Hot Spots
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Another Huge Outlet in the Gimpo Area
This is like a town or a college. This is an outlet mall in Gimpo which is called Hyundai Premium Outlet. There are brand new buildings and shops and restaurants inside, you can see a fountain in the middle of it all, a port with boats nearby, it looks definitely like a whole town with locals living in.
It’s been only 4 years since they opened this and it consists of 230 premium brands altogether. They say Hyundai Department Store is seeking to serve both local and international visitors with lots of attractions. Also it’s very convenient to get there since it’s near public transportation stops. One more tip, they provide shuttle buses so you can take it at Seoul station, Insadong, Honik University station etc. in Seoul.
This is not just a mall. It is a huge town for shopping. You can just visit here to take a stroll with your pet. I would rather call this place a local park.
I got some images from their website with permission. Have a look so you can get an idea about this place and location.
I like this image. It looks like a peaceful evening in a modern small town with a few neighbors taking a stroll with their family.
Here’s more information of this place and go visit the link for more info in English.
Address : 654, Go-Chon-ri, Gochon-eup, Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Phone Number : 031-812-2233
Operating Hours : 10:30 ~ 20:30
Credit Source : http://english.visitkorea.or.kr
Shopping
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Virtual Reality Experience for More Fantasies!!
Warning : Please note that the contents on this video can be disturbing to some people.
Most of you already know what VR means but many of you might not have experienced VR games yet. VR contents are becoming more popular among young people in Korea and I would say it’s just a matter of time until everyone enjoys VR. Once you try VR contents, you’re not going to stop it.
Check out this place. I was lucky enough to get some pictures. This place is located in the Gangnam area, Seoul. This place has become popular since it was introduced on a TV show. I have attached the link of the popular VR zombie game. Take a look at the video link above if you’re interested.
They have quite a big space for having VR players. It’s not easy to set up the VR equipment but I could see that they have installed high-end devices so players can play games without any errors.
Some spots provide very huge curved screens so we can watch them play in the back if you have some company.
This place also provides the zones for 2~4 multiplayers so you can enjoy VR games with your friends together. According to them, they’re the first VR room offering this service in the world. Believe it or not, ha.
In my case, I had a problem using VR contents. I always felt dizzy when I played VR games so I couldn’t keep playing longer than 30 minutes. Other than that I would have loved VR contents especially VR horror games. Actually I still do. One thing that I can tell you for sure is VR would be a totally different experience. When you play VR horror games, you’re going to feel yourself existing inside the games literally and you will realize it’s not just a game because everything is real in your head.
Here’s some more information about this place.
Address : 2nd Floor, Hyungpoong Bld., 182-27, Nonhyun-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Phone Number : 02-6952-0313
One Hour Free Pass : 15,000 KRW
Beverages : 1,000 ~ 2,500 KRW
Credit Source : https://blog.naver.com/bori1234good
Entertainment
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Jebudo, The Miracle of Moses
This is how they call it, the Miracle of Moses in Korean version. Jebudo is a small island located in Hwaseong City, the west coast in Korea and you can see a split road passage in the middle of the ocean twice a day for several hours due to tidal currents. That’s why they call it that way. Yes, it’ll be very new and strange when you see it with your own eyes. Before planning a trip here, you need to make sure to check the high tide timings.
Jebudo is not very far from Seoul or Incheon so it’s quite easy to get there. Driving a car should be better but it’s still possible to get there by public transportation. The locals used to earn a living by fishing and agriculture but now most of them work in the lodging business or service industry.
You can see a sign indicating the available times for the ‘parting of the sea’. So it’s very convenient.
This place is a seaside town so you can walk along the beach. Also you will realize that you’re standing in the middle of the mudflat.
The red highlighted part is the road of the sea parting. You have a lot of places to visit for fun such as a small amusement park on the island.
And this is the road of the sea parting and you can pass the way during the available times. Can you believe it? This road vanishes twice a day during the specific times.
I’ve been to Jebudo since I was a young boy because my parents used to enjoy visiting this place to enjoy seafood. It’s very close from Suwon which is the place of my childhood so I still feel familiar with Jebudo. If you want to take off from the city, this is no doubt a place for a new experience. Once again, be sure to check the sea parting schedule before you visit this place.
Below is the information if you’re interested in visiting this place.
Address : Jebu-ri, Seoshin-myeon, Hwasung City, Kyonggi Province
Phone No. : 1577-4200
Operation Hours : N/A
Travel
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Korean Table D’hote, Han-jeongsik Restaurant ‘Nakseonjae’
Have you heard of Han-jeongsik? Han-jeongsik means Korean table d’hote which is a Korean style full course meal with many different Korean traditional side dishes served. And many Korean people are likely to arrange it for formal and official meetings with important persons. And this is one of the most popular Han-jeongsik restaurants in Korea.
The name of this restaurant is 'Nakseonjae' which is located in Gwangju city and one of my colleagues visited here and took some pictures to give me. I was told that this restaurant was introduced in a TV show recently. Their main menu is Korean chicken soup and I looked it up and found that many of them loved the food at this restaurant.
This is what they had at the restaurant and it was Korean chicken Baeksuk. Baesuk is a boiled or steamed chicken food with plenty of water and it’s very similar to Samgyetang. And this one looks like it has more vegetables added.
This is why I would love to go visit this restaurant one day soon. They have such beautiful sceneries and you can get fresh air in the middle of the mountains. You’re going to feel the difference from what you feel in the cities. But I can see that you might want to drive a car because of its location.
These are called ‘Jangdokdae’ meaning Korean traditional jars and they’re simply for storing comestible goods, typically Kimchi, soybeans and red pepper paste. But it’s really hard to witness these days since everyone uses refridgerators. It means that they must stick to the Korean traditional recipe for their services so far.
Here’s some more information about this restaurant.
Address: 101, Buldang-gil, Namhansanseoung-myeon, Gwangju City, Kyonggi Province
Phone No. : 031-746-3800
Operation Hours: 11:00 ~ 21:30
- Price for each -
Korean Chicken Tang (Spicy soup) : 66,000 KRW
Korean Chicken Baeksuk (Boiled chicken) : 66,000 KRW
Korean Duck Baeksuk (Boiled duck) : 70,000 KRW
Food
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Korean Times Square as a Landmark?!!
There is a huge and modernized metropolitan complex with many different shopping stores, restaurants and leisure facilities in the Yeongdeungpo area, Seoul. They have several key tenants such as E-Mart, Shinsegae Department Store, CGV and even a wedding hall in this complex. I’ve been there only a couple of times to try some restaurants and I was always overwhelmed by its large size.
They opened in 2009 which is 10 years ago but it doesn’t look that old at all. It’s located right across from Yeongdeungpo station line 1 and you better take the subway to get there because the traffic in this area is seriously terrible. I know this because it was my commuting route on the way home from my work. But if you don’t drive there, it’ll be very much worth visiting this place.
This building is literally like a square inside with many restaurants and shops featuring E-Mart and Shinsegae Department Store right next to each other.
As I said, it’ll be much more convenient if you take the subway because you just need to cross the street from the station to get to this place
They introduce that those are the key tenants in Time Square. So you can go there for almost everything for your lifestyle. It’s like a landmark of Korea now.
Here’s more information of this place and go visit the link for more info in English.
Address : Time Square, 15, Yeongjung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul
Phone Number : 02-2638-2000
Operation Hours : 10:30 ~ 22:00
Link : http://www.timessquare.co.kr/?controller=eng&action=main
Shopping
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The Real Escape Challenge!!
One of my close friends strongly recommended me to try an escape room café since he knows that I like things related to horror. He said that it’s very popular in Korea among young crowd and it sounded very interesting. I tried to locate one of them near my house and visited the website. And I realized that it wasn’t easy to get real pictures on the internet because photography is strictly prohibited.
The one that I plan to visit is located near Konkuk University Station, the green line and I could take some screen shots with permission. Basically you’re going to have to choose one challenge and make a reservation. They have 8 different themes and some are very scary. Once you get in, you have to start following the clues as much as you can and solve the puzzles to escape the room within 60 minutes. Sounds very interesting, right?
Unfortunately, their service doesn’t provide English so I would suggest you should bring someone to help you with this challenge. I can tell that it won’t be easy to escape the room if you go by yourself. There should be at least 2 or 3 if possible so you can work together.
The Notice says, firstly you should be there at least 10 mins before the time and get some guidelines. You shouldn’t share the info with someone that hasn’t experienced the challenge yet. No photos allowed and you shouldn’t carry dangerous items inside such as lighters, knives and etc.
Like I stated above, they provide 8 different challenges with different stories and Story 3 and 5 are the most tempting ones to me. Because they’re the scary ones.
They charge you differently based on the total number of participants. If there’s 2 people, they charge you 22,000 KRW for each, total 44,000. If there’s 3 people, it should be 20,000 KRW for each. And they can accept 6 people maximum with 18,000 KRW for each.
I know some people don’t like scary things and some of you might not like to be stuck in one place. What I can tell you is that this can be a very unique and different experience to most people including me. And if you’re a big fan of horror movies or horror games, it’s definitely worth trying this challenge.
Here’s some more information about the place that I have found if you’re interested.
Address : 8-8, Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul
Location : near Konkuk Univ. Station exit 2 (5 min walk)
Phone Number : 02-466-4440
Open 10:00 AM / Close 24:00 AM
http://www.qescapekondae.co.kr/
Entertainment
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Café Sann? Café Mountatin?
I was recommended to visit this place which is called Café Sann and it’s located in Danyang city in Chungbuk Province. I looked it up and found out it’ll take more than 2 hours by car from Seoul. Besides it’s almost impossible to get there by public transportation. But it’s still very tempting because I was told that their breads are really really good. I love bread, it doesn’t matter what kind of bread, I just love bread. And this place was introduce on a TV show before so it’s such a hot place now.
I got some pictures of this place from my colleague and they look very nice. Sann is probably from the Korean word ‘산’, meaning ‘mountain’.
I can’t help it. I really gotta go to this place. They look soooo nice. Just take a look at that fully sticky cream cheese on the bread. How am I supposed to stand that? It’s gorgeous, my goodness.
I can feel the warm energy from these pictures. It must be the place for lovers mostly. If you have someone to drive you there, keep begging him or her.
As I mentioned above, it won’t be easy to get to this place without driving but if you still have a chance to go there, it will provide you beautiful memories and sceneries. I already have decided to go there soon. At least for their breads, yum..
Below is the information if you’re interested in visiting this place.
Address : 196-86, Dusan-gil, Gagok-myeon, Danyang-gun, Chungbuk Province
Phone No. : 1644-4674
Operation Hours : 09:30~19:30 / 08:30-18:30 (Weekend)
Travel
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Popular Sulfur Duck Cooking Restaurant in Korea
Did you ever know that duck meat has been always considered as a source of stamina food? I don’t know about other countries but there’s a saying in Korea, “You shouldn’t share your duck meat with anyone.” which means that you should be greedy when you eat duck meat. I’ve never been into duck meat before I tried this restaurant but trust me. You have to try here.
This restaurant serves mainly 2 kinds of duck meat and they also provide Maewoontang that can be translated into Spicy Soup for free at the end of the service. Another reason they’re popular is because they serve sulfur duck cooking. Duck meat is known as detox food and sulfur can increase its detoxification. But you don’t actually have to know all this. Because it’s very tasty and good to eat. That’s all that matters.
This is Shinseon Joomulleok and I really loved it. This meat is very slightly marinated so you can taste duck meat itself.
This one is Yangnyeom Joomulleok and it’s a little bit spicy but I would say it’s still good for those who don’t like spicy foods because it’s not too strong.
The side dishes are not served enough but you don’t need most of them only but some vegetables. If there’s more, then they could spoil your appetite.
Yes, this is the Maewoontang that I mentioned above. You’re not going to believe it’s free. You’re going to feel that your power’s up after eating all this, haha.
I shouldn’t give you the picture of this restaurant’s sign but I don’t care. It’s strongly recommended. Just get there to increase your power.
Some of you might say that I’m exaggerating but I’m not. I looked it up and found out duck meat is known as the most delicious meat out of all the wild birds. Have you been looking for something to provide restoration for your body? Here it is. One more thing, when I was visiting my parents last weekend, I dropped by this restaurant to pick up their meat. And I could see my parents really enjoyed this food and it made me a proud son.
Here’s some more information about this restaurant.
Address: 533, Ogeum-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul
Phone No. : 02-413-5292
Operation Hours: 11:00 ~ 22:30
- Price for each -
Shinseon Joomoolleok (Light Marinated Duck) : 42,000 KRW
Yangnyeom Joomoolleok (Spicy Marinated Duck) : 44,000 KRW
A Set (Half and half) : 43,000 KRW
Food
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What’s So Special about Mario Outlet?
When I was still living in my old neighborhood, I was aware of this shopping mall near my place but I never visited there because of the traffic and I didn’t like it because it was crowed. And after I moved to my current place which is in the opposite direction of this shopping mall, I had a chance to visit this mall and realized it was definitely worth visiting. If I knew that it was this good, I would have visited there more often. What’s so good about this shopping mall?
First of all, they have 3 halls with so many shops and restaurants. It is such a huge shopping mall so you can spend the whole day to visit places at the mall. Mario 1 is focused on fashion trends mostly for women’s outfits. Mario 2 has a lot of sports wear with some fast food restaurants. And Mario 3 is a complex with various entertaining places like a theme park, premium restaurants and many different fashion shops.
This shopping mall is almost 20 years old so it doesn't look very new from outside. And you better not drive here because the traffic is terrible near this mall. The closest subway station is Gasan Digital Complex station on line 7 so you better take the subway.
They have so many restaurants in each hall and I liked most of the foods there. I’ve seen many bloggers recommend the restaurants in this mall.
Many goods and items are very cheap and some are even cheaper than online shopping malls. You can also go buy things at brand malls.
You can see a lot of fun places at Mario 3 such as game zone, bowling alley, book store and kids’ theme park and etc. and you can also drink at the G2 zone and the bowling alley.
If I knew about this mall earlier then I would have been there a lot since I was living nearby but now it takes me more than an hour to get there. But it’s still worth it going there if you have a chance. I just found out that Mario Outlet is Asia’s largest downtown fashion outlet with over 600 different brand shops. Doesn’t it sound tempting a bit?
Here’s more information of this shopping mall.
Address : 23, Digital-ro 9-gil, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul
Phone Number : 02-2109-7000
Operation Hours : Mon – Thu 10:30 ~ 21:00 / Fri – Sun 10:30~21:30
You can also see below for store Information of the each hall.
Mario 1
8F: Food court
7F: Cosmetics / Customer Service Center
6F: Event hall
5F: Miscellaneous fashion items
4F: Men's character suits / men's casual
3F: Men's suits / men's casual
2F: Women's young casual
1F: Women's young casual / miscellaneous fashion items
B1: Lingerie, shoes
Mario 2
3F: Fast food restaurant / Ashley restaurant
2F: Golf wear, screen golf
1F: Outdoor wear
Mario 3
14F: Sky Park
13F: Premium restaurants
12F: Premium restaurants
11F: Customer Service Center / hair salon
10F: Event hall / Sejung Outlet
9F: Kids Theme Park / toys outlet
8F: Sports items
7F: Furniture / home appliance / glasses
6F: Kitchen utensils / household items
5F: Children's wear / children's lounge
4F: Jeans casual
3F: Stylish & easy casual
2F: International luxury brand goods
1F: Women's wear, Bean Pole
B1: Sports wear
Source : http://www.mariooutlet.co.kr/
Shopping