Malaysia in 10 days

"Not all those who wander are lost"

- J.R.R. Tolkien

These words are a beautiful way to summarize my time in Korea as well as my love for travel.

Actually, if my life were a book (and it would be a fantasy novel),

this season of my life would be more than aptly captured by this quote.

I do love my wandering, because although I am literally lost most of the time,

I am happy and content and at peace right where I am.

Wandering through languages, food and culture - it's what my dreams are made of.

Malaysia: the country of food

In the crazy space that is my head,

each country develops it's own picture of wonderfulness.

Each picture is unique and beautiful,

and completely biased by my own experience of the culture and surroundings.

Korea's picture is more like a mural.

Equal parts weird and wonderful. Filled with love, friends and my home away from home. 

Large and intricate and full of kimchi.

Thailand is a landscape of beautiful beaches all shared in friendship.

Spain, Italy, France and Turkey are small snapshots of a bigger insane collage 

(these are busy, alive with interesting people, lost passports and endless fun and laughter).

Each image is beyond special in their own way.

Malaysia is food. A glorious artwork of food intertwined with rich culture.

When I left for Malaysia a few weeks ago I completely underestimated the food element of my trip.

If you like food, eating and variety - Malaysia is your place.

(If you're trying to diet then maybe come back later)  

Side Note : This innocent picture of fried chicken hides lamb curry underneath it. 

Here is a brief summary of my short 

but brilliant visit to Malaysia.

The Food - I honestly can't remember most of what I ate... 

It's all a blur of happiness and food comas.

Malaysia's cuisine is made up of a mishmash of Chinese, Indian and Malaysian dishes.

I loved the curried samoosas, assorted (amazing) curries, rolled roti stuffed with lamb, 

fried savoury rices 

and chicken (steamed, fried, roasted, marinated in soy sauce TRY ALL OF IT).

Penang's Little India in GeorgeTown and local restaurants are a must if you're visiting.

The Sights 

In Penang, GeorgeTown is a lovely area that is accessible by foot.

Walking the streets of Penang is a lovely way to experience the culture of Malaysia.

A trip up Penang Hill is a wonderful way to end the day with a cappuccino while enjoying the sunset.

Add to that a national park that's actually a topical jungle in disguise,
along with some gorgeous beach time and you have the background of my food artwork.

Penang Hill, view from the train.

Batu Ferringi Beach

My visit to Kuala Lumpur was much shorter but jammed full of sight-seeing.
Beautiful Batu Caves are a must. As well as the Twin Towers.
I was really surprised at how diverse and beautiful the city actually is.
Was not expecting any of it. Well done KL, well done.

And if you've come this far you might as well eat the heck out of KL while you're at it.

Kuala Lumpur Streets

Batu Caves

Petronas Twin Tower

If you didn't get to visit a delicious a country as Malaysia,
don't worry...

They have cocktails everywhere.

Probably not as good as my Malaysian Melon Margaritas though.

Things to do in Seoul when it's raining

As I've mentioned...my sussie, Laura, came to visit me in Korea these past weeks.

If you're unaware of this, you can read all about it here.

The visit was too short but also very lovely.

And I got presents (BIG SMILE OF HAPPINESS)

I had an AMAZING game plan:

- Feed Her

- See Exciting Stuffs

_ See Korean Stuffs

- Go Shopping

and then the unthinkable happened...

MONSOON SEASON

soooooo....

Yeah, I had no plan B.

Sometimes... not all the time... not even a lot of the time... actually almost never really (no matter what anyone else may say)
I can be a little stubborn.

I was determined to not let the rain win.

Cue epic music as I lead my sister into the most amazing Korean adventure of her life.
One careful step at a time.
Full of excitement and anticipation.

...

But this didn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped.

But I quickly learnt 
that people are cranky when they're soaking wet
how to adjust our plans accordingly.

Commence Epic Planning:
What to do in Seoul when it's raining

1. Go Shopping

At least this activity could be salvaged from my previous epic plans.
We adjusted the shopping areas to malls and underground markets
in an effort to stay out of the rain as much as possible.

Laura's first outing alone was to Gimpo Airport Mall (this mall boasts international brands such as Zara, Bershka, H&M and Stradivarius to name a few).
It also has other entertainment facilities like a theme park, theatre and outlet mall.
Everything is connected so it's a fail-proof way to ensure you don't lose the sister.

COEX is another gigantic mall.
The mall is huge and boasts an aquarium,
one of the world's biggest indoor theme parks, LOTTEWORLD,
theatre performances,
4D movies
and a Kimchi Museum.

Our underground shopping expeditions included stops at
Bupyeong, Gangnam, Seoul Express Bus Terminal and Myeong-dong.

Rating 8/10

2. Watch Nanta

Nanta is a great way to spend an evening in Seoul. 

This nonverbal, percussion show is a lovely combination of old and new.

It's a contemporary and entertaining experience of Korean culture, humour and food.  

I laughed out loud several times. 

Rating 10/10

3. Eat Yummy Korean Food

Luckily, the rain only fueled our desire to stay inside and try new food.

Laura's best Korean dishes:

No. 1 Samgypsal and Galbi Barbeque.
Meat is grilled in the middle of your table. You use lettuce leaves to wrap the meat, sauce and veggies.
Eat and enjoy.

No.2 Galbi ZZim
Meat ribs alongside side dishes of assorted soups and veggies.
Yum.

No. 3 Dakgalbi
Fried chicken, rice, rice cakes and cheese.
Not the healthiest but definitely tasty. 

Rating 10/10

4. Visit the Trick Eye Museum

The Trick Eye Museum is located in Hongdae (near Hongik University).

It is an underground museum with an interesting twist.

Instead of admiring artwork or sculptures from a distance, you actually become part of the art.

If you've never experienced a trick eye museum before, definitely give it a try.

Rating 7/10

4. Go to a Spa

Korea has it covered when it comes to anything beauty related.

Go for a spa day at one of the many jimjibangs, 

have a manicure or pedicure and be sure to get bright, glittery colours

or visit a Doctor Fish and have little fishies nibble your dead skin cells off your feet 

(if you're into that kind of thing).

Rating 8/10

5. If all else fails, go for a drink and noraebang the night away

Korea's drinking culture is something that needs to be seen to be believed,

but it makes for some good stories.

Take yourself out to one of the many bars or clubs around Seoul 

or visit a Noraebang (karaoke room) to sing some tunes.

Rating 8/10

We did our best to not let the weather get us down.

But when it did, we stayed home, got takeout and had some sister time.

When you really can't face the weather you have to take advantage 

of Korea's fast food delivery. It's great.

Although the lengthy monsoon season put a damper on things,

we were blessed with some beautiful and sunny days too.

More to come on that a little later.

Korean Travels: Gyeongju

Gyeongju is one of my favourite places in Korea.

It boasts two World Heritage sites due its historic position 

as the ancient capital of the Silla Dynasty.

The Silla Dynasty was one of the three ancient kingdoms of Korea.

And as the capital of one of these dynasties,
Gyeongju, exemplifies the wealth of history Korea is build upon.

The lovely city is a beautifully preserved representation of

a history rich in Korean culture.

We decided to visit the famed city just as winter was ending, 

and although most tourists rush to Gyeongju to experience the cherry blossom festival

(which is crazy beautiful),

our post-winter visit had a certain charm.

The sparsity of the trees and landscape was in itself an unique experience.

We meandered through the small town, past ice-covered lakes,
 enjoyed the first signs of spring and welcomed the sunshine.

We spent some time exploring the lovely city.

We stacked some stones for good health...

And realised just how stunningly beautiful Gyeongju is...

Deareungwon
At this site, ancient tombs of Korean royals rise out of the ground in perfect hills.

Poseokjeong Watercourse
Used as a designated meeting place, this artificial stream was used to float wine glasses around
to each member of the group.
It is an ancient wine stream... We need more of these. Just saying.

First, we joined a planned tour of the area 

and then later decided to rent bikes to do our own investigating.

So we decided to head out on our own,
to be brave,
face the unknown,
go where none had gone before.

And that is how we got lost.
Ended up on some highway,
and Sharise had to fight off a rouge dog.

The trip was unlike anything else I've experienced while traversing Korea.

A lovely contrast of old and new,

the city is undeniably one which gives you a true sense of Korea's past.

we were so excited to be there

And then we were very tired

But it was a good kind of tired,

the kind where you are so tired you pass out before dinner time,

and have to get McDonald's because everything else is closed at midnight.

Korean Travels: Ullengdo & Dokdo

I am a compulsive and nervous giggler.

It's cute when someone tells a joke.

It's not so cute when there's an awkward silence,

I feel uncomfortable or scared,

someone falls,

I make a mistake, 

I'm confused,

people are sick.

Because I laugh uncontrollably in these situations.

I'm not really sure why :/

It's like a weird coping mechanism...

Here's a story about that time everyone started throwing up on the ferry 

and there was nowhere to go 

so I curled up in a ball and tried (unsuccessfully) to stifle my giggles.

I wasn't laughing at them.

Nor was I laughing with them (they were definitely NOT laughing).

I was just laughing because the experience was so horrific,

it was ridiculous. 

Last Chuseok (Thanksgiving in Korea), 

some friends and I decided to travel to two very special islands:

Ullengdo and Dokdo.

Dokdo is famous due to the longstanding dispute between 

Japan and Korea for rights to the small island. Read more here.

First, we took a four hour bus ride from Seoul to a harbour town near Ullengdo...

The ferry from here took about 4 very long hours because of the weather conditions.

Finally arriving on Ullengdo was pretty great after such a long and rocky journey.

In Ullengdo...

We went bridge jumping off Ullengdo’s rocky coast after a hike…

After some nervous giggling I finally managed to talk myself into jumping off a bridge into the sea below.

That’s me directing Natalee about where to jump...

Because I'm an expert.

We took a very informative bus ride around Ullengdo.

This is the beautiful Turtle Rock.

And then we drove through something called the Vagina Rock. 

Don't ask.

Really. Don't ask...

We went hiking, swimming and watched a few sunsets.

We ate some ice-cream...

Unfortunately, we were not adequately prepared for the ferry to Dokdo... 

aka RIDE OF DEATH.

Lots of people.

Lots of time.

Confined.

In a boat.

WIth lots of Congo Queen type motion.

By lots I mean more than 4 hours.

So inevitably there was some seasickness.

By some, I mean HOARDS of people were dropping like flies.

I've never seen so many people get sick before -

it was exactly like one of those slapstick comedies were everyone starts throwing up everywhere and people run away screaming.

Except.

haha

There was NOWHERE TO RUN.

Fortunately I don't get seasick,

but I do have senses of smell, sight and sound.

There was nothing I could do to get away...

And then the crazy giggles began.

And went on and on and on.

Finally we arrived on Dokdo.

We were only allowed on the dock because tourists aren't actually allowed to enter the island.

That's OK because it's pretty small.

We stayed there for 30 minutes and took the 4 hour ferry of death back home.

I think on the way back it was worse.

The moral of the story?

When life makes you want to cry, scream, throw up or run away,

sometimes laughing is the only answer.

Korean Travels: Jeonju aka The land of Bibimbap

View of Jeonju from our coffee shop
(We lay on the heated floor for about 4 hours before facing the rain again)

A few weeks ago, some friends and I traveled down to Jeonju to experience the
Korean town renowned for its Bibimbap and Hanbok Village.

Hanbok Village

Although it rained for most of the trip, we had an amazing time in the quaint village.

Friends hiking in the rain.

There are lovely museums, quirky thrift shops and warm, welcoming coffee shops.

Although the souvenirs were beautiful, the prices were slightly more than in Insadong
(an area in Seoul known for Korean souvenir shopping).
The Jeonju trinkets do have a more authentic feel to them
and the craft markets are a must.

Travel Tip: If you are a foreigner you can sign up for a free weekend shuttle bus that leaves from Seoul.

If you're in Korea, Jeonju is a great way to get away from the city. 

Walk the beautiful cobbled streets that are surrounded by exquisite, traditional Korean houses nestled in huge green mountains,
and obviously eat some delicious Korean food while you're at it...

Korean Travels: Jejudo

Jeju is a volcanic island off the coast of Korea...

It is famous for its lava caves, beautiful beaches and wondrous mountain ranges.

Because Jejudo is so removed from the mainland,
the island has even cultivated its own Korean dialect and culture.

We saw and did some amazing things during our brief stay there.

These include volcanic crater and lava tube explorations, boat cruises, maze hunting, hiking, beach tanning, tube swimming and yummy food eating.

Lave Tube Exploring...

Maze Hunting

Beach tanning & Tube Swimming

Jeju is a lovely way to spend a long weekend if you want a little relaxation,
or if you have a need to experience some of our world's natural wonders.

We are so blessed to live in such an awe-inspiring world...

Korean Travels: Nami Island

If you're visiting South Korea, Chuncheon and Nami Island are great places to visit.

They make lovely, nature-filled day trips 

(especially if you're travelling with your significant other - Korea loves couples).

If you're single - take some friends along and pack a picnic.

Happiness loves company.

If you do stop in Chuncheon, make sure to try the dakgalbi

(if you don't know what dakgalbi is click HERE).

Here are some autumn photos of Nami Island.

It truly is a great place to relax and play the fool with some friends.

Thanks to the friends who made this day so special 

(even if I was covered in some weird smelling leaves for most of the time)...

Nami is a wonderfully magical place.

The scenery is unbelievable,

the statues are funny and strange,

the people are in love.

Put it on your bucket list, or priorities list (whichever you prefer)

For more amazing bucket list items - check out this lovely compilation by 

the frame trail.