5 things I like about...

Seoul

1. The people aka Seoulites

A city full of warm and expressive people.. I remember when ML and I first arrived at HyeHwa station with our luggage and looking lost, at least 3 or 4 people came to offer their help on directions.. the station manager also helped and when he could help no more, he made sure he passed us over to somebody who knew...

Of cos, not forgetting Min Yong and Jason who helped us so much from the planning stage to the days when we were in Seoul... and even little things like bringing us burn cream in the middle of the night...that was so unforgettable and 2 thumbs up for service! (check out their guesthouse at this website: http://www.backpackersinside.com/ )

2. Language

It's like living in a surreal Korean drama where everyone around you speak the same language... needless to say, this sparked my keen interest to continue my Korean language studies.. which I am trying to put in 2 hrs of my time each day to study..

3. History & Architecture

I loved the palaces and the wonderful historic buildings that are everywhere in Seoul... I'm sure there are more that I have not seen in other parts of Korea... their intricate carvings and paintings makes me go wow... and I really wished I had more time to enjoy the beautiful historic part of Korea

4. The discipline

You know how Singapore trains have dedicated seats for the elderly but most of the time it gets filled up with non elderly? Well, ML & I accidentally sat on the seats when we first got on the train.. everyone looked intently at us and this lady whom we affectionately call ajumma told us to place our butts somewhere else cos those are reserved seats... true enough, as we found out for ourselves during the next few days, even though the trains are packed, those seats are left untouched and only the elderly will be seated there...

Similarly for standing on the escalators... they stand on the right and everyone on the left will be moving... seoulites are just so disciplined... *impressed look*

5. Food!

I told Min yong that I would wanna move to Seoul and he asked if it was for Gimbap?! Well, partly yes... call me weird, but for a person who refuse to eat her veggies, I will gladly swallow my veggies that are found in bibimbap, gimbap or even in stews... and of cos, it helps that the food is spicy enough to give me the warm feeling in my tummy... *drool* though I do not fancy ginseng chicken much, I love the basic food like bibimbap, gimbap and even the ramen...Not to even mention about the street food... cheap and good! they bring back fond memories.. *slurp!*

India

1. Historic sites

India comes across as a country rich in history.. I had the privilege of visiting a few of the fortresses during my short trip there... it was truly a beautiful sight... some of them gets converted into hotels and you can feel the history in every piece of brick there.. and you wonder, how did ancient people do such wonderful buildings with their limited technologies then?

2. Animals

I'm so sure a particular Mr Sharma will be giggling now... I love to be surrounded by animals.. and indeed, I was surrounded by animals when I got there... camels, cows, elephants, wild hogs, peacocks are just everywhere near you.. they could be walking right next to you, crossing the road that you are driving on.... and of cos, not to forget the bunch of cute puppies that were found near Mr Sharma's place... if he hasnt moved yet...

3. Honking!

It's a way of life there... people drive most of the time to anywhere cos their land is so huge and even if there is nothing, absolutely nothing on the road, they honk.. purely out of habit... in singapore, that's quite rude I guess.. but it's normal there... and yes, when I came back home, the roads seem so quiet... their driving skills there are also superb! Mr Sharma will agree with me for that...

4. People

People are generally nice and warm... very willing to help and full of quick ways to settle issues... I like them for the fact that they think on their feet! Typically the kind of events people you will like to work with!

5. Food!

Because the huge population that are vegetarians, meals can be largely categorized as veg and non veg... Me being willing to try everything, including veg, tried everything that Mr Sharma ate.. he's a veg and truly it surprises me on how veg food can be tasty too! Of cos, there's tons of indian sweets that I really like...