TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

Itaewon is a very popular area for American G. I.’s (or military personnel) in the Yongsan district in Seoul. I had to do a google search what G.I. means and it stands for—government issue. Quite a strange name, it’s as if these military personnel are objects owned by the American government. But anyway, that’s just me. Just a little background why there are many G. I.’s here. This has mainly to do with the USA and its allied partners provisionally providing support and ultimately protection for South Korea from its mad and estranged sister, North Korea. Itaewon (Western Seoul) Now this means that if you want to speak English when holidaying in Seoul, come over here. Many locals speak English in Itaewon and there is always an abundance of western foreigners, not just the likes of G.I. Joe’s. Moreover, there is a diverse food culture in this town so when one is tired of Korean food, this is the place to be! Italian? Mexican? American food? Come here! In fact, they call this p...

Itaewon is dubbed by the locals as the expat ghetto in Seoul. It is the suburb where east meets west. Some people say that because of the place being trendy and western influenced, it is so un-Seoul. In fact, I quite like it because of this reason. Here you can find many artsy and hip stores, as well as vintage shops. Because many foreigners live nearby, English is spoken here than anywhere else in Seoul. While Dutchman and I were discovering the back streets of Itaewon, we came across this street with a market happening. When I first saw it, I had the déjà vu feeling. It’s like I am in a familiar market street somewhere in Europe but manned by K-Pop celebrity lookalikes. I forgot the name of the street but this is one of the back streets parallel to the main Itaewon Street. Vendors here are selling vintage clothes, accessories, toys and even gourmet food... and they are friendly and camera loving vendors as well! Travel Period: October 2012 Destination: Itaewon (Yo...

This is probably our favourite dinner in Seoul! ‘Galbi’ literally means ribs but it’s really all about grilling aka Korean BBQ. The grilling happens right in front of you, on the dinner table. The most popular meats, and they are usually marinated, are beef and bacon. ‘Bibimbap’ on the other hand is a rice and vegetable bowl but served differently. They were on my priority list of food to be discovered in this trip. In Itaewon we managed to try them both. Busan Galbi is the name of the restaurant and on the same street we saw another galbi place. Each table here has its own grill and accompanying exhaust fan dropped from the ceiling. It’s really cool. I have always been very vocal about not fancying meat but I don’t mind having a little portion of grilled galbi from time to time. In addition, in a Korean restaurant you get served with those little side dishes, usually vegetables, called ‘Banchan’. I love them and I am always looking forward to these little heavenly fares...

Yesterday Dutchman and I were in Itaewon, a really cool and trendy neighbourhood in Yongsan-gu, Seoul and I bought my first street food—‘Grilled Squid’! They were grilled directly on coal. Yummy! They are going at 3,000 KRW a pack (about EUR 2). Will be posting more street food stuff soon! Travel Period: October 2012 Destination: Itaewon (Yongsan-gu - Seoul), South Korea Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)