冒险娘之旅 China Restricted Web

The internet restrictions frustrated me when I was in China. I cannot access to the English version of Google properly which meant not getting enough information or news for a month. Facebook, Youtube and Wordpress were restricted sites which took away my usual communication tools and entertainment channels. Luckily Whatapp was approved so I can still keep in touch with my family and friends. I also noticed that I can download videos faster using Letv, Youku and Tudou in China.

I was introduced to new apps by my Chinese friends. QQ and Wechat (Weixin) were the hottest communication tools in China now. Often, you can see locals recording their voice message and sending to friends. You can also update daily status like Twitter using QQ. But I wonder how the Telecoms cope with million of Chinese sending heavy recorded messages each day.

The Almost Circle MRT Line

Dearest SMRT

Why do you name a MRT line Circle line when it do not made a full circuit? I was at Harbourfront station one fine afternoon foolishly thinking that I would easily take aforementioned line to Bayfront station within 15 mins. After all, these 2 stations are not very far apart in the map of Singapore. But it was not meant to be. I had to either take the full trip on the Circle line to the west, then up north and down east which would take more than 1 hour. Or I could take the North East line to Dhoby Ghaut station, transit to the Circle line (the irony) to Promenade station, then wait for the train to Bayfront station from there. I truly comprehended the term "so near yet so far" that day.

Yours not-so-impressed
Jas

So near yet so far: the missing gap between Harbourfont and Bayfront

Balinese names

While researching for my trip to Bali, I noticed the name Wayan came up many time. There was Wayan the guide, Wayan the driver, Wayan the owner. There were shops, restaurants and guesthouses named after Wayan. And I thought to myself, who is this Wayan guy, he sure sounded rich and is everywhere in Bali holding different jobs. Wow but it can't be right. So I did a wiki search on Balinese name and found out there are 4 essential names in a Balinese family. Wayan means the first born in the family. Followed by Made or Kedah for the second born, Nyoman for the third born and Ketut for the fourth born. So if there is a fifth child, what would be his name? Accoring to wiki, it would be Wayan Balik (or Wayan "again"). Very interesting. There is no record of the sixth child name in wiki, so would the child be call Wayan Balik Balik or Made Balik or do they stop at five? Anyway it just explained that the Wayan in my research were different persons. But it make it all the more confusing, right? What if I am lost and I shout for my guide, Wayan, how many heads would turn? Maybe I shall try.

Reminded me of the childhood game called Where's Wally?

South Korea 26 & 27 April 2013: Hongdae

Hongdae Free Market opens at 1pm every Saturday from March to November. Here you will see students selling art & crafts and accessories in the park & playground. There will be street performance and busking too.



Last view of Hongdae before we bid goodbye. Till next time.



An orchestra performing inside the departure hall at Incheon airport. Truly Korea!

South Korea 26 April 2013: Samcheong-dong

Get lost in Korea! And where would be the place but Samcheongdong and its Bukchon Hanok village. According to Wikipedia, this hilly neighbourhood is characterized by numerous small art galleries, shops, and restaurants. Visitors to the area can see restored hanok, Korean traditional-style houses. And indeed, climbing up and down the hill of , you will see rows of hanoks of odd shapes and sizes. Some with zen like gardens, some with tall ancient walls. Each with its own unique characteristics. Meandering among the hilly alleys and slopes, we checked out quiet corners while admiring the houses which once belonged to royal family and top government officials in the Joseon period. I can almost smelled the old money here. Hee.











An entrepreneur convert his rooftop loft into an observatory cum cafe. You can see the full view of the village from here.



We got lost from the start but found a nice park lined with cherry blossoms in the end. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you gonna get.



Unique shops, museums, cafes and teahouses along Samcheongdong & Insadong.

South Korea 26 April 2013: Gyeongbokgung

Gyeongbokgung, the royal palace was a long history since 1395. It was burned, abandoned, reconstructed  destroyed again and restored again. I had been to the palace for my last few visit to Seoul but today was the first time I joined a guided tour. It was indeed insightful and I gained a new respect for the palace and its people.









Its raining flowers! We saw a beautiful sight at National Folk Museum of Korea. A gust of strong wind send the sukura petals shedding off the trees like snow.





For lunch, we went to Tosokchon 토속촌 which was near the palace. We have Ginseng Chicken Soup (Samgyetang). It was sumptuous and full with flavours!

South Korea 25 April 2013: Cheonggyecheon

This morning, it started raining again. So we had delicious strawberry shortcake and yuzu tea in one of the cafe in Hongdae, Pompomnette. I love the cafes in Seoul for their unique deco and soothing ambience.



Luckily it stopped at around 10 am and we proceeded to Cheonggyecheon stream 청계천 that flow through the city central of Seoul. Thanks to the rain, the sky was cloudy and the place was clean and cool for our 1 hour walk.





We exited  the stream near Majeongyo bridge and walked to Gwangjang Market 광장시장. We had our mung bean pancakes and kimchi dumplings soup here. We loved the smaller pancakes with meat better.



Lotsa different wares in the clean market.



Then its off to Dongdaemon for shopping. For dinner, we had bibimbap and tofu seafood stew. Yum.



In the evening, we went back to Cheonggyecheon near Dongdaemon station for the night view.



At night, we visited Tom’s Cat Cafe in Hongdae 서울특별시 마포구. Great place, clean and plenty of cats to play with. However, the cats are not very activate at night.

Spring & Flowers in Korea 2005

I found some nice photos taken 8 eight years back while cleaning my old photo albums. I love the early Spring of Korea. Hearing the quiet song of the birds. Seeing the morning dews gathering on  flowers and leaves. Smelling the sweet budding flowers in the crisp air. Touching the melting snow. Feeling the slow awakening of Earth to Nature's calling. A new hope for life.

South Korea 24 April 2013: Mount Seorak

Internet stated that the beauty of Mount Seorak is highly dependent on its weather. A check on its website showed that today would be the only sunny day this week. Phew... lucky us. So we woke up at 6.30am to prepared a picnic menu of spam sandwiches, strawberries and various snacks. We took the green line to Gangbyeon station which took about 45mins. Then we crossed the road on the right of the subway station to Dong Seoul bus terminal 동서울 버스 터미널 to buy the bus tickets.

We love Pon De Ring and Green Tea Latte from Mister Donut @ Gangbyeon station. You can get a view of Hangang River via the overhead bridge beside Gangbyeon station.

 

There are 2 type of buses to Sokcho 속초, the express bus takes 2 hours with no stops in between while the normal bus takes 3 hours with multiple stops between the stations. The express bus leaves on a hourly basis and was spacious and clean.



The sun was out and there is a soft breeze today. Definitely a good day for excursion. We took the Sogongwon Cable Car to the peak. At the peak, we climbed multiple flights of stairs to reach the Gwongeumseong Fortress 설악산 권금성. There was a large flat rocky slope on the top. There were no barriers on top so you can basically walk to the far edge of the cliffs. As far as you dare.





Map of the area:






Enjoying our sandwiches and strawberries at the peak. That's life.



In search of waterfalls. In the afternoon, we took the Cheonbuldong Valley walking trail to Yukdam Falls and Biryong Falls. We had fun dipping in the icy river stream and sunning on the gigantic rocks.





Enjoying quality time with my sister. It was really a great opportunity to bond with my sister, relax and truly enjoy nature to the most. While me and my sister live in the same house, we were each busy with our day job and seldom have time to interact. It was here, skipping among the rocks, encouraging each other to move on, holding our hands, sharing a sandwich, quietly enjoying the serene view on the mountain top, listening to the same song. I enjoyed the company of my sister and I am truly thankful to her for just being there each day of my life.



Listening to Damien Rice - The Blower's Daughter. I can't take my eyes off you... I mean the scenery of cos :)


For the last walking rail, we chose Bisondae. The trail took us 30 minutes into a forest but since it was still Spring, most trees were withered and dry. We gave up halfway and decided to track back before sunset.