Kuching Fest 2018 - Must Try! Watermelon Ice Cream, PokeBowl, Crocodile Meat, and More!

One of the most look-forward to yearly events in Kuching is the Kuching Fest celebration that's held throughout the month of August. In addition to various performances, musical concerts, galleries, exhibitions and garden shows, the event is host to more than 200 food stores all congregating in a single location. The food, is, admittedly, the highlight of the event. 

The annual event is organized by Kuching South City Council and held yearly at Dewan Masyarakat along Jalan Padungan from July 27th to August 19th. This year, Kuching south City Council (MBKS) banned the use of styrofoam packs in order to encourage the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). There are a total of 287 food stalls, including 15 serving halal food in the festival in 2018. 

Getting to the location is an exercise in patience, since the issue of traffic jams has never quite been solved. Getting a parking spot is another problem altogether, though if you don't mind a little walking (especially after getting stuffed with all the different food in Kuching Fest), then it's not a problem at all. That said, I recommend using Grab if you're not into driving through traffic. If you've never used Grab before, my referral code: KUCHING2018 gets you RM3 off your first ride (which means if you live near enough to kuching fest, it might end up being a free ride. lol). I would rather just have someone drop me off at the front door for a fee than worry about getting a parking space for my car. ^^ 

I've managed to try a selection of different items in Kuching Fest this year and have opinions. OPINIONS! Lol. Here's all the things I've tried and what I thought about them! Unfortunately, I visited a bunch of these stalls during heavy rain, so I hadn't had the chance to take pictures of everything. :( Also, do bear in mind that this are just my opinions. I'm entitled to like or dislike stuff, as are you. That said, here're some of the things I tried this Kuching Fest and what I thought of them! 

1. Ice Cream

Fried Ice Cream is one of the stalls that I didn't manage to take a picture of, but Fried ice cream is, in my humble opinion, a must try item during Kuching fest! I'm not sure if it's available any other time of the year, honestly, and for RM2.50 per piece, it's a bite into nostalgia that's not to be missed for sure! It's a bread-wrapped ice cream (flavor of vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate), that's deep fried. Crunchy and sizzling hot on the outside and ice-cold ice cream inside. Yum!

There is a ridiculous amount of ice cream selections during this year's kuching fest, including Burnt Ice Cream (Stall 211b), which is basically an outer layer of marshmellow that's scorched to perfection wrapped around a layer of peanuts and an ice cream.

There are more Watermelon Milk Ice Cream stalls than I could count. It's like everywhere I turned, there's another watermelon ice cream stall. I suppose it's a good pick-me-up for hot weather, but 2/3 of the Kuching Fest this year is dreary weather, either raining, drizzling, or thunderstorming, so I wasn't particularly keen on getting wet from the rain + ice cream. Nevertheless, it's a fun refreshment and the watermelon will counteract all the fried food items you're bound to have later on. :P Another fruit-themed ice-cream dessert I've been seeing around is Coconut Ice-Cream. At RM8.00 per piece, I deem this waaaay overpriced and since I'm not a huge fan of coconut-themed dessert that's not like, coconut water, I didn't even bother. Still, I notice their business is pretty good though, so people seem to enjoy it. 

I-stick (Stall22) caught my attention due to sheer cuteness. The ice cream deserts are all designed in a cute-sy matter that's immediately instagrammable. Not my cup of tea and hardly worth RM8 unless you're really into taking cute pictures. 

2. Cheesy Chicken 

Another food option other than watermelon ice cream that's springing up like mushroom after rain is cheesy chicken, which is deep fried chicken with a melted cheese inside the layer of chicken. There are a couple of stores that sell this and from what I've gathered from friends and family, the consensus is that the more money you pay for the chicken, the more cheese you get. If you're really a fan of chicken and cheese together, splurge a little. It's worth it! 

The stall I tried is 71, which has the cheesiest option at RM15. It's quite worth it. The cheese is super stringy inside and melted just the right amount. It's delicious, to be fair, but RM15 for flattened chicken with cheese is expensive lah. ><

3. Poke Bowl (70A) 

The only store in Kuching Fest selling something marginally healthy is the pokebowl stall that's, unfortunately, quite well-hidden. But if you're gonna try the cheese chicken from Stall 71, they're right next door! Lol. 

The colorful mixture of meat and vegetable on rice makes a full meal on it's own. I tried the braised pork, which is well-seasoned and tastes pretty good with the fresh vegetables and edamame soybean (yum!). This is a good option if you're tired of all the deep-fried monstrosities in kuching fest, or would just rather have something less unhealthy to go with all the meat-selection that you've gotten. :P The price for pork is RM9, if I remember correctly? Their price ranges from RM7 - RM10, which is probably one of the cheapest option for an actually balanced meal you'll find in kuching fest. 

I'd suggest sharing this and eating it with other meat options though! Since there's so many things to try in kuching fest. 

4. Taiwanese Sausages 

Some things never change. The selection of taiwanese sausages available in Kuching Fest is no exception. I've seen this available for years and years. I'm not a particularly big fan of mystery meat myself, but Kuching Fest calls for an exception and I managed to try a few. Still not a big fan. Lol. You'll have your options if you enjoy them, since there are multiple stores selling taiwanese sausages during the event. 

5. Souffle! 

Souffles are baked egg-based dishes that are meant to be crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. The souffles available during kuching fest are pancake souffles, which is a breakfast trend in Japan. Instead of cooking the souffles in the oven, the pancake souffles are made just the way pancakes are made, except the egg whites are beaten beforehand to soft peaks, and then folded into the pancake mixture in order to obtain the fluffy, airy, souffle-like texture. The batter deflates quickly, so it's meant to be eaten as soon as you get it.

These are lovely desserts and worth a try if you're not keen on making them at home on your own! About RM10 for ~2 piece of souffle pancakes with a flavor of your choosing, which isn't too expensive. :) If you're an adventurer, this recipe worked pretty well for me! :) 

6. Dragon Beard Candy 

This is another item that I don't see very often outside of Kuching Fest, and it's something that I always pick up whenever I go. :) The stall 193, has a few selections of filling for the candy. I'm normally a huge fan of sugary deserts and dragon beard candy, which is a handmade traditional art in China, a type of pulled candylike taffy that's flossy-delicate and melt-in-your-mouth delicious is... just not. I'm not sure if it's because the pack that I bought has been sitting out for a while, or if my expectations were too high, but eating the candy is a chore, which isn't how eating sugar-based desserts is supposed to go. :( Major disappointment. 

7. Crocodile Meat 

One of the biggest attraction this Kuching Fest is the Crocodile Meat stuffed in a bun. It sells like hotcakes and the customer service here is quite bad. Lol. You could wait here for half an hour and not get anything, which is what happened to a few of my friends during the kuching fest. If you're not keen on waiting and really really want to try Crocodile meat, Juniper, which, if is linked to the stall anyways, sells Crocodile Chop in their restaurant. :) The meat has a fish-like texture and a chicken-like taste with a gamey aftertaste that lingers in your mouth. It's probably due to the fact that the crocodile sourced are wild. I'm personally not a fan but I'm sensitve to gamey aftertastes of wild meat, so maybe you'll like it. It's just like, my opinion, man. 

Regardless, it's worth a try if you're in it for the wow-factor, and the smaller serving (RM10 for 3 pieces) is a good thing in the sense that the flavors added can probably cover the taste, but don't go into it expecting something life-changingly delicious. >< 

8. Miscellanous 

No Kuching fest outing is complete without trying all the little things available. The whole point is to gouge on unhealthy stuff you normally won't get your hands on. Leave all plans of dieting at the gate please. Lol. The deep fried Oreos available in Auntie E's Sweet Treats (Stall 130B) are well worth a look. There's also Enoki Golden Mushroom, both of which are near the front gate. ^^

You can also get your hands on plenty of skewered meat, even more ice cream treats, and all the dessert. Like, legit. All. The. Desserts. 

I went to Kuching Fest more times than I can count this year and couldn't even try like, a fraction of a fraction of what they have to offer. My overall opinion on it is surprisingly okay lah. If you go early enough, (5pm-6pm), you can avoid all the crowd that comes after. Then again, half the fun of these events is the crowd ofo people. ^^ 

I'm the first to admit there are way too many ice-cream stores this kuching fest. The grab driver that dropped me off was a representative for Nestle and he had 30+ clients. There's way, way too many and I wonder if they were profitable. 

With almost 300 stores, it's surprising to note that there's a startling lack of variety unless you do your research and really know what to look for (half the fun of kuching fest is to be surprised though!) Hopefully, we get more variety when Kuching Fest returns next year. :) 

[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...

[Lifestyle - Travelling With Triba-East] Day 5 - 6: Vivaldi Park Ski World And Back To Kuching

How time flies when you're having fun. However, by the fifth day of the trip, I was starting to feel a little exhausted. At first I thought it was just my period being annoying, but it turns out I ate something that gave me stomach flu. :( That means the last two days for the trip was both exhausting and a total blur. 

As luck would have it, TribaEast, which had arranged majority of the trip for me, had planned for the skiing trip to be on the last full day in Korea. The trip was RM300 per person paid to TribaEast, so I paid a total of RM600 for the both of us prior to the trip. It was only when we were on the resort that we were told that the amount did not cover for the skii lifts, which cost and addiitonal 55,000won, adding a whooping 110,000won to our skiing expenses. That's an additional RM400+, so the skiing was actually RM500 per person and more than RM1000 for two of us. If I had known in advance how fucking expensive this was going to be, I would've gladly chosen to opt for the Seoul Everland park instead, which is RM138 per person. 

Honestly, I'm still quite pissed about this additional payment, since I was under the impression that payment to Tribaeast would cover the whole day. Evidently, they did not see the need for skii lifts since we could just play with skiing... on a small slope? For a whole day? Jesus. As you can tell, it really soured the experience, expecially since we were down to our last 150,000won and thankfully, had just enough to cover our trip back to the airport.

The rest of my experience had been good though, as you can see here: 

How To Plan a 6-Day Personalized, Budget-Friendly Tour To Seoul, Korea

Day 1: From Kuching, Malaysia To Myeong-Dong, Korea With Public Transportations

Day 2: Christmas Village, Snow Sled, & Strawberry Farm, Seoul, Korea

Day 3: Petite France & Nami Islance 

Day 4: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Insadong, Noryangjin Fish Market, Dongdaemun Design Plaza

As you can probably guess based on the track record we had so far, the day started really bright and early! The tour bus that TribaEast had arranged for us picked us up at the meeting point before the sun had even risen and we were both understandably groggy. Add that to the fact that the people leading the tour spoke almost exclusively in Cantonese makes for two very lost tourists (me & my bf).

Still, we were determined to make the most of the trip! First, they drove us to a skii-rental station where we were all geared up with the appropriate, and super fancy outfits!

Vivaldi Park Ski World is an hour away from Seoul. It has a total of 12 slopes and 10 lifts, including gondola, with a maximum occupancy of 20,000 people.

Different slopes are available for visitors for different levels, with beginner's incline with only 5 degrees and 9*, to a maximum of 28* for experts!

Since we weren't allowed to bring our belongings with us while we were skiing, we had to rent a locker as well. I would defintiely suggest paying for the locker, since losing your stuff is never worth saving that extra bit of money. :) The whole place is quite packed, and its easy to lose sight of your items when you're up the slope.

The tour that we joined included a mini introduction to not fall on your ass butt immediately as you step on the skiing boards. I swear, this is one of those things that's a lot harder than it looks, but it certainly has a steep learning curve. By the end of thirty minutes of painstakingly hiking uphill in too-heavy skiing equipments, we decided to ditch the beginner's class and make our ways up the skii lift.

It's a long, long, long queue up, and a short trip down. The queue is simply ridiculous, since we were there during the weekend. That means we spent half an hour to an hour lining up to get on the lift, and then ski down in all of five minutes. Rinse. Repeat.  When we were there, there were students who could bypass the queueing altogether, which made the lines even slower! I hated that.

By day 5, I wasn't feeling at all fine already. Everything was sore. This is compounded by the fact that in the middle of showering the previous day, the hot water disappeared. That means I was showering with cold water. In winter. Fuck that. 

My wonderful bf and waited with me in between each downward skii so I could rest a little, then resume skiing. It's a long, long, long queue up, and a short trip down. The queue is simply ridiculous, since we were there during the weekend. That means we spent half an hour to an hour lining up to get on the lift, and then ski down in all of five minutes. Rinse. Repeat.  When we were there, there were students who could bypass the queueing altogether, which made the lines even slower! I hated that.

We had fun though! It was just exhausting since I wasn't feeling my best. Thankfully, the horrible symptoms of stomach flu only started presenting itself after we returned from the trip, which was to say I spent the night in the bathroom. T.T  We managed to see this adorable mascot on the walk back though! ^^

My bf decided to have a Mc.Donalds dinner since they serve bacon with their meals! ^^ He loved it. The buns were more fresh than we're used to back hom, and bacon is delicious. We also ran across this silly thing on the way back. Hehe.

Unfortunately, the night was spent vomitting and basically just getting rid of everything in my stomach, which was awful. My bf was perfectly fine, but I was pretty much dying. Lol. We made our way back exactly the way we arrived, via train, since there was a toilet in the train that I knew I could use, and I didn't want to subject the poor bus to that.

We managed to get our hands on some pills to help with my stomach cramps and problems, which I took on the flight back and tried my best not puke my lungs out. :(

Nothing I took made me feel better, and I was sick and vomiting for an entire week after I returned from the trip, occasionally getting up to drink some water. 

What a way to end a holiday. It wasn't the best resolution, but that's the way life is. Messy, imperfect, and occasionally well, shit happens.

I had a good experience though, and it gave me this amazing picture that I'm really in love with. 

Most of the trip was planned with the help of Triba-East Travels, which I really appreciate. I'd love to plan my next trip wtih them as well. :) They have deals locally, in Malaysia, as well as in other countries, such as Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, and China.

Book Your Tour With Triba-East Travels Here

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[Lifestyle - Travelling With Triba-East] Day 4: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Insadong, Noryangjin Fish Market, Dongdaemun Design Plaza

James picked us up bright an early on Day 4 to bring us on a tour around the city. I had the ceral and soya that the airbnb place provided while my bf opted for noodles. We were debating whether we wanted to go to a theme park, since Triba-East had tickets for those on their site as well, or experience more of Seoul. Ultimately, we decided that if we wanted theme parks, we could've bought a ticket to Singapore and have a go at Universal Studios there. The rest of my trip is here if you haven't read them yet:

How To Plan a 6-Day Personalized, Budget-Friendly Tour To Seoul, Korea

Day 1: From Kuching, Malaysia To Myeong-Dong, Korea With Public Transportations

Day 2: Christmas Village, Snow Sled, & Strawberry Farm, Seoul, Korea

Day 3: Petite France & Nami Islance 

James collected us from the airbnb early, and then we were on our way.We turned down the road, away from the hustle and bustle of touristy Myeong-Dong and further down to where the locals were, at Cheong Gye Cheon, to tall skycrapers with glass windows and steel supports. The roads were empty, but James brought us down the stairs to a wall of history.

James told us that the scenery would've been much more breathtaking if we had chosen to go during any other season. As luck (and poor planning on my part) would have it, we went during winter, where the leaves have all dropped and the branches were bare, still, the murals on one side of the path provided us with rich history.

"In the second lunar month of 1795, King Jeongjo, the 22nd monarch of the Joseon Dynasty, accompanied by his mother, Queen hyegyeonggung Hong, visited the tomb of his father, Prince Sado, at Hwaseong to commemorate his father's 60th birthday. Upon returning to Seoul, the king ordered the compilation of Wonhaeng Eulmyeo Jeongni Eugawae, a column of sketches commemorating King Jeongjo's royal progress to Suwon."

"This book includes paintings showing the royal processsion departing from Changdeokgung Palace and crossing Gwangtonggyo Bridge to Hwaseon with an entourage of 1,779 people and 779 horses. The most talented court painters, including Kim Hong-do, were commissioned to produce this piece. It fully expresses the dignity and authority of the royal court and the free-spirited and joyful mood of the people."

"This piece is of great historical value as it is both a genre painting and a documentary painting on the royal court. It provides insight into the formalities, customers, and composition of a royal procession of the times."

The end of the journey brought us to a nice view and a way out.

We weren't quite sure where we were at this point, but it was very pretty, and James knew the way to the palace, so we just let him lead the way.

Unbeknownst to us, we were a mere hour's walk away from one of the ongoing demonstrations that called for the resignation of President Park. It was interesting, seeing people set up props for the peaceful demonstration. There were even camps along the path, for those willing to stay the night. Police were stationed as well, but they were a distance away. 

But first, we managed to find our way to the Sejong Center, where there's a mini underground museum where we could read the story of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sunshin.

There was also an assortment of historical recreations that was accompanied by english translations!

We spent a little while here, since both of us were more excited to be going to the palace. The palace was named Gyeongbokgung Palace, the "Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven" with mount Bugaksan to its rear and Mount Namsan in the foreground. The site of the palace was in the heart of seoul. The main royal Palace was completed in 1395, 3 years after the Joseon Dynasty was founded by King Taejo.

You can have a virtual tour of the Palace on their official website here: Royal Palace. If you only have time for one Palace visit in Korea, make it this one. It's the oldest , largest, and grandest of the Palaces. 

James revealed that the reason he wanted us there early was in order for us to experience the guard-changing ceremony. The guard's bright colored costumes and reenactment of the original ceremony is worth experiencing. The performance times are as follows:

Sumunjang (Royal Guard) Changing Ceremony 

10:00, 14:00 / 20 minutes per ceremony 

Gwanghwamun Gate Guard-on-Duty Performance 

11:00, 13:00 / 10 minutes per ceremony 

Sumungun (Gatekeeper) Military Training (outside Hyeopsaengmun Gate)

09:30, 13:30 / 15 minutes per ceremony

We entered the palace shortly after the guard change, and then waited for James to get our tickets. ^^ Have I mentioned James is the best? In the meantime, we took a few selfies! ^^

The first gate of the palace can be entered without tickets, but the second required purchasing tickets, which were pretty cheap at 3,000 won per person 19 and above, and 1,500won for ages 7-18. It's free for those ages 6 and under. 

The palace was brimming with tourists, and there were more than a few tour groups that spoke english and brought along with them a parade of tourists like us.

I always found it a little easier to travel away from big tour groups and take our time looking and what the palace has to offer and just enjoy the experience.  After all, views like these is best experienced without the chatter of the crowd and a million other people in your picture. :)

However, if you're curious about the history of the palace and want to learn more, there are free guided tour that's available in 3 languages, English, Chinese, and Japanese at different times. Tours last for an hour to and hour and thirty minutes with a limit of 30. Individuals of less than 10 people can just join the tour on a walk-in basis, or you'd need to make a reservation. 

Tour in foreign languages English : 11:00, 13:30, 15:30 Japanese : 10:00, 12:30, 14:30 Chinese : 10:30, 12:30, 14:00, 16:00

We exited through the back, where James pointed out we could see the residence of the now-former president of South Korea, President Park as well as Mount Bugaksan. This is the Cheongwadae Presidential Blue House, so named because of the blue roof (probably?). There were security guards around us to make sure we didn't try to trespass, but they were fine with pictures. :)

Instead of heading back, James brought us further down the road, where we noticed that there were more and more armed police as well as their busses. James duly informed us that the trial was taking place at the courthouse, but we should just keep going our way.

Look at James, walking behind the police force as if he's one of them. They were very aloof about us being in their way and walking together with them, which is really nice. ^^ We enjoyed walking alongside South Korea's police force. Made us feel important. XD

James brought us to the traditional, less-travelled part of Seoul, where we could see the ways of living, away from the city area. The houses were all distinct and wonderfully designed, created with their own peculiarities. Afterwards, he treated us to a wonderfully spicy seafood platter.   

The meal was interesting and nothing like what we're used to, and way too much for three. I wish we could tapao this back home, but alas, it was too much.

James had a bottle of soju in the midst of the meal while we opted for plain water alongside the savory dish. As usual, it was accompanied by several side dishes that were part sour and part spicy.

Afterwards, we continued our journey to Insadong Free Market, where we enjoyed cheaper street food and several sounvenir shops.

Away from the touristy areas, the items are significantly cheaper. Insadong has everything you could dream of buying, from the wide choices of food, to galleries of art, tea, traditional clothing, more food, and souvenirs. There's also the occasional event taking place, which in our case, was a traditional music show! ^^

We weren't looking to buy more things, so James asked if we were interested in seeing the local fishmarket. We were curious enough that we agreed. Noryangjin fish market was a short train ride away.

Kuching, Sarawak, where I'm from, is quite well known for our seafood but Noryangjin's fish market took it to another level altogether. The seafood here must've grown in the land of giants. Fish were so fresh they were still moving (except for the obviously dead one in the picture above) and they were gigantic! 

We enjoyed looking at all the seafood available, but I would recommend this place not for the exotic fish, but for the fact that you can choose the fish here, pay for said fish, and then request for them to be cooked in the stalls they have either attatched to the fish vendors, or upstairs, where there were restaurants ready to cook the seafood you've just purchased for a fair price!

Seeing as we arrived freshly having eaten lunch, we skipped on the meal option. But honestly, I'd recommend this place for a nice lunch or dinner. The trip by train is easy enough, since the Noryangjin stop is directly opposite the fish market.

Afterwards, James brought us to Dongdaemun so we could have a view of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, the newest and most iconic landmark of the Korean design industry. The peculiar building is designed by world renowned architect, Zaha Hadid and the plaza is th eworld's largest atypical architecture. There's five halls in the plaza, Art Hall, Museum, Design Lab, Design Market, and Dongaemun History and Culture Park.

The Design Market is the one that we wandered into, and that offered cultural experiences as well as some shopping. ^^ The Art hall, as the name suggests, is where trade shows, exhibitions, fashion shows, concerts and performances take place. James told us that it's worth staying till the sun sets and enjoy the night view of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, while he had to head back to the office. 

It was an absolute pleasure visiting so many places alongside James. And it's also quite miraculous how much walking we did in one day. XD We literally walked to Gyeongbokgung Palace. How awesome is that? We wouldn't have been able to visit most of these places if not for James. We had so much travelling done and it was really worth the experience.

Since we were in Dongdaemun, my better half and I decided to take James's advice and stay the night instead of heading back to our room. Even with James's numerous intstructions on how to get back to our stop from the train, he didn't anticipate our lack of sense of direction, because once we exited the station, we completely forgot how to get back. Lol.

No matter. We needed to get food anyways! Street food in Dongdaemun is literally half the price of food in Myeong dong! We had a ridiculous amount of food. We had a custard red bean bun for 2000won, bacon bun microwaved 3500won (this tasted pretty bad. :( ), and 3 Cabbage buns for 6000won. We originally bought one, and liked it so much we came back for more, We also stood had a fish cake and fish roll for 1000won each. 

I also got a strawberry crepe with nutella for 3500won, which is stupidly delicious. We walked past a fruit stall, where I bought a pack of ~10 pessimons for 5000won. They were delicious af. 

After a few wrong twists and turns, we managed to get our way back to the Design Center, which really is beautiful at night. A magnificently designed marvel that gives you the best opportunity for camwhoring sessions like this one! 

Unfortunately, by this time I was starting to feel a bit under the weather, so we called it a day and headed back to the hotel... after spending a little while looking for the train. Lol. The train ride back to Myeong Dong was 1250won per person. 

I purchased 13,900won's worth of masks as souvenirs for friends and family. ^^ I had already started to lose my apetite by the end of the long day, but my better half had a better immune system and continued eating! He wanted to have McDonalds of all things! So we ordered a burger with bacon strips!

This cost 8,900won and is worth every won! It was delicious! Well, what little I tasted anyways. Someone (not me) ate most of it while I wasn't paying attention. Lol. 

Total Expenses: 47,000 won / RM183

Majority of today's tour was curtesy of James and Triba-East Travels. 

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