我对两个位老人家说：”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？”
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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。
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。
我心想：“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！”
Table of Content 目录
[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day]
Day 1 - Yay! 汉城啦！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!
Day 2 - 到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋！
Day 4 - 黄龙院，良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!
Day 5 - 大陵苑，瞻星台 - just to get our TOTO numbers & off to 全州 Jeonju Hanok Village!
Day 6 - 全州乡校街，太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu
Day 7- 镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!
Day 8 - Yay! 又回到汉城了！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!
Day 9 - 蚕室洞石村湖 Seokchun Lake (and GOTO Mall) - Last few days this year for the blossoms 吧
Day 10 - Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy
Day 12 - 又广长吃猪脚，又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!
Day 1 - Started with a cock up but finally 抵达汉城
23 March 2023
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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.
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!
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：
• 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
• 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
• 直驾车北上回到汉城，因为汉城的樱花是最迟才开的。
抵达汉城
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 base layer 和 down jacket 或者 trench coat 这样的衣着才能抵挡晚上的冷。
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Click HERE👇 To See The Actual VIDEO
Click HERE☝ To See The Actual VIDEO
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 break rule 了，哈哈哈……
所以第一晚，为了方便我们第二天一早要到 Lotte Car Rental 拿租车，我选了一晚$53, 离开租车公司两两条街的· MK Liberty Hotel, 房间是典型的窄小gueshouse 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：
“在庆州已经开了60％了。”，真是让我打下了很巩固的一支强心针。
GANA 配眼镜
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：
他说："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."
金万中继续说： “ 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."
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"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."
说实在的，金万中和他们 GANA Opticals 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，来到这里他们非常用心地慢慢检查慢慢调，就行了。而且价钱比新加坡做得还来得便宜。
在明洞逛街
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。老爸 buay tahan 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- 软壳螃蟹，龙虾，sotong 啦……
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| Come to Myeongdong buay tahan.. must eat liao. |
Table of Content 目录
[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day]
Day 1 - Yay! 汉城啦！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!
Day 2 - 到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋！
Day 3 - 哇，樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?Day 4 - 黄龙院，良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!
Day 5 - 大陵苑，瞻星台 - just to get our TOTO numbers & off to 全州 Jeonju Hanok Village!
Day 6 - 全州乡校街，太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu
Day 7- 镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!
Day 8 - Yay! 又回到汉城了！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!
Day 9 - 蚕室洞石村湖 Seokchun Lake (and GOTO Mall) - Last few days this year for the blossoms吧
Day 10 - Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy
Day 11 - Seodaemun Prison History Museum 西大门刑务所历史馆.. a sobering memory... have to eat 猪血！
Day 12 - 又广长吃猪脚，又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!
Day 2 - Yay! 去庆州看樱花咯 Driving to Gyeongju already lor!
24 March 2023
Click HERE👇 Below To See The Actual VIDEO
Click HERE☝ Above To See The Actual VIDEO
Driving down to Gyeongju from Lotte Car Rental 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 stopping for toilet breaks, for lunch and buying this and that it would be a little bit more than that. But Kwenchana.
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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 “没有围墙的博物院”。
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。
我解释给老爸老妈听：“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 heater （好像红毛国家常用的）在韩国他们通常用地板的 boiler 温石来保持房间的温度。”
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.
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Click HERE👇 Below To See The Actual VIDEO
Click HERE☝ Above To See The Actual VIDEO
We had our first glimpse of a beautiful cherry blossom, called Beotkot (벚꽃) in Korean, as we walked slowly along the streets next to our Seorabul Hanok, after enjoying a delicious meal of barbecued Hanwoo (韩牛 한우).
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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。
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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.
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Table of Content 目录
[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day]
Day 1 - Yay! 汉城啦！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!
Day 2 - 到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋！
Day 3 - 哇，樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?Day 4 - 黄龙院，良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!
Day 5 - 大陵苑，瞻星台 - just to get our TOTO numbers & off to 全州 Jeonju Hanok Village!
Day 6 - 全州乡校街，太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu
Day 7- 镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!
Day 8 - Yay! 又回到汉城了！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!
Day 9 - 蚕室洞石村湖 Seokchun Lake (and GOTO Mall) - Last few days this year for the blossoms吧
Day 10 - Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy
Day 11 - Seodaemun Prison History Museum 西大门刑务所历史馆.. a sobering memory... have to eat 猪血！
Day 12 - 又广长吃猪脚，又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!
Day 3 - 佛国寺 Bulguksa (Bulguk Temple) 불국사 和石窟庵 (Seokgulam) 석굴암
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Click HERE👇 Below To See The Actual VIDEO
Click HERE☝ Above To See The Actual VIDEODuring 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 huge garden full of Beotgot and Kaenari (개나리 the beautiful yellow 迎春花). On this day, the Boetgots were truly in full peak bloom here.
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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，好是迷人。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 Pano Mode (Panoramic), Portrait (特写镜头)mode 啦，ham -ba-lang
都开始用了，老爸老妈两位都在疯狂地拍照！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！
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我还记得，两个晚上前，在 MK Librty Hotel 住时，那位女社长跟我说过，来到佛国寺，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。
“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？”
“Aigoo, 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！”这位女社长说。
也真是托了她的福，我们才有这胆子开了15-20 分钟的车，上到石窟庵，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。
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唯有可怜的老妈，在佛国寺过了路对面吃饭后，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。
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| Seokguram 石窟庵的入口 |
Table of Content 目录
[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day]
Day 1 - Yay! 汉城啦！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!
Day 2 - 到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋！
Day 3 - 哇，樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?Day 4 - 黄龙院，良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!
Day 5 - 大陵苑，瞻星台 - just to get our TOTO numbers & off to 全州 Jeonju Hanok Village!
Day 6 - 全州乡校街，太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu
Day 7- 镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!
Day 8 - Yay! 又回到汉城了！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!
Day 9 - 蚕室洞石村湖 Seokchun Lake (and GOTO Mall) - Last few days this year for the blossoms吧
Day 10 - Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy
Day 11 - Seodaemun Prison History Museum 西大门刑务所历史馆.. a sobering memory... have to eat 猪血！
Day 12 - 又广长吃猪脚，又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!
Day 4 - 庆州黄龙院 Hwangnyongwon, Gyeongju Tower and 良洞民俗村 Yangdong Village
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Click HERE👇 Below To See The Actual VIDEO
Click HERE☝ Above To See The Actual VIDEO
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。
老妈说：“你们五十多岁现在，能够走的话，还是多走吧！”
而我说：“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！“
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。
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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！
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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！
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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。
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..
他们整天说 “哎呀我们都老了，还要做这么多东西，去这么多地方，做什么？”
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：
“咦，原来这用个 iPhone的 Pano mode 和 Portrait mode 来拍旅行照，真的是可以拍得很美丽的呀！”
那一刹那又有新的东西可以学可以玩了。
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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！
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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。
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！
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.
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One interesting experience I wanted all of us to have was to actually sit down in a little Yangban's room in a Yangban's house (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 stiff stiff sore sore yah! That was so funny!
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! 哇真的是吃到我們又辣又饱。
下午回到徐罗伐韩屋馆时，原本就打算说 “Ok, that’s it for today. No more walking, just sit in the kitchen and drink tea!”
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分钟到东宫去看东宫的夜景。
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。
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Click HERE👇 Below To See The Actual VIDEO
Click HERE☝ Above To See The Actual VIDEO
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Table of Content 目录
[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day]
Day 1 - Yay! 汉城啦！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!
Day 2 - 到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋！
Day 3 - 哇，樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?Day 4 - 黄龙院，良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!
Day 5 - 大陵苑，瞻星台 - just to get our TOTO numbers & off to 全州 Jeonju Hanok Village!
Day 6 - 全州乡校街，太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu
Day 7- 镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!
Day 8 - Yay! 又回到汉城了！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!
Day 9 - 蚕室洞石村湖 Seokchun Lake (and GOTO Mall) - Last few days this year for the blossoms吧
Day 10 - Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy
Day 11 - Seodaemun Prison History Museum 西大门刑务所历史馆.. a sobering memory... have to eat 猪血！
Day 12 - 又广长吃猪脚，又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!
27 March 2023
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Click HERE👇 Below To See The Actual VIDEO
Click HERE☝ Above To See The Actual VIDEO
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。
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| Daeneungwon 大陵苑 |
我跟老妈说：“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。“
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| Cheomseongdae 瞻星台 |
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。
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.
Serene and I were familiar with Jeonju thus we were not apprehensive about getting around.
The only thing that was in my mind was: “Now that we have seen plenty of cherry blossom in Gyeongju, would we make it in time to see those in Jeonju?”
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...
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 Soondae and Intestine restaurant in Nambu market 赵占利南门血肠 (조점례남문 피순대 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 more soup and the waitress added soup with red spicy chilly he was so angry and disappointed! Hahahaha…
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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, Geomtang, to bring back to have supper with the old folks!
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Click HERE👇 Below To See The Actual VIDEO
Click HERE☝ Above To See The Actual VIDEO
Table of Content 目录
[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day]
Day 1 - Yay! 汉城啦！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!
Day 2 - 到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋！
Day 3 - 哇，樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?Day 4 - 黄龙院，良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!
Day 5 - 大陵苑，瞻星台 - just to get our TOTO numbers & off to 全州 Jeonju Hanok Village!
Day 6 - 全州乡校街，太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu
Day 7- 镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!
Day 8 - Yay! 又回到汉城了！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!
Day 9 - 蚕室洞石村湖 Seokchun Lake (and GOTO Mall) - Last few days this year for the blossoms吧
Day 10 - Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy
Day 11 - Seodaemun Prison History Museum 西大门刑务所历史馆.. a sobering memory... have to eat 猪血！
Day 12 - 又广长吃猪脚，又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!
28 March 2023
全州的这一间 “充满幸福的韩屋馆“ Hengbok Kadeuk Hanok, 跟庆州的那间徐罗伐韩屋馆比起来，相对的是稍微旧了一点。但是这间稍微小一点的L-形韩屋，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！
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我跟老人家说： “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 caricature 素描的画家帮我们四人画一张。 “
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 local architecture is aggressively conserved. Hyanggyo-Gil and Taejo-to were our usual favourite walking places
Click HERE👇 Below To See The Actual VIDEO
Click HERE☝ Above To See The Actual VIDEO
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.
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Hyanggyo-gil was very very quiet. Surprisingly quieter than when we were there in May 2022. Hyanggyo (the Jeonju Kampong School 全州乡校) that was the centrepiece 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 every cornerstone of the Kampong school, even Papa went to give the old Joseon toilet 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.
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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 caricature of the four of us drawn.
妈妈说：“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！”
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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.
"No, the cherry blossoms here in Jeonju haven't bloomed yet," said one of the convenience shop SaJangNim, echoing the same words of our Hanok SaJangNim.
"You should really drive the one hour trip to Jinan Maisan," highly recommended our Hanok SaJangNim. "It usually has lovely cherry blossoms."
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| 乡校古树 |
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.
Table of Content 目录
[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day]
Day 1 - Yay! 汉城啦！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!
Day 2 - 到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋！
Day 3 - 哇，樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?Day 4 - 黄龙院，良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!
Day 5 - 大陵苑，瞻星台 - just to get our TOTO numbers & off to 全州 Jeonju Hanok Village!
Day 6 - 全州乡校街，太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu
Day 7- 镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!
Day 8 - Yay! 又回到汉城了！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!
Day 9 - 蚕室洞石村湖 Seokchun Lake (and GOTO Mall) - Last few days this year for the blossoms吧
Day 10 - Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy
Day 11 - Seodaemun Prison History Museum 西大门刑务所历史馆.. a sobering memory... have to eat 猪血！
Day 12 - 又广长吃猪脚，又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!
29 March 2023
"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！"
回想起来，这一趟也真的是好过瘾。一点都没有错。
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。
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Click HERE👇 Below To See The Actual VIDEO
Click HERE☝ Above To See The Actual VIDEO
”真奇怪," 爸爸说。"在庆州那里樱花就开到 bing bing biang biang, 这里却完全没开花。“
卖炸人参的女社长很 cute地说: "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。“
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。
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。途中也经过一个漂亮的湖。
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。
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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.
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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 perfectly doable even for an 80 year old couple.
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To reward everyone, I bought another 丰富的韩式午餐 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 Goki (meat) and a whole lot of bancan (side dishes), each person is about 17,000 won.
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 Nurungji (the famous Chao-dar Korean rice) to bring back to Singapore, we managed to also catch a glimpse of a couple of cherry blossom trees with freshly-bloomed flowers.
Table of Content 目录
[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day]
Day 1 - Yay! 汉城啦！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!
Day 2 - 到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋！
Day 3 - 哇，樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?
Day 4 - 黄龙院，良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!
Day 5 - 大陵苑，瞻星台 - just to get our TOTO numbers & off to 全州 Jeonju Hanok Village!
Day 6 - 全州乡校街，太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu
Day 7- 镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!
Day 8 - Yay! 又回到汉城了！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!
Day 9 - 蚕室洞石村湖 Seokchun Lake (and GOTO Mall) - Last few days this year for the blossoms吧
Day 10 - Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy
Day 11 - Seodaemun Prison History Museum 西大门刑务所历史馆.. a sobering memory... have to eat 猪血！
Day 12 - 又广长吃猪脚，又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!
30 March 2023
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.
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Click HERE👇 Below To See The Actual VIDEO
Click HERE☝ Above To See The Actual VIDEO
"서울로 가는 길에 전주 동물원을 지나가시면 벚꽃을 많이 볼 수 있습니다, (on your way to Seoul, if you pass by the Jeonju Zoo, you can see many Boetgeot!)" 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。
Wah, this Hanok ShaJangNim also quite cute. Must have been damn stressed by me, every day asking him where in Jeonju can we find cherry blossoms. 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.
Haha... this Hanok ShaJangNim's job was done!
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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.
So far up till this stage, what Papa has learned about driving in Korea was:
- 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.
- cars can turn right on red. Just need to stop a while to make sure no pedestrians.
- 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)
- (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.
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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.
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"今天我们带你们老人家去吃韩国人的 sashimi, 叫着‘灰’ Hwe。 在首尔站旁边有一间我跟阿豪很喜欢吃的‘灰’店。“ 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！
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.
Wah! Home Sweet Home, baby!
Table of Content 目录
[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day]
Day 1 - Yay! 汉城啦！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!
Day 2 - 到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋！
Day 3 - 哇，樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?Day 4 - 黄龙院，良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!
Day 5 - 大陵苑，瞻星台 - just to get our TOTO numbers & off to 全州 Jeonju Hanok Village!
Day 6 - 全州乡校街，太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu
Day 7- 镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!
Day 8 - Yay! 又回到汉城了！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!
Day 9 - 蚕室洞石村湖 Seokchun Lake (and GOTO Mall) - Last few days this year for the blossoms吧
Day 10 - Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy
Day 11 - Seodaemun Prison History Museum 西大门刑务所历史馆.. a sobering memory... have to eat 猪血！
Day 12 - 又广长吃猪脚，又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!
Day 9 - 石村湖看樱花 probably the last few days of this year's cherry blossom season.. Great, let's go GOTO MALL!
31 March 2023
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.
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.
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！
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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！
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.
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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。
“你是蜘蛛meh？你有多少双眼睛？”老爸开玩笑说。
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Click HERE👇 Below To See The Actual VIDEO
Click HERE☝ Above To See The Actual VIDEO
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.
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| Old people take MRT take until hungry. Must eat somthing in the MRT station even. |
Using Kakao-map to navigate...
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.
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.
Jamsil-dong Seokchon Lake 蚕室洞 石村湖
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.
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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.
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.
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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...
"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！“我说。
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| No have 樱花 fall down... |
GOTO Mall Underground Shopping
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.
The 800m double-halled underground shopping mall was still one of my favourites.
Little did we realise that the old folks would find so many things that would attract their attention.
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。
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不止买了，回到明洞旅馆后，突然间她老人家想到：
“哎呀，这套睡衣质地这么好，我后悔不买多一些。”
“哇佬，你到底一天穿多少件睡衣？”老爸 kao beh 她。
"妈妈，不要管。我们明天再回去那里去买多几套！" 阿华说。
Dinner at Ouga 五友家 Restaurant
今晚这晚餐，吃了很丰富的韩牛。也从金万中那里学了어리버리하다 Ori Bori Hada - “傻傻”的韩语形容词。
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明洞买外套
“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！”，我说。
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Table of Content 目录
[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day]
Day 1 - Yay! 汉城啦！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!
Day 2 - 到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋！
Day 3 - 哇，樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?Day 4 - 黄龙院，良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!
Day 5 - 大陵苑，瞻星台 - just to get our TOTO numbers & off to 全州 Jeonju Hanok Village!
Day 6 - 全州乡校街，太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu
Day 7- 镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!
Day 8 - Yay! 又回到汉城了！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!
Day 9 - 蚕室洞石村湖 Seokchun Lake (and GOTO Mall) - Last few days this year for the blossoms吧
Day 10 - Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy
Day 11 - Seodaemun Prison History Museum 西大门刑务所历史馆.. a sobering memory... have to eat 猪血！
Day 12 - 又广长吃猪脚，又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!
1 April 2023
Click HERE👇 Below To See The Actual VIDEO
Click HERE☝ Above To See The Actual VIDEO
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。
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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。
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“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。” says 老爸。
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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。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。
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Eating Street food in Gwangjang Market
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.
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南大门市场 Namdaemun market
"南大门又是什么地方？“ 老妈问。
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，两位老人家真的是收获不少呀！
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尤其是老妈....
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Table of Content 目录
[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day]
Day 1 - Yay! 汉城啦！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!
Day 2 - 到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋！
Day 3 - 哇，樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?
Day 4 - 黄龙院，良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!
Day 5 - 大陵苑，瞻星台 - just to get our TOTO numbers & off to 全州 Jeonju Hanok Village!
Day 6 - 全州乡校街，太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu
Day 7- 镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!
Day 8 - Yay! 又回到汉城了！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!
Day 9 - 蚕室洞石村湖 Seokchun Lake (and GOTO Mall) - Last few days this year for the blossoms吧
Day 10 - Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy
Day 11 - Seodaemun Prison History Museum 西大门刑务所历史馆.. a sobering memory... have to eat 猪血！
Day 12 - 又广长吃猪脚，又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!
Day 11 - 西大门刑务所历史馆 Seodaemun Prison History Museum - 历史的见证
2 April 2023
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.
Click HERE👇 Below To See The Actual VIDEO
Click HERE☝ Above To See The Actual VIDEO
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.
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| Korean prisoners were placed inside this spike box and this whole thing was kicked round and round while the prisoner suffered multiple puncture wounds. |
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A visit to these museums was never a wrong move, particular more so for those who are drawn to history.
吃猪血！
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.
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| 猪血汤！ |
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.
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| He was so tickled by a group of Singaporeans who could speak the language |
Table of Content 目录
[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day]
Day 1 - Yay! 汉城啦！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!
Day 2 - 到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋！
Day 3 - 哇，樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?Day 4 - 黄龙院，良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!
Day 5 - 大陵苑，瞻星台 - just to get our TOTO numbers & off to 全州 Jeonju Hanok Village!
Day 6 - 全州乡校街，太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu
Day 7- 镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!
Day 8 - Yay! 又回到汉城了！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!
Day 9 - 蚕室洞石村湖 Seokchun Lake (and GOTO Mall) - Last few days this year for the blossoms吧
Day 10 - Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy
Day 11 - Seodaemun Prison History Museum 西大门刑务所历史馆.. a sobering memory... have to eat 猪血！
Day 12 - 又广长吃猪脚，又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!
3 April 2023
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.
"我要再去回同样的那间摊位吃她的猪脚，" 老爸坚持说。 OK啦，没问题！
Click HERE👇 Below To See The Actual VIDEO
Click HERE☝ Above To See The Actual VIDEO
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| Cheonggyecheon 清溪川 |
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| Sannakji - the live squid. |
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.
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| This ShaJangNim really very lucky to have Papa's business. |
We still got 15kg more of weight-space in our luggage leh...
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。
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Fried chicken, Korean style...
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Table of Content 目录
[Click on the 'Day' to jump to the day]
Day 1 - Yay! 汉城啦！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah!
Day 2 - 到庆州 Gyeongju 睡...韩屋！
Day 3 - 哇，樱花佛国 Bulguksa- how lucky can we get?Day 4 - 黄龙院，良洞民俗村.. cherry blossoms & eat like a Yangban!
Day 5 - 大陵苑，瞻星台 - just to get our TOTO numbers & off to 全州 Jeonju Hanok Village!
Day 6 - 全州乡校街，太祖路... draw Caricature & eat Bibimbap, Bingsu
Day 7- 镇安马耳山塔寺 Maisan... no blossoms, but lovely scenery!
Day 8 - Yay! 又回到汉城了！Simi, Hanseong? Seoul lah, wei!
Day 9 - 蚕室洞石村湖 Seokchun Lake (and GOTO Mall) - Last few days this year for the blossoms吧
Day 10 - Gwangjang 广长市场 shop like siao, Namdaemun 南大门市场 buy like crazy
Day 11 - Seodaemun Prison History Museum 西大门刑务所历史馆.. a sobering memory... have to eat 猪血！
Day 12 - 又广长吃猪脚，又明洞吃炸鸡... jiaklat!
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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。
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？
妈妈说： “我们秋天的时候，再来看枫叶！”
当然啦！
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