Joy Farm, Chunyang

I woke up at 6 am and it was seriously cold. There was no frost but my breath was. Hahaha..

Bun Sok said if there are three frost in sequence the chillies will be bad. So today, we harvested some of the chillies in the morning and the rest in the evening. The harvest this year turns bad because of virus and also some wild animals. Basically, whatever crops produce was just for their own consumption.

Pity them, cause the rice paddy must be abandoned completely as they couldn't consume any of it. So next year, they need to buy the rice.

The farm is huge, for 2 people I mean. After picking the chillies, Bun Sok showed me the farm. They have chillies, yellow beans, red beans, black beans, millet, chinese sorga, rice, apples, cucumber, gourd and some more.

They sell their premium harvest directly to their consumers via online. However, the demand is always more than what they can supply. Organic farming is hard. Period. Whatever they grow, they only forecast 10% of it is edible and the best will be sold.

Bun Sok told me that I could take a walk alone in the forest. Yikes!! I prefer to do it in the morning. Tomorrow maybe.



Joy and Bun Sok's farm


Their house


A stream near the house.


The moon is still there while the sun is rising from the east.


Bun Sok picking the chillies for breakfast.


The boiler room for heating the house. The black thing is charcoal, burn it and it will last about 8 to 12 hours. Depending on how fast you want it to burn. The colder the winter the faster it burns.


Their chillies farm.


Bun Sok at work.


I hope it will be fully red on my last day here - 16th October.


The chillies we harvested together.


Joy gathering the chillies near his jeep.


Their paddy field.

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From Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Joy Farm, Chunyang

I woke up late because of the fatigue of last nite last outing with Chi Won. She is working today so her parents will be sending me to Gangnam Station. From Gangnam, I took line 2, Green line to Gangbyeon station where the Dong Seoul terminal is situated. Chi Won's mother has a weekly hiking to a nearby mountain with her old school friends. Hmm..Korean are healthy! Healthy food and they love to exercise. It is very hard for me to find a fat person.

My bus is at 11.50 am (Korean time) or 12.50pm (Malaysian time). The terminal was full with people coming back from Chuseok Holiday. I slept half way from Seoul and the rest of the time just viewing the beautiful scenery of the mountain. Autumn has started and the mountain is really beautiful.

I reached Chunyang around 3 pm (Korean time) and Bun Sok and Joy were already there waiting for me. Bun Sok speaks English fluently cause she worked with a foreign company in Seoul before and she also speaks German. Wow!!

She showed me my bedroom which is a separate house and explain to me the crops that they grow there. They have apples, paddy, beans, gourd and chinese saro (Do I spell it right?). Bun Sok also made kimchi, dwaenjang and go chujang by herself! Yeay!!

For now, I will just relax cause only tomorrow morning we will visit the farm. The weather is cold now. Bun Sok told me that they had frost yesterday morning. Yikes!! Joy farm is 800 meters above sea level. Ottokke??



Waiting for bus to Chunyang at 11.50 am.


I didn't realize that the limited seat is for the elders. Hahah..I was bored so I just sat there and read my novel.



Buses at the terminal


The view along the way. Autumn is slowly creeping at the mountain. Ngehehe..


Joy's car is a 2-seater. So, I get to sit at the back with the chilli powder that they just milled at the factory in Chunyang. That's my laptop bag there on top of the powder. ^_^

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Chang deok palace @ Changdeokgung

Most of my korean friends suggested to visit this palace if I have limited time visiting Seoul. They agreed that Changdeokgung is the most beautiful palace from the rest.


The restroom outside the palace.





People queued up for the tour.


My tour was in English. (Of course!! Hehehe)


I am the advisor to the king..(Mwahahaha..first!)


Pretty!!


The guardian of the palace.


The wall.


Me and the announcer.

Me and Calvin. Another Malaysian travelling alone but he's coming from Sydney.


If you get through this gate, you will never get old. I wish!!


Finally, you have to climb this path to exit the palace. ( A hard work!! :)

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Wat Borom Phuttharam : Ayutthaya, Thailand

Situated inside Rajabhat University Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, the north-facing temple was built some time during 1688–1703 during the reign of King Phetracha on his former residence area near the main gate of the southern city wall. Its location and area plan was confined to be in the north-south direction by ancient communication routes; namely, Khlong Cha Krai Noi in the east and a royal pathway known as Thanon Maha Ratthaya or Thanon Pa Tong in the west. Unlike other temples, the king had all buildings roofed with yellow glazed tiles and the temple became known as “Wat Krabueang Khlueap” or the “glazed tile temple”. The construction took 2 years and the temple underwent a major renovation in the reign of King Borommakot, who had 3 pairs of door panels decorated with fine mother-of-pearl inlays. One pair of them is currently at Ho Phra Monthian Tham inside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the second is at Wat Benchamabophit (The Marble Temple), and the third was turned into cabinets and is now exhibited at the Bangkok National Museum. one good destination in Ayutthaya.

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