Gastronomic treats in South Korea

I'm not a foodie type of person but I became something like it during our trip to South Korea.  All of us were so happy to eat warm food which provided comfort from the cold weather outside. I didn't enjoy cooking my food in front of me before. I prefer sitting in a restaurant and being served with prepared food. But there is something that comes out from grilling or heating the food in front of us. We were able to talk of the day's events and enjoy the food while it is warm. I may have forgotten the names of each dish but when I look at the photos, I can fondly remember those precious moments.

Our meals were never without kimchi and these 3 other delicious side dishes. I've grown to love kimchi since then.

I loved every meal and that is why I am full almost every after one. 

Our tour guides were more than happy to teach us how to prepare and eat the food. So, for this dish we had to put the pork and some side dishes inside this cabbage leaf and then we had to fold it before eating. It was so delightful!

Most of the group didn't like this dish because it was not that challenging to the palate (read: not spicy). Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the noodles and the whole dish itself.

We were amazed to see this mushroom looking like it was grown straight out from this glass. 

Our tour guide then cut through its stems and had the mushrooms fall into the heated pan together with the other ingredients.

This barbecue buffet was very satisfying. There were a lot of different and tasty marinades to choose from. 

Aside from meals, we also were able to grab some snacks along the way. This was a fish formed pastry with red bean inside. I'm not a fan of red bean but it was not so bad.

Our guide told us this was a famous drink in South Korea. I loved it, too! This had a smooth melon taste.

I've always loved Thailand's Roti or pancake and I was so happy to know that South Korea has its own version. It does not look like the flat pancake that Thailand has but it still tastes good.

Another different thing about their pancake is that it has cereals on it. It adds to the crunch while eating the whole thing. 

I know these are just but a few of the good eats that can be found in South Korea. I cannot wait to go back and explore and eat more. Hopefully in the near future. Thank you for reading and 'til next blog!

South Korea Trip - Day 2

We checked out of our first hotel on our second day in South Korea. After breakfast, we stepped out into a very cold day. Our first stop was to see a part of the Hwaseong Fortress. This was built from 1794 to 1796 by King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty to house and honour the remains of this father. The site was designated as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1997. 

Since there were a lot of people having their photos taken at the other part, we ran to the part where the cherry blossom trees were and took as many photos as we can. 

When everybody left to move on to the other parts of the fortress, we ran back to where they were before and voila, we had the place to ourselves.

The place was very cold but it did not stop us from taking photos and savoring the moment. 

We also had a chance to see and take a photo with a Korean Guard who also gladly posed for us.

Next, we traveled a few minutes towards our next destination. Along the way, I saw a lot of cherry blossoms along the road. It was so lovely even if they were only dotting the road. What more if most trees are cherry blossoms then it would appear as a white forest!

Our next stop was Kimchi making. 

Our meals were never complete without the Kimchi as a side dish. We were all excited to know how to make one. It was quite easy as the teacher was very enthusiastic and the ingredients were already prepared for us. 

Our next activity was Hanbok wearing. It was so easy to put on to. All of us were excited to wear one and have our photos taken.

We didn't knew it but it was already then time for lunch. I think this time we had Kalbi, a meat dish made from beef short ribs. 

Our next stop was at Everland Themepark. This is located at the Everland Resort in Yongin, a city in Gyeonggi-do province, South Korea. It is South Korea's largest theme park. 

Before we lose ourselves in this big wonderful place, we had to have an obligatory group photo. 

Here are my snapshots of Everland. 

This is the Double Rock Spin ride. Just looking at the ride makes me dizzy. The cute thing we observed while watching the ride is that the staff in-charge performs or dances while the people are being swirled around. He was very entertaining although most eyes are fixed on the riders.

Since we have limited time and walking is such an effort, we had to do the cable ride to get to the other part of the park. 

It was picturesque anywhere. The mountain was almost all white because of the cherry blossoms. 

We were on our way to ride the T Express. While lining up, we saw the blueprint of the ride being displayed. The queue was very long. It took us almost an hour!

I survived and experienced the steepest ride in the world with a top speed of 104km per hour at a 77 degree angle.  Amazing!

There was so much to explore at quite a short time. So we hurried up and went to the other areas.

Everland was having Tulip Festival during that time. This explained the many flowers being displayed nearly everywhere.

I saw these cute kids walking along and holding their buddy's hands. Maybe they had a field trip to this happy place.

After all the activities, we had hotpot for dinner. 

Interesting as it is, these mushrooms were cut at their stems and directly to the pot.

A cute garden idea that I got from the restaurant. 

Another wonderful day spent in South Korea. Can't wait to write about the following days. Thank you for reading and 'til next blog!