Archive for December, 2009

They started around 8am and didn’t stop until 10am. I don’t have to be to work until 1 so I usually get up around 11ish. They really tried to ruin my Tuesday living in Tanbangdong!

I found a ridiculously tall tower on an insanely tall mountain in South Korea (see pictures below the video!). The Koreans call it N Seoul Tower. The N stands for Namsun which is the mountain which the tower sits on.

I’ve been there twice in my life and I think since you’re reading this, you should go at least once.

Here’s how to get there:
1) Take the subway to Myeongdong (Line 4, stop 424)
2) Watch this video (also below) for directions once you get there.
3) Or if you think my videos suck…
a) Take exit 3 and go up the hill for about 10 minutes then up the stairs.
b) Or take exit 4, go to the big intersection straight out of the subway, go left towards the Namsun tunnel, and take the stairs or elevator up to the tower.

If you are looking for professional Thai massage, check out Healing Hands: Massage for the Soul in Itaewon. From the Seoul subway (Line 6), take Exit 2 and walk for a few blocks and look for a sign that says “Clinic Ever”. Inside that doorway is the staircase that will take you to Healing Hands; it’s on the 3rd floor.

Upon entering the establishment, it is a sensory experience with all the soothing sounds and aromas you’d expect. The owner/masseuse speaks English fluently and his masseuse partner has very good English comprehension, and they are very accommodating with your schedule as well as your personal needs. Making an appointment is advisable, but I have ‘walked in’ many times. They are open daily from 12:30pm to 9:00pm.

A one hour full body massage currently costs 60 000 won and they offer a variety of other services including hot stone and foot treatments. A nice option is the couples massage; it makes a great date, and you get a slight discount. Another added bonus is their stand up tanning bed, but don’t expect bulbs as strong as back home.

Has anyone else been to Healing Hands? Any suggestions for good massage places in Seoul?

Getting your manicures and pedicures in Seoul will be almost as expensive if not more than in North America. I have been satisfied with Tiffany Nail in Itaewon (Exit 2 across the street from the Dunkin Donuts). I’ve had manicures ranging from about 15 000-35 000 won and pedicure prices start at about 30 000 won.

The services I’ve had at Tiffany Nail were relatively thorough; I had a lot of choices for polish colour, and during one pedicure, my feet were simultaneously worked on by 2 ladies! It was a bit of a novelty, but I ended up feeling like I was getting rushed out a bit. They are not the best manicures/pedicures  in the world, but they do cater to a lot of foreigners. They speak some English, and they have pretty good hours (Mon-Sun 11am-10pm)

They also have a stand up tanning bed for about 12 000 per 10-15 minute session and they have package deals, but don’t expect strong bulbs like back home. They provide tanning lotion for free.

I’ve also tried The Green Turtle in Itaewon (Exit 3, right above ‘The Coffee Bean’). The prices were comparable, but I preferred Tiffany Nail.

The Frypan is a chicken and beer place. It’s pretty awesome.

There about 3 billion fried chicken restaurants in South Korea but I feel The Frypan is the best for these simple reasons:

The chicken strips are made from actual strips right from the chicken’s breast. Some places give chicken strips that are other chicken parts mashed together into a strip-like fashion.

They give you a salad. The most recent salad we had came with a wonderfully tangy dressing (not the kiwi salad dressing that most places offer). It also included bananas, tomatoes, and parmesan cheese.

The dipping sauces go really well with the chicken. There’s a thai chili sauce and like a creamy garlic/mayonnaise-ish sauce which go really well together.

It’s that simple. Check out The Frypan if you get a chance. There’s one in Sinchon (Seoul), one in Geojedo, and one in downtown Daejeon. There’s gotta be more. If you find one, let me know where in the comments!

The lovely server took my picture with a friend of mine and threw it up on his blog. In korean, I think he wrote about everything we ordered and probably said how great a time we had there (which we did). This was taken shortly before we destroyed all of the chicken, chips, beer, and tasty banana salad!
http://blog.naver.com/thefrypan523/150075301827