Flew back to Singapore (07/09/06)

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At Incheon Airport

Myungdong, Walker Hill in Seoul

The Blue House, Kyungbok Palace, Dongdaemun Shopping Centre in Seoul

The Blue House

Guards changing ceremony in front of the Royal Palace The Central Stage (now under renovation) Traditional Korean Food -- Dolsot Bibimbap (Sizzling Vegetables on Rice) Similar to Bi Bim Bap, Dolsot Bi Bim Bap's ingerdients include rice and various vegetables (sometimes with meat). While regular Bi Bim Bap is usually served in a cool bowl, Dolsot Bi Bim Bap comes in a hot crock. Also, it usually includes more ingredients. To eat, mix the ingredients together then eat with a spoon. After eating, poor some hot water into the crock to soften the rice that sticks to the side. Scrape off this rice (called nudungji) and eat it as well. Steamboat

This is how after the Bi Bim Bap mixed looks like. Ginseng Chicken soup -- It uses 1 to 2 year ginseng, so, if your body nature is heaty, must be very careful. Otherwise, eather pimples will come out or nose bleeding.

Sangsoo's Herbland, Ginseng Farm & Yongin Everland

Mr Lee Sang Soo - CEO of the Sangsoo's Herbland (right)

In the morning, we visited Sangsoo Herbland. The founder -- Mr Lee Sang Soo, was a plant researcher. He bought this barren hill some years ago and transformed it into this herbland. It is very successful -- from the photoes on the wall, looks like many people visited each year, including Miss Hongkong, models, actrasses from all of East and South East Asia countries.






Lunch here also herb related. This is modified version of Korean Bi Bim Bap. It's called herbal Bi Bim Bap. The so called "herbal" comes from different flower petals. According to Mr Lee, they have different healing functions. Before eating, you must mix all the ingredients gether with red chilli paste. It will look like the one below after mixing.


















Ginseng Farm -- Korea is famous for ginseng and you'll see ginseng farm everywhere. Ginseng must be planted at low land first. Then it must be transpanted to hilly area after 4 years. During ginseng growth, direct sunshine must be avoided. That's why we see black shelter with 45 degrees. Our tour guide told us, ginseng is very nutritious. It provides great energy for us. But 1-5 year ginseng is rather heaty, so, not everyone can take it. 6-year ginseng gains Yin-Tang balance, it becomes neutral and good for everyone, even including infant, kids, old folks and sick people. She said the Yin-Yang balanced ginseng can only be found in Korea. So, we bought more than S$700 ginseng back. But when we consult Chniese physician, he said all Asia ginsengs are heaty and must be very careful when eating especially in Singapore, the weather is so hot, it's better not to eat. See, we should not believe the tour guide.

Many items in a Korean theme park must pay seperately. So better check before you go in.
Dinner is grilled pork together with Kimchi. Once it grilled, cut them into a mouth-bite size with scissors, then together with rice, seaweed, etc. wrapped in a green vegetable leaf and eat with hand. It's fun.