Korean Weddings - What to expect

Korean Weddings?!

Many of the people planning to make the trip to Seoul in September for our wedding have asked questions about the differences between a Western wedding and a Korean one. As you would expect, there are many differences between what is common in Canada and what is common in Korea. Watch the video at the link below from two people who started out in Korea teaching English and who have become professional bloggers still living there. Actually, a lot of the stuff on their website is worth checking out!

http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/what-are-weddings-like-in-korea/

Something to be clear about. Our wedding ceremony will be a little different. The best way to describe it in English is to say that we are going to do a "Korean King Wedding" for our ceremony.
Google the keywords "King wedding or Royal wedding in Korea" that and you will find a youtube video to see what it will be like. Or simply click on this link:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUpvfVSTkHA

This is something that will be a unique experience for everyone, including HwaYoung! If any of my friends want to help carry me in??? Let me know! King and Queen for a day...

THIS WILL HAPPEN QUICKLY! The whole ceremony will be about 30 minutes tops. 

*DON'T BE LATE OR YOU WILL MISS IT!*

You will see after this ceremony as people make there way to the lunch area something I want to point out. The normal procedure for what follows goes like this. The guests will give an envelope (their wedding gift) and for that they will get their "meal ticket".

  Don't feel pressured by this!! 

Those giving out the tickets will be instructed that this is not necessary for the guests from Canada so you will be able to eat without having to give an envelope!! Those who wish may of course do so, we just don't want people to be caught unaware! This is very normal in Korea but obviously may be very surprising for those from Canada used to seeing a box for envelopes at the reception or a table for gifts and envelopes.

As I get more questions and learn more myself about things that may not be common in North America, I will update the blog to let you know!

Biggest thing to remember, you are our guests and we are thrilled to have you there. 

Don't sweat the cultural differences, just enjoy them!!!

Jjimjilbang (Public bath houses/saunas/spa) in Seoul

Public bath houses in Korea




One very Korean experience to be had during your time in Seoul is a trip to one of the many Jjimjilbangs.  As described on Wikipedia, a Jjimjilbang (찜질방) is a large, gender-segregated public bathhouse in Korea, furnished with hot tubs, showers, Korean traditional kiln saunas and massage tables. Jjimjil is derived from the words meaning heated bath. However, in other areas of the building or on other floors there are unisex areas, usually with a snack bar, ondol-heated floor for lounging and sleeping, wide-screen TVs, exercise rooms, ice rooms, heated salt rooms, PC bang, noraebang, and sleeping quarters with either bunk beds or sleeping mats. For the most part, these facilities are open 24-hours a day and Koreans are often spending the night there. 

This is one of, if not the most popular way for Koreans to relax and get rid of the stresses of daily life. It is very common for families to visit these spas together as well as groups of friends. Hwayoung's dad very much wanted to take me to one of these during my trip to Korea three years ago. At the time, I was a little hesitant to do so. There were two reasons. For one, the language barrier between us made doing things on our own difficult. Secondly, well, there is one aspect to these places that is a little foreign for most Westerners...

Those willing and wishing to experience a Jjimjilbang while in Korea should be prepared for one thing - nudity. 

While gender-segregated in such areas, patrons will inevitably be, more often than not, presented to you au natural. Fair warning. While in many areas you can choose to wear a bathing suit, many around you won't. Also, there will be areas where it is either considered strange to wear clothing or where it isn't even permitted!

For most areas, you will strip down in the locker room and put on the shorts and shirts given to you by the establishment:




With that said, there are bath houses that are generally considered to be slightly more tailored for foreigners to enjoy. A very famous one located in Seoul is called Dragon Hill Spa.

http://www.dragonhillspa.co.kr/hill/eng.html

With an entrance fee of about 10 bucks, this can be a great place to visit. That covers use of all jacuzzis, pools, saunas, showers and lockers. Everything else, like food and drinks, massages and other treatments, the arcade and cinema, are extra. See the link below to a blog with a great description of the author's experience at Dragon Hill.

http://bloodriceandnoodles.blogspot.ca/2011/03/dragon-hill-spa-our-first-jjimjilbang.html

Here is the link to trip advisor to see what others have written about Dragon Hill:

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g294197-d1641304-Reviews-Dragonhill_Spa_Resort-Seoul.html

For those that may want to go a little (or a lot) more high-end, another well known Jjimjilbang (Spa) is the Banyan Tree Club & Spa.

http://www.banyantree.com/en/seoul/

Another link, from CNN Travel shows what it considers the top 3 options for Jjimjilbangs:

http://travel.cnn.com/seoul/play/seouls-3-best-korean-style-spas-803323

I can't tell you my own experience at a Jjimjilbang because I've never actually gone. I expect to change this in September and very much encourage you to to the same!

Hello All

Hi,
It's  been a while we (or Trev) haven't posted on this blog!
Sorry about that.
Hopefully, you guys received our formal wedding invitation. We sent out our invitation from late last week, and started to hear R.S.V.P. from our guests!
Thank you.

Our wedding invitation is fully customized through my friend, Jang Mi. 

She used to work in a wedding invitation business. 

This is my own drawings & ideas for our invitation. 

One month later, it turned out to be this amazing design!

If you are interested customized designed cards or invitations please let me know!

I will introduce her to you.

Yes, our save the date card was also her work.

I am less sensitive regarding details of cards..

Surprise surprise! Trev picked all the fonts..

and....

this man, initially picked..

yellow and green colors there...

I am very happy that it did not happen.

We decided this blog is Trevor's responsibility and not mine.

So he will post the news and stories to help out people..

But I got a feedback recently, actually feedback from multiple people that no more updates here!

I will try to post more for you guys.

Thanks for visiting our blog!

HY

Seorak Mountain

Today, I am going to introduce a beautiful national park, Seorak Mountain to you.

Seoraksan national park

2009, when Trev came to Korea first time,

we had a family trip to Seorak Mountain.

http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=309426

(official Korean tourism website)

Seorak Mountain is the most favorite place for my family.

It has a beautiful mountain and ocean/beach, plus FOOD!

 

On the way to "SinHeung Sa (temple)"

you'll encounter a massive Buddhist statue.

SinHeung Temple is one of the easiest hiking routes in Seorak.

This temple was initiated 652. 

And it got current appearance since 1644.

Since I was in flip flops and Trev was suffering from jet-leg,

we took another easy way to climb the mountain

Cable car.

(this sounds like Trev so much, eh?)

You have to book a ticket and comeback on your schedule.

thats why we went to Sinheung temple first.

this area is called

kwonkeumsong (Fortress)

detailed information:

http://www.parandeul.co.kr/kwonkeumsong.htm

He is smiling now..but..

He lost his smile while he is climbing to the top on sketchy rocks.

I did wear flip flops, and it was such a bad idea.

Please wear sneakers!!!

It will be 2 hours from the Seoul Bus terminal.

No train but you can rent a car to drive. 

Hope some of you explore Seorak!

Busan (Southern tip of Seoul)

Busan. 

Another great city to travel to while in South Korea is Busan.



Busan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of approximately 3.6 million. It has Korea's largest beach (see the pictures below – one where the beach is busy and you can see a big difference between Koreans and Canadians in how they treat the sun and the other where you can actually see the sand!) and Korea's longest river.

That said, it will be important to take account of the weather forecast if you are thinking about going there. August and September, are generally hot and humid and the city may experience typhoons at that time and be generally rainy

The city itself is located on the southeastern-most tip of the Korean peninsula. It is located about 65km directly south of Gyeong ju (http://sayyestotrev.blogspot.ca/2012/11/trevs-really-short-testimony-about.html).

Shopping: There are also four substantial shopping areas of note: Seomyeon, Gwangbok-dong, Busan Dae Hakap in Jangjeon-dong, and Centum City in Haeundae-gu.

For information from a proper guide, see the link below to the Lonely Planet’s list of things to do in Busan:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/south-korea/gyeongsangnam-do/busan/things-to-do

From my perspective, it is a great place to go eat and drink and party, and see a few sites along the way.

Full disclosure, I was never more hungover than my first day in Busan after an extremely long night of drinking in Gyeong ju but I still dream about a meal I had there (while hungover). It haunts me because I couldn’t eat very much given the state of my stomach but my mouth knew what I was eating was insanely delicious.  It was marinated pork that you made lettuce sandwiches with and the pork came from the leg of the pig.  The name of the dish and the restaurant is Busan Jokbal. If you go there and don’t try it, I will hold it against you.

The other must do is to go to the fish market there - Jagalchi Fish Market. There you will find an assortment of seafood that you may never have seen before.  Attached to it, as close to the sellers of fish as can be, will be a variety of restaurants serving fish dishes.  Another vivid memory for me was the fried fish platter that we shared with Hwayoung’s best friends there. It also helped that I had fully recovered from my hangover and was able to enjoy that meal to its fullest. 

It is well worth one’s time to travel to the Southern-most part of South Korea and discover all that this city has to offer.

How to get Busan?
Seoul (Train) Station.
KTX train (Korail) will take you to Busan in 2 hours.
One way trip will cost Appox. CAD$50.


Some pics from Busan.

Busan Jokbal.

Kuk-Je market

Nuri-Maru

Haeundae Beach

Nuri-Maru

Yong-Gung Sa

 fried fish platter

Jagalchi Fish Market

In-sa-dong (Seoul)

In-Sa-dong (Seoul)

Subway line 3, Anguk station

What to expect from In-sa-dong?
Shopping, tea and food

What to eat here?
1. Get-ma-eul-mil-baht-jip (In-sa-dong, Seoul)
Seafood broth+soft noodle

2. Sa-rang-bang Kal-guk-su. (In-sa-dong, Seoul)
Paht-Kal-guk-su (Redbean noodle).
This is not Hwayoung's favorite, but her mom loves this noodle.

It is in the red-bean soup!

3. Bibimbab

Gogung (In-sa-dong, (Ssam Ji Gil), Seoul)
38 Gwanhun-dong Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
02-736-3211

Reputed to serve the best Jeonju bibimbap, Gogung replicates the dish prepared for kings. The rice is cooked with organic bean sprouts from Jeonju and topped with a variety of thing such as fresh, appetizing vegetables, stir-fried beef, and gochujang sauce. Nestled in a traditional brass bowl, you'll want to dig in right away, but don't forget to mix it all up well first!

4. Han-Jeong-Sik
Korean full set meals - "Han-jeong-sik"

 This is a traditional royal cuisine served as a course meal which allows you to enjoy vegetables, meat dishes, fish and seafood in one sitting.

Gung-yean
Gungyeon offers royal court cuisine of the Joseon Dynasty (1392~1910), preserved by the lineage of Han Hui-sun, the last sanggung chef of the dynasty, who served under King Gojong and King Sunjong, Hwang Hae-seong and Han Bok-ryeo. The restaurant is managed by Han Bok-ryeo who was the food advisor for the Korean drama Daejanggeum. A meal at Gungyeon is truly the essence of Korean cuisine. Food is prepared with great care and served in the traditional way.

☞ Address: Seoul, Jongno-gu, Gahoe-dong 170-3
☞ To get there: Subway line 3, Anguk station, exit 2, walk 5 minutes in the direction of the Board of Audit and Inspection. The restaurant is next to Bukchon Art Museum.
☞ Tel: +82-2-3673-1104 (Reservation required)
☞ Hours: Lunch 12:00~15:00, Dinner 17:30~21:00
☞ Recommended menu: Gungyeon bansura (궁연반수라) lunch course 30,000 won, Janggeum dinner course (장금만찬) 76,000 won, Jineobyeol dinner course (진어별만찬) 130,000 won
☞ Official site: www.jihwajafood.co.kr (Korean)

HongDae (Seoul)

HongDae (Seoul)

HongDae, Seoul - Metro Green line (Line #2).

HongDae is one of the hottest places in Seoul to go to go to fun clubs, have a few drinks and eat some good food.
HongDae means, Honk Ik University in short. Hwa-young spent much of her childhood in this area (well not in the clubs!).
The area has changed a lot since she left, but it has a unique atmosphere as well as endless fun to be had at night.

Here's some random maps of HongDae,

Basically, it is pretty big downtown areas full of pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes and little shops! Here's a link in wiki! Sorry we always link you to wiki, but we'd just copy and paste from there otherwise!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hongdae_area

Another website, visitKorea, explains that HongDae is a club area, as the center of Korea's youthful nightlife. If you love dancing, do not miss HongDae Club day!
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_4_4_7.jsp

Club Day* Schedule: Last Friday of each month, 20:00-06:00 * Venue: M2, Via, Jokerred, Tool, NB, Q-VO, DD, Saab, Hooper, Ska, O.R, Myeongwolgwan, Evans, FF, WATERCOCK, Freebird, Soundholic, DGBD, Hole, Liveclub Ssam, Spot (Total of 21 clubs in the area) * Admission fees: 20,000 won (1 ticket for entry into multiple clubs + 1 free drink) * Inquiries: +82-2-333-3910

So with $20 ticket, you can get one drink in each club for free, and they do not charge you any other fees. (Remember, no tips in Korea)

One more unique thing to go and see in the Hongdae area:

Free Market* Schedule: Every Saturday (March-November), 13:00-18:00
* Venue: Hongik Children's Park
* Directions:
Exit 9, Hongik University Station (Subway Line 2).

Go 150m straight, and cross the street.

Turn left, and go 500m straight towards the Hongik University entrance.

Turn right to arrive at Hongik Children's Park.
* Programs: Handicrafts exhibitions and sales, indie music/mimes/performances, art workshops, street portraits & caricatures
* Homepage: www.freemarket.or.kr (Korean)
* Inquiries: +82-2-325-8553

Also, you can easily find the buskers in HongDae! They are very talented people.

What to eat in HongDae?
You can find one small street which is full of Korean BBQ, you can easily find bbq beef or pork at cheap prices.
Whenever, Hwayoung gets a chance to go to HongDae, she is actually eating the Japanese food there!
They have famous Donburi restaurants.

Also, another of Hwayoung's favorites - Korean rice cake (DdukBboki) - very spicy but very delicious (J-Halibut, this one you will also love!).

And, HondDae has lots of cute coffee shops! I know it sounds silly, but they have great atmospheres!

Below are some youth hostels/guest houses around the HongDae area.
The websites are available in English, so you can check the rate there. You will find average prices starting from CAD$15 to $25. This seems like the cheapest way to stay in downtown Seoul.

https://hostelhongdae.com/
http://www.housetay.com/
http://www.stayorange.co.kr/
http://www.bigchoihostel.com/
http://www.seoul.a-korea.com/lee-no-guesthouse-hongdae