Thursday, July 28, 2005

Seoul & Gwang-ju, S. Korea - 24-27 July 2005

S. Korea - the Land of the Morning Calm - is one of my favorite places to visit. As far as I'm concerned, she should be called the 'Land of Excellent Food'. I feasted to my heart's content while I was there. Tok-kalbi was superb, so was the Ginseng chicken, fatty pork, rice wine, and more. I also liked how most outward South Koreans live their lives by the Confucius values of hard work ethic, strong family ties and respect for others. As a huge fan of Kwon Sang-Woo and Bae Yong-Jun (main actors in 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Winter Sonata' respectively), I had hoped to bump into them but fate decided otherwise. Below are some photos of my brief visit to Seoul and Gwang-ju, where I met up with old college friends, Mi-jin and Regina, both of whom so generously and kindly put me up and took time off to take me around their neck of the woods. Thank you so much Mi-jin and Regina!!!

Seoul -


Above left: Mi-jin, Yong-Hyun and Ah-Young; Above right: Three generations - Mi-jin with her parents and daughter, Ah-Young


Above left: Ginseng chicken


Gwang-ju -


Above right: Women preparing tok-kalbi


Above right: Simple refreshments inside a jjimjilbang (Korean bathhouse). One can stay as long as one likes, even overnight - a cheap alternative to staying in a hotel if preferred