Places to go when visiting Busan, South Korea - Part 1

Departing from Seoul Station

This was my first time visiting Busan, a large port city located in southeastern part, known for its beaches, mountains and temples, despite my second visit to South Korea. By population, Busan is the second largest city with almost 3.5 million people out of total of 51.7 million people in South Korea. I went there with my sisters and mom, our first ladies trip together with no man involved. Haha...

In the platform - Seoul Station

We took KTX train from Seoul Station and after three hours later, we arrived at Busan Station. You can purchase the ticket online through Korail up to a month before. Payment is done by using credit card. My sister booked most of our hotels, train, car with driver rental, and domestic flight tickets, while I gave insight on where to go and how as I was pretty occupied with other travel arrangements.

Busan Station :)

We decided to stay nearby Haeundae Beach area for our first night in Busan as the beach is very famous there. After storing our big luggage at the hotel and had our lunch nearby the Busan Station, we took a bus ride to Haundae Beach area.

Lunch all my favorite Chinese-Korean food in Busan - fried rice, Naengmyeon (cold noodle), Mandu (fried dumpling), Jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle), and Jajangmyeon (black paste noodle) :)

The bus was quite full and some of us had to stand up for some time until the seat was available. The journey took us almost an hour time. Once we reached, it was raining. Well, kind of spoiling our mood. I mean, beach you know! We were kind of expecting to get sunshine in the beach, and not wet and windy beach. Hehehe...

But everything happened only for a good reason!!! :) We decided to go to Shinsegae Dept Store Centum City by metro. Fyi, this place was registered in the Guinness World Records as the largest department store in the world back in 2009. Surely, not to be missed when you visit Busan!!! :)

Metro line in Busan. You can use your T-Money card here too!! :)

There is a Korean traditional jjimjilbang or a large, gender-segregated public bathhouse, furnished with hot tubs, showers, Korean traditional kiln saunas and massage tables, called Spa Land. You can check the admission price here. Too bad I was having my period on that day so I had to give it a miss. However my sister went there and she was very happy hopping from one bathhouse to another naked and experienced the culture that was different from what we had back home.

The Bay 101 - Busan, South Korea

We had our dinner there before continuing our journey to visit The Bay 101. It was just less than 15 minutes walk from Dongbaek metro station. Initially I was unsure too what kind of place The Bay 101 was.

Beautiful night view from The Bay 101

Initially I thought it would be some kind of shopping mall. But the Google map did not indicate so. I just knew that it was the place that tourist could visit, that's all. So after reaching there, then I realized that it was a place where you could see a beautiful water view with high-rise buildings with lighting at the opposite side. There are restaurants and cafe at the building itself, but nothing much. Just a place to take photo and chill out with family and friends.

Roadside food stall displaying water tank filled with fresh seafood for you to choose and eat - Haeudae Beach area, Busan

From there I continued walking towards Haeundae Beach as the rain had stopped. It was another 15 minutes walk to reach and we passed through food stalls at roadside displaying water tank filled with fresh seafood right in front of your eating place - for you to choose and eat. I felt it was kind of cruel to dine in such way.

Haeundae Beach signage - Busan, South Korea

Just kept walking until I saw the above signage. Just seconds after taking the above photos, I heard the firework sound from the sea.

Fireworks at Haeundae Beach - Busan, South Korea

It was not just a small handheld fireworks that people could purchase and play, but bigger ones and it continued non-stop for more than 15 minutes. Wow!!! As if they knew I was coming there and wanted me to celebrate my visit there :D I felt an immense gratitude and peace watching it from afar. Thank you SB for the beautiful arrangement :)

Sealife in Busan, South Korea

The Sealife there is also worth visiting if you come from the country where there is no sea within reach. But for me, who stayed very near from the sea and visited many such places before, I made it a skip to visit this place.

Along Haeundae Beach area in Busan, South Korea

My sister and I kept walking along the beach. There were many people strolling the beach like us. Since rain had stopped, the air had become cooling and perfect for walking. There were few buskers entertained the passer-by with their beautiful voice and music played. Mostly young guys. They romanticized the already romantic beach. Oh, how I wished my loved one was there walking beside me and enjoyed the night together!!! :P

Finished the day with Terra Beer :D

And on our way back to the hotel, I stopped by at the convenience store to get a can of chilled Terra (Korean beer) and drank it all the way. Small handheld firework is sold on the street so anyone could buy and play it freely along the beach. How nice!!! :)

Let me stop here before continuing the journey next day. Stay tune! :)

Interesting items to get from Daiso in Korea

Recently I traveled to South Korea with my families. Just like in any other Asian countries, I love browsing Daiso, a shop that sells stuffs with affordable prices. I hope by now you have heard about Daiso.

"Daiso Industries Co., Ltd. is a large franchise of 100-yen shops founded in Japan. Its headquarters are in Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture. Daiso has a range of over 100,000 products, of which over 40 percent are imported goods, many of them from China." - Source: daisojapan.com

In Singapore, all items are sold at SGD $2 each. It makes buyer easy to just pick up everything that is available inside the store, all is marked at the same price. In Malaysia, each item costs RM 5.90, while in Indonesia, each item costs at slightly more expensive price at IDR 25,000 (equivalent to around SGD $2.50 each).

In Japan and Korea, however, each item does not cost the same. E.g. in Japan the item can be sold at JPY 100 and JPY 200 each depending on its value. In Korea, the price ranges from KRW 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, and 5,000. Since the prices are varied, there are definitely more items to choose from the store.

7-Storey high Daiso in Hongdae, Seoul - South Korea

So when I finally reached back to Seoul (after touring around Busan and Jeju island), I was all ready to shop for some gifts to bring back home. And just nice, there is one seven-storey height of Daiso located just opposite of the building where I stayed in Hongdae area.

Here, let me share with you some interesting items I bought from there, which I could not find at any other countries :).

1. Korean noodles cooking pot - KRW 3,000

Korean noodles cooking pot - Daiso Korea

If you are a Korean drama or movie lover, you must have seen the scene where the actor or actress was eating Korean noodle from this pot. They even use the cover as a plate or base after taking the steaming hot noodles directly from the pot. They will blow it before put it into the mouth just like the scene I post below :D

Eating Korean noodle scene (Source: Youtube.com)

There is the one with handle too. But I prefer the one without. So much looking like in drama. Hahahahaha.... :P

Pot types and sizes available from Daiso Korea - Lotte Mart in Seoul, South Korea

The size of the pot I chose is 16 inch (instead of 14 inch) as the Korean noodle size is generally much larger than the one sold in other Asian countries.

Sample of the Korean noodle (look at the noodle size!!!) - Lotte Mart, Seoul - South Korea

2. The Korean metal spoon and chopstick sets - KRW 3,000

Korean metal spoon and chopstick sets - Daiso Korea

If you notice, Korean use metal chopsticks to eat and not use the wood or bamboo material like in any other Asian countries. The chopsticks are flat too (not square or round shape). And the spoon holder is longer than the usual spoon used in any other countries. That makes them very special. And by getting this set, you will feel like you are eating in Korea rather than in your own country.

Personally I love using the spoon. With longer holder, I can even use it for cooking. Since the holder is longer, my hand will not get scalded by the steam that comes out while cooking. So if you are ever traveling with me and watching me cooking (provided that I bring my own utensils), you would realize that I always bring this Korean spoon with me. So have you realized it now??? :D

I do not really like using the chopsticks much though as they are flat and very difficult to use :D

This set of tableware can be a good set of gift for friends as well.

First day after coming back from Korea, immediately used the pot, metal spoon and chopsticks to cook and eat the Korean noodles :D :D :D

Therefore, by buying this pot and set of Korean spoon and chopsticks, you will not only get the items back with you, but also the dream of Korean life integrated into your life back home :D Hahahaha... at least for me :P

3. Roll cleaner - KRW 1,000 and its refill (2 rolls/pack) - KRW 2,000

Roll cleaner and Scotch-Brite refill - Daiso, Korea

I bought it as I sometimes need it to clean my black clothes (shirts or pants) from the remaining detergent that sticks to the clothes after washing it using the machine. The white powder is annoying and this roll cleaner will be the best solution to clean it without having to make the clothes wet and take time to get it dried. I can bring this for traveling too (that was why I bought this shape and size).

Roll cleaner type sold in Daiso Singapore (Pic source: Google.com)

And currently I could only find the roll cleaner type as per above photo in Daiso Singapore. So, if you too often encounter the stubborn detergent sticking to your black clothes, these items are great to get from Daiso Korea!!! :)

4. The sponge cum soap holder - KRW 1,000

Sponge cum soap holder - Daiso Korea

If you are still using the soap block to take a bath or to wash hands (instead of the bottle liquid soap, foam, or bath gel), this item will be a great thing to get back home. Just lay it flat (the set provide plastic base to hold the sponge below), and put the soap on top.

Usually, after washing hands, if you put into the normal soap holder, the water will drip and wet the soap holder. Therefore, the bottom part of the soap will get soft, soppy, and the holder will get messy and dirty. It can be irritating sometimes.

By using this, the watery soap will be absorbed by the sponge and you can use the sponge to take a bath (rub your body skin). Isn't it a good idea?? This way you can fully use the soap and keep the soap moisturized but not soppy.

5. Aroma perfume mist cum fabric spray - KRW 1,000

Aroma Perfume Mist cum Fabric Spray - Daiso Korea

While traveling in Korea, eating the Korean BBQ is a must (for non-vegetarian, of course). They have a very good marinated meat - be it spicy and non-spicy. Despite the restaurant provided the good vacuum system to suck the smoke that coming out from the grill, our clothes will definitely smelly after getting out from there.

That is why I could only find the above items in Korea (it was made in Korea too). It is called aroma perfume mist, but I used it as fabric spray too (to spray on clothes). This small tube (15ml volume) is very good to bring while traveling, and even can be put inside the hand carry bag. You can use it anytime you need it. They had many flavors available but no sample was given. So choose them at your own risk (in case the smell is not suitable to your liking).

6. Dental cooling spray - KRW 3,000

Dental Cooling Spray - Daiso Korea

This is another thing that they sell in Daiso shop there but not in any other countries - dental cooling spray. I thought of buying it since after eating the Korean BBQ (usually I would eat lots of raw garlic with the BBQ meat and caused my mouth full smell of garlic). They have 3 different flavors available and so far I only tried the middle one (mint flavor). This will be good to use in the morning too if you are too lazy or no time to brush your teeth :D

I first bought it at Olive Young shop at KRW 3,500. So in Daiso Korea, you can buy it at slightly cheaper price. If you buy more, then you will save more money. Good buy!!! :)

7. Moisturizer hand cream (made in Korea) - KRW 1,000

Moisturizer hand cream - Daiso Korea

There are many flavors available for the above hand creams. They come in two different sizes - 60 g and 80 g per bottle. You can buy depend on your purpose. If for short term traveling, the smaller size will be good to bring, but if for longer time traveling, the bigger size will suit you more. Despite the different in sizes, both come at same price - KRW 1,000. And all are made in Korea.

These are good gifts to friends back home too as you know, the cost of well known brand hand cream like L'Occitane, Body Shop, and many other brands can be so much exaggerating. For me, as long it works well and smell good, that is good enough :)

There are many other items you can buy there aside from what I posted above. Just like the description above said, they sell over 100,000 items in the store. Just buy what you need though, otherwise you will end up wasting your money for nothing. So, with this post, you can plan well next time what to buy when visiting Daiso in Korea :)

Outer Mongolia - Experiencing Mongolian Tent or Ger (Part 3)

Inside the local Mongolian ger - Bayangobi

When coming to Mongolia, it was a must-try thing to experience living inside the Mongolian tent (commonly said ger). In our itinerary it included 3 different places for us to stay inside the Mongolian tourist camp. All the 3 sizes of ger we stayed were different, letting us experiencing different feeling, although the number of people remained the same (max. 4 pax in one ger).

1. Bayangobi Tourist Camp

Bayangobi Tourist Camp - Outer Mongolia

This was the first tourist camp we stayed - Bayangobi Tourist Camp. Ger were set in few rows. Depending on your luck, those stayed near the toilet was considered good location as the toilet cum bathroom was located in separate area. Especially for those who often visited toilet break at nighttime, like me. But if your ger was too far from toilet, worry not, as you still could do your business around your ger (only small business please....) hahahaha.... :P

Outside our ger - Bayangobi Tourist Camp

This size of ger was just nice for 4 of us. Not too big and not too small. As you could see at the below picture, in the middle they usually installed the manual room heater (burned using woods). That night the coldness was bearable, and therefore, no heater was required. The blanket was enough to keep us warm.

Panoramic view inside our ger - Bayangobi Tourist Camp

In each tourist camp they provided us with separated toilet and bathroom for men and women, dining hall, and souvenir shop. Bigger one was equipped with bar. Below was the typical souvenir shop seen all over Mongolia (the wheels were installed so when they moved around, this portable shop could be pulled up by few yaks or cows).

Mongolian style souvenir shop - Bayangobi Tourist Camp - Mongolia

The toilet plus bathroom was surprisingly maintained really well. They employed a worker to standby there the whole day to ensure that the toilet was clean at all times - to ensure the floor was dry and clean, toilet paper was available, and so on.

Toilet plus bathroom at Bayangobi Tourist Camp - Mongolia

The bathroom was also equipped with water heater. However, due to the limitation of the heater system size, it could only satisfy the first few users. When the hot water had finished, the next user had to wait for a while before the heater started warming the water back again. That also including the availability of the water. Those who taking bath later, most probably they would run out of water. Unfortunately my ladies friends and I were among those people who took bath late.

I had to use the water drip by drip to clean my body, as if the water came from heaven, really had to treasure them very well. Luckily I managed to clean myself, even washing my hair and everything. In place like this, clean water was really a treasure and not for taken for granted!!!

Had a wonderful time at Bayangobi desert - Mongolia

This area was located not far from desert. We were brought there to experience desert life with its sand dunes.

With the Mongolian camel :) - Bayangobi Desert

Riding camels in a group - Bayangobi Desert - Outer Mongolia

Riding camel and visiting the local herdsman ger was also another activity offered. We sat there and were given opportunity to ask question regarding their nomadic lives, a life that was really different with what we were having right now.

Grassland nearby Bayangobi Tourist Camp (Photo courtesy: Jack Lim)

Beautiful nature surrounding Bayangobi Tourist Camp (Photo courtesy: Jack Lim)

Nearby the camp you could find the beautiful grassland as per shown at the photos above. From afar, the place looked like having nothing, but when we got closer, it turned out that the grass was not flat, but it looked more like small hills on top of another and decorated with small flowers.

Beautiful and quiet place to do meditation :D - Bayangobi, Outer Mongolia

Yoga too... :P - Bayangobi, Outer Mongolia

My friends and I could not hold ourselves but posing with this beautiful nature :D

Before sleeping :D Inside our ger at Bayangobi Tourist Camp

At night we spent our time together inside our ger tasting Chinggis Vodka with their chips, chit chatting about anything else that came up out of our minds. Even when the electricity was gone, we had our torch light ready within our hand to brighten up the tent. And yes, after series of drinking, all of us took our small business just outside our ger, instead of heading all the way to the beautiful toilet nearby... Hahahahaha.... (vodka effect) :P

2. Anar Tourist Camp

Panoramic view of the Anar Tourist Camp - Outer Mongolia

Endless photo session near the beautiful Orkhon River - Kharkhorin, Outer Mongolia

With the background of my favorite animals and surroundings (mountains and river) - Orkhon River

We moved on to Kharkhorin the next day and we stayed at the above tourist camp. The location was good as it was very near from the Orkhon River. The view was simply natural, beautiful, and amazing!!! All your troubles were sure gone away after quenching the nature thirst over this place!!! Because it worked on me!!! :)

Circling the Stupa on top of the hill - Anar Tourist Camp - Kharkhorin, Outer Mongolia

Posing with Mongolian students at the Monument for Mongol States - Kharkhorin, Outer Mongolia

It was within walking distance to reach the river, as well as to reach the Monument for Mongol States. We had a short hike to reach the top. Despite the rain, we all reached all over the place and enjoyed the view so much!!! :)

Inside our ger - Anar Tourist Camp - Kharkhorin, Mongolia

This time our ger was quite small though among the three. It was just nice as the weather was colder at night.

Inside the decorative dining room with my local guide at the background - Anar Tourist Camp

We had 3-course set meal for both lunch and dinner. They served continental dishes. Loved them all! :)

Turning the manual heater inside our ger - Anar Tourist Camp - Kharkhorin, Mongolia

We even had to ask the staff to turn the heater inside our room. Unlike other ger, luckily we had Bhutanese lady here who knew how to control the heat from this manual heater. Our room was kept warm until we slept because of her skill :D Thank you Sangay!!! :)

Waiting for the sunrise to come at 4.30 am - Anar Tourist Camp

I was awoken few times early in the morning as my friends wanted to see the sunrise. We were not sure when the sunrise began. That was why I woke up as early as 4 am and only to find the sky was still dark.

Sunrise at Anar Tourist Camp (Photo courtesy: Peggy)

Sunrise at Anar Tourist Camp (Photo courtesy: Peggy)

I finally gave up when it started to rain. I thought, would the sun still come when it was raining?? Moreover the friend who wanted to see sunrise at the first place was sleeping all the time. Hahaha... I got lazy and decided to continue to sleep.

Sunrise with the rainbow at Anar Tourist Camp - Kharkhorin, Mongolia (Photo courtesy: Peggy)

Only the next morning after having breakfast our tour leader said that there was a rainbow. Our tour mate, Peggy, managed to capture the sunrise and the rainbow. She had kindheartedly sharing the pictures with us. And I could not wait to share them with you all here on this post. Hope you enjoy the posts so far :)