BUSAN: Urban Coffee

Visited November 2012.
It has been quite some time already, but I have never forgotten about this place.

Whenever we travel, we always try to make time for walking around the city to see daily life in the area and possibly meet new friends.  It was the day that we were out on a stroll, hoping to see the historical 40 Steps in Busan.  After walking for a while, we decided to take a break at an interesting looking coffee shop at the corner right by one of the statues related to the 40 steps.

Seeing the firewood in display out front and having a glimpse of what seemed like an intimate setting inside,  we found the place quite inviting with the cold weather and all.


As we walked in we were filled with delight, welcoming the shelter from the cold and the aroma of coffee.  Having a better look at the interior decor, we knew then that this was not your usual coffee shop.

Knick knacks of all sorts filled the room, down to wooden boards and even a surf board.  It's not just about the good coffee, but even more so the wonderful company.

We were fortunate enough to meet Jackey, the owner of the coffee shop.  Looking around the place, you can already get to experience little bits and pieces of his great personality.  Meeting him in person confirms the wonderful personality and passion that founded this place.  Not only can he speak english, but he was genuinely welcoming and eager to share stories with us about his coffee shop.

A unique drink in this coffee shop is one they call "Coreano".  Jackey's own blend of coffee, we decided to give it a try.  It had a good balance of bitterness and sweetness for coffee, simply perfect for the cold day.



"Organized mess simply pouring with passion" is the best way I could describe this place.  Definitely worth a visit when you're in Busan.  Escape the cold with the warmth from wonderful Coreano Coffee and a conversation with Jackey. :)

Even his calling card was interesting and memorable,
designed with the coffee shop's floor plan :)

URBAN COFFEE

19-13, Jungang-dong

Jung-gu, Busan Korea

SEOUL: Trick Eye Museum

An extremely fun place in Seoul where your imagination can go wild and being "camera hungry" is not such a bad thing.

Must-haves

(1) Camera [going there without a camera is pointless]
(2) Tripod [Let everyone get in on the fun]
(3) A good blend of creativity and sense of humor

What's In Store

As the name states, the concept of the museum concentrates on deceiving what is seen by the human eyes.  The museum itself is a single floor, divided into different sections or galleries.  Galleries are lined with different paintings and even props that may be used for making the photo more interesting.  Guests are then guided by photo perspective points marked on the floor.

What do I do when I get here?

1) Stand on the photo marker and see the image from that perspective.
2) Pose. Click.
It's that simple!

Here are a few of the photos we shot while at the museum:

I hope these photos show you how much fun we had and make you want to visit the museum yourself. ^_^

Lovin' the Hair!

Medusa?! 0_o

SeeSaw Korea Style

A Moment of Jealousy =P

Walking with the crowd

Ready for Battle

Sneaky!!

That's Just Mean :(

I wish it was this easy... :P

How high can You go?? :)

A Moment of umm.... romance? :D

That "Freaky Friday" Moment

Trick Eye Museum

B 357-1 Seogyo Plaza Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul

http://trickeye.co.kr/English/index.php

Open Everyday, 9am - 9pm (last entry is at 8pm)

General Audience 13,000 KRW

Children and Teens (below 18)  11,000 KRW

GUIMARAS: A Day of Discovery

GUIMARAS, an island a few minutes away from Iloilo, is known for it's delicious mangoes.  I had been there before as a Girl Scout who went camping.  Other than that, I didn't really know what else there was to do or see.  It was from this perspective that I began our day exploring this little island.

TRAVEL SUMMARY

Travel Date	20 January 2012
No. of People	2
Where we stayed	Day Trip (No Accommodation)
Budget	-
Trip Rate	3 out of 5

OUR ITINERARY

Our trip to Guimaras was spontaneous, so we just went with what our trusted tricycle driver / guide had in store for us.


Getting There

On Our Way to Guimaras
Photograph by: CJ U.

Guimaras is just one ferry ride away from Iloilo.  It's generally a 15-20 minute ferry ride each way to and from the port.  With good weather, it was smooth sailing all the way.

From the hotel, the port was said to be walking distance.  After walking for what seemed like quite a while, we decided to ask for directions.  We wanted to validate if we were going the right way.  It was at this point that we met this kind mister who not only gave us directions but accompanied us all the way to the port.  We thought the whole time that he was on his way there as well to probably meet someone, but it turned out he just wanted to accompany us to make sure we get there safe and not encounter anyone who would offer taking us there at a cost.  Needless to say, he never asked for anything in return.  We were so delighted and grateful for his kindness, especially since it was quite a long walk to the port from the point where we met up.  Unfortunately, we never got his name since we had to hurry as the ferry was just about to leave when we arrived.

Upon reaching the port, we proceeded to the ferry ticket booth to purchase our tickets.  We then got on the ferry boat and sailed off to Guimaras, with big smiles on our faces from the kindness of one man.

The 'Ferry' Ride to Guimaras
Photograph by: CJ U.

Going Around


Upon reaching the dock in Guimaras, we were met by Tricycle drivers on stand-by offering day tours to guests.  We initially had the contact details of a tricycle driver from the area who has been reputed to give tours at a good price.  Unfortunately, since we were unable to contact him earlier, he already had a guest that day.  We ended up spending about half an hour waiting for another person he referred, to no accord.   (One of the mishaps from spontaneity. -_- )  Finally, we decided to avail of the service of another tricycle driver who thankfully turned out to be quite good as well.

Guimaras: Our Ride and Guide
Photograph by: CJ U.

We were charged for the tour based on a daily rate since we basically had to lease the tricycle for the whole day to get around.  Initially, we thought that the price was quite steep for a day's pay, but after seeing the distance and effort it took to get around, we figured the rate was not so bad after all.  Among the places we visited were:

* Guimaras Museum
* Trappist Monastery
* Raymen Beach Resort

Guimaras Museum
Photograph by: CJ U.

Guimaras Museum.  The museum was unfortunately closed when we got there.  It's exterior seemed quite interesting, making me curious as to when could have been waiting to be seen inside.  

Trappist Monastery Chapel Interior
Photograph by: CJ U.

Trappist Monastery.  This place was a pleasant surprise.  It was generally a quiet and peaceful destination with pine trees, the interesting structure of a chapel, and a little store for buying Trappist 'pasalubong' items.

We didn't really get to interact with the monks in the area, nor did we get much information about the place since we only stayed a while.  We ended up spending most of our time there in the little store pasalubong shopping.

The Pine Trees of the Monastery
Photograph by: CJ U.

For pasalubong, I suggest going for Mango Biscocho.  If I'm not mistaken you can get this here at its best price. Other items also available for purchase range from  mango bars, mango otap, cookies, and ginger brew to souvenir items such as shirts and rosaries.  All these other food items tasted good as well, although the mango biscocho just simply stood out for my taste.  Yum! ^_^

Pasalubong
Photograph by: CJ U.

Raymen Beach. A visit to Guimaras would not be complete without going to the beach.  It was unfortunate that we were not able to bring a change of clothes since the water was very inviting.  Hanging out on the shore had its own fun and relaxing vibe -- listening to the sound of the waves while embraced by the view of the horizon.

In addition to these places, we were brought to this resort-like place where we had fantastic Guimaras mango shakes (although price was a bit steep, it was worth the price especially with the heat that day).  Going around the place, we found their cabin designs to be interesting as they are built attached to trees. It's unfortunate I forgot the name of the place, but I'll update this in case I do remember the name of the place.

Our trip started out rough but ended with a relaxing time at the beach.  It was a fun and simple day of discovering Guimaras.  I strongly believe Guimaras has so much more to offer... I look forward to our next visit.

^_^