Korea Winter Discovery --- Day 8

Day 08 - Seoul Noryangjin/Incheon - Singapore

Temp: -4c to 9c

Day 8 of 8. The last day.

Due to the limitation of time we had in Seoul, Jay, Kelvin and Leong woke up bright( nope... the sun had not yet rises) and early as we wanted to visit Noryangjin Fish Market before flying back to Singapore and of course, the promised free and easy part of the trip was replaced by our current itinerary. 0455hrs was the revillie timing, it was absolutely hard to imagine, we laze in the bed for some time and so off we went, 6am in the morning, to take SMRT (Seoul Metropolitan Train System). Raymond was suppose to join us, he said "Wake me up",but he was sleeping like a log, despite hearing water drips from his toilet ... haizzzzz.....Yup, Ra & Eugene was sleeping in the same room otherwise Ra would be forced out of the bed. By the time we dragged here & there, it was already 6am, far from the scheduled 530am which we managed to decipher the 1st train timings on Line 2 from Jamsil Station.

FYI:
Noryangjin Seafood Market in Noryangjin-dong is a huge seafood wholesale market serving the metropolitan Seoul area, set up to protect the interests of both suppliers and consumers, and to serve a leading role in improving the seafood distribution system. The market was established in 1927 at the other location on Uijuro, Seodamun-gu, in the west of the current Seoul West Station, after the Gyeongseong Seafood Co. Ltd. was established as an agent for the Gyeongseongbu Seafood Wholesale Market in compliance with the Central Wholesale Act. Since at that time the main method of transportation was by rail, its close proximity to the Seoul Station made it an ideal location.In 1947 after the Liberation from the Japanese occupation, the Seoul Seafood Market Co. Ltd. was established to replace the old company, and began serving as an agent for the Seafood Wholesale Market owned by the City of Seoul. However, as automobile transportation became more important than railroads, and the area became more urbanized, they closed the old market, and established a new and bigger market at the current location in April, 1975 to serve as both wholesaler and retailer, and, in April, 1985, the Korea Cold Storage Co. Ltd. was constructed, and leased the new Retail Building, along with the Wholesale Building to the Noryangjin Seafood Co. Ltd.The Noryangjin Seafood Market has a total area of 23,002㎡, and a total floor space of 34,430㎡, consisting of auction floor, wholesale building, retail building, wholesale agent offices, management offices, information center for sellers, waiting room for sellers, waiting room for cargo handlers, parking lot, temporary cooler room, and also freezer room, refrigerator room, ice makers, and storage rooms.Of November, 2000, under the management of one assigned wholesale company, all of 114 employees, 163 brokers, 8 trading observers, 894 merchants, and 430 cargo helpers, are working here, and the total trade volume for 1999, was 113,698 ton, or KRW 2,83600,000,000. Cargos come from all three coasts of the Korean Peninsula, and the busiest months of a year are March, April, and May in the Spring, and September, October, and December in the Fall, and the slowest months are July and August. This Market handles 49.5% of a total trade volume of Seoul.Recently, the number of Japanese tourist visitors to this Market reached 10,000 per year, making itself known to the world. As the national income increase, so does the consumption of raw fish, and this trend makes this Market more and more vibrant. Its early-morning auctions provide a certain entertaining scenes to the citizens of Seoul. About a half of all seafood, auctioned off in the early morning, goes directly to the shelves of the department stores, distribution centers, and other neighbor retailers, and the auction prices taken by the retailers are usually 20~30% below the consumer price.

on the train




the destination

After a round of confusing transfer of trains, we finally arrive at the fish market, just a bridge across the subway station and unfortunately, we only had 15 min to explore(... sianzzz....). The market was indeed an eye opener... there is a huge variety of marine products available, most of which you don't even get to see in Singapore. Definitely worth capturing in photographs.


Overview of Noryangjin Fish Market

wide variety of seafood

a closer look

unknown sea creature..sea cucumber?

stingray

fishes? Giant frogs?
giant octopus

Leong with the display tanks

Jay with the display tanks

Kel with the prawns

After a quick but thorough scanning of the fish market, we made our way back to the hotel, of course by SMRT again, and OMG! we almost went onto the wrong train that might have carried us to god know where. Luckily, we arrived at the hotel safely and on time too(even earlier than others from the group) and though a little lack of sleep, we were more than ready to start the itineary for the day.

no more golden ticket

the wrong train

For breakfast, we had chinese breakfast, yes! no more international breakfast buffet. It was delicious, especially the fried dough stick( you tiao) and soya bean milk. Since it was the last breakfast in Korea, we were savouring all the food and as usual (perhaps the 3 of us who went to the fish market were too hungry after all the running here & there early in the morning), others finish faster than us (another demerit for them for not knowing how to enjoy good food).

breakfast venue, finally something we know how to read

breakfast for today

thanks aaron for this pic : )

After breakfast, we arrived at the tong-cho-xia-cao(cordyceps) shop, another location for Chris to earn big bucks. Sadly, not many people from the tour group was interested in the purchase of the fungi, except the mdm show-off woman who basically brought everything at every location and never fail to announce to the whole world about her purchases. Again, no photography allowed( wonder why...). One innocent lady from our group asked davidgan whether what can USD50 buy, david just laughed and stated USD50 can only probably buy "cao" = grass, not tung chung xia chao (cordyceyps).

FYI:Cordyceps is a genus of ascomycete fungi that includes about 400 described species. All Cordyceps species are parasitic, mainly on insects and other arthropods (they are thus entomopathogenic fungi); a few are parasitic on other fungi. The best known species of the genus is Cordyceps sinensis, a precious ingredient in Chinese traditional medicines.

Sinchon Fashion Street

Finally, we arrived at Sinchon Fashion street which was somehow similar to Dongdaemun Market, except that most stuff here was more high end and expensive. Sadly most of the good was catered for ladies, just like the high-end HK Ladies Street; thus, we did not make much purchases here. However, it was quite a nice place for photo taking.

FYI: Sinchon Fashion Street(E-dae Ap) has been greatly influenced by the female population(due to Ewha Womens University) boasting a cutting edge fashion district and a wide variety of eateries. From subway line 2, exits 2 and 3 bring you into the heart of this district. While the main street has much to offer, the many alleyways are really the backbone of E-dae Ap. These alleys are filled with accessory shops, clothing stores, shoe shops, eateries, quaint cafes, hair salons, and many small-sized shops catering to those people looking for unique items. This area also attracts all kinds of people looking to find famous hair salons, and manicure and makeup shops.

Jay

yes... it's leong

Ra sees.... a blurrrr vision in the ball

Soon Jay was bored about the Fashion Street, and being adventurous, he decided to venture into another place which required him to take SMRT in the very very limited time he had. Determined to make full use of his time in Seoul, he ventured into one of his own adventures at Cheonggyecheon Stream. It was nonetheless another running session as he found out the train station was quite a distance away and the whole bus had to wait for him..oops

FYI:Cheonggyecheon Stream used to exist merely as an overpass forgotten in 1970 until it was restored in 2005, becoming a haven of natural beauty amidst the bustle of city life.Narae Bridge, expressing a butterfly in flight, and Gwanggyo Bridge, symbolizing the harmony of the past and future, are only 2 of more than 20 beautiful bridges that are laid throughout the path of the stream. The ‘Rhythmic Wall Stream’, lined with fine marble, various sculptures, and Korea’s 8th stone building, Palseokdam, adorn the Cheonggyecheon Stream. Cheonggyecheon Stream offers many beautiful sights to see and enjoy: l The grand fountain, located in Cheonggye Plazal Dapgyonori on the Gwangtong Bridge - a ritual of crossing the bridge on the first full moon of the new year to ensure that for one year, the one who crosses will not have any leg ailmentsl A ceramic mural of a king making a grand voyage to Hwaseong, Jeongjobanchandol A colorful cloth wall made of fabrics from Dongdaemun’s fashion districtl A cultural wall painting by 5 local artistsl A reproduction of an area where folk woman used to do their laundryl A wishing wall, where more than 20,000 people have written their deepest desiresl A tunnel fountain l Jonchigyogak, an angle of intersection left behind when the Cheonggye overpass was removed l The aquatic life dwelling among the willowsFurthermore, the Deoksugung Palace, Seoul Plaza, the Sejong Center, Insa-dong Street, the Changdeokgung Palace, and the Changgyeonggung Palace all lie adjacent to the Cheonggyecheon Stream, allowing visitors to easily visit the tourism sites after a leisurely stroll along the stream

Cheonggyecheon Stream

away alone...

After the fashion street, we went to a shop that specialise in selling all the local products of Korea. Sadly, we found out that the things were way more expensive than Lotte Mart... However, we wanted to use up all our Won so we brought lots of seaweeds, bean paste and what not. We really regretted not buying more at Lotte. One good point, they provide packing services for us to bring all the purchases back to Singapore easier. One bad thing, it is a shop to target tourist like us on the way to Incheon Airport to offload our won. The things are not that cheap either, but again Mdm Visa-Cash started her shopping spree and soon her baskets were loaded with goods enough to feed an African Village for weeks. Apparently Mdm show-off did not lose in the battle as both competed with who can offload the most cash out of their wallets.

expensive goodies shop

After spending most of our Won(we kept some intending to enjoy Baskins at the airport), we went for lunch. For lunch today, we had something sort of a stew in hot pot. It was flavourful and as usual, the typical side dishes made their last appearances.

stew in hotpot

side dishes

Ra, Jay and Kel. Ra says "I want that meat!"

Leong, Aaron and Eugene

After our last meal on Korean soil, we departed for Incheon International Airport.

Arrival at Seoul-Incheon Airport

It was time to part and the last opportunity for Ah ming (aka "nan-yong") to unload our baggages from the bus storage bin. Soon, everybody wheeled their loads and proceeded straight to Asiana Airlines common check-in with our boarding passes (given in advance). You could see the delighted faces of the travellers with their huge shopping loads. As what Chris (aka David Gan) commented, "Don't worry so much about excess baggage, i will talk to the person, 30kg, 80kg, 100 kg...you name it, we send it, but of course, dont be erm....so bulky ar". This is probably the 1st time for most of us with more than 1 checked-in baggage, beyond the regular limits.

Group pose at Seoul Incheon Departure check-in halls

It was a matter of time before our Korea tour leader Sean make his usual speech all guides do before farewell like how i enjoyed this trip with XXX travel co and XXX co is the best. Soon after, everybody went into the immigration area which was relatively strict; apparently Aaron's facemask and Jay's green-tea cereals alarmed the security officials to double-checked them. Meanwhile, David Gan was still outside calculating his long-awaited loot - comission, after fidgeting throughout Sean's speech.

group photo with Chris aka david gan

After wandering inside the transit area to pass time, as well as doing last minute (window) shopping, it is time for us to board our flight. Sadly, we did not manage to have Baskin as it was not available inside the transit area. It was sure foggy. From the airport terminal, you couldnt even see the tarmac, only the blur view of the plane right in front of you.

15:46h - Entered Gate 9 of Seoul Incheon

Asiana Airlines Flight OZ 0751,

codesharing Singapore Airlines Flight SQ 5751

HL-7736 (Delivered on 20/12/2004) - 3yrs old+ plane

Airbus A330-323X

YG Class

Flight OZ 0751

on board

16:02h - Flight OZ 0752 took off from Seoul-Incheon (2mins late)

final photo before take off

It was another long flight back to Singapore, but thankfully the services and in flight entertainment of Asiana Airline was good enough for the flight back home to be enjoyable. They provided us with snacks and drinks throughout the flight and the in-flight meal for the day is bibimbap and seafood with rice. Certainly, after 1 week of Korean food, all of us chose the non-Korean meal...

snack

seafood rice

sunset off Taiwan

welcome home...

After some movies watching and catching up on lost sleep, we arrived at Changi International Airport.

hopefully...

2147h - Arrival at Gate D32 Singapore Changi Airport (17min later than scheduled)

photo @ arrival gate

Of course, we were not going to miss the opportunity to buy duty free goods inside the transit area. In fact, we spent so much time shopping that our luggages was put to a side when we went to collect them, and as expected, not a soul from our tour group was seen again (Thankfully and hopefully we will not see some of them ever again).

final photo of the trip

After this eight days, spending almost all the time together, the group has become closer together than before and it was a wonderful experience to travel with all the fellow racoons.

Certainly, we look forward to more exciting adventures together in the future!!!