_dbe3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4372/35654778473_387c464d4b_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new-found friend Chua Boon Keat on board the flight.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I
am never going to use Grab any more!"</span></b></span> angrily declared Darric upon
arrival at Changi. He was stood up by a Grab Premium Cab on that morning
for his transport to Changi airport.</div>
</blockquote>
I was very happy to be seated beside a real nice gentleman Chua Boon Keat, who was doing his 70.3 once again after a long hiatus, this time round with a colleague of his Lim Poh Chuan, and another couple of more friends. Time and time again at the Expo and during the preparation we would meet, and would share many an encouragement. Through him, I learned that the hotel that they were staying in, The Movenpick, was actually really not far - about 400m away by foot.<br />
<br />
This time round I was pleasantly surprised by a very nice and airconditioned transit area in Davao. Last year Serene and I had to be squeezed into a highly crowded small little transition room with thousands of others and it wasn't even air-conditioned. Hmmm... <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4441/36462738545_853739f4ee_b.jpg" target="_blank">Didn't know what Gerard was saying.. </a><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4342/36294484422_b383011cf3_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4342/36294484422_b383011cf3_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4342/36294484422_b45512ecef_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The very nice short transit in Davao</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I am going to party the whole night at Shangri-la!"</span></b></span> declared a fully floral-decked Viena during our breakfast.</blockquote>
<div>
Cyrus, William and Stella were on a later flight.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"By the time we booked our flights, Silk Air was full. So we are flying Scoot," </b></span></span>said Cyrus, who was going on the 10:45am flight.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Cebu~ Lapu-Lapu City</span></b></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4432/36325850541_ee8358e5ec_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4432/36325850541_ee8358e5ec_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_3b1e_c220_9633_b64f" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4432/36325850541_915ddf7f56_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strongly supported by Paige and Portia.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4409/36417310976_cce3e7b787_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" id="id_145a_2e88_3a2a_fb7e" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4409/36417310976_cce3e7b787_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 240px;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our bike cases waiting...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Transit
at Davao was a breeze, a designated 40 minutes transit that was in
reality most likely less than half an hour. Just nice for a pee. And
this time round the transit area was air-conditioned with air-bridge
access! What a pleasant way to start our trip.</div>
<div>
There
was no time difference. That made things so much easier. Once again
the warm Cebuano sun opened its arm in welcome of us. Those of us with
the official hotels had the very efficient staff right there ushering us
up the coach and having our bike cases and luggage taken care of.<br />
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Luckily
it wasn't difficult to grab a taxi van. And it wasn't expensive. Two of
us in one van with both our bike cases and luggage, and we made it to
Movenpick... through the traffic jam,"</b></span></span> my newly made friend Boon Keat
told me later.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4341/36066071910_902bdb94eb_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" id="id_2944_ed6e_524d_4ef4" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4341/36066071910_902bdb94eb_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 1024px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cebu traffic jam</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The notorious Cebu traffic jam made the 50mins start stop drive to Shangri-la MacTan a nice chance to sleep. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"5km in 50 minutes? I think run there also faster,"</span></b></span> one of us joked.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"The jam here is terrible,"</span></b></span> announced Cyrus when he, Joe and Stella arrived a couple of hours later.</div>
</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_673f_cc54_d5a9_4fa7" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4417/36528416051_15c403695b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4417/36528416051_15c403695b_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_53cc_38a2_eae1_eef2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4417/36528416051_7072f8de6c_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gerard must be happy to have the new orangey Pinoy Race Back Pack.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4359/35655068333_2b2c7078fe_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4359/35655068333_2b2c7078fe_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_2e40_fca0_8c6f_b7a1" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4359/35655068333_0e3c6da279_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kong Wan was lucky. He got a nice lady serving him for registration. I got a s(he).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Happy
was I to have arrived so much earlier this round. Being my lazy self, I'd always enjoyed staying at the organising hotel. The luxury of
checking into our rooms at 5pm allowed us a leisurely athletes check-in
before they closed at 6pm. The Expo was bustling. And long-legged
Pinay were manning the Cobra and telecom booths.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4356/36462635645_dbb08f105c_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4356/36462635645_dbb08f105c_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="800" height="516" id="id_322f_d22c_6730_8ab6" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4356/36462635645_1871675ca9_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chua Boon Keat and Lim Poh Chuan making their way to the Expo 7 early 8 early too. They were really humble cos<br />
their eventual timings were superb.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>Athlete check-in & Pre-race Carbo loading dinner</b></span></span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4337/35654620593_8b6de0d052_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4337/35654620593_8b6de0d052_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="800" height="532" id="id_f826_d29b_4dd9_7121" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4337/35654620593_92997054b7_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jemmy, Ann Kheen and Kong Wan showing the way.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Pinoy flamboyance oozed from the orange race back pack and the black participant T-shirt was elegant. Such a breeze was the whole process, including the (almost) usual assistance from several lovely adam-appled ladies, up to the <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4424/35627926544_e346df842e_k.jpg" target="_blank">arms and calves inking process.</a> I was left with even time to walk through the expo a little.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4431/36417288276_725a17455f_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4431/36417288276_725a17455f_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" id="id_72f7_7000_26ee_f83" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4431/36417288276_7a51446799_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Pinoy boy was very cute. Almost inked my right arm with the numbers upside-down.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Let's meet at the lobby at 6:30pm for the Pre-race dinner."</b></span></span></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_d544_95e0_be4e_6e24" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4416/36620752306_d5f9ea3ec0_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4416/36620752306_d5f9ea3ec0_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="800" id="id_8cdd_f0ec_57c1_10d" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4416/36620752306_22ab6577ca_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 1024px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The usual Pinoy partying during the Pre-Race Carbo loading dinner.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
This year's spouse ticket for the Pre-race dinner was cheaper, at 1100 pesos (S$29). The food was similar - thickly fat-padded pork belly, chicken, pasta, salad (that seemed to run out forever), and sweet pineapple and watermelon. The only difference was, this year's dinner had no crispy skin lechon.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36497430882_cf1c25c056_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36497430882_cf1c25c056_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_91d1_9bed_6eab_8476" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36497430882_c3a537fc5f_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elaine, Viena, Serene, Wendy and Jemmy stormed the dance floor.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The wives and Jemmy threw away whatever little inhibition they had and entertained not only ourselves but all the professional ironmen and the participants by dancing with the performing dancers. Especially gyrating right up on the stage was our very own Jemmy. He was truly the highlight of the night.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"What time are you all going to do the test ride tomorrow?</span></b></span>" asked Raymond, who stayed about 400m away in another hotel.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Let's plan to set out at 6am tomorrow morning for the test ride, because sunrise is at 5:30am. Then after that we can come back from breakfast and then go for the test swim which opens at 9am," </span></span></b>suggested Gerard.</blockquote>
<br />
Rolling his eyes, Raymond reluctantly agreed. </div>
<div>
<br />
The boys and girls were really damn energetic, and they hung out for a couple of drinks after dinner, after they all set up their bikes. For some strange reasons, I had lots of difficulty getting my front cable correct and ended up dismantling and re-assembling the cockpit many times with text message help from Zhongxuan. </div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Test ride, D-1 Day</span></span></b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">5th August 2017</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36325912931_b8266ed8e9_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36325912931_b8266ed8e9_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_baa5_5cf9_773a_c42" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36325912931_2b78fea5fd_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gerard's TTiR with the Enve 8.9 was the foreground highlight in this shot of us getting ready in Shangri-la.</td></tr>
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Sleep in the luxurious Shangri-la was really easy. The huge and comfortable bed afforded my jittery nerves a great degree of soothing. Daybreak at 5:30am in Lapu-Lapu City, alien as it was to our body clocks accustomed to more of a 6:45am first light back home.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Don't wake me up for the ride. I am going to have a good sleep,"</b></span></span> Jemmy announced the night before, after expending himself dancing on stage.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4375/36701275366_3ae05ab557_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4375/36701275366_3ae05ab557_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4375/36701275366_d2a4f9bec6_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to enlarge</td></tr>
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Right at the beginning our test ride was hit by a tyre puncture right out of Shangri-la. Attempt to cycle through the run route came to an abrupt end. The children's triathlon was being held and we made a U-turn and tried cycling the other direction. I was confused. So were <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4367/35628063464_723d638ad9_k.jpg" id="id_c348_c9ab_4edd_d236" target="_blank">Francis and those of us behind.</a><br />
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<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4404/36295003772_26833873e0_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4404/36295003772_26833873e0_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_571e_949b_5802_2cc6" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4404/36295003772_a1c7742349_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></div>
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3km into the ride, the point men called it a day and announced an exercise cut. But it was good enough, the bicycles had been tested and everything was in order.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">VI</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">DE</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">:</span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">Cebu</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> 03</span> - Pre-race day Test ride & Test swim</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H4euNuzSUDE?rel=0" width="853"></iframe></span></b></span>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Test swim</b></span></span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4382/36066292080_cb96418f8e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4382/36066292080_cb96418f8e_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_74fd_f39a_c68e_eafd" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4382/36066292080_2f4470b613_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our ardent supporters at breakfast.</td></tr>
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<blockquote>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Let's meet at 9:30am at the lobby to <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4391/35655303313_51a28f2a7e_k.jpg" target="_blank">walk down</a> to the test swim"</span></b></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4333/36609425281_96ad3c4b62_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4333/36609425281_96ad3c4b62_h.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="800" height="302" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4333/36609425281_02d8cb0f4a_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extreme left was William, Ann Kheen's long-lost classmate. All admiring the AWA swim cap.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4353/35628241804_92026f8e87_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4353/35628241804_92026f8e87_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4353/35628241804_2e4f15dbd8_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Francis must have been really tickling... that Gerard laughed himself crazy. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4408/36061225070_5e9d6fec6b_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4408/36061225070_5e9d6fec6b_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="585" height="640" id="id_f4c1_5fa9_a737_e371" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4408/36061225070_1a5aefa162_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 467px;" width="467" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some man are simply sexier than others.</td></tr>
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I have forgotten how warm and clear the waters of Cebu were. Oh this day we could look straight down onto the seabed, and I saw fishes and even a blue starfish. Everyone was satisfied and highly reassured by the quality of the waters.</div>
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Gerard swam towards the left buoy and back again. And Charles did a greater part of the return swim leh just to test out the current. All were in great order. </div>
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Jumping off the platform, Francis and I tested part of the return leg, and in all honestly we found no resistance in the water. I personally didn't even experience the choppy waves that I felt last year that gave me a spell of giddiness. It felt like I was, in Fann's own words, 'floating in my mother's womb'. A sensation that accorded a degree of comfort and confidence towards the actual swim the next day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4340/36289688562_5d8e8750ae_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4340/36289688562_5d8e8750ae_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="800" id="id_796_fe2a_a9ee_c208" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4340/36289688562_eab10c1d67_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 1024px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A panorama by Serene</td></tr>
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There wasn't a single non-smiling face emerging from the water. Our spirits were high. The bicycles were A-ok, and the water was good.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"I noticed you tend to pull a lot. Don't need to pull hard. Conserve your energy. Exert to push from the hip downwards instead,"</b></span></span> Gerard's words resonated in my head. </blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4387/36458042045_a1ab84ce03_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4387/36458042045_a1ab84ce03_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" id="id_5874_c475_c978_166a" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4387/36458042045_4f8ca8f655_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 1024px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bunch of happy faces. Really happy one. No bluff. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
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Sighting was not an issue. The abundant sun and contrasty surrounding brought out the hues of the buoys. Memories came surging. The unique thing about this clock-wise swim course was, the numerous small yellow buoys linked by continuous rope ran from the beginning to the end of the swim course. We just needed to follow the rope and we would need minimal sighting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4385/36289691762_d6e679ba88_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4385/36289691762_d6e679ba88_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_5bd5_99f8_9320_5b70" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4385/36289691762_7204a86ff1_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darric was totally pleased with the swim</td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Were you able to do navigation underwater with the seabed ripples and such?" </span></b></span>I asked Kong Wan.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"No leh.. There were no ripples, and the rocks at the bottom didn't lend well to navigation,"</b></span></span> replied Kong Wan.</blockquote>
So.. looked like it was back to following the ropes then.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4384/36458191155_95b10d6788_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4384/36458191155_95b10d6788_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_9e3_8dfb_24d7_5e5e" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4384/36458191155_e5d2b55765_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo : Serene</td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>"Cebu swim is still the best!"</b></span></span> I declared coming out of the water.</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4398/36458053105_1ebb42852a_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" id="id_5a37_aa16_308c_4ec5" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4398/36458053105_691802f897_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 320px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4398/36458053105_1ebb42852a_k.jpg" target="_blank">Lunch at the Chinese restaurant</a></td></tr>
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The conditions were perfect for a swim leg. And if anyone were to be doing it for the first time, this would be a reassuring swim.<br />
Walking back, we met Wai Meng and Stella at the athlete briefing area.<br />
Stella had just cycled the 5km from EGI Resort to Shangri-la and was, from what Wai Meng described, <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">'So poor thing, sitting looking lost on the kerb side waiting...'</span></b></span>.<br />
At least we were glad that China number one had a room to store her bike while she attended the briefing and had some <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4369/35623085754_35a9da4337_k.jpg" target="_blank">simple snack</a>. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36326192871_2392a00a93_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36326192871_2392a00a93_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" id="id_5ce2_68e0_45b8_d66b" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36326192871_5b56fb86bd_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet Varn Varn Viena (aka Mrs AWA) testing out the Bambino Pro.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4404/36417639916_d350b51ab7_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4404/36417639916_d350b51ab7_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_d4d5_bdbe_8109_8942" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4404/36417639916_b72dbc26c0_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Expo</span></b></span></div>
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If anyone were to ask me, I would say Cebu's Expo was the best and most well-stocked and well-boothed. Every corner we turned we were inundated with participants eagerly checking out the merchandise. Many were at superb discount and importantly one could find items here that was totally out of stock else where in the world.</div>
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I had so much difficulty trying to procure a pair of <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4430/36066418770_8858ac0b2a_k.jpg" target="_blank">Specialised Tri-Vent Tri shoes</a> but Charles was able to grab one pair of the exact highly-coveted red-black TriVent at 9200 peso (a good price) on the first day of the Expo for me. And I topped that up with another of the same pair just so that I would be safe for a long time more to come.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4400/35655303383_12ff51ff6e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4400/35655303383_12ff51ff6e_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_5a5a_8d00_545d_29de" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4400/35655303383_0b2b9837ff_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hoka booth</td></tr>
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I knew as a fact that I would be getting a couple of pairs of Hoka One One running shoes in Cebu because I knew they were having a booth there. And fortunate were Serene and I for the latest models <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4380/36326193291_f7b82cd8fc_k.jpg" target="_blank">Clifton 4 were available and had sizes for us</a>. Sadly on the second day of the Expo the bigger sizes were out of stock, and Darric and Kong Wan could not get theirs.</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>"The <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4346/36417639766_d66c95190c_k.jpg" target="_blank">price</a> here is good leh,"</b></span></span> said Darric. Disappointed that they didn't have his size.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Should I be getting two pairs?"</span></b></span> I asked Wai Meng.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Siao lah! No need. You go check online and see got slightly bigger size than the US8.5 for you. I suspect you need US size 9,"</span></b></span> advised Wai Meng.</blockquote>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Bike check-in</span></b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4364/36289819762_4e0e54a062_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4364/36289819762_4e0e54a062_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" id="id_9568_f000_7f53_f16" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4364/36289819762_a6594300c3_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 0px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Even the bike check-in was a happy event here in Cebu. We decided that 3pm was an ideal time to check in our bike, to avoid having to do last minute checking-in and paying the US$100 late check-in penalty. The cut off time for bike check-in was 4pm. I remembered at that time there were still people sauntering from afar towards the transition area for their check-in. There was a group of Hong Kongers who apparently arrived late via plane and were scrambling to assemble their bikes along the corridors of the hotel and rushing to do their check-ins, even as we were returning to our room past 4pm. What a way to start their event for them!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4372/36326193561_e1b6b21a11_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4372/36326193561_e1b6b21a11_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_99f3_e67d_ca0b_d65c" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4372/36326193561_479a7aba58_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bike check-in mug shot</td></tr>
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Cebu was the only race (that I have gone to) that required a photo of the participant and bike to be taken and recorded in the computer. Great security.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4387/36462994865_78660c9e1e_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="800" height="452" id="id_8a7c_d711_5c33_a4a" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4387/36462994865_05fecf2c6f_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles has always wanted to pose like this. [Photo: Ann Kheen]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4383/35628342824_c76236eb56_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4383/35628342824_c76236eb56_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_7f03_6dbe_dc32_3a3b" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4383/35628342824_7ea00707bf_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jemmy wondering how to get in and out of transition faster.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"My wheel cannot be slotted into the wooden slot,"</span></b></span> said Gerard. And the marshall very quickly gave him another transition box down the line. Efficient!</blockquote>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Ok when we run in from Swim in, the first tree we come to, we turn right into row Q,"</span></b></span> instructed a very meticulous Kong Wan. "<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Then we keep going and look to the right and take dressing from the tent afar."</span></b></span></blockquote>
Damn good lah, Kong Wan. He made identifying our transition boxes so much easier.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">VI</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">DE</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">:</span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">Cebu</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> 04</span> - Expo & Bike check-in</b></span><br />
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Meanwhile at 3pm something, the team's order of fresh Cebuano mango came into the hotel lobby for <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4428/35654940533_336c17a064_o.jpg" target="_blank">collection</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collecting the mangoes. [Photo: PL]</td></tr>
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That afternoon, a very concerned Wai Meng came to my room and took many detail looks at my run and my old Hoka One One Conquest 2. With a frown, he said:<br />
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"I think you better throw your old running shoes away. It's so heavy and your heel toe is too high. You will be forced to run on the balls of your feet."</b></span></span></blockquote>
After a long long analysis and discussion, he instructed me to just use the new pair of Hoka Clifton 4, despite being a brand new pair, because I had little other choice - my old pair was going to weigh me down, and with my poor running performance, the only way I could gain some last minute advantage was to ditch the old ones.<br />
Wai Meng even taught me how to tie my shoe laces so that they will never get undone.<br />
Man, talking about eleventh-hour coaching! I strongly believed Wai Meng saved my life on this day.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">D-Day :</span></b></span> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>RACE DAY!!!</b></span></span><br />
<i><b>6th August 2017</b></i><br />
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3:30am. Usual time to wake up. I have started learning to practise listening to music to <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4351/35628382674_d6d3097188_k.jpg" id="id_167b_b7d1_daa7_d879" target="_blank">calm the nerves first thing in the morning.</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my barang barangs to breakfast and then straight to preparation of transition.</td></tr>
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As customary, Viena very nicely made herself available at 4am to take photos for us at breakfast before making her way back to the warm comfort of her bed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast! [Photo: Viena]</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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There was no rain the night before. And all our carefully-covered bikes remained dry.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Kong Wan</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;"> </span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">VI</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">DE</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">:</span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">Cebu</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> 05</span> - Race Day! Swim leg</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>5:50am.</b></span> Getting ready to walk over to the starting point as the Age Grouper wave off was scheduled at 6:30am. Pinoys and Ang Mohs of all shapes and sizes were pushing towards the pents. Our strategy was simple - just go all the way to the front 30 minutes pent because last year in the back of the waves there were too many breast strokers and we had to fight really hard.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4434/36458044035_86144f2705_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4434/36458044035_86144f2705_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" id="id_9d12_3b70_2ad9_74dc" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4434/36458044035_c5dc303e3d_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Serene</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4343/36061069780_c5268fcfc5_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4343/36061069780_c5268fcfc5_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" id="id_6979_eb6d_c09f_f71b" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4343/36061069780_14f5e5ef17_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Serene</td></tr>
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The morning sun was warm, and the water surface appeared calm. All conditions were good. Only the mass of sweaty bodies squashing against us made it really stuffy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4362/36289690492_4dc0512c57_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4362/36289690492_4dc0512c57_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" id="id_1d2e_2ca8_43e0_f6e8" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4362/36289690492_beeac5dbc6_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Serene</td></tr>
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Cyrus, Stella, William, Joe and Raymond were nowhere to be found. They must have made their ways slowly and have been lost in the human mass.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
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There was a power cut right at the beginning and we lost the usual horn that signified the start. It was a quiet start for the pros as they were waved off silently. Luckily when our turns came the power came right back and we were let off in groups of threes by an electrical beep intervalled at several seconds. This rolling wave start was not bad, in my opinion, but just that it tended to create a real dense mass of swimmers in the waters.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4384/36596913455_6e690441b5_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" id="id_60b9_e565_1133_7746" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4384/36596913455_6e690441b5_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wave off! Kong Wan right in the picture [Photo: Facebook ShutterSpeed]</td></tr>
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My initial plan of wanting to swim with a steady rhythm while humming my favourite song was hurled out of the chimney the moment I hit the water. I had forgotten how aggressive and powerful the Pinoys were known for.</div>
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They may not rank up there in general population swimming speed, like some Ang Moh countries, but when it came to ferocity, they lost out to none. The front crawlers, both men and women, even those with sexy long legs, full rounded behinds and slim waists would hesitate little to slam their hands upon men of bigger built and claw their way forward stroke by stroke.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4429/36459072921_c30a5e95d9_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4429/36459072921_c30a5e95d9_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" id="id_3b7a_1030_126d_8db0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4429/36459072921_f026ae22f4_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the most stylish shots of our swimming Stella by ShutterSpeed.</td></tr>
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Up till this day I still maintained that this was my hardest-fought swim. </div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Normally in a swim leg, you will have a lot of people in the beginning and then as you swim everyone will start to space out and the crowd will thin out. But here there wasn't. The swimmers were together all the way,"</span></b></span> complained Jemmy.</div>
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I echoed his sentiments. Literally I was fighting on the left and right from the beginning till the end of the swim. Even fighting with those in front and behind me. I was constantly surrounded by swimmer who were out for my jugular.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Kheen doing the post-swim-run the most correct way - REALLY RUN! [Photo: Salt Fin]</td></tr>
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The ropes wth the yellow buoy marking the swim route were on our right side as we swam. And the narrow little space beside the continuous rope was the most sought-after real estate in the water on this day and any time I inched near the ropes, I would be grasped at and clawed. I kept looking at my watch to make sure no one kicked it off my wrist from its twistable bike mount.</div>
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Suddenly a girl kicked me in my goggles and my left side started becoming submarined with water. The marauding crowd surrounding me made me decide that I could live with mono-vision for the time being and continued for a long distance more.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I just kept away from the ropes,"</span></b></span> said Gerard after the race.<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> "There were so many people around the buoys."</b></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4360/36596915175_10f4589ee8_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4360/36596915175_10f4589ee8_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" id="id_30a_dcdf_3849_b021" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4360/36596915175_8507540717_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jemmy showing the James Bond way of posing for the camera straight out of the water. [Photo: Salt Fin]</td></tr>
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I totally lost my sense of rhythm, an important element on the swim leg, as I surged and slowed battle after battle. In my mind I was gleefully thanking my lucky stars that I was finally drafting behind people for a long distance.</div>
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But stupidly I did not realise that the ones in front were not having a swell time themselves. Unbeknown to us, the undercurrent was very strong on the return leg, i.e. after the U turn on the left side. That 850m stretch was head-current all the way. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4373/36596914695_c3ddd95261_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4373/36596914695_c3ddd95261_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" id="id_686b_951a_ac26_1b7" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4373/36596914695_965c8fd835_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cyrus taking 10 minutes off Stella's swim time. [Photo: Salt Fin]</td></tr>
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I was too focussed on pushing swimmers away that I must have failed to feel the resistance, expending much energy in the process.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wah lau.. when I made the right turn, the current actually pinned me against the big buoy,"</span></b></span> recalled Kong Wan retrospectively.</div>
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He was correct. I remembered at the end of the 850m stretch parallel to the shore, when I had to turn right, I kept being entangled in the deep ropes anchored from the big buoys to the seabed. Now thinking back I could understand this was all because of the strong current.</div>
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I remembered seeing a diver staring up at me from beneath one of these big buoys. It was after the race that we learned that a 47 year old Pinoy man actually suffered a heart attack and sank like a rock during the swim leg and had to be fished out by these divers. The poor man eventually didn't make it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4391/35761296594_db95103edd_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4391/35761296594_db95103edd_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" id="id_88c3_71ea_f7a3_fbca" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4391/35761296594_6d68f35248_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe and Raymond emerging together! They must have swum hand in hand. [Photo: Salt Fin]</td></tr>
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The home stretch back towards shore was really hard, this being that stretch when I felt the current most. Here the swimmer finally fanned out a little and I had none to draft behind, and the impact of the current hit me full in the face. The end was there but it was hard to progress. I believed it was also here that I may have zig-zagged a bit, leading to a final swim distance of 2300m for me- a crazy swim.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wah lau.. this swim I was so slow! Some more I got train for the swim one, not that I never train ok!" </span></b></span>Said Darric.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I am shocked to see my swim time so slow,"</span></b></span> complained Raymond later after the race.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I'm sure I swam more than 2300m!"</span></b></span> mulled a puzzled Cyrus much later. At least there was someone who swam the same distance as me.</blockquote>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I was straight like an arrow. My swim distance was 2000m,"</span></b></span> a happy Jemmy announced. </blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4405/36596915495_f22c3804c4_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4405/36596915495_f22c3804c4_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" id="id_7c52_aa8d_e0ad_23fa" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4405/36596915495_04df563d8e_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Kong emerging together. My eyes were so deeply imprinted by a pair of goggles kicked in by a strong Pinoy swimmer. [Photo: Salt Fin]</td></tr>
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Running out onto the shore, I heard someone calling me on my left. It was Kong Wan. What? We finished the swim together?</div>
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I took a glance at my watch and it read 1 hour 07 minutes.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"WTF!"</span></b></span> I said to Kong Wan, who responded with an equally puzzled look.</div>
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We swam so poorly meh? Cannot be leh. More than one hour leh!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4382/36459071361_5b100ecb3c_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4382/36459071361_5b100ecb3c_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" id="id_666f_139a_ca69_97b4" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4382/36459071361_42bdb3b1a8_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gerard wondering what happened to his watch timing. [Photo: Salt Fin]</td></tr>
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It turned out that our watches were correct. This one one helluva tough swim. And everyone suffered. Even Jemmy and Ann Khee , our competitive swimmers, swam one of their worst timings.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Hah nor! They all lah. Don't know how they choose one. It is full moon on race day, when the tides are going to be the strongest, but the organizers insisted that it is five days away from full moon," </span></b></span>complained Kong Wan afterwards.</div>
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They had to extend the swim leg for another 20 minutes to compensate for the strong current. But despite that, there were many behind who had to DNF.</div>
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I remembered one article that I read that emphasized on not running but merely jogging into T1, saving the legs. Winded as I was, I slowly made my way side by side with Kong Wan.<br />
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Coming into T1 I caught a glance of Gerard putting on his cycling shoes. Kong Wan plonked himself on the floor and started changing into his cycling attires. I could not, through my sheer tiredness, find the rest of the boys and girls. </div>
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I pushed the bike and ran off. This year luckily there wasn't a jam at the Ride Out exit. There were still quite a numbers of bikes in T1. That possibly explained why. I must have escaped the traffic jam.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">VI</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">DE</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">:</span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">Cebu</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> 06</span> - Transition one and cycle away!</b></span></div>
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Getting out of T1 was a breeze but I totally forgot that right out if T1 is an upslope. Jiaklat. I hopped onto my bike and the next thing the right shoes fell off the pedal! One of the marshalls called out to me to be careful. I had no choice but to hold onto my bike and pushed back to retrieve my shoes and wore it and mount. Silly. There went my stylish Out-of-T1 photo.</div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Cycle Leg</span></b></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4398/36428387812_3cf4b8df70_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4398/36428387812_3cf4b8df70_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="800" height="422" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4398/36428387812_70f20d2542_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jemmy negotiating the upslope and downslope right out of T1. [Photo: Sherrie]</td></tr>
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The road out of T1, the <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4344/35787387993_1b6e6543e0_o.jpg" target="_blank">M L Quezon National Highway </a>(which in
every practical aspect was jut a small kampong road) had quite poor road
conditions- uneven ground especially towards the edge of the road. I
kept as much as I could away from the side of the road. But since the
first part of my ride leg I was lucky to be doing a bit of over-taking, I
was on the left (over-taking) lane quite a bit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4338/36428387762_0886575afe_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4338/36428387762_0886575afe_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="800" height="422" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4338/36428387762_48fbb95516_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles forgot to flip his Visor down, right out of T1. [Photo: Sherrie]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4402/36342509390_970c4838bb_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4402/36342509390_970c4838bb_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4402/36342509390_8033547503_b.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kong Wan demonstrating how to cycle up the upslope immediately out of T1<br />
without dropping the cycling shoes. [Photo: Official FinishePix]</td></tr>
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My thighs weren't really warmed up yet. I couldn't push my speed up and I resorted to just spinning and trying to bring my stubborn heart rate down. I managed to maintain an average speed of about 30km/h up till Mactan Bridge.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4396/35640774264_fab09360a0_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4396/35640774264_fab09360a0_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="800" height="456" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4396/35640774264_537ee5395d_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Kheen down the MacTan Bridge. [Photo: Reynan Opada]</td></tr>
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Now that I begun to settle into the bike, the effects of the swim started creeping in. The bike leg for me had traditionally been a time for reckoning. The adrenaline rush before and after the swim would have worn off, leaving me with two-thirds (if I am lucky, three-quarter) of my petrol tank. I have learned to follow what many long distance triathletes do: the bike leg is the time to settle down and start feeding yourself. My standard therapy was 400 Calories of gels an hour, and about one litre of either plain water or isotonic drinks an hour. This has served me well for all my races.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4390/35640769074_3de4db1a8f_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4390/35640769074_3de4db1a8f_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="800" height="456" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4390/35640769074_339ecb28d0_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella taking getting ready to overtake a train in front of her. [Photo: Reynan Opada]</td></tr>
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I have often marvelled how my other much fitter friends like Ann Kheen and Stella survived with minimal nutrition for a 70.3 race. Ann Kheen himself would consumed not more than 4 gels (total of 400 Calories) for the whole race. That, to me, was a feat in itself. I couldn't. I would bonk.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4415/36428388072_c5de46bab0_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4415/36428388072_c5de46bab0_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="800" height="422" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4415/36428388072_3363cc28e6_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darric showing the Ang Moh in front his real colours. [Photo: Salt Fin]</td></tr>
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The <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4337/36418302066_0dde8fe029_k.jpg" target="_blank">MacTan bridge came,</a> 10km into the ride. It was no longer as formidable as it seemed compared to my first race in Cebu last year. This year with myself on the TTiR I was a little more confident and was ready for all the notorious headwinds of Cebu. But for MacTan bridge, I knew my strategies. I started changing down my gears and slow down to about 11km/h, keeping a close eye on my power meter, while around me many cyclists were mashing their way up the steep upslope, frantically panting, their bikes creaking beneath them under the force of their pedalling. I have learned from Ann Kheen to just relax and let them go, while I focussed on not flooding my thighs. This is merely the beginning. There were more milestones to cover. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4439/35640769894_c932c09371_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4439/35640769894_c932c09371_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="800" height="456" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4439/35640769894_780d65296b_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kong Wan spotting the Sky Team's midline stripe Bambino, a model that gives free watttage. [Photo: Reynan Opada]</td></tr>
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A left turn after the MacTan bridge and I found myself lost in my own panting along Ouano Road. This year we were kinda lucky. The headwind was definitely not as strong as the previous year, perhaps in someway Upstair's consolation for dishing us a punishing swim leg. I settled into a nice rhythm, and a nice speed around 28-29km/h with the resistance from the wind, making myself as small as possible in the headwind out towards Talisay. I was lucky this year, the part with the upslope and headwind only brought my speed down to the mid-teens instead of the sub-teens during last year's race. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4362/36444703886_23e71a3e0d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4362/36444703886_23e71a3e0d_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4362/36444703886_9e8b35e62c_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cyrus in one of his stylish turn. [Photo: Babsu Babsi]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4384/35631267414_96318e7415_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4384/35631267414_96318e7415_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4384/35631267414_cf369b39e7_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cyrus looking very stylish in his set up. [Photo: Yosores]</td></tr>
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At about 18km into the bike leg, the famous tunnel of 1km engulfed us. I meticulously turned on my front blinking bright light just before the tunnel, so that I illuminated the part of the road in front of me throughout that 1km, and turned it off after I emerged from the dark tunnel. I literally did this four times, each time I encountered the tunnel on the way out and back.</div>
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Did I feel I would have needed the light, in retrospect? Thinking back, my frank answer to myself was... heck it. No need the light. Just let the eyes accommodate. Otherwise though it was safer, the turning on and off of the front white light was troublesome.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4396/35640771984_c26ec1194c_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4396/35640771984_c26ec1194c_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="800" height="456" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4396/35640771984_94209f07cd_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gerard showing how to spell F I E R C E. [Photo: Reynan Opada]</td></tr>
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Riding along Cebu South Coastal Road I saw really nothing much in terms of scenery. This was just a highway. Apart from hot tarmac and gasping cyclists, I saw nothing else more. The water stations came and went. More than well-supported by not only the official volunteers but also 'unofficial' volunteers not in uniform, holding bottles of purple water which I could not identify, definitely not the official Gatorades. I found one such bottle in my hand passed by a man in plain shorts and t-shirts, definitely not an official supporter, and after scrutinising it, I threw it away. Could not risk to just gulp.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4417/36550624796_36a63efc09_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4417/36550624796_36a63efc09_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="800" height="422" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4417/36550624796_abb9610754_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jemmy giving a positive demonstration how to climb upslope in the aero position. [Photo: Salt Fin]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4362/35928919003_ec453c3091_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4362/35928919003_ec453c3091_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4362/35928919003_568533dbeb_b.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kong Wan looking relaxed. [Photo: Official FinsherPix]</td></tr>
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U-turning three times, I was finally on the final return leg of the ride, with the tailwind behind me. Just before the third and final U turn at Talisay, I called out as I spotted Anabel on the bike as I passed her on her left. After the U-turn she overtook me and I never saw her again. At the 69km mark, I was attempting to overtake a shapely Pinoy lady called 'HONEY' on her floral multicoloured tri-suit. As I called out to Honey <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>'On your left!'</b></span> someone shouted at me from behind. Apparently this someone was trying to over take me on my left.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4419/35656063563_1939e89f66_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4419/35656063563_1939e89f66_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4419/35656063563_40c726e678_b.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yours truly on MacTan Bridge. [Photo: Official Finisherpix]</td></tr>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Sorry,"</span></b></span> I apologised and kept right. Then I saw, zipping past me, Raymond on the bike. <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Raymond ah, you!"</span></span></b> I called out to him. He turned back but didn't see me, and continued on his way. This fellow was really fast on the bike.</blockquote>
At 74km mark, I saw Darric on my right as I tried hard to past him. It was not easy because he was going at quite a speed.. This Darric never made my cycling easy for me. Haha...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4341/36336723110_5771371524_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4341/36336723110_5771371524_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="800" height="442" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4341/36336723110_827e6baa5d_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles in the superfast (left) lane. [Photp: Salt Fin]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4382/36472201351_a2ffd1d0c4_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4382/36472201351_a2ffd1d0c4_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4382/36472201351_5530d1aff5_b.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles. [Photo: Official Finisherpix]</td></tr>
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My heart rate for this ride wasn't ideal. I couldn't explain why. Must average power wasn't high, and my average speed was really a measly 28km/h. But my heart rate was in the mid 140's zone. Often I pulled myself back so that I would not jack up the heart rate. Otherwise I would only stand to suffer. Thus, with a total bike leg of 3 hours 9 minutes, I dare not complain. It could have been better, but at the expense of a run weaker than it already was.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">VI</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">DE</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">:</span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">Cebu</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> 07</span> - Hammering it out on the cycle leg</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Run Leg</span></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4365/35787876954_78562605c0_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4365/35787876954_78562605c0_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4365/35787876954_f47679005f_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Kheen on the Punta Engano road. [Photo: ShutterSpeed]</td></tr>
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The Cebuano sun forgave no one except the most heat-seasoned Phillipino triathletes. Fatigue described my state as I dismounted, too tired to even do the fly dismount thingy. <br />
Memories of last year's suffering came flooding. The run out through the gravel road radiating infrared energy upwards was most uncomfortable.<br />
This year was no exception.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4340/35631268244_18c0589ec8_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4340/35631268244_18c0589ec8_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4340/35631268244_8bc2cfd72b_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles was really Zoned-out. [Photo: Yosores]</td></tr>
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I forced a smile to start myself off on the run leg, the new Hoka One One Clifton 4 securely on my feet and feeling light. On the last stretch of the ride leg I was desperately searching for a pee-ing point. But there wasn't any to be found. The supporters pointed to a private toilet across the whole breadth of the Cebu Coastal Highway and I ditched that idea, choosing to hold my urine until I arrived at T2.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4342/35787386923_e89700fb15_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4342/35787386923_e89700fb15_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4342/35787386923_c7df4d400f_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jemmy 'in the zone'. [Photo: ShutterSpeed]</td></tr>
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Now running out of T2 my bladder was protesting. I spied a male participant running behind a row of zinc fence just behind a van and I followed him. There we relieved ourselves and cheekily smiled at each other. Luckily there wasn't any marshalls, otherwise that could have spelled the end of my race.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36623132555_7d3162188d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36623132555_7d3162188d_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36623132555_6c1b1983e8_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annabel on the run. This elusive Annabel, could not find her one. [Photo: ShutterSpeed]</td></tr>
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This Punta Engano Road was the thoroughfare through the town. We often referred to it as the village, though technically it was larger than a village. The rows of small brick houses and shops, punctuated by boutique hotels and restaurants and eateries on each side of Punta Engano Road were fronted by another layer of one of the most enthusiastic local crowds in the Asian circuit. Old toothless grandfathers seated on short stools, Mothers feeding rice to toddlers, young children jumping and running up and down the road shouting for 'chocolat!', long-haired young men in groups sauntering and calling out each athlete's name on his/her bib...<br />
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I forgot how much I enjoyed this crowd. The trees lining each side of the road afforded the runners shades that embraced us like a sudden downpour of cool air. Wai Meng's words came back into my mind:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Keep in the shades as much as you can</span></b></span>". And I did.</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4424/36229478380_30817e5eed_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4424/36229478380_30817e5eed_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4424/36229478380_1d093e3b00_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella in intense concentration. [Photo: Salt Fin]</td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I was very happy that I ran a very good negative split on the run,"</span></b></span> exclaimed an excited Stella afterwards.</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4436/36321044801_ad6143ccaa_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4436/36321044801_ad6143ccaa_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4436/36321044801_f71c390bdc_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flamboyance at its most colourful was Cyrus. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
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The first 2km was tough. My legs were not in running mode yet. So I simply smiled and shuffled in small steps, mind zoomed-in onto the first water station at the 2km mark. The welcoming shade made me loads happier and a genuine sense of happiness actually pervaded. I reached out and high-five many of the giggling and screaming children along the way. My pace was a terrible 9min/km. I kept being over-taken by runner of all shapes and sizes, men and women. Even those who I thought I could try to follow eventually pulled away from me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4368/36659176665_7e65a86e0a_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4368/36659176665_7e65a86e0a_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4368/36659176665_5cc5925466_b.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe on the run, cleverly taking the shade. [Photo: Salt Fin]</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4416/36612812856_e306aec241_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4416/36612812856_e306aec241_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4416/36612812856_97ba3ab3eb_b.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raymond still wondering where he got overtaken on the run.<br />
[Photo: Salt Fin]</td></tr>
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At the 2km water station I was so glad to see Gerard.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Gerard!"</b></span></span> I called out. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Hey, wah.. "</span></b></span> he called back.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Man, this is damn shagged,"</span></b></span> I said.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Hey.. you don't have to follow me, just go at your own pace."</b></span></span> this gentleman reminded me. I could never thanked Gerard enough. He literally paced me the whole run in our first Busselton 70.3, a favour that I would forever be indebted to him. On this day, my legs found a little bit more petrol left in my tank, and were eager to utilise them.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Don't worry, Gerard," </span></b></span>I said. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I need to rest my legs a little. Let's just run together for a little while ok?"</span></b></span></blockquote>
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And it was Busselton all over again for me, enjoying pounding the road with Gerard. At the 4km water station I saw Gerard for one more time, he was pouring cold water over his head. I asked the volunteers to drop ice cubes down the back of my tri suit and I grabbed a handful of ice and capped them over my head with my running cap. Instant air-con these were. And happiness welled up in me again. It was strange how a drop in core body temperature could elevate one's mood. Perhaps that explains why the Eskimos are such a happy bunch of people.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4422/35623087144_fa8d5cbb2b_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4422/35623087144_fa8d5cbb2b_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4422/35623087144_1f4baa3e26_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our supporting wives... getting bored waiting for all of us to return from our race.. A very very tough job they had.</td></tr>
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I hadn't found my running leg yet. The nice shaded run through the crowded part of town lasted 4.5km. After that we made a left turn into the first of two loops, one small and one big. These were the not-so-enjoyable parts. Because the next 4km would take us out into the barren part of the peninsula, high-rise modern condominium with tree-less open roads, exposing us to the savagery of the scorching sun. I remembered I hated this part just as much last round.<br />
Somehow this time, the feeling of agony was not so pronounced. My pace was nowhere near respectable, but I just had to continue to shuffle.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Use your big muscles to run!"</span></b></span> Wai Meng's words resonated in my subconscious mind. And my neurons kept firing the gluteus.</blockquote>
Along the way, I saw some of our team members running in the returning opposite direction - Ann Kheen, Charles, Jemmy, <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4431/35623091494_0424dca31e_k.jpg" target="_blank">Almeric</a>, Kong Wan, Stella and Darric. I could not find the rest of the boys and girls - did not see Cyrus, Joe, William, PL nor Raymond. Understandably with 2700 participants, it would be next to impossible to spot everyone. Our supporting wives found it difficult to get out to be along Punta Engano Road, neither did I feel that it would be advisable for them to do so. <br />
<br />
I tried calling out to each and every one of them.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Ann Kheen!"</span></b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Francis, I love you!"</span></b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Jemmy, hey bro!"</span></b></span> and Jemmy ran over and gave me a high-five.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Kong Wan, wah you home run already! </span></b></span>(That is fast!)<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"</span></b></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4437/36342503200_7a0f2ee6bd_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4437/36342503200_7a0f2ee6bd_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4437/36342503200_9491e578a7_b.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Official Finisherpix]</td></tr>
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I think Kong Wan must have gotten tired of holding his rafia thread and decided to sling it around his neck on the home run.<br />
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<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4334/36596267022_8324943fd2_o.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4334/36596267022_8324943fd2_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4334/36596267022_de84410367_b.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Stella!"</span></b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Darric!"</span></b></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4405/35931781864_fe7daf069a_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4405/35931781864_fe7daf069a_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4405/35931781864_54af03dd17_b.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Salt Fin</td></tr>
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That kept me going, looking out for our boys and girls. Prior to this race I had been reading about this thing called Runner's 'Zone' or 'The Flow'. Jemmy was the first person to drum this idea into my head in Busselton a few months ago. And since then I have learned that this 'Zone' thing was a big thing - it could make one keep running effortlessly forever (apparently). But it was not something that one could force it upon oneself. It had to be natural, and naturally allowed to suddenly dawn upon the legs. Sadly, even up till the 14km mark, I still hadn't found my legs. With 7km left to go, I decided to heck it and just stop high-fiving the children and<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4389/36612812536_6fc1a9b7c7_o.jpg" target="_blank"> just focussed on my run</a>. Seeing the way Jemmy ran in the opposite directly, in his own rhythm and totally enjoying it, brings me the inspiration to try my best to emulate him.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Big muscles, big muscles..."</span></b></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">VI</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">DE</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">:</span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">Cebu</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> 08</span> - The Run Leg</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Crossing the Finishing Line</span></b></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4409/36441615632_a393b3b6fc_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4409/36441615632_a393b3b6fc_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="450" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4409/36441615632_e029e8658f_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William quiet quiet showed the way to cross the line. [Photo: William]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
14km became 15km. 15km became 16km. The last 5km took me into the
left curvy wurvy road back into my comfort zone - the shady Punta
Engano. The roar and whistling of the cheering crowd came as sweet
music to my ear drums. It was really a wonder how these lovely people
could be there for the whole few hours just to cheer a bunch of crazy
people panting their lungs out. I read not long ago an inspiring article about triathlon. It state:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"It's all about putting one determined foot in front of the other."</span></b></span></blockquote>
Indeed. That was my mantra for this race - one determined foot in front of the other.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4368/36418300866_5a9c26fbdb_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4368/36418300866_5a9c26fbdb_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4368/36418300866_b41ca8b0df_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the zone. [Photo: Official FinisherPix]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">"Chocolat!"</span></b></span> shouted some children.</blockquote>
I
fingered my back pocket and found two strips of Clif Bloks still
untouched. I had 2km more to go and it was home-run all the way. I
threw them both the gels and the happy kids jumped and ran for them.
This was also one of my favourite parts of the event. I finally found
myself some rhythm, if I could even term it 'Zone', and listened to just
my own panting as music.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4385/36459070911_b94a8d17d0_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4385/36459070911_b94a8d17d0_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4385/36459070911_d06b50808f_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles showing the difference between the 'Can' and the 'Cannot' [Photo: Salt Fin]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4383/36564147506_20aff4e50e_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4383/36564147506_20aff4e50e_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4383/36564147506_618103d8d2_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles AWA-ing towards the finishing. [Official FinisherPix]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
One memorable moment was
somewhere at the last 1km part. One of the female marshalls on the
route called out to me with all her intensity:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Block the pain. BLOCK THE PAIN!"</span></b></span></blockquote>
Wow. This encouragement really did the job. Block-The-Pain! And just let my legs carry me home.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4346/36061231060_a16e7d6bdf_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4346/36061231060_a16e7d6bdf_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="545" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4346/36061231060_712d98bd5c_b.jpg" width="436" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even at the last 200m Stella was fully focussed. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4370/36321048481_11c47b3aed_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4370/36321048481_11c47b3aed_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4370/36321048481_5eb677aaf2_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jemmy showing the BEST way to pose on the last 200m, or anywhere.<br />
[Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Dar, Dar!"</span></b></span> Serene saw me at the <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4368/35622943324_bb2f90a0c0_k.jpg" target="_blank">last 200m.</a> <b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;">"You want me to run with you?"</span></span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Dar! No need. I will cross myself!"</span></b></span></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4441/36458056695_705e5e76e5_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4441/36458056695_705e5e76e5_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="552" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4441/36458056695_7d5974fcbd_b.jpg" width="440" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raymond couldn't hide his joy 200m from the finishing, though he still<br />
didn't know where he got overtaken on the run. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And
crossed the finishing line I did. My timing was an improvement from
last year's. And at the finishing line, I felt that I still had some
petrol left in the tank. That was the kind of sensation that I was
hoping to emulate what Charles and Ann Kheen experienced in Busselton.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4412/35656061773_bb6f76c4f4_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4412/35656061773_bb6f76c4f4_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="532" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4412/35656061773_bb6f76c4f4_k.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fat fat cross the finishing line. [Photo: Official FinisherPix]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4338/36289825172_2d3b8479d1_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4338/36289825172_2d3b8479d1_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="562" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4338/36289825172_6ecf9727a5_b.jpg" width="448" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annabel showing her true colours as an Ironman. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4360/36289692452_a66b5c73fd_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4360/36289692452_a66b5c73fd_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="541" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4360/36289692452_226aef3154_b.jpg" width="432" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darric conserved too much energy such that at the end he had to resort to<br />
doing jumps all the way to the finishing line. [Photo: Serene]</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4424/35928909883_b4f26ab73a_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4424/35928909883_b4f26ab73a_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="532" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4424/35928909883_487f12b507_b.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such happiness in Kong Wan's face as he got ready to cross the line. <br />
[Photo: Official FinisherPix]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Didn't you all see the station with the massage cream and the therapists? I went in each time I came across them and had them massage my cramps away!"</b></span></span> Kong Wan was so impressed.</blockquote>
<br />
I was pleased with my own performance. Though nowhere close to what many of my stronger teammates achieved, I was satisfied. The kerb side was inviting, sitting with my legs outstretched beside a couple of Pinoy racers. We struck a conversation and he told me about the death in the swim leg.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4348/36321043581_e3724a1b6d_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4348/36321043581_e3724a1b6d_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4348/36321043581_4a284e5ccd_b.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Chris]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4362/35623095774_ceb83684b3_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4362/35623095774_ceb83684b3_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4362/35623095774_3ae48332c3_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best way to have a photo taken at the end - with the children! [Photo: Chris]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As I sat, Chua Boon Keat walked towards me and we congratulated each other. He did a great 7 hour 13 minutes. Better than my timing. He was really impressive. Despite his being away from racing for a long time he still did a respectable timing. Poh Chuan came soon after that.<br />
Surprisingly a familiar figure plonked himself and sat beside me. It was Lim Eng Khoon, my seasoned Ironman Doctor friend.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wah lau.. this was such a shitty race!"</span></b></span> was his first words. <span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">"My swim was terrible, and my run was bad."</span></b></span> </blockquote>
I could understand his sentiment. For a seasoned racer who does a 5 minute pace for a 21km run, he might have been not in form today. I was sweaty and tired. There was no sight of Serene. Gerard, PL and Darric already started back towards their rooms. The really great thing was the finishing point was a short walk to the Transition area. Cirus, Stella and I strolled to grab our bikes and I found a happy Jemmy to take a wefie at the entrance to T1. This fellow has already showered and was on his way to the post race meal area.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4378/36462927705_b3af0cc7ea_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4378/36462927705_b3af0cc7ea_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4378/36462927705_e0ec38d24f_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jemmy had already showered and changed and ready to makan. [Photo: Jemmy]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4428/36417165496_437bd16693_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4428/36417165496_437bd16693_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4428/36417165496_5e17e19e72_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darric was clever. By coming back to the transition earlier to collect his bike, he could go back and shower and rest. <br />
[Photo: Jemmy]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Alamak! I didn't know once they chopped on your wrist you can only enter once. I tried to enter but they didn't allow me to until I gave them some excuse,"</b></span></span> laughed Jemmy later.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Hey we still got to cycle 5km back to our hotel leh!"</b></span></span> complained Cyrus and Stella. That was quite true, what they said. Man, I was really glad that my lazy bum didn't have to do that post race.</blockquote>
What my lazy and fatigued body could do was to slowly stumble back to the hotel room and sat in the shower bath, and let water run all over me.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>POST RACE LECHON DINNER!</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4364/36289689302_2ba64dd907_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4364/36289689302_2ba64dd907_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4364/36289689302_a6f76affb3_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The participants.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Gerard really outdone himself. His ex-nurse booked us a buffet dinner at this Marina Seaview restaurant and they prepared two specially roasted lechons for us - one spicy and one non-spicy. A sumptuous reward well-deserved. I didn't think anyone that evening would bat an eyelid grabbing second, third and fourth servings of the lechon with the crispy skin.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">VI</span><span style="color: #fff2cc;">DE</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span></span><span style="color: yellow;">:</span> <span style="color: #f4cccc;">Cebu</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"> 09</span> - The End of Another 70.3</b></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" id="id_f653_ed1b_6408_516d" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jpwe8f7hHqk?rel=0" width="853"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4395/36412344176_ddd1db6ced_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4395/36412344176_ddd1db6ced_k.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4395/36412344176_65d0c932e7_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everybody!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Conclusion</span></b></span><br />
<br />
I think, for me, Cebu will always have a special place in my heart. It is an unbeatable venue for a 70.3 - its warm climate, its waters, its relatively flat and fast bike leg. Most of all, its people of all ages. Their genuine service and genuine warmth make the race so much more enjoyable.<br />
Will I go back to Cebu to race this 70.3 again? My answer is an affirmative. Compared to Putrajaya or Bintan, the weather though similar in many way, this Cebu race ranks several notches above because of Cebuano hospitality and great organisation, and great support from the local government. But I will go back when I am better-trained. Like my training partners always say:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4442/36570220652_c728cda856_o.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4442/36570220652_c728cda856_o.jpg" border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="800" height="402" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4442/36570220652_e7a3dc205f_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: yellow;"><b>TILL THE NEXT RACE!</b></span></span><br />
<br /></div>
Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7876384274975612531.post-66006432102106556042017-05-04T07:40:00.000-07:002017-05-16T23:49:01.689-07:00 Busselton Ironman 70.3 - 2017<div>
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>... Of Tong Geng, of giddy spells, and of Sharks.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b>~ The story of Busselton Ironman 70.3 [4th - 10th May 2017]</b></span><br />
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_9d5a_e256_6e0d_8bb9" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/05/busselton-ironman-703-2017.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="240" id="id_e722_1404_331_854" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4189/34413195061_f0544496bb_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 320px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://memoirofadoctor.blogspot.sg/2017/05/busselton-ironman-703-2017.html" target="_blank">The Busseltonians post-race</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Pushing
boundaries and breaking limits are characteristics defining human
nature. And that explains why a bunch of otherwise perfectly normal
(and sane) middle-aged Singaporeans set foot on the shores of Busselton
beach to prove to themselves that they are still deserving of the title
of a Half-Ironman.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_2e49_bf40_d94b_81b4" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4155/34425753261_e0cdaef918_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4155/34425753261_e0cdaef918_o.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_442b_5980_f0e9_bdb4" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4155/34425753261_9ff3f661b9_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arriving at Changi Airport for our 7:40am SQ flight to Perth. [Photo: Jemmy]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
Like what Ann Kheen says: <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"</span></b></span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>You want to call
yourself a Half-Ironman, you got to renew that title annually.
Otherwise you can only be called an ex-Half-Ironman." </b></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_3cca_195_dc1c_7e9b" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4190/34380323022_c0d23aef7e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4190/34380323022_c0d23aef7e_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_766a_6229_81d2_23f1" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4190/34380323022_94f1c314b5_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gerard's new toy- the DJI Gimbal head.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_19be_ae58_a3c6_de59" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4192/34539185715_ac95e38639_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4192/34539185715_ac95e38639_k.jpg" border="0" height="640" id="id_610e_fdb6_2f3d_27cf" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4192/34539185715_b19e7a09cc_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For the first time, the flight to Perth was so empty it was as though we chartered the whole<br />
plane for ourselves. We could sit wherever we wanted!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Busselton
70.3. The very name itself conjures a magical scene of fine wine, good
food, great weather, warm hospitality and most importantly, a smashing
race.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Why do you keep going back to Busselton to
do the 70.3?"</b></span></span> asked Charles of me. To which my answer was <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"because of
the beautiful weather and fast course, and most of all, the atmosphere
of the event - the whole town, old and young, is genuinely out to support the
participants. I love the warm, wholesome feel of the race."</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_6e4_b028_a45_3cca" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4188/34407603161_8f71e748c8_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4188/34407603161_8f71e748c8_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_9f9b_3a69_ae0b_d00f" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4188/34407603161_18ab08e817_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kia Carnival new model was really smooth and steady.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This
was the biggest contingent ever from Team EvoLV to Busselton. Somehow
reality was such - the demands of life meant that not everyone of us had
the chance to train as much nor as hard as he would like. A few were
fully prepared. Several commenced their training programs just as others started tapering. While for the rest, their training schedules were
somehow out of sync with the racing calendar.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"My training program consisted mostly of nutritional training,"</span></b></span> such wisdom from Darric. His secrets were Pek Kio mee pok amongst many other secret recipes.</div>
</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_48e5_7281_5c4c_ac71" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4168/34494114526_e39aafd7dc_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4168/34494114526_e39aafd7dc_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_4fc9_4848_6dc7_a2fb" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4168/34494114526_c65089df9b_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mabo-ness defined this very moment.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
All of us arrived in Perth in varying states of preparedness and varying states of wellness. Not everyone was 101% fit like Jemmy. Some were recovering from recent flu, and some were about to catch some bugs, while others were already suffering the dizzying effects of certain viruses. Somehow on starting the engine of the Kia Carnival, I had a feeling that this was going to be quite an eventful trip, to what extent I simply could not fathom. But looking back, I was very impressed by how each and everyone dealt with his bodily discomfort and aligned his mind to the monumentous task of finishing the race.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Busselton Guesthouse </span></b></span></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34420785731_e56de31ceb_k.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34420785731_e56de31ceb_k.jpg" border="0" id="id_1af7_ab5a_dbd2_119a" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34420785731_d0d5955413_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 768px;" /></a>Our host Mike
was just as welcoming as ever. For the first time our convoy of three
cars arrived around 5pm on <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>Thursday, the 4th May 2017</b></span>.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"It's
lovely to see you all again!"</span></b></span> the pony-tailed giant welcomed in his
deep, booming voice. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"You guys booked all the rooms except for one. So
you literally have the whole guesthouse to yourselves."</span></b></span> Well, that was
the idea.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_b8ad_67b6_99eb_fe5" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4172/34377737712_1e43ccc369_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4172/34377737712_1e43ccc369_k.jpg" border="0" id="id_1bff_ca41_b621_74b4" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4172/34377737712_cfabd00bf8_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 1024px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner at Vasse. Alamak.. Gerard must have gone to order beer lah.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dinner at <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Vasse</b></span> a kilometre away filled
our stomachs with the huge portions of steaks and fish. The weather was
<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4180/34394518052_6fe7f7e838_h.jpg" target="_blank">somewhat milder</a> this year compared to the previous two. The forecast
of the temperature for race day was consistent with the warmer trend, to
our consolation, though personally I would prefer a couple of degrees
colder.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_4d50_3518_168d_b9ef" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4168/33726056503_ffa199b2d2_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4168/33726056503_ffa199b2d2_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_7e7c_471d_2442_e1ce" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4168/33726056503_a8d6e9090f_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys noticed the immediate rejuvenation of Ann Kheen upon laying hands on his beloved bike. "Hey, how come you<br />
got no more neck pain liao ah?" noticed an observant Gerard very soon after we started assembling our bikes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_d56a_9645_8d47_7b45" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4194/34394662932_9b184537c6_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4194/34394662932_9b184537c6_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_f530_73ee_78cf_4b2f" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4194/34394662932_19b55feb8f_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darric's bike assembly was the swiftest. This good man had his music at full blast. That must have been his secret.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_1da5_1722_b6e_148b" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4160/34514700746_749031bd14_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4160/34514700746_749031bd14_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_7905_462f_dcb2_1105" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4160/34514700746_99a84d168a_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Alamak! PL's front wheel inner tube puncture liao! Any one got extra inner tube?" asked Gerard.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I always found it amazing to be among these
good people in assembling our bikes because it was always fun and not
without troubles. This round with seven bicycles strewn all around the
patio at the back, we made quite a racket enjoying ourselves. I believed Mike foresaw that seven bicycles would really mess up his pool room and thus cleverly assigned the <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/33713245104_42585ebff1_k.jpg" target="_blank">patio at the backyard</a> for the storage of the bike cases and for us to assemble and disassemble the machines.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
Jemmy
was the most relaxed. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"</span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Wow you opened your bike case and just stared
at it for a good 15 minutes,"</span></b></span> said Gerard. </div>
</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_9d5b_fc27_c192_b504" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4156/33708203364_eed11cdb07_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4156/33708203364_eed11cdb07_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_1f9d_ed05_c3d8_b2f0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4156/33708203364_0602fdd6a6_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jemmy staring at his opened bike case for 15 minutes. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Personally I believed Jemmy was simply quietly calculating the fastest and easiest way to get his cockpit and seat post connected to the bike frame, a troublesome burden that was taken off his mind when the ever-helpful Charles gave a hand.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_79c5_b581_8dfd_1023" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/34376417762_6f5d15d18e_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/34376417762_6f5d15d18e_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_4387_3cdd_f8dd_2e" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/34376417762_c92344692d_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles about to throw down his own bike to go across and make the calculation for Jemmy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_7c15_643b_eb9d_df12" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4181/33727401903_a48a5d40a1_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4181/33727401903_a48a5d40a1_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_91c6_d445_f91f_fa9b" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4181/33727401903_0b086dd937_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Ann Kheen]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Every
year there were bound to be some technical difficulties during the bikes
assembly and this year was no exception. The special way Jemmy's
Specialized rear derailleur mounted gave the group quite a bit of
headache. And PL's F10 front and rear brake levers were clamping the wheels tightly.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_1262_a3d_7d0b_9fa3" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4193/33693851144_00705abe21_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4193/33693851144_00705abe21_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_cab3_ed89_97d9_9ed5" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4193/33693851144_1f4b72e788_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hey, how come your rear fork the catch faces the back one ah?" we all wondered of Jemmy's bike.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_fe83_63ff_99e2_1a03" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4176/34539181595_813932011a_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4176/34539181595_813932011a_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_eff2_9879_fbb9_17c9" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4176/34539181595_7b2ce7a385_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Ok you guys just have to trust me," said Ann Kheen. "Darric you hold the brake clamps steady while I release the cables."<br />
And his technical shrewdness opened up the unaligned brake pads.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_c71f_f231_abf2_a697" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4176/34389756942_da59cb3026_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4176/34389756942_da59cb3026_k.jpg" border="0" id="id_f09b_749a_c94e_d6a2" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4176/34389756942_a90dcde587_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 1024px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our bikes all ready to go to sleep while we went to bed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Can we really leave the bikes here in the open patio? Really meh?"</span></b></span> we asked Mike.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
With a wave of his hand, he replied: <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Just leave 'em there. They will be safe."</span></b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Well, I have a lock here.. let me try to lock 3 or 4 bikes together,"</span></b></span> after living 16 years in Melbourne, Charles definitely knew Australians better than any of us.</blockquote>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Test ride</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>7am. Friday, 5th May 2017.</b></span></span></div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span>D<span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span><span style="color: #93c47d;">:</span></span> Click below to watch our test ride!</b></span></i></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vK-eJgh7Ljo?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="853"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_a131_62cc_c382_eb4e" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/33713245104_42585ebff1_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/33713245104_42585ebff1_k.jpg" border="0" id="id_3175_2d9c_273c_5250" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/33713245104_dd68a17f35_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 1024px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I woke up and opened the back door of my room to check if the bikes were still there. They were all still safe and sound.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The boys were up early to prepare for the ride. Charles was ever so systematic. Checking the forecast he noted that it may rain soon.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Let's do the ride quickly before the rain comes,"</b></span></span> I said.</blockquote>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4159/34421148461_e92051de5e_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4159/34421148461_e92051de5e_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_f692_2f62_a1aa_cf3f" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4159/34421148461_1a4f8f611b_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_7f97_6590_e49a_27a9" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4159/34156119100_1b27c0fbb6_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4159/34156119100_1b27c0fbb6_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_d774_eac8_8f33_8445" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4159/34156119100_bd092fd12a_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gerard was very careful to be wearing an outer jacket to keep himself warm for the test ride.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_480f_8867_267f_d57d" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4193/33693858804_b98e8094ad_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4193/33693858804_b98e8094ad_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_3cad_79a2_f87b_7bce" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4193/33693858804_372b3b14fa_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"These KASK tri helmet can only be used in such weather," said Charles and Ann Kheen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"It's
good to do a test ride,"</span></b></span> said Gerard. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Because we need to make sure
that our bikes work properly after the transport and the assembly."</b></span></span></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_205e_1e97_70e4_8979" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34555852045_061425af85_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34555852045_061425af85_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_af6b_2706_a8a0_99e0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34555852045_7f54a56038_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darric was really feeling very cold this morning.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wah lau eh.. it's so cold,"</span></b></span> exclaimed Darric. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"My fingers are all frozen."</b></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
Mine
too. The <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4191/33696703354_b2656661e7_h.jpg" id="id_638e_37da_12a9_6e97" target="_blank">8 degrees Celsius morning</a> breeze tore through my digits as our
bikes followed the actual race course along Marine Terrace, and out
along Layman Road towards <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4156/33697777244_ef64e1c919_k.jpg" target="_blank">Ludlow forest</a>. The feeling of shiok-ness came
back to me as my body started to warm up, though I could not deny that I
was still cold-fingered at the end of the ride.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_8bcd_39ab_b3a0_f0c4" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4180/33697563654_363e954f87_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4180/33697563654_363e954f87_o.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_1343_24f0_600e_53ee" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4180/33697563654_f058f23ba8_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hey, Wee How... your TT position seems to be still very high leh," observed Ann Kheen. [Here a lovely shot<br />
of yours truly by Charles as I cycled behind him.]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_f4fb_c53_9b01_131" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4157/33697049074_c3086e50a7_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4157/33697049074_c3086e50a7_o.jpg" border="0" height="640" id="id_b0ba_cd57_57f3_b675" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4157/33697049074_cb2d65f7c2_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the car park just before the turn. [Photo: Charles]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_b6f4_6abc_e9d3_500d" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4181/34413179061_8f4a02c9fb_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4181/34413179061_8f4a02c9fb_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_b330_62d_bf69_8c30" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4181/34413179061_be15cb0cec_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the entrance to Ludlow forest at Tuart Drive.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_1d7a_8c85_4a4a_303e" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/33713093254_1c4c4a9487_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/33713093254_1c4c4a9487_o.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_d3d0_e988_ff27_32e4" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/33713093254_42bd7ea204_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the bridge over the river, at our U-turn back towards Busselton Jetty at the start of the forest. [Photo: Charles]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_d626_212c_7aa1_fd7f" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4171/34394515152_252ddcd863_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4171/34394515152_252ddcd863_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_bcc1_c5b_6ac0_d1d5" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4171/34394515152_78d32abe2e_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We missed our turn along Layman Road and ended up crossing a small bridge to Navigation Drive. <br />
The two Australian cyclists who cycled across the bridge despite the 'Cyclist must dismount' sign said: "It's just a recommendation!"<br />
What lovely mentality the Australians have!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Cheong
ah!"</span></b></span> shouted Ann Kheen as he aero-ed his way past me back on the return leg. </blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_c9c3_ca72_320e_d81d" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4172/34151756430_ffc4d6b029_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4172/34151756430_ffc4d6b029_o.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_9b1_9747_6b52_f109" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4172/34151756430_cfef299d36_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The return leg along Marine Terrace. [Photo: Charles. Taken as Jemmy and Ann Kheen cheonged alongside Charles.]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I
could see all the happy faces around me that they were all pleased with
how positively their bodies responded to the cold weather on the ride.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_8144_a529_adc5_6aff" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4185/34501918066_15eeef4571_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4185/34501918066_15eeef4571_k.jpg" border="0" id="id_3fb7_fcde_20bd_65bf" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4185/34501918066_b5db40e7a0_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 1024px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full rainbow always meant good race.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_4b44_de1d_f0f1_6ad7" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4167/34496586376_ac96cd7643_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4167/34496586376_ac96cd7643_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_ff6e_f98f_2a57_79c3" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4167/34496586376_a25d693ebb_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The full rainbow at the transition area.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
The
sight of a full rainbow before us as we approached Busselton jetty
brought on exclamations. It was a good omen, as full rainbows always
were. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Come take a shot of us with the rainbow behind,"</span></b></span> requested PL.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_c6d9_38f_d0ab_6180" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34539343015_abee530c46_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34539343015_abee530c46_k.jpg" border="0" id="id_347d_c592_b1f2_3039" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34539343015_8423a96e1c_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 1024px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mandatory Busselton Jetty shot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">BREAKFAST OF FULL MONTY</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_b06f_29db_b31a_d936" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4157/34494873876_9021f5cf12_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4157/34494873876_9021f5cf12_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_2c5d_58ec_fb22_3b7f" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4157/34494873876_f919d40891_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana in Busselton, and yogurt in Bintan - the staple food for the Chews.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mike's Full <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4190/33700731124_3991961d67_k.jpg" target="_blank">Monty breakfast </a>was a welcomed warm meal for the boys and girls after the cold ride. I love his Ang Moh breakfast of bacon, hash brown, omelette, sausage, tomato and mushrooms. Add onto that the cereals and orange juice, it's really a wholesome breakfast just right for a race.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">S</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">L</span>I<span style="color: #d9ead3;">D</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">E</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">S</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">H</span><span style="color: #ead1dc;">O</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">W</span><span style="color: #93c47d;">:</span></span> Click on Play below to watch the slideshow!</b></span></i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4173/34540414245_2999975a3f_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4173/34540414245_2999975a3f_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_3170_a415_857a_9c22" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4173/34540414245_181c7d4596_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ladies were out to have fun.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Wine, cheese and honey </span></b></span></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4192/33724908873_830f73df3a_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4192/33724908873_830f73df3a_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_d30c_60bf_fe1f_5e86" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4192/33724908873_1967f888d5_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Though not a wine person, I had always enjoyed the tour of the vineyard around the Margaret River region. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Let's
just get ourselves oriented first by visiting the Margaret River
Visitor centre, then we will plan from their,"</span></b></span> suggested Gerard.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
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<br />
<br />
And
the resourceful Elaine got the vineyards lined up and the restaurants
ticked, with two of them at the helm, the group moved swiftly from
destination to destination.</div>
<div>
The troupe toured
Xanadu vineyard. The only notable event at this winery was when Ann
Kheen found out that both Jemmy and myself had the quick-release plate
on our Forerunner 920XT watches.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wah lau, that would be
convenient,"</span></b></span> he lamented. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"For me I have to twist my Garmin inward on my
wrist whenever I am on the bike."</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Alamak, you never ask us mah," </span></b></span>Jemmy never missed any chance to poke fun at him. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Or else I would have told you to buy this."</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4191/33700798004_4dab36e4c1_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4191/33700798004_4dab36e4c1_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_89b8_61ec_ac41_14fc" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4191/33700798004_f061be2ba9_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Xanadu</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/34379057152_2d21470106_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/34379057152_2d21470106_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_e50b_c596_bbd4_9477" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/34379057152_9817505839_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jemmy and his Margaret River-acquired A$100 Crocodile Dundee hat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">S</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">L</span>I<span style="color: #d9ead3;">D</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">E</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">S</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">H</span><span style="color: #ead1dc;">O</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">W</span><span style="color: #93c47d;">:</span></span> Click on Play below to watch the slideshow!</b></span></i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4176/34421143681_841d79fa5d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4176/34421143681_841d79fa5d_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_8c23_1b5a_d03e_8706" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4176/34421143681_d3deaf396c_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous Australian ice cream at Margaret River Chocolate Co,.</td></tr>
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<br />
Finding
further nothing fantastic at <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Xanadu</b></span> after a round of wine-tasting, we
continued to enjoy ice creams at <span style="color: yellow;"><b>The Margaret River Chocolate Company</b></span>.
The clock ticked 1:30pm by the time we came to <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Knotting Hill</b></span>. Somehow
the cosy ambience of this magical little winery loosened everyone more.
Seated at a couple of tables outside, the husbands and wives threw
friendly barbs at each other. Jokes flew, and laughter filled the
sun-bathed veranda.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Gerard's drone was a conversation piece, navigating
at various levels of the stratosphere, eliciting squeals of excitement
from the recipients of its attention. Cheese and salami were aplenty
and wine flowed glass after glass, increasing heart rates and reddening
cheeks.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wow, this shot of me is fantastic! I'm going to make
it my profile picture!"</span></b></span> declared Jemmy when he saw a shot of him on my
iPhone 7 Plus. I believe Jemmy must have been under the effects of the
reds, rather than from the renown photographic capabilities of this
iPhone.</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wah this scene is nice! I also want... Ann Kheen and me,"</span></b></span> said Viena, to which my iPhone gladly obliged.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The
winter of Western Australia meant that the sun set early. By 3:30pm the
sun was so low in the sky that it felt almost like evening.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Is this lunch or dinner?"</span></b></span> someone asked.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"No
lah. This is only snack. Lunch will come later,"</span></b></span> joked Darric. Yes, on
a trip like this, meals merged into meals and there was no distinction
between breakfast, lunch or dinner.</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
<div>
The gently
undulating terrain from vineyard to vineyard almost lulled the
passengers of the smooth cars to sleep as the afternoon drew on. We
were all impressed by the performance of the Kia Carnivals from Hertz.<br />
<br />
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</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Gerard's video of the Xanadu and Knotting Hill...</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" data-header="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/howandhwa/dZ6J1c" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="438" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4179/33713529224_b0e281be19_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<br />
Our final destination was the <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Barnyard</b></span>, a winery that also had Jarrah honey, a naturally bacterio-cidal remedy. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Darric, must buy the honey this time round lah,"</span></b></span> Serene and I reminded him.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
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<br />
<br />
Dinner
of steak, pasta and fish at the <span style="color: yellow;"><b>Equinox</b></span> right at the Busselton jetty
was another delight as Elaine never failed to impress us with her
selection of restaurants and suggestions. It was a pleasant surprise
to meet up with my good friend Ian Lee at The Equinox, who was there to
race with one of his buddies. This established Ironman was most likely
using Busselton as a warm up to his coming race in the USA.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div>
The
cold weather must have taken a toll on us tropical-dwellers. Among
those of us seated at the dining table, AK was having a progressively
worsening hoarse voice, Charles was nursing a post-infectious cough,
while Darric and I were starting to feel some throat pain. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Shit. This inability to talk makes me feel like a baby, want to cry but cannot cry out," </span></b></span>complained our Russian-made rifle.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I better don't share my carbonara with you all, in case I pass my bug to any one of you,"</span></b></span> Charles was forever the gentlemen.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Tong Geng!</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<br />
The
boys laughed when they found out that I had never played a proper full
game of pool in my life. My initiation into the game of pool was made
even more bewildering as Darric the hustler and Charles the thinking
soldier demonstrated their prowess. Of course Gerard was an old bird in
this, and the bankers were there to prove that they both were forces to
be reckon with.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4161/34425535011_cb654a2370_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4161/34425535011_cb654a2370_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_1b2c_2c8a_141_3211" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4161/34425535011_8aa8c5d640_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Ka-jee lah!" </span></b></span>shouted Darric.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"If like that also cannot pot, better chop into million pieces!"</span></b></span> added Gerard.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Tong geng ah!"</span></b></span> chorused the boys.</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wah lau, Charles you very clever ah, you snooked me ah!"</span></b></span> kao-behed Gerard. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"This Charles huh, his jump ball very good ah!"</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"One cue game liao lah!"</span></b></span> said Darric, as the games wore on through the night. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Spider big big ah!"</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
It was an eye-opener for me. And it really set the tone for the next day.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Athlete Check-in and Funky Trunk 1000m swim</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>7:30am. </b></span><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>Friday. </b></span>6th May 2017. </b></span></div>
<div>
<br />
Early in the morning, our Russian rifle came in moodily to breakfast. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Why you so glum?"</span></b></span> I asked.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I feel worse. My sore throat is so bad that I cannot talk."</span></b></span> he replied.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Of
course lah. It's only fair mah. Somehow Upstairs must even the playing
field for the rest of us mah. If you are not sick, you will Tong Geng
all the way on race day liao mah."</span></b></span> I explained, and all the boys exploded.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
And the whole breakfast Jemmy gleefully fired away, with AK unable to rebut, while we all laughed ourselves crazy.</div>
<div>
It was another cold morning with the mercury standing at 10 degrees.</div>
<div>
The
four wives were ushered off by a tour guide on a vineyard, cheese and
food tour of Margaret River, scheduled for almost the whole day from
9:10am till 5pm.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">S</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">L</span>I<span style="color: #d9ead3;">D</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">E</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">S</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">H</span><span style="color: #ead1dc;">O</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">W</span><span style="color: #93c47d;">:</span></span> Click on Play below to watch the slideshow!</b></span></i></span><br />
<div style="height: 600px; margin: auto; text-align: center; width: 750px;">
<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" height="600" width="750"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fhowandhwa%2Falbums%2F72157680589963414%2Fshow&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fhowandhwa%2Falbums%2F72157680589963414%2F&user_id=41760774@N02&set_id=72157680589963414"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="src" value="https://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"> <embed width="750" height="600" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fhowandhwa%2Falbums%2F72157680589963414%2Fshow&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fhowandhwa%2Falbums%2F72157680589963414%2F&user_id=41760774@N02&set_id=72157680589963414" allowfullscreen="true"> </object><br />
<small>The wives touring Margaret River... Created with <a href="http://www.flickrslideshow.com/">flickr slideshow</a>.</small></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
The athletes check in was really
efficient, and the Expo sales were abundant this time round. I found
myself happily grabbing the nice running T-shirts for the children, and
also a 2XU Tri suit at a huge discount (Jemmy also got the exact one
from the same stall) plus a luminescent lime full-fingered cycling glove
(following in Darric and Jemmy's advice) to counter the cold ride. I
was also happy to find two compression wraps that could be frozen in the
freezer before application.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_7bac_9295_656b_c168" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4159/34499508876_9ed928228a_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4159/34499508876_9ed928228a_o.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_7985_e001_dc21_445c" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4159/34499508876_3f532a103a_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: taken with the help of an Ang Moh female official</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_38ad_2e25_bf11_f576" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4178/34543518145_47949d7022_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4178/34543518145_47949d7022_k.jpg" border="0" height="478" id="id_cffd_819e_6e07_2ed1" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4178/34543518145_6b502ab790_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the registration tent.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Families and children
ran round the signature Busselton tall triple white tents. The
uniquely cheerful Australian greetings permeated the crispy air, and it
felt like... Busselton all over again.</div>
<div>
The abundant
sunshine belied the cold. The sun was beating on our skin but the wind
was still slightly biting. Back in tbe guesthouse we were all getting
ourselves ready for the 12pm Funky Trunk swim.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span>D<span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span><span style="color: #93c47d;">:</span></span> Click on Play below to watch the video!</b></span></i></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" id="id_e915_fb3a_8302_270f" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AOi2K4NGFyI?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="853"></iframe>
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Oh so this
Funky Trunk swim is actually a race, an event in itself!"</span></b></span> Jemmy just
realised. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Oh I thought it was really only a test swim. Ok lah. Also
good lah. I have never used my wet suit before."</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Huh? You
never test out your wet suit back home in the swimming pool?"</span></b></span> I was quietly surprised. Actually theses few chaps are fantastic competitive
swimmers. And swimming is really their thing. In all our events
together they had always emerge from the water way ahead of the field.
That's really a great advantage.</div>
</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_6780_4677_a49d_d155" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/33697325594_c270acfd54_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/33697325594_c270acfd54_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_7436_f599_ce1b_2df6" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/33697325594_1e3160caf4_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Busselton Expo had always excited me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>12pm. </b></span>We made it just in time for the Funky Trunk swim.<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Immersed waist-deep in the cold sea water, reality finally set in. And cold was not exactly that much of a worry.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"It's not that cold leh,"</span></b></span> remarked Darric. I agreed. The water wasn't that cold on this day.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
The rest of the boys and girl were looking mighty fine. This was going to be a good swim, I was sure.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wah
the wet suits really kept our bodies warm,"</span></b></span> said Ann Kheen and Jemmy
unanimously. Indeed. I need not pee into my wet suit on this day. It
was cold, but in a comfortable way. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">"POOOOOOOORRRRR!"</span></b></span> Went the horn. And we were off.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
The
swim was great. Memories came flooding back to me and Kit Chan's song
started. The buoyancy was really remarkable. And the Australian men
and women disappeared ahead of me before I even reached the first buoy.
</div>
<div>
I had only one goggle in good condition this race and it was
my tinted Aquasphere Kayenne. I was tempted to get a clear one (my
clear transition Zogg Predator was already in too used a condition
although I did bring it along), but I decided that I should just make
do. If the Ang Mohs can use tinted goggles then I can too.</div>
<div>
There
was quite a bit of current 500m out into the sea. As always I had
mighty trouble trying to sight the buoys. I tried following a swimmer
but she (yes she!) was too fast for me. Resorting to sighting once
every 6 strokes and employing three breast strokes when I really needed
to sight accurately, as taught to me by Ann Kheen, I managed to not
deviate too much.</div>
<div>
It was a good swim. I didn't
feel kan cheong. The feeling was generally good. I wasn't fast, but
just comfortable. Emerging from the water, I see Ann Kheen and Jemmy
both standing chit chatting at the beach.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Hey guys!"</span></b></span> I called out to them. </div>
</blockquote>
<div>
The
official came to me asking for my tag number. I took a look at him and
suddenly I just lost my balance and crumbled into a heap at his feet.
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"</span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Wooah wooah.. steady. I got you,"</span></b></span> laughed the official, for this was a
common phenomenon amongst swimmers from hotter climates who weren't
used to the sea and the cold.</div>
<div>
This is a vaso-vagal
syncope kind of reaction, as Charles explained later, due to a sudden
drop in blood pressure due to pooling of blood in the lower limbs and
also partly due to the cold water causing probable imbalance in the ear
organs.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wah lau, I couldn't breathe in the water
just now!"</span></b></span> cried Jemmy as I stumbled towards them. "<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Just now I almost
wanted to raise my hand and say I give up. The wet suit was so tight! I
am really humbled by this swim. Man, this is really going to be a
triathlon finally, instead of the usual duathlon."</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
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<br />
I turned and looked at Ann Kheen. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Shit,
man... I couldn't take full breaths at all with the wet suit
constricting my chest,"</span></b></span> complained Ann Kheen. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I could only take
two-thirds of a breath. And it felt like I was hyperventilating."</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
Charles
emerged right behind me. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wah.. I veered so much off course. I had
difficulty sighting. And when I came out of the water I felt giddy!"</span></b></span> I
could only smile at these three good men for I shared their sentiments.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
We
all looked back and saw GT and PL coming out of the water. Suddenly
the big man seh-ed to one side and had to be held. Although it felt
funny at that time, but this giddiness happening to so many of us not
used to the water conditions in this part of the planet really was
frightening.<br />
<br />
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</div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span>D<span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> of the <span style="color: #ffd966;">Test Swim</span> & <span style="color: yellow;">Bike Check-in</span>:</span></span> Click on Play below to watch the video!</b></span></i></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" id="id_b2d2_23e1_1102_5cfc" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/elLs435sdcA?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="853"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Gloomily the boys and
girl walked back after the test swim. It was both funny and scary to
see ourselves in this state. Funny because it was really quite a scene
seeing ourselves in a state of disbelief. And scary because if even our
strongest of swimmers suffered a temporary loss of confidence then what
about those of us who were much weaker?</div>
<div>
Back at
the guesthouse many of us took a nap. I remember PL asking Mike our host
what was the chance of a shark attack at Busselton?</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"</span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Well,
it's really really very low,"</span></b></span> replied our host, echoing the same reply
from a race official the day before when posed with the same question by
PL <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Your chances of having a shark attack here in the waters of
Busselton is lower than your chances of being run over by a car when you
cross the road!"</span></b></span>was what the official told PL.<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
These replies were absolutely reassuring... at least to me. Shark attack was the last thing I needed to worry about.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4155/33745457613_b110590b19_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4155/33745457613_b110590b19_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_edce_4a5_6fac_a46" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4155/33745457613_64eee6c428_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch of Burger at Vasse.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Bike check-in at 4pm</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
The latest time for bike check-in was 5pm. At about 4pm, soon after lunch we cycled to the transition to rack our bikes. The point of discussion among the boys and girl was if we should release some air from the tyres after we racked the bikes. Some felt that the cold would pose little risk, but others thought it may be more prudent.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The other point that I learned was, for Di2 bikes, it would be important to use a bike cover to cover at least the seat post and rear derailleur part as the dew or rain may cause circuitary issues the next morning.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Dinner and an early night sleep</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
The
ladies were marvellous. Wendy, Elaine, Viena and Serene organised
dinner, da-bao-ing pasta and Chinese dinner and wine (of course those of
us racing hardly touched them) and at 6pm we all sat around the dining
table slowly enjoying our last carbo-load before the race.</div>
<div>
I
was so grateful for this dinner for it saved us the trouble of having to
drive out for a meal. Instead we were able to settle down and focus on
the next day.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Man, I am humbled."</span></b></span> Jemmy kept repeating even during dinner.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Hmmm...
maybe we should kick stronger as we approach the end of the swim,"</span></b></span>
suggested Charles. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"To increase the blood flow to our head."</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Why
don't you try wearing the calf compression under the wetsuit?"</span></b></span> I suggested.
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Last Year during the race I did that I didn't remember feeling giddy
leh."</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"My arms are aching,"</span></b></span> Darric complained. Quietly I admitted to Darric that mine were too.</div>
</blockquote>
Hahaha.. it
really was quite a gloomy night as we got ready to sleep. I was sure
the guys would find their swim much better the next day, because the
test swim would invariably bring to the surface our weaknesses.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I
am going to sleep at 8pm,"</span></b></span> I was serious about sleeping early. </div>
</blockquote>
I found
from previous races that an 8pm sleep the night before, a relatively
heavy lunch but a generally lighter dinner, would put me in a better
state for the event. I had also learned that on race day, having a light breakfast of complex carbohydrates and some coffee about two hours prior to the flag off would make it easier for my stomach at the start of the race.<br />
<br />
<div>
On this night, my mind kept
drifting back to what I read recently, about the power of visualisation.
About visualising myself swimming strongly on the swim, coming out of
the water and slipping into T1 without feeling breathless; seeing myself
pedaling smoothly on the bike, fully focussing on my form and
powerfully visualising myself running strongly off the bike and in a
consistent cadence, keeping myself 'in the zone' as what Jemmy said a
night before, all these while with Kit Chan's song in my mind.</div>
<div>
It was a lot of self-psycho-ing: <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>"Difficult? Yes. Impossible? No!"</b></span></div>
<div>
Slowly I drifted off into sleep...<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Race Day</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>4am. Sunday. 7th May 2017. </b></span></div>
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
I
awoken to my alarm, and was astonished by how fresh I felt. Charles
was already up since 2:30am, and Darric came into the dining room soon after us.</div>
<div>
Our
simple breakfast of cereals, toast, milk and orange juices with coffee
was ready. And Mike helpfully promised us our egg to be served at
5:30am after we returned from preparing our transition. Viena woke up
at the same time to make sure we were all ok.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4163/34379675052_c8434629a5_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4163/34379675052_c8434629a5_k.jpg" border="0" id="id_6864_20ec_3556_d5a4" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4163/34379675052_83646d1490_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Kheen ate in hush voice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/34155495590_2fc3312b59_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/34155495590_2fc3312b59_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_77ad_7467_982b_25e6" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/34155495590_9a6e09d35c_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Special order of omelette. Kindly obliged by Mike.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The mercury stood at 11 degrees Celsius, with a forecasted wind speed of 15km/h.</div>
<div>
The
transition area opened at 5am, the exact hour when we started walking
quietly from our Guesthouse with our barang-barangs. Everyone was deep
in his/her own thoughts, as was so common before a race, each with
his/her own set of objective and own set of worries.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4173/34589145926_e062d72d16_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4173/34589145926_e062d72d16_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_e8ba_46e7_ef56_d346" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4173/34589145926_61400ca2fa_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Eh eh take a shot of them walking," urged PL. I lifted up my iphone 7 Plus. <br />
It did the job, though the shot was noisy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
For
me, I just hoped that I wouldn't get a puncture and I wouldn't bonk on
my run. My plan was very simple - I would give myself one packet of
Clif Blok gel before and after the swim, gulp down half a bottle of Elo water
in T1, and let myself have 2 packets of Clif Blok gels every hour on
the bike (400 Cal an hour), hydrating myself with 2.7 litres of Elo water and
whatever additional Endura isotonic I could lay my hands on for the
three hours odd cycle route. For the run, I had prepared a 600ml bottle
of Elo water and 6 packets of Clif gel for the whole three hour
estimated run duration. So that was settled.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_7e83_d864_d0c_9ae0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34394520682_7ba8808997_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34394520682_7ba8808997_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_75aa_8029_9b1b_b44d" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34394520682_a58dbf5c51_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early early morning weather cold cold, but heng ah.. my bike was still dry.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This was my third time doing Busselton's 70.3. Understandably it would come with a certain level of expectation of my own self. Last year I was sorely disappointed with my finishing time and my severe lack of conditioning. Quietly I was hoping this round would see me suffer lesser. Gerard and Darric had previous experiences in Busselton and this was mostly a renewal of their 'membership'. What was most exciting was for the new comers - PL, Charles, Ann Kheen and Jemmy. The new course and environmental conditions were a brand new challenge. They were some of the best racers among our team, and they were here to break their own Personal Bests.</div>
<div>
Mine
and Darric's flag off was at 7:19am, the light blue cap wave. And the
rest of the boys were in the silver cap wave, and girl in the yellow cap
wave, both which were scheduled for flag off at 7:45am.</div>
<div>
And
Wendy so generously volunteered to drive us all the way to Georgette
Road in our respective waves, saving us the trouble of wearing slippers
and the outer wear! That was really a great idea. I felt so grateful
to Wendy and our loyal supporters.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE SWIM LEG- Flag off!</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Darric
let's remember to pee in our wetsuit,"</span></b></span> I said, as we warmed up at the
beach just next to the jetty at <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>6:55am</b></span>. </blockquote>
It was indeed a warmer morning
compared to both my previous races, but I didn't want to be complacent.
The elements and the uncertainty of the sea were against us. I looked
around and was surprised to find lesser Asian faces this year. The Ang
Mohs were ever so relaxed, joking and smiling and doing their warm ups.</div>
<div>
How
did I feel on this morning? I felt ok. A little nervous, but this time
round I believe I was less jittery, and I could smile and joke like the Ang Mohs... finally. Looking afar, we were able to see
the buoys clearly in the low light of early morning - white, white,
yellow, yellow and yellow; and then a right turn and once more straight
back towards the shore- a clockwise swim route that was great for a
right sided breather like me. But where were the ropes holding the buoys together? There were no ropes to be seen.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
It was after the race
that Gerard said: "<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Alamak, now I remember! There are no ropes on the
swim course! Only buoys! Aiyah.. so cannot swim along the ropes!"</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wee How you go in front leh,"</span></b></span> said Darric.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"No lah... siao ah! I am going to stay right at the back with you. These swimmers are very strong."</b></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"One more minute to flag off!"</span></b></span> announced the official. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">"POOOOOORRRR!"</span></b></span> finally the horn sounded.<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<br />
<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span>D<span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span><span style="color: #93c47d;">:</span></span> Click on Play below to watch the video!</b></span></i></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" id="id_3b6b_58ff_5410_f98e" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mLaxebwd2-g?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="853"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Goodness.
Here we went, yet again. I forgot how much I disliked the feeling of
my heart in my throat right at the beginning of a tough course.</div>
<div>
Reminding
myself to slow down my stroke rate and not overrun myself right at the
start, I kept singing my song. I looked around to see if I could spot
any of the fish I saw last time. Somehow the water appeared a tad more
murky. The seabed wasn't clearly seen. What a disappointment it was to
me. I was looking forward to a crystal clear sea, like I remembered it the first time I was here two years ago. Our wave was mainly
male participants with very few females. Very quickly I was dropped far
behind the wave and swimming almost on my own. </div>
<div>
Buoy
by buoy I sighted. My difficulty, as I discovered, was that upon reaching
one buoy, I had to reign myself in and avoid blindly surging forward
before I successfully sight the next buoy. The other issue I found was,
due to the current, many times as I looked up and sighted, I only saw
the crest of a wave and nothing else. Stopping and going into breast
stroke really did help at times like these.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_e1fa_6afd_eacb_dd77" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4178/33824243283_a1ff0dc2ed_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4178/33824243283_a1ff0dc2ed_o.jpg" border="0" height="640" id="id_2c6f_435f_c0d3_d8a7" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4178/33824243283_c85b5e45a4_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Kheen surging out of the water. [Photo: Viena]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div>
For
swims like these I preferred not to <b><i>chup</i></b> my timing en route but to just
make it to the end. And made it to the end I did, smiling happily as my
hand touched the seabed and I ran out.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Dar, well
done, Dar!"</span></b></span> shouted Serene on my left on the run up the sand. </div>
</blockquote>
And the
next moment I was sprawled all fours on the sand. This time round it
wasn't because of the giddiness but because it was a gentle sandy up-slope I was
running against. Haiyah... there went my hope for a stylish swim out.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4169/34665887116_55d7a257ee_o.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4169/34665887116_55d7a257ee_o.jpg" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4169/34665887116_09470c0f93_b.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div>
The
silver and yellow cap wave boys and girl did well. Jemmy came up with a
screamingly fast swim time with little of the pre-race jitters the day
before, followed very closely by Ann Kheen, slowed down merely because
he experimented with doing back strokes to see if that would ease
breathing.</div>
<div>
Charles follows closely. And Darric made a respectable swim time with all his focus on nutritional training.</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I
followed your advice and used some breast strokes to sight several
times,"</span></b></span> said Charles later to me. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"And that really helped me keep my
course."</span></b></span></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4173/34635508066_b5d8054df9_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="511" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4173/34635508066_b5d8054df9_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Elaine]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_3f46_6060_2074_44bf" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4170/34406051821_123c451845_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4170/34406051821_123c451845_o.jpg" border="0" id="id_68f2_e6ec_3d23_4a" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4170/34406051821_21faf52afa_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles after a much more successful swim this time round. [Photo: Viena]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The buoyancy that pleased so many of us put Ann Kheen off, in contrary. The extra buoyancy brought his legs up above the surface of the water, even when he swam breast stroke and he found it most inefficient. Quire remarkable was his swimming prowess. While AK was focussing on getting his legs to sink more, I was focussing on relaxing my arms during the recovery phase to conserve energy.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Somewhere after the start of the swim, I tried to turn around to do back stroke, so that I could relieve the tightness on my chest caused by the wetsuit. But that rapid turn made me feel giddy, so I quickly turned back to front crawl," </b></span></span>bemoaned AK. That might have cost him a couple of minutes. I was impressed how easily an experienced swimmer like AK could employ various strokes to their advantage. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I was so glad to have the neoprene
head warmer,"</span></b></span> PL was delighted. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"It kept my ears warm and it really made
my swim so much more comfortable."</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
With each stroke I tried to extend my reach further out front. Constantly I tried to focus on keeping my legs as streamline as I could muster. It was not incorrect to say that I was here for a revenge on my own swim time. Still, the Ang Mohs surged ahead, disappearing from my sight into the half murky waters. I could only swim among some of the slower stragglers. Apparently not Jemmy as this fast swimmer announced after the race:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I was actually swimming among the Ang Mohs, and today's race felt so much better!"</span></b></span></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_61b9_e146_4fce_3d2f" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4156/33707512054_686cd40f06_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4156/33707512054_686cd40f06_o.jpg" border="0" id="id_3d72_ce9d_904d_337c" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4156/33707512054_edd259f86e_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darric was really good - swam at a steady pace and emerged full of petrol. [Photo: Elaine]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
PL was having a good swim slightly ahead
of GT, when he suddenly experiencing some weird vestibular sensation
that required stablising by grabbing onto a buoy, a sensation that was
almost as if he had a premonition that something sinister was going to
happen. This brave man continued buoy to buoy despite the vertiginous
symptoms and at a distance of merely two buoys from the end of the swim,
suddenly a loudspeaker announcement rang out on the beach:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #ea9999;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">"SHARK COMING!"</span></b></span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/33698158804_37b364fde4_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" id="id_c44e_e145_5fd6_b669" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/33698158804_37b364fde4_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<h1 itemprop="name">
<a href="http://www.mandurahmail.com.au/story/4645095/shark-sighting-halts-swim-leg-of-busselton-703-ironman/" target="_blank">"Shark sighting halts swim leg of Busselton 70.3 Ironman" </a><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.mandurahmail.com.au/story/4645095/shark-sighting-halts-swim-leg-of-busselton-703-ironman/" target="_blank">~ Mandurah Mail. </a> </span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">[Click to read more]</span></span><br /> </h1>
<br />
<br />
<br />
And everything became a blur of action. The wives on the shore were desperately looking for the swimmers.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wee
How, Darric, Jemmy, Ann Kheen and Charles are out already. Where are PL
and GT?"</span></b></span> they texted each other frantically on whatsapp.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
The
safety helicopter descended almost to the water level and all the kayaks were
in. In an instant, a few tens of jet skis sped out towards sea,
surrounding the swimmers. Unknown to our supporters, PL had just left
the water.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I turned around on my back to rest but
immediately the whole world just started spinning," </span></b></span>recounted GT of his
harrowing experience. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I had to hold onto the buoy. One swimmer swam by
and asked me if I was ok. Then suddenly the jet ski came. <span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i>'Get up
NOW!'</i></span>, the official shouted. I started to question but another
participant told us it's <span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i>'not up to us to question the officials. So
just get up!'</i></span>. And as we held onto the rope the jet ski sped back. It
was so fun I really enjoyed it and I had to smile all the way. I really
thought I was disqualified already. But still I continued to cycle and
run. And I didn't even know there was a shark sighting until the end of
the race."</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"You didn't tell the life guard to do it <span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i>'again! Again! Again!'</i></span> ah?"</b></span></span> joked Ann Kheen at the end of the race.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
So
it was official. PL's prediction of the possibility of a shark sighting
during the race really came true. And it was the first time in 300
races here in Busselton that a shark sighting took place during an
event. </div>
<div>
While most of us were either swimming with the Ang Mohs way in front, or playing in the water with the shark at the back, Darric was leisurely gliding through the water. He recalled being quite comfortable even
after the swim. He cleverly conserved his energy all through the swim. Charles
who wore his calf compression underneath his wetsuit really
experienced no post-swim giddiness.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4168/34516354132_425e798e4b_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4168/34516354132_425e798e4b_o.jpg" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4168/34516354132_7d6b8a5589_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gerard swaying gingerly out of the water after the shark saga... In the background was a whole navy of <br />
jet-skis, speed boats... all safety procedures were carried out to to dot.<br />
[Photo: Official Finisherpix]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
So what happened to Gerard when the swim was truncated and he was jet-skied back to shore? Our experienced triathlete laid on the ground for a long while in Transition 1, as he bravely fought off the vertigo, after which he got up to continue the race. An admirable spirit he had. I don't think I would be as strong-willed as he had I been in his position.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_97fa_6114_6160_f1d3" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4160/34509916406_01f7fd2fe9_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4160/34509916406_01f7fd2fe9_o.jpg" border="0" id="id_4c11_3a37_7300_89ad" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4160/34509916406_089ca4a14a_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gerard on the bike out after bravely fighting off his vertigo in T1.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE CYCLE LEG</b></span></span></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
My brand new luminescent lime green gloves were difficult to pull on. And I
spent some time putting them on. Everything else was slow and steady. I
was among the earlier waves and that most likely explained why there
were still quite a number of bikes racked.</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_1c2c_4292_40ac_3c21" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4191/34247194770_ef3bcd0927_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4191/34247194770_ef3bcd0927_k.jpg" border="0" id="id_784d_49ea_40ae_2869" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4191/34247194770_cc8278fc86_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adjusting my shoes' velcro strap after slipping into them, right out of the transition. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Being on
a <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4193/34536583355_1ca4ea2c5c_k.jpg" target="_blank">Tri bike made some differences</a> to my bike leg. I don't believe I am
any better a cyclist this round. If anything I should be worse off as a
result of a severe lack of long rides. The Tri bike
definitely made it easier. The momentum carried me forward.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34291700260_0d53c3ccc3_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34291700260_0d53c3ccc3_o.jpg" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34291700260_aa1ed65a5b_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gerard going strong post-shark, post-vertigo... sans ankle chip. [Photo: Official Finisherpix]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Loaded
with 2.7kg of Elo water and heavily laden with 8 strips of gels most
likely did little to slow me down on such a flat course. The headwind
on the way out was heavy. But the tail wind on the return leg gave
wings to the bike. I don't think I had ever had a better cycling
experience than this. The Elo water kept my heart rates really low,
averaging about 130 only. I had to constantly remind myself not to push
it too hard for fear of flooding my thighs.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4159/34706257555_e3d3f31410_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4159/34706257555_e3d3f31410_o.jpg" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4159/34706257555_a079c28dee_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lowest aero position in the whole group. None other than Ann Kheen. [Photo: Official Finisherpix]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"The
ride leg was so nice!"</span></b></span> another unanimous exclamation from Charles, Ann
Kheen and Jemmy at the end of the race. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"The weather was so beautiful."</b></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4170/34544687371_1591bfe34f_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4170/34544687371_1591bfe34f_o.jpg" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4170/34544687371_70ebe331ef_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles on his Cervelo S5. [Photo: Official Finisherpix]</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I didn't even need to stop at any of the water stations on the cycling leg,"</span></b></span> recalled Jemmy.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I just cycled a very steady pace and I was surprised that at the end of the ride I was not tired," </span></b></span>said Darric later.</div>
</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4176/34665887906_f78acc9070_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4176/34665887906_f78acc9070_o.jpg" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4176/34665887906_e3998a0a19_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even rounding a turn, Ann Kheen refused to look up beyond the 3 m in front of him, to shave off a few seconds.<br />
[Photo: Official Finisherpix]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"I
was all the way in the aero position except for that very few times
when I was making turns,"</b></span></span> said Ann Kheen. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"This new Tri bike's CG is so
low it is easier to ride. And the disc brakes means that I can brake much later just before making a turn and thus waste less time."</span></b></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Luckily after a while in T1 my giddiness went off, and I was able to continue cycling,"</span></b></span> a very relieved Gerard continued.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4156/33830405954_31c063b44d_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4156/33830405954_31c063b44d_k.jpg" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4156/33830405954_c7269bc0ba_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Official Finisherpix]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
For
me the eye-catching gloves made it difficult for me to hold on to my
gels and somewhere at the 40km mark, I fumbled and dropped one in the process of trying to open it. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Damn it!"</span></b></span> I quietly thought. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Never use anything new and untested on race day."</span></b></span><br />
<br />
The gloves were not without their admirers. </div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Nice
gloves!"</span></b></span> shouted the volunteers along the side, and I just gave them my
lime green thumbs up. Even Serene mentioned that having the lime green gloves made it easy for her to spot me on the bike route.</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
I kept to my regime of one 200Cal Clif Blok gel
every half an hour, coupled with small sips of Elo water. Admittedly still, I
suffered a twinge of cramp on my left calf about 70km into the ride,
which I preferred to think it was due to my lack of conditioning.</div>
<div>
Many
of the usual lean and muscular Ang Moh men AND women overtook me on
their disc-wheels... <span style="color: yellow;"><i><b>'shwoom-shwoom'-ing</b></i></span> as they passed. On the bike
leg, I saw Gerard once cycling in the opposite direction, and once I
spotted Jemmy. But I didn't see Charles, PL, Darric nor Ann Kheen.
Perhaps I was too much 'in the zone'.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Hey you can
be in the zone when you run, the most you bang someone in front. But on
the bike leg you cannot be in the zone one leh.. cos otherwise you
cannot focus on the surrounding and it could be dangerous,"</span></b></span> reasoned
Jemmy afterwards, elaborating on his 'in the zone' theory.</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/34546035821_7b47cd2b45_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/34546035821_7b47cd2b45_o.jpg" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/34546035821_3ae46375e0_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gerard cleverly tweaked his set up into an Enve 3.9 wheel set. [Photo: Official Fhinisherpix]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Ann Kheen added some time later: <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"When I am in my aero-position, I don't look too far. Only about 3m in front of the bike. But I do occasional sightings."</span></b></span> when I complained that it was difficult for me to raise my head high to see further ahead. </blockquote>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4182/33830403534_4a2dbaf0fc_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4182/33830403534_4a2dbaf0fc_k.jpg" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4182/33830403534_a393a5b4d6_b.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Ann
Kheen and Charles are always very focussed when they are cycling and
running one, and by the time they spotted us supporters they would have
zoomed past us already,"</span></b></span> laughed Viena, explaining why it was hard to
find Ann Kheen and Charles.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/34544688061_1bb1c8a282_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/34544688061_1bb1c8a282_o.jpg" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/34544688061_5fc1057dcb_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles catching up on the bike leg. [Photo: Official Finisherpix]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
The difference between the cycling leg this year compared with the last, was that despite a higher average power output, I was suffering lesser. The short but sub-threshold sessions on my trainer might have given me some extra mitochondria in the thigh cells. I willed myself to ease off on the gear and just spin and spin. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"</span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Don't fight the wind!"</span></b></span> the self-thought kept me from the reflex push against the headwind on the out leg towards Ludlow forest. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Go easy. Conserve the thighs to cheong when the tail wind comes out the leg back towards the town."</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4174/33830402424_c556678625_k.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4174/33830402424_c556678625_k.jpg" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4174/33830402424_f600949329_b.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Somehow it worked this time round. On the tail wind part, my bike managed to fly at 35km/h. Monitoring my average speed closely, I was happy that it maintained around 29-30km/h. It may not be a great deal, but it was my best average speed ever on a race.<br />
I couldn't help but again ponder the analogy between real life and racing. It was really all about conserving. Every bit of life was like a coin deposited into the bank of life. We could choose to splurge on our savings, or use it wisely bit by bit, and making it last. Some are luckier, because they have more savings than others, and can afford to cheong a littler harder at certain time. But for most people, a steady expenditure of one coin by one coin was the more prudent way of living.</div>
<div>
By some stroke of luck I
was able to finally establish an average speed of close to 30km/h for my ride.
I was secretly pleased with myself for that. But in retrospect I now
know it came at a price. At the dismount line my thighs were so wobbly I
just fell with the bike because I couldn't run off properly.
Fortunately I sustained nothing more than a bruised ego. Imagine- I fell
on the swim in, and I fell on the bike in. Serene would be complaining I was
clumsy again.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE RUN LEG</b></span></span></div>
<div>
<br />
Transition 2 turned out faster than transition 1 for me, understandably because it's simpler.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_417e_85e7_bbe7_8afd" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4171/33708462084_8d7ef4f1ed_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4171/33708462084_8d7ef4f1ed_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_1f54_2bd2_125c_d3a9" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4171/33708462084_f026926723_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was soooo happy to see the wives as I began to run out. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wee How!"</span></b></span> called out our loyal supporters on the Run-out on my right as I passed the timer belt - Elaine, Wendy, Viena and Serene were all there cheering me on.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_1f92_57b7_7e04_c996" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4161/34633596105_e10f014ed4_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4161/34633596105_e10f014ed4_k.jpg" border="0" height="640" id="id_eb05_36c2_4e69_d724" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4161/34633596105_0ed12518b1_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Kheen right on my heels out of T2, busily chewing on his banana.<br />
[Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I
felt good. The thighs held. My ankles felt no pain (yet) and my knee
was fine (still). I knew I had to bo chap my pace. I needed to simply
complete and I could ill-afford to flood my thighs with lactate like I
did the year before. So off I jogged at a mid-8 minutes pace, with a
bottle of Elo in my hand.</div>
<div>
Very soon after making the first U-turn at the 3.5km mark, Charles suddenly overtook me.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" id="id_7701_6183_85ce_4c4f" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/33823737393_fbb7c6171f_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/33823737393_fbb7c6171f_k.jpg" border="0" height="640" id="id_916a_b53_5139_535d" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/33823737393_f81dd9efd2_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles came out of T2 very quickly. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wee How, hey come... let's go!"</span></b></span> Charles called out as he passed me.</div>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wah
lau Charles,"</span></b></span> I was lost for words. All my 26 minutes of head start was
reduced to nought as Charles overtook me on the run. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Charles you go
ahead. I gotta run my own pace!"</span></b></span> I was truly impressed with this very
humble man. He trained hard but smart despite knee issues, and he
really showed how good he could be.</div>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4191/34377135292_d26977b0b3_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4191/34377135292_d26977b0b3_k.jpg" border="0" height="640" id="id_63ce_838_66d8_42af" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4191/34377135292_7407ed8f2b_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jemmy sashay-ing out of T2. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Not long after
that Jemmy called out to me from the opposite direction. Wah lau... my
heart sank. I was trying my best to keep running away ahead of these
guys, but these good men finally still managed to catch up with me,
despite their significantly later start. I tried consoling myself: <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I
am not racing against anybody else but really against myself. It's a
race to see how much I can beat my own previous timing."</span></b></span></div>
<div>
That made it feel slightly better.</div>
<div>
<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4162/33713136024_6db91a1407_o.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4189/34379375742_6bc6c49a6c_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4189/34379375742_6bc6c49a6c_k.jpg" border="0" height="640" id="id_61ed_cbcd_f28f_cf42" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4189/34379375742_16a2e0624a_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darric steady poom-pee-pee. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
3.5km
by 3.5km, I rounded the U-turns to look for the bottle of Elo water
I left under the garbage bin at the first water station. Whether real or
otherwise, having that bottle of Elo at the start of every loop on the
run gave me that psychological reassurance, in addition to the real
physical oxygenation. But my lack of training caught up with
me. Bilateral quadriceps cramp started eating into me and I begun to
fear that they might just seize up half way through. I grit my teeth and kept
going.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4174/34376574112_9711718adc_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4174/34376574112_9711718adc_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_f18a_3cd0_3df4_5f69" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4174/34376574112_6635102052_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gerard and PL eating the Australian wind. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The weather was definitely warmer than the last two years. The air was cool but the sun was scorching, beating on our skin. Without a doubt the Ang Mohs were suffering once the sun hit them, although the pace with which most were running at belied that. It never failed to amaze me how fast these young and not-so-young Ang Mohs ran, panting big breaths as they passed me, opening up their legs in their fast canters. They were certainly going at it at a level not lower than threshold, if not already anaerobic. Impressive was their tolerance to the certain high level of lactic acidosis and their ability to keep going despite being flooded. It must be 'the zone' that Jemmy was expounding the night before.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4189/33713087424_0f8250148a_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4189/33713087424_0f8250148a_k.jpg" border="0" height="640" id="id_6ac5_9235_8ed8_d972" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4189/33713087424_fc74a7d595_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost finishing liao. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I attempted to will myself <span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b>into 'the zone'</b></span> like a respectable triathlete should, and tried pushing every distraction out of my visual field. The state of being 'in the zone' meant that our minds were numb of the pain, and merely depended on the neuromuscular reflexes that generated the cadence of running. I really did try, but the loud pounding of the drum beat from the red and green gorillas at the side refused to allow me to drift into the meditative state totally. At the periphery of my consciousness I was still aware of the rhythmic percussion from the music in the background.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4165/33708194574_747150d5a9_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4165/33708194574_747150d5a9_k.jpg" border="0" height="640" id="id_5282_f7df_c8f0_d9cb" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4165/33708194574_e9f6acbd99_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also almost finishing liao. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I would be telling a lie if I said I felt no progressive pain in my thighs. I did. The electrolytes in the Clif Blok gels and the isotonic Endura along the way must have prevented a complete paralysis of the muscle fibres. I searched my heart and I was convinced that the agony was no less than the year before. I knew that my workouts on the running pavements back home were anything but sufficient. Miraculously I ran all the way with no walking, except for the obligatory stops at each water station. I could feel my skin being chao-dared by the sun. The evening before, Jemmy was fretting about driving out at the last minute to buy some sunblock. But was reassured after he found out that there were sunblock stations at the transition and at the aid stations. The Australians were anal about sun-protection. And Sunsmart Busselton 70.3 wasn't named thus for no reasons.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4169/34406611691_11ae87ad51_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4169/34406611691_11ae87ad51_k.jpg" border="0" height="640" id="id_f458_8b9e_448c_ad14" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4169/34406611691_f7127551da_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one DEFINITELY finishing liao. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Charles was really guai, as he would apply one layer of sunblock underneath his wetsuit and let what left of it after the swim do its job. Jemmy was shocked to hear that I usually do not apply sunblocks on the race. But the ultimate answer came from Gerard when he reassured that as Asians our rate of skin cancer was much lesser, to which I added that our highly-pigmented skin protected us naturally. But at this minute as I was suffering on the run, this issue was the furthest thing from my mind. I just wanted to complete the run.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/33695377154_5e532c3fbd_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/33695377154_5e532c3fbd_k.jpg" border="0" height="640" id="id_5268_fa3d_3a94_92b4" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/33695377154_faa17014f9_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wah lau.. this one still suffering trying to complete the second 7km lap. [Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
At around the 11km mark I heard a shout from my right a young lady calling out to me: <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Come on! Dig deep, dig deep!"</span></b></span></blockquote>
Oh what a resonance this cheer had on me. That was precisely the thought in my mind at that moment- times like these I just had to dig really deep from inside my whole being. It was like running the race of our life journeys. Time and time again, in our lives, we would encounter painful experiences, and we had to resort to introspection to find the courage and the stamina from within ourselves just so to take the next step forward; to steady our nerves and to continue to climb the stairs, despite having the whole world crumbling upon us. So that our families and our children might continue to have rice on the tables. Perhaps that could explain why the older athletes were successful in completing gruelling endurance events like these. A close examination of the Australian participants running around me lent weight to this theory. Like previous years, many overweight and older men and women demonstrated how stoic they were, pounding the pavements on the edge of the Indian Ocean, with less than perfect running forms coupled with (I strongly believed) excruciating pain in their limbs and lungs, but they still had the magnanimity to shout out an encouragement or two to equally suffering others sharing the pavements with them. It never failed to amaze me how strong these Australian middle-aged people were. Maybe that was the most encouraging part of Busselton 70.3. At least to me it was.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4162/33713136024_6db91a1407_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4162/33713136024_6db91a1407_o.jpg" border="0" height="640" id="id_445d_a5e9_2c8_90d" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4162/33713136024_888641fec3_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 480px;" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Kheen bursting through the finishing line.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4155/34376972662_6318537459_k.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4155/34376972662_6318537459_k.jpg" border="0" height="480" id="id_4214_a2cc_5545_62b8" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4155/34376972662_a26c7689f5_b.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 640px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Photo: Serene]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I spotted Ian Lee speeding in the opposite direction on the run. This Ian was really something. Too bad he had to answer the call of nature half way through. Otherwise he would definitely have achieve a sub-5 hours.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/34544686961_44e00d54f4_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/34544686961_44e00d54f4_o.jpg" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/34544686961_ecfdaf67ee_b.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles high-fiving the supporters on the last 100m run into the finishing line. [Photo: Official Finisherpix]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
By the time I made the final U-turn at the 17.5km mark, <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4189/34376287292_c662dd82bb_k.jpg" target="_blank">I was really digging deep into myself</a>. I knew by that time Ann Kheen, Jemmy and Charles would have crossed the finishing line and shaking their legs. For me, I was going to test my endurance to see if I had any remaining petrol in me to speed up on this last leg. I didn't. So I accepted that and just shuffled along.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">CROSSING THE LINE</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4189/34706258605_540ffb2eee_o.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4189/34706258605_540ffb2eee_o.jpg" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4189/34706258605_be676f360c_b.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Come on Wee How! You are almost there!" </span></b></span>shouted the Ang Mohs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating my own struggle to the end point were the very generous Australian supporters. [Photo: Official Finisherpix]</td></tr>
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I made the left turn into the carpeted lane. Smiling Australian men,
women and children lined both sides of the runway. I high-fived the
rows of supporters on the last 100m. And I was elated. My legs could
only carry me at a slower pace by this time, not any faster. But I was
contented. I managed to shave some time off my previous two Busselton
races. That, was enough for the day. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our shark warriors crossing the finishing line.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Kheen came in so fast, his eyes still could open big!</td></tr>
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Ann Kheen, Jemmy and Charles, together with Viena, Wendy and Elaine, were there at the finishing point to cheer me on and congratulate me.<br />
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wee How, go take a photo of yourself with the Finishing Towel,"</span></b></span> urged Elaine and Charles. And Elaine took such a <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4186/34155494490_5c1fff6964_o.jpg" target="_blank">lovely shot of me</a> with all <a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4163/34157673440_c20516c201_o.jpg" target="_blank">my euphoria</a>.</blockquote>
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<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span>D<span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span><span style="color: #93c47d;"> for the Finishing!:</span></span> Click on Play below to watch the video!</b></span></i></span><br />
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The wives were really marvellous. They tracked every single one of us on the bluechip.ironman.com website and made sure everyone cleared every timer mat and they estimated accurately when each would come in. And their photos of us were lovely. Sincerely our supporting wives all deserve as big a round of applause as the participants ourselves.<br />
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Celebration Dinner at Amelia Park Lodge</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">S</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">L</span>I<span style="color: #d9ead3;">D</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">E</span><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">S</span><span style="color: #d9d2e9;">H</span><span style="color: #ead1dc;">O</span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">W</span><span style="color: #93c47d;">:</span></span> Click on Play below to watch the slideshow!</b></span></i></span><br />
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As it turned out, Gerard only heard about the shark sighting when massage physiotherapist told him about it at the end of the race. </div>
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The post-race euphoria numbed the pain. I had much earlier on, already begun aching all over in my thighs and arms.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Wah.. that A something something tablet I think is wearing off already. Now I am feeling the pain in my arms and legs,"</b></span></span> noted Darric.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"I am also feeling the aches too," </span></b></span>Charles said during dinner, to my surprise.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Hey.. you all painful? I am painful all over liao lor,"</span></b></span> complained Jemmy. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"But it's ok, I can still call myself an Ironman until 12 midnight tonight!"</span></b></span> to all our laughter.</div>
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Elaine gotten her credit card concierge to find out a good restaurant for this celebratory dinner. And this Amelia Lodge cane highly recommended. It had lovely foot and lamb shank and a special lamb dish, together with his famous oysters. Courtesy of Charles, we had lovely Reserve Shiraz to go with our dinner. As the evening wore on, we all got progressively more rowdy, most probably a combination of effects of the wine and the fine food, and importantly from the sudden surge in endorphins from the exertion. Of course not forgetting that the company was fabulous. We literally cornered the little dining room at one far end of the restaurant. Far enough for some of our ordered oysters not to reach their intended consumers. </div>
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It had been a long day. But the boys still had energy for several more games of Tong Geng before everyone fell asleep.</div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">FREMANTLE - A Post Event Holiday</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #ea9999;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Click on PLAY on the <span style="color: #f9cb9c;">V</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">I</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">D</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">E<span style="color: #9fc5e8;">O</span></span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">:</span></span></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" data-header="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/howandhwa/XdZ942" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="438" id="id_186b_c1f7_2c27_eaaf" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34425962071_c844b462ed_c.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 800px;" width="800" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Video by Gerard on his DJI-Gimbal-head iPhone.</td></tr>
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It may seemed like an anti-climax but the post-race holiday was actually quite some highlights. A short drive up north for an overnight stay in the sleepy quiet town of Fremantle, for a chance to dine in Cicarello, the famous seafood restaurant among the cacophony of noisy seagulls.</div>
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<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span>D<span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span><span style="color: #93c47d;">:</span></span> Click below to watch- Busselton to Fremantle!</b></span></i></span><br />
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A failed attempt to search for any other interesting destinations in Fremantle meant we ended up having a wonderful supper of cheese, venison sausages, pate, and bottles after bottles of red wine in Room 31 at Be.Fremantle. Again and again, this bunch of fellows never failed to impress me with all the hunour that spout from their lips and their notion of breast strokes and flying drones. As everyone became a little more relaxed after the infusion of the reds, the wives started showing their true colours, shooting arrows at their husbands and everyone else. </div>
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<span style="color: #ea9999;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Click on PLAY on the <span style="color: #f9cb9c;">V</span><span style="color: #ffe599;">I</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">D</span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">E<span style="color: #9fc5e8;">O</span></span><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">:</span></span></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" data-header="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/howandhwa/8k4h7w" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="438" id="id_4edb_1db7_709e_e00a" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/34515059166_5572c46be4_c.jpg" style="height: auto; width: 800px;" width="800" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Video by Gerard on his DJI-Gimbal-head iPhone.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b>"Eh better close the balcony sliding door,"</b></span></span> joked Jemmy, as he gingerly closed the ajar glass panels, in case out loud banter disturbed the peace of those in slumber in the berthed yachts.</blockquote>
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We had a great time this evening, simply chilling in this marina of yachts.</div>
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I had always loved to stand by the open sea side of the breakwater and see how choppy the Indian Ocean was. The next morning as we were ready to leave, we took the chance to once again enjoy that scene. I tried visualising myself swimming in a turbulent sea like this. Frightening though it was, I believe it would be a really good learning experience.</div>
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Ann Kheen recommended Richard's, a cosy little breakfast cafe a kilometre away in the centre of Fremantle. We were so delighted, seated alfresco, the cool air caressing, and having a coffee and a sandwich. What a leisurely breakfast, ala Fremantle!</div>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Perth, here we come again</span></b></span></div>
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A short 45 minutes drive to Perth took us right to Hay Street mall, a street away from Murray Street, in our search for the Oakley shop. Sadly it might have zhap-lup-ed already. And we eventually ended up in a nice little Japanese restaurant called Zen Saki to indulge in Ramen. </div>
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<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">V</span><span style="color: #fce5cd;">I</span>D<span style="color: #d9ead3;">E</span><span style="color: #d0e0e3;">O</span><span style="color: #93c47d;">:</span></span> Click below to watch our Perth gai-gai!</b></span></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Wah this Volcano Ramen is really spicy,"</span></b></span> said Darric. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"But it's really nice!"</span></b></span></div>
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After the obligatory roam of the Factory outlet at Wellington street across the dingy City Stay apartment, we got ourselves ready for a night out at Petition, for a degustation dinner.</div>
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The night out did us good. Good food was always good for recovery, as well as great company and stimulating conversations.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>CONCLUSION</b></span></span></div>
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So was Busselton a good race? I am very sure all will agree with me on my take of this unique event.</div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"This race was a blast!"</span></b></span> our colourful Jemmy can't hold back his expression. <span style="color: #cfe2f3;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"See you again next year,"</span></b></span> he added.</div>
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I learned that Murphy's law applies even in the cold waters of Western Australia, especially when it comes to finned-mammals of the Selachimorpha order. And <span style="color: #d9ead3;"><b>PL</b></span>'s insight and her amazing persistence in pursuing the locals on this very matter really proved to them that even almost zero chance is not exactly null. I admire her stoicalness. She doesn't complain much, and she literally glides into the whole event with finesse, not letting anything much bother her.</div>
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I have had the chance to witness the tenacity in the way <b><span style="color: #d9ead3;">Gerard</span></b>, determined to complete the race, did so despite the shark, the vertigo, despite forgetting to put on his ankle time chit at T1, and not having his Garmin watch restarted after the shark saga. This man is as deep as the Indian Ocean itself.</div>
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I had the fortune of witnessing the physically- talented <span style="color: #d9ead3;"><b>Charles</b></span> overcome his injuries and ascend the throne of the fastest cycling time by training intensively with the best every Wednesday night. In addition, his systematic running training proves that by doing regular short distances, he can run as quick a pace as the best bankers around. Through all these accomplishments, no less marvellous as he was suffering from a cough, this amazing man still remains as humble as a true gentleman.</div>
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The fact that consistent and dedicated training pays off handsomely in the form of <span style="color: #d9ead3;"><b>Ann Kheen</b></span>'s sub-6 performance with the fastest running time among the group. A level of athletic achievement that many can only dream of. Even more enlightening was Ann Kheen's quest for perfection in the way he tweaks his bicycle, the way he ponders his swim style. A severe laryngitis that weakened his body did not weaken his will, and he has shown to the world that a sick Ann Kheen is just as fast. </div>
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Importantly I have learned from <span style="color: #d9ead3;"><b>Darric</b></span> that one of the keys of a successful completion is nutrition. Not any nutrition but the nutrition of the utmost indulgence. And as Darric demonstrated in his campaign, the will power to push oneself all the way to the end, must be one of the ingredients. Otherwise even the fastest of ironmen will still fall short of the finishing line.</div>
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A philosophy that is similarly shared and expounded by <span style="color: #d9ead3;"><b>Jemmy</b></span>. A strong advocate of being in the almost meditative 'zone' that characterises a state void of physical pain. He defies conventional practice in reversing his tapering order: taper first and then ramp up the intensity in the three weeks before the race, and emerges triumphant in gliding through the waters in the fastest time.</div>
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This was really a marvellous race. In the end I realised that it wasn't a race against any of my good friends, but against the unknown and against myself. A race that I will never forget.</div>
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<i><span style="color: yellow;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Till the next race, somewhere else on earth!</span></b></span></i><br />
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Wee How Limhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00432925927171157578noreply@blogger.com0Busselton WA 6280, Australia-33.6554927 115.35001880000004-33.708361200000006 115.26933780000005 -33.6026242 115.43069980000004