kimchi land day 2 - samcheongdong, bukchon hanok village & Insadong

samcheongdong is only a leisure 10-15mins walk away from gyeongbokgung palace.

you just need to walk straight along the palace wall and take the right road when the main road branches out into 2 roads.

you will surely recognise samcheongdong for you'll found yourself walking along pretty boulevards dotted with shops/cafes each with their own distinct styles. :D

it was pure joy just strolling in the area getting lost and popping into any shops/cafes that appeal to you.



i super heart samcheongdong. so quaint and pretty!

with the good weather and the boys taking turns to nap in the pram, ah long and i enjoyed our time here.

and of cos, what is an afternoon without tea break!

there are soo many cafes here you will be spoilt for choices.

we had waffles and its crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside - shiok!

it was just about time for us to have an early dinner when we reached towards the end of samcheongdong.

dinner was at the maple tree which was recommended online when i did my research back home.

and i can only say - the rave reviews live up to their words!

we ordered 2 of the recommended meat - unmarinated beef sirloin and marinated boneless beef ribs.

the unmarinated beef sirloin is super juicy and yummy. we were told to dip it slightly in salt and eat it just like that.

and the salt brings out the sweetness of the beef.

we were surprised that the unmarinated sirloin is actually better than the marinated ones.

i tried the cold noodles as well and found it pretty refreshing to go along with the hot grilled meat.

and pineapples on grill are very very good. haha.

the boys ate alot of rice given the tasty meat too.

it was the best dinner for the whole trip for us actually!

the pricing was pretty reasonable too.

i think the meal costs us less than S$100.

after the satisfying dinner, we made our way to bukchon hanok village which is just next to samcheongdong.

bukchon is different from namsangol in the sense that it is occupied and lived in by people now and there are more houses here clustered together forming a very unique neighborhood.

its like taking you back in time when you get lost here.

we found the architecture intriguing.

the area is full of uphill and downhill slopes so plan your path a little with all the handy standing maps on display in this area so you dont ended up walking more up slopes than down.. ha.

the boys not really appreciating the houses but having fun running up and down the slopes. @_@

we finally left the place near 7+pm. it really has been a good few hours spent here in samcheongdong.

i highly recommend anyone who visit seoul to come here for at least half a day to soak in the ambience.

we took a cab from samcheongdong to insadong - it was only a station away but cab is so much faster and cheaper!

Insadong is a neighbourhood that exudes tradition. there are lots of teahouses here and the shops are selling all kind of knick knacks that appeal more to the average tourist.

so meaning nothing much for me..

there is a shopping place here called ssamziegil which design allows people to ascend the different floors without stairs.

see photo to see what i meant.

insadong reminds me abit of taipei 西门町 but minus the shopping...

ssamziegil on the right with walkways of slight gradient to link all the floors without stairs - something different.

we spent an hour or so at insadong before our legs start to cry for mercy.

too much walking during the day! so we settled at starbucks for quick bites again.

we never stop eating huh?

over at insadong, the starbucks here are the only one in seoul with korean words on its signboard instead of "starbucks".

by the time we reached our hotel, hubbi and my legs were turning in jelly..

the boys were not so tired given they can rest by sitting in stroller or carried by us... zzzz.

but day 2 has been well spent.

tomorrow we will be heading to hongdae area and ewha women university street for shopping!

kimchi land day 2 - Gyeongbokgung palace

we must be pretty tired out the day before for we slept in late till 10+am. tsk tsk.

today, we have a pretty packed day so we better be in on our way soon!

taking the subway, gyeongbokgung station is just a few stops away.

we reached in a jiffy and headed off in search of our lunch place.

at the station. station walls mimicking the palace walls..

lunch was at tosokchon which is near the palace. 

we had trouble finding it for awhile and need to queue up before we can get seats BUT it was all worth the effort.

the samgyetang (aka ginseng chicken) is worth all the trouble!

even for someone like hubbi who doesnt really fancy soupy stuff and chicken of all meat cleaned up his bowl..

we love how the rice was inside the chicken - sticky in texture like glutinous rice - and soaking up all the good flavor of the soup! yummeh!

we were horrendous when we saw the queue which saw around 20+ pax in front of us.

but surprisingly the line moved pretty fast and we were in after 10-15mins.

and once we entered the place, we knew why. the place was pretty big hence the faster turnaround of guests.

the place layout was similar to housing of older days where it was divided into different rectangular sections.

we got ourselves a table in 1 of the sections soon and the menu was pretty simple.

either you choose the normal samgyetang or you get the black chicken version.

we opted for the "mainstream" safer option obviously.

after the satisfying lunch, we made our way to the palace.

to the boys, the place was nothing much but space for them to run around.

to the man, the place was as interesting as maybe a Myanmar palace to me....

i guess if you have no interest in the history or culture of a place, the historical sites just dont speak to you. 

to me, i was of cos happy to see the scenes all so familiar to me from korean dramas unfolding in front of me. heheh.

juxtaposition of the modern (skyscrapers) and history (palace)

a view of where the king held sessions with his 臣子 in the past (left and top right)
and a peek at the interior of their "house" (bottom right)

still, much as i found joy reconciling the place from drama scenes to reality, we were all ready to leave after an hour plus here. LOL.

we are ready to move on to the next destination: samcheongdong.

which has to be the loveliest of all places in seoul, no kidding.

even the husband can vouch for that.

more on samcheongdong soon....

kimchi land day 1 ~ N seoul tower

we moved out reluctantly from the comforts of the hotel to the next itinerary stop of our first day in seoul: N seoul tower.

you can reach N seoul tower by car, walking or cable.

and of cos, we opted for the "most fun" way to go there.

again, its only a 10-15mins walk to the cable car station from our hotel - we love our hotel location!

YZ and I aint too fond of the heights but the little son was most excited on board the cable car...

in no time, we reached the other side - Nansam Hill - where the N seoul tower is at.

to my horror, there was another flight of stairs to climb before we can reach the base of the tower... zzz.

still, the place was touristy and interesting enough for most people.

clockwise from top left: finally we see the tower!
the boys taking photo with seoul mascot: haechi

directory on the floor

the stairs to ascend.... @_@

there are plenty of locks (mostly adorned by couples) at the tower, not unlike those at the bridge at munich

there are a few choices of activities to be done here. 

we opted to go to the teddy bear museum (which bored the man seriously to death) and ascend to the observation deck.

the teddy bear museum is really nothing much but i guess interesting enough for the kids.

more for teddy bear lovers i guess.

we had a fun.. umm... 30mins there? 

my fav. bear - oppa gangnam style! LOL.

 the observation deck is really nothing much. nothing compared to taipei 101 and of cos Eiffel tower.

we came down after awhile and settled for dinner at one of the cafes downstairs.

as usual, i try to make every meals in seoul korean-style so i opted for kimchi hotdog.

and it was...zzzz...while the boys had delicious mushroom bacon burgers. :(

i shall seek cold comfort in that this was my only lousy meal for the whole trip.

top: singapore-facing direction at observation deck

bottom: the fries were pretty decent @ the best burger in seoul

we made our way back to myeong-dong around 7+pm and to our surprise, the whole area was bustling with activities. 

all the push carts are out and there were lovely food - cuttlefish, hotteok (korean traditional pancakes) etc - smell in the air. NICE!

we spent some time strolling around and buying some stuff to munch on.

as it was our first day at seoul and all of us didnt have a good rest on board so we were back in hotel by 9+pm for an early night.

the boys were so tired they were snoozing in no time. ha.

off to gyeongbokgung palace and the loveliest of all samcheongdong tomorrow!

*wee*

kimchi land day 1 ~ namsangol hanok village

we are back from kimchi land!
this is our 3rd family trip and i must say we are getting better at handling the boys ourselves.
or perhaps, its just a case of them being older and easier to manage. :D

it has been a tiring but satisfying trip. with lots of walking and eating involved.
i must say im proud of yz being able to keep up with all the walking!
and of cos, im the happiest among the lot! 
being able to eat all the korean food which i love and shop till i drop (almost literally..). 
our next trip will have to wait till end of the year so we were glad that this has been a good trip for us.

we took the night flight last wednesday and both boys fell asleep almost immediately after take-off.
as usual, i only managed to take winks here and there though the flight there was pretty smooth for my standard.
we touched down at incheon airport at around half-past 7am feeling chirpy. 

left: bubble milk tea and strawberry cheesecake @ A Twosome place - coffee place that can be found all over seoul

right: @ incheon airport train station - about to take airport train to seoul station

taking things slow & easy, we settled for a light snack after collecting our luggage. 

there is a cafe - A Twosome place - near the airport train station so we took a quick bite. 

the bubble tea pearls aint as sweet as those like gongcha but the chewy texture is good and the milk tea is *slurp*!

to get to seoul, we opted for the airport train which takes around 45mins to reach seoul station.

the other option will be taxi which takes around the same time but much more expensive.

decided to do the 平民 way for our transit into city for the boys to take train, our luggage being "light" = 1 luggage + 1 stroller and also its much cheaper - ~ $15+ for whole family vs $50+ via cab. ha.

for the transit back from city to airport, it was definitely taxi for us with all the "extra" luggage. hehe.

lotteria is surprisingly delicious. 

can you spot the sleeping child in the background?

we reached seoul main station and of cos we had to change the subway to get to our hotel.

YR has fell asleep again by now given the 6 hours sleep time on flight is not enough for him.

and by now, the husband started to think that not taking taxi seems to be a bad idea. wahahaha.

but there is always silver lining if you bother to look hard enough.

to take a "break" before continuing our journey, we settled at lotteria for another quick bite. :P

lotteria is pretty similar to macdonalds. i find their buns pretty soft and burgers yummier.

but maybe, its just the taste buds reacting favorably to new stuff. *nom nom*

luckily our stop myeong dong is only 2 stops away so we reached in 10mins time!

and our hotel - Nine Tree - is right next to the station exit and in the heart of myeong dong!

it was a superb choice - location wise!

and of cos it was not time to check-in yet, so we deposited our luggage and moved out for our first itinerary stop : Namsangol hanok village!

pancake break @ Cafe Need

but of cos, us being us, we were lured by a cafe with nice interior decor on our way (namsangol is around 15mins walking distance from our hotel).

we decided to take 10 for another tea break - pancake!

finally, we reached namsangol shortly.

this hanok village gives a good overview of the houses of different classes in the olden times.

as usual, hubbi was not very impressed with the place and the older boy took his turn to nap during this time...

so YR and me spent more of the time exploring the place by ourselves. haha.

the little one acting like he enjoyed himself too..

after namsangol, time to go for a late lunch before checking into our hotel at 2pm.

there were many eating houses which serves grilled meat on the street just behind our hotel.

were spoilt for choices before settling on a place which look decent enough.

YR very happy with the pork belly apparantly.

we ordered pork belly, beef bulgogi & kimchi stew (im the only one eating this as none of them can take spicy food...zzz).

the beef bulgogi stew was very delicious with the enoki mushroom and 冬粉 soaking up the goodness of the beef and super yummy on their own!

we finally checked in at 2+pm. it was good to be able to take a hot shower finally!

the room was spacious enough for us - really not too bad for its location and price...

we lazed around in the room for an hour plus before deciding to move our ass to the next stop:

N seoul tower!

to be continued....

weekend = R&R

this weekend has been an exciting one for the husband.
he has finally made his first step of getting something he has wanted for quite some time.
tsk tsk.

as for myself, i got myself a super cute pair of flats from rad russel - comfy shoes at very reasonable price. :)

and in view of my expanding muffin top, i've started running (actually i only ran twice so far... ) on treadmill - something ive always look down on others with despise.
sigh. 

but im quite impressed with myself (doesnt take alot).
by my second run, i actually clocked in 4.3km in 30mins.
so my stamina is not as bad as i thought...

ok, some outfits for last week:

left: printed dress from dorothy perkins - i had this dress for 4 years i think!!

right: top and skirt from gg5

gearing up for work & GSS

*hoot* been a crazy week so far.

month-end closing is here again (seems to be closing on me faster and faster each month - gulp).

not too bad not too good. could have been better, could have been worse.

just glad that monday is over and timing back on track from tuesday again.

but next week is gonna be a crazy week.

gotta clear 1000001 tasks on hand before i can 安心 go on my trip... tsk.

good thing is GSS is here!! though i told myself not to buy stuff until im back from my trip..

i guess some things just cant wait.

pants and tops from GG5.

romper and cardigan from zara.

so far so good. :D

some of my outfits from last last week i think:

left: dress from zara

right: long dress from selfridge

it has been tooooo long...

since my last date with the husband!

both of us took leave today for YZ's parent-teacher session in the morning.
so we decided to spend time together without the kids for the rest of the day. :D

morning session with the teacher was pretty informative.
am glad to hear that yz is interacting well with his classmates and participates actively during lesson time too.
academically wise, he is also doing well. no major concerns.
the only "feedback" is he is "full of energy" and cant sit still at times during lessons.. @_@

after the session, dropped the boys off respectively at childcare and my mum's.
then, we were good to start our day! :))

lunch was at saveur at far east plaza which serves really value-for money french food as highly recommended by colleagues.
both of us feel that it was pretty good! we had foie gras for starters, sea bass for me and beef tenderloin for hubbi and desserts. 
all these came up to around $70 which was pretty  decent for french food! 

after lunch, we went to catch IMAX 3D at shaw for the first time.
the screen was smaller than we thought and i think 3D is really not for me.
i still prefer the traditional 2D  - resistant to change me... LOL.

the movie - Star Trek Into darkness - was good though!
i watched it almost entirely just because of benedict  cumberbatch!
if you have watched sherlock you cant help but fall for the charms of this brit!
and he delivered a strong performance living up to my expectations. 
he has one of the most charismatic voice! (up there with daniel day lewis!)
this one is much better than the first star trek movie. the plot, though predictable, is solid and plod along at a rather fast pace which makes the 2 hrs+ show feels shorter.

since lunch and movie was both decided by me, we let the husband choose the last activity for the day before fetching the boys.
and unsurprisingly, he picked test-driving of cars.... @_@
oh well, i can only hold off this for so long so far.
it was not that bad, especially i got to test drive too! *weeee*

the only bad thing is after the test-driving, the husband is back to the dilemma if we should change car..
zzzz. let the man lose sleep over it.
im too cool for this.

counting down: 2 more weeks to our family trip!
i cant wait!

sentosa staycation - part 3

all good things have to come to an end.

for our last day here, we lazed in bed until almost 10+am before we managed to drag ourselves out to get  brunch at coffee bean...

as our package allows us to have late check-out, we lazed the afternoon away in the room. :P

the boys have some water time fun in the bathtub..

i guess we were all starting to miss home so we decided to check out earlier. ha.

fooling around while waiting for papa to check out.

enjoying movenpick ice cream!

waiting for the valet to get our car..

it was a really wonderful long weekend spent with the family. :)

and of cos, we have the photos to keep!

as usual, the husband was 千万个不愿意before he relented to me buying these photos. :P

haha.

sentosa staycation - part 2

for saturday, we stayed on the island the whole day and sentosa really has so much to offer!

we only went to selected attractions and the hot weather and all already drained us lots.... zzzz

photo-taking at merlion area since our hotel is just opposite it!

the weather was still nice and cool in the morning but turned horrendously hot in few hours time.... 

playmobil fans alert: storytelling with playmobil will be here for mth of jun!

next to images of singapore..

the boys have fun posing with some of their fav. characters.

we have the knight and pirate at home. :D

after brekkie @ starbucks, we went butterfly park!

it was almost 8 years back when hubbi and i last went (we were still dating then..) lol.

first time for the boys and to my surprise, yz was more uneasy with the butterflies around us than yr.

they have some other animals/insects there where the boys can take a closer look.

scorpios, beetles, stick/leaf insects, iguana, monitor lizards etc.

not too bad for a small attraction.

yz was brave enough to touch an iguna! 

YZ touched it a few times while didi only managed once before running away saying it will bite him. ha.

the butterflies was pretty big, most are around 3/4 of my palm size!
and the elder son surprised us by telling us how to differentiate between butterflies and moths.
when at stationery, if the wings are closed up, then that's a butterfly.
if the wings are fanned out, that's a moth.
pretty cool kindergarten knowledge for us. LOL.

we went for late lunch around beach station area.
there were a booth set up where you can take photo with python for a small fee. 
ooh... how to pass up the chance with my fav. animal!!
the boys were a little apprehensive initially but they warm up to having the snake around them probably due to mummy's enthusiasm. ha.

only my smile is heartfelf and genuine. ha!

and like tired old foggies, we popped back to our hotel for a quick nap...

i think nowadays, i can only survive the day by sitting in the air-conditioned office typing away.

anything else, i need my nap....

the ng family moved out again to the..... merlion!

nothing fantastic about merlion - just the view aint too bad and the boys enjoy peering out of its mouth and seeing the view on its head

we spent the rest of the evening strolling slowly to beach station. 

taking the beach tram for a short tour along palawan beach...

by the time our tummies growl it was near to 8pm! gosh, where did the time go?!

there were tons of people everywhere so we decided to settle dinner at our hotel restaurant - table scape @ movenpick.

it was surprisingly a good choice.

i had the best cod fish of my life though the lamb rack and risotto for the husband and boys were nothing to rave about too much.

*yum yum* 

super juicy cod fish with barley risotto. *slurp*

our desserts - apple tart was good too!

we went 7-11 after the late dinner to get some supper stash.

after the boy K.O.ed at 10+pm, the night was spent munching on junk food while watching HBO - the usual activity with hubbi when it comes to hotel stays... :P

sentosa staycation - part 1

i did it! i survived 4D4N without the husband and taking care of the kids alone during the week!

though i fell sick and lost my voice along the way... @_@

luckily, i managed to recover almost fully in time for our staycation this weekend. yay!

dear hubbi is most nice to treat us to this lovely 3D2N staycation! *wee*

letting me to plan the accomodation and coming up with the itinerary. :D

he pays, i plan = IDEAL! hehe.

getting ready to move out to sentosa!

the boys are excited!

first stop: to SEA aquarium! 

it was our first time there and i think we chose the wrong day to go.... :(

vesak day is really no joke. though we reached early at 10am, it still took us almost 1.5hr just to get in.

it could have been worse i guess.

by the time we came out around 2+pm, the crowd outside was 2x when we first reached! *gulp*

the aquarium is not too bad though it falls a little short to my expectations.
especially the dolphins were really nothing much.
but the main aquarium is pretty cool with the giant stingrays.
the boys had just visited the oceanarium at BKK so they can still identified the lion fish, jellyfish, stingray, clownfish etc. 

time to check into our hotel: Movenpick heritage hotel!
we chose this hotel mainly due to its proximity to the monorail station but it is a pleasant surprise still.
i like the little touches like james heeley toiletries, nespresso, TWG teabags etc.
the mattresses are one of the better ones i slept in hotels too.

we heart the big toilet!

we took a well-deserved nap (the hectic morning is really draining) in the late afternoon.

when we woke up, its time to head out to vivo for dinner and fast & furious 6!

i must raved about the show here!

its the best installment out of the series. though plot-wise, it's still f&f no doubt.

but taking into account all aspects, f&f6 is the best!

the action sequences are totally awesome.

i seriously dont mind catching it one more time.

if you happen to watch it, wait till the credits finish rolling. someone new is gonna join the series!

and im most looking forward to him in f&f7!

ok, ending the post with a collage of the husband and me...
been sometimes since i made him took 自拍大头照 with me.
though him being him, there must be some photos of him with half-closed eyes.. zzzz

busy week ahead but im looking forward!

went to do my nails (after a month plus break for my nails to take a breather) yesterday and i chose cheery neon colors this time round!

perks up my mood instantly! :)

its orange for the toe nails! :D

coming week will be busy for me - gotta be superwoman but i can do it.

and awaits me at the end of the busy week is our staycation! *wee*

a short getaway (albeit a local staycation) is good for us anytime!

dinner @ raffles place out of the pan.

i ironed like 20+ pieces of clothings accumulated over the past 1-2 months this afternoon.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

i think i should stop buying clothes for awhile, there are so many pieces which i realised ive only worn a few times.

though new pieces are not alot like last time - now only 2 tops + 3 dresses in my wardrobe..

and shoes!!! no more!!! i dun want to cross the 50 figure....

hubbi has been nagging me to throw out some pairs but i really cant find any - most are really in good shape.... :(

ok, time to save up for the next trip in jun.

though the shopping time should be limited with the 2 boys and husband in tow but i shan't underestimate myself either. *hiaks*

good food + company = great boost for the weekday!

met up with gb & jt for dinner yesterday.

as usual, cant decide on a venue between us and so i decided to just go ahead and make reservation at kko kko nara since ive cravings for the yummeh chicken wings! :P

i know gb since sec days and we are part of our group of sec mates.

i know jt since uni days and we are part of our group of uni mates.

they know each other since their first job at PWC and they are part of their own group of PWC peeps.

and then somehow we started meeting for dinners in this combination. ha.

anyway, it was a good evening of chatting on anything under the sun/moon!

yes, i think our friendship 又升华了.

it means too many bean spilled and we really have to remain fast friends forever! *gulp* LOL.

over-ordered as usual:

we ordered kim chi stew, 8pc chicken wings, spicy chicken (half chicken portion!), pork & cuttlefish dish. *burp*