Inside My Backpack

Itaewon Burger King Murder

2012-01-07T03:53:00.004+08:00

January 7, 2012

I just watched the film The Case of Itaewon Murder, which was done in 2009 and was based on the 1997 tragic murder incident in Itaewon Burger King. Actually, there is no more Burger King there now. The murder site is now occupied by Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. It has a prominent location. I would always see it upon getting off from Itaewon station. No one knows if Burger King Itaewon got bankrupt months or years following the incident or the owner just decided to be completely detached from the brutal murder incident. I don't think the former would be the reason though as the current location of the Coffee Bean and Tea Life is a really perfect place for a fast food restaurant business. It is actually right there conveniently located in between 2 exits of Itaewon Subway station. It's pretty crowded there at night.

Anyhow, it's quite interesting as the case remains unsolved 14 years later. Moreover, it also touched on a very controversial relationship between the United States and Korea. The prime suspects,though having Korean blood, are US citizens (they were 18 when the crime happened, I was 9? ㅋㅋ). Read on the news I attached below for details on the case. And check Youtube as well (10 parts, English subbed) for the movie.

Quite interesting. I feel sad for Jong-pil (he was 23 years old then, a university student and only son of his parents) and his family though. He was murdered for fun! Damn it! The case was re-opened in 2009. I hope the real guilty be punished soon, or I don't know what is the status now! God, how could he comfortably live for 14 years without admitting to the crime he committed! Patterson should be turned over to Korean authorities as soon as possible, before the expiration of the case next year and he should be retried!

Here is the latest news from the Korea Times and from the Time Magazine!

South Korea Reopens the Burger King Murder File - Time

It is one of South Korea's most famous cold-case files, a sensational murder that drummed up sentiment against U.S. military bases in the country for nearly a decade. On April 3, 1997, a South Korean university student, Cho Chong Pil, 22, was found dead on the bathroom floor of a Burger King restaurant in Itaewon, a nightlife district popular among foreigners in central Seoul. He had been stabbed several times in the neck in what prosecutors later called a random "American gang-style" killing. After several days, they named two suspects who had dined together at the fast-food restaurant that evening: Arthur Patterson, the 17-year-old son of a U.S. Army contractor, and 18-year-old Korean American Edward Lee. Both admitted to witnessing the murder, and both accused each other of doing it.
It's been over 10 years since the crime went to trial, and both suspects, after serving some prison time, are free. Now, the Burger King murder is back. Last month, prosecutors reopened the case after the unresolved crime got a wave of attention from a South Korean film and several television series this fall. Critics have long said the trial was bungled, claiming that a 1966 bilateral treaty (SOFA), which outlines the legal rights and responsibilities of U.S. soldiers in South Korea, hinders investigations into crimes committed by American servicemen and their families in South Korea. In 1998, the court dropped charges against Patterson, handing him an 18-month prison sentence for possessing an illegal weapon and destroying evidence, from which he was released early in 1999 as part of a widespread amnesty the government granted to 2000 convicts. The court found Lee guilty of murder, sentencing him to life in prison but later reduced the sentence to 20 years. In 1999, he was fully acquitted by the Supreme Court on a lack of evidence.

The murder of Cho remains a mystery, a fact that has infuriated South Korean activists who made the crime a cause célèbre in their fight against the U.S. military presence in their country. After authorities promised to pursue Patterson's case further in 1998, a prosecutor mistakenly failed to renew a travel ban on him. Patterson returned to California in 1999, where he remains today. (Lee, after being acquitted, also returned to the U.S.) In 2006, a Seoul court ordered the government to award $34,000 to the victim's family. The case remained officially closed until December, and on Jan. 5 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it had sent documents requesting the extradition of Patterson from his home in Sunnyvale, Calif. If the U.S. government cooperates, they say, Patterson will be returned to Seoul to face a new trial — and possibly more severe charges.

The government's move follows a flurry of renewed interest in the crime in popular culture. In September, a blockbuster film that dramatized the murder, The Case of the Itaewon Homicide, swept South Korea. That same month, a South Korean television crew discovered Patterson was living in Sunnyvale after the U.S. government failed to locate him following a 2005 request for judicial assistance from Seoul. "After we concluded that [the television crew's] finding was true, we decided to reopen the case," says Oh Se In, a Seoul city prosecutor acting as a spokesman for the case. Lee, the other defendant in the trial who has always maintained his innocence, says he welcomes the decision. "If the U.S. government hands Patterson over and the prosecution reinvestigates, I will actively cooperate," he told Dong-A Ilbo, a Korean-language newspaper in Seoul, last month.

For some South Koreans, it's one step toward a victory against a series of alleged crimes by American servicemen and their relatives over the past 40 years — and the law that they say goes easy on them. "We've seen in this case that SOFA's protection range is too broad," says Park Kyung Soo, an activist at the National Campaign for the Eradication of Crimes by U.S. Troops in Korea, a nonprofit organization in Seoul. "It restricts the right to continuous detention before prosecution, and whenever people protected by SOFA go to court, an American representative has to accompany them." In the Burger King homicide case, activists also complained the treaty hindered the South Korean court's ability to subpoena the children of U.S. servicemen to give crucial testimony that could help in proving the guilt or innocence of the suspects.

For others, resolving the case is a matter of national pride, one that arises in part from a stereotype among some South Koreans that foreign soldiers commit a disproportionate share of the nation's crimes. "We don't trust them. They come to our country and treat Koreans as below them," says Yoon Jong Hyun, 46, a truck driver in the city of Yangju, north of Seoul. "They commit a lot of crimes because they know they can hide behind the treaty."

Despite the government's good relations with Washington, a large sector of South Korean society has had a long and rocky relationship with American influence, with skepticism many scholars attribute to decades of occupation by foreign powers last century. In 2002, protests erupted across the country after two American soldiers were acquitted by a U.S. military court for running over and killing two teenage girls north of Seoul in their armored vehicle; again, critics derided stipulations in the SOFA treaty that kept the soldiers from being tried in South Korean courts. In 2008, more heated demonstrations broke out in Seoul after the government allowed South Korea to receive certain U.S. beef imports that many were concerned might contain mad-cow disease. Protesters alleged the administration of President Lee Myung Bak was protecting its alliance with the U.S. at the expense of its own citizens' health.

Still, others contend the SOFA treaty does not hinder investigations to the extent antimilitary activists and the South Korean media claim. "We've always had jurisdiction over these kinds of crimes when the victim is Korean," says Oh, the prosecution's spokesman. "We've only had a few restrictions on procedural matters, which is not a big deal." Indeed, supporters point out that the terms of the treaty are far more favorable to South Korea than, for example, the terms of a similar treaty Japan signed with the U.S. in 1960. In that country, the U.S. military can hold suspected servicemen until a Japanese court indicts them, a stipulation that critics allege has handicapped investigations there.

Many think the government made a wise move in reopening the case, and that resolving the Itaewon Burger King murder will help heal old scars between American military bases and the South Korean residents living around them. But Park, the activist, asserts that a new trial will only be the first step in a struggle to revise the treaty that could take decades. "It'll certainly loosen tensions, but only a little bit," Park says. And without a conviction, many South Koreans will continue to harbor anger over what they believe was the great solvable murder that went unsolved.

Itaewon Murder Case Up for Reopening

Prosecutors Trying to Extradite Prime Suspect Arthur Patterson
By Park Si-soo
Korea Times

It's been classified as a cold case for a decade, but now, the so-called "Itaewon murder" is up for reinvestigation. Prosecutors' efforts to extradite the prime suspect in the 12-year-old case, Arthur Patterson, from the United States, will hinge on the cooperation of the U.S. State Department.

The prosecution has decided to reinvestigate the homicide in Itaewon, Seoul, involving two teenagers as suspects - a Korean-American and the child of an American soldier - back in 1997.

The former, Edward Lee, was acquitted by the Supreme Court, while the other suspect, Patterson, fled to the U.S.

The Ministry of Justice said Tuesday the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office recently asked it to coordinate with U.S. authorities to extradite Patterson.

Kim Hae-woong, spokesman for the ministry, confirmed the prosecution's request, but refused to elaborate. "It will take some time before making an official request to the U.S. government for extradition," the spokesman told The Korea Times.

Lee Heung-rak, a justice ministry official familiar with the matter, said: "Our role will be just translating the concerned documents into English and delivering them to our counterpart via the foreign ministry. Whether or not to return the suspect to Seoul will be determined by the U.S. government."

The official did not rule out the possibility that the American government will reject the request, citing "double jeopardy."

Patterson was found guilty in 1998 on charges of possessing an illegal weapon that was apparently used in the crime and destruction of evidence. Imprisoned for about eight months, he was released on Aug. 15, 1998 on a special pardon.

At the time of being released, Patterson was accused by the prosecution of killing Cho Joong-pil, aged 22.

However, he fled to the U.S. in 1999 after prosecutors failed to renew a travel ban imposed on him.

"To avoid double jeopardy and getting the extradition agreed to, the U.S. government will have to recognize the prior conviction as independent of the murder charge," a judge at the Seoul Central District Court said. "But if they regard the possession as an act in line with the murder and thus conclude the two constitute a single crime, the request could be rejected."

Though the case has, since Patterson's departure, remained pending with the prosecution, the crime has virtually vanished from people's memory.

A recent movie based on the tragic story brought public attention back to the unresolved crime, encouraging the prosecution to reopen the case.

On April 3, 1997, one of the two teenagers stabbed Cho, a college student, in a franchise restaurant in Itaewon.

Initially, Patterson was indicted for possessing the weapon and Lee for stabbing the Korean to death.

Upholding a lower court decision, an appellate court sentenced Lee to 20 years in prison in January 1998, but the Supreme Court ordered the appellate court to review the case, citing a lack of evidence. In respect to the ruling, the appellate court later acquitted Lee.

Ahead of that ruling, the prosecution indicted Patterson on the charge of homicide, but its carelessness in extending a travel ban imposed on him made it possible for him to flee to his home country.

The movie, which drew more than 300,000 viewers, also fueled a stereotype harbored by some Koreans that Americans related to U.S. troops in South Korea are not duly punished for crimes they commit on Korean territory.

This antagonism first erupted following the accidental deaths of two Korean girls - Shim Mi-sun and Shin Hyo-soon - in 2002 after they were struck by a U.S. armored vehicle.

pss@koreatimes.co.kr

It's more fun in the Philippines!

2012-01-06T11:54:00.003+08:00

January 6, 2012

Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/its-more-fun-in-the-philippines

"It's more fun in the Philippines."

That's the new slogan that will brand the new Philippine tourism campaign to be rolled out in international markets starting April this year.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., in an exclusive briefing for InterAksyon.com prior to today's public launch of the campaign, said the slogan created by advertising firm BBDO Guerrero | Proximity Philippines, answers the fundamental question, "Why the Philippines?"

"What differentiates the Philippines from every [other place] in the world, as we said from the start, is the Filipino. [It's] his special gift for transforming what is already a beautiful place into an unforgettable special place," Jimenez said. "You take two identical islands, put Filipinos in one, it’s going to be more fun there."

Also launched on Friday was a new logo, which is a "banig weave that forms the map of the Philippines. It's very colorful, very graphic, sa biglang tingin [at first glance], it's a pixelized version of the map. It has that very modern feel also," Jimenez said. President Benigno S. Aquino III, he noted, also gave his inputs on the colors.

The Philippines hopes to attract 12 million visitors by 2016, when Aquino steps down from office.

The new brand campaign was presented to the President some three weeks ago with a number of his Cabinet members in attendance.

Asked about the President's reaction, Jimenez said: "He was very relieved. He was worried that it was going to be a more exotic kind of controversial [slogan]." The President had previously approved the controversial "Pilipinas Kay Ganda" (How Beautiful, the Philippines) slogan launched by the DOT in November 2010, which was later scrapped due to massive public outcry.

Jimenez said he had to ask the President for more funds to produce and roll out the campaign more effectively. While he declined to reveal the exact amount, the DOT chief said Aquino "gave us more money than what we initially asked for."

Admittedly, the country's campaign funds will probably not compare to the advertising budgets of other countries, so the DOT is relying on social media as well, to help push the campaign.

Thus, along with the international slogan is a "hashtag", which will be at the center of a “reflection campaign” to be used domestically, and primed purposely for social media use: “#1forfun”. (In social networking sites like Twitter, the hashtag symbol (#) used before a word or group of words signifies a topic or message category. It makes searching for relevant keywords or topics much easier.

"So the hashtag is crucial…it allows the line to multiply like a virus, and it will be easy for us to do trending," Jimenez stressed.

Although schooled in the traditional forms of advertising and marketing, the DOT chief believes social media is key to mounting a successful brand campaign, considering that his agency has a budget of only P2 billion a year.

"There is a resource we cannot easily quantify, the support of Filipinos everywhere. We are far and away the most savvy Internet communicators in this part of the world. In fact we're so savvy, Filipinos are the only Asians who can cause trends on Twitter."

Jimenez himself has taken to social media and tweets under the account "MonJQuotes." Since Wednesday, he has been tweeting hints about the new slogan in an apparent countdown to today’s launch.

He described the new international slogan as "so deceptively simple" that traditional advertising and marketing people may find the new tag line "a little strange because it is a thought almost drawn from social media…. In a very real sense, it is a very modern 21st century kind of campaign. But it's something Filipinos immediately can get behind, because it's true."

Jimenez stressed that in fact, the word "fun" in relation to the Philippines, is tweeted every six minutes, as per BBDO’s research.

The slogan thus allows Filipinos "to take hold of the line and make it their own." There are "endless possibilities" for the campaign, he said, "if you play around with it in your head.” Whatever activity a tourist wants to engage in e.g. scuba diving, hiking, “even planking,” he jested, the answer will be, “it’s more fun in the Philippines."

He cited ways by which the campaign would be carried out in key markets.

"Next year, for example, we hope to buy space over a parking lot in New York City with a billboard that shows bancas lined up along the beach of Puerto Galera with the people laughing. Their bancas have funny names like 'Tom Cruises' and the headline says, 'Parking. It's more fun in the Philippines.'"

He continues: "You'll see a poster coming up from the Underground in London, of the Banaue Rice Terraces, with Igorot guides along with tourists and it says, 'Climbing stairs. It's more fun in the Philippines.'"

The domestic campaign can commence as soon as next week, Jimenez said, as BBDO is expected to set up a web site and a Facebook account to encapsulate the campaign’s key elements.

"I'm hoping the domestic campaign will be covered by well-meaning private organizations and the networks doing their own thing," he added. The Advertising Board of the Philippines has already committed to give free billboard space in certain key areas in Metro Manila, he said, while Smart Communications' will also be using the new line in lieu of its "Tara Na" (Let's Go) promotion.

Jimenez has also been meeting with several media company and broadcasting network representatives to persuade them to get behind the new brand campaign.

Other tourism slogans long used by the country’s competitors in Asia include: Amazing Thailand, Malaysia Truly Asia, Incredible India, etc. In 2010, Australia launched "Nothing like Australia", Spain had "I need Spain", and just last month, Vietnam launched its "Timeless Charm" promotion.

BBDO Guerrero bested seven other ad agencies in last year's bid for the P5.6-million "Philippine Brand Campaign focusing on Tourism". It was also responsible for the hugely successful "WOW Philippines: More than the Usual" brand campaign used by the DOT since 2001.

Initial Thoughts on Moscow

2012-01-04T06:08:00.002+08:00

January 4, 2012

Moscow is pretty much in the news these days. People there are standing up against Putin and against what they think as a fraud election.

And... after 7 months, I finally managed to put up this post. Laziness! I almost forgot many details about my Moscow adventures! And hey, today is the 2nd anniversary of this blog! No special celebration like last year since I am kind of busy these days. Anyhow, here you are!

Moscow is dangerous. Only if your common sense is defective. LOL. Well, that was actually my first impression of the Russian capital. I was flying direct from Seoul at the beginning of Summer last year so there was sort of an instant comparison between the two big cities as the flight only took around 9 hours. Moscow was actually the first city outside Asia that I was able to visit. There is something in Moscow that I knew I wouldn’t experience somewhere else in Europe. As the seat of the government of the powerful former Soviet Union, the city is still as grand as ever. It hasn’t lost much of its “imperial” or “communist” feel.

Me in front of Bulshoi Theater in central Moscow

The airport terminal where I disembarked (Terminal D) looked clean, huge and orderly. There were no unnecessary disembarking procedures. I can’t even remember if they checked my luggage tags.

I took the express train (300 Rubles) from the airport to a station that would connect me to the Moscow Metro. I was sitting in the train clueless of where I should be getting off. I attempted to ask one old man inside the train. He couldn’t speak English but he was extremely friendly. He even managed to pull out a pen from his bag to put arrows on the map I showed. We got off together and he guided me to the Metro Station. When I got off from the airport express train station to transfer to the subway station, I felt the air of Quiapo in Manila. I mean the atmosphere resembles the dangers, the poverty of areas around Quiapo Church. It wasn’t difficult for me to immediately notice a lot of beggars, street vendors and drunkards around the busy train station. The drunkards scared me off! In Manila and Seoul, it is not allowed to drink alcohol in public (except of course in residential alleys). Police would probably reprimand you if you are caught with an opened bottle of beer or gin around Ayala Station in Manila or around Seoul Station in Korea. In Russia, it’s legal. I had to queue-up to buy the subway train ticket which was actually just a paper card that was only needed when entering the train platform. Losing that ticket after swiping is ok since it won’t be needed for transfers and getting off.

Anyhow, I can’t remember now which station that was but, upon getting off at the express train station to transfer to the Moscow subway station, I started to feel danger and so I was extra mindful of my luggage and pockets. As mentioned, there were lots drunkards, beggars and street vendors around the subway station as I was transferring. It was similar to many metro rail stations in Manila, minus the drunkards. From that point on, I realized why many foreigners would initially feel danger upon their initial contact with my own country’s capital. Dirty-looking street vendors and beggars project a “danger” feel. Add a few drunk people drinking beer and vodka openly and there, you’re like in an action movie in a scene where the “action” is just about to happen. I managed to buy a subway ticket and hopped on to the subway train with no lost items, whatsoever.

Moscow Subway is old but the train stations are museums! Almost all stations are well designed, thanks to Soviet-era architecture. It is kinda obvious that Russia still honors its once glorious (and grand) communist past. It was apparent though that lighting facilities (like their huge chandeliers and pillar light posts) and escalators need repair. I almost fell when a very steep escalator stopped working. Escalators in Moscow subway stations are extraordinarily steep by the way, like taking 3 to even 5 minutes to reach the train platform from above. They say it was built that way to serve another purpose – as bunkers in case of a nuclear war.

The city center of Moscow is pretty good for walking. Important landmarks like the Bulshoi Theater, the Kremlin, the Red Square and colorful orthodox cathedrals are located close to each other.

There are many hostels in Moscow that cater to backpackers. Many do not require deposits or prepayments upon booking through email, so it won’t be a problem. I stayed at TNT Hostel which is old but cheap and conveniently located in the middle of the city. I won’t recommend it though as faucets did not work conveniently when I was there. Showering needed some extra efforts and time.

I travelled to other places outside the city center, too. Moscow Metro, though only in Russian, would eventually become an easy mode of transportation in this huge city. I met a couch surfer named Mike, a young son of a Russian diplomat. He actually lived in the Philippines for a couple of years when his dad was assigned in Manila years ago.

I wanna come back to Moscow but I don’t wanna do that alone, again. ^^ It is such a romantic city too so for lonely travelers, I won’t recommend it.

Spasiba!

Visa Free Entry for Philippine Passport Holders

2012-01-04T05:13:00.001+08:00

January 3, 2012

I really hate processing tourist visas, especially when I only intend to pass by a particular country and not really stay there for a long time. I am off to Japan in 3 weeks and yeah, I am actually going to the embassy of Japan in Seoul today to process it... even if I'll only be traveling there for less than 8 days.

Anyhow, this is an unfair world, especially so for citizens of countries, including the Philippines, that are not yet getting the "economic" respect of the rest of the world. So for Philippine passport holders out there who want to travel, has the money but lack time to process visas, here are your options!

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)

Brunei Darussalam - 14 days

Cambodia - 21 days

Indonesia - 30 days

Laos - 30 days

Malaysia - 30 days (sufficient fund must be at least 500USD)

Singapore - 30 days

Thailand - 30 days

Vietnam - 21 days

Non- ASEAN

Azerbaijan - 30 days visa issued upon arrival

Taiwan - 30 days if holding a valid visa for Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Schengen countries, United Kingdom or United States. Check at https://nas.immigration.gov.tw/nase/ to meet the requirements.

Georgia – 90 days visa issued upon arrival, 360 days visa free to those who have temporary residence of Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait

Hong Kong - 14 days

India - 30 days visa issued upon arrival

Iran - 15 days visa issued upon arrival if holding an e-visa pre-approval code obtained via email from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at www.mfa.gov.ir

Israel - 90 days (3 months)

South Korea (if arriving at Jeju Island only) - 30 days

Macau - 30 days

Maldives - 30 days visa issued upon arrival, extension of maximum 90 days is possible by paying MVR 750

Mongolia - 21 days

Nepal - 15/30/90 days visa issued upon arrival for around US$25/40/100

Sri Lanka - 30 days visa obtain upon arrival if holding Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). You can get this prior to arrival at www.eta.gov.lk

Timor-Leste - 30 days single entry visa issued upon arrival for around US$30, extension is possible up to 90 days

Europe

Kosovo - 90 days

Oceania

Cook Islands - 31 days

Fiji - 120 days Visitor's Permit issued upon arrival and can be extended

Marshall Islands - 30 days visa issued upon arrival and can be extended

Micronesia - 30 days

Niue - 30 days

Palau - 30 days visa issued upon arrival, additional USD 50 for extension

Samoa - 60 days Visitor's Permit issued upon arrival

Tuvalu - 30 days visa issued upon arrival

Vanuatu - 30 days

North America

Bermuda - 31 days before but since May, they now require visas for Philippine passport holders

Costa Rica - 30 days Visitor's Permit issued upon arrival

Dominica - 21 days

Haiti - 90 days

Nicaragua - 90 days visa issued upon arrival

Saint Lucia – 6 weeks Visitor's Permit issued upon arrival

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - 30 days visa issued upon arrival

Turks and Caicos Islands - 30 days

South America

Bolivia - 90 days

Brazil - 90 days

Colombia - 90 days

Ecuador - 90 days

Peru - 183 days

Suriname - 90 days

Africa

Burundi – 1 month visa issued upon arrival

Cape Verde Islands – visa issued upon arrival around £ 25

Comoros – visa issued upon arrival

Djibouti – 1 month visa issued upon arrival

Gambia – visa issued upon arrival

Kenya - 90 days visa issued upon arrival for US$50

Madagascar - 90 days visa issued upon arrival for MGA140,000

Morocco - 90 days

Mozambique - 30 days visa issued upon arrival. Extension of 30 days is possible around USD 66

Saint Helena - visa issued upon arrival

Seychelles – 1 month Visitor’s Permit issued upon arrival if holding return ticket, sufficient funds (minimum USD150 per day of stay, and proof of accommodation)

Tanzania - visa issued upon arrival for around USD50 to USD200

Togo - 7 days visa issued upon arrival if with return ticket, 3 passport photos, and yellow fever vaccination certificate

Uganda - visa issued upon arrival for US$50

Zambia - 90 days visa issued upon arrival for USD 50/80/160 single/double/multiple entry

ALL CREDITS go to http://twentyfive.hubpages.com/hub/Visa-Exemption-for-Filipinos

**UPDATED and CHECKED: January 3, 2012 by Twenty Five

**Information is intended for tourist visit purpose only

**Details may change anytime after the update due to new laws so double-check the immigration rules of the country you’re planning to visit

**Transit visa may be required when you're not on a direct flight

**Sources: International Air Transport Association (IATA), Qantas, Wiki, Visalink, VisaHq.ph

Some important notes:

The list of countries above won’t let you need a visa BEFORE your arrival. Doesn’t mean you won’t need one forever. I just listed the allowed days just like when you’re going to SG for example, you may visit the place until the allotted days without a visa. You can also extend your stay but you have to comply with their visa requirement – that’s the time you have to secure a visa or permit depending on your purpose (work, business, study, etc)

The other countries require a visa upon arrival. It’s usually done at the port of entry or at the immigration bureau of that country. They usually ask you about your purpose of visit/travel and check your documents like your passport (which must be at least 6 months valid from the date of expiry), valid IDs (when I say valid it means it’s not expired and is accepted by all government offices), return tickets, and money. They usually require you to hold proof of sufficient funds to cover your stay. Some strict countries checkpoint authorities require documents such as employment letter, hotel reservations, personal invitation, permit to travel and the like. They have the authority to refuse your entry if you fail to comply with them.

Racism in Korea?

2011-12-04T00:40:00.008+08:00

December 4, 2011

Racism is the belief that inherent different traits, physical, mental and cultural characteristics of human racial groups justify discrimination. That's the internet definition of racism. I know Koreans are proud of themselves and on what their country has achieved in the span of 50 years. And I guess they do have a lot to be proud of. I can't say for certain though if there is racism in Korea... or maybe those racism-like behaviors of some Koreans were just the result of their inability to communicate well in English. KBS, one of the biggest TV networks in Korea tried to do an experiment that pitted an Indonesian and an American against each other on who would get better treatments from Koreans.

So the two, separately, would be asking for directions on how to go to COEX Mall in Gangnam, Seoul's business and financial district. Check the video and decide for yourself.

Personally, I think there is, as in many countries, racism in Korea brought about by their too much regard for themselves. I guess we cannot really blame the Koreans for having such a high regard for those citizens that have similar income-per-capita than theirs and for ignoring those from poorer countries. I bet if the Philippines could fulfill its economic promise, many Filipinos would definitely get complaints for being mayabang (boastful) and matapobre (looking down on lower class people), just look at how the Filipino landlord elite would treat the peasants there.

Indonesians in Korea work as factory workers.They, along with other Southeast Asians, do the jobs that Koreans don't want to do. Despite that, the salary of a factory worker in Korea would already be the salary of a bank manager in Jakarta or Manila or Hanoi or even Kuala Lumpur. So I guess, the result of such a huge income disparity is something like racism. Not all Koreans are racist though. A lot of them are pretty open-minded and appreciate multiculturalism. But yeah, in a homogenous country like Korea, racism could be a little too obvious.

I don't know anything about racism based on skin color though so maybe my observations are not true for Africans. ~~

Puerto Princesa Underground River and Jeju Island

2011-12-01T07:10:00.003+08:00

December 1, 2011

Most probably, you already know those that made it to the list of the new 7 wonders of nature. I have only been to one of them, Puerto Princesa Underground River in the Philippines, which is indeed an amazing natural wonder formed over time. Jeju Island, which is pretty close to where I live now, also made it, but I cannot tell anything about it yet since I have never been there. Well, it was based on worldwide votes, so Filipinos and Koreans really did well in campaigning for their entries! All entries are wonders in themselves, nonetheless. It's just that, they lost in the voting.

I hope to visit Jeju Island soon, preferably in Summer time.

So backpackers around the World, check these two natural wonders in the far east... 2 wonders, 2 mind-blowing experiences!

Congratulations to the governments of Palawan and Jeju provinces! Prepare for the influx of tourists/travelers!

Here are a few tidbits about those two natural wonders, taken from the New 7 Wonders of Nature Official Site:

Photo from the Internet

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. It features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 km. navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing
directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The underground river is reputed to be the world's longest. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water's edge. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave.

Photo from the Internet

Jejudo is a volcanic island, 130 km from the southern coast of Korea. The largest island and smallest province in Korea, the island has a surface area of 1,846 sqkm. A central feature of Jeju is Hallasan, the tallest mountain in South Korea and a dormant volcano, which rises 1,950 m above sea level. 360 satellite volcanoes are around the main volcano.

Me and my Korean friend, Eunho Park at the mouth of the Puerto Princesa Underground River, Palawan, Philippines January 29, 2010

Missing

2011-11-22T23:28:00.000+08:00

November 23, 2011

I suddenly miss traveling! How I wish I am traveling now instead of writing endless papers and taking exams! I particularly hate my Microeconomics and Quantitative Methods classes.... !

Anyhow, let me share this photo I took when I was in St Petersburg in June 2011.

Lakbay lang!

2011-10-28T15:23:00.006+08:00

October 28, 2011

"Ako'y patuloy sa pagdayo't paglakbay...

Umaasang matagpuan…

ang kabuluhan ng aking buhay."

Meeting North Korean Defectors and Trip to 38th Parallel JSA

2011-10-24T20:35:00.004+08:00

October 24, 2011

I had the opportunity of meeting two North Korean defectors last Friday through a program sponsored by my graduate school. It was my first time to actually meet defectors. There are more than 20,000 of them now living in the South. The two who were introduced to us were recent defectors, Kim Il-Sung University-educated Mr. Kim who defected in 2009 after being assigned to Eastern Europe as a North Korean diplomat and Ms. Jang who bravely crossed the Yalu River to get into China just last year. It was really a rare opportunity. The two shared their experiences and lives in the North. When it was my turn to throw a question, I cautiously asked what happened to their families back in the North when the regime knew about their defection. They said their families were sent to concentration camps as sort of punishment. They however revealed that if their family members are still alive, they could still get them to be sent to the South by paying some 6,000,000 won/person (6,000 USD), secretly. Apparently, there is some sort of corruption involved between the North Korean soldiers and the Chinese soldiers along the border. Ms. Jang worked as a Chemistry teacher in a public school outside of Pyeongyang while Mr. Kim discovered the wonders of capitalist markets in former communist Eastern European countries as a diplomat.

This South Korean soldier is literally stepping on a North Korean territory inside a UN building at the JSA.

They revealed that there is no internet access in North Korea, at least among ordinary citizens. However, these days, some of them do get KPOP music, drama and movies quite too often through DVDs. By what means? That I did not clearly
understand. They were of course speaking in Korean and we had one of our classmates (Korean) as interpreter. Apart from KPOP, North Koreans are unaware of the things happening outside their country. Basically, they just confirmed the things that we already knew about life in North Korea.

Apart from our direct encounter with those defectors, we also listened to some lectures on North Korean Reunification Issue. The program concluded through a visit to the Panmunjom Joint Security Area managed by the United Nations (US and South Korea) and North Korea. It is just actually a few hours away from Seoul. On our way, we saw a North Korean flagpole, which, at 160 meters in height, is the tallest in the World. On our side was South Korea’s 100 meter-flag pole. Below the North’s flag pole is a propaganda village filled with nice looking mid-rise buildings to encourage defection from the South.

The soldier won't move.

Tall, good-looking South Korean soldiers patrol the area. I would assume, it was one way to show North Koreans that South Koreans eat healthier food, sufficiently and live better lives. Soldiers there, both from the North and the South were really on alert of any possible conflict. It is sad, they had to be suspicious of each other when they should be defending the same nation, the same people. Security was tight and so taking photographs was strictly monitored and even banned in most areas. As I was trying to comprehend and absorb all the learning that day, I was emotionally struck when we passed through a bridge known as “the bridge of no return.” It was built as a way to repatriate prisoners of war during the Korean War. The UN repatriated more than 85,000 POWs while the North and the Chinese repatriated around 13,000. Imagine, the bridge of no return and the sad stories that took place there. I would say South Korea’s war experience partly contributed to its quick rise as an economic powerhouse in Asia.

The JSA Receiving Area and Museum

Guarding the UN Flag.

On this table negotiations between North Korean and UN forces happen.

Countries that sent troops to aid the South.

That building is a North Korean manned structure. Behind those windows are security cameras and surveillance telescopes.

A marker of the 1976 Axe Murder Incident

In this area, North Korean and South Korean soldiers stand face to face.

Me just playing around.


The Bridge of No Return. Photo from the Internet.

A marker commemorating the Philippines participation in the Korean War. The country sent more than 7,000 troops to defend democracy.

Rainbow Fountain Bridge, Seoul

2011-09-30T00:22:00.002+08:00

September 30, 2011

This is definitely among the best night scenes in Seoul. I went there 2 weeks ago with my classmates from Indonesia and Pakistan and we had a great time talking about cultures, politics, economics, history and whatnot while enjoying the last remaining cool summer breeze of Seoul.

Sept 11, 2011 in Seoul

The Ranbow Fountain Bridge, also called Banpo Bridge crosses the Han River. From the southern side, you'd see a nice view of N. Seoul Tower on top of Nam Mountain. The bridge is considered as the world's longest bridge fountain according to the Guinness World Record. Nearly 10,000 LED nozzles run along
both sides that is 1,140m long, shooting out 190 tons of water per minute. The fountain was actually only installed 2 years ago (September 2009). This landmark showcases Seoul's eco-friendliness and modernity, as the water is pumped directly from the river itself and back -- another tech wonder!

I don't know exactly how to get there because we got lost. What we did was, we went to Dongjak Station first (there is another bridge there with cafe on top overlooking the river) and from there walked eastward going to Banpo bridge. The walk itself offered us plenty of time to talk and enjoy the views.

I am tired of putting watermarks to every photo... Just be kind enough to attribute! Thanks! ㅋㅋㅋ

Posts on Moscow and others are coming soon.

Busy Jepoi

2011-08-26T18:09:00.002+08:00

August 26, 2011

얼마나 죄송한지 모르겠습니다!!! ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

I know it's been like months since I last provided a worthy read on this blog. I was... and still am so busy these days! I am in fact, literally "homeless" now in Seoul, the world's 2nd largest urban agglomeration. Imagine that. I stay wherever I find myself in at the end of every day!

That would continue until the 30th of this month, the latest.

School's starting in 2 weeks, and I am not yet ready. Been attending youth activities since the start of summer, traveled here and there (around Korea), met
both interesting and boring people (though I am myself BORING!), got my heart broken so badly I am still trying to move on (lol), been drunk for a couple of times, and survived a number of other challenges.

I still wasn't even able to start any blog entry about my travels in Moscow and St. Petersburg last June.

Anyhow, I must be able to update more often once I get myself settled. ~~~Thanks for reading and sorry again!

Exploring,

Jepoi

Youth International Economic Forum 2011

2011-07-22T12:13:00.003+08:00

July 22, 2011

I could not believe it. Not until I finally saw my Russian Visa pasted on my passport. I mean, the news that I was going to Russia so suddenly came, I barely had the time to prepare for everything. So that was it. I got lucky to have been chosen as one of the World’s 50 “future leaders” to attend this year’s St Petersburg Youth International Economic Forum. I know, that sounds like I am an heir of a railway fortune or an inventor of a very unique technology, or something… but anyhow, it happened despite my lowly profile. ㅋㅋ

Right after my short adventures in Moscow, I took the Sapsan High Speed Train from Leningradsky Train Station bound for St. Petersburg, the host city of the forum. The train interior was impressive, even more impressive than that of Korea’ KTX. But… it was not as “high speed” as I initially expected. It took roughly 5 hours from Moscow to St. Petersburg, passing by the beautiful Russian countryside going north-west.

Arriving at the train station, it was easy to notice the big streamer promoting the economic forum that the city was hosting. Wow, I never expected that it was such a huge event in Russia. Little did I know that I would be enjoying the presence of some of Europe and America’s richest people in the 3 days ahead.

I took a Mercedes from the train station, which was prepared by the organizer, to the hotel where I would be staying. It was a Radisson-run posh hotel named Park Inn Pribaltskaya which looks really huge and grand from the outside. The service though was not as good. In fact, I am warning everyone not to stay at any Park Inn hotels in Europe. The reasons: no ready-to-use internet and the service is bad. I had the same experience in a Park Inn hotel in Moscow. Same brand, same service, everywhere. I was thinking maybe I expected too much from a Russian hotel. Or maybe not! I was hungry when I arrived. There was no refrigerator or water in my room, and no nearby convenience store since the hotel is really far from the city center. I was bored. I had to pay 90 Rubles (138 pesos) to use the internet for 15 minutes and had to make do with what a soviet-era TV could do. I needed to iron my suit. I had to go to another floor to do it myself. The air-conditioning unit was also antique, it was so noisy. The trade off was the view from my hotel window which was really amazing! I actually waited for the sun to completely set so I could take night shots of St Petersburg from my window, but it was already 1am and the sun was still bright and shiny! So I slept.

The view from my hotel window at around 2am!

Morning of the following day I had to skip the opening ceremony to take my exam online and my Graduate School admission interview through the phone. In the afternoon, sessions on different topics started. A lot of them interested me but I chose the one that I had very little knowledge of: entrepreneurship and the culture
of innovation. There I met some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, innovators, business professors and students from prestigious universities like Harvard, Princeton and LSE. Russia was undertaking an ambitious plan to repeat the success of Silicon Valley in Skolkovo. They wanted to invigorate the culture of innovation in their country that, for 70 years was under strict socialism and entrepreneurship was discouraged, even criminalized.

Anyway, Skolkovo is a site near Moscow that is intended to be an ultramodern complex envisioned to encourage scientific and technologically anchored companies, where entrepreneurs and innovators could meet and develop products. The discussion mainly focused on that. I was silent all throughout the session though. I mean, what could I really say? I was just observing them and trying to get every bit of learning and inspiration as possible. When we introduced ourselves to each other, I was the least accomplished. I am not an investor, not a venture capitalist, not a student of Princeton or Cambridge, nothing. I was a nobody in the room. The two other Asians in the session hall were confident people. One Indonesian who runs 700 restaurants in his country at the age of 28 and one from Hong Kong who is now working on his start up business at 22.

Moving on, we transferred to LenExpo the following day. Technocrats live from Silicon Valley in the US did a teleconferencing with us to share their successes, failures and ideas. This was when the words, “you should not be afraid to fail, to succeed” finally sunk in to me.

Participants from Russia, Hong Kong, China and the Philippines (Me!)

I have also learned that my country, the Philippines needs its own version of Silicon Valley and quit exporting highly skilled, exceptionally knowledgeable people to other countries! The World’s top economies are on top because they are producing something valuable for the world! They contribute to human civilization’s efforts to move forward! And the way to go is to intensify R&D and the manufacturing sector.

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, along with executives from Procter and Gamble and other big multinationals were there too to share their experiences and inspire us, the young people to risk failures for possible successes.

For dinner, we went to a park, which I was not sure if it was part of the St Pete Governor’s residence or Capitol, to socialize with rich people. I felt so small there. People there were like talking about their ventures, profits, future business expansion plans and the whatnot. I was there to eat and to taste various drinks that I didn’t even know existed. We were all in business suit and women were mostly in long gowns I have only seen in Miss Universe Pageant. It was surreal.

At night, the participants’ presentations were projected at one of St. Petersburg bridges.

The forum for the young people ended when the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum formally kicked off with various heads of states, CEOs, billionaires, venture capitalists, industrialists and politicians attending. In 2009, Philippine President Gloria Arroyo attended this same event. This year, it was sort of a close encounter with President Medvedev of Russia and President Hu Jintao of China. I saw these guys in person! ㅋㅋㅋ Hey, these are two of the world’s most powerful people, the former being the head of state of a country with the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear arsenal and the former, leading the World’s fastest growing economy set to overtake the US in the next generation. They were of course stressing the importance of giving greater roles in the global arena to emerging economies like theirs as opposed to the already developed yet slow growing economies having much control over the financial and economic systems of the World.

My short yet meaningful experience with YIEF will surely last a lifetime. I learned a lot. I got inspired. And I guess, I have to courageously strive to continuously deserve the honor of being a part of YIEF 2011.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev

Chinese President Hu Jintao

My hotel room

One of St. Petersburg's many rivers.

Beautiful St. Petersburg! I guess this is my best shot yet!

During the Sting Concert

Russians and Asians

The Miracle of the Han River

2011-07-17T13:27:00.001+08:00

July 17, 2011

Sorry guys for the lack of updates! I know! I have tons of things to write and lots of catching up to do... anyhow, for now please check this out and discover the miracle of the Han River!

How well do you know Korea? Come and meet the charms of Korea at Touch Korea! You are warmly invited!

I will try to post more updates on my travels soon!

Hello Moscow!

2011-06-14T13:30:00.004+08:00

June 14, 2011

Hello guys! I am now in Moscow. After this trip, I am gonna write one whole blog entry about it! Here's a preview of my travel in this amazing city!

Me at the Red Square. I know, it's out of focus. That's the problem when using DLSR's timer.

This one was taken by a stranger!

In front of Bolshoi theater, built in 1856. No, I didn't know that! Mike Ivanov told me! lol

'Till then,

Spasiba! Спасибо

The Battle of Yuldong: The Philippines stood by Korea

2011-06-01T11:01:00.001+08:00

June 1, 2011

Celebrating six decades of heroism

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Yuldong

Courtesy of the Embassy of Korea in Manila

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Yuldong in North Korea, Korean Ambassador to the Philippines, His Excellency Hye Min LEE led the Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Korean War Memorial Pylon in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, Taguig last April 14.

A Korean ROTC officer salutes to Former Philippine President Fidel Ramos, a Korean War Veteran.

Photo by: Karina Chua

The Philippines, the first Asian country to respond to the call of the United Nations Security Council Resolution, sent a 7,420-strong force to Korea during the three years’ war (1950-1953). Known as the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK), the five Battalion Combat Teams (BCTs) lost 112 men and wounded 299 with 16 men officially declared missing-in-action up until now.

“The strong bond our two countries forged during the War has served as
the foundation of our flourishing bilateral partnership and cooperation.” Ambassador LEE said in his speech, He also lauded the PEFTOK soldiers, saying, “I would like to commend the PEFTOK veterans who laid the significant groundwork for our unshakable ties.”

Ambassador LEE further stressed that the Philippine-Korean relations have expanded to economic partnerships and cultural exchanges. He cited that the Republic of Korea is currently the fifth largest trading partner of the Philippines, as well as the third largest source of foreign investment.

“The Korean government, together with the Philippine government, will continue to endeavor to uphold the legacy of the PEFTOK.” Ambassador LEE added. “At the same time, I will assure you that our two countries, governments and people will persist in making our friendly relations even stronger for the generations to come.”

10th BATTALION COMBAT TEAM (Motorized)

Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEFTOK)
Motto: Steady . . . On

The BCT emblem

The Philippines’ only armored battalion, the 10th BCT (Motorized) landed at Pusan on the southeast coast of Korea on 19 September 1950 after a four-day voyage from the Philippines on board a US Navy troop transport.

The 10th was originally known as the 3rd Battalion Combat Team, a unit activated on 29 April 1949. The 3rd BCT was re-designated the 10th BCT (Motorized) in January 1950 to reflect its new role as the Philippines’ only armored battalion. It had a company of 29 American-made medium tanks (M4 Sherman) and another company of light tanks (M5 Stuart).

The 10th was chosen as the first PEFTOK battalion for Korea because the Philippine Army believed it admirably suited to the “slugging type” of conventional warfare in Korea. The battalion motto, “Steady . . . On,” referred to the tank crew practice of shouting the phrase, “Steady . . . On!” when aiming their tank cannon and machine guns at a target. Col. Mariano Azurin, the first commanding officer of the 10th, was a tank man trained at the US Army armor school in Kentucky.

10th BCT infantryman.

The selection of the 10th BCT as the first to deploy to Korea was accompanied by a great deal of press publicity. The Korean War would be the first foreign war for the four-year old Republic of the Philippines, and Filipinos of that era saw it a great honor that the Philippines should fight to save democracy in a far-off country, despite having to contend with a serious communist insurrection of its own.

Press coverage of the 10th was so extensive Filipinos knew the oldest soldier in the battalion was 54 years old while the youngest was just 18. Daily English-language newspapers such as The Manila Evening News, The Manila Times and The Philippine Herald assigned war correspondents to cover the battalion’s exploits in Korea.

At 9:00 a.m. on 2 September 1950, 60,000 Filipinos crammed the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila to watch the 10th BCT parade prior to its departure for Korea on 16 September.

Upon its arrival in Korea on 19 September, the battalion’s strength stood at some 1,400 officers and men. Its “teeth” consisted of three rifle companies, a medium tank company, a reconnaissance company equipped with light tanks and a field artillery battery.

Both tank companies arrived in Korea without tanks since the Americans had agreed to provide new tanks to replace the battalion’s 17 M4 Shermans and one M10 “Wolverine” tank destroyer sent to Korea prior to the battalion’s departure. These tanks, however, were destroyed during the UNC retreat to the Pusan Perimeter before the battalion got to use them in combat.

Men of the 10th march in the snow.

In the event, only Recon Company received tanks (M24 Chaffee) during the battalion’s 13 months in Korea. The tankless Tank Company was reorganized into a Heavy Weapons Company, becoming a highly decorated unit that won fame at the Battle of Yuldong in April 1951.

The 10th spent its first two weeks “in country” acclimatizing to the terrain, continuing unit training interrupted by its abrupt departure and taking in weapons and supplies. Bivouacked initially in the town of Miryang, 35 miles north of Pusan, the 10th was moved to other towns farther north and joined the war in the city of Waegwan. The battalion was first attached to the US 25th Infantry Division.

Guerilla fighters
Preceded by its reputation as a battle hardened anti-guerilla unit, the battalion was first given the mission of hunting down North Korean guerillas interdicting the main supply route (MSR) of the United Nations Command (UNC). The battalion’s first area of operations, based on Waegwan, covered more than 800 square miles and harbored about 3,000 guerillas.

North Korean guerillas were mainly regular soldiers of the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA), well armed and with an excellent knowledge of the rugged terrain. These soldiers had taken to the hills either because it was their mission, or because they had decided to fight on after being cut off from their units by the victorious UNC advance into North Korea following the Inch’on Landings on September 15.

In September 1950, the UNC estimated that there were 35,000 communist guerillas in South Korea disrupting UNC road and railroad communications and attacking UNC units behind the front line. At Waegwan, the 10th took the war to the guerillas but at a price in casualties. Pvt. Alipio Ceciliano was killed in a guerilla ambush along the Naktong River, the first Filipino killed-in-action in the Korean War. The battalion was deployed on anti-guerilla operations during the first six months of its tour in Korea.

On 31 October, advanced elements of the 10th crossed the 38th Parallel dividing North and South Korea, an event reported to the Filipino public by War Correspondent Johnny Villasanta, who accompanied the advanced unit. Villasanta was the first Filipino war correspondent in Korea.

The next day, the rest of the battalion moved further north to Pyongyang, capital of North Korea, and was given the mission of securing the MSR from Kaesong to Pyongyang and clearing the area of guerillas.

At the outskirts of the town of Miudong, the battalion fought its first pitched battle, this against a North Korean battalion, killing 50 while losing one man. "The Battle of Miudong/Syngue” was the first battle fought, and won, by the Philippines on foreign soil.

In a bold raid on November 5, a five-man commando team led by Lt. Venancio “Bonny” Serrano captured 77 North Korean soldiers and sympathizers plus arms and ammunition.

Bitter winter
The brutal winter of 1950 was the coldest in 200 years with temperatures well below zero. Despite this incredible cold, the 10th was without the heavy winter clothing that would allow its men to survive and fight in this arctic environment. This supply omission strained relations between Col. Azurin and the commanding officer of the American regiment to which the 10th was then attached. Azurin protested forcefully and was relieved of his command.

The 10th was then fragmented, its companies being deployed to five widely separated towns. The battalion subsequently received its heavy winter gear but Col. Azurin was sent home and replaced by Col. Dionisio Ojeda .

Alert crew of an M24 Chaffee.

The 10th was in this pitiful state when the Communist Chinese intervened in force. On November 25, the People’s Republic of China (PROC) sent more than 200,000 men in what it called the “Chinese People’s Volunteer Army” (CPV) against the UNC. Using speed and superior tactics, the lightly armed but combat hardened “volunteers” quickly defeated both the US Eighth Army and the US X Corps near the border of North Korea and China.

Plunging southward, the CPV re-took Pyongyang and Seoul within the year. The 10th retreated with the UNC in this harsh winter of defeat that men of the US Army derisively called “The Big Bug Out.” The US defeat at the Battle of the Yalu ended its “Home for Christmas” campaign, and forced the US Army into the longest continual retreat in its history. As a rearguard unit, the 10th was one of the last UNC units to re-cross the 38th Parallel “the wrong way.”

The battalion spent its first Christmas in Korea in the town of Suwon along the Han River. When the American-led UNC launched its counterattack in February 1951, the 10th went on the offensive as part of the US 3rd Infantry Division (Rock of the Marne), a unit that fought in Europe in both World Wars.

By this time, the CPV was spent, suffering heavy losses in men and materiel. It began a deliberate withdrawal towards its bases in North Korea to refit and replace casualties. In March and April, the 10th was in continuous action, capturing hill after hill from the Chinese. Now a front line fighting unit, the 10th pushed northward towards the 38th Parallel defeating Chinese counterattacks along the way.

By 14 April, the hard-driving 10th was the northernmost of all UNC units. The men were exhausted after close to two months of non-stop fighting but were in high morale. On the 17th, the 10th was stood down and reverted to the reserve of the US 65th Infantry Regiment (the famous “Borinqueneers”) composed of Puerto Ricans. The battalion was down to some 900 men. Most of its casualties, however, were non-battle in nature.

The Battle of Yuldong

What we Filipinos commemorate as The Battle of Yuldong (formerly spelled Yultong) was part of the biggest battle of the Korean War. The CPV and NKPA had massed over 250,000 men for their “Great Spring Offensive” against the advancing UNC. It was the largest communist offensive of the Korean War.

Filipino mortars fire on the enemy.

When it launched its counterattack on 22 April, the CPV stood on ground of its own choosing. Again, the CPV had succeeded in massing its divisions unhindered, moving by night and hiding by day. Its fighting withdrawal, in which it had given up ground gained at a huge cost in men and materiel, had led the UNC into the jaws of a major counterattack.

UNC strategy at the time involved establishing “lines” across the breadth of the Korean peninsula. These lines were used as springboards for attack or as sanctuaries in defense. This strategy was made possible by the narrowness of the Korean peninsula, which is less than 200 miles across at its widest. A series of these lines, which ran west to east, were built at intervals across the peninsula.

The northernmost of these lines, called Line Kansas, was located about 10 to 14 miles north of the 38th Parallel. Line Kansas had two northward bulges called Lines Wyoming and Utah, making both lines the northernmost UNC positions and logical targets for any counterattack.

The 10th was rushed to reinforce Line Utah on 22 April amid positive signs of an imminent communist counterattack. The 10th defended a three-mile sector of the 40-mile long UNC front line in western Korea located above the Imjin River. It was still attached to the US 3rd Infantry Division.

Arriving at the front on the morning of 22 April, the battalion quickly took over the forward positions of the 1st Battalion, US 65th Infantry Regiment, part of the US 3rd ID. The Filipinos began to improve their positions, digging more foxholes, siting machine guns and stringing more barbed wire. The 10th held a portion of the left shoulder of Line Utah astride Route 33, a major highway connecting Seoul to the city of Chorwon further north.

The Puerto Ricans of the US 65th Infantry Regiment, probably the best US infantry unit on the western front, dug in one of their battalion's on the 10th’s left flank. To the Puerto Rican’s left stood the British 29th Independent Infantry Brigade Group consisting of the Belgian battalion, the 1st Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles, the 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers and the 1st Battalion of The Gloucestershire Regiment. These units were within the sector held by the 3rd US ID. Defending the left of the British was the ROK 1st Division, which also held the city of Munsan-ni, the western anchor of the UNC line.

A battalion of the Turkish Brigade, part of the US 25th Infantry Division, held the line to the right of the 10th. The battalions of this division were strung out to the right of the Turks as were the battalions of the US 24th Infantry Division. The US 3rd, 25th and 24th Infantry Divisions constituted the US I Corps defending the western sector of the UNC line. The US IX Corps held the right of US I Corps.

Opposite the 10th were the CPV 31st, 34th, 35th and 181st Divisions that were part of the CPV 12th Army. This army, which at full strength numbered some 40,000 men, formed part of the CPV III Army Group along with the CPV 15th and 60th Armies. More than 200,000 “volunteers” in 18 armies and 50,000 NKPA regulars were massed for their “Great Spring Offensive.” This formidable horde was supported by the heaviest concentration of Communist artillery yet seen in the war.

The Filipinos set-up an Intelligence Outpost (IOP) some five kilometers forward of their front line to give advance warning of the impending Chinese attack. At about 8:30 pm, the IOP reported large numbers of Chinese leaving their positions and heading towards the battalion. The IOP then withdrew into the safety of the battalion’s positions. The Chinese reported by the IOP belonged to one of the three divisions comprising the CPV 12th Army that would become the battalion’s antagonists at Yuldong.

105mm howitzer.

The Chinese opened their attack with a massive artillery barrage lasting over four hours in some of the three UNC sectors attacked. At 9:30 pm, the battalion’s Tank (Heavy Weapons) Company defending the left flank reported contact with the Chinese. Heavy fighting then broke out on the flank.

At five minutes past midnight on 23 April, Sunday, the entire 10th BCT took the full impact of the Chinese assault. Baker Company defending the right was the first to be hit. After hammering the rest of the battalion’s positions with artillery, mortar and automatic weapons fire the Chinese charged the Filipino line to the noise of bugles, whistles and gongs.

They ran into a wall of fire thrown up by the 10th, hundreds of Chinese falling to the defenders. The battlefield was in chaos. Although heavily outnumbered, the men of Able, Tank, Recon and Baker Companies in the front line resisted furiously backed by their howitzers and mortars. The battalion’s front line remained unbroken.

Steady On!
Disaster, however, struck the UNC battalions on the 10th's flanks. The Chinese quickly overran the Turkish battalion, exposing the 10th's right, and began to encircle Baker Company defending that flank. The Puerto Rican battalion holding the 10th's left flank staggered under the massive assault, and while two companies withdrew fighting, the rest of the Puerto Ricans prevented the Chinese from rupturing their lines.

Amid a rapidly collapsing western front, the Filipinos and the Puerto Ricans held firm, denying the Chinese the quick victory they needed to crush the UNC.

Farther left, the British stood up to the first Chinese assaults. After an initial repulse at the hands of the Gloucestershire battalion on the left of the British position, however, the Chinese forced a crossing of the Imjin River at Korangpo-ri. The Chinese then drove hard inland, surrounding the Gloucestershire battalion at its Solma-ri position and outflanking the other battalions of the brigade, which were forced back to escape encirclement.

Many of the UNC battalions holding the 10th's left and right flanks were in retreat by the morning of 23 April. With its flanks "in the air," the 10th stood alone in a salient almost surrounded by a torrent of assaulting Chinese. The most threatening penetration, however, occurred further east in the vicinity of the city of Hwach'on. The CPV routed the South Korean 6th Division in the US IX Corps area and poured southward threatening to cut off UNC units north of the Imjin River.

The Chinese, however, continued to attack and their persistence, despite terrible losses, being rewarded when one of their regiments overran the lone Tank Company platoon of just 17 men posted on a ridge (not a bridge) overlooking Yuldong village.

The Chinese were immediately counterattacked and driven off the hill by the heavily outnumbered men of Tank Company (which didn't have any tanks). Capt. Conrado Yap, commanding officer of the Tank Company, was killed in this counterattack. His men had, however, retrieved the bodies of Lt. Jose Artiaga (Yap's closest friend) and the men of Lt. Artiaga's shattered and badly understrength 1st Platoon.

Lt. Artiaga received the Distinguished Service Cross for leading his grossly outnumbered men in the most dramatic saga of the Battle of Yuldong. Capt. Yap was posthumously awarded the Medal of Valor, the Philippines' highest award for heroism, while the Tank Company received a unit citation from the US Eighth Army for this valiant action.

At dawn on 23 April, the 10th supported by two of its M24 light tanks counterattacked the surprised Chinese, who were regrouping following the murderous night battle, killing many and driving the survivors out of its positions.

Lt. Alfredo Cayton, the battalion’s supply officer, led a supply convoy that brought ammunition and food the following morning. At one of the forward positions, Lt. Cayton looked out across a smoke shrouded but eerily silent battlefield littered with what appeared to be large numbers of brown rags as far as his eyes could see. He turned to the .50 cal. machine gun crew defending that sector and asked what those rags were.

“Dead Reds,” the Filipino gunner curtly replied.

Lt. Cayton wept at the massive slaughter. It was the first time he had seen so many dead men in one place. Despite their being the enemy, the Chinese were still human beings, he told me.

The US 3rd ID ordered the battalion to withdraw, a disengagement the 10th accomplished while under constant attack from the Chinese and without other UNC units to cover its withdrawal.

There was, however, no rest for the exhausted 10th. Barely rested from its terrifying ordeal and with its men dog-tired, the battalion on the 24th was thrown into a tank-led British counterattack to free the trapped Gloucestershire battalion.

The Filipinos attacked with their M24 light tanks, one of which was destroyed by the Chinese. More Filipinos died. The 10th fought to within 1,500 meters of the trapped battalion, the closest approach by any of the UNC units involved in the rescue attempt, but were hamstrung by unfavorable terrain that allowed no room for maneuver.

Standing firm against the British, Filipino, American, Puerto Rican and Belgian attackers, the Chinese eventually destroyed the Gloucestershire (or Gloster) battalion after a fierce four-day struggle. Only 50 of 750 Glosters escaped death or capture. The British fought to the last bullet against three Chinese divisions of the CPV 63rd Army.

The Battle of Yuldong cost the 10th BCT 10 killed, 26 wounded and 14 men missing in action. Five more Filipinos were killed in the vain attempt to rescue the Gloucestershire battalion and others were wounded. These light casualties in a major offensive testified to the courage and fighting skill of the men in the front line. CPV dead littered the battalion's positions. The 10th emerged from its first great battle intact and undefeated.

The UNC lost over 7,000 men during the first day of the Chinese counterattack. Balanced against this were CPV losses totaling more than 70,000, according to the UNC. The entire UNC line, however, fell back before the Chinese attack to a prepared defense line above Seoul. Withdrawing to this line brought the 10th more losses.

On 26 April, a Chinese regiment surrounded and captured an entire Filipino platoon of 40 men in a sudden attack. The confused fighting during the nerve-wracking withdrawal saw many examples of heroism from the ranks. Staff Sgt. Nicolas Mahusay gave his life in a heroic attack on enemy mortars that had pinned down the battalion. He was cut down by enemy fire after silencing the mortars and allowing the battalion to escape,

The small village of Yuldong in the mountains of North Korea became the scene of the bloodiest battle fought by a PEFTOK battalion in the Korean War. The Philippines commemorates the Battle of Yuldong every year to honor all Filipinos who served in Korea.

Peace and war
During the UN counterattack in June 1951, the 10th was once more in the fight, battering Chinese rearguards impeding its advance. The 10th led the UNC advance to the Taejo River where it killed 65 Chinese and secured the vital Chorwon Reservoir. The battalion then reverted to the reserve of the US 3rd Infantry Division. The commanding officer of the 3rd ID, Maj. Gen. Robert “Shorty” Soule, said the 10th was the best Allied unit in his division. The brilliant battle fought by the battalion at Yuldong earned it the nickname, “The Fighting Filipinos.”

The repulse of the Chinese Spring Offensive in April and the second phase of this offensive in May brought the combatants to the peace table. Armistice negotiations to end the war began 10 July 1951 in Kaesong, a village in North Korea. With the beginning of peace talks, the war of movement and big battles came to an end and was replaced by savage small unit actions for strategic terrain.

The CPV used the lull to reinforce and bring up its heavy artillery and anti-aircraft guns. As a result, artillery barrages by both the Chinese and the UNC were heavier than those in World Wars 1 and 2. Half of the Americans killed during the Korea War died during the truce negotiations.

Back Home
The 20th BCT, which was to replace the 10th, took over the Filipino front line on 6 September. On 27 September, the 10th was finally pulled out of the war. The Fighting Tenth, as it was now called, arrived in Manila on 23 October to a rapturous heroes welcome.

In its 398 days in the Korean War, the battalion lost 63 men killed, 145 wounded and 58 missing-in-action, for a total of 266 battle casualties, the highest casualty toll among all five PEFTOK BCTs. On 5 May 1952, the battalion’s dead returned to the Philippines, with many buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

The Korea Times Essay Contest Win

2011-05-22T22:23:00.006+08:00

May 22, 2011

North Korea Essay Contest: Winners and sponsors of the first North Korea Essay Contest for collegians pose after the awards ceremony held at a Seoul hotel, Tuesday. The contest was co-hosted by JK Huh Foundation, The Korea Times, the Hanns Seidel Foundation Korea Office and the North Korean Review. From left are Bernhard Seliger, resident representative of the Hanns Seidel Foundation’s Korea Office; Park Tae-jin, 24, winner of the Commendation Prize; Trae Douglas Turner, 25, winner of the Grand Prize; Park Moo-jong, president-publisher of The Korea Times; Jeffrey Sistoso, winner of the Commendation Prize; Kim Suk-hi, professor
of finance at the University of Detroit Mercy and publisher of the North Korean Review; and Choi Chul-ki, executive vice president of the JK Huh Foundation.

/ Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

What I got!

Below is a copy of my winning essay that got me a plaque, 1,000 USD cash and the privilege to get published nationwide in Korea and worldwide via the North Korean Review, a refereed academic journal of the Institute for North Korean Studies (INKS) at the University of Detroit Mercy and distinguished as the first academic journal in North America or Europe to focus exclusively on North Korea.

My Essay on North Korea. Click here to read in FULL SCREEN.

Happy "Judgment Day" Fellows!

2011-05-21T01:56:00.006+08:00

May 21, 2011

What day is today? Judgment Day! What they say as the rupture! Well, it's now exactly 2:50am, May 21, 2011 in Seoul. I guess we'll have to wait for these "prophets" to set a new date for the next Judgment Day... They keep on predicting the end of the World... they should just make it an annual event, sort of a regular festival! That would be more fun!

Volunteers from the US religious group Family Radio have taken to the streets of North America armed with placards and leaflets to preach to non-believers about the end of the world on May 21, 2011. Photo from The Telegraph.

Meanwhile, one of my friends is really having a hard time believing these so-called "END OF THE WORLD" sites because they have google adsense on them. In his opinion. this may be just another case of false PROPHETS making PROFITS. lol

This one's from my hometown in the Philippines. Imagine, from a big city such as New York in the United States to the small city of Bacolod in the Philippines, the "Judgment Day" is being made known to everyone worldwide! Amazing...

Korean Children's Day at Yongma Mountain, Seoul

2011-05-19T23:13:00.004+08:00

May 20, 2011

This is a late post. It was Children's Day (어린이날) in Korea last May 5th. It was a national non-working holiday here... so I went to hike Yongmasan with my classmates from France and China. Yongmasan is a mountain (well a hill if we apply certain standards) located in Seoul.

My classmate Ah Urikhan from Inner Mongolia, China.

Yongmasan, at 348 meters high, has exercise equipments along the hiking trail and an octagonal traditional style pavilion halfway up the mountain. At the
summit, there is a marker showing the mountain’s height above sea level and a big steel radio tower. As we walked down towards the other side from the summit, we noticed the ruins of a little fort of the Goguryeo Kingdom (BC37~AD668) built at a strategic point overlooking the region of Jungnangcheon Stream.

On our way up! That's me and Shuoren from China.

On the way up, we stopped by several observation platforms where it was possible for us to see an excellent view of Seoul. Hangang Bridge, Namsan, 63 Building, and Gangnam Business District are some of the popular landmarks we saw from up there.

A few meters from the peak.

Rest time.

Nope. Not yet the top!

Mini bridge.

Getting There: Take Subway Line 7 to Yongmasan Station (Exit 2). Walk into the entrance of Hanshin Apartments, and walk straight up. Go up the stairs passing by a playground on to a set of physical exercise equipments.

Time: Roughly 2 hours going up!

Off to Russia soon!

2011-05-19T21:04:00.007+08:00

May 19, 2011

Alright, I got lucky again! I am going to Russia for a week... in June! Watch out for updates! I got busy the past few weeks so wasn't able to post anything. ^^

St Catherine’s Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. Photo from the Internet.

Bye!

Manila, one of Asia's Most Dynamic Capitals

2011-05-03T22:06:00.002+08:00

May 3, 2011

Check these videos of Manila from Vimeo. Metro. Manila is the capital of the Philippines and Southeast Asia's 2nd largest city by economic size (GDP), after Singapore. Amazing videos! If you like cityscapes, this is for you!

Spring Time at my damn beautiful university campus

2011-04-19T22:58:00.001+08:00

April 20, 2011

As I have promised, here are some photos I took yesterday (April 19) at my university. Kyung Hee University has always been regarded as Korea's most beautiful campus. So check these photos. I did not bother to put any watermark on these and they might not really be amazing photos but please don't steal
them. Just credit me or this site if you wanna share them somewhere else. Thanks!

Kyung Hee University Main Building

On the way to the 2 open fields.

Near the entrance gate.

Blooming

Cherry Blossoms

Yellow flowers

Parking spaces + Basketball courts

Cherry blossoms

Soccer field in front of my dormitory.

KHU Central Library

Kyung Hee UniversityMain Building

Welcome to Kyung Hee University

Kyung Hee University in Seoul

Top Ten Travel Destinations in Australia

2011-04-19T20:25:00.004+08:00

April 19, 2011

I have never been to Australia but it sure is on my list of future travel escapades. I hope I could write an Australian travelogue based on my own actual travels soon. For now, let me share this short article from my friend Sachin, a little peek of what this land down under, has to offer.

Australia’s great travel destinations are all part of one big, fantastic travel experience. There must be a reason why millions of tourists flock Australia all year round. So check these ten most visited places in Australia and start thinking about hunting for the best value accommodations, cheapest airfare and some cheap travel insurance and come and see a country like no other place on Earth.

1. Sydney

Sydney is the basic entry point to Australia. The whole country is a travel paradise, particularly if you do some research and learn how to get around by air, sea and rail. From Sydney, you can get to the entire east coast in a couple of hours by air. Spend some time exploring and researching Sydney, because there’s a lot more to it than the tourist clichés.

2. Melbourne

Melbourne is growing rapidly, and Victoria is a fantastic mix of tourist attractions. From the eastern forests to the snow country on the mountains, and the seemingly endless coast, which butts on both the ferocious Southern Ocean and the Tasman, Victoria is a wanderer’s paradise.

3. Canberra

The capital of Australia, situated inland among the southern forests and the Far South Coast, Canberra and the surrounding regions are Australia’s own preferred holiday regions, easy to get to from the major cities and full of incredible bush and beaches.

4. Hobart and Tasmania

Tasmania is a truly ancient place, part Australia and part Antarctica. Tasmania has a huge wilderness area much loved by hikers. This is what Australia looked like before humans arrived, and includes some incredible old forest, wild rivers, and an almost mystic landscape wherever you go.

5. Adelaide

Adelaide, aka the City of Churches, is the big city on the Australian Bight, and the fabulous Barossa Valley is on the other side of the Adelaide Hills. Adelaide is a true desert city, and you can also visit the “inland sea” Lake Eyre and the astonishing Bight coast and its massive, fortress-like cliffs.

6. Perth

Perth sits on the western corner of Australia between the Indian Ocean and the desert. From Perth you can visit the famous Monkey Mia dolphins, swim among ancient stromatolites older than civilization, visit the majestic Uluru and if you’re lucky see the almost impossible oceans of wildflowers, which cover areas of this huge state from horizon to horizon in season.

7. Darwin

Capital of the Top End, home of the saltwater crocodiles and gateway to the nothing less than incredible Kakadu National Park, Darwin is one of Australia’s fastest growing, and most individualistic cities.

8. Broken Hill and Alice Springs

Broken Hill was the original home of BHP Billiton. At one point, a quarter of the shares in the original company changed hands in a poker game. This is the real outback and the first home of Australia’s mining industry.

9. Far north Queensland

The northern Queensland area is truly tropical, and the northerners consider themselves to be the true Queensland, unlike that maze of luxury hotels in the south. Far north Queensland is still explorer country, and you’ll find there’s more than a slight streak of the original Australia in this area.

10. Brisbane and southern Queensland

Brisbane is one of the best places to base yourself for an exploration of the north, the offshore islands and the Great Barrier Reef. The accommodation is excellent, lot of choices. The food is brilliant and the sights and things to do… Let’s just say Brisbane has earned its reputation as a top travel destination in the Southern Hemisphere.

Just like in any country, exercise caution and cultural sensitivity when exploring this huge "land down under." For a seamless, worry-free adventure, grab some travel insurance, and depending on your length of stay, get a local mobile phone.

The Koala Bears and Kangaroos are waiting for you! See yah!

The Philippines from up there!

2011-04-16T15:08:00.003+08:00

April 16, 2011

AeroEye Asia's shots of the Philippines from the air! Really amazing! Makes me realize the Philippines' public infrastructures are also comparable to other industrialized countries. Too bad it didn't include shots of Makati, Ortigas, Taguig and Cebu.

Video from: AeroEye Asia

Spring, Midterm and Korea Times Essay Contest Win

2011-04-14T17:42:00.004+08:00

April 14, 2011

Hey guys! I have been really busy the past few weeks so pardon the lack of updates! Spring is coming, I mean it's Spring now officially but flowers have not fully bloomed yet, and Midterm is also coming next week! So I will be busy probably until the 1st week of May.

My travels these days have been limited to areas around Seoul so there is really nothing new to post here. But I guess in the Summer I will be traveling somewhere else. Outside Korea, hopefully. It might be India! Who knows? And by the way, I recently won the essay contest of The Korea Times, Korea's most widely circulated English daily, and so I am gonna attend the awarding ceremony
at Seoul Plaza Hotel some time next month to receive my prize (1,000 USD+plaque). What a blessing. The topic was about the Korean reunification. I wrote the essay for more or less an hour since I did not have the luxury of time then. Never expected I would win but hey, it happened! i'm gonna post my essay here once it gets officially published via The Korea Times Newspaper/Website.

I will try to post some Spring photos here next week... cherry blossoms around my campus will fully bloom come weekend! For now, here are some photos from the past weeks!

Attending our teacher's wedding! Korean Wedding is short and not as romantic and as expensive as those back in the Philippines. April 9, 2011

Our teacher and other teachers. April 9, 2011

Me (center) and my classmates. April 9, 2011

Korean Wedding! April 9, 2011

Seoul Plaza April 10, 2011

Seoul World Trade Center April 10, 2011

Seoul Plaza April 10, 2011

Flowers are blooming around Seoul. April 10, 2011

One of the many temples around Seoul. April 10, 2011

Seoul Plaza- April 10, 2011

Blooming flowers. April 10, 2011

My classmate from China. April 10, 2011

World Trade Center Seoul April 10, 2011

Me in front of a Buddha Statue in Seoul Business District. April 10, 2011

Incheon International Airport, the World's Best

2011-03-27T18:44:00.002+08:00

March 27, 2011

Incheon International Airport, opened in 2001, is the main gateway to Korea. It has been awarded as the World’s best international air hub since 2005 and has received a full 5-star rating from Skytrax. It is located 70 km (43 mi) west of Seoul, in another city, Incheon, where obviously the airport got its name. By bus, it takes roughly 2 hours from Seoul city center costing 10 bucks… but thanks to Airport Express (AREX) commuter trains that started operating recently, travel time is now only 56 minutes and costing only less than 5,000 Won (4 USD).

Interior of Incheon International Airport.

The airport has a golf course, spa, private sleeping rooms, ice skating rink, a casino, indoor gardens and a Museum of Korean Culture.

Personally though, arriving at this airport for the first time last year, I wasn’t at all very impressed. There was no “wow” effect. In fact, I would say, Beijing Capital international Airport is more impressive. What caught my attention however was
the relative convenience that this airport provides. I mean, considering its size, it is still quite easy to move and find your way around. There are plenty of restaurants, even fast food like Lotteria.

There are no free internet-wired PCs, unlike in Gimhae Airport of Busan. Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola phone users will have to come with their phones fully charged as charging stations only support Korean phones and I-Phone. I am not sure if there are sockets available for anyone to just plug their devices freely.

Inside the commuter train of Airport Express.

How to reach Seoul City Center:

You have three options: Subway, bus and taxi. Obviously, taxi is your last choice, unless you are ultra rich. By taxi, it costs around 60 ~ 100,000 Won. There are buses available in front of the arrival hall, which costs around 10,000 won. Subway (AREX Commuter Train) is your most practical choice. Not only would it cut travel time by half, it would also save you some won! If you take AREX, you should be getting off at Seoul Station, which is the train’s last stop. From there, finding your way around Seoul and its suburbs should be easy.

AREX Commuter Train Route. Click to enlarge.

How to reach Incheon Int’l Ariport:

You have to go to Seoul Station, which is pretty much at the center of Seoul. From there, proceed to the AREX platform at the other end of the station. Commuter train leaves every 12 minutes.

The airport terminal has 2 buildings.

Check in counter at Incheon International Airport.

Star Garden

Earth Hour 2011

2011-03-26T18:25:00.006+08:00

March 26, 2011

It's 7pm in Seoul (6pm in Manila) as I am writing this entry... 1 and a half hours more to go before Earth Hour! Let's all join this event by turning off our lights, computers and non-essential appliances for one hour in support of this worthy cause. And please do not lit your candles. I know, candles are romantic! But
candles can still result to carbon emissions, thus defeating the purpose of Earth Hour.

Manila during Earth Hour 2009. Photos from the Internet.

From the Earth Hour Website:

At 8:30 PM on Saturday 26th March 2011, lights will switch off around the globe for Earth Hour and people will commit to actions that go beyond the hour. With Earth Hour almost upon us, our thoughts are with the people of Japan during this incredibly challenging and sad time for their country.

日本の皆さん、勇気を持って頑張って下さい

So what the heck is EARTH HOUR?

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries/territories participating. Global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, CN Tower in Toronto, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.

In March 2009, hundreds of millions of people took part in the third Earth Hour. Over 4000 cities in 88 countries/territories officially switched off to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2009 the world’s largest global climate change initiative.

On Saturday 27 March, Earth Hour 2010 became the biggest Earth Hour ever. A record 128 countries and territories joined the global display of climate action. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Asia Pacific to Europe and Africa to the Americas switched off. People across the world from all walks of life turned off their lights and came together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet.
Earth Hour 2011 will take place on Saturday 26 March at 8.30PM (local time). This Earth Hour we want you to go beyond the hour, so after the lights go back on think about what else you can do to make a difference. Together our actions add up.

Free Seoul-Busan-Seoul Shuttle Bus Service

2011-03-26T15:19:00.006+08:00

March 26, 2011

Seoul and Busan are Korea's 2 largest and most important cities. I personally recommend not missing these two cities when you visit Korea. I would say missing Jeju Island is fine. ㅋㅋㅋ The good news is, Korea Tourism Organization is now providing foreigners with a free daily shuttle bus service plying the Seoul-Busan-Seoul route, until December 2011. What a treat! That's a 60-80 USD savings!

All you need to do is to reserve your trip at Visit Korea Year Website. Free Bus service to Jeonju and Gyeongju are available too! Buses depart in front Donghwa Duty Free Shop at Gwanghwamun Square daily (except Mondays) at 8am. One way trip from Busan is not available. Original passport is required upon boarding. Busan is
roughly 4-5 hours from Seoul by this bus. I love Busan - simple, warm and friendly. I lived there for at least a year as an exchange student. To know more about this dynamic Korean city, check my previous post here.

Period

March 2 ~ December 31, 2011 (10 Months)

Target

Overseas visitors and foreign residents

Intervals

Every day except Mondays

Inquiries

+82-1577-2507 / visitkorea@chesstours.co.kr

Stella. H. Choi (visitkorea_en@chesstours.co.kr)

How To Apply

Click here to reserve your seats.

The Aftermath: Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

2011-03-17T15:07:00.007+08:00

March 17, 2011

The World is looking at the Japanese citizens' calm reaction to total loss with bewilderment.

Aftermath - The Japanese Tsunami from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

Japan has my full respect. The recent multiple tragedies that struck Japan/일본 are bringing out the best in Japanese people-something that no one could perfectly put into words. I think Japan is gonna surpass this test and will come out as even a stronger nation. We have witnessed how Japan emerged from the disasters of WWII. We'll not be surprised anymore of another miracle that Japan is gonna make in emerging from these tragedies. I have been spending my 4 hours
everyday with 5 lovely Japanese classmates, all women and I can sense how refined and how cultured they are. There is no chaos in Japan despite the multiple tragedies - no looting, no complaints, no lawlessness. Indeed, it probably has something to do with the Japanese people's ability to remain true to their moral code even in the darkest hours. I really wanna go to Japan for travel. Any sponsor? lol

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

In the wake of Japan's deadly earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant explosions, we have witnessed the almost indescribable chaos that follows a disaster of this magnitude: loss of life, severe injuries, homelessness, lack of water, food and proper medical care, the physical destruction of towns and cities, and a growing fear of radioactive contamination from power plants that seem beyond anyone's ability to control.

But one heart-wrenching byproduct of disasters like this one has been missing in Japan, and that’s looting and lawlessness.

Looting is something we see after almost every tragedy; for example: last year's earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, the floods in England in 2007, and of course Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. It happens when some people who've seen life as they know it get tossed out the window feel that all morality has been tossed out too. It's survival of the fittest and whatever you can get your hands on is yours, no matter who it belongs to.

But that's not happening in Japan.

Journalist and social commentator Ed West wrote in the UK Telegraph yesterday how struck he was by the Japanese culture throughout this ordeal. He observed how supermarkets cut their prices in the days following the quake and how vending machine owners were giving out free drinks as "people work together to survive." And West was most surprised by the fact that there was no looting.

A masked boy walks past nearly-empty shelves at a supermarket in the Japanese city of Akita. (PHOTO CREDIT: ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Many have pointed to the popularity of Japan's distinctive Buddhist and Shinto religions as well as how the values of conformity and consensus are considered virtues in their culture. That's one explanation, but it probably has something to do with remaining true to your moral code even in the darkest hours.

Prayers for Japan

2011-03-11T16:41:00.022+08:00

March 11, 2011

I am hoping that all my friends and family members in Japan are safe. Japan was hit by an 8.9 strong earthquake triggering a massive tsunami. That earthquake was the 7th strongest earthquake in human history. At 8.9, it is stronger than those that hit Chile, Haiti and New Zealand, recently.

Live streaming from NHK World

Video from CNN

From BBC: A mammoth relief mission is swinging into action in north-east Japan, a day after it was struck by a devastating tsunami, claiming hundreds of lives. The disaster was triggered by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake, the country's most
powerful since records began.

Japan's military has mobilised thousands of troops, hundreds of planes and dozens of ships. The government has warned there could be a radioactive leak at a nuclear power reactor shut down by the quake.

In the centre of Tokyo many people are spending the night in their offices. But thousands, perhaps millions, chose to walk home. Train services were suspended. Even after the most violent earthquake anyone could remember the crowds were orderly and calm. The devastation is further to the north, along the Pacific coast.

There a tsunami triggered by the quake reached 10km (six miles) inland in places carrying houses, buildings, boats and cars with it. In the city of Sendai the police found up to 300 bodies in a single ward. Outside the city in a built-up area a fire blazed across several kilometres.

Japan's ground self-defence forces have been deployed, and the government has asked the US military based in the country for help. The scale of destruction from the biggest quake ever recorded in Japan will become clear only at first light.

The tremor struck in the afternoon local time on Friday at a depth of about 24km, 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo. It was nearly 8,000 times stronger than the one which devastated Christchurch, New Zealand, last month, scientists said.

About 300 people are known to have died and more than 500 are missing. Japanese media says the death toll will exceed 1,000. Prime Minister Naoto Kan plans to hold an emergency cabinet meeting early on Saturday, before visiting the disaster zone by helicopter.

The country's military has mobilised thousands of troops, 300 planes and 40 ships for the relief effort. US President Barack Obama said a US aircraft carrier was already in Japan, and another was on the way.

The quake triggered a tsunami up to 10m (30ft), with waves of 7m battering the Japanese coast.

A muddy torrent of water swept cars and homes far inland, turning residential areas and paddy fields into a lagoon of debris-filled sea water.

One of the worst-hit areas was the port city of Sendai, in Miyagi prefecture, where up to 300 bodies have been found in one ward alone. Japan Railways said it could not trace four trains along the north-eastern coast. A ship carrying 100 people was also reported missing.

Swathes of Kesennuma, in Miyagi prefecture, have burned into the night, while one-third of the city was said to be under water. Some 1,800 homes were reported to have been destroyed in the city of Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture.

And a dam burst in north-eastern Fukushima prefecture, sweeping away homes, Kyodo news agency reported. Meanwhile, Japanese authorities declared a state of emergency at five reactors at the Fukushima I and II plants, as cooling systems failed because of the earthquake.

They also warned there could be small radiation leaks as steam was released from the reactors, where pressure was reported to be considerably higher than normal.“It was the biggest earthquake I have ever felt, I thought I would die”

Thousands of people were being evacuated around the two plants. More than 50 aftershocks - many of them more than magnitude 6.0 - have rattled the country.

"It was the biggest earthquake I have ever felt. I thought I would die," said Sayaka Umezawa, a 22-year-old student who was visiting the port of Hakodate.

In central Tokyo, a number of office workers have spent the night in their offices because the lifts stopped working. Millions of commuters were stranded overnight, while others walked home, after train services were suspended.

At least 20 people were injured in Tokyo when the roof of a hall collapsed on to a graduation ceremony.

Deadliest earthquakes

27 July 1976, Tangshan, China: est 655,000 killed, 7.5

12 Jan 2010, Haiti: 222,570 killed, 7.0

8 Oct 2005, Pakistan: 80,361 killed, 7.6

31 May 1970 Chimbote, Peru: 70,000 killed, 7.9

Source: USGS

* History of deadly earthquakes
* How to measure earthquakes
* Animated guide: Earthquakes
* Animated guide: Tsunamis

About four million homes in and around the city suffered power cuts. The tsunami rolled across the Pacific at the speed of a jetliner but had weakened before it hit Hawaii and the US West Coast. Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate coastal areas in the states of California, Oregon and Washington.

A port in Oregon is reported to have been seriously damaged by the waves. In the immediate aftermath of the quake, a tsunami warning extended across the Pacific to North and South America, where many other coastal regions were evacuated. But the alert was later lifted in most parts, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia and China.

Check these Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Photos from Reuters! Click them to enlarge:

A pedestrian road has collapsed in the massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Urayasu city, Chiba prefecture, Japan, on March 11, 2011.

People take shelter as a ceiling collapses in a bookstore during an earthquake in Sendai, northeastern Japan.

People wait for rescue on a rooftop following an earthquake and tsunami in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan March 12, 2011. Japan confronted devastation along its northeastern coast on Saturday, with fires raging and parts of some cities under water after a massive earthquake and tsunami that likely killed at least 1,000 people.

Stranded people wait for their train at Shinjuku station after subway and train services were suspended by an earthquake in Tokyo.

A natural gas containers burn at a facility following an earthquake in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo, Japan.

A collapsed factory in Sukagawa city, Fukushima prefecture, in northern Japan.

Buildings burn following an earthquake in Yamada town, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan.

A whirlpool is seen near Oarai City, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeastern Japan.

Houses are swept by a tsunami in Natori City, March 11, 2011, after a massive 8.9 magnitude quake hit northeast Japan on Friday, causing many injuries, fires and a ten-metre (33-ft) tsunami along parts of the country's coastline.

A massive tsunami sweeps in to engulf a residential area after a powerful earthquake in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan.

Sendai Airport is flooded after a tsunami following an earthquake in Sendai, northeastern Japan.

Cars and airplanes swept by a tsunami are pictured among debris at Sendai Airport, northeastern Japan.

Streets are flooded after a tsunami and earthquake in Yamamoto town, Miyagi Prefecture.

Where to meet North Korean Defectors?

2011-03-04T14:20:00.009+08:00

March 4, 2011

I really want to meet a North Korean defector. And if I meet one now, I hope he could speak English! Recently, four of the 31 North Koreans whose vessel drifted away to the South expressed their desire to remain in the Republic of Korea. Well, they have seen “paradise!” For those of you who don’t know, North Korea is the world’s largest prison cell run by their evil warden Kim Jong-Il! However, the rest of them who decided to be repatriated back to the North also have valid reasons. Their family members would surely get the punishment if they remain in the South. They really don’t have any choice. The article below says that those who will be repatriated soon will anyway go to prison camps. I think the North will punish them for being able to experience life in a democracy, in a capitalist first world, in a country that values liberty and freedom – the exact opposite of DPRK.

North Korea as seen from the border. I took this shot from Mt. Odu in South Korea.

September 22, 2010. Related Post here: Peeking into North Korea.

I wonder what they felt when they saw the video explaining the economic miracle of South Korea. They were even given a guided tour of Seoul, South Korea’s economic and cultural hub and one of the world’s most modern cities. I wonder what their reactions were, when they could order anything they wanted in a restaurant and eat anytime they feel like eating… (In the North, most people rely
on the government’s food ration, not to mention the widespread famine due to food crisis).

Anyhow, check these two interesting reads from Chosun Ilbo Newspaper and Daily NK.I also suggest watching the film Crossing to have a deeper glimpse of life in North Korea.

Why 4 N.Koreans Decided to Stay at the Last Minute

Four out of the 31 North Koreans whose fishing boat drifted across the maritime border in the West Sea on Feb. 5 want to defect to South Korea, the government said Thursday. Seoul is sending the remaining 27 along with their boat back home through the border truce village of Panmunjom on Friday.

According to a government official, the four who wish to defect are the 38-year-old male captain of the ship, another 44-year-old man and two women aged 21 and 22. They apparently did not decide to stay until Wednesday morning, which was the last day of their questioning by the South Korean military. "Four North Koreans stated their clear intention to defect on Wednesday afternoon during questioning," the official said. "It looks like they waited until the last moment to decide."

The captain is apparently afraid of punishment if he is sent back and made his decision when he saw how different life in the South is from the North during his 20 days here. The other man and the 22-year-old woman are said to be close. It is unclear why the 21-year-old woman decided to defect.

An intelligence official with experience in questioning North Korean defectors said, "In many cases, North Koreans who defect to South Korea after drifting across the maritime border either have few family members in the North or are afraid of being punished for going to the South if they're sent back."

Officials from the National Intelligence Service, Defense Security Command, military intelligence and police who questioned the North Koreans apparently showed them videos showing how South Korea has developed. There are even accounts saying they were taken on a tour of Seoul.

The Unification Ministry said they were free to make their own decision whether to defect or return to the North. "North Korea has recently been criticizing the joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, threatening to launch a nuclear attack, but the North as well as South Korea, the U.S. and China all seem to be looking for a chance to hold talks," an intelligence officer said. "In the circumstances we have no reason to make a great effort to persuade them to defect. As far as I know, all the defectors have their own reasons for choosing to stay in the South."

According to the Unification Ministry, North Koreans have drifted into South Korean waters on 30 occasions since 2004, and in only two cases did some of them choose to stay in the South. In February 2008, in the final years of the Roh Moo-hyun administration, 22 North Koreans drifted across the Northern Limit Line and all of them were sent back after just a day of questioning.

"The North Koreans who returned were initially used for ideological propaganda but were eventually sent to political prison camps for having experienced life in South Korea or ended up being placed under constant surveillance," A North Korean source said.

The 27 North Koreans who return home Friday are expected to be thoroughly interrogated about what they saw, heard and ate in South Korea and why four of their companions decided not to return.

North Korea's Red Cross in a statement Thursday demanded all of the 31 must be returned. "All of our people must be repatriated in accordance with human rights and humanitarian causes. This is crucial to inter-Korean relations," it said. "South Korea's handling of this matter will change our perception of it." It was apparently a roundabout threat to link the matter to inter-Korean political issues.

Judging by that statement alone, the defection of the four is likely to have a significant impact on cross-border relations. Pyongyang has vehemently protested and accused the South of coercion whenever some members of a group of North Korean drifters decided to stay in South Korea.

"Inter-Korean relations could become even more strained if the 27 North Koreans who return to the North appear on state television and accuse South Korean intelligence officers of persuading the four to stay," said Kim Yong-hyun, a North Korea expert at Dongguk University.

englishnews@chosun.com / Mar. 04, 2011 11:32 KST

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak

South Korea Rejects Repatriation Demand
By Kim Yong Hun, Daily NK

South Korea has announced it will refuse North Korea’s demand for the repatriation of all 31 North Koreans (11 men, 20 women) who drifted across the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea on February 4th.

Four, including the captain of the fishing vessel they were found in, have said they wish to stay in South Korea, and the government has confirmed that it will honor their request.

South Korea’s National Red Cross (KNRC) reported the decision of the four (two men, two women) to the North through Panmunjeom yesterday, adding that the remaining 27 would be repatriated from there today while their boat would be returned across the NLL.

However, the Chosun Red Cross Society responded on the same evening via Chosun Central News Agency (KCNA), stating, “South Korea must unconditionally and immediately return all 31 of our unfairly detained citizens and their boat via the sea through which they left.”

However, rejecting the call, a Blue House official stated, “North Korea is demanding the repatriation of all 31 people, but as per international principles we will not repatriate them all,” and added, “The humanitarian principle of the international community is to not repatriate a person against his or her will.”

“According to the Armistice Agreement, we did not even repatriate some North Korean POWs who did not want to go back,” he further pointed out. “It is impossible to send civilians back who do not want to be repatriated. If international society learned of the repatriation of people against their will, it would be an international disgrace.”

“As our administration objects when China repatriates defectors against their will, so how could we possibly repatriate those who came our way and revealed their intention to stay here?”

Aside from the captain of the vessel, the other three North Koreans who have expressed a desire not to leave the South are a 44-year old man and two women, one aged 21 and the other 22.

According to the administration, the four did not reveal their intention to defect until Wednesday afternoon, remaining silent while the last group interviews were being carried out but announcing their wishes during later face-to-face Military Armistice Commission interviews.

Backpackers' Accommodation in Seoul

2011-03-03T17:34:00.011+08:00

March 3, 2011

Most travelers don't view Korea as a backpackers' country. In fact, travelers usually see Korea as an expensive destination. Well, think again! The Soul of Asia, the world's 2nd largest urban agglomeration (after Tokyo), is actually backpacker friendly. Travelers' guesthouses in Seoul might not be as cheap as those in Bangkok or Manila, but they offer a pretty much decent alternative to expensive hotels... not to mention they're much cleaner and safer than those in other countries.

There are two districts in Seoul that are famous among backpackers. One is Jongno (Anguk Station near Insadong and Sinseoldong Station near Kyung Hee University/University of Seoul). And another one is Seoul's night life center, Hongdae. If your interests revolve around culture, history and people, I recommend staying at Jongno Area. Jongno is near Dongdaemun Market, the biggest shopping district in Seoul. It is also near many famous tourist spots like the Cheonggyecheon Stream, Gwanghwamun Square, City hall and Gyeongbokgung Palace. If you are a party person, then of course, Hongdae must be heaven for you. Well, that is if you are prepared to pay entrance fees to clubs ranging from 10,000~20,000 Won. But you can just drink in any of the bars there if you prefer a chillax scene.

Here is a list of Backpackers' hostels and guesthouses around Seoul that I got
from Backpackers' Planet.

JONGNO AREA

Backpackers Korea - 1054 Sungin-dong, Jongno-gu (2 min from Line 1 Sinseoldong stn exit 11), Tel.+82 10 4942-2268, +82 10 5001-0307. Friendly cool English speaking staff, free breakfast, free wifi, free laundry, air-con, hot water, rooftop terrace. Dorms from ₩17,000/night private from ₩29,000/night with own bathroom.

Website: Click Here.

Hostel Korea - 178-65 Sungin-dong, Jongno-gu (4 min from Line 1 Sinseoldong stn exit 11), Tel.+82 2 762-7406, +82 2 766-7406. Friendly English/Chinese-speaking staff, Free breakfast, free wifi, free laundry, air-con, hot water, . Private from ₩25,000/night, Ensuit private from ₩30,000/night. I have stayed here once. It's a decent place. You just need to feel at home as the hostel staff are not really very strict and they actually don't care about what you do.

Website: Click Here.

Mr. Kim's Friends Guesthouse - 446-11 Seokyo Dong Mapo-Gu Seoul (Metro Line 2 Hongik University, exit 1; or airport bus #6002, to Seogyo Hotel ₩10,000), ☎ +82 2 70 4123-9059, +82 11 9059-7191. Facilities: Internet access, guest kitchen, fax service, card phones, bicycle hire, cable TV, DVD`s, common room, library, linen included, security lockers, BBQ area, washing machine/dryer, 24 hour security, towels hire, hairdryer for hire, parking, free parking, bicycle parking, air conditioning, iron/ironing bard, tours desk, luggage storage, 24 hour reception. Dormitory from ₩15,000, private from ₩20,000. (37.5637561,126.9084211).

Website: Click Here.

Seoul Backpackers - 205-125, Namchang-Dong, Jung-Gu, Seoul, Korea (Metro Line 4, Hoehyeon stn). Take exit No 4 and walk down the road; turn left into the next road and you will find the hostel on that road after about 100m. Tel. +82-2-3672-1972. Backpacker hangout with English-speaking staff. Single/double ₩40,000/₩50,000 with own tiny bathroom. Free breakfast, internet and laundry.
Website: Click Here.

Seoul Guest House - 135-1 Gyedong, Jongno-gu (Metro Line 3, Anguk stn), tel +82 2 745-0057 . Basic rooms with air-con in a traditional Korean-style house from ₩35,000/night. Shared bathrooms, Internet (WiFi), TV etc. For a higher price you can get a room with a private bath, television and computer with internet. Some find it spartan, other like its homey feel, friendly owner and big, fluffy guard dog.
Website: Click Here.

Wind Road & Flower Guesthouse - 1F 85-5, Myeongryun-dong 3-ga, Jongno-gu, Tel +82 2 6407-2012~3. E-mail: cowindrea@paran.com. Dorm from ₩15,000/night, free internet. Laundry also available (but not free). The friendly staff speaks good english.

Website: Click Here.

Yim's House - 33 Waryong-dong, Jongno-gu (Metro Line 3, Anguk stn), tel. +82 2 747-3332. Rooms are clean and spacious, and Mr. Yim speaks fluent English. En-suite singles are ₩30,000 while doubles are ₩38,000.
Website: Click Here.

Golden Pond Guesthouse - 188-40, 14/5 Myeongryun-dong (Metro Line 4, Hyehwa stn, exit #4), Tel. +82 2 741-5621 Cell. +82 10 9921-5621. Golden Pond is one of the newest and cheapest (₩17,000 for a dorm) hostels in Seoul. A comfortable, family style atmosphere, with decent bathrooms and a friendly owner make this hostel hard to beat. Two computers available for Internet use and wireless throughout. This place is near a lot of universities so shops and restaurants are a plenty. 10-minute walk from Changgyeong-gung. No curfew.

Website: Click Here.

HONGDAE AREA

Bangrang hostel - 397-12 Chungnim-Dong, Chung ku (Metro Line 2, Chungjeongro stn, exit 5), ☎ +82 2 6614-2246, [48]. checkin: 2PM; checkout: 11:30AM. A brand new hotel,o pened Jan 2010. distinguished interior. 1 min from subway station, 2 min from airport bus stop, can go any tour top attraction within 15 min. Prices start at ₩18,000.

Website: Click Here.

Blu Guest House - 464-63 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu (Metro Line 2, Hongdae stn, exit#1; Line 7, Hapjeong stn), tel. +82 70 7692-9484, +82 11 9921-5621. Free wifi, free laundry, aircon/heating, lockers, breakfast, no curfew. From ₩18,000.
Website: Click Here.

Hongdae Guesthouse (홍대게스트하우스) - 159-6 Dongkyo-dong 159-6, Paradisetel unit 302, Mapo-gu (Next to Line 2 Hongdae stn exit 1), ☎ +82 2 336-0003 (hongdaeguesthouse@yahoo.com). Checkin: anytime; checkout: 11AM. Clean, spacious rooms with high ceilings, ondol heating, aircon, hot water. English spoken. From ₩19,000.

Website: Click Here.

Kims' Guest House - 443-16 Hapjeongdong, Mapo-gu (Metro Line 2/7, Hapjeong stn), tel. +82 2 337-9894. This comfortable guest house, run by a friendly English-speaking family, is located in the western part of Seoul, 15 minutes walk from Hapjeong subway station. The dormitory (₩15000), single, double and triple rooms (₩27000/₩37000/₩47000) all have air-conditioning and heating. Guests share a kitchen, toilets and showers and have free use of cable TV, washing machine and internet. Breakfast (jam, toast & coffee) is included. No curfew. Discounts for stays over 1 night.
Website: Click Here.

Lee & No Guesthouse - 561-29 Yunnam-dong, Mapo-gu (Sinchon), ☎ +82 2 336-4878, [53]. checkin: 1PM~9PM; checkout: 10:30AM. Near Hongdae, has four-bed dorm rooms and doubles. ₩22,000.

Website: Click Here.

Soul Guesthouse - Unit#505, 159-6 Paradisetel, Dongkyodong, Mapogu,Seoul(Metro Line 2, Hongdae stn, exit 1), tel. +82-10-5137-0604, [55]. Female Dormitory. ₩20,000 per night per person. Clean and close to subway. Located at central Seoul.

Website: Click Here.

OTHER AREAS

ZAZA Backpackers - 32-3, Namsandong-2ga, Jung-Gu, Seoul, Korea (Metro Line 4, Myeongdong stn Exit 2). Tel. +82 2 3672-1976 Brand new facilities, helpful English speaking staff help you to feel right at home. Free internet & wifi, 24Hr access, Private bathroom in each rooms. 24 hour security, towels and hairdryer for hire, parking. Tour info and booking service. Free international phone.

Website: Click Here.

Namsan Guesthouse - 50-1 Namsandong 2-ga, Chung ku (Metro Line 3, Myeong-dong stn, exit 3), tel. +82-2-752-6363, [54]. Superbly located in the shadow of Seoul Tower in Namsan Park, this hostel has the usual draws: free internet access, free breakfast, kitchen & laundry and advice with tours. There are no singles but a 4-share costs ₩60,000 while a twin or double costs ₩40,000. All rooms are ensuite. Manager Robin is eager to help and speaks near-perfect English.

Website: Click Here.

Sources: Wiki and Backpackers' Planet

My Mom in Seoul

2011-02-22T21:48:00.004+08:00

February 22, 2011

My mom is visiting me in Seoul now. She arrived Friday last week (Feb 18) and will leave tomorrow night! Now she knows why I fell in love with Korea - its people and its culture.

My mom beside Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul where countries that helped South Korea during the Korean War of the 50's are being honored.

We walked from Namdaemun Market to Namsan Mountain.

My mom at Gwanghwamun Square

The Royal Guard at Gyeongbokgung Palace

Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul

Namsan Park

My mom visiting me at my University in Seoul. She was welcomed by my friend 엄대광.

엄대광 and mom at the Music Dept. of Kyung Hee University

My mom at Lotte Department Store in Cheongyangni Station

Freedom has come to Egypt

2011-02-12T00:55:00.010+08:00

February 12, 2011

"People should not be afraid of their governments.
Governments should be afraid of their people!"---V

Photo from: http://blogs.sacbee.com/photos/

After 30 years in power, the people of Egypt were able to pressure former President Hosni Mubarak to step down from the presidency. It happened in the Philippines in 1986 when we were able to topple an oppressive dictator through a bloodless revolution. It happened in Tunisia recently and it just happened in Egypt. That's PEOPLE POWER at work! How I love Freedom.

It's not surprising why China has blocked the word Egypt from appearing in search engines... and shut their media from covering the events there... Communist China is afraid of their people!

Freedom!

Off to Taebek Mountain, Korea

2011-01-24T00:16:00.013+08:00

January 24, 2011

I will be leaving Seoul again for another conference, dubbed as the Global Culture Youth Camp to be attended by 200 select international students in Korea and 200 other Korean university students. The event which will happen in O2 Resort in Taebek, Gangwondo Province will start tomorrow and end on the 27th. This is really one of the most amazing rewards of being a student in Seoul- getting opportunities to attend youth camps or international conferences for free!

The Camp will of course be about culture. Korea is going to showcase itself again to international students while we, international students will get the chance to introduce our own cultures to all participants. ----I badly need a new backpack. I need a sponsor for that! LOL.

By the way, Taebaek is a mountain range that includes Seorak Mountain featured in this blog last November. Taebaek is a long stretch of mountain range from South to North Korea. For this camp, I am going to Taebaek City, in a huge resort that is Golf Course in the summer and Ski Resort in the winter. Exciting!

Busan: Sea, Sun and Fun

2011-01-19T23:23:00.010+08:00

January 20, 2011

I went to Busan last week for the 5th Global Academy, a gathering of select University students to discuss the 8 United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which include extreme poverty eradication, among others. Sounds very intellectual? lol. Anyhow, my recent trip to Busan was really extraordinary. It was my, some sort of, reunion with the city where I spent 1 year as an exchange student from September 2008 to August 2009.

Living in Seoul for 5 months now, I can clearly distinguish the difference between the people from Korea’s capital and those from its 2nd largest city. I should say I prefer those from the latter, generally. Busan people are friendlier and they usually exude a certain degree of happy spirit, optimism and sincerity. They’re not like people in Seoul who are always in a hurry and are not as friendly. That is of course a rough general observation. I do have good friends in Seoul, too but meeting new friends from Busan made me feel like it was 2008 again! I just missed Busan culture that when I started mingling with them, the feeling was extraordinary.

The extra friendly birds in Haeundae Beach. Feeding them was fun!

Busan, with 4 million people and being the busiest port in Korea, is a special metropolitan city. Busan is the only place in the Korean peninsula that was never reached by the communist North Koreans during the Korean War of the 50’s. My favorite district in this city is Haeundae.

Busan Main Train Station

Haeundae is home to what else but the Haeundae Beach, one of Korea’s most famous summer attractions. Winter, Fall and Spring though can make this beach romantic, especially when walking along the shores before sunset. Because Haeundae is the most affluent district in Busan, the beach is lined up with nicely designed apartment buildings, condos, luxury hotels and other commercial establishments. From July to late August, the beach is overcrowded with people and colorful sunshades. The sand becomes almost entirely invisible from afar.

High end apartments in Haeundae Gu

During my trip there last week, we visited Nurimaru (World Peak), the convention hall developed exclusively for the 17th APEC Summit in 2005. It is now a museum. Near the beach is the world’s largest department store, the Shinsegae Centum City, along with other ambitious projects such as the 110-floor, 510m-tall Lotte Super Tower, which will become the world's third tallest building in 2013, after Burj Khalifa in Dubai and Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan.

Nampu-dong, for cultural activities and bargain shopping and Seomyeon for night life are my 2 other favorite districts in Busan. For tourism info about Busan, check their site. Click here.

Click the photos to enlarge.

They're waiting for people to feed them with chips.

Some of the most expensive apartments near the beach and the yacht wharf.

Friendly birds!

Nuri Maru, the venue of the 2005 APEC Summit.

Inside Nurimaru where APEC leaders held their meetings in 2005.

APEC Leaders' Lounge overlooking the Sea of Japan.

Some of the 5th Global Academy Participants

Feeding the birds for Photo op.

My reunion with 하상윤 (Ha Sang Yun), my dormmate in Busan in 2009.

KTX back to Seoul.

KTX High Speed Train.

My new friends.

Delicious! Mashisoyo (맛있어요) in Korean. ㅋㅋㅋ

Outside the Conference venue.

Busan Youth Hostel ARPINA, where I stayed for most of my time in Busan.

Think Globally. Act Locally is the theme of this year's Global Academy.

Me, 장병한 (Pyeong Han Jang) and 이승효 (Sunghyeong Lee).

Delicious!

With my new friends.

의수,재현, 제프리 and 승효

Other participants.

Pyeonghan, Me and Je Hyeon

The high schoolish thing that we did called Rolling paper.

Group 3

In Haeundae.

In this photo, I didn't understand the instruction of the photographer. So I was still looking at the cam when I was supposed to look somewhere else.

Viewing the Philippines in a Different Light by Scott Allford

2011-01-18T01:23:00.008+08:00

January 18, 2011

Note: The following articles were written by Scott Allford, He has lived and worked in Australia and South Korea and has travelled extensively throughout Asia- Mongolia, China, Tibet, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia and Japan – fell in love with the Philippines and decided to allocate at least two years to comprehensively cover the country.

Article 1: Viewing the Philippines in a different light

If you live outside of the Philippines and you watch or read the news you may feel very justified in believing that the Philippines is a very dangerous country. Savaged by typhoons, earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, and terrorist attacks. You may also be assured in your belief that it is a poor country with images of children picking through garbage, slums, and corruption scandals broadcast in most international news reports. I am not going to deny that these things are true, however, they are not all that the country contains. Not every person in the Philippines is poor, a terrorist, or a victim of terror. In fact other countries around the world suffer from these same problems yet they do not become iconic images of those nations.

The common view of the Philippines

A few months ago I was at a roof-top birthday party in Makati filled with socialites and expats. Whilst there I was introduced to a German ‘journalist’, and my friend asked him why the Philippines is portrayed in such a negative light in the foreign media. His response was in two parts; Firstly because in his experience he could
not sell stories about the Philippines in Germany if they were not about poverty, violence, or corruption. Secondly, he said that because there is so much poverty, violence, and corruption there is nothing else to report on. After saying this he sipped his glass of red wine and was whisked away into a group of Filipino socialites.

                                 Makati in Metro Manila.
                                   No slums or garbage dumps here.

Perhaps the red wine was ‘poor’ in taste, or the fact that that particular roof-top was one of the few in Makati which doesn’t have a swimming pool made him focus on the poverty in the Philippines, or maybe the sounds of merrymaking were ‘violent’ on his ears. I think that it was none of these things. Germany, a developed country, has slums. But if the focus can be moved away from the poverty in the developed countries and put on some islands way out in the Pacific Ocean, then people in developed countries can feel a little bit better.

I remember growing up in Australia, taking garbage out to the dump after cleaning up the garden. I would see Aboriginals picking through the garbage for food. Yet that has never been an iconic image of Australia. I went to ‘water villages’ in Malaysia and Brunei and thought how similar they look to slums in Manila. Yet ‘water villages’ are tourist attractions and the slums here are not. I lived in South Korea a few hundred kilometres away from the DMZ, with jets and helicopters flying overhead all the time it felt like a war zone. In the spring I would have 40 tanks facing in the direction of my apartment. Yet South Korea is generally not viewed or branded as a dangerous country. And South Korea has slums too. Perhaps the time will come when people outside the Philippines will come to realise that the branded image of the Philippines portrayed in the media is only a small piece of the full picture of this country.

A Different View

Since the Philippines was settled by people 30,000 years ago this country has blossomed into a mix of over 180 indigenous ethnic groups, over half of which also represent unique linguistic groups. This array of cultures, languages, and cultural artifacts cannot be matched by most nations of the world. From the Ilocano, Pangasinense, Kapampangan, Tagalog, Bicolano, and Visayans to the Binukid, Moros, Ati, Igorot, and the T’boli, just to name a few. These cultures are rich, strong and proud and in most cases the people that make up these cultures are very friendly and welcoming to outsiders. On a trip to Sagada I was welcomed into a very warm and friendly Kankanaey family. They showed us around Sagada and told us stories of Kankanaey cultural practices. They even taught me how to wear a traditional bahag (a hand-loomed loin cloth or G-string).

Neighbouring Sagada is Ifugao, with vast rice terraces that shape the mountains of the region. The oldest rice terraces are 6,000 years old, which is 1,000 years older than the oldest pyramid in Egypt. If put end to end the rice terraces dwarf the Great Wall of China and the rice terraces were not made by using slave labor like most other ancient wonders of the world.

Banaue Rice Terraces. Also known as the 8th Wonder of the World
Photo by Ecogarden

The Banaue Rice Terraces are a UNESCO World Heritage site. But they are not alone. The Philippines have numerous UNESCO world heritage sites including the Baroque churches of San Agustin Church in Manila, Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur, San Agustin Church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, and Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Church in Miag-ao, Iloilo. There is also the beautiful and historic town of Vigan in Ilocos Sur. Furthermore, there are the natural UNESCO World Heritage sites of the Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park and the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park.

Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River

Photo by ididj0emama

Lastly the Philippines consists of 7,107 beautiful islands. These islands contain remote beaches and amazing rock formations as well as other natural wonders like the Chocolate Hills in Bohol, the perfectly conical Mt. Mayon volcano or the stunning Bacuit Bay in El Nido, Palwan. But also on these islands is a range of biodiversity not seen in most other places on the planet. In Romblon, Sibuyan Island is known as the Galapagos of Asia as it contains such a diverse range of species which can be found nowhere else on the planet. If you get off these islands and dive into the cool blue-turquoise waters of the Philippines, you may also see some of the richest biodiversity in the world’s seas. The Verde Island Passage has been named as the ‘centre of the centre’ of marine biodiversity in the world. It has over 300 species of corals as well as vast numbers of fish that you will not find anywhere else.

Tubbataha Reef
Photo by Raymond

With all that this country has to offer I am baffled as to why it has been branded in such a negative way by the International media. However, I think that more and more people are starting to discover that there is a different side to the Philippines to the one they have been bombarded with for the past few decades. Those who come to the Philippines to seek out the beauty of this country will not be disappointed. However, first time travellers to the Philippines should beware, just like me and many other foreigners, this amazing country may compel you to stay quite a bit longer than you initially planned.

Article 2: Philippines 101: Origin of the Myth

While writing about the media’s negative portrayal of the Philippines in my article ‘Viewing the Philippines in a Different Light’, I was “baffled as to why [The Philippines] has been branded in such a negative way by the International media.” Since then I have come to realize that a lot of negativity towards this beautiful country comes out of misinformation, uninformed opinions/ideas and perhaps a little prejudice. After months of reading blogs and articles it became clear that these common themes were the root of most ‘anti-Pinoy’ commentary online. So it’s time to look at the facts and examine some of the negative myths that surround this country.

Philippine Geography

Last night I was online and got a message from a relative in Australia asking if I was okay after the bombing in Basilan. I replied that Basilan is over 1,000 kilometers (well over 600 miles) from Manila and is just off the coast of Malaysia. She then replied that she really needs to get an atlas. Most people around the world need to not only get an atlas, but also read it when it comes to the Philippines.

Just to help those who don’t know -The Philippines is the 12th most populated nation on Earth and is made up of 7,107 islands which stretch over 2,000 kilometers (Well over 1,200 miles) from Batanes in the north to Tawi-tawi in the south. Politically the country is divided into 80 provinces, 17 Regions and 3 Island Groups: Luzon in the north (where Manila is), Visayas in the centre and Mindanao in the south.

The Geography of Danger

It seems that many people overseas think that the whole of the Philippines is constantly experiencing problems with terrorist attacks. However, most of the troubles of this nature in Philippines are in the south western portion of the island of Mindanao which is over 1,000 kilometers to the south of the Philippine capital of Manila. Mindanao is the second largest island in the Philippines and the 19th largest in the world making it just over 1.5 times the size of Tasmania.

Speaking of Tasmania, let’s focus on one problem I have. Back in 1996 in Port Arthur, Tasmania when Martin Bryant went on what was at the time the world’s worst killing spree and shot 35 people who were mostly tourists; massive numbers of people didn’t suddenly cancel their trips to Australia or even the cities of Hobart and Launceston in Tasmania. Yet last year in November when the Maguindanao Massacre happened (57 killed in a politically motivated attack) people suddenly cancelled tours around Manila and jumped on the next plane back to their home countries. Maguindanao is literally on the other side of the country from Manila. It would be like people cancelling tours in New York when the LA riots happened, ridiculous.

This ignorance of Philippine geography is not only prevalent amongst foreign travellers but also amongst some Filipinos and some expats living in the Philippines. Many times I hear from people in Manila that Mindanao is dangerous and a no go zone. I went to Northern Mindanao last year and had a great time. I also met a lot of really friendly locals who helped me as much as they could on my travels. I travelled by taxi, tricycle, ferry, local (non air conditioned) bus, multicab, a friendly stranger’s brother’s van and also just walked. There was no point along the way that I felt like I was in danger. I also hear from foreigners who live in or travel in the more notorious parts of Mindanao, that they had similar experiences to mine. Perhaps it just comes down to having some good old fashioned street smarts when you travel.

The family we met in Mindanao who gave us a lift to our hotel. Thanks again guys!

Official Misinformation

Earlier this week, I was looking at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s travel advisory website and was surprised to learn that their level of caution for the Philippines is exactly the same as Thailand. Thailand has bombings in the south just like the Philippines but that’s about where the similarities end. Thailand also has border skirmishes with Cambodia, Bird Flu, the Thai Government has declared a state of Emergency and people are dying on the streets of Bangkok amidst grenade attacks, shootings and the current protests by the Red Shirts. I was also surprised to learn that the site warns about the eruption of the beautiful Mayon Volcano in the Philippines. This volcano did have a small eruption back in December (concerned relatives in Australia asked if I was in danger even though Mayon is about 450 km away from Manila) and tourists actually flocked to Albay Province to take pictures of the streaming lava at night. It has since died down and I took my mother there last month and it really didn’t seem like a “hazardous magmatic eruption” was going to happen, as the DFAT suggests. In fact, PHILVOLCS agrees with my observation stating:

“This is a notice for the lowering of Mayon Volcano’s status from Alert Level 2 (evidence of magmatic intrusion that could eventually lead to an eruption) to Alert Level 1 (no hazardous eruption imminent).”

Even though PHILVOLCS issued this update on March 2, 2010, the DFAT website currently states that their advice on the danger of Mayon erupting “…is current for Friday, 16 April 2010.” It is sites like this which present a dangerous Philippines that just doesn’t seem to exist in reality.

Is it safe?

On our Tourism Philippines Facebook Fanpage (www.facebook.com/TourismPhilippines) the other week an American man asked if it was safe to come to the Philippines. Here is my response in which I quoted http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php :

“For murder per capita (US #24/Philippines not in top 62), rape (US #1/Philippines not in top 84), burglary (US #1/ Philippines not in top 68), executions (US #7/Philippines not on the list) the US is far more dangerous than the Philippines.”

The beautiful Mayon Volcano back in March 2010
Photo by Dave Ryan

The question of safety in the Philippines has to be one of the most common ones I hear and I believe it is so prevalent due the spread of misinformation and uninformed opinions that have spread across the internet and the media in general.

I have asked many people in the Philippines if they think it is dangerous here and the most common responses are either “No.” or “It’s no more dangerous than any other country, you just need to be a little street smart.” I totally agree with these comments. I wouldn’t walk down a street in a bad area I’m not familiar with at 3am in Manila. I also wouldn’t do the same in London, New York or Sydney for that matter. I’m also not the kind of traveller who arrives in a destination without knowing anything about the place. As travellers we must have some personal responsibility. On landing in Hanoi back in 2006, I hadn’t read up on the best way to get from the airport and was quite sleepy so my internal currency converter wasn’t working well. As a result, I was majorly ripped off by an unlicensed taxi driver. Ultimately, it was my own fault for not being prepared.

Crab Mentality / Tall Poppy Syndrome

After my previous article on the Philippines being portrayed negatively in foreign media was posted on countless blogs, a lot of people had their say about what I wrote. While a lot of the feedback was positive, there were also countless negative responses. One Filipino referred to Manila as a “festering sore” and others focused on corruption in the Philippines or poverty. While I have never stated that the Philippines has never had problems, I do feel that the over promotion of the negative aspects of this country has managed to squash most of the good that comes out of the Philippines. I also view this as a vicious cycle which gradually diminishes the pride of country that Filipinos have and erodes the international image of this nation further. I say this because it is exactly what I witnessed on the blogs. I wrote something good about the Philippines and many Filipinos ignored the positives and went back to saying how terrible the country is.

Our own Worst Enemy

Jojo A. Robles wrote on this in the Manila Standard in response to my article stating that:

“no one can out-criticize Filipinos like the Filipinos themselves, as we do every single day in our own media……. if we are to stop people in other countries from thinking that we live in a hopelessly corrupt, poor and dangerous country, perhaps we should begin by ending our own persistent and oft-stated belief that we do so in the first place.”

Last December when I took a walk through Quiapo in Manila with Carlos Celdran, I saw many of the things that may lead a person to think of Manila as a ‘festering sore’, however, I really enjoyed the experience and actually went back the following month. The culture and history of Quiapo is really quite amazing and all you have to do is walk down Hidalgo Street or around the occult stalls beside Quiapo Church to see it for yourself. I guess that one man’s trash can truly be another’s treasure and to quote Carlos Celdran, “You can’t change the way Manila looks, but you can change the way you look at Manila.” This country really needs a vast number of its citizens to change their perspectives in order to create a better image of The Philippines on the world stage.

What it all boils down to in the end is that no country is perfect, but each is unique and beautiful in its own way. Sadly, the image of the Philippines has been under attack from all angles for quite some time. Nevertheless, many Filipinos and foreign visitors are starting to discover that while the Philippines does have many problems, it also has so many amazing experiences to offer if you’re willing to seek them out. As more people experience this country and word gets out, the perceptions of both locals and foreigners are becoming more informed. Ryan Buaron recently posted on our Facebook Fanpage (www.facebook.com/TourismPhilippines): “When we see something amazing in the Philippines, we usually exclaim “Parang hindi sa Pilipinas! (Looks like it’s not in the Philippines!) – WRONG. It should be – “Ang ganda talaga ng Pilipinas!” (The Philippines is really beautiful!).” As a result of this change in thinking, Pinoy Pride is slowly on the rise and the astounding ecological and cultural beauty of the Philippines and the warmth of its people are starting to become more than dull whispers to travelers around the world.

Photo from the Internet

Korea Grand Sale for Foreigners 2011

2011-01-17T15:29:00.013+08:00

January 17, 2011

Korea can be both cheap and expensive. But hey, there is an on-going nationwide sale for foreigners. So shopaholics out there, check this out and visit Korea before the 28th of February.

Dubbed as Korea Grand Sale, this special event started last January 10th and will end on February 28th. More information on their English website. To avail of the discounts, get a membership card at the airport or pick up a coupon book at any KTO (Korea Tourism Organization) booths or offices.

And there's more!!! Tourists are also entitled to get a tax refund when they shop in Korea. Most shops in Myeongdong district of Seoul, for example, have the TAX FREE SHOPPING stickers. Just ask for the payment slips and present them at the airport (Customs Declaration counter/Oversize Baggage Input). You can get your
refund at the Cash Refund Office near gate 28 at Incheon Airport. The tax refund corresponds to the VAT (Value Added Tax) which is refundable for goods sold overseas. It’s 10% of the items' prices purchased. -> Info from HERE.

For shopping, I recommend Dongdaemun for bargain shops and Myeongdong for variety and branded items. For Korean souvenirs and traditional items, Insadong is the best place to shop. If you want comfort, warm environment and you are rich, the many Lotte Department Stores around Korea can be heaven for you! Almost all shops, regardless of size, accept credit cards.

Myeongdong, a shopping district in Seoul.

Cheonggyecheon Stream and Gwanghwamun in Seoul

2011-01-06T13:06:00.006+08:00

January 6, 2011

When in Seoul, aside from the City Hall to Namsan urban trek that I suggested before, another walking tour route that I highly recommend is the 6 km-long Cheonggyecheon Stream in the center of the city. I have done this twice already, the first time was when I first visited Seoul in August 2009 and most recently last December 30. If you don’t like walking, then this isn’t for you. The walk can be tiring and it is a little bit more painful in the winter. The walk can be a good opportunity to observe life in Seoul. The best starting point of the walk must be in Dongdaemun, the biggest shopping district in Korea. But I suggest that you don’t shop before the walk as you don’t wanna carry big bags while walking beside this beautiful long stream.

Cheonggyecheon Stream at Night. December 30, 2010

From Dongdaemun, you’ll see a small stream, that’s it. Go down using the many stairs in both sides of the stream. Start walking westward going to Jongno subway stations. If you walk eastward, I don’t know where you will end. LOL. Some university student clubs hold their exhibitions (photo exhibits usually) in some portions of the stream bank below the bridges. There are many bridges by
the way, with beautiful lights at night time. There are also free laser light shows. You’ll end your walk when you reach the end of the stream (but you may wish to end your walk abruptly by going up in any of the stairs in both sides leading you to the main road with subway stations). The end of the stream is the most beautiful spot with nice man-made waterfalls and good landscapes. If you finish the walk, you’ve already reached Gwanghwamun. You’ve passed more or less 4 subway stations. Gwanghwamun is another tourist attraction. I consider it Seoul’s version of Manila’s Rizal Park and Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, Gwanghwamun being relatively new. Gwanghwamun is a public square opened only in August 2009, the month when I first visited Seoul. King Sejeong’s statue is sitting in the middle. King Sejeong invented the Hangeul (한글), Korea’s writing script. The Sejeong Story, a museum is located underground, below the statue. North of Gwanghwamun is the Gyeongbok Palace, Korea’s version of China’s Forbidden City. Beside it is the Blue House, Korea’s White House where its President resides. Gwanghwamun is among the most heavily secured places in Seoul, mainly due to the fact that there are so many important buildings around it, including the United States Embassy and some government buildings, so don’t get surprised when you see Policemen with heavy rifles, not a common sight in Korea as street crimes are rare.

The stream during my first visit, Aug 2009

Gwanghwamun Square during my first visit in August 2009

2 ends of Gwanghwamun Square, Dec. 30, 2010

Me in Gwanghwamun Square, Dec. 30, 2010

Back to Cheonggyecheon Stream. I’d like to mention the amazing success story behind it. It used to be one of Seoul’s biggest slum areas. In the 1970’s when Korea started to become an industrialized nation, the slums were replaced with concrete roads and above the stream, a 16meter-wide flyover with 160,000 cars passing on it every day. Somehow, it became Korea’s symbol of development. Needless to say, however, it looked bad and it worsened air pollution.

In 2002, Mayor Lee Myung Bak (now President of Korea) “pledged to renew South Korea’s capital Seoul” by demolishing the flyover above the Cheonggyecheon Stream. The plan worried many people as traffic jams were common in Seoul. Removing this flyover potentially threatened to worsen traffic condition. Lee however stressed that people should use the city’s modern and efficient public transportation and only use private vehicles when absolutely necessary. A massive restoration of the stream followed. The masterplan was to make this stream more than just a random body of water but a recreation park and a symbol of nature’s harmony with development. I should say that this is political will at its best! The result was the beautiful Cheonggyecheon Stream as it is today. The demolition of the flyover and the beautiful open space it created were enough to “convince thousands of people to drive less, or change their habits, as the city offered better public transportation options.” Amazing isn’t it? Now I am looking forward to the day when that LRT line that darkens Taft Avenue in Manila gets demolished, also! lol

See this mind-blowing transformation!

Slums at Cheonggyecheon Stream in the 1960s. Taken from Naver.

Cheonggyecheon Stream in the late 1960s. Taken from Naver.

Cheonggyecheon Stream with the slums in the early 1970s. Taken from Naver.

In the 1980's to 90's. A flyover above the stream was constructed to ease traffic.

Taken from Naver.

Cheonggyecheon Stream at present. Taken from Naver.

And the photos below were recent photos I took last Dec. 30.

Click the photos to enlarge.

The end of the stream.

Laser light show!

These buildings replaced what used to be slum areas.

Winter at Cheonggyecheon Stream.

Kyung Hee University Mini Campus Tour

2011-01-06T09:19:00.003+08:00

January 6, 2011

Hey there! This is my first Video Blog, just to make things more interesting. In this video I was touring around the campus where I am currently studying. So check this out and let me know what you think.

Sorry for the crappy video quality... I don't have a video cam and my DLSR has no Video capability so I just borrowed my friend's old digicam for this. This is so amateurish, I know. LOL

Keep Exploring: 1st Anniversary Post

2011-01-05T00:41:00.009+08:00

January 4, 2011

It’s been a year since I started this blog and I’m glad that even though I don’t post as regularly as I should, I have been able to draw a considerable number of followers. No detractors so far despite my continuous insistence to write in English (I am not a native English speaker, by the way, so pardon my occasional grammar blunders!).

My blog isn’t a travel guide but yes, some of my posts do contain helpful tips. Some regular followers said that though I do not necessarily aim to help fellow travelers, somehow the blog inspires others to, at the very least, dream of packing their own backpacks, leaving their comfort zones behind for a while and checking out what’s out there. Well, I do have posts that focused on meeting unusual people or trying out something really odd. When I travel to a place, of course I want to visit its most famous sites and take pictures. That’s me being a tourist. You know, going to Beijing and getting myself photographed in front of, say the Forbidden City or the Bird’s Nest Stadium. Sure, doing similar stuff is cool and is a great way to impress friends back home. But often, my most memorable (and meaningful) travel experiences are those that involve going to out-of-the-ordinary destinations through more than the usual means and doing
unusual activities. And by the way, it’s not really that backpackers choose to do those things but circumstances are forcing us to do so. Sometimes, difficult situations have its own way of leading us to experience something that we did not really want at first but ended up enjoying it. Having limited means for example will force you to abandon some comforts and hunt for the best value 5 dollars a night hostels in town or even venture into awkward situations by staying into a stranger’s/local’s house (through CouchSurfing) to save up on accommodation costs. These however might result to meeting a fellow traveler, a new friend or end up becoming an authentic cultural immersion in itself, respectively.

Me in Sapi Island, Malaysia | Feb. 11, 2010

Also, more often than not, in my case, these include meeting all sorts of people – interesting ones, weird, risk-takers, heroin addicts, tourist rippers, tourists, fellow backpackers, honeymooners, perverts, linguists, celebrities, prostitutes, intelligent people, stupid ones, kind, selfish, religious, cult members, drunkards, photographers, wannabe photographers, and the list goes on. Perhaps, these unusual encounters that I highlight in some of my posts make people wanna read my blog. I don’t really know but some comments, interestingly enough, are about how they want to encounter the same experience as I did. I know many of us are slaves— either to academic demands or to corporate, capitalistic realities. So I understand why so many people out there are in dire need of an ESCAPE!

Me in Gangwon, Korea | November 5, 2010

For a couple of times, I felt lazy. I am a lazy person by the way. Or at least in terms of doing stuff that I find boring. So I can say that I roam around and experience traveling, cultural encounters, etc more often than I blog.

For a year I posted mainly travel related entries. I also do have a significant number of posts related to politics mainly due to my country’s national elections in 2010.

I still have so many things to share in this blog- good films to watch, interesting food, travel tips, travel routes, cultural encounters, political issues, and the whatnot… so keep visiting. ^^

Thanks to all of you!

Me in Brunei | Feb. 10, 2010

"ADVENTURE is OUT THERE!" KEEP EXPLORING!

Jepoi

Here are some fan signs I got!

If you want to send me a fansign, please email it to je_poi[at]yahoo.com

Nash - Manila Philippines

Khalil from Pakistan

Pham from Hanoi, Vietnam

Rumi from Tokyo, Japan

My ex-classmate from Madrid, Spain

More soon. ^^

Palawan is one of National Geographic's 20 Best Trips of 2011

2011-01-03T05:55:00.007+08:00

January 3, 2011

Alright! Tomorrow is the 1st Anniversary of InsideMyBackpack (this blog!). Finally, I was able to sustain a blog despite my occassional laziness and current life uncertainties. I'll try to do a separate post on this later! For now, let me go into what this entry is really about.

It was January of 2010 when I first went backpacking in Palawan. It was short, exactly just 7 days but it gave me some of my most unforgettable travel experiences to date and I would really love to come back!

Photograph by JS Callahan, Tropicalpix/Alamy | Taken from the Nat'l Geographic Website.

And recently, the Philippines' last frontier made it on National Geographic's 20 Best trips of 2011. Of the 20 destinations listed, I have only been to 2 of them-- Palawan, Philippines and UB, Mongolia.

"Looking for an out-of-the-ordinary destination for your next vacation?" Check out Palawan, along with these 20 top trips, hand-picked by National Geographic
Traveler editors as the best of 2011.

Here's how National Geographic describes Palawan!

PALAWAN

Palawan’s limestone karst cliffs, coral atolls, mangrove forests, sugar-white sandy beaches, and extensive fringing reefs create one of the Philippines' most biodiverse terrestrial and marine environments. Designated as a fish and wildlife sanctuary in 1967, the Philippines' largest (in total land area) province encompasses nearly 1,240 miles (1,995 kilometers) of coastline stretching across 1,768 islands.

Photograph by Per-Andre Hoffmann | Taken from the Nat'l Geographic Website.

On the main island (also named Palawan) near Sabang, hike the three-mile (five-kilometer) Monkey Trail to Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park's navigable underground river. The five-mile (eight-kilometer) coastal rain forest route is home to long-tailed macaques, blue-naped parrots, and other indigenous wildlife. In the province’s northern Calamianes islands, Coron Island is considered one of the world’s top scuba diving destinations, offering World War II-vintage wreck diving and snorkeling in calm, crystalline waters. Nearby Culion Island, a former leper colony surrounded by sea grass beds and coral reefs, is an emerging ecotourism destination worth a day trip.

Island hopping in El Nido, Palawan, January 2010 | Click to enlarge.

January 2010 during my 2 day stop in Sabang, Palawan | Click to enlarge.

I was with my Korean backpacking buddy Eunho Park when I traveled Palawan in 2010.
The 2 photos above were taken in 7-Commando Island, El Nido.
Click to enlarge.

Please visit my blog post on my January 2010 Backpacking trip in Palawan here.

To read about the 19 other best trips of 2011 enumerated below, check out NG's site here.

Black Sea Coast, Crimea
Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec
Shikoku, Japan
Papua New Guinea
Kurdistan, Iraq
Tunisia
Scottish Highlands, United Kingdom
Kodiak Island, Alaska, USA
Laos, ASEAN
Namibia
Dominica
Messinia Region, Greece
Shimla, India
Uruguay
Fjord, Norway
Tasmania, Australia
Sardinia, Italy
Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Leo (♌) in 2011

2010-12-29T23:23:00.005+08:00

December 29, 2010

I was watching TV Patrol when this Zenaida Seva started running her mouth again about horoscopes. I still remember her on the now defunct morning show Magandang Umaga Bayan. My grand pa would describe her as crazy. LOL. Horoscopes, yes. I don't really take them seriously but Leos, like me, are predicted to have great travel experiences next year, or at least that's what Zenaida Seva says! Because I love traveling and I am actually planning to transfer to another major and/or university next year, or even quit studying and find a job instead, these "relevant" predictions are kinda interesting!

Check these:

For Leo, it happens in your ninth house of long-distance travel, (Nice!) multicultural studies (hey, I am an International student, this should be a great year for me!), languages (this I doubt! Unless I pass all my 한국어 tests), religions, politics, laws, philosophies, universities, mass media, and global awareness. Jupiter rules over the ninth house, so he is like a king in his own castle at this time, stronger and more likely to get his way. This will be a great time for traveling, exploring, and sharing your newfound knowledge with others. It is also a good time for political, academic, religious, philosophical, legal, and/or media-related debates. You are stronger and more likely to sway others towards your point of view while Jupiter is transiting this part of your chart. (You could have more legal battles because of Jupiter’s ability to expand and bring more of various energies, but you also have “good luck” and intellectual, academic, legal, political, religious, etc types of persuasion at your fingertips. If you are going to have to go through legal battles, you want Jupiter in your ninth house blessing this area with good luck.) You could also find more newcomers in your life are working in these same professions, or they are foreigners, or from backgrounds quite different from your own.

In details:

Leo 2011 Career and Income Horoscope

The Leo 2011 yearly horoscope shows that 2011 will start off with a bang! Promotions, accolades, attention... all the things a Leo lives for. This type of success will continue throughout the year, making it a good time to pursue projects you may have been putting off or new ideas. Starting a business or realigning yourself with old relationships may help kick off a new project that could result in major potential. The best advice for 2011 is to keep seeking out opportunities, because they will be yours for the taking. If something isn’t working, don’t waste time. Find another angle to approach. The Leo 2011 yearly horoscope shows that you will find much success this year, so if one door is locked, don’t stress. Just try another.

Leo 2011 Education and Traveling Horoscope

Opportunities will come your way! Say yes to everything that fits into your overall life plan. The Leo 2011 yearly horoscope shows that there will be offers for all sorts of exciting options, so take a day to evaluate what you can handle. Even though a trip across the globe might be an honor, look at the big picture to see if its really necessary. As for learning opportunities, invest your time. It’s worth it.

Leo 2011 Health Horoscope

Vital and powerful, you are in optimal health. Eat right, exercise and get the rest you need. Rest is the key in 2011. There is so much going on that you will be tempted to skip out but when you do, you will feel the effects. Don’t sabotage forward movements by avoiding something so simple.