Posted by Marie W on 12:53 AM
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| Photo courtesy of Caffe Bene and JoongAng Daily. |
A recent article in the
L.A. Times reported that Starbucks will be adding beer and wine to menus at select coffee shops. To test out the new alcoholic beverages to the store menus Starbucks has already offered drinks such as a Prosecco from Italy to the a few menus in Oregon. This is so old school right? Local Korean coffee shops have been offering alcohol on their 메뉴 (menus) for years. Although their larger chains such as Hollys Coffee and Tom N Toms have a non alcoholic menu, they are thriving on a Korean coffee and tea phenomenon that made carrying around a used paper Starbucks cup full of water cool.
According to the
JoongAng Daily, ever since its foray into Seoul in 1999, Starbucks has enjoyed its
status as Korea’s first foreign take-out coffee chain. But its
long-standing hold on the market began to slip last year as two
homegrown competitors - Caffe Bene and Angel-in-us - began outpacing it
in terms of number of branches nationwide as a result of aggressive
expansion efforts.
Check out some of my favorite local Korean coffee shops in Seoul that offer alcoholic beverages.
Coffee Factory – Located in Samcheong-dong this coffee shop is well known throughout Seoul.
Hi Expat review
Cafe Beatles- This is a cafe owned by an old student of mine Yong Jun Lee. He has collected tons of beatles music that you may listen to in the cafe while you are enjoying your coffee or beer! (02) 2232-9980
Cafe Beatles Website
Sanmotoonge (Corner of the mountain)- This coffee shop is in the most beautiful setting in Seoul on the corner of a mountain overlooking the city and with views of the
Seoul Fortress Wall.
Sanmotoonge Website
Lime Tree Coffee & Deli- Located in Insadong this coffee shop is among my favorites in Jongno!
Lime Tree Facebook Page
If you have any questions or comments about "Korea is already one step ahead of Starbucks" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com
Gone Seoul Searching by
Marie Webb is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at
goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.
Posted by Marie W on 12:11 AM
The Korea Blog recently approved its second batch of Worldwide Korea Bloggers and www.goneseoulsearching.com has been selected! To see the recently announced list of World Wide Korea Bloggers (WKBs) visit the link
here.
Dear readers,
I'm very happy to announce that my blog has been chosen by The Korea Blog to have the opportunity to share more about Korean culture with the world. I have gained so many opportunities and insights into the world through this blog and I hope to continue posting actively from my home town in San Diego, California. Please continue to share your thoughts with me and other readers and if you are interested in a guest post don't hesitate to send me an e-mail.
-Marie Webb
Successful candidates will:
o have their blog posts introduced on the Korea Blog. We post a new
story every day, publishing stories from Worldwide Korea Bloggers about
three times a week or 12-15 times a month.
o receive an icon for their own homepage indicating their affiliation
o receive invitations to cultural center events as a Korea.net partner (for bloggers not in Korea)
o receive invitations to various cultural events like concerts and plays (for bloggers in Korea)
o receive gifts and a total of about five of the most active bloggers will be invited on
a press tour of Korea for 3-4 days and continue blogging for the Korea
Blog.
Here is a list of bloggers — both who will continue from the first
group and the newly selected bloggers. We will notify successful
candidates by email in the first week of January 2012.
(in alphabetical order by first name)
If you have any questions or comments about "Gone Seoul Searching selected as a Worldwide Korea Blogger" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com
Gone Seoul Searching by
Marie Webb is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at
goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.
Posted by Marie W on 3:22 PM
Posted by Marie W on 3:16 PM
Korea is always friendly to foreigners but this year there is an entire sale just for international visitors.
The Korea Grand Sale has been running since January 9th and ends February 29th. By printing out one coupon foreigners in Korea can get access to discounted prices for retail, food and beverages, culture, and health and beauty. The Sale is part of 2010-2012
Visit Korea Year.
Major stores in Seoul such as Lotte Department Store and Hyundai Department store are offering discounts between 10% and 40%. Sounds great right? I have to be a little suspicious about the discounts because there is a small note stating that certain brands are excluded. I can't imagine asking about every single item and if it is available for the discount or not. In Korea, I have learned to be wary of discounts and sales because the stores may simply charge more for the item and you don't really get the discount.
This actually happened to me in a restaurant in Insadong. I had eaten there a couple of times with Korean friends and remembered the price of my meal at 8,000 won. However, when I went back with my American friends the price was 10,000 won because the prices on the English menu were higher. I know this is a rare occurrence in Korea, but like any country shop owners try to take advantage of foreigners.
Although I am weary of the shopping discounts being offered by The Korea Grand Sale I am more supportive of the hotels and entertainment. The beautiful Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Times Square in Yeongdeungpo and the exquisite Ritz Carlton Seoul are offering 1 extra night free when booking over 3 nights. Major chain hotels in Korea are known for their lavish amenities and high prices. When deals like this come around foreigners should definitely take advantage.
Take my survey
The Korea Grand Sale Survey to share your experience with the sale.
If you have any questions or comments about "The Korea Grand Sale: Are foreigners really getting the hook up?" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com
Gone Seoul Searching by
Marie Webb is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at
goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.
Posted by Marie W on 2:04 AM
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Photo taken on Jeju Island at a Buddhist Temple, Sanbanggulsa in Korea. Visit Jeju in January!
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Feb 2- Feb 4 Jeongwol Daeboreum Fire Festival: Last year this was cancelled so take advantage! An entire hilltop is set on fire in an important ritual to pray for
health and a good harvest in the coming year. A truly stunning sight
steeped in traditional, this is a MUST-SEE event! Visit the Korea Tourism Organization's website for more information on this event
here.
Feb 4 San-jeong lake hike and ice sports(mountain-top lake): Join Seoul Hiking Group for another one of their winter trips. A view of North Korea and a beautiful hike await you. Warren the trip leader will ensure you have a great time and is a very reliable tour guide. I have been on many of Seoul Hiking Groups trips in the past and strongly recommend them! The fee for the day trip is 29,000 won. For more information visit the
Seoul Hiking Group Facebook page.
Jan 29-Feb29 The Korea Grand Sale: This sale is specifically for foreigners in Korea! Print out your coupon and use it for any of the registered companies! Visit The Korea Grand Sale website
here.
Feb. 11-12 Cupid's Mojo Rising Retreat: Join the Korea Ski and Snowboard Club for an overnight ski trip at High 1 Resort.
Base Price is: 150.000 KRW
*this
includes transportation from Seoul, motel room, BBQ dinner and all you
can drink (Makeoli, Soju, Beer). and one day of skiing (12:30 - 17:00) Join the Facebook page for more information on this trip.
Feb. 11-12 6th Skiing and Snowboarding Trip with Adv. Korea: Adventure Korea will be taking a group to Pheonix Park in Pyeongchang. The total price for the trip is 124,000 won which is not bad for including transportation (a
chartered bus), dorm style accommodation (6-8 people will share a room), and
an afternoon lift pass (between 12:00 and 16:30). Skiing in Korea is something you should do before winter is over this 2012.
Ends Feb. 12 Outdoor Ice Skating in Seoul: Take advantage of the many outdoor ice rinks this 2012 to celebrate the New Year! Korea4Expats has a great breakdown of the different rinks available and their times. I suggest the Grand Hyatt Hotel's Ice Skating Rink even though it is pricey because it will be the least crowded if you are looking for something romantic to do as a couple.
Ends Feb. 5 Discount Tickets at Seouland: SEOULAND will
host travellers and multi-cultural families for a special ticket price
of W10,000 (regular price W31,000). This promotional one-day pass
includes the sleigh ride, and discounts can be applied up to four
people, including accompanying Korean nationals.
REQUIRED: Present your certificate of alien registration to the ticket house, located near gate 2 of Daegongwon station, Subway Line 4.
EXPIRY: Promotion runs from 1 January to 5 February 2012
If you have any questions or comments about "Whats Happening in February 2012: The Annual Fire Festival and a beautiful winter lake hike" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com
Gone Seoul Searching by
Marie Webb is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at
goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.
Posted by Marie W on 1:07 AM
Here are some of my favorite photos from the Korea Wine Train. If you are living in Korea or are taking a trip this is an excellent all day adventure to experience Korean culture. Remember, the trip is not for the wine but for the trip! See my previous article titled
Take the Wine Train in Korea for the journey, not the wine to learn more about this tour.
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| A strange assortment of East meets West will be served on the ride back to Seoul. |
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| Some adjumas giving a group massage while soaking their feet in the wine bath. |
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| Catch a glimpse of the famous 63 building in Seoul on the train ride over the Han River. |
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| Paul and I enjoyed our early morning arrival on the train by taking photos of the uniquely designed cars. |
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| Everyone received a drum lesson at the at the Nangye Educational Center for Korean Classical Music Instruments. |
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| An unique tunnel takes you into a wine cellar. |
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| Me inside of the wine cellar. |
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| Towards the end of the day you will leave Wine Korea to catch your train home. |
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| A Wine foot bath will warm you up and may be accompanied by an adjuma massage : ) |
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| Our wine train car was partying on the ride back to Seoul. | | |
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| Beautiful Korean artwork as seen on a drum outside of the music center. | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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