Category Archives: South Korea

Photography Fun at the Trickeye Museum in Seoul

21 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by in Asia, Seoul, South Korea

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Mr. Selfish and I have posted our fair share of silly photos on this blog. This post is to rule over all of those photos. We went to the Trickeye Museum in Seoul, which is located at Seogyo Plaza B2, 357-1, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu. The museum uses the technique of trompe l’oeil to make masterpieces and other scenes into 3-D interactive photo opps.

The first part of the museum consists mostly of converted masterpieces.

Trickeye 01Classic ArtTrickeye 04Trickeye 05Scream

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Staying at the Westin Chosun

20 Monday May 2013

Posted by in Accommodations, Asia, Seoul, South Korea, Starwood, Travel Hacking

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Since we were spending our 4-year anniversary in Seoul, I decided to book us in a hotel I knew Mrs. Selfish would love: the Westin Chosun.  After staying at the Westin Munich and the Westin Bangkok, Mrs. Selfish and I were solidly in the Westin camp, thanks largely due to their “heavenly bed.”

The Westin Chosun was a great pick.  Not only did it match the Westin brand (even maintaining the Westin smell, which is kind of creepy), but the location is extremely convenient.  It’s within walking distance of many of Seoul’s historic sites, and only a short metro ride away from Gangnum and other areas.

It also gave me an opportunity to take advantage of Starwood’s buy 4-nights, get 1-night free redemption policy. The Westin Chosun is a category 5 hotel, so booking a room cost us 48,000 SPG points.

Getting There & Check-In

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Getting to the Westin from Incheon Airport was a very smooth process, thanks to the airport limousine bus service, which departs from bus stop 4B/11A.  Mrs. Selfish and I purchased two tickets on the bus for about 15,000 won each (around $14.50), and only had to wait 5 minutes.  An hour later, we arrived at the Westin!

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Savoring Seoul Food: Bulgogi, Galbi, and Bibimbap

19 Sunday May 2013

Posted by in Asia, Food & Drinks, Seoul, South Korea

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Of the primary Asian cuisines, Mr. Selfish and I probably have the least amount of experience with Korean food. We didn’t officially become foodies until our time in Orlando, which does not have much of a Korean food scene. As a result, we knew that we had to maximize our time in Seoul and try as many Korean food as possible.

Bulgogi is grilled marinated beef, and it was listed as #23 on CNN Go’s list of the world’s most delicious food. The meat is typically marinated with soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and pepper. It is then grilled and served with lettuce and a dab of ssamjang (a thick spicy paste).

We ate bulgogi from a little restaurant across the street from the Westin hotel that I had discovered from a thread on Chowhound. The restaurant didn’t have an Internet presence otherwise and seemed to be called “Korean Restaurant.” It was quaint, had a great atmosphere with jazzy music, and had traditional real-wood grills for each table.

Seoul Food 30Seoul Food 23Seoul Food 22

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The First Palace We Visited in Seoul: Changdeokgung Palace

18 Saturday May 2013

Posted by in Asia, Seoul, South Korea

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Mr. Selfish and I spent five days in Seoul. Prior to our arrival, we had heard all of the headline news concerning North Korea’s aggressive rhetoric against the U.S. and its installation of missiles on the launch site. I am happy to say that we survived our stay in Seoul, which was entirely without incident.

Seoul has five grand palaces that were built during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897). Most of them were severely damaged during the Japanese occupation from 1910-1945. The first palace we visited was the Changdeokgung Palace, of which only 30% of the pre-Japanese structures are still in existent. This palace is known for being built according to the natural topography as opposed to imposing its architecture on the land.

Seoul 02Seoul 03Seoul 04Seoul 05

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5 Observations on Crazy South Korea

17 Friday May 2013

Posted by in Asia, Rant, South Korea

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Mrs. Selfish wasn’t particularly keen on South Korea when I booked our Asian flights.  I wasn’t sure what to expect myself – would it be like a knock off version of Japan?  Just how popular is Gangnam Style anyway?  Is eyelid surgery really that prevalent? And what’s going on with those crazy k-pop idol groups?

Although we only had 5 days in South Korea (in the midst of nuclear tensions, no less), we definitely saw some strange things in Korea.

1. South Korea is totally bad ass.

From what we saw, South Korea seems prepared for any craziness the North might inflict upon them.  Most subway stops seem to have gas masks, and many of the underground malls double as shelters.

Gas masks in the subway for fires… and presumably more!

When the s*** goes down, it’s time to hit the ‘bucks!

During our time in China we received tons of worried emails from relatives (thanks mah!), so I was a little nervous when we hit South Korea.  South Koreans, on the other hand, didn’t seem to bat an eye at the antics of those crazy ‘ol North Koreans. Ice. Cold.

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