再见2014年！

Goodbye 2014!

Happy New Year!

I have spent most of the Christmas holidays resting and reflecting on 2014. I enjoyed many things about last year. High on my list of happy memories has to be meeting my sister in Taipei, Taiwan and welcoming my parents to Beijing. I also travelled to old and new places and attended a special wedding ceremony.

Taipei, March 2014

Mutianyu Great Wall, June 2014

December was a whirlwind of a month with end of term festivities and an increased workload. I did however, have a weekend trip to Seoul in order to celebrate my friend Kate’s 30^th birthday. It was great to be back and although it was a short visit, getting away from Beijing and seeing some familiar sights in Seoul reminded me of the adventures I had during my summer holiday. We had a walk around the city, munched on mandu (Korean dumplings) visited the N Seoul Tower, ate Korean barbecue and enjoyed the nightlife in a few bars.

Feeling scared in a cable car

Before leaving, we stumbled across a cake shop and I couldn’t contain my excitement when spying lemon meringue pies. It had been an incredibly long time since I devoured a lemon meringue pie. In pie years, I feel that probably 16 had passed since my sweet tooth was coated in the sweet, tangy gloop that only a lemon meringue pie can truly provide. I merrily took the pie (safely in a bag) back to the hotel where our taxi awaited.

Once we collected our luggage, we bundled our belongings into the taxi and were amazed/astonished/slightly scared to see that the interior of the taxi was plastered with images of our taxi driver and many of his previous customers. His entire taxi was festooned with tinsel, photographs and flashing lights. 

As I gathered my bearings and took in the surroundings, the taxi driver then declared, “I am a magician”. This is not something you would expect or even hope for on a journey to the airport. Reacting to this statement, I turned my gaze towards him, only to find that he had magically produced a winged beast out of thin air.

I wanted to pinch myself, but my massive duck-down coat prevented me from reaching any skin. Was it a real bird? The yellow monstrosity appeared to read my mind and hopped around the taxi driver’s fingers and eventually on to a little perch in order to prove there was a real-life bird inside our taxi.

“Does it poo in here?” I asked in bewilderment. I don’t know why this was the first thing to come out of my mouth, but I was carrying a precious lemon meringue pie and did not want it coming to any danger. My fears of being at the receiving end of a canary poop-attack were not allayed as the taxi driver merely laughed when I repeated my question.

Kate wanted to touch the bird, which in turn caused it to flutter its wings. I was rather worried this could encourage bowel movements and noticing my uneasy expression, the taxi driver used his magic in order for the bird to disappear (he placed it into the little bird bag he stashed by his side).

The taxi driver then proudly let me leaf through two photo albums and showed a video on his mobile phone of his appearance on Korean television. It seemed his main trick is transforming string into edible noodles. He also prided himself on the fact that during his magic show, he would become a Chinese, Japanese and American magician with a swift change of costume and using his rather impressive language skills. 

Truthfully, I was quite relieved he was focusing his concentration on driving while he let us watch his 20-minute video. The hour drive to the airport was a hilarious 60 minutes of constant laughing (except for Kate who was fast asleep - possibly due to the sensory overload). When we got out of the taxi, the driver asked to have his photograph with us. I can only hope that our faces now adorn his glove compartment by now. It was the perfect end to our weekend getaway.

However, behind the smiles in this photograph, there is a sad ending to this story. Somewhere during the journey to the airport, the lemon meringue pie got squashed in transit. From this harrowing experience I have learned that you can have your cake and eat it; as long as you eat it instantly.

New Year Goals

I don’t really want to create any New Year resolutions; promises which I am likely to forget or neglect and consequently feel bad about failing. Instead, I have decided to compile a “To-Do” list of things I want to achieve this year. That way, I will have some goals to work towards and if I don’t do them in 2015, I can aim to accomplish them in 2016!

• Visit more places in Beijing. If visiting the China National Watermelon Museum last year taught me anything, it was that there are so many interesting places that I have yet to see in this gargantuan city. It is fun, sometimes educational and definitely makes long school terms more bearable! I sincerely hope that I will have visited the Summer Palace and The Peking Man Museum by the time I am counting down the seconds to 2016.

• Visit more places outside of Beijing. In 2014, I was lucky to visit Taiwan, South Korea, Shanghai, Suzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu and Hanoi. The flights to these destinations were not too long and showed me that I can easily escape the smogfest of Beijing and have adventures in new places whilst giving my lungs a well-earned break.

• Try new food. Not only dishes but even the snacks that can be found on the side of the street and at markets. 2014 was my first time to taste scorpion and seahorse. I feel that there is a whole menu of weird and semi-digestible treats to experience.

• Eat more fruit. Nobody’s got time for scurvy.

• Improve my Chinese language level. My current Chinese skills allow me to have a fairly comfortable life in Beijing but I want to build on speaking, reading, and listening. I will try to acquire HSK vocabulary lists and prepare for a test this year or next year. I reckon I will improve if I set myself these targets. For now, I will continue to write Chinese electronically, which is a great deal easier than attempting handwritten characters. I may take up Chinese calligraphy during retirement…haha.

Cho phép tôi chúc mừng bạn nhân dịp năm mới đến và xin gửi đến bạn những lời chúc tốt đẹp: Dồi dào sức khỏe và thịnh vượng.

Goodbye Seoul

After a week in Seoul, it is time to move on to Shanghai. I would love to visit again and explore other parts of South Korea.

Towards the end of my stay here, I decided to visit Gyeongbokgung Palace. The grounds of the palace were stunning and it took me a while to realise the guards were not mannequins but in fact, actual people.

I have already been reminiscing about the amazing food I have experienced. On my first night here, I shared bulgogi with Pil and his girlfriend, Ji Eun. Bulgogi is a grilled marinated beef dish.

Pil also took me to a restaurant which served traditional bibimbap. Bibimbap is a mixed rice dish with a spicy sauce, egg, vegetables and sometimes meat.

Whenever I have to pack and prepare for a journey, I can't stop the feeling that I've forgotten something very important. What better way to calm my nerves than with a super tasty noodle dish?! Jajangmyeon was a great last meal in Seoul. Add black bean sauce to noodles and you're definitely on to a winner in my book.

Things I have learned in Seoul:

1. Fried chicken and beer (chimek) should be a global phenomenon.

2. More places should have a beautifully designed river in the city centre.

3. Coffee shops are everywhere in Seoul. EVERYWHERE. The words 'coffee' and 'waffle' can probably be seen countless times on every single street.
4. I love that Korean meals always come with a free selection of side dishes.

5. My hotel kindly offered words of wisdom. The toilet in my room had an interesting message on the wall (where better to inspire happiness and encourage smiling?).

Hôm nay tôi sẽ bay tới Thượng Hải. Tôi đã có một thời gian tuyệt vời ở Seoul. Có nhiều thứ thú vị để làm ở Seoul. Đi lại bằng xe điện ngầm thì tiện nhất ở thành phố này.

Tôi thích các món ăn Hàn Quốc. Tôi đã ăn bibimbap. Bibimbap là cơm trộn. Cũng ăn pulkogi và jajangmyeon. Tôi ăn nhiều quá, no nê đến cành hông!

Hẹn gặp lại Seoul!

Nice view and patbingsoo

For me, few things can beat the euphoric feeling of finding a password-free wifi connection (correctly guessing a wifi password being an exception).

I have been impressed with the amount of free wifi coverage available in Seoul. It has made planning trips and looking for directions very easy. Which conveniently, keeps my "I'm Lost Tally" to a minimum. (Currently it is at 0.5 - had a a mild panic attack and a little wobble when walking around the city, but as it turned out, retracing my steps was a fantastic strategy on this occasion).

Apart from using free internet on the go, a close second on my 'feel good factor list' has to be climbing Namsan mountain and ascending Seoul Tower. People have taken to leaving padlocks with messages of love around one of Seoul's most iconic landmarks. The views were spectacular even before entering the tower.

N Seoul Tower

The ride in the lift plays a little movie on a ceiling screen which gives the feeling that you are blasting off into space.

Inside the viewing platform, the windows displayed the distances to many cities around the world. So I quickly knew exactly how far away I was from home(s) and pretty much anywhere!

I have also been advised to return to the tower in the evening for a different yet equally impressive view.

Another experience which releases my happy endorphins has to be the enjoyment of patbingsoo. Particularly in temperatures of 30 degrees or more. This frozen delight can have many ingredients.

Patbingsu (before getting demolished by a greedy Welshman)

Traditionally patbingsu is red beans with crushed ice. The kind I had also included ice cream, rice cake and banana. A perfect way to cool down. I have to say, it is not too dissimilar from chè in Vietnam and just as delicious.

Ở Seoul, tôi rất thích để truy cập Internet không dây miễn phí.

Tôi đã đi đến N Seoul Tower. Nó là biểu tượng của Seoul. Toàn bộ phong cảnh có thể nhìn thấy rõ từ trên tháp. Quang cảnh thành phố thật không thể tin được.

Tôi đã ăn Patbingsu. Patbingsu có nhiều thành phần. Patbingsu của tôi có đậu đỏ, đá đập nhỏ, kem, chuối và bánh tteok. Nó giống với chè.

Pyeongchang

I have just got back from spending 24 hours in the countryside, in an area called Pyeongchang. Compared with Beijing, Seoul hasn't felt overcrowded, but it was still nice to leave the city for a short break.

Pyeongchang will host the Winter Olympics in 2018. I stayed in a calm and peaceful area and was made to feel very welcome by Pil and his parents. Surrounded by mountains, fields and valleys was a huge contrast to city buildings and structures.

Pil's parents were amazing hosts. I was lucky enough to sample Korean noodles and a tasty Korean barbecue which I greedily gorged on! (Thank you Pil's Mum for showing me the correct way to eat the BBQ!)

A further perk of this trip was spending time with Namsan (the dog resembling a bear) and the Korean cousin of a famous toilet paper puppy.

2 con chó dễ thương không?

Hôm qua tôi đã đến Pyeongchang. Đó là đồng quê. Pyeongchang sẽ tổ chức Thế vận hội Mùa đông 2018. Tôi yêu bầu không khí hòa bình và cảnh quan đẹp.

Bố mẹ Pil là chủ nhà rất mến khách. Chúng tôi rất thích bữa tiệc thịt nướng ngoài trời.

Mẹ pil cũng làm mì Hàn Quốc. Không ngon vì quá ngon!

Riddukulously Delicious Ddukbokki

I spent a wonderful day at the World Cup Stadium Park area, in particular Haneul Park, also known as Sky Park, due to being situated on a hill top and therefore closest to the sky. Although wearing sun screen, being close to the sky resulted in me getting roasted by the sun. Luckily I was rewarded with some great views of Seoul.

Bit of a climb, but great views of Seoul.

After cooking myself and returning to the hotel, I arranged to go to a night market with Pil.

One ddukbokki restaurant caught my eye. Ddukbokki is a soft and chewy rice cake in spicy sauce. Mum and Dad - you tried some when we went to Wangfujing market.

Crazy Ddukworld, so named for their ridiculously spicy meals, boasts an impressive range of ddukbokki dishes. As I now resembled a red lobster, it seemed only fitting to try the ddukbokki with seafood.

Thankfully you can choose the spice rating of your meal. I don't mean to brag, but I feel that my spice tolerance is pretty high. However, in the end, I wimped out and went for the least spicy option...and thank goodness! Even this option resulted in a runny nose and welcome gulps of a cold drink.

The ddukbokki we chose came with noodles, egg, squid, mussels, crab and there were pieces of cheese too.

I hope that was not my last ddukbokki feast before I leave Seoul!

Tokbokki điên

Hai ngày trước tôi đã đi đến công viên, có nhiều cảnh đẹp nổi tiếng nhưng mà tôi bị cháy nắng.

Sau đó, tôi đã ăn tokbokki...ngon và cay. Tôi rất thích tokbokki hải sản~

Chicken and beer

So I have decided that creating a blog would help to keep a record of my travels, encounters and most importantly, meals. Not only do I want to use the blog like a diary, so that I can look back on it in the future; I would also like to use it as a place to occasionally practice Vietnamese and Chinese.

Currently I am in Seoul, South Korea. I have already been lucky enough to view stunning scenery and try a variety of delicious food.

One popular combination in South Korea is fried chicken and beer. The choices of sauces seem endless and obviously, when coupled with beer, creates very happy customers.

Thanks to Korean dramas shown in China, this craze has hit Beijing so I will be sure to visit some Korean restaurants there soon. If this idea ever hits the UK, I reckon a certain Colonel would be quaking in his boots and running back to Kentucky.

I ate a rather surprising meal of fried chicken in a sweet chilli sauce and salad...with ice cream. We were instructed to mix the ice cream into the salad. Although strange, it was quite delicious and I have definitely eaten more unpleasant things! It was easily washed down with Cass draft beer.

Many thanks to Pil for being a great tour guide!

I will update soon with some places I have visited along with traditional Korean food.

Yes, that is ice cream with the salad!

Cass...it gives you gas.

Cảm ơn bạn đã ghé thăm blog của tôi. Trang blog này nói về những cuộc phiêu lưu của tôi, và thức ăn ngon.

Bây giờ tôi đang ở Hàn Quốc. Thức ăn ở Hàn Quốc rất ngon và hấp dẫn. Ở Hàn Quốc, gà chiên và bia là phổ biến. Gần đây tôi đã ăn gà chiên với tương ớt ngọt và xà lách. Món xà lách này được trộn với kem! Gà chiên ngon tuyệt!! 

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