Saturday, July 20, 2013

Taiwan, my jungle

 Elephant Mountain. The perfect sunset spot in Taipei.



Night view from Yangmingshan.



Taiwan, Taiwan, Taiwan. The country I've been back to countless times yet I still find myself loving new things about it each time. The six weeks I spent in Taiwan during my summer (Taiwan's winter) on a language and culture study program was truly an eye-opening and unforgettable experience. The people I met, the sights I saw, the food I ate, left me amazed at the beauty and intricacy of God's creation.

And here I am to share my experiences with you.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Seoul











A mixture of contemporary art, cute cafes, streets of shopping and beautiful scenery. Seoul is my kind of city.

This post is quite delayed, seeing as I went to Seoul at the beginning of December last year. It was the first time I saw snow in a city (I've been to the Snowy Mountains in Australia, but that just doesn't compare with it actually full on snowing while going around shopping and city exploring). To the state the obvious, it was incredibly cold. I packed on as many layers as possible (thank goodness for Uniqlo Heatech). The wind blew around the snow, leaving any exposed area of skin freezing cold. With heaters blasting indoors, going in and out of shops was quite a hassle where layers of clothing had to be constantly taken on and then off.

Nonetheless, my five days in Seoul were still enjoyable. The snow was definitely quite beautiful and exciting to see in real life. It was a short trip, which involved visiting tourist sites such as Gyeongbok Palace, shopping, and going to as many cafes as possibles.

Myeondong was so good for shopping. Streets and streets of massive stores. I started around 6pm and stayed until all the shops closed at around 11pm. However, I was slightly disappointed by shopping in Seoul. I was expecting a shopper's paradise but compared to Taipei, the shopping experience is around the same (and Korean clothes aren't any cheaper in Korea).

Korean cafes are so good. I love their emphasis on interior design and decor. Even the coffee art! Although my coffee was only warm, not hot, when I received it, the coffee art definitely made up for it. However, beware - coffee can be quite pricey. Expect to pay about $5-7 for a cup of coffee.

Samcheondong was probably my most favourite area that I visited. Lots of boutique stores, cafes and contemporary art galleries. If you know me, you would understand that this is perfect for me. It was fun exploring the old style streets decorated with wall art/graffiti. I definitely recommend this place.

I definitely didn't get to see and do everything that I would have liked on my short tour with my mum. Things to do for my next trip to Korea:

  • Go shopping at Dongdaemun during the middle of the night (apparently there's a market that opens at around midnight)
  • Experience Korean nightlife (I definitely didn't want to go to a bar/club with my mum)
  • Travel around to the towns and Jeju Island!
PS: This is the cafe in the photos - http://www.5cijung.com/