The Tale of the Ginseng Chicken and the Legend of a Flower

The famous ginseng chicken house. Perfect on a rainy day.



I think this one says the best ginseng chicken in town!
The samgyetang is a Korean chicken broth stuffed with ginseng and sticky rice. It is traditionally believed to cure ailments (Chicken Soup for the Soul maybe).

That's the magic of ginseng! It was quite yummy, pretty much tasting like, uhm, tinola. Actually, mas masarap ang tinola ni mama.

Afterwards, a yoghurt dessert at Red Mango, where the craze all started, was not to be missed!

We had a walk around the market place even if it was pouring!

And dropped by a ginseng shop to load up on ginseng teas!

Walked down the Korean streets!

And spotted Samsung everywhere. Gadgets, museum, apartment buildings, tea (!) and even fashion!

We later on went to see Legend of a Flower, a traditional Korean musical, it was a bigger production (and more expensive too!) compared to the one we saw yesterday.


It came with a nice Korean dinner!
What I would give to find these yummy, crispy seaweed chips again!

Had some bibimbap, a korean mixed rice dish with vegetables and chili paste. It was pretty good I should say! And hot!

We're not allowed to take photos but I took some anyway :)



We planned on hitting the clubs and headed to a place called the "Social Club". It was recommended by Markus' colleague. Was expecting a big, wild clubbing experience! It was more, uhm, underground.
Great music, but it was too early to be happening. The rain dampened our club hopping and we just ended up at JJ Mahoney's (as usual), only this time, a much better experience.

Still Pouring in Seoul....

The day did not look very promising so we took it slow. Markus and I started our day at the gym and some room service for breakfast.

Armed with two heavy duty umbrellas, we were off!

First stop, Samsung Leeum Museum. And it's not a gadgets museum....

The giant spiders greeted us at the entrance. (And were very visible from our bedroom window.)

They had an interesting collection of "traditional" and modern art. We were not allowed to take photos inside the museum but I took some anyway just because they are so cool.

Looks designer to me!

Some bling-blings!

The stairwell....

Cool modern art

A special egg.

Time for some food, I'm starving!

What's Cooking Korea?

I have never been on an international flight that took less than 25 minutes to get out of the plane, go through immigration, wait for the luggage, go through customs and out in the exit. Incheon airport is arrival at its finest!

1210am Asiana flight wasn't the best of times so that took half a day off of my Friday. The guy from the concierge of the Grand Hyatt looked like one of those guys from the Koreanovelas so that's a pretty nice welcome I should say not to mention the fantastic view(s) from the hotel room.

After a quick buffet in the hotel at 12nn, Markus and I were off to some (window) shopping at Shinsegae and Lotte. SALE! So I ended up with a few stuff. But it's raining!

But the highlight of the day was seeing a tradional Korean musical, Miso, at the Chongdong theater in traditional live music and costumes, a cool drumming act and almost circus-y performance coupled with some audience participation.

It was a worthwhile hour away from the pouring rain.

My first day in South Korea would not be complete without that yummy Korean bbq! OH MY GOD! It was amazing! The Korean colleague of Markus, Mr. Yu, brought us to the best in town.

The table was full even before the bbq arrived!

Yummy, juicy, Korean bbq!!!

And tried some cold soup. It was.. interesting. I'm not a big fan of cold soup.

We wanted to end the night at JJs Mahoney's which was just at our hotel but the bartender was such an a-hole. So we just left my Cosmo at the bar.

We ended up sitting around at the lobby bar entertained by a drunk Korean-American and, surprise surprise, a Filipino band!!! A trip outside Manila would not be complete without it!

To Kimchi and Beyond

The last time I updated my blog was when Herb passed away. A pro-skydiver, he died doing what he loved most. I wish that someday I can look back and know that deep inside, that I had continued to do what I loved to do despite of an uberly busy work schedule.

In all these years I had totally forgotten how much I loved to write. My mom just recently found my diary back when I was in 6th grade and I saw how I just wrote with wreckless abandon day in and day out about my summer crush whom I would check out in the neighborhood basketball court (yesssssss). And I just wrote. And wrote. And wrote. I ended up winning a poem-writing contest back in highschool and ended up in Heights (literary org of Ateneo) later on. And then it stopped there. With a few attempts here. And a little bit of it there.

While I was in the middle of a meeting this afternoon, I challenge myself to update my travel blog and leave a piece of recklessness into the digital abyss. I've done so much traveling and loved every minute of it that it felt like I was shortchanging myself by not writing about it! New Year's in Rio, exploring the Amazon, partying in Ibiza, sailing around Formentera/Ibiza/Mallorca, skiing in Italy, climbing Angkor Wat, living in Phnom Penh, getting lost in Luang Prabang, exploring Bali, backpacking in Florence and that's not even half of the amazing things I've done!

I'm off to South Korea this Friday. Got a Lonely Planet for a month now and had not even read it! Would be nice to get some travel tips from friends who've been there or would love to go there. So my dear friends who read til the end of this entry, care to share? The coolest one gets a pasalubong. Promise! Any ideas on pasalubong? Kimchi? Maybe?

Free Fall, Fall Free Herb....

I met Herb for the first time in April 2009 at Skydive Hawaii through Benj. He's a professional skydiver, the sky is his office and he took me there on my second dive (see earlier Skydive Hawaii post). I wanted to give him a tip for a great time diving and he said, he don't take tips from friends. And I just met him! Isn't he sweet?! Herb and I kept in touch through Facebook and I even tried to hook him up with one of my friends! Herb has been mentioning he wanted to find the right girl and settle down. I didn't think he would have a hard time finding her.

Herb passed away on July 15th doing what he loved doing -- skydive. He was well-loved and remembered for having the biggest heart, the craziest stories and the heartiest laugh. He has touched a lot of lives and will continue to live on in the memories of his loved ones and the recipients of his organs. Right up until the end, Herb was sharing himself.

Free fall, fall free into eternity Herb....

Skydive Hawaii!!!

My First Tandem Skydive (And My Second Too!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F03gX3So59I

It was a busy day at Dillingham Airfield. Tourists and locals piling up for their first tandems. Old timers squeezing in with the newbies. There was a slight overcast in the sky but the day felt perfect.

Today, 3rd of April 2009, would be monumental. I have dreamt of this moment -- to fall out of the sky.... To free fall.... To feel free.... And it is going to happen.

I felt safe with my tandem master, JC Colcasure (superstar skydiver!). A friend of Benj, we had dinner with him, his wife and his cute, heavenly daughter the night before at their lovely home in North Shore. I have to subdue my excitement to make sure I ask the right questions. What happens if you get a heart attack (I saw this on TV once!)? When do I pull? Where do I pull? How do I maneuver? What should I expect?

Benj is my video master. Armed with a CX100 HD camera, he is ready to test his new gadget. And I am excited to document this unforgettable moment in my life or perhaps the last moment of my life! You never know!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F03gX3So59I

This video says it all. I don't have the words to describe this experience. It was out-of-this world, nerve-wracking, ultimate high, heart thumping hell-of-a-ride!!! It felt so good, I did it again!!!

My second time is with another friend of Benji's, Herb Eskelson. Grew up in the airstrip. Parents are both skydivers back in the days when skydiving wasn't safe. This time we went higher. So we jumped longer. We did a sommersault jumping off the plane. We went in circles. And in circles. We flew like Superman. I felt the rain on my face falling through the clouds. Not very pleasant! And then the chute open and we were cruising over North Shore. Oh how beautiful it is up there!

Definitely something I would do again. And again. And again....

To Benj who got me into this, thank you. My life is richer. You rock!

(Note: Photos 1, 4 & 6 c/o Benj)

Oahu, Hawaii: North Shore (Part 1)

Somewhere Over the Rainbow....

Benj said the rainbow won't register in my camera. It did. It was lovely. And it made me giddy (obviously!). A rainbow later on appeared right across our little heaven of a house by the beach. This was the first time I saw the end of a rainbow and there was no pot of gold. Or maybe it was underwater. Or maybe, seeing the tip of the rainbow is already my pot of gold.

Our cute, little, orange weekend house (owensretreat.com) is right smack on Mokuleia beach and away from the hustle & bustle of tourist traps. It was, indeed, a retreat (but with mobile phone signal and wi-fi connection!). The waves pound on your doorstep and the wind whisper sweet nothings.

It's a kite surfer's haven this place and you can catch about ten of them in the afternooon worshipping wind and wave.
At night, it becomes a bit chilly and the moon casts lovely shadows on the shore. Our lively, little house becomes a warm, cozy retreat waiting to wake up to next day's sunshine.


Roam If You Want To....

Ahhhhhh. North Shore. So many things to do, so little time.... We took it easy.

The first thing we did after getting our rent-a-car is drive up to North Shore and hit a shrimp truck for lunch. OH.SO.YUMMY.GARLIC.SHRIMPS. Macky's was our first North Shore stop. And our last North Shore stop. First love never dies.

Had to try the famous Matsumoto's Shaved Ice. I had the classic one with ice cream. Heaven on ice! And psychedelic too.

We also hit Killer Tacos, a recommendation from a friend who missed their Longboard (that was yummy btw!). We really didn't go out for dinners. They were spent with skydiving friends. Although one time, we caught some knick knacks at Hollywood Joe's. It was alright. And we chanced upon this Margarita place and got ourselves a drink. They always card me here and my usual IDs won't cut it (ie Driver's License, SSS ID, etc). Passport is key.

(Note: All photos except Macky's c/o Benj)