Real Korean food was not as delicious as I had expected. The restaurants at Ampang’s Korean Village would beat the restaurant I went to hands and feet down. I think I went to the wrong restaurant (it’s opposite my hotel atop a little hill), but apparently it’s one of the better ones so I really can’t say. The bibimbap was mediocre at best (overcooked egg, bleh) and bulgogi was simply disastrous. The only redeeming point about the restaurant was the sundubu (korean tofu soup), which was heavenly….very wholesome and at just the right spiciness.

Mediocre bibimbap.

Worst bulgogi I’ve ever had.

Even the side dishes were unpalatable. Note delicious sundubu at the bottom of picture.

My dessert - Korea’s version of Vitagen.

I stayed at the Hilton. It has a casino attached to it. I was given complimentary casino vouchers worth 10000 won, which is about RM 38 and I didn’t use it. It certainly isn’t an amount to shout about but back at home, Dad dispensed some advice regarding some 50/50 gambling technique using the roulette. Think I might give it a shot next time.

My room.

There’s a shuttle bus departing several times daily from my hotel to the town of Itaewon.

Itaewon is also, along with Insadong and Seoul Tower, one of the most popular areas in Seoul for tourists. Major hotels such as the Hyatt and local landmark the Hamilton can be found here as well as dozens of shops and services aimed at tourists. Some of the best leather products in Korea can be found here at reasonable prices (haggling is expected) as well as all sorts of trinkets and souvenirs. Counterfeit goods and clothing are ubiquitous and of varying quality, but some genuine goods which are produced in Korea for the international market and have “fallen off the back of a lorry” can be found at bargain prices. Genuine Korean handicrafts are perhaps of better quality and value elsewhere in the city. A gentleman strolling along the market will inevitably be asked the question “Would you like a tailor mad