Shop and Eat Seoul Part 1: Myeongdong

Visiting the local shopping streets and markets versus large department stores and malls, is something that I love to do when I travel.  This time though, I didn't have too much time to visit a traditional local market, so I headed to the shopping districts where they at least had individual stores.

Seoul has several popular places to go to for foreign visitors. Itaewon, Dongdaemun, Namdaemun, Myeongdong, Insadong are at least the most common ones. When I visited Seoul the first time, we had visited Itaewon, which is a global fashion and food mecca.  But I wanted to see what Korea has to offer.  So this time, my friend brought me to Myeongdong, which offers a balance of mid to high priced global and local brands.

I love the atmosphere at Myeongdong.  We had just spent a good part of the day relaxing outdoors at Changdeokgung Palace and the Secret Garden.  It was nice change to stroll through a busy and lively street this time.  The weather was just right, getting cooler as the autumn months come in.  The street was crowded, people going into all directions, but I could still stand around and just watch people go by.  I see mostly Asian faces, although I know through their language that they weren't locals.  It was tempting to go and see international stores like Uniqlo and H&M, but I'd rather spend my short time exploring their local stores which were mainly cosmetic stores. Store sales folks invite you as soon as you even spend a second gazing at their products or their store. They immediately hand you a tiny basket and a free sample, announce their promotions and politely lead you towards their store.

Beauty/Cosmetic Products

One of my goals was to get some cosmetic products for which Korea is known for:  BB cream and facial masks ;-)  We stepped into almost all the cosmetic shops: Innisfree, Missha, Nature Republic, Face Shop, Skin Food and Olive Young, some of which are already available back home, but it was nice to scan through their store even just to window shop.  A few blocks away, you'd find the same stores too, so if you miss one, you'll always get a chance to find another one just a few steps away.  I'm not so much a cosmetic product fan, but I am curious as to the secret that Korea offers as Korean skin is one of the best in the world.  I got a tube of BB cream from Missha to try, since I'm the lazy type wherein I hate long regimens.  BB cream stands for Blemish Balm or Beauty Balm, and is an all-in-one cosmetic that often acts as a moisturizer, primer, sunscreen, skin treatment, concealer and light foundation.  Perfect for me, right?  They even have CC cream now and soon, DD cream as well.  They pretty much have the same concept, but some have additional features like whitening and color correction.

Blessed in Bhutan Part 2 of 2

And the stories continue, as I share my personal experiences and impressions of Bhutan through more fast and fun facts below.

If you missed part 1 of my blog, here's the link:

• Bhutan is the Land of the Thunder Dragon where the Druk, a national symbol shown in their flag, represents Thunder Dragon from Bhutanese mythology.  It holds jewels that represent wealth.
  
  The first thing that immediately came to my mind about the Bhutanese flag was its colors resemble the colors of Buddhism.  Apparently, the orange does represent the Drukpas monasteries and the Buddhist religion and the yellow represents the authority of the King, which reminds me of the yellow color of the Emperor in Chinese culture.
  
  The druk represents strength of the people to protect their country.  I think it's a very appropriate symbol for the Bhutanese as proven by their journey so far, where authenticity has never been compromised.  One can find a lot of words to describe them: loyalty, humility, strength, purity, and it all jives into the symbolism of the Druk.
  
  In addition, I'd like to point out that the jewels here refer to wealth of a different kind.  It refers more to the nation's prosperity, and not material wealth as most people would assume.  And I think that makes Bhutan achieve the personal happiness that they so strongly protect.

Blessed in Bhutan Part 1 of 2

Many of my friends have asked me why I chose Bhutan as a travel destination. It's not a common place to go on a vacation, and access is still quite restricted and expensive.  I guess Bhutan is the closest thing, next to Nepal or Tibet, that will bring me to the Himalayas.  Being the home to the highest mountain in the world, Mt. Everest is not only a goal for the mountaineers but it also represents a vision of success, of hard work, or reaching a dream, of overcoming challenges, of completing a journey, of gaining great satisfaction, and these serve as an inspiration for any regular human being, in almost every part of our lives.

So when the opportunity called to go with a photography group to Bhutan, I was ecstatic and excited. Everest is not attainable by many, at least in the physical or literal sense. This trip sort of serves as a preview, or a peek or even a short cut, depending on how one looks at it.

Well, I didn't get to see the Himalayan mountain ranges as thick clouds covered the view both times we drove through Dochula Pass, where one can enjoy a panoramic view of the Himalayas. Nor did I get to see Mt. Everest on our flight in and out of Bhutan. But Bhutan turned out to be a bag of surprises for me, unexpected but very welcome.

I hope to share my personal experiences and impressions of Bhutan to supplement some of the fast and fun facts below. 


Fast Facts and Fun Facts

• Bhutan is a landlocked country in the Himalayas.  It is bordered by China in the north and by India in the east, west and south.  Nepal is to the west of the Indian border connecting Bhutan
  
  Bhutan has the most dangerous airport landing pads in the world. Only 8 pilots are certified to land here, in Paro International Airport, which is 2,300 meters above sea level, and lies in a valley surrounded by steep and high mountains
  
  Little did I know that Bhutan wasn't even beside Nepal or Tibet, despite the fact that they are all part of the Himalayas.  I never expected it to be surrounded by India nor China.  That shows you how little I know about our geography!
  
  Before embarking on this journey, I didn't know about the risk factor associated with the Bhutan take off and landings.  I knew that I didn't have any choice for getting there except through their national airline, DrukAir, the Royal Bhutanese Airlines.
  
  So there we were almost reaching Paro, I noticed as I looked out the window, that we were flying below the tips of the mountains beside us. In a few minutes, the pilot made several turns, left and right, as we flew through the valley densely compressed between the steep mountains. For a moment there, I felt like I was flying in a fighter aircraft with Tom Cruise (Top Gun) or Josh Lucas (Stealth), pressured to find a flat landing somewhere. Or maybe I was actually in a Flight Simulator game or IMAX movie after all. I'll give it to the pilots, and yes, he's one of the few eight, yes eight, pilots certified to fly to and from Bhutan.  In fact, the flight was so smooth.  As I looked out my window, there wasn't any bit of fear, instead I felt that I was in a dream adventure.
  
  As we landed in Paro International Airport, we disembarked through the back door.  We breath the first of the Bhutanese air and stepped on the land of utmost happiness, and so they say. We could literally see the entire length of the runway, which is surrounded by a range of steep mountains. A giant billboard of a beautiful young couple in traditional attire, probably in their early to mid 30s, welcomes us as we walked towards the airport structure that looked more like a temple than an airport.  I assume the young couple was some sort of a celebrity, and celebrity indeed they were, just of a different kind.  This young couple is actually the King and Queen of Bhutan.