Noryangjin Fish Market, Seoul

When in Seoul, try going to the Noryangjin Fish Market for some fresh seafood. =)

It is easy to get there - just take the subway to the Noryangjin Station and walk along the overhead bridge. It takes you to a carpark and then to the upper floor of the market (where the restaurants are). Walk down the stairs and there are many, many stores selling fresh seafood. We went in the winter and so there is no fishy, smelly smell. We reached there at about 11am, so there is no crowd which makes exploration of the market more relaxing.

Walk around, get a feel of the surrounding, smile at people, pick a store that has a good and fresh variety and start selecting your desired seafood. Sellers here can quote you prices in Mandarin which makes bargaining easier for me. =)

After some vendor evaluation, we selected this lady and bought our seafood from her.

There are 3 of us and we bought some octopus, a medium-sized lobster, some scallops and abalone. We had 2 portions of the octopus - one portion we had it stir fried and the other portion, we ate them still wriggling and live. Other than the experience, the live octopus with wasabi tasted good.

Shhhhh ....Tread quietly .. she probably started her day at 3am, so let her take a rest. =)

Till my next blog post, have some omega-3! =)

Skiing at the Phoenix Park

The day after we did some trout fishing in Pyeongchang, my girlfriends and I had ski lessons at the Phoenix Park Ski Resort. We signed up for the 'family package' for a full-day lesson with a English-speaking instructor. Cost Won330,000 for the 3 of us, including the rental of equipment. Lessons were in 2 two-hour session, between 10am & noon and 2pm & 4pm.

 

It was about 3 degree Celsius that day and the ground was somewhat icy which made it more slippery than usual. I did not mind skiing (or sliding and falling, for me) down the slight slope but the walking sideways up the slope in those heavy boots and skis killed my knees. It was an exhausting day! My back and knees hurt like hell but it was a good experience and we had fun! =)

 

The resort is fantastic. There are several slopes for different levels of expertise and there are lots of people there .. and they are looked like experts! I am so envious! 

 

We were taught to make big A and small A with our skis to slow down and speed up respectively. And the following conversation went on for a few times ...

 

Instructor: Make big A. Make big A.

Me stretching out my legs to make a big A as per her instructions.

Instructor: Make bigger A. That's small A.

Me: This is my biggest A!

Instructor shakes her head ....

Till my next blog post, take a ski! =)

Pyeongchang Trout Festival

In January 2013, two girlfriends and I did trip to Seoul. I have always visited Seoul in the fall and winter is so different. In Seoul itself, there was no snow towards the end of January and everything looked quite brown and dull. Shopping is also not as lively. Shops at Myeongdong were closing at about 10pm. So, we ventured outside Seoul for some winter fun! We booked ourselves at the Phoenix Park Hotel in the Pyeongchang district for some skiing and ice fishing.

Phoenix Park is easily accessible to and from Seoul. There are buses that run from the hotel/skiing facility several times a day. When we arrived, it was too late to participate in the skiing lessons and so we went off to Jinbu for the Pyeongchang Trout Festival for an afternoon. The annual festival takes place during winter and for this year it was opened between 22 Dec 2012 and 3 Feb 2013. Other than trout fishing, there are also other activities like  sledding and 4-wheeled ATV rides.

Pyeongchang Trout Festival

The festival is held over a frozen stream. The ice looks like it a about a foot thick to me, so it is very safe to jump and stomp around. =)

This is our first ice-fishing experience and there is a LOT to learn. I learnt that there are different types of bait. The people there gave us some plastic fish and worm baits. For different baits, there are different techniques to move your line and bait. For the worm bait, the up and down movements have to be short and fast . For the fish bait, the movement has to be a slow, long dip followed quickly by a quick jerk upwards. Of course, we were NOT aware of this and we went around just jerking our fishing line up and down randomly for the first freezing hour. Mistake #1. Then a very kind chap came and enlightened us. Also he said that we are fishing at the wrong area. We should be fishing near to the banks of the stream, not in the middle, as fish swims closer to the banks. Mistake #2.

The equipment

As advised by the kind chap, we then shifted ourselves closer to the bank and started using the right technique. But I think something is still not quite right as we still did not get any fish. Oh well! It's our first experience. No fish, no big deal. But it hurts a little when I see other people have 2 or 3 fish in their plastic bag. I reckon that if we have more time, we might be able to get something but we are frozen after about 2 hours and decided to call it quits.

See! They have trout!!

When you do go the festival, dress very warmly. It is freezing and you will be out there for a long time. Jerking fish lines up and down isn't exactly a cardio activity, so there is no chance of your body warming up. =)

Till my next blog post, have some winter fun! =)

World of Coca Cola, Downtown Atlanta

Gosh! It has been ages since I posted something! Madness reigns! I really don't know where time went and it is now the end of Q1! Hmmmm .. let me paused for a while and think, in January, I took an extra week off from the holidays and started the year a week late, then I went on a short girlfriend trip to Seoul and did some skiing, then it was Chinese New Year and I had several reunions with family and friends, and then I fell really sick and have been coughing till now. In between, life is packed with my work, my son's life, my husband's life, car problems, friends visiting Bangkok, etc. Some days, I kept calm and carried on, some days I just screwed calm and screamed my head off. 

I went to Atlanta for a week earlier this month for a business trip. The good thing was I arrived 2 days before my meetings and had a fantastic time shopping, catching up with friends and visiting the vicinity. I spent an afternoon in Downtown Atlanta, ate at Hard Rock Cafe, went to the World of Coca-Cola and did the CNN Studio Tour. I skipped the Aquarium as I have issues with animals kept in captivity.

I'd like to teach the world to sing

In perfect harmony

I'd like to buy the world a COKE

And keep it company

That's the real thing ....

Remember this song? This song hit me in the 1980s (I think) and I became a COKE fan from then. So, when I went to Atlanta, I have to, have to visit the World of Coca-Cola.

COKE is a world-class marketing organization and the World of Coca-Cola is all about the experience ... the visuals, the suspense, the secret, the vault, the flavors, the show are all there for you bond with the brand and so, when you take a sip of COKE, you become part of their secret. I mean, it's a carbonated drink, it sells for 13 Baht a can at 7-11 for goodness sake and yet they do so much. Guess this is how you can make 20% OP.

Can you see me? I am being bubblized!

Right before the gift shop is where you can experience all the 60 flavors that COKE has worldwide. I love the Cherry COKE and had a few cups! Wish they will bring it back (maybe at certain outlets or as limited edition?).

Lots of communications materials from all over the world, COKE and pop culture, the Vault where the secret formula is held (don't believe that it is there, it's just marketing).

Till my next blog post, have a COKE (it's the real thing)! =)