Part 2: My last few days of freedom

I'm back in Singapore and it feels awesome. Actually, there's a little bit of mixed feelings. As the plane touched down and I saw the good old Changni Control Tower, I realised my holiday was officially over.

For that split moment, I missed Korea. I had an awesome time whlie I was in Korea and I certainly learnt quite a good deal of Korean. My Korean is not fantastic, but I can tell that I've improved. On my flight to Korea 3 months ago, when the flight stewardess mistook me for a Korean and started speaking to me, I didn't know what she was talking about at all and had to ask her to repeat it in English. However, 3 months later, the air stewardess once again mistook me for a Korean and spoke to me in Korean, I understood it all and what's even better was that I replied in Korean. That's when I knew. My trip was all worth it.

After that tiny split moment of nostalgia, I returned to reality and felt the pressure of sorting out my very disorganised CV, job - career to be precise - hunting and of course, looking for my future. My mum's text message the immediate next morning reminding me to start my job search helped loads with the stress.

Nevertheless, since I'm technically not due back till the 31st of May (today) - that's what my flight was originally scheduled for - I've given myself a couple of relaxing first few days back in Singapore.

The moment I touched down, I rang Pear, enticing her with Krispy Kreme donuts...MMMMMM.

While waiting for her, I rang my parents at 1am their time to inform them of my safe arrival, rang my host family in Korea as well, and did some unpacking till around 11.45pm when she dropped by. Then, we did more unpacking as I showed her some of what I bought for her and for myself (others are still in the bag James took back for me which I haven't collected), ate some sinful but absolutely gorgeous Krispy Kremes (we tried all 5 flavours I bought - one quarter each) and we did some major catching up till around 3+am.

The next morning, we woke up around noon (that's when I received my mummy's text to remind me of the daunting job hunt - yes mum, I know), had lunch before getting ready to go out. We took a while to dress up because we were meeting Junren and Zeyun at the Mortons Bar in the 5 star Oriental Hotel for some cheap "happy hour" martinis and free steak sandwiches. Also, since the guys were going to be in shirt and pants, we had to look the part as well. Here's us at Mortons with our martinis...



After that, we headed over to KBox at Marina Square and did some major damage to our voice box as we sang from 7+pm till almost midnight.



Then we went for Prata (oh...it's so good to be back eating local food) before we went home. Since it was late, I decided to stay over at Pear's place and once again, we ended up talking till around 4am.

The next morning, we woke up around 11am, got ready and went to have 'Ba Chou Mee' (Mince Meat Noodles) at the food stall opposite her place (have I mentioned how grear it is to be back eating local food) before we headed into town for some shopping. Pear owed me a birthday prezzie and so we went in search for it. But neither of us were really in the shopping mood - HUH?!?! WHAT'S THIS I HEAR?? THE SHOPPAHOLIC DOESN'T FEEL LIKE SHOPPING?. I guess I've shopped too much while I was in Korea, so I didn't really need anything more.

We ended up meeting Junren at around 5pm and went to watch the X-Men movie - LOVED IT. I'm a big fan of X-Men and I love every movie they've produced, though I thought the third wasn't as fantastic, but it was still great nevertheless. After the movie, Pear bought me my birthday prezzie - a concealer pact from M.A.C.. I love concealers - it works wonders!! Now I know why actors and actresses look like they have flawless skin - the work of concealers.

You see, before we left the house for Orchard yesterday, Pear and I did some make-up. She helped me apply concealers to my zits and TA DAH:



I was instantly impressed. Thanks babe for my belated birthday prezzie. Love it!

Then we went for some prawn mee (YUM) before making our way home.

Part 1: My last few days in Korea

It's been one hectic last few days in Korea, here's a quick update...

On Wednesday morning, 24th of May, I was busy rushing around doing some last minute souvenier shopping, followed by classes in the afternoon, and a movie in the evening. We (Brian - our chauffeur, Muzi, Jessica, Irene and I) ended up watching The Da Vinci Code. Because I haven't read the book and had no clue what to expect, the movie was just "okay lor". I didn't find it fantastic, neither did I find it lousy.

After the long movie, we were all so hungry so we drove a good half an hour to this suburb in Seoul called 'Il San' and had 'Dak Kal Bi' (Chicken BBQ).



The chicken was great, but the side dish of salad was a turn off...



The pink dressing looked kinda disgusting, I couldn't eat it at all!

On Thursday, Brian, being our chauffeur once again, took us out for the day. We visited 63 Building but the top deck was closed for renovations so didn't stay for long.



After that, we went to a ginseng dutyfree shop only for foreigners and bought some expensive ginseng before heading to Ding Tai Feng for some Xiao Long Baos that were substandard. Singapore's Ding Tai Feng has much better Xiao Long Baos.

I also attended my last private lesson with my teacher after lunch from 4 to 6pm.



After the private lessons, I had to rush off to meet Lydia, Esther, Brian and Muji at Express Bus Terminal for some shopping. There, I bought some art tiles for my bedroom wall and several necklaces.

That night, we also went to eat this spicy squid that's supposed to set your tummy on fire. It wasn't too spicy though, but the Brian and Lydia didn't agree with me. Maybe I have really improved in my ability to eat spicy food.

On Friday morning, I met Irene and together, we visited Min Hee and Lydia at their office and bought them some flowers as well. Here's a pic of me and Min Hee.



And if you look closely, you can see I'm wearing this bright red shirt with some Korean words on it. It translates to "We are The Republic of Korea". Because of the world Cup, everyone in Korea are into the supportive spirit and almost every store has their own red shirts to cheer on the Korean Red Devils. Moreover, there was a Korean friendly match on Friday evening so it was even more appropriate for me to be wearing this t-shirt.

After visiting WorldLink Education Office for our last time, we did some major shopping and ate some green tea sweet potato pizza...



Then, I went to school. Because it was my last day of lessons, the teacher decided to throw me a farewell and give the class a day of rest. We headed over to The Coffee Bean for some coffee and chatted till 5pm.



I did a little bit more souvenier shopping that evening before back to Lydia's house with Muji. That Friday evening, we went to a nearby restaurant which was also airing the soccer match live and joined the crowd as we had dinner. Some girls also came around and gave us and everyone in the restaurant free red scarves as well - a great advertising tool to promote their organisation.



Then the group of us adjourned to Ho Bar - our frequent bar - for one last time.



Brian and Eddie (his friend) joined us at Ho Bar. After some drinks, we went clubbing for one last time. Instead of going home at 2.30am after clubbing, we headed to a Nu Rae Bang (Karaoke Room) and sung till around 4am!



By the time I got home and did some packing and got ready for bed, it was 6am the Saturday morning and the sun was shining through my window.

I woke up around 11am that Saturday, had some breakfast or lunch with the family, washed up and finished packing my luggage except for the things I needed on Sunday. Then that afternoon, I met Sean for a Korean movie - the Korean movie was awesome. Loved the fighting scenes, especially when they combined hip hop into the fighting moves of one scene. He also took me to a nearby Walmart to buy a small handcarry luggage as well because I have too many things - how did I end up shopping so much! We also had dinner at a western steak restaurant called 'Outback Steakhouse' but this I have to share...when our plates of steak came, the waiter also brought along a plate of...



KIMCHI!! How typical Koreanish! I cracked up when I saw the plate of kimchi.

After dinner, we met Irene, Muji, Lydia and Brian at the bar Brian works at (their cousin's bar) and together, we headed off to Bonjour - a traditional Korean tea house in Yang Pion for some drinks till late...



On Sunday morning, I woke up and had breakfast with the family around 10.30am, did more packing, went out and bought some Krispy Kreme to bring back to Singapore for Pear to try, and waited for Lydia's call.

Lydia came around to pick me up around 1.15pm. I said my goodbyes to my host family. They have taken such good care of me while I was in Korea and I'm so grateful to them for it. Here's a picture of us...looks a little formal I think...



I felt a little sad when we parted, almost wanted to cry but I held it back.

At the airport, I was hoping that my 28kg luggage would be allowed to pass, but obviously not. I had to do some repacking, removing my cosmetic bag and another school bag of mine before she allowed my luggage through. But I did cheat a little. Lydia actually had my drag-along handcarry luggage with her while I only carried a bag pack and my laptop when I went to the counter. When I returned to Lydia, we did a little repacking and restuffing before saying our goodbyes and parting - me dragging along a handcarry luggage with a bulky laptop, carrying a big fat backpack and a box of Krispy Kreme.

As I got on the plane, I thought of all the beautiful memories I had of Korea and I felt a little sad to be leaving but I also felt I've got an awesome 3 months worth of memories. I've got no regrets and I believe I've spent every minute in Korea to the fullest. Even during those times when I felt very sick and couldn't get out of bed, those are also memories I'd treasure for life as well. I've enjoyed every minute of my time in Korea and I'm thankful to God for taking such good care of me and showing me the country I've always wanted to visit. I'm glad Korea has met my every expectation and I've got no regrets.

"Thank you and good bye, Korea!!"

Recipe to falling sick...again

I'M CURED, but I've also got the recipe to falling sick again and I know I'd be 'cooking' a lot in these next few days. The recipe not only includes late nights, it includes a jam packed schedule without any breathing space for the next few days. Yep...the last few days of mine in Korea will most probably be the most hectic. But I can't wait...I can't wait to go home. It's about time.

Not only will I be busy once morning breaks till I go home this Sunday, I've also been busy since Friday up until now...let's do some reviewing...

REWIND>>Tue>>Mon>>Sun>>Sat>>Fri>>PLAY

On Friday evening after school, I met Haeyoung with an almost dead cell phone and we went for a good dinner. Halfway through dinner, my cell phone died but I had other plans! I was meeting Irene after!

So after dinner, we walked to the nearest SK Telecom (my network provider) outlet and asked if they could charge it up - OF COURSE! 1000 Won for 20 minutes! How fantastic is that!! I was so impressed when I got back my fully charged cell phone. I could finally text.

Haeyoung went for classes at 8pm and I went back to Hong Dae to meet Irene, Muji and Lydia. We decided to go to princess-like cafe. Each table was separated with princess-like draps and the entire atmosphere was so princessy - LOVE IT! However, we waited and waited and waited for an empty table, we were even served free ice cream as we waited, but no one seemed to be leaving. We gave up and left, moving on to Krispy Kreme instead and then home.

When I got home, I spent 2 hours packing packing and packing. I was trying to compress a 2 day 1 night trip into a backpack - it was HARD but finally a success at 2am in the morning.

At 7.20am on Saturday morning, I met Lydia, Irene and Muji at the lobby and together, we took the subway to the Sports Complex, where we met Shimada before boarding our bus headed for Seorak Mountain. It was a good sleep on the 4 hour bus journey...



We arrived at our rented apartment in Seorak Mountain just past noon and settled in.



After that, we grabbed a cab to the Dubu (Tofu) Town. The entire street was lined with restaurants selling Dubu and with the recommendation of the cab driver, we arrived at our destination and had a meal.



I'm not a big fan of tofu, especially because it reminds me of milk. It even tastes like soya bean milk...YUCK. I had to soak my tofu in light sauce before I could digest it. My verdict for this meal: OK (just OK).

After that, we grabbed a cab to visit a famous temple. This is my first temple I've seen in Korea! Apparently, almost the entire temple burnt down a while ago except for one small shrine. They have started rebuilding the temple again and the biggest Budha in Korea can be found here in Seorak.



After that, we headed down to the beach where Autumn's Tale was filmed (Korean drama), took a couple of photos before heading off to a local fish market.



At the fish market, we selected some fish (yuck, I hate it when it's alive) and had it sliced before heading home to enjoy sashimi.



That night, we graded the miserable 5 Korean guys we know...watched some TV before heading to bed. Because there was only one queen bed and 3 others had to sleep on the floor, I decided to try sleeping the traditional way - on the floor mattress with a hard rice pillow. It was the worst night ever! The floor was hard and uncomfortable - the bed layer was hardly comfortable. The pillow was worse! I think I had a sore butt when morning came. Lydia and Shimada decided to hike Seorak Mountain and I finally upgraded to the beautiful bed for the best hour of sleep that night.

As we waited for Lydia and Shimada from 11am till 1pm, I became super bored. There wasn't much to do at Seorak Mountain. I couldn't wait to get back to Seoul!

Finally, at 2pm, we boarded the bus and left Seorak Mountain. YAY!

After a gruelling 5 hour journey back into Seoul (traffic going into Seoul was bad), I split from the others and hopped onto another bus, travelling for almost 2 hours till I reached Incheon International Airport. James was stopping over in Korea for a couple of days while on his way from America to Singapore.

I found James waiting for me at his arrival gate and together, we got back onto a bus and headed back into Seoul. An hour plus later, we arrived at the Renaissance Hotel, checked in and went out for a late dinner at 10.30pm that night.

We ate some very spicy chicken. I loved it but James literally gulped down 3 water jugs in total!



We didn't get back till past midnight and I decided to crash in his hotel room. I'd missed the last train and it was way too far (and too expensive) to take a cab home. Plus, I didn't mind a nice 5 star hotel bed! I ended up watching 'The Italian Job' again coz it was showing on TV before knocking out.



The next morning, my alarm woke us up at 9am and our day begun. First stop, Starbucks for breakfast. Then we headed to Lotte World for 3 hours of fun.



This time around, I rode more rides than I did before. Of course I had to ride Atlantis again and even James agreed that it was great!

At 1pm, we returned to the hotel to meet James' Korean friend from Hopkins as well. She brought along 2 of her Korean friends as well and together, we had a sumptuous Korean traditional lunch nearby recommended by the hotel (expensive too) and then we headed to Insadong for tea.



The weather for the day was horrid and gloomy. It kept raining and because of that, we didn't really do anything outdoors. We decided to head back to COEX mall and do some indoor shopping. We didn't end up doing much so the 3 girls went back home while James (dead tired from jetlag) and I went to watch Mission Impossible 3 at the cinema in COEX.

The movie was ok. I'm not a big fan of Tom Cruise so I don't really have much opinion about the show. It wasn't fantastic, neither was it bad - just OK.

After the movie, we split for home. That night, I stayed up for a couple of hours packing. James, as he was travelling business class, could help me with some luggage back to Singapore - thank goodness.

I been worrying about my luggage problem...I've got too much things and I heard the check-in at Incheon Airport is very strict. 25kgs is the max. I didn't know what to do. But God works in brillant ways. He sent James my way to help me.

After stuffing all my books, CDs, and clothes into the cheap and big duffle bag, I started to worry. The weight was one of my worries, however James assured me that I could pack as much as 32kgs! The bag was so heavy, I was actually more worried it would break, especially since it was so cheap. One of the zips was faulty as well, which added to my concerns.

Early this morning at 7am, I asked my host mum for the weighing scale - it was roughly around 20+kgs. I was relieved, but all my plans changed because of that. Originally, I was meeting James at his hotel to pass him my luggage, which meant I had to take the subway and then walk to his hotel which takes about 5-10 minutes. It was too impossible. The bag was too heavy for me to carry for even 1 minute on my own! Plus, I was worried the bag would give way anytime.

So I switched to plan B. I grabbed a cab to a nearby subway station with an airport bus-stop and took the bus to the airport, organising with him to meet there instead. I had learnt my lesson and left real early. This time around, I arrived at the airport so early, I had to wait for about an hour and a half for James.

I made full use of the wait though, buying a luggage strap to secure my bag, brought forward my flight from the 31st to the 28th of May (THIS SUNDAY!!), bought some coffee and even witnessed a bunch of school kids going off to America for 'The Odyssey of The Mind' competition.

I missed my mummy so much then! As I watched the mums nagging after their children to take care, to not lose this and that...



I missed my own mummy's nagging...and my vision went blurry...



After lunch and sending James off, I went home, used the net for a bit before having to leave for school. After class, I had 2 hours of private lessons before going over to Lydia's for dinner and that's where I've been till now.

One Ride Beats All!

Lotte World has one of the best rides I've ever sat!

Yesterday after class, I was feeling better so Muji, Irene and I went to Lotte World just for several hours. We only had to pay 15000 Won to ride all the rides after 5pm...

Lotte World has 2 parts, an open-aired and an enclosed one. We entered the enclosed building first. Entering into Lotte World was like entering into a fantasy place. The atmosphere is completely different. It'a like a dream really. I actually felt the difference compared to Everland.



We decided to visit the external open-air part called 'Magic Island' first. We spotted one ride we had to get on and joined the 45 minute queue.

Here's Muji and I lining up in front of a small part of the ride called 'Atlantis'.



But the ride was absolutely worth the wait. In fact, I could come to Lotte World, and just ride the Atlantis, just once, and feel like the admission fee was totally worth it. That was how good the ride was.

The ride had power. It's not like the usual roller coaster, you know, when you are climbing up the steep slope before you go down and it's crawling up slowly? This ride was totally different. It had power! You start off with like an energy boost, full on power from the start and the entire ride, you are just zooming through, even up slopes! It's so cool!

Here's a pic of it...you can hardly even catch it on pictures...



We rode on other rides as well, like the Gyro Swing which takes you so high, but it couldn't even be compared to the Atlantis.



Here's pics of the external Lotte World:





And then we headed inside for the Viking, and the flying horse carousel...




We watched a little bit of the lazer show but it was quite pathetic compared to Everland's so we headed back to Hungdae for some 'dinner' at 10.30pm before we went home.

I haven't had so much fun in a long time due to my cough and cold, so going to Lotte World was AWESOME!!

How come God is so smart?

Yep...just a couple of days ago, my cough and sore throat turned into a horrid cold with a leaking nose. Then it's gone on to cough and a semi-leaking block nose. Just last night, I couldn't breathe through my nose. I had to breathe through my mouth. But then you realise how amazing God is. Can you imagine if your breathing pipe only connects to your nose and you catch a cold?

How come God is so smart?

What a silly question!

One's over and the next has begun

Tuesday was the last episode of Spring Waltz. It was a typical happy ending so it was all good, but the show's like all Korean shows. It starts out with a childhood love story, and then when they grow older, it becomes a love triangle (or a square in Spring Waltz case). Typical. But because of Daniel Henney, I continued watching this drama. He's good for the eyes.

Then last night, while folding my laundry in the living room, my host mum happened to switch the television to SBS channel and there was a new drama on. It was the first episode. This plot is similar. It's currently showing a teenage romance (high school setting) but I think in the next few episodes to come (from the highlights), they will grow older and there'll be a love triangle. I just know it. Anyhow, this seems rather interesting! It's called 'Smile Again' and it's about baseball, one of my favourite sports - I LIKE. But sadly, I'm going back soon so I can't finish this drama series. Perhaps I can download it...or I can always wait for the DVDs to get to Singapore...

I'm miserable

I've caught a cold in SUMMER...

Working Backwards

0750, 15 May 2006 :: 26 Hours of Sleep

From Sunday at 0000 in the morning when I went to bed till this Monday morning 0730 when I woke up, I slept a total of 26 hours (estimated).

Here's the breakdown:

Sunday 0000 to 0930:
Sleep

At 0930:
Host sister knocks on my door. "Ne" I wake and pull myself out of the bed. She signals for me to join them for breakfast and I tell her I'll give it a skip and I return to bed.

Sunday 0930 to 1300:
Sleep

At 1300:
Lydia messages to ask if I want to go out with them for grocery shopping but I turn down the offer to rest in. My host sister knocks on my door and brings me a plate of assorted bread for lunch.

Sunday 1400 to 1600:
Sleep

At 1600:
My alarm clock went off and I went to wash up and shower before going out with my family at 1645 for dinner. We went to some country side area for dinner. The drive was about a 45 minutes and in the car, I was nodding off as well. We arrived at the restaurant at around 1730 and discovered many other cars there. The restaurant is rather famous. It's been on television several times now.

Dinner was good. Similar kinda of Korean food - I guess I'm getting a little sick of Korean food now. I crave for some healthier food - something less spicy and more blend. I MISS MY SALADS!

We got home at around 1900 and I did some studying till 2030.

Sunday 2030 to Monday 0730
Sleep

I could have slept in an extra hour. When I went out of my room thinking it's breakfast time, my host mum apologies saying that breakfast is a little later at around 0830 and she told me to go back and rest for an hour, but I'm wide awake now after 26 hours of sleep.

So why have I slept so much...

I'M SICK AGAIN!!!! I never used to be so weak but since I arrived in Korea, I've been sick most of the time, I'm getting sick of it. I'm down with the cough again and this time, it's BAD. My throat is constantly sore and there's so much phlegm - disgusting. Mum reckons it could be the food - too unhealthy - and also coz of all the late nights and alcohol (which I don't drink that much anyway).

It could have also been aggreviated by all the shouting done on Saturday night and the big workout on Saturday morning when I should have rested instead.

1005, 15 May 2006 :: Andy, Dongwan, Min Woo, Jun Jin, Eric and Hye Sung

On Saturday morning, I had promised my host mother to go on a short road trip with the family. However, Nam Shik (my host brother) had school and my host sister had school in the afternoon so she didn't go along. It turned out it was just me and my host parents.

They took me to this memorial park that commemorates this warrior who fought bravely in the war against Japan. And we climbed up this steep hill. Though the scenery was beautiful, the climb up was tiring!

After that climb, I was so exhausted, I slept in the car while we drove to our next destination. This was much more interesting. This suburb/village we went to was called 'Hey Ri' and it started from one guy. I don't know much about him, but I know this village idea originated from him. All the houses built in this area can't be more than 3 storeys high, and they have to be of a modern design. The colours used have to be of the natural earth colours.

Apparently several famous people in Seoul lives here, including a famous club DJ and a movie director or something like that. I'm not so facinated by these, but I love the architecture of some of the houses. They are so unique. Currently, most houses are newly built or in the process of building so the area still looks rather bare but I'm sure in a couple of years, it would be so beautiful!

This house below belongs to a teacher. Because she's not rich, the house is quite small compared to others but the breadloaf shape makes it unique!



This house below is quite simple and boring, I feel, but it belongs to a famous DJ in Korea.



This is one of my favourite houses I saw that day. The walls of the house is of rusting metal but the design is just very unique and cool. Looks a little like a ship as well.



There are many other cafes, art galleries and shops around, built according to these rules as well.

My host mum and I also went into this house filled with pottery and took some photos beside these kim chi pots.



Then we went for a spin in the car as we searched for this restaurant for lunch. They had a specific place in mind and finally after driving for half an hour or more and after several arguments in the car between my host mum and dad about where it was, we finally found it.



We ate baebeque fish on an outside patio along with many other families. The interesting thing about this place is first, you find an empty area on the patio and sit. A staff will come around and take your order. Then a while later, they will carry a table full of food you ordered to you. when they clear the tables, it's the same deal. They carry the entire table away.

Here's a picture of them bringing and clearing the food (to the table beside us):



We got home at around 2.30pm and instead of resting, I watched an episode of last week's Spring Waltz that I missed with my host mum before going out again to meet Muji, Irene and her husband. We had an early dinner at 4.45pm before rushing off to the Olympic Park Stadium for Shinhwa's concert.



We joined the long queue and entered into the stadium. Our seats were pretty good, quite close to the front!



The concert finally started as the lights went out. Screams were heard far before Shinhwa appeared on stage. They teased us with a long intro music before the finally appeared on stage.

The first song they performed was 'Hey Come On' and the crowd roared up! I found myself screaming throughout as well!



There were fireworks and everything. They looked so good in real life, dancing on stage. Too bad my camera's zoom isn't fantastic or else I would be able to catch them in pictures. Here's a blurred picture of them, but the colours from the lights were so beautiful.



They also did solo performances, except for Andy, my favourite, who did duet raps with Eric.

In my opinion, Jun Jin was the best. He could dance and he could sing as well. Min Woo was quite good himself - he's so cute. Dong Wan is just drop dead gorgeous, especially when he sung ballets. Hye Sung wowed all his female fans with one of Ricky Martin's song.

The concert ended with them standing on raised platforms with 'snowlike' white paper blown into the air.



Of course, the end is never the end until the encore is over. It was obvious they were going to do an encore because the lights were all out and they just waited as the fans shouted for them. They teased us a little longer before finishing their concert with their famous 'Yo!'.

You knew it was the end when the lights remained on for the audience to evacuate. At the end of the concert, I was exhausted from all the screaming and I knew I would pay the price for that the next day.

We ate some dinner before reaching home around midnight. That was definitely the climax of the month. Even Friday's eventful day trip couldn't compare.

1100, 15 May 2006 :: Different Modes of Transportation

On Friday, we decided to visit the 'Full House' (Korean drama) house. Visiting the house wasn't as eventful as the journey there and back.

The day started off with us getting some lunch before taking the Airport Limo Bus to Incheon Airport. When we got to Incheon Airport an hour later, we rang for a van to take us to Sam Mok Port where we caught a ferry across to Shin Do, a small island.



We were clearly tourists because we almost missed our ferry stop. When they ferry arrived at Shin Do, we waited for the cars to drive off the boat. As we waited for other cars to drive off but didn't, we realised that they were raising the platform and the boat was about to leave the dock. When the boat crew saw us standing there, they shouted for us to hurry alight. As we alighted, one crew member shouted saying that this was the Full House stop. How did he know?

We realised that the house we wanted to go was on another small island beside Shin Do. How are we going to get there? We didn't know yet.

As we approached the ticket booth, this guy was pointing us in the direction of the bus. The bus driver also smiled at us, as if he was waiting for us. We boarded the bus and asked if he was going to the Full House drama set. He nodded and we paid him and off we went. It was as if they knew we were going to the Full House set.

While on the bus journey through the country roads, we discovered why. This island is in such a remote location that no tourist would ever think of touring the island if not for the Full House drama set.

The bus driver alighted us and pointed us in the direction of the house saying that we needed to walk. He told us to return to this spot to catch the bus.

As we walked in, we didn't know how far the house was. We just knew it was in this general direction.



We arrived at this bicycle stand and wanted to rent some bikes but no one seemed to be mending the store so we continued walking. After walking another 5 minutes, we realised it was still a distance away and was contemplating whether to turn back and try the bike store again when this truck came driving along. We waved him down and asked here the Full House set was. He said it was quite far away and after talking for a while, he offered to drive us there. So us girls climbed into the back of the truck while Andy, Irene's husband, sat with him in the front. This was the first time I've ever hitched a ride before and this was also the first time I've ever ridden on the back of a truck and it was rather exciting.



We arrived at the Full House set and bought our tickets.



And the photo taking started. Here's me with the bike on which the lead actress learnt how to cycle...



Here's the famous spiral staircase of the house...



Here's us at the dining table where Rain and Song Hae Gyo sat...



Here's the sofa where they pretended to sleep in...



And here's the famous wall art that Song Hae Gyo had to clean, square by square...



There was, of course, the bathroom...



And the kitchen sink...



The window they washed together...



And of course, Bi's bedroom...



Also Song Hae Gyo's bedroom...



Here's the house from the back...



And here's the front door...



Yes, we took many many pictures. As I'm not a big fan of Full House, these pictures are for you, best friend!

We returned to Hung Dae for dinner, met Lydia and together, went to Seoul's only casino. Locals are not allowed to enter so Lydia waited for us outside while we took a walk around.

And that was my Friday.