New friends I met in Korea
(from left): Peter (Hong Kong), two girls (US), ShaoRong, Qiu Zhen (Shanghai, Osaka); my brother, QinYun (Taiwan), Qian Da Zhong (Korean-guide) and me
It has been a delightful journey to Korea. My brother and I have basically travelled eight places: Suwon, Cheongju, Guangju, Jeju, Busan, Gyeongju, Jinju and Seoul. It was a fascinating journey. Not only we got to see the local heritage there (mostly accredited by UNESCO), but also enjoy the beautiful scenery in the 70% covered by greens South Korea.
The more I travel, the more I realised that there are so many things that are better elsewhere then home, and vice versa at places. In Korea, it's the same. It makes me reflect on what I have appreciated things in life so far in Malaysia, and things that I can improve after so many observations from abroad. It's an eye-opener, I must say.
Biwon, a beauty garden in the palace
The best two things I have enjoyed most besides the sightseeing are savouring the local delicacies and making new friends. It has been my hobby since I have started to travel. Of course not all journey will end up with loads of people whom you wanted to be friended with, but at least I do make an effort to get to know people, though there are some nasty ones. I have befriended a couple from Shanghai, a youngman from Hong Kong, two men from Taiwan. Mostly Asian. Maybe it's difficult to find "guai lo" there, and you won't have problem finding Japanese and China Chinese. It has been a great pleasure meeting them and we exchanged emails too. It has been a wonderful experience meeting people.
Food is great there. Since rice has become a staple for Asian, it does not pose much problem to me. I have always enjoy local food, except insects (which some countries do view them as sweets or snacks). In Korea, you will get mostly rice-related food plus other side dishes (loads of them). To me, Korean and Chinese has something in common -- waste of food. At times, I feel so sorry for not finishing all the dishes served. But then again, why make your stomache suffer for what other people's culture call for? I just eat the portion that my stomache could fill. Overall, I enjoyed eating very much.
In Korea, I noticed there are at things that every places have: lots of mountains, people are friendly, honest and sincere but do not speak English, very nationalist, like to brush teeth at least 3 times a day, like Kimchi very much (they even have Kimchi refridgerator by LG and Samsung), plastic surgery can be done during lunch break, preservation for heritage, expensive petrol price (4th in the world), lots of expensive food and so many more.
Travelling to Korea was fun and exciting, not to mention the exhaustion my brother has casted upon me (with the walking). But it's all worth it in the end. I began to love this country even more now.