Seoul in Winter (Day 1: Getting There Fast and Taking It Slow)

We've made it to the much anticipated year-end vacation to none other than.... no prizes for guesses!

We've been to Korea a number of times now, and you'd think that with every trip we would get more and more adventurous. Sorry to disappoint, but this year has been one of those when we really needed a vacation that would allow us to relax and recharge, and we made sure the two week itinerary for this trip allows that. Hence, we decided to plonk ourselves in the heart of the city, make plenty of time to just be together as a family, and hopefully visit something interesting everyday.

The excitement was just overwhelming coming into D-day. It was written all over the faces of the girls since they woke up but thanks to work and other responsibilities, there was still so much last minute packing and housework to be done. When we finally made our way to Terminal 3 for dinner, it finally felt real.

The online check-in allowed us to get into the transit area quickly after arrival at the airport. The airline staff from SIA were on site to help us with the printing of boarding passes and dropping off our (very many) check-in luggage.

After a treat at Burger King, Mummy wanted to get a gift for our friends from another terminal and the girls pleaded to stay at the T3 play-area where they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We were surprised that although it was already very late, there were still so many active and energetic children all over the place. They made new friends very quickly and I hardly heard from them until it was time to board.

Quite an awesome play-area with slides, plenty of climbing, and most of all, plenty of company!

The younger girl knocked out for most of the flight but the older one indulged in the entertainment system on board our flight before falling asleep only hours after. It was a far cry from the days when we used to struggle with crying babies and diaper changes. As expected, they struggled to wake up and have some breakfast before arrival, but there were some items we could take with us from the kids' meal.

When we alighted, there was some confusion as we lost Daddy after our toilet break and ended up being so delayed trying to link up again that the ground staff collected all our baggage and were about to take them to the Lost-and-Found counter. We finally found each other, cleared immigration and got our bags and boarded our bus for the apartment that we booked via Airbnb.com.

Glad to be on our way. We all spent most of the hour-plus ride in dreamland.

Alighting at Myeongdong we were faced with the full-force of the cold and immediately we opened our check-in luggage to pull out all our heavier jackets. Thankfully. the apartment was just a short walk away, and we were impressed with the spaciousness of the single-room apartment on the fifth floor. The girls got unpacking automatically like they rehearsed the whole drill and Daddy and Mummy were so impressed at their housekeeping and effort to keep the place tidy. It was not a hotel so there was no room make-up service, and it would help if they kept this up. The host who spoke fluent English (which we found out later he self-taught) patiently brought us through the facilities of the building, the workings of the room, and even recommended his favourite places to eat Korean BBQ and fried chicken. He even offered to call in a delivery if we were too tired to go out and have lunch. One of the things about staying in Korea is the recycling culture and we were also informed how to separate the different recyclable materials into various trash compartments and where and when to empty our trash.

The room came with a dressing table, a dining table, a kitchenette, a small sitting balcony and a beautiful toilet. Everything seemed to be provided from hair-dryer, adapters and charging ports, towels and toiletries, dishes and kitchen ware. Even the washing machine came with detergent.

Floral decorations on the beds.

The dressing table. The large mirror is useful when you for the three ladies and you can guess the table was covered in girl-stuff very quickly after.

The sitting area in the balcony.

But our tummies were rumbling and we heeded to the call to visit one of Mummy's favourite local eating houses round the corner for our welcome-meal. There was no agenda today except to clear some of the items ordered by our friends (mostly cosmetic and skin-care items), catch up on some sleep, and pay a visit to the family who hosted Mummy on her very first visit to Korea.

The girls shared a dumpling soup with rice and Mummy had a hot bowl of kimchi soup.

Daddy loves the meaty broths, and had ox-tail soup this time.

Hitting the streets for a stroll, we soon found out that we forgot to bring along our passport to facilitate the tax-refund, and had to come back another day to get more shopping done. Good thing we only stay upstairs!

Post-lunch was spent napping in the room. The girls were knocked out cold for the next four hours, and Daddy (the avid runner) went out to clock more mileage. Perhaps he will summarize the running experience in a separate post for those who wish to know more about the beautiful places to jog. Seoul in winter is where you have to layer up for the cold run during the hottest part of the afternoon! Daddy took the opportunity to check out the money-changing rates at various parts of town, but came to the conclusion that the changer just below our apartment was still the best.

Beautiful marsh gardens beside the Cheonggyecheon stream.

The stream is bordered by the the cityscape nearer Myeongdong.

By the time the girls finally woke up, Daddy had showered  and we got ready to meet our friends. We took the subway even though it was just two stops away, and spent a meaningful couple of hours catching up with the family over some food, taking photographs, playing with their dog, exchanging gifts and souvenirs. We were so amazed by the size of the apples and pears here that our friends passed us an entire bag. I learnt they were called Busa apples and we have been seeing them at the local markets here. Always wanted to try one. There was some time to check out the street-food at Myeongdong for supper before turning in at almost midnight!

Baked sweet potato is comforting on a cold night.

Daddy takes a bite into the massive Busa apple, ... ... and another bite, and another bite, and another bite...

Day one has come to an end. We like the pace, and hope to keep it up tomorrow. For now, it's going to be a good night's sleep and we're so excited what awaits us tomorrow!

Korean BBQ Buffet @ Ju Shing Jung (East Coast Park)

Mothers' Day - it was an opportunity to get the family together for a nice meal at Mommy's favourite restaurant before it closes in February 2017. Ju Shing Jung - the branch at East Coast Park above the Burger King - is one of our family favourites. Not only is the restaurant established and well-known for its authenticity when it comes to Korean style barbecue, it's got a a huge variety of refillable and tastey kimchi, vegetables and other banchan (side-dishes), some of which like the mini-pancakes, marinated egg and salads that we simply can't get enough of. In addition, their tastey sauces really bring out the authentic Korean feel.

We chose to have the buffet (29++ /adult and $16++/child), which gave us unlimited servings of meat (pork collar, pork belly, marinated chicken) along with a choice of soup (soya bean, seafood, kimchi, pork or tofu).

Spicy pork soup

Aside from good food, the service is the other thing that puts a smile on our face. It helps that we've been here a number of times, and our familiarity with the staff makes for the warm, welcoming atmosphere. They even know our favourite side-dishes and happily top them up when we finish them. Do be advised though that due to the large variety of side-dishes, they may not serve all of them at once as they do take up a lot of space on the table. If you know something you'd like to have or see something on the next table that you'd like to try, do ask the friendly waiter staff.

Pork belly on the grill.

A slice of traditional Korean seafood pancake (justice undone by the blurred photo).

Pork belly and pork collar on the grill.

At the end of the dinner, guests are each given a small heart-shaped piece of watermelon and a signature sweet ginger tea that's supposed to aid digestion.

Korean street-styled ice-cream cones.

The icing on the cake has to be the spacious play area of the kids that is conveniently located in a sunlit, cozy corner. It as a television playing cartoons, kid-sized furniture and stationery, a slide and other mechanical coin-operated rides that our girls at a kick out of. There was a puclic-holiday crowd but it wasn't too packed, and because we opted for a late lunch many of the guests were already finished with their grilling, so it wasn't too smoky.

Spacious kids play area in full view and just a stone's throw from our table.

Girls having a go at one of the ride-machines.

For information on the restaurant (plus better photographs and more details), please see their website (http://www.jushinjung.com.sg/). Enjoy!

Korea in Winter Day 13: Myeongdong Dog Cafe, BBQ and Bingsu

Time to say goodbye to our travel-buddies... but not so fast. There was still time to squeeze in a visit to the Dog Cafe. Our visit to the Cat Cafe in Gangnam was quite a hit with the kids, and we were eager to visit the canine version after lunch so that we can spend the morning having a late hotel breakfast, and doing some laundry and packing. Mummy had been in Korea for about a month, and our family of four was going to be bringing home quite a number of bags.

Map from pamphlet.

We decided to skip lunch after a late breakfast and look for the Dog Cafe first. Lo and behold, on the street appears the mascot, and he gladly leads us to our destination.

Up the narrow stairway to the fourth floor to the cafe entrance.

The entry fee of 8000won entitles us to a drink each. The staff in charge briefs us regarding the do's and don'ts of handling the dogs.

Each of us ordered drinks such as ice/hot cafe mocha, aloevera soda, iced lemon tea, and hot green tea.

Every visiting group is given a card.

There are overhead cubby holes provided to stow away bags and jackets.

This Golden Retriever lived up to its name, always looking out for cards that were left unattended and taking them back to the cafe counter for a treat.

The kids were apprehensive about interacting with the dogs at first as some of them were quite large. After a while, they warmed up to the smaller dogs.

Something smells good... ... I wonder what she's been stepping on.

Grab a towel and lay it on your lap to invite a dog to snuggle up to you. We had to wake this fella up when it was time for us to leave.

Others just snooze anywhere.

The dogs kept the staff busy cleaning up after them as they seemed to pee whenever and wherever they wished. Some table legs were especially 'lucky' to have dogs watering them frequently. The larger dogs really let go quite a puddle, and the smaller dogs sometimes lay 'mines' that were not easy spotted by the untrained eye. Nevertheless, the staff tried their best to keep the place clean, wiping and sanitizing the floor whenever necessary, which was once every few minutes.

In the centre or the room is a cleaning station complete with all the gear needed when duty calls.

After about two hours, we had to get ready to leave as we had to get something to eat before our friends caught a bus to the airport. We had a barbecue place in mind we scouted out earlier that was just next to the hotel. Yesterday's barbecue was quite a disappointment but there was a chance for redemption today. Like yesterday, we did not have lunch so we were ready for a hearty meal. Our hosts did not disappoint, and in contrast to yesterday's experience, the trump card of the staff today was their friendly, hospitable and sincere service and initiative.

The restaurant on the second floor.

Lots of endorsements on the restaurant exterior, but will it live up to expectations?

We're the first customers for dinner, and the staff are already eagerly waiting to offer us their best service. They immediately ensure that the kids are comfortable and took various initiatives to makes us feel welcomed. Our youngest member even had a cluster of balloons to take home.

We ordered Mummy's favourite pork belly, and a couple more servings this time as based on yesterday's experience, the kids love barbecued pork belly too.

Looks good, but the service was even better. Throughout the meal, a member of their staff waited on the kids and served them individually to ensure that they were eating well. She made sure the meat was not too hot for them and got rid of those with bones for them.

The boss decided to throw in a couple of his signature seafood pancakes as complimentary sides for us to try. It was a hit with both the kids and adults. The boss was delighted that we enjoyed the extras.

We decided to add a serving of pork belly and seasoned beef ribs. The beef is cooked over a charcoal fire instead of a hotplate.

While the second serving is cooking, the staff takes the kids to the live octopus tank.

Seasoned beef ribs over the fire. As this had more gravy, the wait staff was concerned that the juice would splatter and land on the kids so she cooked everything on the adults' table before serving the kids the meat.

When we left the restaurant, we were extremely satisfied with the both the quality of the food and the sincerity of the staff. Even the kids said that they wanted to tip them for their good service. Definitely a recommendation for any of our friends coming this way.

There was still time for some dessert just next door, and we hopped over for some sweet treats for a celebratory ending to our holiday.

Sulbing Cafe.

Plenty of space upstairs with a romantic window view of the bustling Myeongdong below.

Mango Cheese Bingsu. The cheese was really good, and the cups were so deep you really had to dig to get to the ice-cream bottom.

Strawberry Bingsu - check out the large red-bean mochi adorning this creation.

The original Injeolmi Bingsu - Korean Milk Ice Sorbet.

Chocolate Tiramisu Bingsu.

Caramel Coffee Bingsu. Crushed nuts, mocha ice-cream, expresso sauce and crumbled flakes adorn the ice shavings covering caramel sauce and red-bean paste.

We were quite full by now and had to be forgiven for not finishing every bit of it, but it was fun attempting to do so. A time-check and we made our way to grab the luggage and make our way to the airport shuttle pick up point.

Time for some street side shopping while waiting for the bus.

The last bus arrives at 8.20 pm. Good thing we didn't party a little longer.

Till we meet again!

Boy that was fun. Before the bus departed, one of the kids stuck out his head and told us he missed Korea already. That just means we get to start planning for next year tonight right?