After lunch, we drove around 30 minutes away from the city to visit the Korean Folk Village
Click below to go to their website
The reason we could not shop well was because we were already hungry!! 
We asked our tour guide to take us a traditional korean bbq restaurant and she took us to this place! YUMMY!!! And it was half the price of Arirang and good for 19 people!
I love how they served the bulgogi!
Same thing here, she will not let us cook! Superwoman cooker, we had three cookers for the table and she cooked for all three!! :-)
After the Palace, we went to Namdaemun Market
which reminded me of our Divisoria, but very clean and no smell
Many items for winter which I was so tempted to buy!! because it was soooo cold!!!!
Korean made products
Yummy seaweed snack, all kinds!
More snacks by the bulk!
They have many buildings for the indoor shopping and really like divisoria style
Love the display!
Housewares floor
fashion jewelry section
We only allotted one hour for this as part of the tour so we did not buy anything! I wish i had a whole day or more to go around for shopping. Next time
Day 1 is tour day. Dad and Mom make sure we are cultured and get to learn about the new places we visit. Since we were a big group of 19, it’s easier and better to get your own small bus and tour guide. This is what we used as recommended by the hotel
Our tour guide
There are 5 palaces in Seoul and my sister chose this palace as it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is known for it’s beautiful back garden which we did not get to see. I wish we had more time to see that.
It’s also our bonding time because shopping days we are mostly on our own
Click here for more information on the palace: http://eng.cdg.go.kr/main/main.htm
I just googled for photos of the garden ( Click on each photo for the source )
This palace is the main palace and friends recommended this as well, but we were not able to visit it during this trip
We arrived already in the evening and Korea is an hour advanced from Manila time. It takes about an hour depending on traffic it could be more, to get from Incheon airport to the city. We checked in the hotel and we were very hungry! Everyone suggested Arirang which was highly recommended by our friend, Grace. The earlier group had eaten there the day before and warned us that it was expensive, but we still went since it was nearby the hotel and we were very hungry
Our table! That thing from the ceiling is the exhaust which is adjustable. Cool!! The only place we have seen that had that feature. You still smell korean though but atleast it is not smoky while you are eating
It was expensive for us! But later on we realized that Korea is expensive really. ( For easier conversion, it is around 1,000 won to 1US$. ) In most of the restaurants we went to for korean BBQ, these were the prices. But of course the quality of the beef is really good though portions are small. But at the end of the trip, Arirang was one of our favorites and we went back again on our last day!
Free soup Pumpkin soup
Then they brought out all the condiments for the bbq
This was everyone’s favorite which you cannot also find in other bbq restaurants. It’s an onion condiment that you eat with the korean bbq
Then a guy brings the charcoal to the cooker
Tongue! Yum around the tongue is the Chadol bagey or marbled thin sliced beef
The server is the one who cooks, we noticed that in all restaurants, they are the ones who cook, they won’t let you cook! :-)
I love it that they put pepper on the tongue while cooking
then squeeze fresh lemon
The most expensive dish on the menu, the Charcoal Grilled King size Prime Rib
we ordered also the Chuck Flap tail which she said was the neck I think and it was also really good - it’s the small pieces beside the king size rib
Korean side dishes
Bulgogi which was not on the main menu - we ordered this in our second visit already
James likes eating raw beef
Marbled Thin Sliced beef which we figured was Chadol Bagey! Later on we tried to avoid this as it is mostly fat! But YUMMY Of course!
YUM YUM! Pajeon!! We loved this in Arirang since it was very crispy! Make sure it is crispy because that is how we got it! YUMMY!
Chap Chae
Their dessert is always fruit - we were looking for the usual rich sweets, but they don’t have! We were thinking maybe that is why the Koreans are so slim! :-) Very sweet and gigantic pears!! Only a slice though!
It’s the company and the fun that counts! We had a great dinner and enjoyed! My two boys are there also on the side
Lotte Hotel knew Heart2Heart was coming!!!! Just kidding! I think that is their slogan and I love it! :-)
Our room. It was quite spacious but it felt old. And we had problems with internet! There was no wifi as they were fixing it at the time we were there.
Extra bed for Javs which he used for one night only, the rest of the stay he slept with his cousins
Nothing compared to the photos from their website which looked much better. We should have complained and asked about their rooms
All the lights are controlled from this touchscreen device
Bathroom with a clock!
Location is central which is why this was recommended to us. All means of transportation is accessible. Myongdong district is a few steps away where there is night shopping and local korean shops
I believe that most hotels in Korea offer this service because of the language barrier 
Click below to go to their website:
Another hotel recommendation from our friend Grace was the Westin Chosun Hotel which is a few steps away from the Lotte Hotel, and I trust Lauro and Grace on their recommendation. We had already booked at Lotte when we got the recommendation
Click below to go to their website:
Whenever we are departing from NAIA, We always stay at the Club Manila lounge and order food from Hari Raya coffeeshop!
Specifically the GYOZA! That gyoza has been there for many many years for as long as I can remember. My 3 boys love it so they always order it!
Other things on the menu
4th Level Departure Area Terminal 1
Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Pasay City
Korea was super freezing with temperature ranging from -10 to -3!! So we made sure we prepared for the cold!! I went to Marks and Spencers and they have everything you need for winter!!! What is important is to protect your head, hands, feet, neck and chest!
Definitely they had winter socks available
we got the heaviest and warmest they had
They have scarves, hats and gloves!
Cute heart fleece pajamas!
Thermals!!!
I wore 2 layers!! and Long sleeves! which is more than the usual sleeveless ones I wear in the cold
and the pants as well is important or else the cold will go through your clothes!!
and they have nice traveling raincoats and umbrellas as well!! I love M & S!!!
and James bought the Seoul Luxe Guide which is very comprehensive and very applicable and accurate for us
I have been dreaming of going to an African Safari. It’s in my bucket list! I am probably going to make only one trip in my life to Africa so I will make sure I get the BEST experience. Thanks to A to A for making it easier for everyone to make that dream come true. I spoke to Jeremy Sy from A to A Safari and he says that they specialize in high end Safari trips but of course they can also organize trips to fit your budget. As a kid, I always thought of safaris as roughing it out in the middle of nowhere. And did not realize that there are several luxurious camps that are really really very nice with incredible views and with unique experiences!!! I am looking forward to my African Safari someday!
Ten years ago, A to A was started by my brother’s friend, Binky Dizon and his partners. What a great idea!!! They not only service the Philippine market but the whole of Asia!
Click below to go to their website:
Since I have never been to a Safari, I have asked permission from my Dad and Mom and their friends to share their recent ( 2009 ) trip to Africa. They went as a group of friends and they had so much fun. I also heard that it is a romantic destination for honeymoon couples or just couples in general. I am sure it will be fun to go as a big family as well though the camps are generally small so if you are a big family, you will probably fill up the whole camp. I think it would be nice to go as a reasonable size group
For more information click below to go to their website
or contact:
Jeremy Sy
Asia to Africa Safaris Ltd
Unit 308 Lapanday Center
2263 Pasong Tamo Extension
Makati City, Philippines
Website: www.atoasafaris.com
Email: Jeremy.sy@atoasafaris.com
Office number : +632 812 2728
