Korea Budget Travel Tip: Street Food

Food in South Korea particularly in Seoul can be expensive if you do not know where to eat. An average meal in an inexpensive restaurant would cost around 5 USD, while meal for 2 in a mid-range restaurant will cost you an average of 35 USD. 

IF you want to save money on food, cheaper alternatives can be found in supermarkets and convenient stores. You can buy instant noodles, and other microwavable food. But for me, I prefer street foods. With street foods, you get to taste something that is Korean, yet you do not spend that much.

Street food stalls are ubiquitous in Korea. Some are permanent, while some can only be found at night. One of the famous places in Korea for street food is Myeondong. It is one of Seoul's main shopping districts and popular area for young people and tourists. 

I do not know the names of these street foods, but you should bear in mind that if it is colored RED it is usually SPICY.

Tteojbokki or rice cake. Very spicy though. One order would cost you less than 3USD

Street foods are one of the tourists attractions in Myeondong area.

Odeong, my favorite street food.  One stick would cost you less than 1USD. The soup is super perfect for cold  the cold weather. Main ingredients are boiled eggs and fish

i forgot the name of this food. hahaha

One of the stalls in myeondong area. Probably this is a non permanent type. You cannot find it at daytime 

Odeing a must try..and of course do not forget to try the soup, and you can ask for more (soup) if you like

Seoul Fashion Week FW '12: Paparazzi Mode

My recent trip to South Korea coincided with the Seoul Fashion Week F/W Collection. However, when I went to the venue all tickets were already sold out. Instead of feeling bad not being able to watch any of the shows, I took this opportunity to take photos of random people. 

At first, I was a bit apprehensive to take photos of strangers. However, after a few shots, I realized people actually do not care if you take their pictures. I guess fashion events give photographers the "right" to take photos of strangers without them getting angry, and I have this feeling that they even like it. Hahaha 

This girl was being interviewed by the press. Good thing I have my zoom lens with me.

male models on break

I real stand out. I think he is also one of the models

Back view

so candid.

here outfit is more of Fall season

I love the bag. hahaha

 I also like this, so wearable in the Philippines

Oh look at the hairstyle. She's so cool

This one is very spring

back view

Relieve Stress Through Public Bath (Jimjilbang-Onsen)

The last two weeks of school is so stressful. We have exams every other day plus deadlines for a lot of stuff. For two days straight I only had 4 hours of sleep. I know that I do not have the right to complain because as a medical student sleep is considered a luxury.

 If I were still in Korea, I would have probably visited a jimjilbang before heading home to relieve my stress. Jimjilbang is public bath complete with amenities like hot tubs, sauna, shower, exercise room, ice room, heated salt room, computer room, sleeping room,etc. In short, facilities which will surely help you relax.

 But if you are from a place where getting naked in public is not a norm, then you would have a hard time in your first visit. But you don't have to worry because after a while you will get used to it. LOL! There's a separate tub area for male and female, but the sleeping area is both for males and females.

View from Vesta Sauna in Busan South Korea

You need to deposit your shoes before you go to the bathing area

The reception.  You hand in the key for your shoes, pay, and they will give you a set of clothes.

This is the freezing room.  Perfect way to cool down after a hot tub experience

Blue shirt and shorts for males, and pink for the females

Massage chair

With my fellow exchange students

So cold inside

The HOT room.. around 50 degrees inside

the common sleeping area

This photo was taken in an Onsen in Japan. 

The hot tub. Onsen in Japan. The water is therapeutic.

My Pampered Dorm Life in Korea

I stayed in South Korea for about a year as an exchange and my stay there became very comfortable and enjoyable because of the school's dormitory. But before I go into that I would like to give a little information about my school.

The name of my university is Silla University, and it has sister relationship with about 67 schools from 15 countries. Every year there about 700 foreign students from all over the globe enrolled in Silla University. In the Philippines, Silla has sister relationship with  the University of the Philippines Diliman and Visayas, St. Lasalle University, University of Sto. Tomas, and University of Cebu. So in one class you actually get to see a mixture of different races. Silla  offers Masteral and Phd degrees, but in my case I did not take any subject related to my course (B.S. Public Health). My subjects were: Korean Women Studies, Korean Movies, Politics, Language, and Dance. In short, it was all about Korea.

My school is located on top of the mountain, like most schools in Korea. The place is surrounded with many trees, streams, and you get to see animal creatures which are non existent in tropical countries like the Philippines. You  smell fresh air everyday, and the whole place is conducive for learning. Silla was also awarded as one of the most beautiful schools in Korea. J

Late spring. This is the Engineering building.  

Late autumn. these are the cherry blossom trees shedding their leaves. 

Flowers about the bloom. Early spring. 

Baekyang Dormitoy. I stayed here for one year.

The newest dormitory. 

View of my school from  the CAS building

The Hwarang Building. During my free time I would usually stay here.

Winter time!

Hodgepodge of races in once class. From left to right. 3 Chinese girls, Polish, Japanese, and Jamaican

My Home in Korea

Baekyang Saeng Hual Gwan or the dormitory was my home in Korea. I love this place because it has all the facilities that you need. The place is so secure. You cannot enter this place if you do not have the card exclusive for the dormers. They can also monitor if it's you  or not because your profile appears on the monitor of the security personnel every time you use the card. Each room is also equip with a lock which uses a combination of numbers. In case of emergency each room also has a local telephone. 

Facilities inside the dormitory:

Laundry Room

Gym complete with all the equipment (my favorite)

Computer room

Photocopy area

Conference Room

Basketball court

Table tennis Room

Study area

Convenient store

Vending machines

Dining area

The main entrance of the dormitory. Picture taken during the open house

The dining area

This dormitory has 10 Floors... The elevator on the left is for floors with even numbers only and on the right if for the odd numbers only.

The hallway

Each floor has its own common area where one can watch TV. It is also a common practice among the dormers to order food outside and have it delivered. You are not allowed to drink alcoholic beverage in the dorm, but you can if you do it in private (do it inside your room and not in the common area)

My friends visiting my room during the open house

The room of my friend

At the dining area. 

Each room has a unique 4-6 digit combination.

View of the lock from the inside

This is my favorite area.. The gym room. We have 6 Treadmills! 

Complete gym equipment

The dumbbells

If you are lazy you can just stand here and use this machine.

There are two types of room in this dormitory. The 2 dormers per room and with own bathroom and the 4 in one and no bathroom inside the room.

To save space, the dorm uses double deck, the lower portion serves as your desk while the top area is where you sleep.

This is the study area inside the library. 

If you get hungry in the middle of the night, no need to worry because there are vending machines inside the dorm. You can buy a lot of food from milk, coffee, chocolates, etc. Maxwell house is my favorite..the best coffee ever.

The university map... the one at the 11'o clock position is the location of my dormitory.

Staying in the dormitory made my life so easier in Korea because everything that I needed was already there. But the best part of living in the dormitory is you get to meet people from different places. You  to learn and appreciate their culture. The important things that I learned about Korea was not because of the subjects of the that I took, but because of first hand experience and stories from my Korean roommates.


MY KOREAN ROOMMATES

 My Japanese Roommate