Hot Spots
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Near the Lake! So Beautiful Hotel & Resort!!
I’ve been hearing about the reputation of a hotel located near Cheongpyeong Lake in Gapyeong city. So I tried to book it a couple of times but I always failed. It is called ‘Midas Hotel & Resort’ and its view is awesome since it’s in the middle of mountains and it has the lake view right in front of it. We’ve been considering to visit a great hotel in Korea once again since we came back from our honeymoon but it wasn’t easy to arrange one. I guess and hope that this hotel could be a great replacement.
The only difference should be that this hotel is in Korea. I know the view would be very beautiful but typical beautiful that you can see anywhere in Korea. It was really exotic when we were on our honeymoon so this can’t compare. Still, this hotel could be the best replacement of our honeymoon memories. I’m determined to visit and spend some nights at this hotel sometime soon.
This is the best image of describing this hotel. It’s located near the lake, in the middle of mountains. This can’t be bad.
This is the gate and you can get to the lobby through the hallway. The lobby seems very big and modernized. I like it.
The room seems a bit small and cozy. But I was told that all of the rooms have the lake view. It must be beautiful.
They provide some coffee and tea. I don’t like those kinds though.
In the evening, you can have your own barbeque party at this site. The building itself seems very nice.
In the morning, you’ll be eating breakfast at the dining room. It doesn’t seem to be buffet type but I like it already.
You can take a stroll along the path. It must be really peaceful and mind refreshing.
Below is some more information about this place if you’re interested in visiting here.
Address : 2245, Bukhangang-ro, Cheongpyeong-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Kyonggi
Contact Number : 031-589-5600
Check In/Out : 15:00 / 11:00
Homepage : https://www.midashotel.co.kr
Travel
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Korean Actor’s Amusement Park! Doori Land!!
I was recently told that Doori Land had reopened only a few days ago and it’s a small amusement park run by the Korean veteran actor Im Chae-moo. Most Koreans would probably recognize him since he’s been acting for decades in Korea. I actually didn’t know that this amusement park existed and I was also surprised that Im Chae-moo is the owner of that park. So I did some digging and found some information about this small theme park.
Doori Land is located in Yangju City, Kyeonggi Province and it was established in 1990. Im Chae-moo spent about 13 billion won to build this park and he decided to run this park without taking admission. The park is about 9,900 square meters and had 10 rides including Viking and bumper cars. Now they charge 20,000 ~ 25,000 won for admission and 3,000 ~ 4,000 won is also charged to enjoy a ride. Hmm, that’s not cheap. Doori Land suspended operations for three years because of financial difficulty but it’s now being reopened.
This is the sign of the park. It has very childlike colors. You can also see the fare for rides.
Fun Clown? This one must be a ride for only young kids.
This ride is called ‘Spaceship’. Yeah, have fun flying!
You can obviously tell what this is. This one also looks like it’s for young juniors.
Oh, I used to love to ride Bumper Cars when I was brought to a theme park while I was still a kid.
Yes, this is what I expected. They have Viking at least. It looks like it’s designed for adults as well.
They also have a park inside. It seems very peaceful with grass and trees.
Honestly, I’m getting embarrassed since I started getting to know about this park. This theme park doesn’t seem to be right for couples or adults. It is designed for kids only, under 8 or so, I guess. I don’t know if I would have a chance to get there unless we have our own child. Sorry that I have to say this, ha. But if you’re still curious about this place, please look at the below for more information.
Address : 120, Gwonyul-ro, Jangheung-myeon, Yangju-si, Kyeonggi-do
Inquiries : 031-855-8515
Admission : KRW 20,000 (Adults) / KRW 25,000 (Juniors)
Operating Hours : N/A
Homepage (Korean) : http://www.dooriland.co.kr/
Entertainment
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For Your Local Shopping! Cheonho Rodeo Street!!
Since I moved to my current place, one of the things that I like about this area is Cheonho Rodeo Street. It’s like a street market with many vendors and many shops for almost everything as well as many must-go restaurants. It is a place for trendy young people and it’s also good for your memories. Besides, this place becomes a nightlife attraction at night so it looks fantastic when you take a stroll after the sunset since this street is also full of bars as well.
I would say that I was lucky to move to this place. I’m not originally from Seoul and I used to live in the Guro area for a while which is totally opposite to this place. I don’t know why I’m feeling this but I feel the air in this place is cleaner than Guro and it's a more small-town feeling because it has more trees. Seoul has quite a typical big city coldness but I feel most comfortable that I’ve ever felt before in Seoul. Maybe that’s because I started my marriage life in this place. Cheonho Rodeo Street gives more joy to me.
It could be just a typical street in Seoul. So many shops and cars in the alley. Oops, sorry I didn’t know that there was a sign of an adult shop in the picture, ha.
My wife likes to pick up flowers at this shop. And the prices are very reasonable.
It’s also fun with shopping at these stores. More trendy and also cheaper.
We just dropped by a sneaker shop. We could see that most products were on sale.
This is the night look in this place. The Korean sign says ‘Cheonho-dong Rodeo Street’.
There are so many young couples and people at night. Sadly, I’m not young enough anymore but I still enjoy wandering this place at night.
There are more shops and bars open at night with more people. It has so many nightlife attractions but it’s still attractive during the daytime as well.
Here’s some more information about this place if you’re interested in visiting here.
Address : 9, Cheonhodae-ro 157-gil, Gangdong-gu, Seoul
Location : Near the Exit 5 of Cheonho Station, line 5 & 8
Operating Hours : 24 Hours (Shops close at their close time.)
Shopping
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Chicken is Always Right!! Yangnyeom Chicken!
Have you been to any countries that have such a fast and convenient chicken delivery service like Korea? Have you eaten any fried chicken better than Korea? Because I’ve been told that many foreigners love Korea’s chicken more than any other countries. Fried chicken menu and its delivery service in Korea have been really loved for a long time and there has always been competition so the quality has been getting better and better. It’s a shame that the prices have also gone up, too though. There are mainly two kinds of chicken. One is normal fried and the other one is yangnyeom fried.
Yangnyeom chicken is the sticky form of fried chicken including huge amounts of sauce and it’s like a heart attack for most people. It can be street food found in any shopping area or you can order one for delivery. There is also a type sold in cups with chopsticks so that you can walk around and have it on the go. This type is called Chicken Gangjeong. It can get a little messy with all the sauce, but don’t let that stop you. Trust me. You have never had chicken that tastes this good. I told you before. Chicken is always right!
There are many different kinds of chicken menu now in Korea but these two are the main types of fried chicken loved the most.
If you want two types at the same time but have difficulty choosing then you can order ‘Half and Half’ service. You’ll get served half normal fried and half yangnyeom fried.
This type is called Chicken Gangjeong and it’s more likely a street food. This type is cheaper than delivery service because of its size and it's takeout.
There are so many different fried chicken brands in Korea but this has been always my favorite. It’s called ‘ㅂㅂㅋ’. I changed it into the Korean letters so please find that out yourself, ha.
Below is some more information about the place that I order fried chickens most of the time. Chicken places are everywhere so you can find one near your place as well.
Address : 14, Jinhwangdo-ro 31-gil, Gangdong-gu, Seoul
Phone Number : 02-476-5582
Operating Hours : 12:00 ~ 23:00 (Delivery Service Hours)
Homepage (BBQ Official) : https://www.bbq.co.kr/main.asp
[Menu and Price]
Normal Friced Chicken : KRW 18,000
Yangnyeom Fried Chicken : KRW 19,500
Half & Half Fried Chicken : KRW 19,500
Food
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Very Popular Chinese Noodle Invented in Korea, Jjajangmyeon!!
Did you know that jjajangmyeon is a Chinese food that was invented in Korea? So jjajangmyeon is like a Chinese-Korean food and it’s been loved so much in Korea since it was invented. Jjajangmyeon is a noodle dish topped with thick black sauce made of chunjang (Chinese bean sauce) and sliced pork and many other fried vegetables. On the 14th of April in Korea, which is called ‘Black Day’, many singles eat jjajangmyeon since it’s black. That's funny, ha.
You can also go to the Jjajangmyeon Museum that is located in the Chinatown in Incheon and learn about the history of Jjajangmyeon. I was told that the museum is the birthplace of Jjajangmyeon and it was the first restaurant. So this museum features displays on its origin and the tour takes about 40 minutes to complete. Once you complete the tour, you’ll leave with an appetite and realize you’re heading to one of the real jjajangmyeon places.
This is the gate of Chinatown in Incheon and you can see red everywhere. It’s very much like China.
You can easily see the signs or directions of Jjajangmyeon Museum so it’s not very hard to find.
Inside the museum, you can see some models of eating jjajangmyeon. That was interesting.
This display looks kind of creepy. Is it the demonstration of a family eating jjajangmyeon at a Chinese restaurant in 1980s? I don’t know. They look very unnatural.
You can also see the whole process of making jjajangmyeon..
The price of jjajangmyeon was very low in the beginning but since it gained explosive popularity, the price kept going up.
You can also see the history of instant jjajangmyeon in Korea. I didn’t know that there were that many of them in the history.
Below is some more information about this museum if you’re interested in visiting this place.
Address : 56-14, Chinatown-ro, Jung-gu, Incheon-si
Inquiries : 032-773-9812
Operating Hours : 09:00 ~ 18:00 (Every Monday off)
Admission : KRW 1,000 (Adults) / KRW 700 (Junior) / Free (Children under 12)
Homepage (Korean) : http://www.icjgss.or.kr/jajangmyeon/
Travel
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Enjoy Cheese Activities at Imsil Cheese Theme Park!!
Do you like cheese? And would you like to learn how to make cheese if you have a chance? And would you like to know more about Korea’s cheese history? Because my answers for them are all yes. When you go to this theme park that is called ‘Imsil Cheese Theme Park’, you’ll be able to get the answers for them and you can also enjoy foods made of cheese. The park has a few ‘cheese experience’ centers where you can make cheese, a milk processing factory, a local specialty shop, two restaurants and a science lab for making the best cheese.
This theme park is located in Imsil-gun, Jeollabuk-do which is almost 3 hours away from Seoul. The Imsil Cheese Theme Park was opened in 2004 and it’s like a cheese heaven where you can learn everything about cheese and they also have the Cheese Playland where you can play with goats and some other animals. You can stroll the walkways checking out the cheese-wheel buildings and various cartoon statues. I was told that Imsil became the mecca of cheese in Korea.
You can see a very big sign of the theme park at the parking lot. It is a cheese shape.
This is the map of the theme park. It’s a shame that they don’t provide other languages.
Some spots are filled and decorated with flowers even the bridge. I think it was in front of the cheese castle. That’s what they called it, ‘Cheese Castle’, ha.
This is the photo zone with cartoon figures. I couldn’t tell what kind of cartoons they’re from though. It must be better for young children.
This display is about the process of how to make cheese from milk. It was fun and very educational.
I was amazed by the model of this because it looked very real. He’s the Belgium priest who came to Imsil and started to make his own cheese. And that was the beginning of the Korea’s cheese history.
This is the Cheese Playland and you can have fun in here with feeding the goats, sliding the slides and watching flowers.
Below is some more information about this theme park if you’re interested in visiting this place.
Address : 50, Doin 2-gil, Seongsu-myeon, Imsil-gun, Jeollabuk-do
Inquiries : 063-643-2300
Admission : Free (It costs KRW 18,000 ~ 37,000 for special experience courses.)
Operating Hours : 10:00 ~ 20:00 (Tue ~ Sun)
Homepage (Korean) : http://www.cheesepark.kr/
Entertainment
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Luxurious Residence with Multiple Culture, Mecenatpolis!!
There is such a huge compound of urban residence and cultural malls in the Mapo area, Seoul and it’s called Mecenatpolis. This is basically a luxurious apartment complex for residence and it’s also like a huge shopping mall inside. There are so many fashion stores, restaurants, cafes as well as a Lotte Cinema, Homeplus and even art centers. Can you even imagine living in this compound? It’s going to be so convenient to enjoy your urban life. Besides, Hapjeong station is connected with Mecenapolis so it is also very easy to access public transportation.
I’ve been told that many Korean celebs and public figures are living in this residency. According to those people who’re living in this place, it can enhance their life quality. And they keep insisting that Mecenatpolis is a luxurious residency brand and it’s actually very expensive to buy an apartment in here. So it can be a dream home to many people and I’m jealous of them too. However, you can still visit this place and shop your items and enjoy foods here. As for those residents, it’s just their league so it’s not my business, ha. Maybe one day it will be.
This is a shot from above and it’s very modernized and beautiful. I admit it. It would be very fantastic living in this place.
We can see many people gathering from far away. It could be like a surprise concert inside this place. This place is now like a landmark in the Mapo-gu area.
What a peaceful and modernized place it is. You can enjoy all kinds of Korean culture in here.
There are so many colorful umbrellas hanging in the air. This is always impressive whenever I see them..
There are so many must-go restaurants in here. Many office workers from nearby visit this mall during lunch hours.
And there are countless shops for ladies. You want a different place for your urban shopping? Then go visit this place and have your dream to live in this place one day. It’ll be so sweet.
Here’s some more information about this place if you’re interested in visiting here.
Address : Mecenatpolis, 45, Yanghwa-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Location : Near the Exit 9 of Hapjeong Station, line 2
Phone Number : 02-334-8181
Operating Hours : It depends on shops
Homepage (Korean) : http://mecenatpolismall.co.kr/ (N/A)
Shopping
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One of the Korean Top 3 Gamajatang Places!!
There must be a lot of Gamjatang restaurants in Korea because it is such a popular menu and it’s been loved by almost everyone in Korea for most of the time. Gamjatang is a spicy Korean soup made from the spine of a pig. It can be called ‘Pork backbone soup’ in English. Gamjatang and Ppyeohaejangguk are very similar soups with the main ingredient. I would say that the ppyeohaejangjuk is a dish for one person and it’s the only difference.
Gamjatang is originated in southern Korean province of Jeolla. It became popular because it is cheap and nutritious. It is served in a very salty broth with potatoes, sesame leaves, onions and other vegetables. Like most Korean meals, a bowl of rice makes it complete and it also can be such a great dish when you drink soju or beer. This restaurant has been introduced on the famous Korean cook show as one of the Top 3 Gamjatang restaurants. Luckily, I had a lot of chances to try this restaurant earlier because I used to work at the company near this restaurant.
Maybe I’m not supposed to show this photo to you because it has the name of the restaurant. But I would open it for you so you can find this place easily.
As I mentioned already, this place has been introduced on a TV show and it became more popular. You’re going to have to wait in line during lunch hours.
Look at the size of the bones. And they have lots of meat and it’s so tasty.
You can separate the meat from the bones and dip it in the sauce they provide. It’ll be melting in your mouth. The meat is so soft and very delicious.
They will also provide you the stirred rice service so you can just order your rice for that. It is so satisfying.
Ppyeohaejangguk looks like this. It’s served in a small earthenware bowl of gamjatang with a bowl of rice and it’s a set for one person usually. So you can visit here even if you want to find a place alone for a meal
It’s not very expensive and that’s why it’s been so popular for such a long time. I have known this place for more than 10 years and this place is even more popular now.
Below is some more information about this restaurant if you’re interested in visiting here.
Address : 45, Yeonmujang-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Phone Number : 02-465-6580
Operating Hours : 00:00 ~ 24:00 (24 Hours)
[Menu and Price]
Gamjatang : KRW 38,000 (Big) / KRW 28,000 (Mid) / KRW 25,000 (Small)
Ppyeohaejangguk : KRW 7,500 / KRW 9,000 (Big)
Food
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The Korea’s Historical Tragedy, Odusan Unification Observatory!
Korea, the whole country has been divided into the north and the south since 70 years ago which is such a big tragedy. And there are several unification observatories near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that is running across the border line. One of the closest ones from Seoul is located in Paju city and many Korean people have visited here to learn about the history of the Korean War and North Korea.
Located in Tahhyeon-myeon, Paju-si, Odusan Unification Observatory was established to console the feelings of dispersed families and provide an educational site for the unification education through B5F to 1F in 1992. Since its opening, almost 1,900,000 people have visited the observatory to feel the reality of the division. To be honest, even Korean people don’t realize that their country has been divided and don’t care about North Korea most of the time but it is really important to learn and care about the national unification education.
This is the main gate of the observatory. There is Mountain Odu nearby so it’s called Odusan Observatory.
The admission is not very expensive. And if you visit here in a group of more than 20 then you’ll get a discount.
This is the statue of Cho Man-sik, a nationalist activist in Korea’s Independent movement. He became involved in the power struggle that was against to North Korea.
We can see the map of North Korea terrain from this location. We felt strange when we realized North Korea is right ahead of us.
I don’t know why we could see the KTX model in there. Maybe we could travel to North Korea by KTX one day?
They’re showing us how tragic it is since the country has been divided. Look at those figures describing the reunions of separated families.
You can see the probable future of the United Korea on display. But I’ve been told that most people in South Korea don’t want to be reunified because it could break down the national economy. Actually, I believe so, too.
When you go up to the observatory deck, you can see the 3D display model of North Korea’s territory. And you can also see North Korea for real through the binoculars on the deck.
You can also drink coffee at the lounge. It was quite an impressive experience.
Here’s some more information about this place if you’re interested in visiting here sometime soon.
Address : 369, Pilseung-ro, Paju-si, Kyeonggi-do
For Inquiries : 031-956-9600
Admission : KRW 3,000 (Adults) / KRW 1,600 (Junior)
Operating Hours : 09:00 ~ 17:00 / 09:00 ~ 18:00 (During Summer)
Homepage (Korean) : http://www.jmd.co.kr/
Travel