South Korea, April 2017: The Way To Myeongdong

Last April 14-19, 2017 (to be exact), i went on a solo trip to Seoul, South Korea.  Yes, i was a solo female traveler in a country where i don't know anyone. In short, i was a total stranger.  But reading from the reviews, i was only a little anxious.  Seoul is one of the safest cities we have in this world. So i mustered enough courage, packed my bags (eva air gives 30kg baggage allowance for economy class passengers) & flew to this beautiful country. I picked a hotel that's centrally located along Myeongdong St., it's the Hotel JHill which is a boutique hotel.   There's also Royal Hotel Seoul on the same street but a bit on the higher end in terms of price. Hotel JHill is perfect for my budget of 5 nights.

I chose to fly with Eva Airways because of their Hello Kitty planes (i'm a lover of anything hello kitty :-)).  Upon booking, i checked the hello kitty schedule flying to Seoul and made sure that i booked those both ways.  At the time of booking, Hello Kitty jets fly to Seoul from Taipei. So i flew from Cebu to Seoul via Taipei.

I felt so giddy upon seeing my boarding pass in Cebu  even if i know that the Cebu to Taipei leg is using Gudetama service.

                              My Cute Hello Kitty Boarding Pass next to my Arroz Caldo from Ullis

                           The ground crew puts this sticker to all the passengers upon checking in

                               Here's the eva air seat (Cebu-Taipei) with the Gudetama service

Upon landing in Taipei, i was so excited to see my ride, and this is what showed up...a Bad Badtz-Maru Plane.  I was soooo frustrated that i didn't take a photo of the interiors of the plane.  While watching the evai air video on board, i learned that the routes had changed.  Hello Kitty planes are nto anymore flying to Seoul.  The kitties are still flying to Paris, Singapore, Houston and Tokyo.

I just feasted my eyes with these cotton candies in the sky which caused the plane to shake from time to time (turbulence).

Upon arriving at Incheon Airport, i proceeded to the counter to buy my bus ticket.  The hotel sent me a map and guide - options to reach Myeongdong, via Train, Bus or Taxi.  I chose the Bus as i saw it to be very convenient for me in reaching the hotel.  If i take the train, i will have to transfer train and stations multiple times.  Going to Hotel JHill, i took bus 6015 and get off at Royal Hotel Stations.

Here's the bus ticket to which i paid KRW14,000.00 from Incheon airport to Myeongdon Royal Hotel stop.  (the return fare though was KRW 15,000.00)

Standing at the bus 6015 stop at Incheon Airport

Here's bus 6015...approaching my stop

I got off at Royal Hotel stop, walked to the left past the KEB bank headquarters.  Walked straight and and keep going,  When you see the Olive Young store to your left, look to your front and Hotel JHill is staring at you.  But if you arrive during night time like me (i arrived 9:00 pm), there's a likelihood that you will not notice the signage due to the so many street vendors covering the building.  Just look up to the top of the buildings (which i did) and i saw the Hotel JHill signage.

When you're going around the city, there is a taxi for english speaking foreigners.  How sweet of them....

Seoul is a vibrant city...i will definitely be back to explore the place more.

#evaair, #hoteljhill, #bus6015, #royalhotelseoul, #Myeongdong, #Seoul

My Long Hiatus

Been absent from blogging for sooo long since i relocated back home.  Work is so toxic that i would have meetings and calls in the middle of the night.  I was admitted at Chong Hua Hospital for 1 week in 2014 due to vertigo from erratic sleep.  More of deprived sleep.  Had to make adjustments.

Though from time to time i would publish a post, still, the most part i was just too lazy to get on the computer.

Then just when i started to getting used to my new work schedule, another problem occurred. I couldn't get my laptop to connect to wifi.  It took me almost 2 years to figure it out hahahaha.  The reason was though my wifi password remained the same, i changed the 1st letter to uppercase.  I discovered it when i tried disconnecting from my wifi and reconnected again as my last resort prior to sending it to the service center.  Oh bhoy i was sooo happy as it saved me a lot of moohla for the repair.

Now that i'm back on with some enthusiasm, my computer is having problems starting on windows. Maybe because i didn't open it for more than 1 year.  I hope it get it's full energy now that i have mine.

Will try to blog more often or will publish several posts at one time whenever i have the power to do it....it will compensate for the day that i missed to publish a post.

Thank you for dropping by and please do leave comments so we can interact.

Buzz Restaurant, Cebu, Philippines

Malling is part of my weekend routine...just to change the scenery and break the weekly tone.  You know...work, home and whatever it is that's in between the 2 locations. In short...my solution to breaking the monotony of life.

When i first came to Cebu in the last quarter of 2013, there was only one mall that i'd like to go to, and that's Ayala Center Cebu just because they have clean restrooms.  This is my all time weekend destination.  From time to time i make a trip to SM City Cebu but when bladder emergencies arise and i still want to be out, i go to Ayala Center for that kind of relief and spend the rest of the day there.

Then they built Robinsons Galleria Cebu and SM Seaside City Cebu.  I now have a few more additions to my weekend city getaway.  But Ayala Center is still my go to mall for everything.

When i did my brisk walking exercise at Robinson's Galleria, i chanced upon this restaurant with really good food.  It's called Buzz Restaurant.  It's an offshoot of the Buzz restaurant at Bohol Bee Farm Resort in Bohol.  The food is really good.

I am not a vegie person but i love their Garden Fresh Salad with edible flowers.  They serve complimentary bread with 2 different kinds of spread all made in-house.

This pasta is also delish.  No meat nor any seafood.  Just plain pasta, fresh tomato cuts and sauce but the taste is really to yummy.  I forgot the name though.

I love having their ice cream for dessert.  Its flavor is malunggay (moringa) and it was sooo creamy.
The ice cream cone is love too...it's crunchy and made of cassava flour.

Will definitely go back...

#Buzzrestaurant, #boholbeefarm, #robinsonsgalleriacebu, #ayalacentercebu

Late Post: Las Casa Filipinas De Acuzar, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

I had a post Christmas meet up with a friend (JG) i met while working in Dubai.  This happened 3 Christmases ago.  She's from Bagac, Bataan which makes her quite accessible to this tourist destination.  She treated us to a day trip in this sprawling attraction.

Las Casas is a beach resort as there is an ocean nearby. It has restaurants, accommodation ranging from rooms to casas (houses).  The casas are old houses from different parts of the Philippines brought, restored and relocated to make up the old Philippines vibe of this resort.

Check out their website here: www.lascasasfilipinas.com

#lascasasfilipinas, #lascasas, #lascasasfilipinasdeacuzar, #bagac

Late Post: Abaca Resort, Cebu, Philippines

I had the chance to stay for a night at this exclusive resort in Mactan, Cebu, Philippines.  Unplanned & rushed staycation.  Called the resort on a good friday for the next day's stay. Lo & behold, they offered the room at 50% discount of their published rates. So i immediately booked. There were only a total of 9 rooms in this resort.  Very private but there were lots of mosquitoes partying with humans.  Service was good but food was on the pricey side. Maybe it depends on what you order.

The Staff will go out of their way to make sure that mosquitoes won't land on your porcelain bright skin.

They don't have a reception area. You'll be led to your room and do your check-in works there.

The room we stayed at was big with his & hers sink, bath tub & separate shower.  Let the pictures speak for itself.

This is a picture heavy post.

Check their website for more information:  www.abacaresort.com

Try it, you will love the privacy.

#abacaresort, #mactan, #cebu

Decor Microsafe Container for Cooking Pasta

I used to stay in an apartment which does not allow me to cook using a stove.  I can use microwave oven though.  There were moments where i get tired of eating resto/fast food.  In one of my malling exercises at Rustan's Department Store, i discovered the decor container series.  It can be used to cook some food in the microwave oven and at the same time storage of just about anything as it comes with lids.  I first bought the container which doubles as rice cooker.  Cooking rice was a success.  So the next time i found myself in the same store, i bought the container for cooking pasta.  Yipee, i don't need to be washing bulky pots anymore.  So here is how i cook my pasta...

My Decor Microsafe Pasta Microwave Oven Cooker has a guide (see inside white tab) on how much pasta to cook and water needed.

It also comes with instruction manual and this handy reference which i stuck on my ref door for easy access.

I first measure the pasta

Then added cold water equivalent to the pasta servings.

Placed it inside the microwave oven without the lid.

My pasta is cooking.  Cooking time varies depending on your microwave oven and pasta cooking instructions. I would just take it out and check on it from time to time until it's done.

Done cooking....

Put the lid on...

And drain...handy ain't it?

After draining, i put butter so my pasta won't stick...

My cooked pasta...ready for the sauce...

I love my Decor Microsafe Cooker cum Storage...makes my life uncomplicated.