Essential Tips For Travelling In Korea!

Annyeong, yeoreobun! ^^

So with this RMCO implemented, author is still very much itching to go travel, especially in the land of KPOP~ *snaps back to reality!* So in the case when Malaysia decides to open borders again, here are some tips for you to prepare before flying over to meet your oppa or eonnie!

1. Basic phrases

Image credit to Korean101.com

It really does help if you know some basic Korean phrases before you get there, especially common ones like Annyeonghaseyo (hello), Kamsahamnida (thank you), Eotteokhae gayo (how should I go there?) and etc. would be helpful if you are not familiar with the places. Unfortunately, not many Koreans are fluent in English. If you know some Mandarin, it might help as some places do have Chinese characters around. But if you do not, then best if you get a local guide to travel around with ease. Phrases like bbissayo! (expensive) miiiight actually help in haggling prices too! 😉

2. Currency = KRW

The currency being used in South Korea is the Korean won, and boy, the numbers do get huge! At the time of writing, 1,000 Korean won is equivalent to RM3.53, so just try to think of 1,000 won is RM3.

3. Weather

Image credit to Hulutrip

One thing that you have to look out for is the season and weather in South Korea for the period that you are travelling. If it is cold, you’d better lug on to those winter clothings, as it could get chilly with a small breeze in winter! If you are travelling during summer, make sure you remember to pack in your sunblock to avoid having your skin burnt!

4. Cheap deals!

Image credit to Pinterest. Author actually has a few of the masks in the picture!

So on my very first trip to Seoul, I discovered that there ARE items that are much considered very cheap if you buy it from Korea, as compared to when you buy things locally in Malaysia (possibly due to the popularity and shipping fee). You may want to jot these down, so you can bring back as souvenirs for your family & friends too!

• Sheet masks (there’s plenty of types for you to choose, such as moisturising, whitening, skin firming, and also brightening!) (Additional tip – Myeongdong is a very popular place to get masks in bundle for a very low price!)
• Instant noodles (Samyang and Shin noodles are both popular brands, and you can buy a few packs for everyone to try when you are back!)
• Soju (non-halal alert! You can get these alcohol bottles even from the convenience stores, so not to worry if you are looking to drink and party in your hotel room!)

Author’s personal favourite is actually hotteok pack, so if you are reading this, make sure you jot this down and send it back to Malaysia too!

5. Trash segregation

Image credit to Livinko Relocation Services. The yellow one is normally for food waste.

I actually was surprised when I first landed in Seoul and the local guide there told us it is very important for us to segregate the trash into food waste and normal trash (paper, plastic, and others). They even have different coloured plastic bags for you to put the waste in, even in hotel rooms! If they found that you do not comply, the hotel staff may get angry (I heard this from a friend), but they do understand that you are a tourist hence they will still explain to you patiently in the beginning.

So, there you go! Hope you will have fun travelling in South Korea when the travel ban is lifted!

Korean Tea Culture

Annyeong, yeoreobun! ^^ This week, we are going to focus on something that may be able to bring peace of mind, amongst the hectic schedule that we all have while hustling and bustling through our lives – the South Korean tea culture.

In ancient times, humans considered tea to be an edible plant or medicine, but it gradually turned into a beverage thanks to its unique taste, stimulating effect and easy preparation. Eventually, tea drinking developed into a cultural form, and South Korea has adapted this culture too. The tea culture appeals to all five senses – taste, sight, smell, touch, and hearing; hence requiring much more preparation and thought to the experience.

The Korean tea ceremony or darye (茶禮) is a traditional form of tea ceremony practiced in Korea. Darye literally refers to “etiquette for tea” or “tea rite” and has been kept among Korean people for over a thousand years.

South Korea owes its tea heritage to the Buddhist monks who travelled the globe to teach and spread enlightenment of the self and the alertness that tea brings to Buddhist meditations. Korean Buddhist tea ceremonies focused on spiritual awakening which symbolised purification, absorption, and meditation attained by making and drinking tea. Hon-ta, a tea ceremony, was part of the Buddhist tradition in which green tea was offered to the Buddha residing in local temples.

Nowadays, tea ceremonies are reintroduced in South Korea as a means for the people to learn tranquility and harmony in the fast-paced modern culture, and continuing in the long tradition of intangible Korean art.

Tea is poured initially by a tea hostess into warmed cups from a heated teapot at a distance above the first cup so as to create a controlled flow of tea with attractive bubbles. This is done to create good luck. The first serving of a new batch of tea is poured directly into the cups, a little at a time, back and forward three times until the cups are filled, in order to spread equally the stronger tea that emerges from the bottom of the teapot. No water must remain in the pot, or it would develop an undesirable bitter taste.

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Here are the official 7 steps to a tea ceremony:

1. The host will start the official ceremony by first heating the pot, cups and decanting bowl with hot water, then after this is complete, will pour the tea leaves – usually green tea – into the pot.
2. Then the host pours hot water onto the leaves and will then pour out the water very quickly, thereby rinsing the leaves of any dust and opening them up slightly.
3. Then, the host will pour the hot water into the decanting bowl and allow it to cool to the correct temperature for the tea they are using. This depends on when the tea is picked; tea picked earlier in the season, such as the first buds picked in early April, will be steeped at lower temperature (60–65 °C or 140–149 °F) than tea leaves picked in June (70–75 °C or 158–167 °F).
4. Once the water is at the right temperature, the host will pour the water into the pot and steep it for anywhere from 20 seconds to two to three minutes, depending on the tea.
5. After steeping is complete, the host pours the tea into the decanting bowl, which serves to get the water off the leaves in the pot and also to give the tea an even mixture.
6. Then it is poured into the cups.
7. The guests will wait until the host or master picks up their cup first, then will pick up theirs. This is repeated until they are finished, which sometimes can be several hours later. The whole ceremony is very relaxing and is a wonderful way to get to know someone or to ease into a business transaction.

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It certainly is something new, and may stop us from the busy minds from constantly running, isn’t it? Well, the author will now start some of her own tea-making at home too! ^^ Til next time, annyeong~

Traditional Costumes: Hanbok

Image credit to KLOOK

Annyeong, yeoreobun! ^^ How have you been faring during this global pandemic situation? Hope you are all safe and taking care of yourself at home!

So, how much do you know about the South Korean culture? According to Wikipedia, the culture of Korea is the shared cultural and historical heritage of Korea and southern Manchuria. As one of the oldest continuous cultures in the world, Koreans have passed down their traditional narratives in a variety of ways. Without further ado, let’s dive deep into the traditional clothes of South Korea: Hanbok!

A hanbok (Hangul: 한복; Hanja: 韓服) is the traditional Korean outfit for semi-formal or formal occasions. Up till 100 years ago, the Hanbok was worn daily, but in the modern society, Koreans only wear Hanbok during special occassions and especially during traditional celebrations such as New Year, wedding ceremonies, a child’s first birthday, and funerals.

Hanbok is the national costume for South Korea, and now a siginificant representation of the culture and identity of South Koreans. In 1996, the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism even established “Hanbok Day” on 21st October to spur motivation for South Korean citizens to wear hanbok. Now, mark down your calendars chinggu(s)! ^^

A normal hanbok is divided into few parts – for women: the jeogeori (shirt) and chima dress; for men: jeogeori and baji (baggy pants).

Image Credit to Mutzine

Do you know that in ancient times, you can differentiate the social class of the people just by looking at the hanbok they wear? Let’s take dive into the classifications by looking at 3 most popular samples below!

The Hwarot or Hwal-Ot (Hangul: 활옷) was the full dress for a princess and the daughter of a king by a concubine, formal dress for the upper class, and bridal wear for ordinary women during the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties. It is elaborately embroidered long robe with long and wide sleeves to cover the wearer’s hands.

Now, it is mainly worn during wedding ceremonies.

The Wonsam (Hangul: 원삼) a female ceremonial topcoat in hanbok, Korean traditional clothing. It was worn by queens, high-ranking court ladies, and royalty during the Joseon dynasty of Korea (1392-1910). It is also called daeui (大衣, big clothing), daesu (大袖, wide sleeves) and jangsam (長衫, long clothing).

The queen, princess consort, and consort to the first son of the crown prince wore it as a soryebok, a robe for small ceremonies, while wives of high officers and sanggung (court matrons) wore it as daeryebok, a robe for major ceremonies.

Wonsam

Dangui (Hangul: 당의; Hanja:唐衣) is a type of upper garment which was worn for ceremonial occasions during the Joseon Dynasty. It was worn as a simple official outfit or for small national ceremonies while court ladies wore it as a daily garment.

It is theorised dangui dates back to the Korean Three Kingdoms period (57 BC – 668 AD) when a clothing system of China was introduced to Korea. The letter, dang (唐) refers to Chinese Tang Dynasty (618 – 907), so dangui may have been adapted from its clothing along with other ceremonial robes such as hwarot and wonsam.

TL;DR – just take a look at the differences in the picture below!

Image credit to Pinterest

Well, hope that you have understood better about the different types of Hanbok, and appreciate this culture from South Korea! If you have any comments/ suggestions, do drop us a feedback below! 😉

(Author’s own personal little dream is to actually have her future honeymoon trip at South Korea, so she can wear Hanbok together with her future husband :P)