Frannywanny

December 31, 2012. Today is the last day of the year. I can't believe how time sped by sooooo fast this year! It's currently the Year of the Golden Dragon, said to be not a very good year for those born in the Year of the Dog like me. However, I felt pretty lucky this year. I guess it really is up to your own mindset and outlook in life, right? This year opened with so much love as Paul and I welcomed 2012 with our families around us. We're lucky to be blessed with such amazing parents and equally loving siblings and relatives. From them we get our strength as they've been showering us with their undying support. I got to admit that I prayed for one thing this year. That is for us to finally have our little bundle of joy . I guess the BIG Guy up there believes that we have to wait a little more and instead blessed us with a lot more other things. It's okay, we can wait and we're pretty sure our little bundle of joy will definitely be worth the wait.  I ...

Happy Holidays !! I know it has been months since my trip to Korea and yet I always get to remember it every time someone comes up to me asking for Seoul travel tips . That was definitely one of the best trips I've had this year and Paul and I are will hopeful that we can go back to Korea SOON! I realized also that I failed to create a summary to better guide you in going through all my Korea travel entries . First and foremost, here's a guide on how to apply for a Korean Visa for all Philippine Passport holders . Next step is to look for a place to stay. I highly recommend our hotel: Hotel Skypark 1 in Myeongdong, Korea . Here's also a quick 101 for all Korea newbie s. Be tourist-y and visit these places: Myeongdong for all out shopping (all the beauty brands are here!) and eating Gyeongbokgung Palace COEX Mall and Aquarium (although I don't recommend the aquarium) Everland Theme Park N Seoul Tower   Remember this: must watch the Cookin Nanta S...

I'd say, our week-long stay in Korea was really a good mix of some retail therapy, food adventure, cultural immersion and just more fun and intense bonding with the entire gang. On our 3rd day, we all headed to Everland Resort ! We took the subway to Gangnam (oppa Gangnam style!) where we rode bus 5002 to Everland Resort . The drive was long and the bus was so crowded that a number of us felt nauseous as we got to the theme park. After all, Everland Resort is located at the outskirt of Seoul already. It's a good thing also that we spotted an online promo that gave ticket discounts to groups of 4. In a snap, just like the game of "the boat is sinking", we quickly grouped ourselves to sign up for the said promotion. Paul and I teamed up with Jane lowering the regular adult ticket worth W40,000 (Php. 1,500)  to just W37,000 (Php. 1,400). Not much really but when traveling, we are definitely not saying no to any form of good bargain. Everland Resort is divide...

After coming home really late from Everland the night before, half of our group decided to just sleep a little more and to just wake up in time for lunch at the COEX mall . The other half headed out early to check out the Samsung Kids Museum. Researching on Seoul, Korea; the COEX mall is always included in the list of must-visit shopping malls. What probably makes this mall attractive to its visitors is its size and the fact that it houses two food courts, hundreds (if not thousands) of retails shops, a well-stocked supermarket, a Duty Free outlet, restaurants, a number of movie theaters and an aquarium. Some would say, it would definitely take you an entire day to go around the entire mall. The mall is also adjacent to the Intercontinenal Hotel as well as the Expo and Convention Center making it very accessible to foreign travelers. Arriving at the COEX mall via the subway, our small group headed to the food court to have lunch. The choices were quite limited but each stall h...

Our recent trip to Korea wasn't just devoted to eating. Aside from nourishing our tummies, we also nourished our minds. It's also perfect that we had three young kids with us and I believe taking them to places such as this will allow them to have a better idea of Korea's history and to see what life was back then. After all, traveling should also be educational. True, I'm the type of traveler who wants to have a good mix of cultural immersion while enjoy the fun cosmopolitan life of a particular travel destination however most of my trips just lasts a week and with all the sights and places that we have to visit, I have to be wise and to choice the best spots instead of boring myself out by visiting them all. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the history and the culture but at some point, I feel that you see one __________ (fill this in with palace/temple/mountain/ruins) , you've seen them all! There are actually a lot of palaces in Korea but our group de...

I guess, one reason why I really enjoyed our trip to Seoul, South Korea was because it was a never-ending food trip! Our meals were not limited to just breakfast, lunch and dinner. Somehow, we would end up snacking even at odd hours. All throughout our trip, Paul and I hanged out with Richard, Irene and Lauren. It's a good thing that the 5 of us share almost the same taste in food and have the same shopping habits making it easier for us to maximize our schedule without wasting precious time. One evening, Richard and Irene were craving for something to eat at the hotel and that's were we spotted Two Two Fried Chicken , it is very similar to the Bonchon Chicken that's very popular here in Manila. However, its fried chicken comes in more flavors other than the usual soy garlic and spicy. Richard carefully brought his box of chicken back to the hotel and were even insisting that we join them as they feel that they can't consume the entire box of chicken. Paul and I dec...

One of the attractions that I made sure we didn’t miss was a visit up to the N Seoul Tower . Researching about it, I found out that this 236.7m communication tower also goes by several other names such as the Seoul Tower, Namsam Tower or the CJ Tower . For starters, the tower sits on top of the Namsam mountain located right at the heart of Seoul in South Korea . Going there was pretty easy as there are buses that will take you straight to the base of the mountain. Look for bus numbers 2, 3 or 5 as you get off either the Chungmuro or Itaewon Station. As for our group, we took the train to the Chungmuro statio n and seeing that the tower doesn't seem to look so far away, we decided to walk. Yep! The Food Club decided to burn off all those calories gained from eating and so we walked. Luckily, we had Peter, Paul and Richard with us who were amazing navigators as they led us through an underground shopping center and up towards the base of the funicular . glass elevator. There’s...

Paul and I had so much fun during our trip to Seoul, South Korea ! We enjoyed our trip so much that we are actually planning for a return visit next year. This time, hopefully to see the pretty autumn leaves in Nami. I'm really crossing my fingers and toes for this. Our trip was just perfect. The cool weather, our very accessible hotel, the places that we were able to visit and a lot more. Our home away from home -- Hotel Skypark 1 was located at the heart of Myeongdong . It was a good choice given that we just relied on reviews posted in Agoda.com and luckily, what we saw up close was exactly what was mentioned in the said reviews. Our hotel was located right in front of a famous fast food chain called Lotteria making it so easy to locate and so convenient should hunger strikes. Initially, I thought Lotteria originated in South Korea but researching about it told me that this brand actually opened first in Japan by a South Korean and later on found its way back to its mo...

Every time we travel, Paul and I make it a point to mix a little bit of cultural immersion to our regular eating and shopping spree. After all, every trip should serve as a learning opportunity for us to know more about the country, its people and its colorful culture. Be it a visit to the Chiang Kai Shek Monument and witnessing the changing of guards or watching the world renowned Siam Niramit show in Bangkok, we always enjoy being able to come home to Manila with these rich experiences that will definitely stay with us a lifetime. Researching and planning for our trip to Seoul, Korea led us to the Cookin' Nanta website which is said to be Korea's Best Musical Performance since 1997! According to the website, it's a non-verbal, musical performance that has traveled the world even reaching Broadway and approximately 42 countries worldwide. Wow! Reading this has instantly convinced me that we have to watch the show! It was our chance, after all. It's a good...

Who doesn't love rice? Well..I do! Born and raised here in the Philippines, we Filipinos are known to be avid rice lovers. Personally, I enjoy rice in all forms! You name it, I love em all! Paella, risotto, garlic rice (sinangag) , congee, brown rice, Thai Bagoong Rice, sushi and my one and only love -- FRIED RICE . In Korea, we enjoyed more rice options such as the ever-popular Dolsot Bibimbap which is somewhat like Fried Rice only it's not fried, Omurice and my long-time Korean favorite, the Kimbap . After traveling to Yeouido to see a line of pretty Cherry Blossom trees (hooray for Cherry Blossom Festival in April!) , we walked around the area to search for a place to have lunch. We saw a line of small eateries, some of which are filled with locals having their lunch break. It was then that we spotted Gimgane . Uncertain on what it serves, Richard, Rowena and I entered the restaurant to check the menu out. Thank goodness they have photos of their dishes on the wall ma...

It was our first day in Seoul, Korea and quite similar to most of our past trips, it was drizzling the entire day. I really do not know if we're (The Food Club) just bad with timing or one of us have a big balat (birthmark) that attracts rain wherever we go. I wonder who it is... *ahem ahem* Anyway, in some parts of the world, they consider rain as good luck so let's just think that we will all be blessed with lots and lots of good food! *burp* After taking our much needed rest at the hotel to make up for the lack of sleep due to our red eye budget flight, we walked around Myeongdong to check the place out. Some did a little window shopping, some actually did shopped already while some of us went to search for our dinner place! We didn't have to walk far as we quickly spotted the bright signage of Yoogane that's just a few blocks away from our hotel. Creating the group's itinerary, I did a thorough research and remember putting Yoogane down on my list of re...

I really miss Korea . The cool weather, the clean surroundings, the super organized transportation system and the FOOD! I miss the street snacks being sold in Myeongdong , the endless Korean barbecue and fresh unlimited refills of kimchi! Allow me to tell you more about my Seoul adventure next week. Every since Paul and I got back from our trip, we have been stuffing ourselves silly with all things Korean. Frequenting Korean barbecue places, filling our cupboard with Korean snacks and a lot more. This, I guess, was our way to happily reminisce on how fun Korea was. Do expect that we will definitely go back soon! One Sunday as Paul and I double-dated with my parents, we headed to Greenbelt 5 to have lunch at Bulgogi Brothers . It was upon an invite from the cool folks of BB as they wanted us to try their three new lunch sets which are available everyday from Monday to Friday. We went on a Sunday thus we were given a special preview. Thank you! Each set was good for two and sad...

In every country, there is a particular district that I have grown fond of. There's Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong and Raffles City in Singapore. As a result, I would tend to book hotels within these areas as I find myself most comfortable and at ease when staying in these places. Both districts are considered highly commercial areas as they are filled with lots of shops and restaurants making it so convenient for Paul and I to eat, shop and walk around at any given time of the day. After all, being in a foreign land, it's important to still feel safe to be able to fully enjoy and maximize the trip. As we got to our hotel in Korea , I immediately fell in love with Myeongdong . I love the fact that the entire place is filled with retail shops, food establishments and a lot more. There are a number of malls present such as the Lotte Young Plaza , Migliore and the huge high-end department store called Shinsegae . Just around our hotel, there are a lot of beauty shops which wer...

After arriving at Korea and making our way via the Airport Limousine Bus , we arrived at our hotel -- Hotel Skypark 1 -- located right at the heart of busy shopper's haven, Myeongdong . Since we got to the hotel a little past 10AM, we were told that our rooms were still not ready and we sadly had to go back at 2PM to check in. Not really a big problem for us as our hotel was strategically located beside retail outlets like Uniqlo, Mango, Gap, Skin Food and several food establishments like Lotteria (more on this later) , Smoothie King and a lot more. Not quite satisfied with our airport meal, we decided to head out to search for a place to have coffee and some snacks. Koreans must really love coffee as you'll see a lot of pretty coffee shops everywhere! The more popular ones being Cafe Pascucci , Starbucks Coffee , Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and Caffe Bene .We chose Cafe Pascucci which is located a few blocks away from our hotel. Paul and I shared this cup of Strawberr...