LIVE Incheon Asian Games 2014

One of the perks being a WowKorea supporters is that we are able to attend big events such as the opening ceremony of Incheon Asian Games 2014.

                                           A filled stadium 

Before we went to the stadium we were brought into a rooftop of a small flat. Nor that I know this small rooftop is where broadcast stations get their amazing overall view of the venue.

I have always been interested in broadcasting but had never gotten the opportunity to experience one. On that day, I did. I now know people why people tend to avoid working in broadcasting because the amount of work people put into it are endless.

 

behind the scene

 

Here you see in the photo, the rooftop was pretty much empty except a platform high enough to elevate the host. There were only two cameras, one for panning and one for the announcer. There were no tables or fancy equipments they usually have on studios. The crew would keep standby for the whole night until the celebrations finish. What a dedication!

the view we get from the rooftop

 WowKorea supporters were interviewed live by one of the broadcasting station

main entrance of the stadium

 excited peeps

 our ticket. cost more that I think it should

wonderful light work

 

Of course alert for our national team. There were only a few as some athletes didn't arrived yet.

The next day we went to see one of the match, Sepaktakraw. So to happen that our national team is playing and we met some other Indonesian students who came to support the team. The court looks pretty legit for a sport that is yet to be known by many people. Sepaktakraw in short is like volleyball using feet instead of hands. It requires much more energy and flexibility especially as players tend to fall to the ground much more often. Sepak = kick  and  Takraw= ball is a popular sport especially in South East Asian region. After watching the game, I do hope that this sport would receive more publicity because it's fun to watch and harder that it looks.

 Two Thumbs up for all athletes out there

 

All cheer for the team

After the game, the people from SepakTakraw federation Indonesia saw us and kindly offered us to meet the athletes. I am liking these back stage perks.

However I was slightly dissapointed at the organisers' as the waiting room looked more like a refurbished trailer. :(

 

infront of athletes waiting room

 

           inside the 'waiting room' athletes congratulating each other

 running to get autographs of the players

 athletes = stars

The opening ceremony, the impromptu interview, the sepaktakraw, it was all an amazing experience that I  have never encountered before. I have never been well informed with sports but after seeing the hard work the athletes have done, be it a win or a lose they deserve our deepest respect. I mean it must be hard carrying the entire nation's name in your back. I do hope that in the future the government would invest on sports education back home rather than maths and physics. Do you agree? Especially with the next Asian Games in 2018 will be hold in Jakarta :D

Taste, Feel, and See Korea Trough 2D1N in Jeonju

If you ever visit Korea, there is one particular place I would recommend other than Seoul, JEONJU. Why so you wonder, well don't get me wrong Seoul may have one of the best restaurants but nothing beats the cooking in Jeonju. Despite having visited this city for four times, I am still charmed by the city of Jeonju, the city, the food, the people, and the scenery.

Why Jeonju?

1. Feel: Public Transport Friendly
I would recommend the free shuttle bus, available only for foreigners with NO CHARGE. The catch here is that you would have to register online and they would pick people out like a lottery. If you're feeling lucky you can also go on the day and you might board the bus if people didn't show up. Based on my experience, there are more empty seats to travel from Jeonju to Seoul.

OR board the Seoul - Jeonju bus route from Express Bus Terminal. I recommend 'o-deung' bus, the difference in price is not much and you have much better seats. I have to say Korea has the best inter-city bus service with services running every 15 minutes and departs ON TIME and THE SEATS! They are extremely wide and comfortable with a foot rest that makes your travel effortless and I am not at all exaggerating.

2. Taste : Food Heaven
My Jeonju trip would not be complete without the visit to Jeonju Hanok Village which is a food sanctuary.
1. Jeonju Bibimbab
2. Ddeok Galbi
3. Popsicles
4. Gamja Tang
5. Hand-made Chocopie (must visit for chocopie fan)
6. Churros and ice cream
7. Kongnamul Gukbab

                                (clockwise) ddeokgalbi, traditional tea, gamja tang, pat bing su

3. See : Traditional Korea
A walk through Hanok Village and surely you found yourself inside traditional Korea. I would recommend trying out their local traditional tea cafes. I tried out a particular one mentioned here: http://2gwang2.blog.me/100188912385

         This cafe is fairly quiet compared to others, nice to lounge a fair bit before continuing the walk

Let me share to you all my recommended itinerary below:

DAY one:

8:30 -   get off at express bus terminal, walk to Central Bus Terminal to Jeonju. (18.700 won one way)
11:00 -  arrive at Jeonju bus terminal, take taxi to Hanok Village
11:30 -  lunch
12:30 - visit Jeonju Cathedral and walk around
2:00 -   check in at Guesthouse
2:30 -   eat around, visit P&B Bakery
5:00 -   visit night market in Nambu Market, lounge in a cafe
7:00 -   Dinner
8:30 -   Night Stroll in Hanok Village Street
10:00 - Rest

Church nearby Jeonju Hanok Village

Nambu Market 2nd floor

I love their pretty decorations on the wall

Raspberry tea and Citron tea

 eat and see Jeonju in a different light

day TWO:

10:00 - take taxi to Deokjin Park
11:00 - have lunch near Jeonbuk University
12:00 - take taxi to bus terminal
1:00 - depart from Jeonju to Seoul
3:30 - Arrive Seoul

                                                              Lotus Season in Deokjin Park

It was still pretty when I visited during early spring

The tan is back, Summer is Back

Summer in Korea is like no other summer. I know I might be overreacting to the current weather but my skin agrees with me.

In the effort to cool off the summer heat me and some friends decided to go to the closest beach, Eulwangri Beach in Incheon. Before this, the only beach I've been in Korea are those down south such as Haeundae in Busan city and others in Jeju Island. So when my friend suggested Incheon, it wasn't beaches that I had in mind but planes flying off Incheon Airport and I was not wrong.

We decided to meet in Incheon airport itself. I took an airport express bus for 10.000 won which takes me straight to the airport. It took me around an hour and a half to reach in which I happily spent by sleeping fully air-conditioned for the entire journey. I was happy, first step in cooling off the summer heat.

The airport bus will normally drop you in third floor which is the departure hall. The bus #202 to the beach happens to stop in the same floor. If you find gate number 7 you should see the sign where to wait for the bus. I was ready for a long ride bus but it turns out the beach was only around 20 minutes ride away. It was actually a quite interesting ride as the bus spent most of the time circling around the big airport before turning to a small alley and suddenly you are in a small village and people setting up tents next to the beaches.

           look for #202 that goes to Eulwangri Beach because the bus goes to two directions

We got there earlier than we expected, but since everyone(by everyone I meant mostly me) were really hungry we decided to stop for food first. Our stop was a restaurant that serves grilled clams and we were seated in second floor where we can get a view of the beach. The owner of the shop was really kind to let us leave our bags after so we can play around without worrying about our bags. She even lent us some slippers as some of my friends had shoes on.

                                      this shop serves grilled clams and the owner was really nice

                            our view from the second floor, there are a lot of cars in the weekend

                                           grilled clams approved by wow Korea supporters

And finally, beach time! I put on two type of sunblock. The one with SPF 110 and spray ones. But even after that my skin went extremely tan the next day despite the effort of the sunscreen. In the future I think I would be a good person to review sunscreen and see which ones actually works. But for the moment, I'm embracing my tan for summer which is a proof that summer is in town again!

                                                          summer break summer beach

A good tip for those of you who are planning to visit the beach is make sure you bring your toiletries like shampoo, soap, and face wash since the public shower place do not offer any for free. Bring cash too because you would have to pay to use the shower (we paid 2.000 won per person). The tide is highest in the morning and it gets low from 12 noon so if you are planning to swim make sure you get there before 3 or 4.

I would visit this beach again when there are less people (we went on the weekend) and probably bring a tent or a mat and grill some meat too. I saw a lot of people bring their own food to cook in the beach, what an awesome way to spend summer: barbequing at the beach. For those that are still wondering what to do in their summer break, why not visit a beach near you and swim to get the heat off.

Till then,

de Journie