Korea 3: Dynamic Korea

*That's what the brochure said....not that I'm promoting Korea or something...*


And the story continues.....

And i've got an old dude staring down at me from his desk. He kept staring at the passport and to me...and back to passport again...for about a minute. I couldn't stand it any longer and decided to "assist" him...

Me: umm...i think that's me.
Custom officer : Are you sure? *what kind of question is that??!*
Me: I think so....not too sure though. Looks like me right??
Custom officer : hmm.....you lost some weight. *huh??*
Me: Really?? THANKS!! Been working out for quite a while now....
Custom officer: Okay, welcome to Korea..... *weird!!!*

Anyway, my friends were waiting for me and they didn't hesitate to laugh out loud in the midst of bewildered Koreans around us when i told them what happen....and guess what, it didn't just end there, we then proceeded to the machine that scans bag and stuff. I took off my belt, video cam, watch......even shoes....and everything that i THOUGHT contain metal....except my packet of chewing gum that's wrapped with the silver colour paper.

Step through the gate of fate and...
TIT TIT TIT...... sounded the scanning machine.
Custom officer: Take it off...
Me: huh?? I took off everything(metal) already!!
*Custom officer moves that scanner thingie near my pocket*
TIT TIT TIT......
Custom officer : Take it off!
* Could it be?.......impossible!!*
Me: You mean this? *took out the chewing gum....very very blur at that time..*

Custom officer then move that scanner thing near my pocket again.....and that blasted thing didn't sound!! it WAS the chewing gum after all! I never knew silver coloured paper can trigger an alarm. Now i got that officer angry and looking like an ogre. Feeling like a "terrorist" , i tried to call truce...by offering my chewing gum....i was like, hey, want one?? ......b-a-d move. all i succeeded was just making her frown impossibly deeper. But got through though....phew. After all that comedy, we headed out to meet Ben's (one of my senior) friend, Afzai, JPA scholar who studies in Korea. He let us crash at his house....how kind. After that....well, let me just show pics.....a picture is like a thousand words right??

Introducing Cast members...


from left to right.... Ben, Afzai(JPA Korea), Karen(JPA Korea), Angela(JPA Korea), Pek Fang (JPA Korea), MGS, Chee, Chiu Sik (white shirt)

Our first night in Seoul, the first night was a lot on planning what to do and where to go for the rest of our week in korea....actually, it was a lot of They plan and We listen. Most of the time they just argue with each other and we became spectator....




Finished arguing (at 3 in the morning) , we had our long postponed, much needed sleep. Next day, we explored the heart of South Korea.... and found Soul...sorry, SEoul...
They introduced Myung Dong to us...it's uhh...a place like Petaling Street minus the fruits and pirated DVDs....


see that black plastic? it's not DVD...


all those shops were selling cheap fakes...Nikes and Adidas and other branded stuff...


their version of "lok lok"...that place is full of these things....in fact, there about a hundred stalls selling the same stuff....must be Korea's staple food.


That is a 32 cm ice cream....said that it is only available in Korea....yeah, i know it's bullshit but what the hell....i'm there only once!!

And we explored the place just like Parameswara explored Melaka....but we didn't find any Sang Kancil, we got hungry instead. We asked them to introduce some food that will leave a strong impression that we are IN Korea....I guess that must be one tough question as we got them to argue over and over again. Finally, asked them to just eat what they want to eat....and they brought us to eat this ....


This is some kind of "tang hun" cooked with chicken and potatoes. It's spicy and it's D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!! maybe it's because of eating too much jap food *that don't really have any taste*...but this is goooood!!

With our stomaches full, guys especially...we were treated like Tong Sampah, so, we are the ones who ate most *girls were all very very health concious, all afraid of being "fleshy" around the waist*....girls be girls....anyway, stomaches filled, we decided to visit the place where the emperor once lived his happy marriage life with his wive-S


we didn't find any W-E-L-C-O-M-E mat.......


but we found these instead....they are the royal guards. Just like the one in england, they are not suppose to move. hmm.....i wonder what will they do if they see me walking away with a stolen vase or teapot or something....will they actually move and catch me?? What if.....what if i place a lighter reeeal close to his skirt?!


and being as youthful as i am....just can't resist a gag picture with Mr. Cool....


This is where his highness once rested his ass. Well, since his "ass sat" here...I'd figured that this must be his Royal Ass-sat!!....sorry, Royal Asset!! God rest his butt....


This is proof that his highness was very very Asian. Almost all asian emperors have pagodas right?? This will make a perfect spot for an ASTRO satelite dish though...

Anyway, after we had enough of the regal tour....and also sick of fakies and lok lok ....decided to explore some other nearby streets...


which look quite the same anyway....but we were lucky that day. They are having some kind of performance! YAHOO!!


Ooookay....Guess i yahoo-ed too early. It was a traditional performance by a respectably very "experienced" dancer....someone said we were lucky to get a "veteran"...lucky? hmm....


As if being able to read my mind....the MC ushered the next performance...and it was performed by young chics!! And because they were novices....they hadn't much money to buy colourful traditional costumes and got the skimpy ones instead....tank tops that serve little purpose....mini skirts that serve lesser purpose....don't get me wrong though, i NOT complaining...

After it ended...we decided to leave, mostly because they canceled "throwing their skirts to audience" event. We left them other perverts, whose nose is already bleeding after only one performance. With night approaching fast, we thought that visiting the most famous place in Seoul was the best to wrap up the day.

Them budak Korea took us to a place called Dong Dae Mun.... practically means Big Gate "Dong"....which had quite a comical touch to it. It was somewhat an important gate but now.....reduced to just a round about...hmm, guess there's not much "Dong" in this gate anymore.


Since it was a big shot gate...we tried to give it back a bit of it's dignity....we took a picture. Oh btw, in Korea, they don't say "cheese"....they say "Kim Chi"


PS: Listening to raptor4EVA's advice, i decided to drop that "suspense" ending style...lapuk d. Anyway, the next's about my trip to an island south of South Korea....a very very beautiful place. So, until next time....