Owner: The Daily Kimchi - My Korea Blog on Teaching English in Korea and Seoul URL:http://thedailykimchi.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 10:23:33 -0500 Rating:1 Site Description: This is my blog experience on teaching English in Seoul, South Korea. As a first time teacher in Korea, my experiences will be valuable to future teachers and fresh grads that are considering a career in South Korea. I will also be documenting my travels, Site statistics:Click here
The DMZ tour...part deux: the 3rd tunnel and Dorasan Station 2006-10-22 11:22:00 Part of our tour included a tour to the 3rd tunnel
, one of the many tunnels the dug under the DMZ by North Korea towards South Korea. This little adventure down to the tunnel involved walking down a tunnel that was 300 meters long and at an 11 degree angle (it felt like 45 degrees on the way back up). We had to wear hard hats on the way down and no cameras or bags were allowed (free storage lockers were available).This is a picture of what we experienced once we got to the main tunnel. Gdog had to walk the entire way with his back hunched...I was sweating and my thighs were burning after this little walk:Just across the way from the 3rd tunnel, there was the DMZ museum which was pretty interesting:Here I am outside posing for the camera (that's a popsicle stick in my mouth; it was a pineapple popsicle for those who really care):Around 2:50pm our bus left towards Dorasan Station
. This station will one day have service to Pyongyang. Currently, there are no trains in use so it's just si
The DMZ tour...part one 2006-10-22 10:01:00 Saturday morning was one of the most anticipated mornings of my time in Seoul: I was finally partaking in a tour to the DMZ with the USO. The first thing we did was head to Camp Kim USO at Samgakgi Station (exit 10) at 10:30am. Our bus left around 11:00am and our first stop was for "lunch" at this souvenir shop at Paju City. I didn't buy lunch but I did buy some snacks for the rest of the day. Our second stop was a visit to a quick briefing on the DMZ and an area where we could take a glimpse into North Korea with binoculars.Here are our bus drivers on break...doing the "squat":I was thinking of everyone so I picked you up a souvenir. It's a piece of the original DMZ barbed wire fence:I decided to invite my buddy Bill. He came along on the tour (this is a picture of him from a book on the DMZ):Our first stop after the souvenir shop:During our brief lecture, signs clearly said "NO PICTURES"...I stumbled across this photo taken by someone else *cough*:If you look closely, you can see t
DMZ tour...I made it back in one piece! 2006-10-21 17:41:00 Incredible. That is one word that summarizes my tour to the DMZ with the USO. It was amazing (and very safe). I will be posting a full report detailing my trip (that includes what I ate) tomorrow morning. You will be amazed at the pictures and videos I took. See ya then.
Read more:piece
, one piece
Tour to the DMZ on Saturday... 2006-10-20 03:03:00 This Saturday
I am going on a tour to the DMZ (I first mentioned the DMZ in July) with some friends from work. If you've been reading the newspapers and following the news on TV, you probably think I'm crazy right about now. But the truth is there is no immediate danger with visiting the DMZ (although there is risk involved) according to the organizers of the tour, the United Service Organizations (USO) Korea. This according to other coworkers is the best tour as it is led by US military personnel which makes it very interesting.We will be visiting Panmunjeom (about 53 kilometers/33 miles northwest of Seoul) where the Joint Security Area (JSA) is located along with a walk to the 3rd tunnel. According to Wikipedia, "The third tunnel was discovered on October 17, 1978. Like the previous two, the third tunnel was discovered following a tip off from a North Korean defector. This tunnel is about 1,600 metres long and about 150 metres below ground."There is a dress code required for this a
TV channels free on your computer...I'm watching NBC as we speak! 2006-10-19 19:00:00 Now, coming over to teach English in Korea meant no more live TV for Gdog and Devante. One of the things I miss the most is live NHL hockey and pro sports in general. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with the sports here on TV but I just miss watching sports back home.Well, that has changed recently with the discovery of the TVU Player, a free program that lets you watch "live" TV on your computer--for free! If you're currently in Korea teaching English or anywhere else in the world, you might enjoy this. According to the review from WebTVHub "Channels featured on TVUPlayer currently include CBS, ESPN, NBA TV, ABC, NBC, FOX, Comedy Central, Disney and more, including sports channels
."It might not work for you in your region, but it's been great for Gdog. Check it out!Say hi to Sponge Bob (image courtesy of WebTVHub):
Read more:speak
Some days you just don't want to cook...a visit to the mandu man 2006-10-19 16:56:00 When we first arrived in Seoul...we didn't cook very much. We were just getting comfortable with our surroundings and then slowly we acquired the "tools" to fix meals for lunch and dinner everyday. Given that we work at night and finish at 10pm, that means we can sleep in (sometimes too much) a bit and then enjoy our morning. Both Devante and myself get cracking around 10am and decide on what we want to make for lunch--but like the title of this post says, some days you just don't want to cook!So we decided yesterday to buy our lunch instead. We had a few errands to run near Mokdong Station before work and decided on getting some mandoo (dumplings; how about homemade mandu "chips" by ZenKimchi?) and kimbab (Korean sushi)--quick and easy. The place we went to was called MyungIn Mandoo (since 1976 I might add), near Two Two Fried Chicken (I didn't plan this, honestly!).The price for one order of mandoo (10 dumplings; 5 regular + 5 kimchi), and two tuna kimbab rolls was 7500w (about 8U Read more:visit
Note to self: do not eat Two Two Fried Chicken before bed... 2006-10-18 02:41:00 *Burp*...ZZZzzz.....those were the sounds I was making last night after work, after a spur of the moment trip to Two Two FriedChicken
with a couple friends from work. I have to say, the chicken there is some of the best I've ever had. It arrives piping hot (enough to give you 3rd degree burns) and it's not greasy like your regular fried chicken--it's just so finger lickn' good!This was our second trip to Two Two and it was just as good or better as the first. The owners of the location right by Mokdong Station are very friendly. I saw them eating some fruit/vegetables from a distance and immediately one of the cooks motioned if I wanted to try some. I just nodded and smiled. Next thing you know it, they show up with a plate of slice tomatoes, on the house! Scoooore (I've never been so excited about tomatoes)!As for eating fried chicken late at night before going to bed, I might have to strongly reconsider that for next time (who am I kidding, I'm doing this again!). I think I wo Read more:Fried Chicken
The Canadian Embassy in Seoul: Emergency evacuation plan 2006-10-17 02:47:00 Dr. Nick Riviera voice> Hi everybody!For those that are worried about North Korea and all the "what if..." possibilities out there, I thought I'd post about the services of the CanadianEmbassy
in Seoul
. What can they do for Canadians? Here it is, straight from their website:What we can do for you: We can contact, at your request, your relatives or friends and ask them to send you emergency funds.We can help you during emergencies such as natural disasters or civil and military uprisings.We can direct you to sources of information about local laws, regulations, cultural customs and how to obtain visas.We can assist with medical emergencies.We can replace passports.If you are arrested, we can try to ensure equitable treatment under local laws. At your request, we can inform relatives and friends about your arrest and try to ensure that legal rights and processes are extended to you consistent with the standards of the host country.If you wish, we can notify your next of kin regarding Read more:Emergency
Gangbyeon...checking out Techno Mart 2006-10-17 02:44:00 Last weekend when we went to Gangnam, we also ventured out to Gangbyeon (eastern Seoul), the site of Techno
Mart--a huge electronics market similar to Yongsan. This 10 story building also is a shopping mall with a movie theater, food court and other shops.Techno Mart reminded me of Yongsan--level after level of venders selling digital cameras, computers and accessories, appliances, etc. However, in my search for a Canon EOS Digital Rebel 400D/XTi/Kiss Digital X, I noticed that many digital camera vendors did not have the model in stock and prices were similar to Yongsan. Other floors left me a bit disappointed as well, especially the computer floors. There was a lot of empty retail space as some parts felt like a ghost town!Techno Mart is worth checking
out if you're serious into your electronics and want to compare prices versus Yongsan. It's located right outside Gangbyeon Station, Line 2, Exit 2.When I heard th ename Techno Mart...I just wanted to DANCE!The outside of Techno Mart.
A Twosome Place...a visit inside...with more than two people! 2006-10-15 09:24:00 You may remember from my previous visit
to Cold Stone Creamery in Jongno-gu that I posted a picture of A Twosome Place
. Well, near the end of the week we visited Sinchon, which is one stop after Hongkik University. We went to A Twosome Place for a post-work birthday party celebration with some friends from work. By the time we got there it was pretty late so Gdog refrained from ordering anything (I know, I shocked myself too) but he did end up going to MCDONALDS! That experience was not as good as my normal McD's experiences in Mokdong. However, I have decided to never go there again (unless it's during the lunch special hour, when all combos are 3us).Anyways, check out these tantalizing salads from A Twosome Place. Normally you see food models made with fake ingredients, but I think these salads are the real deal.Caesar salad with about 5-6 leaves...yummy!Herb Chicken Salad...you get what you pay for since it's 3700w (4usd):
Read more:inside
, people
It's a crab's life... 2006-10-15 09:15:00 Taking the subway during rush hour or a busy time can be a daunting task. You have to be aggressive and use a shoe horn to squeeze your way into the subway car. I imagine these crabs feel the same way--look at how they are just crammed into this tank!This is at the king crab place located downstairs. I will be eating here in about one month's time. Mark it on your calendars everybody!PS - I am testing out posting images to either the left or right of text. What do you think?
Homever: the official Carrefour replacement 2006-10-14 10:38:00 You read my previous post about Carrefour
's exit from Korea and subsequent move away from my heart. Carrefour was only 100 meters (0.16 miles) away from my doorstep--yes, that's right, 100 meters! All Carrefour stores will be remodeled to Homever (they even took the Carrefour Korea domain name), which is owned by the Korean clothing company E.Land Corp.So maybe the fire that was passionately burning in my heart towards Carrefour will rekindle and change to Homever. When will we find out? Only time will tell. The store is already under construction and they are working fast. I think the store will expect to open in mid-November.A South Korean hovercraft...hired to take down the Carrefour signage:The windows are covered with Homever posters...can you translate this?Carrefour (oh how I miss thee) in its original glory...Can you spot what's missing?
Read more:replacement
A milestone: 200th post on The Daily Kimchi! 2006-10-08 03:35:00 Wow. This is the 200th post on The DailyKimchi
. Blogging takes dedication and time--I've managed to keep at it and here I am. Anyways, I hope everyone so far has enjoyed our experience of South Korea. We are having a fantastic time here and I think everyone should visit here if they get the chance.Thanks to all my readers and especially those that take the time to leave comments--they are much appreciated. Oh, and by the way, happy belated Chuseok to everyone!Here's a gift we received from our work. Del Monte juice gift sets and scarves! I'll be wearing that beautiful black scarf with butterflies while I'm teaching English. Yikes!But wait, there's more. I have a gift for my readers out there...boxes of Kellogg's "_______ K" cereal with red berries. For some reason, the "Special" was covered on every single box at Costco. What are they trying to hide? That's scary!
Read more:milestone
Buying a cellphone in Korea...plan info 2006-08-17 16:26:00 Get ready for Yongsan, part deux. We were looking at getting a used cellphone
in Korea
since we arrived a month ago. My unlocked triband Nokia 6230i I brought over from Canada is useless here. There are no GSM networks in Korea. They have their own blazing fast CDMA networks that only work with Korean phones. That means there are hundreds of models, new and used.Let's get to the point. We went to Yongsan the same day we visited Seoul Tower and bought a phone!Look at this beauty. It's brand new from Samsung...the SCH-B490:It's a clamshell design where the top part can swivel around 360 degrees:Did I mention there's a built in 3.2 megapixel camera with flash and optical zoom?...along with a gorgeous LCD screen to boot:Oh yeah, let me mention that it always plays LIVE TV! I will post a video next. This phone only cost us a mere 760,000w...just over $800US!!! One more thing...I DID NOT BUY THIS PHONE (I know, that was mean)! hee hee. It belongs to one of my 15 year old STUDENTS! Now he Read more:Buying
The DMZ tour...part four: inside the JSA conference room 2006-10-23 04:06:00 These conference
rooms are where negotiations and talks are held between North and South Korea. The Military Demarcation Line runs underneath this room so technically you can cross over into North Korea! There is a ROK soldier guarding the northern exit. He is given explicit instructions to stop anyone who attempts to go through that door (although some weary tourists have mistakenly/deliberately done so in the past).Here we are inside
the main conference building. The GI instructed the ROK soldier to come over to the main table:Here's another video...do you feel like you're on the actual tour? Wowsers!This concrete slab marks the Military Demarcation Line....separating North and South:This ROK soldier was standing right in the middle of the building. Notice his Tae Kwon Do stance and Ray Ban aviator sunglasses (all meant to intimidate North Korean soldiers):This ROK soldier was guarding the exit into North Korea:Next up, we we took our bus to a SK/US guard post...those white stakes
The DMZ tour...part three: the Joint Security Area 2006-10-23 03:25:00 Good morningggggg world...welcome back! As promised here is the last segment of my tour to the DMZ. This was the moment I was waiting for. The other parts of the tour had taken its toll on my body (mainly that darn 3rd tunnel) but once we entered Camp Bonifas at Panmunjeom I gained my second wind. Camp Bonifas is named after US Army Captain Arthur Bonifas who was killed by North Korean soldiers in the notorious Axe Murder Incident of 1976.We first were led into a quick briefing regarding proper conduct and the geography and history of the area. We also had to sign waiver forms that stated we were heading into an area where the unpredictable could happen and lead to injury or death--cool (not really)!Here we are entering Ballinger Hall for the briefing. I felt like I was getting ready for war. The GI was brief and to the point:Just sign along the dotted line please...and wear this badge so the North Korean guards know that you are not fair game when it comes to target practice:The world Read more:Joint
, part three
Drastic change in weather...shorts aren't a good idea 2006-10-24 04:24:00 Korea has four distinct seasons and so far I've experienced two of them. For the past three months I've been wearing shorts and a short-sleeve collared shirts to work. The hot summer weather
and mild autumn weather permitted me to do this. However, yesterday was a different story.The moment we stepped out of our officetel I felt the brisk chill...and the moment we stepped out of our building it felt like someone had blasted mother nature's air conditioner on high! The air felt fresh but holy smokes was it ever brisk and cold. My students had jackets and some of them had scarves. So yeah, maybe today I will consider wearing PANTS and a long sleeve shirt of some sort. That's my ramble for the day--ta ta!
Read more:Drastic
Red Mango frozen yogurt 2006-08-17 00:29:00 OK...so every time we walk to the Hyundai plaza area by our house we pass by this frozen yogurt
place called Red Mango
. It's always packed inside so I was dying to try it out. Finally, I got the chance!Here's a picture of my $5cdn frozen yogurt (it included 5 toppings)...it was really good...but I don't know if it was worth $5 for a small. This is a prime example of how you will be spending your money like water in Seoul.
Homever signage is now up... 2006-10-25 02:28:00 Carrefour in Korea is now a thing of the past. As I posted earlier, Homever is the name of the new store. The signage
is now up for Homever and the grand opening is on November 9, 2006. Most of the old Carrefour employees now work for Homever.Here's the massive sign at the top of the building. You're looking at the parkade--the shopping area is undergroud:Homever had a tent out front looking for people to sign up for a points card. With each sign up, you get a free grocery tote bag, sporting the Homever logo. What kind of sucker would sign up for this anyway?I'll let you draw your own conclusions...(that's our doorbell/security camera)
Boat cruise at night on the Han River 2006-10-29 12:30:00 On Saturday we celebrated the birthday of our friend Jessica from work. You might remember her previously from her celebrity status on my blog here and here (she's known as "HC"--hardcore). We started off the evening on a night cruise along the Han River
--it was spectacular.The cruise started off at Yeouido Park. We were starving once we got there and what does Gdog & Company see?--a KFC located right at the terminal--great (both good and bad)! After some heavy deliberating on what to do (10 milliseconds) we decided to just "give-er" and bow down to the mighty Colonel.With our hot, delicious and greasy chicken in hand we boarded the ferry minutes before its 6:30pm departure. Once the cruise got started the views of central Seoul were amazing. The ferry went down the river and did a loop. The cruise lasted about an hour and cost us 9900w (10US) each. It was well worth it and I would recommend going at night.Here is the amazing view of Seoul at night from Yeouido Park (notice Seoul Towe
Top 10: TEFL blogs...The Daily Kimchi is recognized! 2006-10-28 07:36:00 TEFLLogue has come up with a list of Top 10 TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) blogs and The DailyKimchi
was recognized at the top of their list. It has been fun writing about my experiences in Korea and it's nice that others have appreciated my blogging. Click here to see the rest of the list. There is a plethora of other fantastic Korea blogs out there and I encourage you to check out the links that I have on my blog.To celebrate this mini achievement, I'm going to have a bowl of......green tea flavored cereal! Thanks Post!
McDonalds...the incredible 2pm till closing deal! 2006-10-27 17:16:00 The McDonalds
near our work in Mokdong has an incredible deal right now. Everyday from 2pm till closing
, you can get one of the following combos for 1000w (1usd):Small drink + hamburgerSmall drink + 3 piece McNuggetsSmall drink + medium friesSmall drink + sundaeLet's get this straight: eating McDonalds will kill you. It will wreak havoc on your arteries--yet at the same time it's delicious! Muahhaha! Anyways, this is what we ordered one day for a "snack" and it only cost us 5000w. What a deal!The funny part was watching the employee pour five drinks...the next time I'm going to get a sundae and throw away the drink. A regular sundae costs 1200w, whereas this deal will save you 200w (20 cents usd! haha)!
Kimchi cutters...yes, I said kimchi cutters! 2006-10-26 15:24:00 Just when you thought you've seen everything, something interesting always pops up. On one of our traditional biweekly trips to Costco, I noticed a rectangular shaped container with a blade inside. I thought to myself, "wow, that's one cool container for rectangular sandwiches"--but, truth be told, when I read closer it was indeed a KIMCHI CUTTER!This handy dandy contraption cuts your spicy and delicious kimchi into perfect bite sized portions--but wait, it also acts as storage too! Right now I can just imagine my boyhood idol, inventor of the almighty Ronco Food Dehydrator and the Showtime Rotisserie Oven, Ron Popeil trying to sell this on a TV infomercial...it probably would go something like this:"If you call now, you can get a second kimchi cutter absolutely free! BUT WAIT...it gets better. We're feeling generous today and if you can convince one friend to buy a kimchi cutter too, we'll throw in another one for FREE. That's right--two kimchi cutters for the price of one. Don'
Visiting Jongno-Gu...and COLD STONE CREAMERY! 2006-08-29 06:16:00 On Sunday night we ventured out with a couple of the new teachers from our school. One of them is from the USA and the other is from Australia (I think he likes Fosters beer, hehe). We took the subway to Jongno-Gu, which is part of downtown Seoul. This place was hoppin' to say the least. We found a nice spot for dinner that had good sized portions at a fair price.Jongno-Gu at night...sooo pretty (did I just say that?)!Five firetrucks zoomed down the street...something was on fire:Curry tonkatsu. It was nice to taste curry (Korean style)!Chicken tonkatsu...a nice change from pork:Now this is where the party started...COLD STONE!!They do the Cold Stone Creamery "cheer" when someone leaves a tip (although tipping is uncommon in Korea):Here's our ice cream. The best part? You guessed it, the waffle!I thought this was funny...it's not for three people, it's A TWOSOME PLACE!These hard working chaps were wheeling beer bottle empties to the curb for recycling (unfortunately they stopped sh
Happy Halloween--safety tip of the day! 2006-10-31 03:24:00 Happy Halloween
everybody! It's October 31st in our part of the world right now. Here's your Halloween tip of the day: when walking on the sidewalks in Seoul, be alert--because you never know when a delivery guy on a moped might run you down, a Korean student late for ______ (fill in the blank) academy on a bike, or have a car hop onto the sidewalk. My previous encounters with street carnage if you remember are here and here.Judging from this picture, who knows what happened but it doesn't look pretty! We saw this on our way home from our late night barbeque. These railings prevent pedestrians from jaywalking I would presume. Any other opinions out there?
Read more:Happy
, Happy Halloween
BBQ at night in Joondong, Bucheon 2006-10-30 02:59:00 Getting off work at 10pm has both pros and cons. You're either too tired to do something extracurricular or if you do decide on something there isn't enough time. Anyways, last night we decided to meet up with one our friends who was working in Joondong, located in Bucheon...meaning we left the vicinity of Seoul (25 minutes west of Mokdong by bus) for late night BBQ
! This was our second time visiting the area. Our first time was here.Near this bbq place in Joondong there is an E-MART (previously a 24 hour Wal-Mart) and a Hyundai Department store. Anyways, the barbeque was well worth it as it was one of the best I've had so far (can you ever have bad barbeque??) Maybe I was just hungry because we had just gotten off work, but I was a happy camper. Devante was happy too!I didn't go trigger happy with the camera (I was too busy stuffing my face full of barbeque beef) but here's one picture for you:After coming home late we proceeded to watch season one of Lost. We're almost done the
Registration with the Canadian Embassy 2006-07-13 19:31:00 So we are pretty close to being ready to depart for South Korea to teach English. One thing on my "To Do" list was to register with the CanadianEmbassy
in Seoul. This is necessary in the event of any emergency requiring the assistance of Canadian authorities. Just a quick refresher, North and South Korea are technically still at war. An armistice agreement was signed that resulted in the 151 mile long Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the world's most heavily defended border today (Side note: only Pierce Brosnan (aka James Bond) can make his way through the DMZ unscathed). "I visit The Daily Kimchi, daily!" - Pierce BrosnanAnyways, with all the media frenzy going on about North Korea and their missile tests, I took the time to read the Emergency Evacuation Plan on the Canadian Embassy's Seoul website. The plan's single objective is "to help you depart from an area of possible danger, i.e. from within the Korean peninsula to points outside, or from a specific area within Korea to another p Read more:Registration
BBQ at night in Joongdong, Bucheon 2006-10-30 02:59:00 Getting off work at 10pm has both pros and cons. You're either too tired to do something extracurricular or if you do decide on something there isn't enough time. Anyways, last night we decided to meet up with one our friends who was working in Joongdong, located in Bucheon...meaning we left the vicinity of Seoul (25 minutes west of Mokdong by bus) for late night BBQ
! This was our second time visiting the area. Our first time was here.Near this bbq place in Joongdong there is an E-MART (previously a 24 hour Wal-Mart) and a Hyundai Department store. Anyways, the barbeque was well worth it as it was one of the best I've had so far (can you ever have bad barbeque??) Maybe I was just hungry because we had just gotten off work, but I was a happy camper. Devante was happy too!I didn't go trigger happy with the camera (I was too busy stuffing my face full of barbeque beef) but here's one picture for you:After coming home late we proceeded to watch season one of Lost. We're almost done t
Top two lunches of the week... 2006-11-01 15:29:00 Our lunches
are determined by two factors:The groceries we have in our refrigerator...andThe time we wake up in the morning!Bearing this in mind, we usually plan what to buy on Sundays. I always ask myself "what do I feel like eating this week?" Well, this time I was craving chicken wings so and a sandwich of some sort. Yours truly came up with garlic n' sweet chili sauce wings and Devante helped create an open faced chicken cheddar melt. I would have to say these two lunches have been the top two of the week!Here I am frying fresh chicken wings from the local grocery store (Homever opens November 9th...so until then we've been going to a grocery store that is located in the same building as the Spongy Seafood buffet)Once the wings were nice and golden, I drained the oil in the pan and poured in a mixture of sweet chili sauce, oyster sauce and two giant cloves of garlic. I let the sauce reduce and voila!Here's the open faced sandwich: strips of broiled chicken breast, button mushroo
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