18 Hours in Fukuoka: The Grand Hyatt

24 Friday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Accommodations, Asia, Hyatt, Japan, Travel Hacking

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Grand Hyatt Fukouka, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Travel Hacking

After bidding farewell to the Westin Chosun in Seoul, Mrs. Selfish and I boarded the 5am airport bus for Incheon Airport. Two flights and 9 hours later we arrived in Fukuoka Airport, Japan!

When looking at Japan, Mrs. Selfish and I knew we wanted to spend the majority of our time split between Kyoto and Tokyo, and about a week in less visited areas of Japan.

After further research, we determined we’d spend 2 nights in Kurukawa Onsen Town – a charming town on the southern island of Kyushu. The most direct way there involved flying into Fukouka for a one night stay.

Within moments of hitting the city, I knew we’d made a big mistake. Fukouka is an amazing city, worthy of at least a few days of exploration, and is considered by some to be the food capital of Japan.

And the Grand Hyatt is no slouch either. Coming in as a category 3 hotel, the Grand Hyatt cost us a paltry 12,000 Hyatt points – which I transferred from our Ultimate Rewards pool.

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Savoring Seoul Food: The Chicken Edition

23 Thursday May 2013

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

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Asia, Chicken Noodle Soup, Fried Chicken, HanChu Fried Chicken, Myeongdong Dakhanmari, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Seoul, South Korea

Mr. Selfish and I certainly enjoyed the Korean food in Seoul. We loved the bulgogi, galbi, and bibimbap, but there was something missing – chicken. Specifically, we were on the hunt for Korean fried chicken, which is seasoned with many spices, including salt and sugar, prior to frying. We also learned that Korean chickens are different from the ones U.S. since they are typically smaller and have less protein. As a result, the chickens are usually fried whole and then chopped into smaller pieces. The fried chicken is then typically served with pickled radishes of some sort.

Mr. Selfish looked for the best Korean fried chicken places in town, and we decided to go to HanChu Fried Chicken, which was located at 549-9 Sinsa-dong. It wasn’t a fancy place but it sure was tasty.

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The Second Palace We Visited in Seoul: Gyeongbokgung Palace

22 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Seoul, South Korea

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Asia, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Seoul, South Korea

Mr. Selfish and I visited Gyeongbokgung Palace during our five-day stay in Seoul. This palace is the largest of the five grand palaces in Seoul. It was first constructed in 1395 but since then, it has been burned and abandoned several times. It wasn’t reconstructed until 1867.

We enjoyed the reenactment of the royal guard outside the main gate (Gwanghwamun). Just like the guards at Buckingham Palace, they will remain still when you pose for a photo next to them.

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Photography Fun at the Trickeye Museum in Seoul

21 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Seoul, South Korea

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Asia, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Seoul, South Korea, Trick Eye Museum, Trickeye Museum, trompe l'oeil

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.

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Staying at the Westin Chosun

20 Monday May 2013

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

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Selfish Year, Selfish Years, SPG, Starwood, Westin Chosun

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

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 mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Seoul, South Korea

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Asia, Bibigo, Bibimbap, Bulgogi, Food & Drinks, Galbi, Namsangol Sanchae Jip, Selfish Years, Seoul, South Korea, WooSung Galbi

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.

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The First Palace We Visited in Seoul: Changdeokgung Palace

18 Saturday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Seoul, South Korea

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Asia, Changdeokgung Palace, Selfish Years, Seoul, South Korea

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.

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5 Observations on Crazy South Korea

17 Friday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Rant, South Korea

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Korean liposuction, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, South Korea observations

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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Greatest Wall Ever!

16 Thursday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Beijing, China

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China, Great Wall, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

While planning our trip to China, Mrs. Selfish and I determined that a trip to the Great Wall was mandatory. I mean, how could you go to China and not visit the Great Wall, especially if you’re staying in Beijing?

After a little research we discovered that there are numerous sections of the Great Wall ripe for visiting, all in various states of disrepair. From Datong we could have visited a dilapidated section of the wall – it’s bricks stolen by local farmers to use as building materials – but the more famous sections are near Beijing.

The Great Wall is big business for the Chinese government, so sections near Beijing have been restored to match what they would have looked like back in the day. Instead of holding back throngs of Mongul hoards, however, many sections of the Wall now house throngs of Chinese tourists and hoards of Chinese merchants hawking crappy t-shirts and calendars.

With that in mind, Mrs. Selfish and I quickly settled on the Jingshanling section of the wall – and while we did spot a few hawkers, the wall was blissfully empty for the 6 hours we hiked its heights.

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Peking Duck Showdown in Beijing: Made in China v. Duck de Chine

15 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Beijing, China, Food & Drinks

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Asia, Beijing, Beijing Duck, China, Duck de Chine, Food & Drinks, Made in China, Peking Duck, Selfish Years

While doing yoga in Hoi An, Mr. Selfish and I ran into an American couple who were living in China. We immediately asked them for recommendations, and they told us that we had to go to Made in China for peking duck in Beijing. It turns out that Made in China is quite well known for its peking duck.

On our first night in Beijing, we headed to its location at the Grand Hyatt Hotel (1 Dong Chang’an Jie). Unfortunately, even though we had a reservation, the hostess informed us that there were no tables available and that we would have to wait. After wandering the lobby for a while, we returned and were given a table all the way in the back of the restaurant.

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Hair Lost in Translation

14 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Japan, Living Abroad

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Haircuts Abroad, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

One of the odd realities of long term travel is that you still have errands to run and chores to do. Laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning the bathroom, taking out the trash – definitely not things I associated with traveling abroad, but definitely things that all need doing should you stay in one place for more than a few days.

At home, we handled these chores without thinking. Abroad, they’re an adventure!

Hunting down Tex-Mex ingredients in Paris? Check. Looking for a good laundromat on a remote island in Thailand? Check. Getting a haircut in Japan?

Wellllll…

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Bouncing Around Beijing: Lama Temple, Temple of Heaven, and the Summer Palace

13 Monday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Beijing, China

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Asia, Beijing, China, Lama Temple, Selfish Years, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Yonghe Temple

Mr. Selfish and I spent only four nights in Beijing, and it was barely enough time to see all of the sights we wanted to see. Beijing certainly has a lot to offer in terms of sightseeing (certainly more than Shanghai).

First, we visited the Lama Temple (aka Yonghe Temple), which is the only Tibetan temple or monastery we’ve ever visited. It is apparently one of the largest and most important Tibetan monasteries in the world. It was beautiful and had a different feel compared to other temples we’ve seen.

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Enjoying the Views of the Forbidden City in Beijing

12 Sunday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Beijing, China

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Asia, Beijing, China, Emperor Hotel, Forbidden City, Forbidden Palace, Jingshan Park, Selfish Years, The Emperor Hotel, Yin Bar

The first thing that Mr. Selfish and I did in Beijing was visit the Forbidden City. We had high expectations for the grandeur of the palace. Although we were there during the middle of a weekday, it was still packed with hoards of tour groups.

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JW Marriott Beijing – One Classy Category 4 Hotel!

11 Saturday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Accommodations, Asia, Beijing, China, Marriott, Travel Hacking

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JW Marriott Beijing, Selfish Years, Travel Hacking

Redeeming for miles and points is a strange beast. On the one hand, part of me (and I suspect part of many miles & points addicts) wants to redeem my points for the most expensive hotel I can get. On the other hand, another part of me wants to stretch my miles and points across as many days as possible since we’re in this for the long haul.

Sometimes there’s a happy intersection where a quality hotel, for whatever reason, is a complete steal at its current redemption rate. The JW Marriott Beijing is one such hotel.

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The Other Sights Near and Around Datong

10 Friday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China

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Asia, China, Datong, Selfish Years, Yīngxiàn Wooden Pagoda

The city of Datong itself is currently under massive renovation and improvement. Mr. Selfish and I had our driver look for an ATM to withdraw some yuan, and we had great difficulty finding one. Most of the large banks in China had already set up locations but the ATMs inside were not yet functional. As I’ve stated previously, Datong is slowly but surely setting itself up to be a big tourist destination.

The Hanging Monastery and the Yungang Grottoes are reasons alone enough to visit Datong. Unfortunately, we didn’t find the other attractions in Datong that notable.

First, the other primary attraction is the Yīngxiàn Wooden Pagoda, which is about a two-hour drive from the Hanging Monastery. Built in 1056, it is the oldest and tallest wooden structure in China. However, due to its age, you can’t climb the pagoda but can only visit the ground floor. The pagoda has a Buddhist temple behind it with some interesting looking statues. Mr. Selfish and I only spent about half an hour at the Yīngxiàn Wooden Pagoda, so I don’t think it was worth the two-hour drive or the 60 yuan per person admission.

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