Monthly Archives: January 2014
Buk Seoul Museum of Art in Hagye – Modern Art and A Great Italian Restaurant
The cold month of January has forced us to look for more indoor activities to pass the time until the spring arrives. We decided to stay local and just head up a few stops to check out the Buk Seoul Museum of Art near Hagye station. This place has a particular sentimental value, as Jill […]
North Korean Book Review – Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
North Korea. Just saying the words conjures up images of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un overseeing some arbitrary task or standing stoned faced as millions upon millions of his subjects cheer in admiration. North Korea is as close to the Orwell’s 1984 as you can get in the 21st century. […]
North Korea Revisited: Day 1 – Yanji, Tumen, Onsong, Hoeryong
Originally posted on Abandoned Kansai:
The Northeastern Adventure started on a rainy Monday morning in front of the Ryugyong Hotel. No, not the famous triangle shaped hotel in Pyongyang that was the world’s most famous construction ruin for many, many years – the one in Yanji, China, also known as Liujing Hotel. At first sight…
North Korea Revisited: Day 2 – Hoeryong, Chongjin
Originally posted on Abandoned Kansai:
After breakfast at the Hoeryong Hotel we started a highlight tour of the city. First destination was a statue of Kim Jong-suk, Kim Il-sung’s wife and Kim Jong-il’s mother, who died in 1949 when lil’ Kim was just seven years old. Barely mentioned during tours to Pyongyang, Kim Jong-suk, pardon:…
North Korea Revisited: Day 3 – Chongjin, Pochon (Homestay Village)
Originally posted on Abandoned Kansai:
The most surprising and shocking revelation of the third day was the electric fence along the coast of North Korea! After breakfast at the Chongjin Hotel we drove south through the city, past the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex (guess who originally built it!), which is dominating the look…
허수아비 돈까스 aka Scarecrow – Japanese-Style Donkasu in Jung-gu
No journey to the Canadian Embassy is complete without a little trip to 허수아비 돈까스 in Jung-gu, near Seodaemun Station. 허수아비 돈까스 is Korean for Scarecrow Donkasu. Donkasu is actually a Japanese dish (Tonkatsu (豚カツ, とんかつ or トンカツ), which consists of breaded pork and cheese. It is normally covered with a dark, thick sauce which is comparable to Worcestershire sauce with […]
Le Saint Ex in Itaewon – Like Moulin Rouge But for the Tastebuds
Update: Au Revoir Le Saint Ex A phone call, a table side conversation and a Facebook confirmation over the span of a week seemed to determine Le Saint Ex’s fate in Itaewon. The long standing French bistro was apparently set to close, and technically this is true. The restaurant will close for the month of […]
[misc] A memorable field trip to Naver
Originally posted on this user is dead:
Let’s be honest here folks how many of you can go a day without using google? I know that I certainly am a perfect example of google effect judging only from the way I set google search as my homepage. As hard as not using google may seem,…
High Street Market in Itaewon – Importers of Western Ingredients and Luxuries (Goodbye my first born son)
One of my favorite rituals on payday is to head down to Itaewon, go into a pub, usually my good friend Baby Guinness and order a nice pint of the black stuff, and maybe their chicken tenders with fries. Afterwards, with my new found riches, I head up the hill to High Street Market to find […]
On The Border – Another Chain in Itaewon? Really? Oh well..
As my previous article stated, the Macaroni Market is closed and in its place the popular American Mexican restaurant chain, On The Border, has opened. Now, surprisingly this is not a total disappointment because On The Border has pretty decent Mexican food by Korean standards. So, a couple of Sundays ago, we decided to take […]
Derek Versus Lonely Planet 