Catatan Perjalanan

Last night we had dinner at the newly opened Daemyung Resort Geoje. They have few selection of places for a meal. Two of them are quite fancy, this Columbus Kitchen for buffet style and the other is Monterosso Italian Resto. This Columbus is good option for anyone who likes to eat more. Like other star hotel's buffet dinner they have several live kitchen for main course, salad bar, canapes section, big feast section (rice, stir fried.. etc) and surely kimchi section. entree of bakeries and cheese also available. plus dessert section with variety of cakes, ice cream, fruits, juices and coffee-tea. Price is 46,200 tax included for one pax. They have selection of alcoholic drinks and wines at extra cost. Seating arrangement is varied and few vip rooms with several size for different capacities is available for reservation. They also have few english speaking staffs. open from 6-9pm daily...

Its more than a half year now we're living in Geoje Island and this place still amusing us. The best part of living here is because we are so lucky to get a house instead of apartment. Our house quite close to one of Geoje's sand beach with a spacious garden, good for the children. But the most part we love about living in Geoje is all the fresh scenery we find every time we look around us. Wherever we drive around the island, the view never fail us to feel blessed of staying in this beautiful island. Not many people realized about Geoje when we mention it. South Korea is identical with Seoul, Ski Resort or Jeju. We don't mind. Less tourist would be best cos we are selfish. hahaha. but despite that fact, this place is still packed with tourists coming in big buses in weekend, and expect no spot in the beach on summer days. Here are some picture my husband took around the island for your eyes refreshment :

At one cold weekend, when the winter almost ends, I met Gyeongju on my way back from Seoul. Why met, instead of went? because I've heard many people mentioned this city (if not raving about it) since I arrived in Geoje. Maybe because its historical background, or resort, or relatively easy access (from Geoje). So when I arrived I said, "hello Gyeongju, finally we meet'. :)) So, I told you why people keep mentioning this place for weekend getaway or short trip destination. First, because its background. Here's what the official Korea Travel Guide book said about it : Gyeongju was the capital of the Silla Kingdom for 1,000 years and the valley in which it is situated as a great concentration of historical buildings, temples and artifacts. After Silla unified the peninsula in year 676, the city developed into one of the world's major cultural centers. The area is truly a museum without walls due to the wealth of historical buildings and treasures.  My imaginatio...

After tried to Seoul with plane and express bus, now its time for me to try another way to reach Seoul from Geoje : by train. But, since we live in an island without railway system, we need to have a bus/car ride to the nearest train station. My dear husband said I was crazy to try public transport during Seollal, where most Korean will be travelling to their parent's home. But, since it was long weekend and he's not working, I can do the trial on my own without risking the children getting annoyed (yes.. 3 tots under dad's supervision for whole weekend.. haha). First leg of the the journey was taking a bus ride from Jangseungpo Bus Terminal.  Based on  this  , I decided to take bus for Shinpyeong train station because it is the same line to Busan Station, where KTX departs. It cost 6,400KRW for one way.  Jangseungpo Bus Terminal I'd recommend to take bus from bus terminal rather than bus stop (not only fr...

Sudah cukup lama saya naksir Hanok. Hanok adalah rumah tradisional Korea yang dibangun dengan filosofi yang kaya. Mulai dari bentuk, sistem tata udara hingga pembagian ruangannya. Di tempat saya tinggal sudah mulai jarang menemukan rumah dengan bentuk tradisional apalagi yang komplit ala Hanok asli. Walaupun hampir setiap rumah bahkan apartemen di korea hingga hari ini masih mengandalkan sistem tata udara ‘ondol’ yang mereka banggakan itu. Berhubung kali ini saya berkesempatan travellling tanpa anak, rasanya cukup tepat untuk survey Hanok stay ini buat pilihan liburan keluarga :) Hanok stay merupakan salah satu bentuk wisata yang dijual Korea Travel Organization. Salah satu yang paling terkenal dan dijamin asli adalah Hanok Stay di Andong Village. Bahkan Ratu Inggris Elizabeth II merayakan ulangtahunnya di tempat terpencil ini! Namun karena keterbatasan waktu dan dana maka saya mencari Hanok stay yang lebih komersil saja. Hingga saya bertemu informasi sebuah area di Seoul berjud...

South Korea transportation system is really advanced. Railway system is reliable. They have KTX, equal to Thalys in Europe or Shinkasen in Japan. Also 2 other type of train : mugunghwa and sameul (the cheapest and slowest). Korea's major cities have metro / subway system too. (In a glance, the subway map for Seoul similar to the one in London.) Then buses. Some buses I notice are express buses (the one that has its own lane on express ways), intercity buses, city buses and tourist buses include intercity free shuttle for foreigner. Cost? KTX is the most expensive, but there's a way to solve this problem. Korea Rail Company (Korail) offer KR Pass designated for tourists or new residents at the most bargain cost. For locals there is Happy Pass, similar to KR Pass but at higher cost. For these passes, they also give discount for a group of 2-5 persons travelling together. Then there's T-money, a great way to pay and useful not only in Seoul. We can use T-money to pay subwa...

Here we go! one of the hottest travel destination for Indonesian (and the world perhaps!). Sejak 2010, pemerintah Korea gencar sekali promosi pariwisata mereka daaan.. terima kasih buat adanya K-drama ataupun K-Pop yang booming di tanah air, tour ke Korea - terutama Seoul jadi laris manis. Kali ini saya gak membahas banget untuk budget-nya ya. Hanya tentang lokasi dan durasi yang cukup untuk pengalaman pertama. Kalau mata cukup awas, akan sadar bahwa tempat-tempat ini juga sempat menjadi lokasi syuting K-drama ataupun v-klip K-pop. hehehe. (Di posting lain, saya terangkan lebih detil untuk penggemar K-drama.) Dan jangan takut menyusuri sendirian karena Korean Tourism Organization menyediakan information center yang tersebar di berbagai titik strategis serta petugas-petugas di dalam kawasan wisata populer yang bisa berbahasa Inggris, dilengkapi brosur dan peta lokasi. Mereka biasanya berdinas berpasangan dengan seragam warna merah dan topi berlingkaran huruf 'i' (info...