Taipei

It's been about 2-3 years since I last saw my Taiwanese friend so I was excited that I could visit Taiwan and stay in my friend's hostel. My friend and her parents converted their 5-storey house into a hostel and they opened the hostel at the end of last year. It is a pretty cozy house and you could check it out at www.mudanhouse.com. Apart from that, breakfast is included and it was made by her aunt who is a great cook.

When I arrived at Taoyuan International Airport, my friend and her boyfriend were there to pick me up. After exchanging about US$200, we set off to one of the local seafood restaurants for dinner. I thought that there must be lots of Japanese tourists around that area since there were Japanese signages and the dishes cost about US$3 each. We ordered fried squid, sliced pork with ginger, chicken with bamboo shoots and oysters with green onions. It has been awhile since I had real Chinese food so I was really excited about eating everything. Chinese restaurants in Korea usually cook food with Korean spicy sauce for the local people but Chinese food usually comes in all varieties - sweet, sour, spicy and bitter.

The next morning I woke up early and had the delicious sandwiches made by my friend's aunt. After getting the bus directions from her aunt to Long Shan Temple, I set off with my map and transportation card. So it cost about US$0.50 to take the bus and US$1.00 to take the subway each time. From Chang Ji Street, I took the bus to the temple and it took about 30 minutes to get there. One thing I realized was that the streets were cleaner than in Korea and you wouldn't see people spitting on the streets all the time.

Long Shan Temple is one of the oldest temple in Taipei and on Sunday morning, I saw many locals and foreigners in the temple. I always manage to find a temple wherever I go. There was a lot of praying going on by the nuns and someone gave me 6-8 incense sticks to pray and offer 1 stick to each statue. I went along the trail and offered my prayers to all the gods. After that I went to Bo Pi Liao area which was used as a filming site in a Chinese movie and the shop houses were traditionally designed with shops selling things from the olden times. I thought of taking the subway to Xin Bei Tou station but I decided to walk a little more and I found this tiny food stall selling fried fish paste. The taste was simple and it was nice to be walking and eating at the same time. After a few streets, I found the President's office building heavily guarded and the High Court around the corner near Xi Men station. I just kept walking and I found a bubble tea shop so I bought myself a bubble milk tea. It was one of my favorite drinks and it comes in lots of different types of tea. Yummy.. Yummy... I also found the Taiwan National Museum with a lot of exhibits about the local tribes and it was interesting to see the difference between the tribes.

From NTU station, I took the subway directly to Bei Tou station and transferred to Xin Bei Tou station. The train was designed with cute characters in hot tubs and it only took about 10 minutes to reach Xin Bei Tou station. The area was surrounded by mountains, hotels and restaurants and there were a lot of people since it was Sunday. At first I walked to the Thermal Valley to check out the water and it was really hot (about 90 degC) with warning signs of not touching the water. Then I went around to check out the prices of using the hot springs. It was expensive as most of the hotels offer private rooms (US$40 for 3 hours) for 2 people to use the hot springs. Since the water comes from the same resource and I didn't see the need to spend so much money, I decided to try out one which cost about US$6 for about 2 hours. The bathroom was small with a bathtub which you could fill it up with hot spring water and cool water. Soaking in the water was relaxing but it wasn't as great as those in Japan and more expensive. After I finished, I went back to the hostel to find my friend and I stopped by the bakery to get some bread and some pig blood soup from a store which was recommended by my friend.

My friend was still busy cleaning the rooms so I went to buy some fried sweet potatoes and chicken to boost her energy. After snacking, I helped her to clean up so that we could go out for dinner earlier. She brought me and a German guy who was also staying in the hostel to this restaurant to eat chicken cooked in Chinese wine. It started off with clam soup as the appetizer with black plum juice. We were lucky to get some free pork ribs from a lucky draw and it was soft and juicy. Next, was the chicken cooked in Chinese wine and soy sauce and stir-fried vegetables. Lastly, the fried shrimps were served and they were so soft and crispy that we could even eat the shells. After a heavy dinner, we dropped the guy off at another hostel and we went back home to rest.

The next morning I enjoyed another delicious breakfast and I took the bus to Bei An street near Da Zhi station to have a haircut from my friend's hairstylist in Happy Hair Salon. It was quite amusing since my friend and her mum all went to the same hair salon but with different hairstylist. They were very friendly to me and one of the staff was kind enough to write down the street names for shopping. After getting a nice hair cut, I went to the clothing store, A La Sha, which was recommended by my friend, to buy some clothes. It is an outlet store so all the clothes in there were about 50-60% off the original price. Ha Ha! After that I went to the university street to get some lunch and I took the subway to Taipei City Hall to look at Taipei 101, the second-highest building in the world. It was like a business district as there was a Volkswagen showroom, a hotel, a convention center and many office buildings. I didn't go to the 89th floor as there were too many tourists so I just headed off to Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall and walked around the area. I saw a vending machine which sold drinks at about US$0.60 and I thought it was cheap compared to Korea and Japan.

After walking for about 1 hour, I met up with my friend at Zhong Xiao Fu Xing station for afternoon tea. She brought me to this nice little cafe named Hana and it was already filled with people. After getting a table and reading the menu, we decided to order a strawberry waffle, a sandwich, a cup of latte with marshmallows and honey-flower tea. The strawberries were so delicious since it's the strawberry season and the ice-cream was really tasty. Yummy... The tea was refreshing since it was pretty hot that day and I had been walking for awhile. After we finished our afternoon tea, we walked around the area and collected a lot of travel information for her guests in the hostel. Finally it was around 6 before we headed home.

Since it was my last night in Taipei, we decided to go to the night market near the Mudan House for dinner. At first we went to the beef noodles stall to try the beef noodles that have been passed down for about 3 generations. The soup was made with beef bones and the noodles were soft and tender. Next, we went to try this fried bean curd skin wrapped with chicken which was crispy yet tender. Finally we stopped at a tofu pudding store for some desserts. We thought that one was enough but in the end we ordered another one since it was so delicious and the tofu was really soft. After the heavy dinner, we walked to the nearby Carrefour to get some local snacks for me to bring them back to Korea.

On the next morning, it was time for me to say goodbye to my friend again and I hope we will get to meet up soon.

Panmunjom, JSA

Panmunjom is the only ‘truce village’ of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) where tourists could view North and South Koreas without much hostility. It is probably the only unique area without any troops around as the other area separating the two Koreas is the most heavily armed in the world.  As a foreigner from a small country, I find it hard to believe that a country can be divided so clearly by the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and the culture between the North and South Koreas is so different. While the older generation is looking forward to unification between the two areas, the younger generation from the South Korea is afraid that the economic situation in Korea will deteriorate after unification since the culture gap between the two areas is so wide.

I was excited to visit Panmunjom to experience the tense situation between the two borders and from Seoul, it took about one hour to get to the check point. The soldier came on board to take a look at us and he got off and we continued our journey to another checkpoint. Before we entered the Panmunjom area, the guide checked our outfits again and asked some people who were wearing track pants to wear another pants over their own pants. Another guy who was wearing a green jacket with its country logo was not able to wear that jacket while we were inside Panmunjom. Finally a soldier come on board to check our outfits, make sure that our camera lens are not longer than 100mm and instructing us not to bring our belongings while we were in there. After that, together with the soldier, we went to the Visitor Briefing Center to watch a short movie about the history behind the two Koreas and we got on a bus provided by JSA.

At first the bus took us to Freedom House which was built in 1998 as a facility that supports various forms of inter-Korean exchanges. We alighted the bus, lined up in 2 rows and from Freedom House, we walked to the Conference Building. I saw a few soldiers standing facing the North side and at first I thought they were dummies, but actually they are real soldiers who were standing there to protect us if the North attacked. We walked into the Conference building and reminded by the soldier not to wave and point at anything while we were in there. The guide explained to us that the mid of the room divides the North and South and it was the only area where we could stand on North Korea ground. We were able to take some pictures of the room and the soldiers who were standing in there. About 10 minutes later, we walked back to the Freedom House and to the pagoda which we were able to take some pictures of the surroundings. Because of our presence, we saw some North Korean troops matching towards the Conference building and once again we were reminded not to wave or point at anything. Peace House was built in 1980 to hold all non-governmental talks that are not related to military issues.

After that we went back to the bus and we were told that we could take some pictures of the Panmungak of North Korea while sitting and it serves as offices for North Korean guards in Panmunjom. Then we moved on to the Axe Murder incident spot which happened in 1976 while five S. Koreans civilians were trimming a tall poplar tree under UNC supervision and out of nowhere, two N. Korea officers and dozens of KPA soldiers appeared demanding that they stopped the trimming. The civilians ignored their requests and another N. Korean forces appeared and began attacking these civilians with clubs and axes. After this incident, the MDL forms as a permanent separation line between the two Koreas.

Beside this spot, we saw the Bridge of No Return which crosses the middle of MDL in JSA and it used to serve as the only entrance to Kaesong city. The bridge was named as No Return because once the POWs decided to cross the bridge from either side, they could not return again and it has never been used again after the Axe Murder Incident. After this it was considered the end of Panmunjom tour and the JSA bus dropped us off at the gift shop and we were picked up again by the tour bus. We shopped for awhile at the gift shop and we went to Imjingak to take some pictures before we set off for the restaurant.

On the bus, the Korean guide told us that she hopes that there will be unification someday but no one knows when that will happen. She also told us to love the people around us as we don’t know what might happen in the future since North and South Koreas have been separated for more than 50 years and many families were separated. I also hope that the two Koreas will reach an agreement and slowly united as one country.

Yong Pyong Ski Resort

n Yongpyong Ski Resort, you can either try your hand at one of the 31 diverse slopes in Dragon Plaza or for the non-skiers, you can enjoy the Drama "Winter Sonata" filming scenes like the Gondola ride and Café”Cheo-Um”. No matter what, you would be still able to enjoy the natural scenery of Yongpyong.

Yong Pyong Ski Resort is located in Gangwon Province and it is one of most popular ski resort in Korea. Over there, you can find 31 ski slopes, 45-hole golf course, premium hotels and chalets. From Jamsil station in Seoul, I took the shuttle bus at 9:00am and I reached YongPyong Resort at around 11:30am.

 

 

  I walked through the Tower building and once I stepped out of the building, I saw the ski slopes on my left and Dragon Valley Hotel on my right. Going there around this time seems a little late as there was little snow and a few skiers. However it was beautiful and I felt relieved compared to the city atmosphere. The air was refreshing and the weather was sunny.

 

 

 Next I walked towards Dragon Plaza to take the gondola up to Dragon Peak. For the drama "Winter Sonata'' fans, I saw the gondola car which was filmed in the drama and the couple's pictures. After buying the tickets, I took the gondola up to Dragon Peak. The scene was beautiful and I believe it would be better if I visited in Feb but well... I could see the Green Pia Condomiums, the skiers and the slopes. I was amazed as the slopes had sharp turnings and the skiers could still slide around with grace... I am definitely not a skier.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The moment I stepped into Dragon Peak, I could see Winter Sonata's poster with Yu-jin and Joon Sang. I walked out of the building and wow.. the mountains seemed to be right in front of me. I stood there admiring the scenery, inhaling the fresh air and I felt that it was like a painting with numerous mountains and clouds which I couldn't express. As the ski season was coming to an end, there weren't many people and all the restaurants were closed.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
After I took the gondola back to Dragon Plaza, I walked through the back of the plaza, taking some pics of the Green Pia Condo with the woods. I walked to Dragon Valley Hotel and realised the front entrance was actually on the other side. With a growling stomach, I went to the restaurant in the hotel and ordered a minestrone soup and Cajun salad. It has been a long time since I had Cajun salad and the sauce was actually quite tasty.

After my meal, I exited from the front entrance and walked to Cafe Cheo-Um which was used as one of the filming sites in 'Winter Sonata'. I was surprised to find that there were only pictures and it wasn't a real cafe, only a little room. I explored the grounds a bit and found that at Peak Island, there was a water park so it would be good to go there in the summer.

Trying to find the entrance to Tower Condo could be frustrating as the elevators were at the Tower building. When I reached the lobby, there were only one cleaning lady and a receptionist at the front desk. At the end of the path, I found the main entrance to Tower Condo so for people who plan to come here by car, make sure you have a good navigator.

Finally when I was planning to take the 3pm bus back to Seoul, I realised that since the ski season was over, there were only 1 pm and 5 pm buses. I had to take the shuttle bus to the city and take the city bus back to Seoul. It was definitely a day I wouldn't forget.

Faceshop - Everyday Care

I only started taking care of my skin when I was 24 years old and my friends thought that I was crazy not to pay any attention to it. I started off using Biotherm Anti-aging series (green series) and they were really effective, however, as I was only a university student, I decided to go for brands that are cheaper. I discovered Faceshop products and at first, I bought the series that were made with rice as it brightened the skin, produced a supple skin and reduced the oil on my skin. Now in my 30s, I have been using their anti-aging series which I find suitable for my skin and at reasonable prices.

I use this everyday, once in the morning and once in the evening. It doesn't have any particular smell and my skin doesn't feel oily after using it.

Marine stem cells - Anti-aging Toner - I use it every time after I wash my face and before I put on my lotion.

Next I always use an eye cream and I just started to use it last December and find it pretty good.

Next I will always finish it with lotion/moisturer to contain the moisture on my skin.

I just discovered this last month and it has been pretty effective. Basically, it combines lip scrub and lip balm in 1 container and I use the scrub first to remove the dead skin on my lip, wash it away and apply the lip balm. It makes my lips feel smooth and better when I am applying my lip stick. That's all for today and I will update more next time!

Apgujeong and Gangnam in Seoul

Apgujeong is the area where you could go to Louis Vuitton's gallery and the area is filled with lots of branded shops. I was pretty amazed by the LV's building as it was really classy and sophisticated and it stood out from the other buildings. I also found a pretty classy jazz bar which was actually filmed in some local dramas and we also went to try some local dishes.

BaekGoDong is a dish with octopus and vegetables and mixed with chilli sauce. We also ordered the squid rings which were really crispy and tasted delicious with soy sauce. Chijimi is a Korean-style pancake which is usually mixed with green onions and kimchi.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
After lunch, we moved on to Costco in Gangnam area and beware of the time needed on the road especially on weekends since we took about 1 hour to get to Costco. This was the first time I visited Costco in Korea and I was excited to see a real mega supermarket in Korea. On the top floor, there was electrical appliances, clothings, daily necessarities and I found my favorite Tide-To-Go which I haven't seen it since I moved out of Canada.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We went to the food section and we saw lots of food products in large quantities just like the mega mall in Canada and the ham and cheese are definitely cheaper than what is offered in the local supermarkets. Ha! Ha! I found lots of pastries like bagels, muffins, donuts, cakes, and pies and it was definitely tempting to buy and try everything. Next was the pasta and pasta sauce. The price was cheaper and in bigger quantities and we bought 6 packs of pasta for 12,000won and it cost about 4000won per pack in the local supermarkets. I think we spent about 2-3 hours in there and it is better to go on weekdays if you could.