Tuesday, November 21, 2017

[Travelling Korea With Triba-East] What To Do in Daegu, Korea

Korea's fourth largest city, Daegu offers a peaceful, countryside feel that makes visitors feel at home immediately. The area is a major textile center for Korea, which is why it is also known as "Textile City" and is a major hub for metal and machine industries.

The most well-known sight of the city is the stone Buddha called Gatbawi, on top of Gwanbong, Palgongsan.

Romance Your Way In E-world


E-world is definitely a sight visitors would want to see in the morning as well as at night. E-world is the world's only European styled theme park which has a 220m high observation tower. The park holds 20 kinds of amusement facilities and rides, including a Sky Jump, Boomerang, Flume Ride, and Top Spin. The 83-floor high tower has an observation platform on the 78th floor. Visitors are able to have a picturesque view of Daegu even when using the toilet, which is a pleasant surprise.
At night, the 83 Tower Luminarie, which uses 8.3 million LED bulbs, displays one of the largest light shows in Korea.

Trick Your Eyes at Euroseum

Nestled in the 83 Tower (Daegu Tower) is also the Euroseum, where visitors can take all sorts of interactive pictures with friends and family.

Shopping at Seomun Market

The main products offered in the Seomun Market are fabric and textile products, such as silk, satin, linen and cotton, but this large market also offers a variety of other items, such as fruits, vegetable, dried fish, seafood, desserts, streetfood, shoes, herbs, ect. There are 4 districts in Seomun Market. District 1 offers linen and cotton while District 2 offers a variety of products. District 4 and District 5 offers clothing and assorted goods such as stainless steel tableware, ceramics, and cooking utensils respectively. This wholesale market offers the best bang for your buck with some bargaining possibilities, so it's definitely a place to shop for items.
Here, hungry visitors can find Kalguksu noodle, Boribap barley rice, Janchi-guksu noodle, flat dumplings, Korean sausage, fish case, Hotteok pancake, ect. Pork Alley is a short 11-minute walk away from Seomun Market.

Admire Murals at Mabijeong Village


The Mabijeong Mural Village is a beautifully decorated village that is the work of a single artist. Located a little way out of town is a stunning little hillside village that tells story after story with each painting. The legend goes that there was once a general who set out a rather unfair challenge for his horse. The general drew an arrow and let it fly. If the horse could out-run the arrow, then it was allowed to live. Failing that, the horse was killed and the villagers commemorated the memory of the horse by naming it Mabijeong, which means "the pavilion where a horse flew".
Murals decorate almost every inch of the 35 households in the village, all of which is accompanied by stories that a translation device can provide.

Hop on A Double-Decker Bus

Daegu City Tour offers all their tourist attractions at a glance on their double-decker bus, which operates from 9:30am to 6:40pm at a cost of 5,000won (with a 20% discount for foreign tourists). The bus starts from the Daegu City Tour bus stop, in front of Dongdaegu Train Station and moves to Pyeonghwa Market, Dongseongno, Gyeongsang-gamyeong Park, Modern Culture Alley, Seomun Market, Bangogae Seasoned Raw Fish Alley, E-World, Angirang Alley, Mr. Apsan Observatory, Suseong Lake Resort, Daegu Children's Hall, Kwang-suk Roak, Gukchae-bosang Memorial Park, and finally ends at Dongdaegu Train Station, which free embarking and disembarking with one time ticket purchase.


[Travelling With TribaEast] Shilla Millennium Park, Gyeongju, South Korea

Touted as the new paradigm of Gyeongju Tour, Shilla Millennium Park is a historic experience amusement park that prides itself in entertaining its guests with Korean History. It showcases the time-honoured history and culture of the Shilla Kingdom through a number of impressive stunt performances as well as immersive historically-accurate sculptures and constructions.

This beautiful site was used as the shooting grounds for the drama "Queen Seondeok, Great King's dream" since the materials used for the park were kept true to its roots. The studio was created using construction materials for traditional Korean houses, such as traditional tiles, natural material lumber, and stone.

Even if visitors aren't interested in the historical values of the park, the sights are breathtaking and the activities are entertaining. The Shilla Millennium Park is definitely worth a visit.

Admission costs 18,000 won for adults and 13,000 won for youths. After 4:30pm, cost of admission is reduced to 9,000 won and 7,000 won respectively. Seeing as how opening hours are only from 10:00am to 7:50pm, going in the morning is advisable. The park is closed every Monday during winter season.

Upon entering the park, visitors are treated with the sight of twelve Chinese Zodiac signs, repeated twice to make a total of twenty four regal statues. 
Further down is the Cheoyong waterfall, where a mask of a man, Cheoyong, lies beyond a continuous waterfall. Cheoyong was believed to be a man capable of exorcising demons. though literary historical records shared that Cheoyong was just an ordinary man.

Cheo Yong, a television series starring Oh Ji-ho, Oh Ji-eun and Jun Yeo-seong features a detective born with the supernatural ability to see, hear and touch ghosts, and subsequently solves mysteries with his special gift.

The main stage has performances everyday at 11:00am and 3:00pm. Secret of Heavenly Chest shows visitors the story of Hwarang Misi-rang, who protected the 1,000-year-long Shilla Kindgom by defeating another country with the three heavenly treasures. The enthralling performance will surely capture hearts.

Past the waterfall is the Shilla Souvenir Shop, where visitors have the chance to try out traditional Korean garments and capture stunning pictures in said traditional wear. There are two restaurants and a small snacks shop in the park to eat and rest. The restaurants are the traditional cafeteria and the Emile Burger House, a giant reconstruction of the smaller Emile Bell, the city's bronze bell cast in 771 C.E..

 There are a number of interactive activities that will keep visitors entertained, ranging from making pottery and sculptures in the Earthenware art studio and dyeing crafts and traditional art painting in the Art Atelier, to archery practice in the Korea Traditional Bow.
The Korea Traditional Bow area is also home to an overeager pupper waiting to play catch. 

The Pinery Tunnel is a particularly fun trail to take, especially at night. The stone crafts take an eerie sensation that brings goose bumps to even the bravest of visitors. With only the dimmest light to illuminate the path, stone statues take a sinister look. Pair that with random sounds of strings playing and the path is positively horrifying.

Results of arts and crafts is showcased past the stone sculptures. Earthenware litter the grounds beyond the tress with eyes that look on searchingly. Careful turning your back to these humanoid earth sculptures. 

Close by lies the eighty different looking Gangseung, ancient village protectors, who look as if they're speaking to incoming visitors.

The Shilla Royal Palace and set for drama "Great King's Dream" hides furthers from the front gate. 
The multitude of beautifully designed and built recreations of the traditional Korean palace grounds is not only enthralling, but simply breathtaking. Visitors feel as if they've walked into the past and it's hard not to, with sights like these...



Monday, November 13, 2017

[Lifestyle] Malaysia Subscription Box: Cubecrate October Box Featuring Oishi Tea, Savee Mask Malaysia, Candlenuts By Nadia, and More

Price: RM35/RM44 for Sabah/Sarawak
(Given a free in exchange for an honest review by cubecrate.com) 
Verdict: 4/10


Repurchase: NA

Cubecrate is a surprise subscription box that costs RM35 per month and includes a variety of locally sourced products ranging from beauty to decor and handmade items that you wouldn't think to try out on your own. For three months, the subscription is RM90. They also have a wine subscription if you're into fine wine, personalized boxes for a loved one, or an entire team of people, and many other options. ^^


Disclaimer: I received this box in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, as usual. ^^ You can also check out: 



September's Box



Cubecrate's October box was very aptly Halloween-themed. ^^ I actually scared myself a little opening the box at first, since they've decorated the box with spiders. lol. I actually closed the box again when I first opened it cause I thought actual spiders got in.

Oishi Tea: Black Tea
The Oishi black tea contributes to the black and orange theme nicely and #oishi is never too sweet so I can enjoy it without worrying about my calories intake. XD

Oishi Green Tea is brewed with 100% organic tea leaves, grown on certified organic plantations. Using only natural ingredients, Oishi preserves the authentic Japanese feel and flavor while maintaining the key benefits of green tea.

Oishi Malaysia: Facebook | Instagram

 Candle Nuts By Nadia

The orange candle is from Candle Nuts By Nadia, which smells really good. Cubecrate informed us that the candle is meant to be loose in case we'd like to remove it to use it as decorations elsewhere (or have a nice and spooky case for it). This smells pretty amazing and I've been slowly using it up the past few days.

Candle Nuts: Website | Instagram

 Savee Mask

An unexpectedly addition here is the Savee Malaysia face mask. These are locally made masks that, according to my West Malaysian friends, are found easily in markets. I've never seen them in stores here, but online prices start from RM1, which is fairly cheap. I'm actually quite excited to try these out and see how well they do! The ingredients list looks decent enough, and the charcoal mask is meant for detoxifying sensitive skin.

Savee Mask: Website
Cubecrate has also included a few pieces of Halloween tissues that are pretty fun.  They suggest using it for treat tables. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these. They feel too pretty to be used up as tissues and too flimsy as decorative pieces. XD

Anyways, this month's box has a nice combination of fun items and brands, though a little lackluster in terms of price. especially given that the oishi tea is only RM2 in supermarkets, the savee masks are RM1+, and the prices for the candle and the tissue papers aren't exactly substantial. But, it sort of makes up for it in the 'surprise' halloween factor, especially since the spider got a good scare out of me. Hopefully, next month's box will make up for this month's performance, I suppose. :) 

For the unitiated, Cubecrate also carter to custom favors, birthday boxes, wedding favors, and events!

Price: RM35
(Given a free in exchange for an honest review by cubecrate.com) 
Verdict: 4/10

Repurchase: NA

I also do quick, short reviews on my instagram so if you're up for it, do follow me here too! :D https://www.instagram.com/peachy_amy/

And Like my Facebook page? :D https://www.facebook.com/MalaysianBeautyHaul/


[Lifestyle] Malaysia Subscription Box: Cubecrate September Box Featuring Alys The Bakerland, The Tea Republic, How Smooth, and More

Price: RM35/RM44 for Sabah/Sarawak
(Given a free in exchange for an honest review by cubecrate.com) 
Verdict: 8/10


Repurchase: NA

Cubecrate is a surprise subscription box that costs RM35 per month and includes a variety of locally sourced products ranging from beauty to decor and handmade items that you wouldn't think to try out on your own. For three months, the subscription is RM90. They also have a wine subscription if you're into fine wine, personalized boxes for a loved one, or an entire team of people, and many other options. ^^


Disclaimer: I received this box in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, as usual. ^^ You can also check out: 



September's Box
This month's Cubecrate Box is a two-year anniversary box with familiar and new brands alike with a fun lantern that reflects the Mid-Autumn Festival. There are plenty of items in the box, but the thing that caught my eyes most is the gorgeous wedding-themed soap. 
How Smooth: Wedding Themed Soap
HowSmooth provides natural and organic handcrafted soap, bath, and body care. Their products are formulated using premium quality plant-based ingredients sourced mainly from Australia. They are 100% free from chemicals, artificial fragrance, animal fats, and alcohol, which are harsh on the skin. The bedtime range is a natural remedy designed to assist with calming both the body and the mind. 
This soap is made from Natural plant oil soap base, cold-pressed pure essential oil blend of bergamont, jasmine, cedarwood, and mineral colorant and it's expiring in April 2019, which gives me plenty of time to use it! :) 
HowSmooth: Website | Facebook | Instagram
Alys The Bakerland: Cookies
As usual, food caught my eye. Lol. The pack of cookies is absolutely delicious. It's found by Alyson, a food lover turned granola maker extraordinaire. I had this for lunch. It's delicious, healthy and deceivingly filling.

I really appreciate that it came with nutrition facts. There's 246 calories in this granola, which is really low. XD There's no added preservatives or flavoritsn and no refined sugar added. I really loved this. ^^

Alys The Bakerland: Website ; Instagram 
The Tea Republic: Lavender Blue Tea
Something I've yet to try is the Lavender Blue Tea from The Tea Republic. Started in December 2010, the tea republic has more than 50 types of teas and operates from Bangsar Shopping Center. Their online store was launched in 2013 and they offer a wide variety of tea that you can choose on based on your mood, either for relaxation, staying focused, being healthy, or trying something exotic. ^^

I've been putting off using this tea just cause it's so fancy! This is a sample of organic butterfly pea flowers blended with lavender. Brew for 5-8 minutes in hot water, and then add lime juice and watch the color change! Just the fun factor alone is enough to wow me. XD

The Tea Republic: Website | Instagram
WunderBath: The Lightbulb Brightening Moisturizing Body Spray
The next item is a body spray from Wunderbath. I've tried their soaps before and they're mild and quite nice to use, so I'm quite excited to try something else of theirs. 

This is a brightening moisturizing body spray made with papaya, lemongrass, lavender, and licorise. The scent is light and soothing and I kind of hope that the lemongrass scent will be strong enough to deter moistuquitoes. So far so good. XD Not sure if that's what they were going for, but it works! 

Wunderbath: Website | Instagram



Included are also two cash vouchers. Unfortunately, I can't use either since they're both based in West Malaysia. First is the RM50 cash voucher for Aria The Label, which is a fashion outlet for women while the second is a spa service voucher.

The whole box is pretty good, though I have to admit being a little disappointed for having vouchers in the box that I couldn't use.

For the unitiated, Cubecrate also carter to custom favors, birthday boxes, wedding favors, and events!


Price: RM35/RM44 for Sabah/Sarawak
(Given a free in exchange for an honest review by cubecrate.com) 
Verdict: 8/10

Repurchase: NA

I also do quick, short reviews on my instagram so if you're up for it, do follow me here too! :D https://www.instagram.com/peachy_amy/

And like my Facebook page? :D https://www.facebook.com/MalaysianBeautyHaul/