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KwangJang Market - Affordable Local Korean Food @ Seoul [Exit from Line 1 Jongno 5(o)-ga Station]

December 25, 2014, 7:04 am
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When it comes to pampering ourselves with local Korean food, it's hard not to think of Gwangjang Market which was featured heavily in many travel shows and even on Running Man; the immensely popular variety show from Korea! 

For those who wish to make a trip there, you might be pleased to note it is located right outside the metro station known as Jongno 5(o)-ga (of line 1); exits 7 to 11! Absolutely convenient!

I was totally expecting a food market similar to the hawker centres in Singapore but what i found were much more in line with our neigbourhood centres.

Well, it wasn't a bad thing since it meant i could check out other non-food stuff even though priority was still on items i could squeeze into my mouth! Zoned into a few sections, it was undeniable that the food zone was the key attraction among visitors.

Evidence of our Singapore upbringing; we looked out for queues and decided to join the one right opposite stall B-37 (from North Gate 2)! 

We were going to dig into one of these; bindaetteok, also known as mung bean pancake! At that moment, i couldn't quite fathom how this simple thing could generate so much interest.

Can read Korean? You may note the information as above for the eatery we were about to enter.

A wait of fifteen minutes and we were finally seated! Yipeee! The bindaetteok shall be the appetiser for our late lunch at 4.13 pm for which we were already insanely famished!!

Given there were so many food stalls waiting for us to try, we asked for only one pancake at ₩4,000 to be shared between Louise and myself; Joyce was on a no-carbohydrate diet.

Fresh from the griddle, this was extremely crispy and its hotness served as a warm respite from the colder weather in Seoul that day.

Flavour was rather bland and enhancing it for a better experience would require the essential help of the crunchy soy sauce onions and kimchi sides!

Now on the search for more food, especially for Joyce who was in dire need for meat and vegetables!

Guess i wasn't wrong in stating that bindaetteok is one of the symbolic foods in Gwangjang Market; there were so many stalls selling it although none appeared to be as popular as the shop we went to!

For a Sunday, the market wasn't as crowded and i thought it was just a matter of good luck. Truth was, only the food zone of KwangJang Market is open on Sundays!

Most retail shops were closed even though you might still find some open to draw the Sunday business; the traditional hanboks were so beautiful!

Aside from bindaetteok, there were many other food to choose from and this proved to be a disadvantage as we couldn't quite agree on what to have next!

Makeshift sellers outside the market; this can be commonly seen in many places like Namdaemun and even along the main street near Hotel Manu.

As usual, we kept a lookout for the most popular stall and eventually identified this one (A-69) right in the middle of the long food street where it also happened to be a busy intersection! 

We were drawn by another much needed item; the existence of an English menu even though it hardly made any sense. The sundae i know of consisted mainly of ice cream which was definitely unavailable in the stall! 

It helped to look at what others were ordering and pointing at it to make an order. We succeeded by ordering the bibimbap; from this angle, it did seem more like a salad bowl!   

Frankly, i wasn't impressed; too healthy tasting (barley rice, minimal seasoning) and could have benefited from more hot sauce. The next time i am in Seoul, i would make a trip to have the best bibimbap said to be at Myeongdong! 

This bean paste soup just tasted funny. 

The highlight of this stall came from one of the items shown in the above picture. Can't be the pork trotters since i am not a fan of it. This item i am going to share with all of you can be found in Singapore and i have tried them twice; both of which left me disappointed.

Kimbap, which was often mistaken as sushi! The version here in GwangJang Market was much thinner but boy, was it a lot more addictive! The sweet crunch of pickled radish and carrot coupled with the aromatic seaweed roll were simply put, delicious! If you choose not to have it the traditional way (with wasabi), you can always dip them in the yummy ddeokbokki (spicy rice cake) sauce.

Come to think about it, i should have ordered another serving of kimbap! The ddeokbokki, by the way, didn't stick to my teeth and featured a sweeter sauce that had its spiciness kicked in after a few seconds. Nice too! 

Age is catching up and my tummy could no longer fill in any more food! I am not so much a person who likes to travel with many people but i could not deny the fact that a bigger group would give rise to experiencing a wider variety of food. 

A retail section that was open for business. 

We didn't stop for a better look as the items would not be easily placed into our limited luggage. Whatever the case, it was time to digest the food by walking over to dongdaemun! 

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Location
Exit from Jongno 5(o)-ga (of line 1) Station

Map 
As above.


For the summary of my South Korea trip (including Seoul and Jeju Island) and links to the respective day, click HERE.

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Kay Lee Roast Meat Char Siew - After the S$3.5 Million Takeover @ 125 Upper Paya Lebar Road [Singapore]

December 27, 2014, 5:53 am
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When news broke of an offer made for the best char siew stall in Singapore (at a record of S$3.5 million), i was still nursing my wound in Korea and like many others, i wondered if this would spell the demise of this well-known yet expensive roast delight.

I had to check it out myself and from what i see; nothing has changed, at least physically. The shop was still of the same layout; the spiky lady boss was still there; a few new staff members manning the counter; that's about it. 


My S$5 plate of char siew rice appeared to have shrunk a bit with lesser meat but there was something of higher significance. This is coming from a person who takes an extremely unhealthy standard when it comes to roasted food. 

How did the meat become so lean?!!?!? That thick (no doubt, sinful) layer of glistening, charred fat was inconspicuously missing; in that slight moment, i was just a little wee bit disappointed. 

Thank god the meat was surprisingly quite tender; coupled with the caramelised texture, it was still a blissful meal although now that i have tried the crystal char siew from you kee, nothing really quite beats having the greasy piece of char siew sliding down my throat.

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Location
125 Upper Paya Lebar Road
[Near Tai Seng MRT Station]

Map
As above

Price
Char Siew Rice - S$5

Additional Information
For past postings, click here and there. 
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Day Five of My Korea Trip 2014 - Going Back to Seoul!

December 28, 2014, 6:21 am
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After an extremely restful sleep following two days of late-night early-wake-up, we packed up our stuff, checked out of Galeum Guesthouse and drove out of the narrow driveway.

Above is the view of Hallasan's summit; there was no way we could have squeezed in another attraction to visit before our 11.55am flight back to Seoul as we had been tasked to do something really important.

Change of dressing for our wounds! In case you have not been following this travelogue, we had a car accident in Jeju the day before and although we were not severely injured, it's still important to keep our wounds clean to prevent any infection.

For Louise, the goondu nurse who treated her wound didn't even bother removing her eyeliner and she had to endure a night of itch and discomfort! Luckily we were assigned to a way more thoughtful nurse this time who was also very gentle with us! 

Time to leave for the car rental company; estimation of ninety one minutes over a distance of fifty kilometers. We were given a new rented car after the accident but the GPS panel installed was in Korean language!! It's fortunate i was still able to aga-aga find my way to the section to input contact number! 

It's things like the above that made me even more careful on the road since my understanding of the Korean language is severely limited; i wouldn't know of any upcoming speed bumps, any speed cameras and heck, i don't even know what are the Korean pronunciation for stop, turn left and turn right!

Drove past one of the attractions which would interest me; think it showcases cadavers and body parts in various poses. If i am not wrong, a similar exhibition was held in Singapore once. 

Endless driving; strangely, the route i took on our first day in Jeju to Galeum Guesthouse in Seogwipo was a different one and seemed to cut across the Mount Halla with an initial uphill drive that had loads of turns!

I know for a fact that the airport was close to the car rental company but as luck had its way of making fun of us, i had keyed in a different contact number; i stupidly thought the number on the GPS panel would be the correct one! Wrong!! 

Anyway, due to our innate kiasuism, we had plenty of time to spare and managed to find the "correct" contact number, drove the rented car back to the leasing company and arrived at the Jeju International Airport two hours before our departure. 

For those who could not get enough of Jeju tangerines, it would please you to know that there were quite a few shops within the airport for you to make more purchases. 

Frankly, we didn't find the oranges fascinating and decided to check in earlier, hoping to find a nice, quiet place to have a cup of latte before taking the plane. 

Problem - the departure area was filled with too many people and most shop had limited space to put out more tables / chairs! 

Both sisters found solace in a duty free shop filled with notable brands for facial products and cosmetics! As for me, i guess i might as well make use of the time to try out Lotteria; Korea's very own fast food restaurant. The fried chicken i had was unimpressive. =_=. 

Boarding the plane at last! 

The B737-800 aircraft tasked to bring us to Seoul. I was in fact thinking if i should postpone the publication of this post as there is yet again news of another missing plane (AirAsia QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore). Guess at this moment, all we can do is to pray for the best for the passengers and crew members on the flight. 

Saying bye bye to Jeju with mixed feelings.

On one hand, i did have an unforgettable experience with the car accident; on the other, the excruciating time spent climbing the breathtaking Hallasan and the taste of what's arguably the best green tea latte remained deeply etched in my memory. 

Would i be back then? Likely even though the chance is pretty slim for me to attempt another climb of Korea's highest mountain; Mount Halla. 

Seat configuration is 3+3 on each row and with no in-flight entertainment, all i could do was to fixate my attention on the view outside. 

When Google Earth first came out in 2005, i spent time trawling through the many places i have seen from movies, dramas, travel variety shows etc. In the past, such a view could only be achieved by taking an airplane (for most humans, at least). The island in the picture is Cheongsando and you may read more on this beautiful island here. 

There was nothing much to see once the plane got to the mainland as we were too high up and the hills and mountains were seriously quite a bore after a while. 

Looking like miniature toy models, this view comprising of buildings in its entirety would mean we were nearing the capital of South Korea. 

Almost an hour in the air and we safely landed in Gimpo International Airport (contrary to its name, it serves mainly domestic flights). 

Since we would be in Seoul for the next three days, it made total sense for us to get T-money which is of the same usage like our EzLink in Singapore (cheaper), with the additional function to even pay cab fares and purchases from selected convenience stores! We got the card from one of the convenience store located within the Airport Railroad Express (AREX) at Gimpo Airport.  

Remember, you only BUY the card; topping up would be required at the machine with T-money on it. Do note the logo for T-money as some of the machines were unable to provide the "recharging" service. 

A familiar scene for all three of us! Not wanting to do the same as day one where we had to navigate the underpass, we proceeded to walk to Hotel Manu in the great open! 

I think we all agreed it was slightly faster! Once we collected the luggage in store at Hotel Manu and checked in to our new room (which was much more comfortable), our hungry tummies brought us to Kwangjang market where we stuffed ourselves crazy! Click here to see what our stomachs had! 

We also dropped by the nearby Dongdaemun without me realising there were two sections; of which we had the time only for the one featuring retail stores! As a penniless bloke, i am all for wholesale markets with their dirt cheap pricing!! 

It was closed to midnight when we reached Seoul Station. An interesting peculiarity lies with this big cabinet that stored gas masks and plain water. Guess the risk of an North Korea invasion is always there. That aside, kindly keep in mind that the underground walkways was filled with the homeless at night. 

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For the summary of my South Korea trip (Seoul and Jeju Island) and links for more details to the respective day, click HERE.
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Celebrating Christmas Eve 2014 with the Family

December 29, 2014, 7:30 am
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I know this is a few days late but late is better than never, especially when this post contains photographs of both my niece and nephew; it's always good to show their physical developments every few months! 

My family isn't Christian although this lack of affiliation has never stopped us from celebrating the festival. Frankly, it was just a nice excuse for us to have a family gathering and eat to our heart's content! Yesh, it was Arnold's Chicken once again! 

Aside from food, we were as satisfied to see the joy radiating from both their faces when they received the Christmas presents.

The anticipation as they slowly tore apart the wrapper was worrying for us as we could not be too sure if they would like the items we got for them. I personally prefer to give money as this would allow them to buy what they want.

Fortunately, both appeared pretty pleased! 

Jovyn, however, got bored with her LEGO set after a while. She could not quite get the concept of building blocks and kept asking me to help her! Jerald, on the other hand, was quietly enjoying himself.

Log cake for desserts! I am getting so fat this festive season! Should i accept my colleagues' challenge and wean off deep fried food for a week? Hm... only if there is a worthy reward waiting for me....

Grandfather - granddaughter happy moment. Affectionately known as Yishun Gong Gong to both kids, my dad was the accommodating grandfather willing to pander to their every whim! 

The above brat has moved out of my house for close to a year now and it's hard not to notice the transformation in her; she speaks a lot more and continues to charm people, even strangers, with her chirpy cuteness.

Physically, she has grown tremendously too; topping the scale at 19 kilograms! Guess her nickname, bulldog cheeks, would be suitable for long term usage. :) 

Must talk about Jerald too in case anyone says i am prejudiced again! He is now in primary school and i could see that he is assimilating well. Furthermore, he is always the kind brother to bratty Jovyn; giving in to her unreasonable demands most of the times!

This Christmas, i have also decided to prepare a present for my beloved mom (it has never been much of a culture in my family to buy presents for one another except for the kids). Want to guess what it is? A new Redmi Note 4G!  

On a final note, i would like to thank my friends and colleagues for their lovely presents! In life, i treasure meetups more than presents; hence, let's meet up if time permits and gorge ourselves crazy over a nice meal! 
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Two Two Chicken (22치킨) - Authentic Korean Style Fried Chicken? @ Myeongdong [Korea]

December 30, 2014, 5:28 pm
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Chicken Up and 4Fingers are two eateries in Singapore famous for their fried chicken and in case you don't know, both were notable for their Korean style fried chicken! 

Hence, it would not do Korea any justice if we didn't plan for a visit to one of their many fried chicken establishments! Louise did the research and identified Two Two Chicken in Myeongdong as the brunch destination.

For an establishment that was featured in quite a number of reviews and blogs, i was surprised it wasn't even crowded; with less than ten customers including us. Okay, maybe 11.30am was too early for anyone to have fried chicken! 

Do keep in mind the following when you order; each dish comprises of two servings and one serving has six pieces of chicken! We decided to go with half original + half sweet and sour and one garlic chicken; in all, twenty four pieces! 

Half Original + Half Sweet and Spicy
Thankfully, the pieces were not huge and we were hopeful it would not be a difficult feat to clean up the plate! Anyway, the original fried chicken had the things i like; thin, crispy skin and juicy meat which wasn't overwhelmingly oily. I was, however, quite disappointed to find the flavour a bit too bland. 

Sweet and spicy fried chicken was and should be better since the sauce would help to stimulate the taste buds. We were guarded by the word "spicy" as Korean spiciness can be quite hard to handle for people with low thresholds (like me) but it seriously was more sweet than spicy. 

Garlic Fried Chicken
These turned out to be the nicest of the lot with tonnes of aromatic garlic puree slathered onto the chicken! Although it continued to be a contributor to bad breath, the taste wasn't the garlic spiciness one would expect to get. Instead, it was rather sweet; which i definitely didn't mind! 

It's a pity that the texture of the skin was rather soggy and you don't get the satisfaction of hearing that crunch as your teeth sink into the fried chicken. 

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Twenty four pieces were still a tad too much for us to stomach! Our final conclusion was that the chicken were good yet not impressive enough to warrant a revisit. For original chicken, my heart still flutters for Arnolds' Chicken while 4Fingers Soy Garlic Chicken, despite their diminutive size, remains fondly on top for the most addictive non-original chicken ever.

Location
6-4 Namsandong 2(i)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul
[Exit 3 of Myeongdong MRT Station]

Map
As above with red star. 

Price
Half Original + Half Sweet and Spicy - ₩17,000
Garlic Fried Chicken - ₩18,000
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Yoogane Dak Galbi Marinated Chicken Bulgogi - One Word: Delicious! @ Myeongdong [Seoul]

December 31, 2014, 7:30 am
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In my entire Korea trip, i was generally quite disappointed with the food as only a few managed to blow my taste buds away; one was the kimbap from Gwangjang Market and another was the grilled mackerel and abalone seafood bowl in Jeju!

There's another one to add to the list; Yoogane Dak Galbi which already has two branches in Singapore (Bugis Junction and Westgate)! We didn't try their signature one with cheese as it was already 10.30pm when we stepped into its branch very near to Myeongdong subway station. 

Go ahead and grab as much side dishes as you want! Joyce, being on a no-carbohydrate diet, took a lot of cabbage! Note: as usual, take the quantity you CAN eat; don't waste food! 

Marinated Chicken Bulgogi - freshly served (as in raw) on a hot pan, i have had my fair share of chicken bulgogi in Singapore and wasn't expecting much from this. Honestly, how much different can it?! 

A staff member would help with the cooking right in front of you; so don't panic like the customers next to us who attempted and almost ruined the dish. Maybe i was too hungry as i could not stop swallowing the saliva when i caught the aroma from the sizzling marinated meat and vegetables on our pan!

Darn was the meat fantastic! The texture was much more tender than Singapore's version and although the marination used was of a sweeter taste, you would notice how intense it was with each bite bursting with flavour! 

These glass noodles were extremely appetising with each strand soaked in the marination's essence! My rule for meals was to have minimal carbohydrates after 8pm but i would have gladly asked for another serving of these noodles even though it was almost 11pm! 

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Location Map
There are two branches in Myeongdong and i went to the one nearest the MRT station (exit 8) and next to the building housing MCM. You may refer to the map as above where i have bordered the branch in orange colour. 

Operating Hours
An early 9am to a late 1am

Price
Marinated Chicken Bulgogi -₩10,000 a portion
(minimal of 2 portions are required)
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Scramble with Friends Tournaments - The Day I Dented Alex Chiu's Confidence!

December 31, 2014, 9:01 pm
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Alex has always professed to be an expert when it comes to the iphone app "Scramble with Friends" and it's common to hear him lament that not many can win him. 

He has stopped playing for a while but his interest was rekindled recently with a new game-play known as tournaments where you enter into a competition with strangers and advance through three stages starting from quarter-finals, semi-finals and then finals.

Problem is that unlike the normal gameplay, we could not determine who would be our competitors as it is entirely randomised; hence, imagine my shock when i realised Alex was in the same tournament! How coincidental was that!? 

Anyway, you can find out more about the statistics of your competitor in the game although in my opinion, it should at most be used as gauge and even if you have significantly lower stats, don't get discouraged! 

I eventually faced Alex in the finals! As you can see, the objective of the game, aside from thrashing your opponent, is to get the S tickets which are necessary for you to gain entry and participate in the tournament. 

Alex was confident he would win me by a huge margin but as you can see, i might have gotten lesser words yet i still managed to win him!!! Yippppppeeeeee! So shiok to dampen his confidence! Hahaha.
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Hong Xing Handmade Fishball & Meatball Noodles (鴻興手工魚圓肉圓面) @ Hong Lim Food Centre [Singapore]

January 2, 2015, 10:51 pm
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Many dining establishments in the central business district close on weekends / public holidays; a fact i am well aware of since i used to work there. 

However, i thought Chinatown with its sizable residential population would be slightly different and happily brought my mom to try out the nice kaya toast at Hong Lim Hawker Centre on Christmas Day. Turned out it was closed! :( I was so looking forward to a light breakfast with two slices of toast, soft boiled eggs and a small cup of coffee! 

I was at a loss but the poor tummy still needed the nutrients and i walked round the food centre in seek of new stalls i have yet to try then. Decision: a 15-minute queue for a bowl of handmade fishball and meatball noodles at Hong Xing.

Now, the debate over hand-made and machine-made fishballs has long been discussed and taste aside, the best way to gauge if a fishball is handmade or not is on its inconsistent shape; machine made fishballs tend to be perfectly sculpted. Whatever the case, round shape or oblong shape doesn't matter if the fishballs suck right?! 

At S$3 a bowl with four fishballs, two meatballs and a big portion of noodles, it was really worth the price especially given its centralised location! Even in suburban Yishun, it might be a bit hard to get something as substantial as this. 

Soup was too salty - my fault though as the container for salted vegetables was right in front of me (free to take) and i didn't know it would be that salty! 

Surprisingly, the fishballs were not compact with flavour although their key selling point was on the super duper soft texture; so soft until you would have to double check to ensure they were not uncooked! Sick of meatballs that were tiny and hard? Try the ones here! 

I know, i know; extra points for that large piece of pork lard on top of the noodles. Speaking of noodles, the ones here won for its optimally cooked texture with a firm bite that even Mom was impressed. The only issue we faced was its bland taste. Guess we have to request for extra ketchup or chilli in the future. 

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Location

Block 531A, Upper Cross Street, 
#02-30, Hong Lim Food Centre
[Next to Chinatown MRT stations]

Map
As above (red star)

Price
S$3 a bowl

Other Stalls within the Food Centre 






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Myeongdong Market, Lotte Mart & Day Six of my Seoul+Jeju Korea Trip!

January 3, 2015, 6:31 am
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I shall start day six with the most important meal of the day, breakfast, although it was in the form of black eggs that we purchased in Jeju solely because of curiosity!

Curiosity was killed; they tasted just like hard boiled braised eggs! Nothing fascinating to make this extremely memorable but it did help to curb the bubbling hunger bitch in my tummy.

While the ladies were busy coloring their faces, i read about the tragic accident on The Korea Times where sixteen concert goers fell to their death when the ventilation grate under their feet gave way.

It was drizzling when we stepped out of Hotel Manu! I love the rain although i absolutely abhor it when i am travelling as it could terribly restrict your movements!

For example, one hand holding on to the DSLR while taking this shot (background: the old Seoul Station) and at the same time, juggling with the umbrella and trying my best to keep my sling bag dry too!

Green man countdown indicator; i would prefer the 'timer' version (by seconds) as it gives an accurate indication of the time you have before the man turns red! To me, having this indicator is redundant as you might as well just have a flashing green man.

The road was split into three separate bus lanes; all of them going in the same direction! Fact: Seoul is a crowded city with a population of 9.82 million!

Our first stop was Lotte Mart @ Seoul Station! This would be the place where you can buy boxes and boxes of snacks back to Singapore for family and friends! By and large, you might want to note that it is essentially a department store.

The supermarket section was obviously of key interest to us! There were various brands (faceshop etc) that had also set up store and the one product in the rage now is snail cream! Euwwww right?! Wait till you see the live snails on display.

In usual circumstances, you would not see me buying food souvenirs until the last day i was there. Reasons being what i buy would depend on how much cash i have left and in addition, food items normally take up a lot of space in the hotel room!

My intention was therefore to check out what was available and made a mental note on the prices before returning on the final day! Please keep in mind that some of the products could be found in Korean grocery stores in Singapore (for the list of such stores, click here; note, a bit outdated).

Pet store on level two in the same building! Those hoping to shop for sportswear and kitchen products would not be disappointed even though the range wasn't extensive and you might have better luck (as in nicer designs) at Myeong-dong which i would cover shortly in this post.

Taking the subway on Line 4 to Myeongdong station; pretty empty as it was only about 11am. Try taking it at about 6pm! I tried and besides the risk of being almost squashed to death, i had to endure the dizzying stench of drunkards surrounding me!

Location maps were available within the subway station and i would recommend you take a look to get your bearing right before stepping out.

Pacific Hotel - treat this as your landmark if you are going to check out Two Two Chicken! For those who enjoy staying near "the orchard road" in Korea may also consider this hotel.

Brunch at Two Two Chicken. You may click here for my review; just to give you a heads-up, i wasn't exactly impressed and thought 4Fingers was better.

After stuffing ourselves, it's time to take a walk right across the main road where the main hype and activity were; Myeong-dong market!

Another reason for hating the rainy weather; unlike Singapore which was filled with sheltered, air-conditioned shopping centres, it wasn't exactly the case for most places overseas! Even i can empathise with the gloomy expression on the salesperson's face!

I think the words on the road mean 1000hr to 2300hr even though that's the most i can decipher. The most i can assume is that the road would be a walking street during that time period.

Compared to those in Singapore, i believe the guy in that cat costume had a better deal. For one, the humidity in Korea is much lower and two, the temperature then was below twenty degrees celcius!

At this moment, i had opted to split from my sisters who went crazy with the many cosmetic / facial product shops! Why waste my time right? Might as well take this opportunity to have some "me" time and check out the vicinity!

Chanced upon a Saboten outlet! Given how much i love the tonkatsu, it's a must to compare prices with Singapore; their most expensive black pork tenderloin cutlet set was ₩16,500 (less than S$20). I would have ordered a set if not for the many fried chicken i had at Two Two Chicken!

Narrow walkway that reminded me of Taiwan. Some friends have asked if i prefer Taiwan or Korea and my answer is Taiwan! As i mentioned before, the lack of language barrier in Taiwan would be the main reason although you may wish to note that many service staff in Korea, especially those in major shopping / tourism districts, can speak better Mandarin than us.

Cafe hopping is said to be a must-do regime in Korea but i found it to be rather a waste of time. Furthermore, there're only so much sweet things we can endure with our combined age of more than a hundred years old!

The main passage of Myeongdong; notable Korean facial product brands would make it a point to set up operation in this district in order to gain a foothold in the competitive industry. Hence, you may see this brand here and then turn a corner to chance upon another branch. This repetitiveness would bore many men.

I would like to add that despite my aforementioned statement, there were many shophouses that could still manage to rein in the men's interest; for example, boutique shops, sports attires (like New Balance which have many attractive, unique designs) and of course, a tonne of dining establishments!

Handmade cosmetics and bath tub; i don't quite see the link. Put in a beautiful lady / handsome man in the tub (in swimsuit) and i can guarantee many people would be crowding the shop though! Haha.

Bank of Korea Money Museum; dad would like it here. I didn't step in since i was only aware of its existence today when i did a check on Google Map.

Chinese embassy right ahead and as expected, you can easily find Chinese food in this area. With the touchy political relationship between China and Korea, i am sure this would be a protest site whenever tempers flare.

Rain had stopped, like finally!

That unmistakable aroma of freshly baked bread brought me to a stop in front of this bakery. I so wanted to get my hands on the bread yet the thought of ingesting more carbohydrates foiled my plan. :(

I had to curtail the craving by purchasing a bottle of banana milk from an underground supermarket instead! Unlike the Great Kon who tries new drink / snack / food whenever he is overseas, i am the boring, "play safe" type.

Unique facade although my eyes were drawn to Milky Bee, an ice cream parlour. Again, i have to tell myself i had gained enough weight in this trip and the injuries i sustained from the car accident had dampened any hope of exercising to burn off the calories.

The irony of life; the whole alley was filled with food and food and more food!! Contrary to popular perception, i do have control of my eating habit; that is when i am overseas! Wahahaha.

A medieval style restaurant and cafe. 

Shop selling caps; guess the rainy weather had severely affected their business and we could have used this opportunity to secure a better bargain! A pity both my sisters were not with me then. 

Man bags / haversacks / backpacks in Korea had such nice designs! On my last day, i couldn't resist but to buy two at a department store where i am more assured of their quality.

After a while, everywhere just seemed to be the same. 

You may have realised i didn't really take any pictures of any store's interior. It was because the stores were usually heated and i was too lazy to remove my thick coat. Trying doing that when you are holding on to a wet umbrella and lugging a huge ass camera.

Myeongdong Theatre - opened its doors to theatrical performances as the National Theater of Korea from 1935 to 1975 and re-opened only in 2009! Wow, more than twenty years of disuse; bet there would be a lot of haunted stories about the place.

This area had quite a number of bars and i guess it would come alive only when the sun sets. Anyway, i was sick of fried chicken for the next few days and didn't attempt the beer + fried chicken combination in Korea. 

Met up with my sisters at Myeongdong Lotte (which was closed) and accompanied them to an optical shop for contact lens (photograph taken on the second level of the shop). Louise commented that the prices were comparable to Singapore's pricing and i think she didn't buy any. 

I so regretted not having this KFC Zinger Double Down! It has been a routine for me to try Kentucky Fried Chicken whenever i travel out of Singapore..

Remember the newspaper article i read about earlier in the morning? I believe this was the same kind of grate that gave way. Maybe because of the accident, pedestrians appeared to avoid walking on it.

Besides Lotte and E-mart, another notable department store franchise in Korea is Shinsegae. It's branch in Busan was said to be the biggest department store in the whole world! 

Closed too!??!!?? %^#%^#$%$%# Are all departmental stores closed on Mondays?!? We initially wanted to visit Lotte too which was not open too! Note, the Lotte i mentioned refers to the department store, not the supermarket we patronised earlier in the morning. 

A visit to Namsan (in the above picture) was in our itinerary but we decided to scrape it given the unfavourable weather and limited time in Seoul. 

Namdaemun Market is in fact very near to Myeongdong (it is just a mrt stop away) and we spent the rest of our time in Namdaemun before walking back to Hotel Manu to relieve the sisters' shopping. 

You wouldn't believe it but we walked back to Myeongdong at night after buying boxes of snacks at Lotte Mart!  

By that time, all traces of fried chicken had already been passed out (the Lau sisters would know what i mean) and i was looking for meat!!! Very delicious Yakitori! Location: in front of Skin Shop! 

A stick was hardly sufficient to placate my stomach! With such cool weather, i'll bet these hot roasted chestnuts would be very shiok! 

What's more; they were bigger than those in Singapore and came peeled! Awww, such tender loving care for their customers.

Turned out to be hard and unpalatable though. Damn, i should invest in a franchise for Tianjin roasted chestnuts and gave them a run for their money! 

Myeongdong was way more happening at night! 

Shopping carts (aside from selling food, many were hawking ladies accessories) were everywhere although their existence added to the vibrancy and colour. I can forget about men wear as they were selling for the winter season.

The sisters' target was clear and concise; attacking the facial and cosmetic shops for their incredibly cheap prices; Tony Moly, It's Skin, Etude House, The Face Shop, Nature Republic, Innisfree etc.

For me, i am just like this person in the cat costume promoting a cat cafe. Exhausted and in need of dinner which had not happened then. 

Dinner eventually materialised at 10.30pm when we had a most yummy chicken bulgogi at Yoogane! For my review, click here.   

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More on Myeongdong 
Given that Myeongdong is a popular tourist destination, you can easily find location maps installed and placed strategically for ease of use. Information was general and should you need more details, i would strongly recommend you seek out a specific group of people.

These people in red attire! Seek them out before you explore any part of Myeongdong as they had in their possession the best map of the area! Feel free to ask them question as they could likely converse in English and / or Mandarin! 

Appended above was the map they passed to me! From my understanding, this red army would be stationed in key tourist attractions, including Namdaemun Market! As advised, get the maps / brochures from them! 


For a summary of my South Korea trip (Seoul and Jeju Island) and links for more details to the respective day, click HERE.
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Crayfish Prawn Horfun @ Tuck Kee (Ipoh) Sah Hor Fun (德记怡保沙河粉) in Hong Lim Hawker Centre [Chinatown, Singapore]

January 4, 2015, 6:50 am
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I don't have a feet fetish but i thought this would be a more subtle way to reflect the popularity of a particular stall in Hong Lim Food Centre without having to compromise the shyness of those in the queue.

The stall in question was said to have the longest queue in the hawker centre and after hearing quite a number of positive reviews, i guess it's about time for me to give it a try and give my two-cent worth in this blog.

Makansutra gave it a die-die-must-try rating back in 2013! As i mentioned in food philosophy, one person's meat could be another person's poison and there are just too many factors affecting "your taste" for that moment.

Notwithstanding the disclaimer, let me present to you the luxurious (at least for hawker standard) Crayfish Prawn Horfun! Don't start digging in; mix it up before you put anything in your mouth!

I made the mistake of tasting the flat noodles first (without mixing) and it was dry obviously since there was a huge pool of savoury sauce that i am supposed to make use of! The seafood ingredients had a firm texture with a sweet freshness; no complaint on that.

However, the thick gravy didn't excite me as much as the chicken chop horfun from Changi Village. There was something lacking; an oomph that would have made a lasting impression. No matter what, it was still a good plate of horfun and i had to do it justice by cleaning up everything (especially the crayfish and prawns)!

=====

Location
Block 531A, Upper Cross Street,
#02-40, Hong Lim Food Centre
[Next to Chinatown MRT stations]

Map
As above

Opening Hours
Mondays to Saturdays - 11am to 3pm
Closed on Sundays.

Menu
As above

Price List
As above. My Crayfish Prawn Horfun cost S$6.50.





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Insa-dong (인사동) - A Cultural District That Could Be Enjoyed in Better Weather @ Seoul [Korea]

January 6, 2015, 7:22 am
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On my last day in Korea, i ventured out alone without my sisters! Since this was a last minute decision, i scrambled my head on where to go! After searching for a short while on google, i decided to cast my lot on Insadong; a cultural district said to be interesting.

Took the subway, exited Jonggak Station and got lost momentarily. Darn, i should have transferred and dropped at Anguk Station which was far nearer to Insadong. p.s. go towards the direction of the CenterMark Hotel which is next to the district. 

Like Singapore this evening, it was a bloody rainy day! And as you can see, there was literally not much shelter unless you hole yourself up in one of the shop houses! For me, i proceeded along the street with a brolly on one hand, a camera on the other and holding my sling bag close to me to prevent it from getting wetter! 

Not an easy feat i guarantee you! I envisioned a day of relaxed strolling down the road and this incredibly use of motor skills due to the rain was unexpected! Sigh.... i think i would be anticipating a mold attack on my DSLR lens soon. :( 

When i decided on Insadong, it was mainly due to a lack of Korean cultural infusion thus far into my trip and i thought this "lonesome" journey would help to enrich the experience. 

Sadly, i didn't quite get what i seek out for. Of course, i presume this was a result of a few factors; mainly because of the wet weather which would have deterred shop owners from marketing their wares in the open. 

Another factor was the day i visited; a Tuesday by the way. According to this website, it would be more happening to drop by on a Saturday or Sunday when some of the streets are closed and there might even be performances and exhibits! 

Note: although tagged as traditional street with over five hundred years of history, you would not find many buildings with traditional architecture. What i saw, at least on the main Insadong-gil, were shophouses flanking both sides. Drop by the side-roads (alleys), where you might have better luck.

To get into the Korean spirit, you may even pay a small sum of money to doll yourself up as a Korean queen or king and take some professional photos as mementos. Would i do it? I will if it is free! 

With the rain getting stronger, i had to seek refuge in a building that had a few levels of shops selling expensive products. Out of boredom, i even went up to the rooftop to have a better view of the surrounding. Oh well, the roof wasn't exactly very high up to begin with. 

Frankly, i really wanted to try out the delicacies but i didn't have anyone to share with me (bane of travelling alone)! With Alex, i can still force persuade him to help out a bit in terms of stomach space and funding! 

At this point, i thought i should have just gone with my siblings who seemed to be enjoying themselves with some of the photos i received on whatsapp. This "self discovery" trip has proven to be rather boring...

Thankfully i chanced upon another shopping mall; open concept, pretty dated and known as Ssamzigil Mall (something i found out only today). 

The above pictures would give you a better idea on what it looked like. Basically, it didn't have many shops but each shop was blessed with its own character; i saw a bag i really wanted at close to S$200 and would have gladly paid for it if not for the fact that i had purchased one earlier that morning. 

Rooftop of the mall and aside from a cafe, there was something else that i guess all lovers would come up for. I am quite surprised to find it in a mall though since such stuff was more common in notable landmarks. 

Love pledge wall! It was quite a sight to behold and unlike the more common locks, these vibrant tags were more interesting, sporting different designs in lovey-dovey colours. 

Not sure how much it cost but i am seriously too old for this. Heck, i am turning 35 this year and would finally be eligible to buy a government flat as a single! 

Now, this appeared traditional! Converted into a teahouse, this was right beside Ssamzigil Mall and located along the alleys. I actually intended to step in afterwards but something else attracted me. 

This! Want to guess what cafe is this?

Hint as above; a familiar cup of green tea latte! This is a branch of OSulloc, selling what i branded as the best green tea latte i ever have back in their Jeju branch! Pity it wasn't of the same standard here with a noticeable tartness i associated with most green tea products. Ugh! 

There were tonnes of restaurants in Insadong; just check out the alleys which also have a higher percentage of buildings with preserved traditional style. 

End of my walk which was nearer to Anguk Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 6! My recommendation is to start from Anguk Station as there is an information counter where you can source for a good map to start your walk. 

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Map of Insadong
As above.


For the summary of my inaugural South Korea trip 
(Seoul and Jeju Island), click HERE.
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Keng Eng Kee Seafood (KEK) 瓊榮記海鮮 - Affordable Tze Char @ Alexandra Village [Singapore]

January 7, 2015, 7:30 am
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The area surrounding IKEA Alexandra is blessed with two hawker centres with extremely popular stalls and that's not even counting the many restaurants in the vicinity!

One such restaurant was Keng Eng Kee, a long standing name among residents given it has been at the same location for over twenty years.

Known by its acronym now, KEK was chosen simply because we wanted tze char fare for its variety and have read and heard quite a few good reviews on it. It did help to note that the pricing would not burn a hole in our pocket!

Main bulk of the seating was in this kopitiam although for those afraid of the humidity Singapore is famed for, you may have a limited choice of air-conditioned seating in a shop space just right opposite. 

Prawn Rolls (虾枣)
This is one of the specialties and i had to give it a try for a comparison with my mom's very own hay chor which was irresistible; my personal record was no less than twenty of them in one seating! 

Verdict - very juicy, meat-filled and might be a tad too peppery for some of you. Paired with the sweet sauce, it was a match made in heaven with both the spiciness and sweetness exciting your taste buds at the same time! Initially, i thought these were better than mom's but on second thought, mom's hay chor had a higher prawn ratio which resulted in a more addictive flavour. 

San Lao Hor Fun (三捞河粉)
Like some foreigners, i am equally puzzled with the origins of some local dishes. San Lao Hor Fun was one example. Were the words 三捞 referring to the cooking style or there were three types of ingredients that had to be 捞 (fished) from the sea / river? 

Anyway, this wasn't as wet as the normal horfun but the taste was superbly good. The aroma of wok hei was intense at first bite and the flavour wasn't swimming in soy sauce, which was mainly the case for the darker-coloured horfun. 

Salted Egg Sotong (咸蛋苏东)
I am a huge fan of salted egg sotong and since my friend had never tried it before, we decided to order one despite it commanding the highest price among the dishes we had that day.

It was a great disappointment and i felt apologetic to have even suggested the dish in the first place - they were way too salty and lacked the sweet sensation that could have balanced out the saltiness and made them really delicious. The saving grace was that they were not overcooked and the texture still turned out pretty good. 

Coffee Pork Ribs (咖啡排骨)
Appearance wise, i guess we would not doubt the glistening pork ribs looked really inviting. Pity it was too sweet for my liking (funny how this was too sweet and the salted egg sotong was too salty) and the meat didn't impress us with its toughness. 

Three-Egg Spinach (三蛋苋菜)
I am seldom thrilled by this dish as more often than not, i would not be guaranteed with a taste that could fuse all three types of eggs (namely normal egg, salted egg and century egg). 

The one in KEK was one of the few which has successfully managed to do that although it would be great to have them with a bowl of plain rice (our fault as all of us opted for no rice; aiyah, scared of gaining weight mah)!  

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Would i be back? Definitely as i didn't try a few of their other specialties! 

Location
Block 124, Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-136
[Near Alexandra Village Hawker Centre]

Map
As above

Opening Hours (Daily)
12noon - 2.30pm
5pm -10pm

Reservation
+65-6272-1038

Website
http://www.kek.com.sg/

Menu
Click here.

Price
Prawn Rolls - S$12
San Lao Hor Fun - S$8
Salted Egg Sotong - S$18
Coffee Pork Ribs - S$10
Three-Egg Spinach - S$15
[No GST, No Service Charge]
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The Ranch Western Grill & Bistro @ Geylang [Next to Aljunied MRT Station]

January 9, 2015, 7:30 am
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When you want to know what's top on the Great Kon's food recommendations, you just have to keep track of the number of times he actually visits the place!

From the conversations i had with him recently, i noticed that The Ranch was his lunch venue on quite a few occasions and this is coming from a person who eats all over Singapore! 

To be frank, the individual items on the ala-carte menu were pretty pricey on its own (especially given its proximity to Singapore's red light district) and i would suggest going for the economically priced set lunch / dinner. It does help, at least mentally, that no additional service charge or GST would be imposed. *happy*

Smoked Duck
Meat lovers would enjoy this simply for the excessive amount of duck breast meat on the plate! I was really expecting just a few slices of meat coupled with an excessive amount of lettuce, as in the case for most places. 

Generosity aside, each slice had just the right amount of fat to juice up the meat which was also infused with the light, smoke-fragrant spiciness from the peppercorns. 

Ranch S.M.S
SMS obviously doesn't stand for Short Message Service in a food outlet; it is the acronym for Shitake Mushrooms with Sausages! Overall a tad too salty for my liking; Kon mentioned it was a far cry from what he had in his last visit! 

Woo-Hoo Set Dinner
Besides the main, soup and dessert at S$21.90, the set also included a complimentary drink. I guess a can of non-sugar Ayataka green tea would help to balance out the rich offering i was partaking that day. 

Set - Cream of Mushroom
The thickness was evident from the first sip and next came the creaminess. Too creamy in fact and not to my liking as i have always enjoyed my cream of mushroom with tonnes of mushrooms that were coarsely diced up. 

Set - Ranch Pork Chop
I love having pork chop but could hardly find any that impresses me. Before The Ranch, only the pork chop from Buckaroo can satisfy me. Looks like i have found another place to placate my pork chop craving when it hits. 

Put away the chilli / tomato sauce and enjoy the natural juice secreting out from the grilled meat as you slowly chew it; the longer, the more enjoyable! Two things could have improved my experience; make the slab thicker and more tender (it was honestly a bit tough). 

Set - Brownie with Ice Cream.
We were supposed to have apple crumble but it wasn't available! Served warm, the brownie didn't have that moist texture many diners would have looked forward to; nevertheless, there were some nuts included in the batter and it was still satisfying as a simple dessert to conclude my dinner. 

=====

Location
71 / 73 Lorong 27 Geylang
[Next to Aljunied MRT Station]

Map
As above.
Proof of evidence that it was really just a few steps away from Aljunied MRT Station! 

Website

Contacts
Phone: 6747-0788

Menu (Sets Only)
Set Lunch
Set Dinner

Pricing
Smoked Duck - S$12.00
Ranch S.M.S - S$9.90
Woo-Hoo Set Dinner (Ranch Pork Chop) - S$21.90
[No Service Charge, No GST]

Other Notable Establishments in the Area
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Said to Serve the Best Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup (Samgyetang) in Seoul -> Tosokchon (토속촌) 土俗村蔘雞湯

January 10, 2015, 7:30 am
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An online search for the best ginseng chicken in Seoul will pull up a notable restaurant that was also rated very highly on tripadvisor; Tosokchon (토속촌) 土俗村! 

In the solo journey i had on the last day in Korea, i intentionally made it a point to plan my short itinerary around the legendary Tosokchon as i would like to make it as the last, memorable meal before i flew back to Singapore later that evening. 

It was extremely easy to get to the building with traditional Korean architecture as it was conveniently located no more than two hundred meters from the exit of a subway station! 

With seating numbering a high 420, queuing was said to be expected although i was quite lucky to be ushered in almost instantly; guess the rainy weather helped after all! Furthermore, i was there at 4.30pm; well before the dinner peak! 

Dig into the free flow kimchi and pickles while waiting for the highly anticipated samgyetang!

Boasting a milky broth that continued to boil when the stone bowl was placed in front of me, i was taken aback by the rich aroma that enveloped my immediate surroundings. This must be some potent soup! 

In addition to the chicken (said to be no more than 49 days old) and a stalk of ginseng, i discovered sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, ginkgo nuts, chestnuts, and an utterly juicy red date in the soup!  

Surprisingly, the meat wasn't as hot as the steaming, boiling broth and although rich in flavour, i was under the impression it tasted more chicken than ginseng chicken. Do note that there was an option to add a glass of ginseng wine; i wasn't offered.  

Given the tender age of the chicken, the meat was tender and fell off the bone easily. I never knew i could so easily pick out the meat using just chopsticks! 

Drinking the soup while chewing bits of the ginseng did improve the taste dramatically and bring it more aligned to the ginseng chicken flavour i was looking forward to. However, this action would also mean the broth did not absorb the ginseng essence; in my opinion, this is an embarrassment given the shop's reputation.

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Verdict - i doubt this is the best ginseng chicken in Seoul but this is honestly one of the best chicken soup i ever have! Maybe i should just request for a glass of ginseng wine the next time. 

Location Map
Red star. Exit from Exit 2 of Gyeongbokgung Station

Walk for around 100-200 meter and turn in to your left after you pass the convenience store in the above picture. Tosokchon was less than 10 meters away. 

Reservation
As above.

Menu
As above. Go for the nutritious black chicken if you do not mind forking out almost S$40! 

Price
Samgyetang - ₩15,000


For a summary of my South Korea trip (Seoul and Jeju Island) 
and links for more details to the respective day, click HERE. 
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Last of My 7 Days, 8 Nights South Korea Trip 2014; includes Checking Out Sejong Village Food Street!

January 12, 2015, 4:51 am
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Checked out of Hotel Manu at about 11.30 am as they could not accommodate our request for late checkout due to full occupancy that day. Thankfully, the lady receptionist was agreeable to help us store our nine-piece luggage until evening!

It's a wet, gloomy day in Seoul once again and the mood was extremely lousy as i had decided to spend some "alone" time without the sisters for a short photo-taking journey in the capital of South Korea! 

We were definitely not in a hurry to get ourselves wet and hoped, with fingers crossed, that the rain would stop with the appearance of the desirable autumn sun. With no clear conclusion on a suitable lunch venue, we opted for a food court located within Lotte Mart. 

My order of bibimbap which didn't taste impressive; i am disappointed but i could only blame myself as even in Singapore, food in food courts just doesn't match up with food from the hawker centres!

Walked in to Lotte Mart again although we had purchased a lot of snacks the day before! At that time, i was honestly worried i would face the same issue that happened in Taiwan; overweight baggage! 

Enthusiastic shoppers using their creativity to squeeze in as much as they could into the box! A few pieces of advice for Lotte Mart shoppers; you can get bigger carton boxes at the snacks sections (don't be shy to ask from the staff replenishing the stock) and use as much tape as you can to secure the box (you wouldn't relish the embarrassment when the box gives way).

Time to check out the Lotte Outlets next to Lotte Mart! I could not resist and eventually bought two bags for myself; even after discount, each was an average of about S$90 and i don't even recognise the brand! Quality seems good though. 

Sisters proceeded with their shopping at Ewha Womans University while i took the subway to Jonggak Station for a immersion experience at Seoul's cultural district; Insadong! For a detailed posting, click here. 

After checking with the helpful tourist information counter staff who spoke fabulous English, i opted to walk to my next destination; expected to take about 20 minutes! 

Compared to Insa-dong, i found the impromptu walk to be more enlightening as there were quite a number of historical structures! 

If not the incessant rain, i might even sacrifice some time to visit Gyeongbokgung Palace! I did not allocate any time for historical sites in Seoul and as a frank afterthought, i kind of regretted it. 

Guess it was only through walking in a foreign country's ancient sites that one could fully appreciate the culture, their development and the food. Of course i am not looking at many places; maybe just one or two. 

It really took me just twenty minutes to walk from Insadong to the place famed for serving the best ginseng chicken soup in Seoul; Tosokchon! For my review of the samgyetang, click here! 

I was tempted to spend the rest of my time on top of the three-level cafe but it would be such a waste of precious time! :( Turned out i spent it later on when both sisters were late for our eventual meet-up.

With 2.5 hours left before meeting up with Joyce and Louise, i made the abrupt decision to turn to Sejong Village Food Street which was by the side of the footpath leading to Gyeongbokgung Station (Exit 2).

Don't ask me why as i knew i was super stuffed from the ginseng chicken soup in Tosokchon and the last thing i wanted to see was more food! 

At about 300 meters long, you can indeed find many food establishments flanking both sides of the narrow street; the lack of crowd could be a result of the poor weather and that the official dinner time (6pm) was still about thirty minutes away. 

Just to give you a teaser on what to expect; you can find restaurants selling seafood and also Korean fried chicken! Definitely a place worth checking out the next time i visit Seoul! 

Under the backdrop of the hills, i thought this 60-year old street gave a better representation of Korea in its olden days than the cultural district of Insadong.

This was something i proclaimed to try in Seoul and i finally found it on my last day; live octopus! Pity i was all alone with no one to share this unique delicacy! :( 

Saw a park with a historical looking gate and out of curiousity, i could not resist stepping in for another look! Turned out it was known as Sajikdan Altar, a place for rituals with a history (despite being rebuilt at some points) of over 600 years! 

Not wanting to detour back to Gyeongbokgung Station, i attempted to act smart by estimating that walking southwards would bring me to a subway station where i could take the train back to Seoul Station.

Got lost and walked aimlessly for about twenty minutes before i finally caught sight of City Hall station! Hahaha, quite fun actually, especially when the sky was slowly turning dark! Rule of thumb when one is lost; follow the crowd! 

Reached ahead of time at 6.40 pm when the meet up with the sisters was scheduled at 7.30 pm! Not knowing what else to do, i stepped into a quaint little cafe a 30-second walk from Hotel Manu, bought a cup of latte and whiled the rest of what's left of my time on playing Candy Crush! 

Boarded the private shuttle car at 8.00 pm and arrived at Incheon International Airport within an hour! A pity it was already night fall as i could not get a good picture of the world's best airport (Changi is voted second by the way)! 

The shuttle van that brought us to the airport; Kim's Airport Shuttle which cost us ₩80,000, one-way, for up to seven persons. You can contact Mr Kim directly via his email reservation@kimsshuttle.com.


Didn't shop enough for your facial products? Regretted not buying the snail cream in Myeongdong? Not enough face masks?! Fret not, you can find quite a variety in the Shilla-owned shops (operational on a 24-hour cycle) and they could even be cheaper depending on promotions!


Submitted our tax rebates claims (note: get the stamp on the claims before you check in your luggage) and it's time to take the shuttle train to the boarding gate! By the way, there was another 24-hour Shilla duty free shop; word of advice, take the shuttle train first and then spend the rest of your time in the shop which was bigger than the one we visited in the main terminal. 

We were the last few to board SQ603 and as expected, i spent my sleeping time catching up on movies i missed in the last few months! Adieu, Korea! 

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p.s. had an early breakfast; like incredibly early at an ungodly 4.45am! I wasn't disturbed by it since my eyes were still fixated on the screen in front of me. Given the sleep deprived state i was in, i couldn't remember how it tasted. =_=.


For a summary of my South Korea trip (Seoul and Jeju Island) and links for more details to the respective day, click HERE.
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Keisuke Tokyo - Tonkotsu Ramen Special @ Suntec City Mall [Singapore]

January 13, 2015, 7:27 am
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The initial plan was to have ramen at Tonkotsu King Four Seasons - initial because its location at Bugis Village proved to be a great deterrent for some of us until someone suggested trying its new branch at the less crowded Suntec City Mall.

For those who have never heard of Keisuke, it hailed from Japan (obviously) and had quite a few branches in Singapore. The key difference is that no one branch has the same menu! 

To be honest, i didn't know what this branch (known as Keisuke Tokyo) was famous for but from the menu, it appeared that the photo for the crab stock ramen was given the biggest space; hence, it was deduced that this must be the signature dish.

However, i vaguely remember having a prawn stock ramen before at Parco Marina Bay (Millenia Walk) and wasn't too impressed. What i didn't realise then was that i had crab ramen too and the branch at Parco Marina Bay has since closed down and moved to Suntec City Mall! 

Thank god i didn't feel extremely adventurous that day and opted instead for the normal Tonkotsu Ramen Special. Shall talk about it shortly. 

Green Tea Cola
First item to touch on would be the green tea cola which could only be found in Keisuke! Shaped like a classic beer bottle, this IS a must-order simply because of its novelty. 

Taste was definitely cola with a subtle yet fragrant green tea essence that translated psychologically into a 'healthier' drink in my mind! Anyway, you may check out the nutrition information as above. Someone told me that cola was originally green in colour - wrong info!!! Read the original statement from Coca Cola here.

Deep Fried Minced Pork & Chicken Cutlet
Despite the long name, it was no more than a deep fried meat ball. Frankly, we were wondering how to divide it up among the eight of us. Guess cutting it up would be the easiest! 

Fortunately, we didn't use much force as the rich, brown sauce oozed out like lava! The last we wanted was to have brown sauce all over our tees! I took a small bite and found the sauce to be savoury even though i had a deeper impression of the crispy bread crumbs!

Ramen Gratin
Never had a ramen gratin before and i personally preferred this over the crispy ball before this. The feeling i got would be similar to having a portion of pasta entirely covered in cheese! Delicious! 

Tonkotsu Ramen Special
You have a choice to the taste of soup (light, normal, strong etc), the amount of oil and even the texture of the noodles with normal being the authentic Japan style. I selected normal for all three options! 

My chashu was too tough for my liking even though the flavour was quite agreeable. I had to give my compliment to the flavoured egg; i have never quite understood how diners could be obsessed with the eggs in ramen restaurants but this took the cake for its intense soy-sauced flavour that had seeped thoroughly into the egg. 

Loved the noodles for its optimal thickness and al-dente texture! The broth burst with flavour although i had to admit it could be a tad too oily and overly porky for some of you out there.

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Location
3 Temasek Boulevard, #02-391/392, 
Suntec City Mall

Contact Number
6337-7919

Order List (Non Comprehensive)
As above

Website and Menu

Prices
Green Tea Cola - S$3.80
Deep Fried Minced Pork & Chicken Cutlet - S$9.00
Ramen Gratin - S$8.00
Tonkotsu Ramen Special - S$16.90
[Subject Service Charge & Prevailing Tax]

Additional Information
Plain water served at no additional cost and you may help yourself to the seasoned beansprouts on your table! 
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How to Order Raw Honey and Pollen from Taiwan & Have Them Delivered to Singapore?!

January 15, 2015, 6:24 am
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My journey to Taiwan was almost a year ago but i can vividly recollect the time i spent there, especially my chanced encounter with an apiary at Cingjing.

I was so obsessed with the honey and pollen i brought back to Singapore; i had to find some way to have a taste of them again when my supply dried up within a month upon return! 

Being trigger happy when it comes to photo taking can be extremely helpful and i can quote an example here; not knowing how to contact the apiary, i started looking through the photographs i took in Taiwan and voila, here's a picture that showed clearly the website (in Chinese by the way)! 


It didn't take me long to add the contact person on "Line" and i started checking on the possibility to buy the honey and pollen and courier them 3,094 kilometers to Singapore! Like many people who are not well off, i am of course worried i would be scammed out of my hard earned money!

But the pulling temptation of having the possibility of tasting the honey again proved to be too strong and i requested for two sets (one set is shown in the above picture); eventually topped up to five sets to save on shipping costs! 

By the way, the more you buy, the more discounts you receive! The only problem i faced in this transnational transaction is that i have to transfer the money over telegraphic transfer and there is usually a service fee of at least S$20 (5% of my cost if my total purchase is S$400)! 

The package was sent out on the 13th and i received it on 19th! Woah, i sure was ecstatic especially when the person i liaised with mentioned it might take from one to two weeks! 

Despite wanting to tear everything apart so that i can finally quench the ridiculous thirst for honey + pollen, a stock count was still necessary to ensure everything was in order.

Darn my luck - short of two bottles of pollen! I am usually non confrontational and would normally swallow the loss. However, i am buying on behalf of friends and it would not be nice to deprive them of their goods (no, i am not giving up MY pollen)! Haha. Anyway, i contacted the person again.

He was, thankfully, extremely apologetic (Taiwanese are such nice people) and sent out the "missing" bottles the very next day! He added "there is a small gift inside for you too". Ten days later, i collected the parcel from POPStation! 

Happy! Are you curious to know what the gift is?

A small bottle of Longan Honey! It may not be much but it was still a nice gesture! Would i order again? Definitely!!! Now, a question for everyone: does honey have an expiry date?!? 

Answer: Raw honey doesn't although raw honey would ferment upon contact with water; resulting in a breakdown of protein that would make honey turns bad! In food regulations around the world, it is also a must to have an expiry date.

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Website of the Apiary 

Facebook Page

Basic Price (Doesn't Include Courier Charges)
Honey (2800 grams) - NT$900
Pollen (350 grams) - NT$700

Challenges
A few which i thought i should share here. 

As you can probably deduce by now, all communications were in Chinese and even the website isn't non-Chinese friendly. For non-Chinese reading individuals, please get a person who is proficient in Chinese to help you with the orders.

Another frustrating problem i faced was of course the limited payment mode; in this case, only telegraphic transfer. I would have preferred to pay via paypal or credit card anytime! 
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Teochew Meat Puff (潮州猪肉香饼) - Sinful, Delicious Snack @ Singapore Pasar Malams!

January 16, 2015, 7:30 am
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Long time ago, the one stall i always looked out for whenever i cut through a pasar malam would disperse an aroma that either embraces or disgusts; stinky tofu! Sad to say, i seldom see the stall nowadays in the night markets although my obsession has now switched to another stall.

Teochew Meat Puff (潮州香饼) stall - if i remember correctly, the meat was limited to only oyster in the past but given the love for variety by locals, there are presently four types of puffs you can choose from!

Octopus with Pork, Oyster with Pork, Prawn with Pork and lastly Vegetable! Do note that the 'vegetable' here was a misnomer as it would be unsuitable for vegetarians given the sprinkling of tiny little fishes on the batter! 

Anyway, the queue to line up just to get your hands on just one piece of meat puff can be incredibly long, even at about 3pm when i had 15 persons right in front of me! There's a reason for the snaking queue and that's aside from the puffs being irresistibly delicious! 

The puffs were only made and deep fried upon your order! That's freshness to the max - okay i am exaggerating as i can't expect the operators to kill the pork or fish for live prawns right in front of me!

Assembling the order seemed simple enough for an onlooker like me but to repeat the same motion continuously throughout the day must be exhausting! After putting the liquid batter on the metal scoop, it's a layer of Chinese celery which tasted much better cooked than raw.

Next up would be a generous layer of minced pork and depending on your choice, a few pieces of octopus, oysters or prawn. 

Another blanket of batter to cover up the main ingredients.

And it's time to let the batter meet the boiling hot oil! I have no idea how the operator differentiates the Oyster from the Prawn etc, especially when there could be as many as ten of them in the pot! My suspicion tells me to look at the number of peanuts they flick on top of the batter before throwing them into the oil. 

My usual order consisted of two prawns-with-pork meat puffs and in a recent development thanks to mom who decided to let me try her vegetable puff, i have now upped my order to at least three puffs per request! 

What am i so obsessed with it? A hot, crispy batter would always be welcome on the cool nights we have been encountering in Singapore recently but most importantly, it was the meaty filling that made the huge difference; comprising of fattening (and juicy) minced pork, the flavour was enhanced by a splattering of mushrooms bits! 

Eat it with Thai chilli sauce to up the yummy factor!! To me, they are more than snacks as in many occasions, they are really dinner! Too many you have purchased? Keep them your fridge and toast them up next day!


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Where to Find the Stall?
This is tricky since pasar malams (night markets) are temporary and there is no specific, permanent location for the meat puff stall. Not to worry, you can always contact the operators (name as attached above) to find out their latest location.

Contact Number
+65-9879-9874
+65-9819-8185

Facebook
Updates on location are also shared on their facebook page. 'Like"

Menu Prices
As above

Prices
Prawn with Pork Meat Puff - S$2.50
Vegetable Puff - S$1.30

Additional Information
There was more than just meat puff even though my focus has never veered from it! Nevertheless, just treat them as additional options for those craving for fried mushrooms, sweet potatoes, steamed corn etc.
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Cantonese Delights - Wanton Noodles and Laksa Yong Tau Foo @ Hong Lim Hawker Centre [Chinatown, Singapore]

January 17, 2015, 7:30 am
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At the request of the kids who wanted to have fun ordering sushi sent to the table using toy trains, i am once again at the vicinity of Chinatown Point! 

However, i really need to control my expenses and opted to have my meal at the more wallet-friendly hawker centre instead; obviously Hong Lim since it is right next to Chinatown Point, connected by a link-way. 

I have noticed this particular queue a number of times already and thought this would be a good time for me to check out the stall which sells noodles, laksa yong tau foo etc. It was a wait of almost 30 minutes before i got my food!

The Cantonese-ethnic group is famous for their roasted delight and judging from the glaze and colour of the char siew on display, i guess wanton noodles shall be my assigned lunch.

Seeing the declaration display by ieatishootipost for laksa yong tau foo derailed my intention though! :( I had to trouble my poor, fat tummy to have both then; psychologically, i shall treat the laksa yong tau foo as a bowl of soup for my noodles! 

Side-track a bit - there was a big bowl of crispy pork lard where you can take as much as you love! I absolutely adore operators who are so considerate towards their customers! 

Wanton Noodles 
When this was placed on my tray, i immediately knew i might have made a wrong decision; personally, i am not into lean char siew which was generally drier with a tougher texture.

And i am right even though the red crust surrounding the meat didn't disappoint as far as sweetness and smokiness are concerned. To me, it was a pity since the noodles were cooked to a spring and devoured in no time at all. 

Laksa Yong Tau Foo 
Original price was S$3.50 but if you choose to have it without noodles or rice (like me), the price would be reduced by 50 cents. Unlike many yong tau foo stalls, you are given standard ingredients with option to leave out certain "liao" you don't like. 

I counted brinjal, tau pok, tau kwa, fishball, bittergourd with fish paste etc. Save for the eggplant, everything else was pretty normal. Another item worth noting was the gravy; thick, creamy with a milky fragrance! Aiyah, they should put out more ingredients for customers to choose! Bet it would be more memorable then. 

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Location
Block 531A, Upper Cross Street, 
#02-03, Hong Lim Food Centre 
[Next to Chinatown MRT stations] 

Map
As above

Price
Wanton Noodles - S$3.00
Laksa Yong Tau Foo without Noodles - S$3.00

Other Stalls within the Food Centre



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Forest Adventure - The Place to Conquer Our Fear for Heights! @ Bedok Reservoir Park [Singapore]

January 18, 2015, 7:17 am
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4 months have passed and after a lot of hints from fellow partners-in-crime, i am finally working on this post to Forest Adventure, an obstacle course that aims to satisfy many mans' childhood dream; to be Tarzan for one day. 

Okay, i am kidding. In my opinion, Forest Adventure is an attraction for those with an adventurous streak and for individuals like myself who have a phobia for heights, to challenge our fear.

From young, i suffer from vertigo and this was extremely discomforting given my free spirit, nonchalant attitude when it comes to enjoying life. Hence, i gladly accepted the invitation from a group of NUS colleagues to sign up for the "Grand Course" at Forest Adventure. 

The workout begins from this spot at Carpark A (opposite Aquaris by the Park condominium); bloody hell, i didn't realise the attraction is so far in! 

Oh well, just treat it as a warm-up exercise and slowly stroll down the tree-lined pathway. On a windy day, it could be immensely therapeutic to the mind and soul.

Arrived at the base camp after a walk of about seven minutes which wasn't much actually. Anyway, the base camp would be just a building where you can register your attendance (pre-booking is recommended), make payment and if need be, get some drinks (very limited variety). On second thought, don't drink until post activity. You would not appreciate the high tide when you are 8 meters above ground. 

This enormous tent with tables and chairs would be necessary even before the course begins; for you to fill up the disclaimer form that holds you, as an individual, solely responsible for any injury. Please be assured that after going through the course, i thought it was conducted in a pretty safe environment, so long you adhere to their safety instructions.

All participants would be issued with the all-important helmet and harness! In addition to reducing the risk of injury should something fall on our delicate head, wearing the helmet would help to prevent the carabiner from pulling your hair off. Ouch on the last part! Ladies and long haired gentlemen; tie up your hair please!

It's MANDATORY for every participant to be briefed on safety by a trained instructor with a short, practical session of an extremely easy obstacle route that was no more than two meters. Note: for the grand course, you would not be accompanied. If you are found to be not following the safety advisories, the staff has the right to shove the red card in your face and ask you to leave. No refund would be given.

Walking past the kids' course to attempt Site 2 as Site 1 was undergoing maintenance! The kids course is suitable for children with a minimum height of 1.1 meters and i thought it is a great activity to build confidence and teamwork among kids.

We were warned and i agreed that Site 2 was indeed the most challenging and featured the highest obstacle at 8 meters; for first timers, you would also find it extremely daunting as the first step was to clamber up the wobbly rope ladder! Darn, how come it look so easy on television!?!?!? 

Once you got up to the top of the ladder, it would be a no-return route; the first crossing between trees at this site seemed to be quite straightforward and i zipped across with apprehension yet without much difficulty.

Concerned with safety? Forest Adventure practised a two-level safety mechanism and you would be protected by at least one level. "Red-On" was something i kept reminding myself every time i got to a new obstacle and once that's stuck, hooking on to the red carabiner would be quite a no-brainer. 

Each obstacle is limited to the use of only one person at any one time and the platforms (as in the one above) can hold no more than three persons. Flout the rules and be prepared for the red card. 

Frankly, despite the pending enjoyment, I did feel for the poor trees that had to endure the suffering of having additional "armour" nailed to their body. All for the sake of humans' joy.

Nevertheless, let's continue with our journey - this crossing was physically more challenging; rule of thumb, cross it whichever way you want so long your harness is attached to the safety line. Many played cheat by utilising their body weight to move the carabiner along the pulley.

My friend preferred to swing across, using both hands, from timber to timber which i thought was more likely to throw a person off his/ her balance! By looking at her, there were quite a few times i had my pounding heart in my mouth. 

Among all the obstacles that day, this took the cake for being the most strenuous! The swinging wooden beams were placed in a zig-zag pattern and you have to push the one you are standing on towards the next one and hope you can grab it in time to hop across! The difficulty increases for those with short legs and arms, like me. 

See!!!! Since the height clearance for the grand course is 1.4 meters, children would be at a disadvantage although their lighter weight can prevent the wood from swaying all over the place.

At the end of each site would be the exhilarating reward most people look forward to; flying fox or in official naming, the zip lines across a small section of the reservoir! 


Site 3 was remembered for its length.

The rope ladder continued to be featured, in fact in every site! I absolutely detest this segment of activity as it drained my energy and climbing up every step reminded me that it was my fault to sign up for this!

Other than that the aforementioned, everything else on this site was quite an ease. Maybe i am getting use to the "protection" or i could have finally unlocked the true nature of my Chinese zodiac; the monkey! 

Following the zipline at the end of Site 3, we shall now proceed to Site 4; said to be a combination of both fun and excitement!

Star attraction; the Tarzan Swing! I have been wanting to try bungee jumping and this was said to emulate that adrenaline charged act; albeit on a much smaller scale.

Even a kid (and for that matter, Mdm Ang too) took the oath of bravery to leap off! Oh, by the way, do refrain from sprouting vulgarities as there could be quite a number of children attempting the grand course. 

This is the proper way to hit the net right after a successful mini bungee jump. 

I did bump off the net as i should but in my case, my foot was caught by the net and even though i was laughing hysterically, i could almost feel my foot dislocating as the force pulled me away. 

Thankfully, nothing happened and i continued to hop across the obstacles like a hyperactive primate.

Honestly, after Site 2, nothing else was really demanding. The height did put me off at times although my worst enemy was still the climb up the ladder, pure torture especially when you are exhausted! 

As Site 1 was closed, we were given a discount and also a choice to take part in an additional site, be it the horrifying Site 2, lengthy Site 3 or the fun Site 4. I didn't take long to decide it shall be Site 4 for me! Another go for the Tarzan Swing! 

The very kind instructor informed that there are more than one way to do the bungee. The conventional way was of course to look ahead and jump. Other ways include a heavy leap to feel the agonising pull and a backward jump! 

I opted for the last one and thoroughly enjoyed what was known as the "leap of faith". I think i should seriously consider the bungee jump at Macau Tower; a descent of a whopping 233 meters! Guess i was the only crazy one in my group, the others chose to be "safe".

Last jump off! In all, it was a well-spent three and a half hours clearing four sites and included the safety briefing. We were not hurried and i must say we totally enjoyed ourselves!

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Location
Within Bedok Reservoir Park.

Map
As above.

For Motorists
Park at Carpark A and walk over (looking out for the signboard indicating Forest Adventure). Parking is free. 

Website

Location Map for the Sites 
As above

Price
Grand Course; four sites with various level of difficulties at S$46 each person. The maximum for one group is 15 persons so do ask your friends to join! 

Brochure 
As above. For more information, check the website.

Additional Information
Wear gloves (to protect your hands), bandana (the helmet is used by many people), trouser / bermudas (skirts are no allowed for obvious reasons), covered shoes (sports shoes preferably), mosquito repellent and sunblock! 

You can store your bag at the lockers (a dollar per use) behind the base camp.

Don't know what to eat and i bet you are famished? Check out the all day breakfast on weekends at Wawawa Bistro by the Reservoir! Check out my review here!

I was wondering if anyone has tried to climb up the trees at night for free when the facility is closed. The reservoir was pretty much open to the general public and this could really be a possibility for youngsters out for cheap thrills. 

Mystery solved - the staff would keep the rope ladder once every registered customer has cleared the obstacles. Another question - next morning, how would they put back the ladder? 

p.s. Thanks to Ms Tan and Ms Lau for taking most of the pictures!
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