Lotte World! (Guys it's really Disneyland!)

What a beautiful last morning in Korea! The sun is shining through the windows, it's clear and blue and probably only freezing! Sadly this is my last morning here with Lana and Steve. In a few hours I'm off to Incheon Airport to spend the day window shopping at Burberry and my other favorite shops that I cannot afford (last night I dreamed a bought a $1,000 lady gaga handbag???)

But before I left I just had to fill you in on last night! I was surprised by Lana and Steve with the BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER! After spending a lovely day with them at work, making bday cards and eating cake with the kids (I'm getting really good at Hello Kitty and Pororo), they said "Surprise! We are going to Lotte World, Happy Birthday!"

Now let me fill you in...

For those of you who forget, Lotte brand is like THE brand of South Korea and Japan. They make hotels, apartments, chocolate, fast food, you name it. They have a theme part at their headquarters called Lotte World--besides a mall, and ice rink, and food, they have the theme park--the biggest indoor theme park in the world, actually.

There are two main characters, Lotty and Lorry, who are raccoons who look suspiciously like Minnie and Mickey. Once we were inside, suspicions were confirmed--this place is Disneyland in disguise. There are different lands (Magic Island with the castle is outside--that's fantasyland). There's a tomorrow land monorail, an adventure land with a jungle cruise, a spanish style mission house, a toon town eatery, and a central square with concerts and a laser show. Oh plus real rollercoasters.

Sounds epic, right?

It was! Omg--Steve discovered that when I go to Dland I become a child again. I was skipping, jumping--some of you know the signs. Our first ride was "Jungle Adventure" which was a water ride much like Jungle cruise but you go a bit faster in a large inner tube.

Then we went along the adventure-esque passage to the monorail and took a ride round the park. We were determined that Pharaoh's Fury looked the coolest and got in line.

This ride is INDIANA JONES! No joke! You start out in a British looking museum and professor's study. You then proceed through the Sarcougagous into a cave, where you watch a film on the Pharaoh's Curse.

Then you hop aboard adventure cars and go on the Indiana Jones Ride but Egyptian themed. It was so surreal, I can't even describe.

Then we went outside, and got pics of the Magic Castle.

We went into Fantasyland, but it was a bit scary--it was like Alice and Wonderland ride on crack. With clowns. It scared us so we went back inside and straight onto The Adventures of Sinbad. Yo ho mateys, this was Pirates of the Caribbean (but with a bigger drop!) It was so much fun.

We ended the evening with a Hot Air Balloon ride around the park. It was quite peaceful, actually.

What I really loved about Lotte World was its attention to detail. Like Disneyland, it incorporated design even into the lines you waited in. And look at the trash cans....

A hard core Disney fanatic would say they look pretty darn familiar.

I would go back to Lotte World again. In fact, 8 million people visit it a year--it's a huge attraction in South Korea and all of Asia. What a fun day to have right before I get on a long plane journey home.

I will update a few more times, post jet-lag, with more top 10 lists. My 50th post will be my last.

xoxo,
Antonia

Temples and Pubs

Updating again from Lana's computer, as mine is sadly kaput. I hope I don't loose all my photos. I will add more to this when I get home.

On Tuesday we went to the local Buddhist temple, Bong Sun Sa. It was great to go out to a working temple, one that was not primarily a tourist attraction. It was beautiful, tucked away in the hills not a stone's throw from the king's burial ground we visited last week.

I have discovered that I really love the paintings on the shrines and temples in Korea. The use of color is just breathtaking. It stands out against the winter landscape, and I am sure it blends beautifully with the greens of spring and summer.

The folks there were really nice as well. Decorations were still up from the lunar new year.

One lady invited us to eat with them, but we politely declined. It was much livelier around the grounds than at a western church, but inside it was very calming. My first time inside a Buddhist temple.

Once I am home I will put together more photos, on the blog and on my picassa site. Hopefully my computer isn't broken permanently, and I'll be able to transfer them to my Mac.


Tonight Lana, Steve, and I met up with their other friends, who are English teachers, at Alley Pub for a night out. It was crazy and a lot of fun--I tried Soju, and it did taste like icky vodka. They had interesting snacks too. Some looked like Hula Hoops (but sadly were not). Had a bit of someone else's potato/cheese/chocolate/honey appetizer. It was...interesting. But a great night out.

Xoxo,
Antonia

A Short Review: The National Museums in Seoul

The past few days have been pretty awesome, but I haven't been able to update the blog because my computer has died! Fortunately, Lana has lent me hers for the afternoon, and now I can finally update you all.

Yesterday Lana, Steve, and I went to Seoul. The weather is still much colder than Japan, but just warm enough that we could still feel our toes. The three of us went to the War Memorial of Korea. This museum covered this history of war, equipment, and the military of Korea, as well as the Memorial Hall and Korean War Room. This place served both to honor soldiers and as a museum, which I thought was pretty cool.

In the entrance hall there was a man posted at a special exhibit to honor the soldiers lost in the attack on a South Korean navy ship last March. they had parts of the torpedo on display, and the guys job was to show us the "three pieces of evidence" that point to a North Korean attack. It was pretty scary how intense this guy was. You have to think, though, this place, in a way, has to be biased when they are still at war. It was kinda hard to swallow, but after that, and the DMZ tour, and hearing about the drills Lana says they have every month, you begin to feel these things, instead of just seeing and hearing about them from halfway around the world.

After that I went by myself to the National Museum of Korea. Let me tell you, this place is amazing! Look at the architecture!

This place reminded me of the British Museum--it had the same ambiance. It had rooms with a linear history of Korea, as well as rooms dedicated to certain arts.

There was a lot about the pottery, of course.

The Celadon pottery--an international symbol for Korean Art

Simple white porcelain of the Joseon period

And Buddhism.

The famous Pensive Bodhisattva

Also galleries of other Asian cultures, to show the differences between them all. This is particularly great for foreign visitors who could otherwise be ignorant to the differences in culture, histories, and arts.

I love this Southeast Asian Bodhisattva with Greek and Roman influence.

I fell in love with some of the paintings and calligraphy. As well at the golden jewelry (surprise surprise) of the Silla period.

 necklace from Silla period

Very famous Silla Crown

What I really loved, however, is that they did not just show you the different art forms, but actually explained how they work. They showed different calligraphy brushstrokes, they showed different types of painting on the pottery. They had everything in English as well, so it was easy for me to absorb a lot from the place. So much inspiration there. I wish I had more time to go back.

After that, I had to go home a bit early with a headache. But I did stop by Lotte World (come on guys, Disneyland-type things are catnip to me!) and actually felt better (adrenaline, maybe?). A quiet evening and wonderfully lazy morning followed, which included delicious brunch foods like pancakes, potatoes, and eggs. And a movie.

Hope all is well at home. I'll be there soon enough!
xoxo,
Antonia

Top 10 Favorite Meals

As my time adventuring come to a close, I thought it might be fun to do some top 10 lists. The first is from my top ten favorite meals/eateries while traveling the world these past four months. If you find yourself in the neck of the woods, stop by! Whether it was the food, the dessert, or just the company, here they are:

10.Chocolate Parfait: Kyoto, Japan

At this, sadly unnamed dessert parlor off of Shijo Street in Kyoto, Lana and I shared one of the most delicious parfaits I have ever had. Chocolate parfait, vanilla bean ice cream, whipped cream, and a giant brownie sticking out of the top. Absolutely delicious and while not traditionally Japanese, a dessert found in both Kyoto and Osaka and very popular.

9. Gnocci at Zoe: Florence, Italy

This cafe was quintessentially European. It was the first place I ate at in Florence while staying with my mother. A cafe americano and a simple potato gnocci with marinara and cheese. Zoe in the Oltrarno.

8. Beans on Toast, Sheringham, England

We all have that dish our parents, aunts, or grandparents make that is never the same anywhere else. For me, one of those things is beans and cheese on toast, made my grandfather.

7. Cream Tea, V&A Museum, London, England

When Will visited, we sampled a lot of cream teas. Liberty, Cambridge, so on. But the Victoria and Albert Museum does this British classic the best.

6. Hot Chocolate, Cafe Rivoire, Florence, Italy

Fabbrica di Cioccolata Rivoire is still home to the best hot chocolate I have ever had. My mother has taken me there twice--once when I was six and once at twenty-three. I cannot wait to go back there again!


5. Shabu Shabu, Seoul, South Korea

Last night Lana and Steve took me to a Shabu Shabu restaurant in their town in Korea. It was so much fun! A Japanese dish but popular here as well, you cook the veggies and the meat at the table, then make a porridge from the broth and rice afterwards. The place we went also had delicious Vietnamese Spring Rolls, and we drank Makkoli.

4. Thanksgiving Dinner, London, England

A classic dinner every year, this year I was fortunate enough to have 2! Both with my cousins in Kilburn and my lovely London flatmates, this Thanksgiving was both new and traditional at the same time. I skyped with Kim while cooking, I streamed the parade live (though at night). There was pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie. And friends and family, of course.

3. Choco Cro St. Marc, Kyoto, Japan

...Do I really have to say any more? Choco Cro! This place was amazing and I've talked about it often. Crispy yet soft croissants, delicious milk chocolate, good coffee (for Japan, that is). I will dream about this place.

2. Holy Cow, Kilburn, London, England
A recommendation from my roommates, this place turned out to be the best Indian food in London. Only a takeaway location, Holy Cow was both delicious and a good price!

1. Hummingbird Bakery, London, England

Of course, this place takes the cake. Cupcake, that is. Hummingbird Bakery was my all time favorite place to eat on my travels. So much so, that I tried recreating their delicious recipes, both savory and sweet, in my own kitchen. Survey says they turned out pretty well as well. If there is one thing I am happy to be able to bring home from my foodie travels, it's a nice Hummingbird Cupcake and a spot of tea.

xoxo,
Antonia

Japan 4.0: Osaka!

Well, when Lonely Planet said that Osaka was the antithesis of Kyoto, they weren't messing around.

But let's start at the beginning of our day. Today was our last morning in Kyoto, an we decided (after one...or two last croissants at ChocoCro) that we couldn't leave without seeing the golden gates at Fushimi Inari-Taisha. It was a quick hop on the subway, but we were transported from the city to a suburb that felt small town. Policemen even directed traffic on tiny streetcorners.

The foxes are only at shrines to Inari--god of rice. The key in its mouth is to the granary.

The day was wonderful--slightly overcast like a day in SF or even SC. The temp was about 50. The other days had been great too--sunny and warm but not too much. Perfect climate and reprieve from the icy winds of Seoul. The shrine was still packed with peole for the new year. The gates were gorgeous--some fading more than others--and we followed them up the mountain. I got the feeling the minute they finished repaiting the gates they'd have to start all over, like the golden gate bridge. Each of the torii was donated by a Japanese business, as Inari was also the patron of business. I think that's what the inscriptions on the torii mean.

these gates run for miles. its easy to get turned around.

some new year celebration and prayer still happening

After that we were off on the train to Osaka. Big city streets. Wide roads. Tall buildings. If Kyoto was like San Francisco, Osaka was like Los Angeles. We checked into our hostel and went out for a walk to see the sites of Dotonbori Arcade and Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Arcade. Well first we passed the giant--I mean giant-- designer stores.

Chanel Towers, anyone?

Then we saw the sparkly buildings. Then we saw the famous Gilco man. This place was insane. Neon lights everywhere. Flamboyance, I think, is the key word. It was like Vegas, times square, and picadilly circus rolled in to one. And a plethora of cliche guys in Japanese street fashion. I really really wanted to take a picture.

 What? Best thing ever!

This funny thing happened in Dotonbori. And a bit in Kyoto too. After spending so long walking around big cities, with so many people, you start to forget where you are. I could have been back in London. I could have been in SF. I think it's because you don't talk to people, sometimes you barely interact. Language barriers are torn down and you start speaking the international language of...something. Hustle and bustle, perhaps? A city, to some degree, is a city. It's when you begin to see things on the smaller scale. Going to home plus in Korea. Going to a small shrine with locals in Kyoto. That's when you see more of a real country. I am glad in Japan I have experienced both.

So Steve, Lana, and I sit in what we affectionately refer to as the hipster hotel. Think of an SF coffee shop/coop/college common room combined with Urban Outfitters and beds. That's where we are staying. In the lounge, sharing a sake an some chocolate before getting a few hours rest. We are up at dawn to make our way back home. And maybe to sleep for the next couple of days. I come back to California, and the real world, in one week. I'd better enjoy this while I can.

Xoxo,
Antonia

PS: See the rest of the vacation pics here:

Japan!

PPS: video coming soon!