Jeju: The Island of Three Many (Random Stuffs)

Korean Air

This was my first time flying with Korean Air. The first flight that I took was the connecting flight to Jeju from Gimpo Airport.  I was surprised to see that it was a huge carrier and thought that the flight would be empty.  Boy, I was wrong as the flight quickly became full a short while after that.  

The short flight was pleasant and I have no complaints.  But I noticed that the seats in the aircraft serving the locals are a bit small - if you're a slightly large person you can just barely fit in the seat. I also took Korean Air for my flight to return KL and it was at par with MAS except that the halal food served is at best edible. But I don't really mind about  that. What I do mind is that check in process at the Incheon Airport took so long and I'm kinda surprised with that. So next time make sure you have spare ample time for the check in process if you intend to do some Duty Free shopping after that.

our flight to Jeju

Gimpo Airport.

Renting Pocket Wifi

These days Wifi is something that I cannot live without. ;-) I have had good experience in Sydney with the Yes Optus! Data Sim Card so i decided to rent a Pocket Wifi. There are a few options out there but at that point of time I decided that it most worth to go with SRoaming Pocket Wifi. The actual rental fee was KRW7,700 per day but when I picked up the pocket wifi at the airport, the guy manning the booth mentioned that there was a further discount. So the fee was KRW5,000 per day which is so worth it! Do take note that if you intend to travel to Jeju, you have to inform the person manning the counter as it requires a different type of pocket wifi. It was fortunate for me that I asked that day as I was given the one which only works in Seoul! It was my mistake for not detailing it out when I make the reservation online. You can book the pocket wifi in advance through their website, just to be safe, make sure you do that. 

I was having trouble at first to find their counter at the Incheon Airport. It have moved from the arrival floor to the departure Floor (5th Floor if Im not mistaken - be sure to double check.) The booth was towards the end of the airport and the booth was one of the last booths behind. I went round and round the place so many times I almost gave up when I realized that they used a different name on their signage. Their booth is botth No. 35 but the name they used was SRT instead of SRoaming. Dang! When I came back to the place a few days later to return the pocket wifi, I noticed that it had changed the booth name to the correct one. So make sure about the booth number to save you from hassle. 

there are a lot of booths in this area. mostly travel agents

SRoaming Counter - #35. It's the last booth

My lifeline

(So called) Hidden Gem Shopping Place in Namdaemun

I only had a few hours to spare on Friday morning before my flight back to KL . My original 

plan was to head out to Namdaemun to buy some brooches and then to Dongdaemun to look for blankets (i have a knack for blankets). I went out as early as 9.30 am and reached Namdaemun around 10 or slightly before 10. It was just 1 stop away from where I stay. I was a little unsure as to wether the e-lengdang (the building which has a lot of stalls selling brooches and accessories) was already opened at that time but I was relieved to see that they were. If you're in Malaysia, most of the shops are still closed at this time of the day. They only open at 11.00 am and some even at 12 pm! Most of the shopkeepers were having 

breakfast and some are already at their stalls crafting jewelerries. It looked like I was the only shopper at that time but they minded their own business and it did not felt awkward at all. I only bought a few brooches as they were quite expensive. 

After spending like half an hour at the place, I proceeded out the place and decided to just walk around and do some ppl watching since it was still early. Some of the shops were open and some was just about to open but there were still not many shoppers and the roads were 

clear. I totally love the ambience at that time. Not far from the e-lengdang, I stumbled upon an alley where there was a shop selling Korean cookwares and cuttleries. At first I was quite unsure if I wanter to walk into the alley but somehow i did. I explored a bit further inside, and somehow went inside an entrance and bammm.. there it was a bazaar filled with local stuffs like comforters, clothes, accessories, toys, handphone casings, souviniers and everything in between! there were a few floors and there were even floors dedicated to wedding / bedding stuffs, souviners , cookwares etc. It was like i hit a jackpot! (yes, drama.. haha) It was like a wholsales centre or something. Im not sure if this place is actually popular but I did not know anything about it before this.

And after that, my KRW was drained in no time. huhuhu.. one of my most prized acquisition was the jewellery box which costed me KRW 40 k (if im not mistaken) . That piece easily costs KRW70k in Insadong. So I scrapped my plan to go to Dongdaemun and spent all the time that I had at that place. Half a day is certainly not enough to explore the maze of alleys in the bazaar *sigh*.. Boy, how I wished I had the whole day ! Just be sure to be prepared with cash money as some shops do not accept credit cards. 

On another note, I was surprised almost all shops in Jeju accept credit cards including restaurants and small souvinier shops. You'll be surprised! and one thing that amazes me the most is how fast it takes to swipe ur cc South Korea. In Malaysia it takes ages to verify ur cc at the cashier at the wrath of people queing behind you....

Arrived Seoul quite late the day before. This is Myeongdong at 11 pm.

The alley I was talking about is near the yellow signage

I love!!

Bundles of comforters. I did not buy any though as I have spent all my money on something else ;-)

Buying Korean CDs in Myeongdong

Those who knew me will know that I'm a K-Drama junkie. I also listen to some Korean music as well. Mostly i listen to kdrama soundtracks and I dig Leessang. During my last trip to Myeongdong in 20011, I was not able to find any CDs store in the area. So I googled and found this guy's blog post about buying CDs in Myeongdong and I succeeded in finding the shop! I agree with him that shop #2 is the cheapest. I tried to find Leessang old CD - Assura Balbata but it's really  difficult to find :( . However, I'm still contented with my loot of CDs during this trip :D 

Loot :D. Stuffs bought in Jeju and Seoul. CDs on the bottom right.

Sejong Hotel

I picked Sejong Hotel as the place to put up the night due to its location. It's situated in Myeongdong - a shopping heaven and very very close to the metro station and the Airport Coach Bus Stop is right in front of its doorstep  - what else do you need? :D I will definitely come back to this hotel in the future if I return to Seoul (hopefully). 

Definitely recommended! 

Sejong Hotel Entrance

Take bus 6015 to go directly to the airport. Super cheap.

Jeju Cuisines

These are some Korean Foods that I had in Jeju. I had one of the best bibimbap at one of the Korean Restaurant near the Lotte Duty Free area at the Jungmun Resort Complex. I think it's because of the sauce (gochujang if im not mistaken). The ahjumma seems pretty upset and refuse to give me a second helping of the sauce when I requested it.. me and my friends were perplexed but we guessed maybe the sauce is expensive or something.. But to tell you the truth, I may had to much bibimbap during this trip I've had enough of it after the 6th day. erk... 

I only can take the abalone porridge.

this one is a no go for me. too adventorous

this one too. i wish they had salmon or tuna

the yummiest bibimbap of all!

bibimbap (again) at the airport

fell in deep love with pascucci hot choc

New Year Hotel Prices

Ok this is digressing from the whole topic, but i just have to share this amazing finding. I found out very recently that hotel prices are very-very cheap this week (1st week of 2014). I'm not sure if this is the norm, but it's really cheap yo! (In Malaysia, that is) Even for 5 stars hotels the prices are really worth it.. So, I'm making a mental note to check this out early next year to see if my theory of hotel prices are really cheap during early of the year is actually true. :D

At Random

1. Watched The Perks of Being A Wallflower recently. Falling in love with it. A++. Totally recommended! It's been a while since I'm really excited about any movie.. This one even topped the latest Iron Man installation. Love the lead role, he really carried the character well.

2. Alamanda is getting more happening these days. Many of my favorite stores and restaurants are opening their doors here. Earlier this year Uniqlo set its foot here and yesterday was Dorothy Perkins opening day. yeay! I was one of their first customers! haha... this is posing a very dangerous threat towards the health of my wallet. owhhh... What i like about it is that being a new outlet it has every size - my size is sold out in most of the branches! Tips, sign up for the Fashion Forward membership and get a RM30 voucher as well as enjoy 10% discount on all normal merchandise at Dorothy Perkins, Topman, Topshop, Ms Selfridge and Diva. I didnt know that Ms Selfridge is already here? Gotta check that out soon.  

Dorothy Perkins Alamanda

3. I've recently found the secret to cook a delicious Kimchi Jjigae. Yesterday I made the Kimchi Jigae with Beef Balls and it was the best Kimchi Jjigae I've ever made so far. The key is the longer you simmer the soup the better it tastes - minimum 30-45 mins. Also, add some anchovy stock to enhance the flavour. I used the maggi cube anchovy stock. My Recipe:

    Kimchi Jjigae with Beef Balls    
    - saute 2 cloves of garlic in sesame oil for a while and add the beef balls (i cut the beef 

       balls in half), cook until somewhat brownish   

    - after that put in the kimchi, gochujang and add water
    - let it boil for a while and add the anchovy stock
    - simmer for at least half an hour
    - Put in some spring onions and enjoy it while its piping hot!
 
Add ramen/noodles/other vege as u like. I had mine with the udon i bought a few days ago at Jusco. Made enough to save it for today. Cant wait for dinner tonite! Btw, I'm using the bakso beef balls which can be bought from Carrefour / Aeon Big. I think it's just perfect to use these beef balls with any kind of soup.

Kimchi Jjigae with Beef Balls and Vermicelli

Baso Sapi Beef Balls

4. I really have to buck up and complete my research / itinerary for our next trip or otherwise we will end up being lost later which will lead to frustration. Taking a taxi is not an option as taxis there are super expensive! I know I'll be super busy starting next week until right up to the trip but i still can't find the spirit to seriously get into it. Fighting!
http://feel100percent.blogspot.com/2013/05/at-random.html

Langkawi Island

Our last trip to Langkawi was kinda unplanned. It was not in our travel radar for this year but we kinda made last minute plans with my in laws. Since we didn’t have anything planned in May, we agreed to go. I did some comparison between MAS and AirAsia and to my surprise, ticket prices for MAS to Langkawi is very competitive. So, MAS it was. But before that, I tried to book our seats through their call centre as it cannot be done online. It was REALLY difficult getting thru, to my dismay I had to make numerous calls (okay it was 3 calls) to get it done. Different person answering the phone were giving different answers / solutions. What I don’t get is that when u travel with an infant with MAS, you’re kinda forced to take the bassinet, even if u don’t want to. To me, passangers should be given a choice as not all babies like to be in a bassinet, like our Q for instance. She would rather sit on my lap than sleeping in the bassinet. We got it solved at the airport when we checked in our luggage. 

Our inbound flight was a new aircraft, im not sure which model. But it had tv screens even in the economy section! The new cabin lightings were quite exclusive with different moods. Take-off and landing was not that smooth, I wonder if it’s a pilot in training.

I booked the Langkawi Seaview Hotel, where we stayed last year. The newly renovated room was pretty nice.. It was clean and spacious and the bed was comfortable. Breakfast has also improved a lot. The last time I stayed here breakfast was terrible. Nasi Lemak was quite delish and Q loved the porridge.

newly renovated room

Since I’ve been to most of Langkawi’s attractions, I was not that much excited to go sightseeing. The weather in Langkawi in early May was HOT. Blistering hot.. We went to the Bird’s Paradise and Wild Life Park anyway for the kids to have fun with the animals. Upon entry the staff will request to take pictures of you. If u don’t intend to buy the overpriced framed pictures at the exit point, do not waste ur time and skip the process. The Bird’s paradise is recommended for kids. Don’t forget to buy animal feed upon entering the park. Other attractions can be referred to this website http://www.langkawi-info.com/attractions/10-things-to-see.htm. The list differs from the one in trip advisor though. 

 

Our trip this time is a bit adventurous I would say. We went to the Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls and did island hopping to Pulau Beras Basah and Pulau Dayang Bunting. To get to the Telaga Tujuh Waterfall is quite very challenging. It involves climbing steep flight of stairs to get to the site. But it felt really good since it was a really long time since I last did any climbing. The waterfall are itself to me is quite small, so go on a weekday to avoid the crowd. 

However, the highlight of the trip was the island hopping. Man, it was the adventure of my life, in a bad way. I’ve taken so many boat rides before, but this was the WORST, EVER. It was unlucky for us to do the island hopping activity at this time cos it was not the right season at the Andaman Sea. The current was really strong probably because of the wind. I know for a fact that it’s the rainy season in Thailand, but it is a hot season for us.  The journey to Pulau Beras Basah was not so bad as it was sheltered by several small islands. Pulau Beras Basah beach has nice powdery white sand, it’s a shame we were not able to swim at the beach as the waves were high and strong. After one hour , we departed to the next island – Pulau Dayang Bunting.

Eagle Feeding on the way to Beras Basah Island

the resort was closed down

u can see the white waves from afar - its really choppy out there. that's the open sea (Andaman Sea). 

The boat ride to Pulau Dayang Bunting was really rough as we had pass through the open sea  - needless to say it was a VERY bumpy ride. At one point, our speed boat almost tipped over (FOR REAL), the waves were 3 meter high – I was shivering in my pants. Thank god that we managed to get back to the Jetty safely. I will not be able to forgive myself if anything happened to our Q.

I think it would be quite a while for us until we’ll be hopping on our next boat ride. I think I’ve lost it. I’ve always think of myself as a beach not so babe, but in this trip, part of the beach babe in me has died. I used to feel at one with the sea… Drama, haha. But seriously, I think I’m terrified thinking about the safety of our daughter. Even if we did go on a boat ride, it would have a been a thoroughly researched one.

Our next activity was shopping. Since Langkawi is a duty free island, it is a shopping heaven. Locals normally shop for table and kitchen wares, chocolates, cigarettes, perfumes and other duty free stuffs here. I was eyeing the limited edition Rayban Wayfarer – there was a 20% discount, but did not actually get it. A notable acquisition from the shopping trip was a pink Tefal wok which i got for RM75. As usual, can't resist Tefal, especially when its in pink. :P

I also would like to share a couple of places that we had dinner which is worth to try. Jai Island Cafe is one of the well known restaurants situated in Pekan (City) Kuah. It specialises on fusion cuisine with an affordable price. Do come early (before 8.00pm) as people will start coming after 8. However, do take note that it can be quite stuffy as there's no air-conditioning and limited fans. It would be best if u could sit by the river. Another worthy place to check out is the De Baron Bistro Cafe. It is very spacious with a lot of seating which is located by the sea and a cool place to hangout. There's a lot of food choices here ranging from asian to western. Best time would be during sunset as you can enjoy the view from the cafe.

De Baron Bistro Cafe

All in all it was an okay trip for us. Q enjoyed very much being with her cousins and that’s what mattered. On our way back home, we did talk on our next trip. Bandung or HCM maybe? We’ll see :P. 

On another note, we’ve secured our alternative destination to replace the now cancelled China Trip. I've read somewhere that the H7N9 flu is under control, but im not taking the risk. I’ve managed to get a refund on the hotel, but the flight fare is a lost case. Where to? Will reveal it after we come back :P. All I can say I’m psyched and keeping my fingers crossed hoping that everything will go smoothly. :) 

Johor Premium Outlets, Kulai Jaya, Johor

Our local destinations has always been towards the north i.e. Cameron Highlands, Langkawi, etc. The furthest we would go is to Malacca Town. However, since we visited JPO last year, JB has moved up the ranks. So proud that the FIRST Premium Outlet Center in South East Asia is in Malaysia! :)

Getting there, its easier if u have ur own car (best to update ur GPS s cos its a very recent addition) - the place is really out of nowhere and theres not even a petrol station or other buildings in sight around the area. Certain hotels provide shuttle busses such as the Pulai Springs Resort.i did saw taxis queing up ready to take passengers out of the place but i do not know how much it costs from JB (probably a bomb). So i guess its more convenient to stay at hotels that provides shuttle busses or stay and shop packages. Normally these hotels also offer packages with Legoland trip.

One good advise that i can give is that (as usual) its better to visit JPO on a working day - it really makes a difference cos from my experience, JPO is very crowded on weekends. Some of the stores can be really crowded such as Fossil and there will be a que at Coach if there is a promotion going on (even though its still much more expensive than buying from on9 blogshops). It will be quite difficult to move around especially if you have kids with you.

Theres not much activities for the kids here except that u can 1) rent a kiddie car stroller at RM30 (deposit RM100-refundable) - its quite bulky and u cant really go in the store with the stroller as its crowded (so the hubs has to stay outside :P) or 2) bring the kids to the small outdoor playground - which can be really hot during the day. Hope more facilities for kids will be provided in the future.

Among the outlets that i think is worth to check out in JPO are:

1) GAP - basic tees are really cheap. i once bought a trench coat less than RM200! such a bargain!
2) Fossil - woth to buy - full on weekends
3) Body Shop - so cheap , u can stock up on ur bath  & body care
4) Charles & Keith - up to 60% off
5) Padini Group - kids wear - MIKI, Seed, etc
6) La Senza - good bargains
7) MichaelKors, Levis, & Pedro - worth to buy
 
I have not been able to check out all the stores though. Will update in the future if i am able to. in terms of dining, there are not much choices available here - there are only a few dining outlets. Given a choice, i would prefer to eat outside. Sorry, not much pictures cos i think i have lost them? hmm.. i really thot i have taken some pictures but i couldn't find them. oh well, will upload them later if i manage to trace them..

almost deserted. but its totally different on weekends..

Johor Premium Outlets^®
Jalan Premium Outlets
Indahpura
81000 Kulaijaya
Johor Darul Takzim
Tel: (607) 661 8888
Fax: (607) 661 8810

GPS 1°36'11"N , 103°37'17"E
http://www.premiumoutlets.com.my/center-information