Dongdaemun's Twin

I found Dongdaemun's twin in Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur. ^^ Ironically, the shop is named Dong Teh Mun..hahaha.

This is the real Dongdaemun in Seoul.

Dongdaemun with T&H

How to go
Dongdaemun Subway Station or Dongdaemun Stadium Subway Station, Line 1 or 4

What to do in Dongdaemun

• Retail buying at APM, Doota and Migliore
• Wholesale buying at the smaller shops around APM, Doota and Migliore - I walked along Cheonggyecheon stream and found a stretch of smaller shops on the road to Dongdaemun. Merchandise from books, clothes, toiletries and etc sold in these shops. I longed to read English materials at one time and luckily met a used book store here ! Eureka..I found another gem in Seoul or so I thought to myself. ^^

Check out KNTO article about Dongdaemun here.

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Alcazar Cabaret, Pattaya : Thailand

The Alcazar Company was founded on November 8, 1981. Under the concept of The Phettrakul Family whose own the successful construction company name “Samprasit Partnership Limited” which is located on Pattaya 2nd Road

. Originally, it was a small theatre of 350 seats with 40 employees on almost 20 years ago. The floor, stage & technical equipment were rudimentary and in fact the business was not so successful in that early day, however, the family never gave up and continued to improve and upgrade its facilities until Alcazar Cabaret Show became "World Famous"!

The Alcazar Show has been delighting audiences from around the world of almost

20 years. Thrilling 1,000,000 with laughter & impressions. Entertained with music, lipsings, dances and various shows played by many perfectly beautiful female actresses (these female actresses were actually male from origin)

The magic of Alcazars state of the art computerized lighting system and be dazzled bythe effects of its Circle surrounding sound DTS system, but that's only the beginning.Prepared to be entertained in grand style by its 400 staff wonderfully talented artists and entertainers.

Today's Alcazar features a Grand Beautiful Theatre with a capacity of 1,200 seats & 440employees. With state of art light & sound system featuring the ultra high tech "Circle surround sound DTS system" & the most modern computer technology. Today, the Alcazar Cabaret is "World Class"!.

Alcazar Cabaret of Pattaya is now well known throughout most of the "INTERNATIONAL" in equivalence to both Lido & Moulin Rouge of Paris. ButAlcazar is different that Lady-man stages it. Alcazar can successfully blend the art of acting, stage design, costumes & the sequence of the shows so well to be impressed by every one of all ages. So Alcazar is a must to visit for both Local & Foreign Visitors.

Alcazar expended more business activities in also same area then call under the name of the "ALCAZAR UNITY"
Experience the new wave of entertainment.  You should not leave Pattaya without seeing our Alcazar Show. A Memorable Experience of a Lifetime! The greatest show in Asia which is a legend of Pattaya, join our audience for the wonder of lifetime.  Touching the marvelous combination of Music, Dance & Costumes. We'll Touch Your Very Soul! With Alcazar's famous reputation for "Satisfaction Guaranteed", you are sure of an amazing night out to please & amuse you.

Time:

Includes:

- Air conditioned vehicle with English-speaking guide.
- Admission fee as mentioned on this program.
- Transfer from/to hotel in Pattaya.

Excludes:

- Personal expenses such as drinks, tips, insurance etc.
- Other service not mentioned on this program.

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7 Must See Bridges of Han River (Hangang)

I have not had the time to discover this yet but I will check these beautiful bridges if I go to Seoul again.

Ever wonder why the bridges (portrayed in drama or movie) in Seoul are breathtakingly beautiful? Some Korean movies or dramas frequently potray the main protagonist having a fun time or even crying under the bridges while basking on their woe or sadness. They would sometime rest near a pojang macha (make shift stall) drinking soju and eating egg rolls/banchan (korean side dishes).

There is a total of 27 bridges cross the Han River in Seoul National Capital Area (Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon), South Korea. (Source: Wikipedia)

Yanghwa Bridge 양화대교

By Subway

Line 9 to Seonyudo Station, exit 3, walk 15 min
Nearby attraction: Seonyudo Park
Source: Wikipedia

Hangang Bridge 한강대교

By Subway
Line 4 to Ichon Station. Exit 4 and walk for about 12 min.

Dongjak Bridge 동작대교

By Subway

Line 4 to Dongjak Station. Exit 1 for Gureum, Exit 2 for Noeul and walk for about 3 min

Hannam Bridge 한남대교

By Subway

Take Line 3 to Sinsa Stn. Exit 4, or to Nonhyeon Stn. Exit 6,7, then take a transit bus

Jamsil Bridge 잠실대교

By Subway
Line 2 to Jamsil Stn, Exit 7 and walk for about 10 min towards Jamsil Bridge

Gwangjingyo Bridge 광진교

By Subway
Line 5 to Gwangnaru Station, Exit 2 or to Cheonho Stn. Then walk for about 15 min
Read the article about the bridge by JoongAng Daily here.

Banpo Bridge 반포대교와 잠수교

Banpo Bridge Fountain is very original of the kind. 380 nozzles equipped along the both sides of of Banpo Bridge (570m each, 1140m in total) pump up the river water which will fall from the top toward the surface of the river 20m down.

Mon - Friday : 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 20:00, 21:00

Directions
Terminal Express Bus Station, Seoul Subway line 3, Exit #8 >> 5min walk >> located across the underground path
Source: KNTO and  Banpo

Dongho Bridge 동호대교

This bridge is just beside Oksu Station. Whenever a train runs through it, blue lights will light up on its side. Once the train passes, the blue lights will disappear. (Source: Chaemii)

Check out the the article by KNTO on the killer views from observatory cafe's outlooking these gorgeous bridges here and Han River water taxi here.

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KTX - Korea Bullet Train

This might sound ridiculous to you but one of the things that I wanted to try in Korea was riding KTX (Korea Bullet Train). I guess there are so many reasons why tourists want to visit Korea, right? ^^ Albeit a silly one like mine.

The history of KTX
Official Website: KTX
The Korea Train eXpress (KTX) is South Korea's high-speed rail system, which connects the capital Seoul to Busan and Mokpo. Operated by Korail, the system's technology is largely based on the French TGV/LGV system. The KTX service holds in excess of 65% of the total route market share between Seoul and Busan, and transported around 37 million passengers annually since 2006 (Source: Wikipedia)

Say hi to Taeyang, Seungri and G-Dragon (Big Bang) from Yongsan Station.

I waited until both of my friends arrived in Seoul and we decided to take the shortest route from Seoul. The three of us checked out Yongsan electronic complex first and rode the KTX Korea Bullet Train later. Shopping comes first! Hehehe..

Our coach is lucky number 6!

From Yongsan to the nearest KTX Station CheonanAsan costs about 13300 won (~MYR40) and the duration was 35 minutes. It was cheaper compared to JR Nozomi Bullet train in Japan which was around MYR75 for half an hour in 2007

This KTX is bound for Gwangju.

KTX ran at maximum speed 305km/hour when we rode the train. Overall, it was a pleasant ride, but the space between seats is not that spacious considering it as a bullet train. Some of my Korean friends consider KTX fare is quite expensive. When a bullet train passed through Cheonan Asan Station, we heard an explosive sound, almost like a bomb. Amazing!

People waiting for their train at Yongsan Station

A KTX train passed by beside us in one blink!

KTX schedule at Cheonan Asan Station.

On the way back we took another type of train called

Saemaeul from Cheonan Asan to Seoul.

It set us off at 9,100 won but the time taken was 1 hour 08 minutes!

Now I know what's the meaning of the saying - Time is money. ^^

We win some, lose some. Save some money, lose some time.

Where can you grab a bullet train in Seoul?

1. Seoul Station
2. Yongsan Station

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