For years my friends have been telling me to visit Jeju and were surprised to find out I had never been (even though I have been traveling to Korea since 2011 and have lived in Korea since 2014). Most if not all of my friends that have visited Jeju had nothing but nice things to say about the island. They raved about the waterfalls, beaches, hiking, and sightseeing opportunities. After hearing this for years, I felt like Jeju had been so hyped up in my mind that I was set up for disappointment. This past June, I finally made the trip to Jeju and, to my surprise, was not disappointed at all.
First, is how insanely cheap you can find flights to Jeju. While the major airlines have plenty of flights, so do the many budget airlines that operate within Korea. For my flights, I booked on Air Busan going to Jeju and JinAir for the return. Jeju does have its own airline (Jeju Air) but for the dates I booked Jeju Air's ticket prices were not the best. If you use search engines like Kayak or Google Flights you may have to visit the airline websites individually for pricing but it's totally worth it. You'll save a lot of money.
Second, are the amount of lodging deals there are for Jeju...and just affordable lodging in general. Korean online shopping portals often run weekly travel specials and Jeju is a common destination. Many people choose to stay on the southern end of the island since a lot of the sightseeing options are located there. However, there are plenty of options in Jeju city where the major airport is. The hotel I stayed at is relatively new and was running a lodging and breakfast special for a fraction of their normal summer rate. Below is a map of where the hotel is as well as a room tour I filmed - the room was huge and so was the bathroom. The bed was big and comfortable and the room faced the ocean! The breakfast buffet had plenty of options and the dining area was large and accommodating.
Third, transportation - while many elect to rent a car while in Jeju. I didn't have that opportunity since I didn't have an international driver's permit at the time nor a Korean driver's license. However, there are buses and plenty of taxis available even on the southern end of the island. There are also buses from the airport that can take you to your hotel. I heard some people hire taxi drivers for the whole day, picking out some places they want to go and basically having a private driver for a flat rate. These daily rates (or for however long you need them) are negotiated with the driver. One taxi driver we talked to offered to take us around for an afternoon for a flat rate of KRW 60,000. I ended up using mostly buses and taxis however having a rental car is much more convenient and actually cheaper in some cases.
I'll be detailing more of my trip in future posts! Thanks for reading!
Random Thought: I am not sure if this is just a Korean thing or an if-you-have-young-children thing. But I have noticed that the publishing industry for educational materials (at least in Korea) is huge. Families will buy whole series of educational books for math, reading, grammar, foreign languages, etc. Whole walls in people's houses will be covered in shelving just for educational books (in additional to general children's books, reference, and sometimes other literature).
My parents said they used to have a ton of kids books when I was growing up but I never remember having whole walls in a room dedicated to just books for me and my brother.
Wow! I have reached 50 posts in the "My Korean Life" series! I have lived in Korea for almost 2 years now and life is quite different from when I first moved here.
When I first moved here, I was lucky enough to live in quite a large officetel with a loft and separate bedroom. I now live in a one-room studio apartment with a small storage area but no separate bedroom. My current apartment is maybe the size of my former living room.
I am no longer in language school. I finished Sogang University's curriculum in August 2015! I now study independently and use a variety of TOPIK test preparation materials.
In addition to the above, below are some things I have been working on lately. What are you working on in your life? I invite you to follow me on social media (links below) and to stay tuned for even more posts in the "My Korean Life" series!
Employment:
-Currently supporting myself on two part-time jobs both of which are great!
-Expanding my skill set via both part-time jobs (content marketing, copywriting, education, etc)
Cooking:
-Increased frequency of cooking at home
-Thanks to the stir-fry cheatsheet by Cook Smarts I can make a variety of dishes easily
-Experimenting with other dishes and recipes
-Wanting to experiment cooking other things than just rice in my rice cooker
Language:
-Continuing to study for the TOPIK exam
-Contemplating learning some more Japanese (I only know a few basic phrases and words)
Social Media:
-Blog improved to include embedded widgets as well as better content
-Joined Instagram to quickly showcase my life in Korea as well as material related to my blog
-Enhancing YouTube Channel with appropriate playlists, tagging, and video descriptions
-Figuring out the best way to utilize Twitter
I have loved burgers ever since I can remember. In one bite you can experience a variety of textures and flavors. So, ever since moving to Korea, I have been constantly on the search for great tasting burgers. There are plenty of burger joints here in Korea but not all are able to meet my high standards :) Today I want to introduce you to a place my friend and I discovered in downtown Seoul called BAS Burger (바스버거)!
It is a little challenging to find, but the nearest subway stop is Jonggak (종각역) Exit 1. Come out of the exit, continue straight until Jong-ro 5 gil (종로5길) and turn right. Walk about 150 meters and you should see it on the 2nd floor of the building on your left. The address in Korean is: 서울 종로구 종로3길 24-20 2층.
The restaurant is kept quite dark so we had to use our cell phone camera flashes to see better. Here is a picture of the menu:
Food
Drinks
My friend and I decided on sharing the Bas Platter which comes with all you see below (drinks are separate). The two burgers we chose were the Hawaiian (grilled pineapple on the burger) and the Bas burger (Cheese burger). It also came with fries, onion rings, wings, and coleslaw! The three sauces offered are honey mustard, mayo, and ketchup.
Fries, onion rings, Hawaiian burger, Bas burger, Chicken wings, coleslaw
Overall, I really like their burgers and fries. All the veggies seem crisp and fresh and the burger itself is tasty and juicy. The buns are pretty good too. The onion rings were just ok and the chicken wings were as I expected. Check out the map and Facebook page below for more information.
Do you have any burger restaurant recommendations for me? Leave them in the comments!
A while ago I lost my Costco membership card. I even know approximately when/where I lost it but was unable to retrieve it. FYI - you can use your card worldwide at any Costco. So, I (incorrectly) assumed I could simply go to the local Costco here in Korea and get my card reprinted. This was NOT the case.
I entered the local Costco with my USA driver's license in hand and approached the customer service counter. I stated that I had lost my card and wished to have a new one printed. I also stated I had joined overseas in the USA. The employee said that she could not reprint membership cards that were not issued in Korea. I told her that I live in Korea now and do not have any current plans to visit the USA. She basically said, tough luck and that if I want to shop at Costco in Korea I need to become a member in Korea since I lost my old card issued in the USA.
Frustrated, I later wrote an email to Costco customer service via their website thinking that Costco in the USA could simply print a new card and mail it to me in Korea...unfortunately I got the below response (Click the screenshot to expand):
Really? So any of your stores can accept any membership card but you can't reissue all cards nor can you ship worldwide? My guess is each card simply has some check bit built-in so as long as "MEMBERSHIP" = TRUE the person can shop but otherwise there is no sharing of information in the system. Maybe there are some laws regarding this but it is extremely inconvenient to people that lose their cards aboard away from their 'home' membership country. Think military, expatriate community, long term vacationers and travelers.
I ended up rejoining Costco here in Korea but using my Korean address and other information. Membership in Korea is actually cheaper but they don't have gas stations like American Costcos do. The membership is less than $30 annually as opposed to $55 annually in the USA. I guess that is the one redeeming factor...cheaper membership costs...anyway, needless to say it was frustrating.
What has been frustrating to you living abroad? Below is Costco's Facebook page, maybe you have had a similar issue?
Last night I hosted a small dinner party for 3 people! My cooking post gathered a lot of attention and I offered to cook for a few people recently and they took me up on my offer. They even brought me a few gifts :) Check out the photos below!
Table setting - disposable everything since I don't actually own that many dishes :/
Take a seat!
Vegetables all prepared
That close up shot
The finished product! Tuna and vegetable stir-fry with rice, topped with roasted sesame seeds
Thank you so much for the wine and fruit!
The dishes aftermath, all fit on the rack except for the cutting board
Thanks again to Cook Smarts for the tasty stir-fry ideas!
I've been using this guide by Cook Smarts to make tasty stir-fries lately. Here is a link to a full infographic on imgur. With only a few basic ingredients and your choice of protein and vegetables, you can create delicious meals quite quickly. I also now know the secret to making sauces shiny and sticky like you might see in American Chinese food restaurants - corn/potato starch! Here I have my basic sauce/seasoning ingredients, which you can modify to your liking but I've had good results with the items pictured here. Other things to add would be citrus like lemon/lime/orange juice as well as maybe green onion, shallots, chili flakes, whatever you like!
From Left to Right: salt, pepper, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, potato starch, garlic, ginger
One of my latest attempts was the orange ginger sauce recipe with vegetables and tuna. I snapped some pictures and have posted those down below.
Orange ginger sauce
Vegetables prepped - use what you like!
Vegetables cooking
Sauce and tuna added to the vegetable medley
Mixed and heated through
Ready to eat!
I often have leftovers if I only am cooking for myself so, many times I can get two meals out of cooking once. I haven't done the calculations but I'm sure I am saving some money even if it takes a little time to prepare and cook my meals. The next time I shop I will record the prices and update this post with approximate costs (but it will vary for you depending on ingredients and availability). For example, I have a vegetable stand near my house where I got like 7-8 onions for only 3000KRW and a bag of about the same number of carrots for 1000KRW.
This past Wednesday I attended another Lunar New Year event, this time hosted by InKAS and the 서울무궁화로타리클럽 at the Korea House. A map and the Korea House's Facebook page are embedded below, the location is closest to Chungmuro (충무로역) station. I snapped some pictures of the food that was provided. The traditional rice cake soup (떡국) was the main course served in a bowl with charcoal in the middle to keep it warm. We were also given some small gifts and played games with the opportunity to win prizes.
Rice cake wrapper with vegetable and meat fillings
Gift bag
Pumpkin Porridge (호박죽)
Marinated beef (불고기)
Rice cake soup (떡국)
Fruit
The holiday is now finished and people are going back to work and school. The subway was very busy today as opposed to the past 5 days where there weren't as many people. A number of businesses still stayed open during the holiday. It is actually a popular time for tourists from other Asian countries to come visit Korea. Do you celebrate the lunar new year? How do you celebrate?
Happy Lunar New Year! I spent the lunar new year at KoRoot, a guest house and non-profit organization that helps Korean adoptees. There were about 30 people that showed up for their new year's day meal. Below are a few pictures I took, information regarding their Facebook Page, and an embedded Daum Map. They also have a few groups on Facebook that are written in English. While I have never spent the night at the guesthouse, I have attended many of their events since moving to Korea.
Traditionally, rice cake soup (떡국) is eaten on new year's day. In addition to all the delicious food prepared, this traditional soup was also served. The broth had great flavor and the rice cake was nice and tender.
I enjoy these adoptee events because it gives an easy opportunity for everyone to meet and perhaps catch up with friends you have not seen in a while. Also, a lot of times you can meet new adoptees or other members of the community.
Again, I hope everyone has a pleasant lunar new year holiday.
Skiing and snowboarding, amongst other outdoor activities, are quite popular in Korea as the majority of the country is covered in mountains. I had traveled to Korea quite a few times before moving here and up until this year, had not experienced skiing in Korea. This past weekend, along with a group of 9 others, I ventured to Phoenix Park - a ski resort about 2.5 hours drive outside of Seoul. We traveled via a bus package which included a bus to and from the resort from Seoul, lift ticket, ski rental, and clothing if needed. Overall, the experience was convenient and enjoyable! I'll go into detail below.
We opted for a night skiing package which had a bus pick us up from the Sinchon (신촌) area in Seoul at 6:40PM sharp (The bus was literally pulling away from the curb at this time). You were free to bring along baggage and your own equipment if you wanted to. The ride to the resort was uneventful and a lot of people napped or simply looked at the Korean countryside as we went to the resort. Upon arrival, a resort staff member scanned our digital tickets and we were free to head towards the main area. Entering the main lodge, the equipment rental/locker area was to our left, main bathroom and shops directly in front and a convenience store to our right. On the second floor was the walk out to the slopes as well as the large cafeteria area and access to some other equipment shops on the right.
We arrived a little after 9:00PM and were able to get our lift tickets and rental equipment at 9:30PM. One thing to note, a small deposit is needed for your lift ticket which works with a contactless technology. Return your lift ticket to the desk on the second floor to receive your deposit back at the end of skiing. For equipment rental, an ID card is used as collateral and before going to the rental pick up desk, be sure to fill out the back of the ticket that indicates your height/weight/binding setting/etc. For those that wish to rent ski clothes, head to the shops that are near the main bathroom areas. Goggles and helmets are also available for rent at 5000KRW. Lockers are available for 1000KRW and there are change machines located at the end of the locker rows. Be warned, once you open the locker after you lock it, you have to pay again to lock it again. After getting all our gear and placing things into lockers, we hit the slopes!
During night skiing not every slope is open but there weren't many people there so lift lines moved quite quickly. If you look at the Phoenix Park Slope Map the following lifts were open: Penguin, Eagle, Sparrow, Condor (at least if my memory serves me right, Hawk might have been open). After warming up on the Penguin run, a few of us went to the top and did various runs from the peak. The expert run that was open was just steep at times and there weren't really any bumps or moguls (although there was one mogul run that we saw but did not attempt). The snow wasn't the best but also wasn't the worst either. There were some icy patches but nothing that got in the way of having a good time. Below are some pictures I shot while out and about:
Top of the peak looking over the start of an expert run
Gondola station...nice name
Small park featuring a windmill at the peak
Rental skis - not bad!
Bottom of the resort area right outside the main lodge
Entrance to the main lodge building from the ski area
Resort hotels in the background
We took a break around 1AM to have a snack. The indoor cafeteria was closed but there were many snack stalls outside the main lodge and also the convenience store was open. I personally enjoyed a toast sandwich while others had ramen, hot dogs, waffles, chicken, and other snacks. The prices were slightly inflated as it is a ski resort but if you want the most bang for your buck, probably the convenience store has the best prices. I heard a big instant cup ramen was only 1500KRW at the convenience store while another food stand was selling something similar for more than double the price.
Snack Stalls and Ski Racks
After eating and some time inside to warm up, a lot of us went back out for a few more runs before closing time (4AM). One cool thing I like about this resort is that they have compressed air to clean off yourself and your gear right outside the main door to the lodge! This was the first time I had seen this feature although my friend said that other places have the air guns as well. I've put a picture of these below.
Compressed air to blow the snow off yourself and your gear!
The bus departed for Seoul at 4:40AM sharp so at 4AM we hurried and returned all our ski gear and changed clothes. Our group leader gathered all of our lift tickets and got our group deposit back. The lot where all the buses park was packed but luckily ours had 신촌 written in the window. By the way, bus seats are not assigned so if you want a certain seat, best to arrive early. The ride back to Seoul was uneventful and a lot of us slept the whole way. Back in Seoul, I enjoyed breakfast at McDonald's before walking home.
The whole package deal was a good bargain in my opinion as the resort is running specials with deep discounts for certain times but I'm not sure how long these will last. To book the package deals you must be able to read Korean or navigate through the booking process in Korean. There are a variety of packages to choose from.
Official links to the Phoenix Park website, weather report by Naver, and Facebook are below as well as embedded maps and a video of their ski school. The package information and other resort information can be found on their website - not all the same information is found on the English version of their website so I advise looking at the Korean one as well. I hope this post is more informative and engaging for you as I improve my blogging capabilities. Stay tuned for more!
I'll admit, for the longest time I was completely against eating raw beef here in Korea. The last thing I want to experience is food poisoning or some other nasty stomach ailment. Therefore, I wrote off eating 육회 ("yook-hwae"/raw beef) basically from the moment I started living in Korea over 1.5 years ago. BUT...lo and behold...the more my Korean friends as well as other expat friends talked about eating this dish, the more curious I became. I figured, if all of my friends have already eaten raw beef and if tons of Koreans eat it every day, it must be relatively safe. So, I mustered up the courage to visit a local market and brave one of the many 육회 restaurants.
The photos you see below are of the main staple: 육회 as well as 비빔 육회. I wrote the dish contents in the captions below each photo but generally, the standard 육회 is raw beef, pear, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and a raw egg yolk. You are supposed to mix it all together before enjoying...which I did. Now I admit, it does not look all that appetizing BUT it was actually pretty good.
The second dish is kind of like 비빔밥 but with the raw beef. It featured a lot of the same ingredients as the raw beef dish with some added vegetables. I would say the 비빔 육회 was a bit more flavorful in my opinion.
Overall, the raw beef was tender and mild in taste. Yes, you did have the beefy taste but not as strong as if you would have grilled the meat. It is served chilled and is soft and often served to accompany alcohol (almost everyone in the restaurant was drinking). It was rather a refreshing bite to have some pear and raw beef together. I am still alive and kicking and had no bad stomach problems since eating the raw beef so, if in Korea, I recommend trying it!
Raw beef, raw egg yolk, sliced asian pear, sesame oil, sesame seeds.
Lettuce, spicy red pepper paste, raw beef, sesame oil, sliced vegetables, sesame seeds.
