Things to do in Seoul!

It's about time I made a list of things to do (and then perhaps do some of them). Perhaps. 

Culture (all of these are at least half day events)

• Palaces - at least 2 main palaces in Seoul that we should visit, Gyeongbuk-kung (the main palace in Gwanghamun. The changing of the guard is pretty cool, especially since they allow to wear the uniforms! Beware the 18th century lice) and Chanduk-kung (the summer palace - nice gardens and stuff).
  
• Korean War memorial - an awesome tribute to the Korean war. Part collection of information and war related items (everything from guns to planes), part memorial (statues and a list of all the people from 30 or so countries who died). Also a pretty park (includes a wedding hall), so nice for picnics. Really close to my place. 3,000 won per person for the indoor exhibits (4 stories), the stuff outside (statues, planes, tanks, rockets) is free.
  
• National Museum / Art Gallery - they sometimes have exhibitions that don't make KL - like the Picasso or Rene Margarite was pretty good.
• DMZ - stare into the North, stay away from the light.
  

Fun

- Lotte World! - Theme park! Has a nice miniature ancient folk village you can walk around
- River cruise - along the Han. Big ass river
- Seoul Tower on Namsan Mountain- like KL Tower - lookie out a Seoul, walk around mountain. Each pancakes and drink rice wine. Yum. Right behind my house
- Nightlife - student and yuppie flavours

Shopping

- Namdaemun - like petaling street. good for sovenirs and stuff
- Dongdaemun - wholesale market. Everything you need to build a house, car, child, marriage, and clothes
- Myundong - lots of stores, from high end to low end
- Gagnam and Apkujeong - the Louis Vitton store and all those places I don't go because it cost too much to look. But very pretty. Newer part of Seoul - the playground of the rich and famous

And then there is the food.

Going to Botswana...

In two days I leave for the African Continent, for my second time in 5 years! Stellenbosch 2003 was one the best Worlds ever, perhaps number two on my Best Worlds List (yes, I have one), second only to MMU of course =]

I'm going to try and blog every inch of this journey. I hope this will help people understand how one gets to Botswana and get an idea of all the lovely attractions that await.

My flight route is Seoul - Hong Kong - Johannesburg - Gaborone . I depart at 7.45pm on the 5th of December and reach Johannesburg at 7.15am on the 6th. I then take a short flight at 9.20am and arrive in sunny Gaborone at 10.25am! It's a grand total of 18 hours of flying.

Well, that's all for now, but more stories and pictures to come!

I will be blogging about the trip at www.botswanaworlds.com/blog, so follow it there!

kekkie the kat - on YouTube

kekkie the kat!!

Freezing

Quick post to highlight current situation - the weather at this point in time, measured at Gimpo airport (about 44 minutes away by Subway including one transfer at Gongdeok, from line 6 to 5) is -5 Degrees Celcius.

(pause)   minus    (pause)   five    (pause)

I was walking around Sunday with a hoody on - today after 3 minutes walking around my ears felt like it had been slammed repeatedly between car doors. Very cold car doors.

Apparently it'll be super cold tommorrow, and then warm after that. This is climate change at its most extreme. I don't understand this, I yearn for warm tropics, and consistency!

Coffee Plunger Adventure Update

Since this is such an immense part of my life, it deserves an update!

And for those of you who are sardonically smirking in sonorous salaciousness : "buying a Coffee Plunger, an Adventure??? hrmph!" I will say 3 things:
a) you've obviously not been Coffee Plunger (or any other Plunger for that matter) shopping with me before
b) what have you done with your life lately? Rescued the Holy Grail from penguins protesters??
c) potato!

A simple trip to Lotte Mart, ended with

1. one 2-cup glass coffee plunger
2. two hardened plastic double-layer portable bodum plungers, for taking to the office
3. one large comforter (for AhYoung)
4. a pair of new shoes
5. one Westlife CD (for AhYoung, seriously)
6. one Large cooking pot (for making large batches of chicken curry..mmm)
7. one chicken (cut into bits, minus icky parts)
8. 3 potatoes
9. garlic (150 grams, already peeled)
10. mushrooms (big round ones)
    

...for a grand total of 119,620 won!

Taking the shopping cart was a bad idea? =]

Fresh Coffee!

Sharing an article (and saving for later!) on how to keep coffee fresh : http://www.wholelattelove.com/articles/keeping_coffee_fresh.cfm
Seems like a great site for Coffee Lovers!

Good coffee is one thing that I've been enjoying more. It's a mix between the higher purchasing power of Koreans, a coffee-drinking habit and, in some parts, a need to be chic. I can get a very good cup of coffee for (dollar-for-dollar) 3.50 - freshly roasted beans! mmmmm. Even the coffee shop in the school cafeteria has an expresso machine (Americano, 1.50)!

A student of mine gave me some coffee from Santa Domingo recently. Cafe Molido! It looks exactly like this!
Tomorrow : Shopping for coffee plunger! Or maybe, this baby..