Korea Trip 2018: Day 6 – Mont Coffee (Pyeongchang, Korea)

Well, the time has gone by so quickly. It’s now nearing the end of October 2018, and I still haven’t had the chance to post more about my Korea Trip from September 2018… Geez. Time really does fly.

As the days (and weeks) pass, memories fade, but I do recall this spot the tour company took us to on our last day. For me, it was the end of the four-day tour, but for the others, it was last part of a week-long adventure, and for others still, it was the last day in Korea of a three-week, three-country Asian tour.

For me, this was Day 6 of my time in Korea, and it was a Friday – Day 4 of 4 for my tour with HanaTour. We had just been to the fish market earlier – after being at the Olympic slope venue. Now, on to this hike.

Here are the exact details of Day 4, provided by the tour company:

After breakfast, this morning stop by Ski Jump Observatory for Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018 and then explore Jumunjin Seafood Market, including a variety of fresh seafood caught on the East Coast. For the next stop, transfer to Yangyang for a short hiking at Jujeongol of Mt. Seorak to enjoy the nature. After the tour, transfer to Seoul. Drop off service is available at T-Mark Hotel, T-Mark Grand Hotel, Lotte Hotel Seoul and Center Mark Hotel.

Okay, so this spot was actually Yangyang. Anyway, it looked like it was about to rain, and we were given the option of staying behind while the rest went hiking. (Except it wasn’t “real” hiking, as the ground was more or less flat, we were told.)

I opted to stay behind – this was only the second thing I opted out of during the entire four days (with the first being the Cheomseongdae Observatory on Day 2 in Gyeongju because I was physically exhausted that afternoon and didn’t feel like walking any further) – and an Australian couple also decided to stay behind. We were told to wait at Mont Coffee, a cafe that the tour guide, Mark, highly recommended.

The three of us went inside the cafe while the rest of the group ventured on. The first thing I noticed was that the interior was nice. But the problem is that everything on the menu was in Korean. The lady (whom we assumed was the owner) didn’t speak much English.

The Australian couple ordered coffee, and they both told me later that the coffee was terrible. “Lukewarm,” the wife said, saying it wasn’t even hot like you would expect out of fresh coffee in a coffee shop! The couple, who were retired, were well travelled and spoke of their travels to Japan and other countries. They especially loved Japan, pointing out how the locals there were kind and hospitable to tourists. They told specific stories of how the locals helped them out without being asked. It was good conversation.

After the drinks, the couple wanted to look for glue or some sort of tape because the wife had broken one of the heels of her shoes, but unfortunately, there were no convenient stores in this area. We realized this was some sort of tourist area, but found it odd there were no convenient stores. All the shops were food or drink shops. Well, there was this one store that sold everyday items – I bought a nail clipper there as I had somehow forgotten to bring mine from home – but the couple couldn’t find any glue.

Also… It did rain lightly, but it stopped almost immediately. After about an hour, the rest of the group came back and I was told I should have gone. It wasn’t that bad of a hike. Well, I guess I missed out. Oh well.

After this, it was lunch (to be posted later) followed by a long bus ride back to Seoul! 🙂

More to come…

Korea Trip 2018: The Tale of the Two Ginsengs

It was the best of times… it was the worst of times…

Well, not quite the best of times but a good one nonetheless. During the first day of a four-day tour I had with HanaTour, where I was on a Eastern tour of South Korea, the first stop was at a ginseng tea/coffee shop called Mieene Coffee – located in a small shopping area – for a short break.

The tour guide highly recommended this coffee shop, which was manned by a young woman on this particular morning. She didn’t seem to understand – or speak – English, so the guide was the one who spoke to her.

According to the tour guide, this shop was opened within the last couple of years and the owner was the woman’s brother.

I had never tried “Ginseng and Juice” (or, ginseng juice) before, so I ordered a cup.

It wasn’t as bitter as I thought it would be. There was some honey available for customers, but I didn’t need any.

The worst of times – or one of them anyway – came in the second week of my stay in Korea. I was part of a half-day tour with another company, and at the end of the tour we came to a high-end ginseng store, which was located in an office tower.

There were many photo opportunities on the ground floor in the lobby area…

…until we were summoned to enter the elevator.

I initially had no idea what this part of the tour was – as it wasn’t on the itinerary. So, we entered the elevator and were guided to the second or third floor – I can’t remember – and a Filipino woman started explaining ginseng information to us.

I took a picture of a display (the red sign below) but she told me, “No video or photos, sir.” Well, I guess I didn’t know.

As we all walked in – this was some kind of hallway with charts and stats and info and history about Korean ginseng on the walls – she was explaining different facts about Korean ginseng. She tried to be funny but I really didn’t think her jokes were that good. I guess I found her to be “corporate,” so to speak. Hey, that’s her job, so good for her.

Anyway, we soon came into a room which was essentially a store room, with all kinds of ginseng products in display cases. There was a group of us, and the Filipino woman asked us all to come close as she continued explaining the benefits of Korean ginseng.

I was standing near the counter… and as soon as the presentation was over, one female sales rep began doing her sales pitch on me (and others on some of the other members of the tour group).

I found her to be pushy. She kept going on and on, trying to make me buy something. I didn’t appreciate it. Finally, I thanked her (out of courtesy, of course) and walked away from the counter to join two other members of the tour group, both of whom were not badgered by any of the salespeople as they were smart enough to stand away from the counter.

I’m simply not a fan of this sort of tactic by the salesperson; it’s like she didn’t care about you as a person but she looked only at you like you were going to make her extra commissions.

So, the story of two ginsengs… one positive, one not so positive…

Korea Trip 2018: Days 2-3 in Seoul

Okay, so I arrived in Korea on Sunday, September 9, and the following day in Seoul I was checking out Ssamzigil and some street food along Insadong Street. I even had some food from Subway. I also checked out a temple near the hotel.

On the evening of Day 2, a couple of friends visited my hotel and we went out for food nearby in what was a very busy area – which kind of reminded me of Robson Street with all the food places around.

After walking around for a bit to find a good restaurant, we finally stopped by one. We had beef tripe, which is popular in Korea (according to the two friends).

For me, it was a lot of food – too much. It was warm too, and because I wasn’t used to the time difference between Vancouver and Seoul (a 16-hour difference), by the night of Day 2, I was exhausted and restless.

I know I’d said earlier this busy street/area reminded me of Robson Street back home. I should say too, when we were walking around this area, for me it also felt like a maze. It’s a place I could easily get lost in. And yet it reminded me of Gastown – and even a little bit of Yaletown – back in Vancouver.

Anyway, I couldn’t tell you the names of those streets other than to say that the whole area felt like a maze. You turn left and walk along, then turn right (or left), and so on…

After dinner, we also walked around an area called Gwanghwamun and Gwanghwamun Square.

Meeting the friends marked the end of Day 2 in Korea. After that, I was completely spent. I could barely open my eyes.

Day 3 would be when I started my tour with the tour company. The guide and driver were to pick me up from the hotel at 8 a.m.

After breakfast at the hotel – I got up really early and ate at 6:33 am – I started on the journey. The first stop was Jinjuseong Fortress, which is historically linked to the Japanese invasion in 1592.

But before that, there would be a three-hour drive, we were told by the tour guide. (When I say “we,” I mean myself and a family of three who was part of the group.) As it turned out, it was a four-hour drive… and for part of the ride, I closed my eyes and fell asleep… zzz…

The guide did a good job of explaining a lot of things to us during the drive. He mentioned something about a special lane that we could use because there were four or more people in the vehicle… the difference in house prices in different parts of Korea… some history… he was very good.

The photos below were taken at around 8:25 and 8:30 am, as we were starting out on what turned out to be a four-hour drive…

More to come…

Whiskey Six BBQ (Re-Visit)

Whiskey Six BBQ, an organic BBQ joint located on 826 Renfrew Street in East Vancouver, opened in the summer of 2017. I have been there regularly during the summer of 2018. This is a post about a visit from May 2018.

I know that was from months ago, but what can I say? I’d been busy… On vacation now (I’m in Korea at the moment) and just taking a few minutes to post it now. 😉

It was a night of ribs and wings. The Johnston’s Farm Back Ribs are served with a choice of two sides – with wings being $2 extra – and also sliced bread, Whiskey Mustard and Dill Pickle.

Obviously, I went with the Wings for one of my sides. I also had the Smokey Beans as the other side.

Korea Trip 2018: Street Food (Ssamzigil area, Seoul)

During my second day in Korea – on what was a fairly warm day in Seoul – I checked out what appeared to be a tourist part of the city, near the Ssamzigil area along Insadong Street.

I came to this little stand run by an elderly couple and was intrigued by the pictures showing the different chalbas that he was serving. I decided to get the Hot & Spicy Chicken Chalba, which cost 3,000 won each.

What’s a chalba? Well, according to the English words, it’s a Korean burrito.

Well, it was really spicy – and greasy. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be any napkins – and there was no garbage can around! (I had to walk several blocks along Insadong Street before finding one.) But really greasy…

I also tried the chicken skewer stand further down Insadong Street. It was 2,000 won per stick, and the options were – according to the displayed sign – spicy, regular, not spicy, barbecue, and salt & pepper. I picked the regular and found it to be spicy! I guess that explained the difference between “regular” and “not spicy”… or maybe the English words on the sign were not the proper translations.

Once again, very sticky and messy like the chalba… and also the guy who ran the stand gave very tiny pieces of napkin.

Obviously, there were other things to try too on Insadong, but on this afternoon these were the only two things that I had.