5 May 15 – Day 5 (Namdaemun Market, Changdeokgung, Huwon, Bukchon Hanok Village, Dongdaemun Market)

After the stretching last night, I was able to sleep better and my lower back felt better. Left K-pop II close to 9am to travel to the Namdaemun Market. Walked around randomly and passed by Kalguksu Alley which I had initially planned to eat breakfast there. Saw some nice mother-of-pearl lacquer boxes so asked for the price which sounded reasonable, especially since they were labelled as “Made in Korea”.  Bought one and carried it around in my backpack since SWT’s backpack was full from all her own belongings. Continued to walk around and SWT saw some nice cardholders that came with a coin compartment. SWT needed nine pieces so I added one more to make it ten. Chose the colors and then stood in the shop to remove the boxes and check them by testing the zippers. After we were happy with all the cardholders, SWT chucked them into my backpack before continuing the walk.

I recalled reading an article about a flower market in a Building E inside Namdaemun Market. We saw a tourist information booth and popped in to get a map. Searched for Building E, which was just a short distance away, and went up to the level that sells flowers. We could smell the fresh flowers even before we reached the floor. There were so many different types of fresh flowers and of so many colors. We were attracted to the various interesting looking succulents and stopped to take photos of them. Was so tempted to get but I knew I would not be able to bring them back. Took our time to walk around the whole floor and admired the florists’ flower-arrangement skills. As the coming Sunday is Mother’s Day, a lot of stalls were selling small table pieces that feature carnations. Besides fresh and artificial flowers, there were also stalls selling gardening accessories such as unglazed terracotta pots of various sizes. Then we came across another stall selling celadon ware and pottery stuff, and I saw a pair of mini celadon wedding ducks.

SWT mentioned that a male colleague is getting married sometime in September and suggested that perhaps we could get the ducks for him. Paid for the ducks, put them inside the mother-of-pearl lacquer box and then back into my backpack. Browsed the stall a bit and saw some miniature kimchi pots as well as candle holders. Got out of the building and then tried to search for the stationary street. I was kind of disappointed when we found it because most of the stalls were just selling paper dollies and gift bags, unless I was looking at the wrong street. Left Namdaemun Market close to 11am to get to the subway station and along the way bought a ribbon doughnut to eat as lunch later at the Changdeokgung Palace. While on the subway, we saw two ladies dressed in hanbok and they looked so pretty.

Reached Changdeokgung Palace and quickly went to get our reserved tickets for the Palace and the Secret Garden. In front of the entrance, we saw some people dressed in olden royal clothing carrying prop rifles. We asked the booth that had the banner stating Korean Royal Palace Culture Festival and realized that this inaugural festival is happening this week starting 1 May and ending on 10 May. Those people with props in front were preparing for a performance that would take place at 2pm which unfortunately clashed with our Secret Garden English guided tour at 1:30pm. Since it was still early so we walked around the nearby areas in the Palace and we saw more women in hanbok. I recalled reading somewhere that people who wear hanbok to visit palaces get discount on their tickets. Sat down near the Secret Garden entrance to wait and I noticed that the entrance to Changgyeonggung Palace was just beside it. Ate the ribbon doughnut while waiting and it tasted great! I should have bought one more.

Soon it was approaching 1:30pm and people who were waiting for the guided tour were told to gather around for admission. We were admitted pretty quickly and I saw some of the people going off on their own. Hrm… I thought tour around the Secret Garden has to be guided; perhaps exceptions were given this week due to the festival. Anyway, our guide came and started the tour which lasted for about 90 minutes. We were first shown a nice pond and the guide explained about the how the pond is shaped in a square shape with a round island in the center with pine tree growing on it. The meaning of this is to signify heaven, man and earth (or something like that). We were given some time to take photos before going to the next sight. 

We were then shown a stone gate which signifies longevity. It was said that whoever goes through the gate will have long life. Participants of the guided tour went through the gate to get to the next location which has a small stream and a few pavilions nearby. There were some stone steps in front of one particular pavilion and the guide asked a male volunteer to demonstrate the use of those steps. Apparently the steps were used by the prince to learn how to walk like one, with hands at the back and head held high. We were again given some time to take photos before heading to the next sight and the guide cautioned us that we would need to go up and down some pretty steep slopes. Ok, that freaked me out a little because I have phobia of going down slopes due to a very bad fall back few years back.

The next location is supposedly to have a small waterfall feature but water source from the higher ground seemed to have thinned out over the years and hence water only trickles through the structure. Nearby was a pavilion surrounded by muddy ground and with roof top covered with hay. According to the guide, the king was big on farming and so had this pavilion built this way to honor farmers as well as to experience farming himself (if I remembered correctly). The journey to the final sight was again up and down slopes hence you can imagine my stress level while walking. Ended the tour around 2:45pm and were told that we could roam around the garden on our own so we traced back the steps to admire the sights again at our own pace. Saw a tree with withered cherry blossom-like flowers and took a photo. Walked around the garden for a while more before exiting back to the palace and walked around the other parts of the palace such as revisiting the only building in the palace with blue-tiled roof. It brought back memories of my first DIY trip to Seoul back in 2012, my first visit to the palace and what I had learnt during the guided tour of the palace back then.

Left the palace close to 4:30pm and asked the information booth what other attractions that we could visit nearby. The lady told us that we could visit the Bukchon Hanok Village and so we took her advice and went in search for it. Found another tourist information booth where we popped in to get a map of the Bukchon Hanok Village and tried to follow it to find the listed viewpoints. Guessed our map reading skills were pretty bad as we ended up walking wherever we felt like it. SWT saw a banner stating a place to try hanbok and suggested looking for it. We found the place and it stated that a fee is required. Later on, there was a sign that points to the direction to find the Observatory of the village and again she suggested that we look for it. I told her that that definitely requires a fee because I was tricked into looking for it back in 2012.

Followed a pathway downslope and took some photos along the way. Chanced upon this site of the Bokjeong Well, which was said due to its freshness and purity, water from this well was supplied only to the royal palaces during the Joseon Dynasty, and took photos of it. Came out of the village and tried to find our way back to the station. Walked along a street called the “Green Food Street” where there were some stalls selling food and knick-knacks. Passed this particular stall that sells miniature succulents and cactus and stopped to check it out. It was similar concept to those stalls that I saw back in Melbourne last year. Found the subway station and took the subway to Dongdaemun Market. Saw the usual big malls such as Good Morning City, Hello APM, Migliore and Doota. Walked towards Doota and saw a gate further up. SWT wanted to take photo of it so we walked towards the gate and along the way passed by part of the Cheonggyecheon Stream so took photos of it as well before crossing the road. The gate was Heunginjimun, the east gate of Seoul, originally built in 1398 but the current one was rebuilt in 1869.

Happy with the photos, we crossed back towards Doota and just popped in to the first floor for a look around because that building was supposedly to be selling branded / designer stuff. Noticed that there were signs introducing the designers for the respective brands outside the different sections assigned for different brands. Done with Doota, we walked over to Migliore and headed to the topmost floor which happened to be the foodcourt. Looked out of one of the windows and saw the Dongdaemun Design Plaza as well as the area where all the LED flowers were per an article I read before the trip. Unfortunately, the window was rather dirty and hence not good for taking a photo of the plaza. Walked around the foodcourt and settled on a stall that had more customers. SWT checked with the aunty on one of the dishes before finally ordering a bowl of hot noodle soup while I had the tteokbokki with ramyeon. The portions were huge and we had problem finishing. I managed to finish all of the ramyeon, fishcakes, cabbage and the egg but and only managed a few pieces of the rice cakes. SWT only managed to finish all of the clams, vegetables and a little bit of the noodle.

After we were done, we strolled down the levels to look at the clothing and stuff. Checked out the price of the mobile phone covers and turned out to be even more expensive than the ones I saw in Hongdae which were already more expensive than those in Myeongdong. How strange. I was having the impression that prices would be cheaper in Dongdaemun Market. Most of the stalls sell similar types of clothing which did not suit our style so we were just walking around for the sake of walking around. Then I recalled that SWT ran out of Pocari drink and told her we better hurry back to Lotte supermarket to get her drink since she still was not able to drink plain water. We rushed back to Myeongdong area and towards Lotte supermarket. Along the way keeping track of the shops such as Missha and the mobile phone cover shop that I passed by, with the intention of going back later to get the things that I want. By the time we reached Lotte Departmental Store, it was already closed and it was not even 9:30pm yet. So I told SWT to take note of any minimart along the way back so that she could at least get a small bottle of the Pocari.

Crossed back over to Myeongdong area via the underpass and I stopped by a street vendor to get a box of nice, big strawberries. Then round the corner was a minimart where SWT bought a small bottle of isotonic drink because small bottle of Pocari cost more than those in Lotte supermarket. Traced back the steps and found the mobile phone cover shop where I finally bought the Iphone 6+ cover that I was eyeing on. Wanted to get a similar one for my Samsung Galaxy S5 but only the plain ones were left so in the end, I didn’t get for myself. Happy with my purchase, we moved off from the shop and went to the Tous les Jours bakery shop near Myeongdong station exit 8 so that I could get a bun for next day’s breakfast. Bought mocha raisin bread for W2,600 instead of the stated W2,800, guessed it was due to the end-of-day discount. Headed back to K-pop II to rest for the day and realized that I had dropped the T-money. Fortunately, there was only a balance of W300 left in the card. Proceeded to firm up next day’s programs with SWT before hitting the bed.

Thoughts: Had a chance to finally walk the Namdaemun Market properly but think we did not really cover the entire area thoroughly because there were so many small alleys and sections. Got to tour the Secret Garden this time and it was worth it even though most of the spring flowers have withered. The lush green trees that lined the walkway provided ample shade making the walk through the garden comfortable even though it was a pretty hot day. Revisited the Bukchon Hanok Village and still there were so many tourists hence taking photos without people in them was a big challenge. One good thing that came out of it was that we chanced upon the Bokjeong Well, a small historic site. Sad to say, Dongdaemun Market has lost its appeal to me because the clothes and stuff available were just not my style. Most likely will not go back there again.

4 May 15 – Day 4 (Edae, Hongdae, Yeouido Park, Lotte Mart)

We then went out about 8+am to walk around the Myeongdong area before taking the subway to Ewha Womans University station to explore Edae area. Reached the area about 10:30am and SWT had to use the toilet before we started walking around. Asked if she was ok and she said the sugar coated cereal provided by K-pop II caused her to run again. Told her perhaps we should try to look for plain cereal at the Lotte Mart over at Seoul station at the end of the day since we would passby it. As per what we read from the TA posts, the shopping area of Edae was in front of the big Ewha Womans University compound and we just walked around the area without any maps. Popped into any shops we fancied and just browsed. Passed by The Face Shop and suggested to SWT that she should try to check out the price of the foot peeling masks that she was tasked to buy by her family.

The sales assistant said a package of five boxes cost W35,000 (if I remembered correctly) and we asked how many pieces there are in a box and she told us ten. Both SWT and I thought what a bargain and decided that SWT should get them back in Myeongdong area later the evening so she would not have to carry them around for the entire day. Then we popped into Olive Young and I saw the Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack Lip Tattoo on offer and contemplated if I should get one more of another colour but in the end, I didn’t. Saw a lot of shops in Myeongdong selling aloe vera gel, cucumber gel and bamboo gel yesterday due to the coming summer and a thought struck me that I could get those for Min, Lyn and myself. Especially Min since she will be going to Bangkok next month and Lyn because she is always training for her jumps under the hot sun. Passed by Missha and saw the price tag of W2,000 amongst the tubs of aloe vera gel so checked with the sales assistant and was told each tub cost W2,000. I didn’t want to carry the heavy tubs behind my back for the rest of the day so thought will get them back in Myeongdong. We had nothing much to buy nor were there anything that really interest us much in the area because we were not into shopping. The types of clothing available were not our style nor were we those who accessorise ourselves during workdays. So after walking around for about an hour, we took the subway over to Hongdae area.

Walked along a pedestrian-friendly walkway to browse some shops and we saw a tourist information booth, so popped inside to get a map. The helpful staff pointed to us the direction of the more popular shopping street and we headed that way. Along the way popped into a shop selling mobile phone covers to check the price of the one that I was eyeing on and turned out to be more expensive than that in Myeongdong. Hongdae seemed to be rather similar to Edae with shops selling similar things, however, there seemed to be a lot more food stalls around selling interesting snacks with long queues made up of mostly students. While walking around, I think I saw Abung, which sells ice cream bungeoppang and Hong Cup, which sells dakgangjeong. Also passed by stalls selling fried whole squid and I was really tempted to get one but in the end did not because I was afraid that I could not finish.

Soon it was close to lunchtime and SWT reminded me to look for lunch, even though she was still unable to eat. We went into this Korean dessert café called Sulbing, found a table and sat down. Since I was the only one eating, so took my wallet and went to see the menu over at the counter. Ordered the popular items of Injeolmi Toasts and Injeolmi Snowflake Sherbet, was given the “electronic caller” thingy and returned to the table to wait. It was 11+am so there were not many people in the shop yet. Noticed that people actually wrote on the back of their receipts and the shop strung them up to place over the windows as part of the shop decorations. Very creative idea. Soon the “electronic caller” thingy vibrated and I went to collect the items. My first thought when I saw the items was that I should have just ordered one item instead. Then again, I really wanted to try both and if I missed this chance, not sure when I will be able to eat again.

Besides the toast and sherbet, there was another small cup of liquid on the tray. Guessed it was condense milk of sort to pour over the sherbet. The toasts were thick toasts covered with generous amount of peanut powder, topped with some almond flakes and cut nicely into bite-size pieces. The sherbet looked like a mountain because it was completed covered in peanut powder and topped with almond flakes. Started with the toasts and the middle part was kind of sticky. After the first bite then I realized that there were melted rice cakes in between the toasts. Then went on to pour the condense milk over the sherbet and started on it. It was really soft and sweet with chewy mini tteok as part of the topping. Took a closer look at the sherbet and wondered how it was done because it definitely did not look like shaved ice as it was really white and soft.

People started to stroll into the shop and a pair of young ladies, sat at the table close to mine, ordered one sherbet to share. Another pair of young girls, sat at another table close to mine, also ordered one sherbet to share. Guessed they must be thinking “How is this woman going to finish all those food by herself?” True enough, I only managed half the toasts and the outer layer of the sherbet because I was really full from eating all those tteok. Returned the tray to the collection point and asked SWT if she needs to use the toilet before we leave. She went while I waited at the table.

We left Hongdae area around 1+pm and took the subway to the National Assembly station to look for this Yunjung-ro path that was behind the National Assembly Building which was said to be one of the popular destinations for cherry blossoms. Came out of the station and was greeted by a strange sight. A tree on the left had green leaves while the other tree on the right had red leaves. Took a photo of them and then crossed the road in search of the National Assembly Building. We did not see any signs that say National Assembly Building so we had to resort to asking the two policemen on patrol. Unfortunately, they could not answer us either. Walked along the road, admired some nice flowers along the way and we bumped into those two policemen again. This time round, we asked if we could go into the park-like compound which was guarded by another two policemen and they said yes.

We saw book stations inside the park where people can just take a book to read and return to the station later. Interesting concept and we were thinking how we this idea might flop back home. Walked further in and we came across a nice fountain beside a clock structure. We could tell that spring is almost over because most of the spring flowers have withered. How sad. Continued to walk and came across two stone structures and we were guessing that they indicate the area to be the National Assembly compound. Followed some steps up a slope and saw some trees with ground covered in pink. Tried to take a closer look at the remaining flowers that were higher up on one of the trees and wondered if they were cherry blossoms. Both SWT and I had never seen a real cherry blossom flower before and one of the aims of this trip was to see one. Despite not knowing what we saw, we still went on to take photos of them as well as the other remaining pretty flowers around the area.

While walking under one of those trees, a flower fell and hit me on the arm before hitting the ground and got most of its petals falling off in all directions. Looked up again and saw a small bunch of flowers on the lower branch so was able to take a better photo of them. Picked up a whole flower from the ground and it felt so delicate in my hand. Walked down the slope and continued around the compound to take more photos. Finally we were back to where we started and we walked back to the National Assembly station to use another exit to get to the Yeouido Park. We happened to enter the park where a food kiosk was and there were many people resting there, eating food and bicycles parked around them. We looked at the park map and were a bit shocked to see how big the park was. The park was divided into different sections such as the Traditional Korean Forest, the Grassy Field, Cultural Event Plaza and the Ecological Forest. As we were pretty tired from all the walking done earlier, so decided to just cover the Traditional Korean Forest, which was a smaller area of the park. I was really tempted to rent a bicycle to cycle around the park but I was not very good in it yet, plus I was carrying a heavy bag and my lower back was not at its best so had to forgo the idea.

The pavement of the park was divided into two by small bushes, one side for park-users to walk, the other for park-users to cycle, skate or scoot. We stayed in the park for about 50 minutes or so before heading off to the station to go to Lotte Mart. Hunted around the mart for plain cereal but they only came in big boxes, in the end, SWT went for the brown rice granola and said she could add those to her yogurt as breakfast. Before we made payment, it hit me to check the prices of the snacks that I was eyeing on back at Lotte supermarket and turned out they were much cheaper over in the mart. So I told SWT that I would settle my purchases in the mart since we were already there. After I had taken what I wanted, I went on to take a stick of dak bulgogi to settle as my dinner since I was not very hungry. Made payment and then saw the section with different counters for the different brands of facial products and told SWT perhaps she could try to check the price of the foot peeling masks and see if there are better offers.

The package that The Face Shop counter had was not in boxes but in bundle of five pieces and cost the same as what we asked in the morning. Clarified with the sales assistant and realized that those we saw in the morning were actually one pair per box so equivalent to five pairs or ten pieces per package. Anyway, this Face Shop counter was having a promotion such that for every bundle of five pairs of foot peeling masks, they would throw in a few pieces of face masks. Asked if this promotion was applicable to other branches and the sales assistant said no. So SWT went ahead to buy the foot peeling masks from this counter while I went to browse the other brands. I happened to walk over to this brand called the Love, Health & Beauty and again saw the Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack Lip Tattoo on offer. The sales assistant then introduced me to another brand that was having a one-for-one offer, which was a better deal. So I bought that brand of lip tint as gift for two of my friends. Left Lotte Mart and headed straight back to K-pop II to rest for the day. Showered, packed a little, did my recording, did some stretching to relieve my lower back and then firmed up the programs for the next day with SWT. 

Thoughts: Heard a lot about Edae and Hongdae, how these places are very popular with the local students and how there are a lot of local street food / snacks and how vibrant the nightlife is in Hongdae. The two places were indeed very popular with the local students and there were indeed many local street food / snacks. Unfortunately, the two places did not interest me very much other than the street food / snacks which unfortunately, I did not get to try a lot other than the Injeolmi Toasts and Injeolmi Snowflake Sherbet. Was happy to see the last of the cherry blossom (at least I think it was) even though most of the (spring) flowers had withered. Not able to cycle around Yeouido Park and along Hangang River was something that I regretted. I do hope I get a chance again in the future. This was my first time visiting Lotte Mart and it was huge. Hope to be able to visit the mart again as well as the premium outlet next time.

3 May 15 – Day 3 (Busan, Seoul)

Think it started raining in the middle of the night and the rain persisted in the morning. The plan for the day was to do the Taejongdae Loop Tour which consists of mainly outdoor sites. Given that it was raining, I planned to forgo doing that loop tour and instead either do indoor / underground shopping or take the morning train to Seoul. After the alarm went off, I told SWT about the proposed plans and she was for the latter since we would have a 50/50 chance of getting seats on the train.

I asked her if she was ok because she went to the toilet a few times during the night and was told that she was having diarrhea. She explained that either she had overeaten the day before or the hotteok was too oily for her. We checked-out of the motel about 8:15am. It was still drizzling heavily, so we put on our windbreakers and walked briskly over to Busan train station while pushing our luggage. Got to the station and quickly queued up to get train tickets. Luck was with us and we managed to get tickets for the 9:20am train to Seoul. Then SWT said she needs to get a bottle of Pocari from the vending machine. Bought that and we found a place to sit while I ate my steam cake as breakfast. She tried to eat a little bit of her steam cake but ended up going to the toilet after that. After she came back, I went to check-out that long queue fishcake shop. Perhaps it was early Monday morning; there was no queue though there were already some people making purchases. Could not resist trying the fishcakes, especially since this was my last chance, so popped into the shop and bought two fishcakes: a small, flat one that came with a piece of lotus root on each side and another bigger, flatter one with some vegetable bits inside. While queuing up to pay, I saw other people buying in bulk, at least one tray full. Wow!

Soon it was time to board the train; we loaded our luggage and took our seats. SWT slept all the way to Seoul while I just dozed off on and off. Ate the fishcake with the lotus roots and it was tasty with the crunchy lotus roots in every bite. We reached Seoul station and tried to find the subway station to take the subway to Myeongdong station. Seoul station was big and we had problem navigating so in the end, SWT approached two policemen for directions. Managed to find the subway station, boarded the train and alighted in Myeongdong station. Followed the directions given by K-Pop Residence Myeongdong II (K-pop II) in their email to me and we managed to find the place. There was a short flight of steps up to the lift landing and given that SWT was weak from the runs, I told her to carry my luggage up instead since mine was much lighter than hers.

Went up to the fourth floor where the reception counter is and we left our luggage there since it was still early for the 2pm check-in time. Went out to walk around Myeongdong area and I popped into a shop called “All Mask Diary” (I think) and found the Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack Lip Tattoo which I read about in the newspaper couple of weeks ago. Bought it and felt happy because it was an item in my shopping list. We walked around some more while I ate the last of my fishcake. Sales staffs from the various beauty shops were constantly trying to get us into the shops using with free masks and samples. We then moved on to explore Lotte Young Plaza via the underpass before going to Lotte Avenuel, which was a shopping mall selling international brands. Finally we ended up at the Lotte Departmental Store and we went right up to the topmost floor to walk around. The top three floors were duty-free section and they were so packed with foreigners. Left the duty-free section quickly and went down to the supermarket. Asked SWT what food she can eat and she said can try yogurt but after that got to stay indoor for two hours in case she needs the toilet. Initially she planned to stock up on yogurt but I cautioned her that we may not have a mini fridge in the room. So she bought one cup of yogurt while I bought a bottle of my favourite banana milk, a piece of fried spicy squid fishcake and two pieces of rice cakes. Yes, I am a fan of rice cakes. 

Got back to K-pop II, did the check-in, the receptionist showed us the area where light breakfast is available from 7am to 10am and told us that the check-out time is 11am. She also gave us a slip of paper each stating the passwords for the automated lock for level four and five. We were given a room on the fifth floor and just outside our room is the area for laundry. There is also a microwave oven and a mini fridge. The room seems to be smaller than the one we had back in Busan. The bed is a super-twin size bed with a pull out bed at the bottom. We lined up our luggage along the walkable area so that we can open them up to access our things. After we were done eating our so-called late lunch, we had to close our luggage, pushed them aside so that SWT could pull out her bed. She chose to take the lower bunk in case she needs to go to the toilet often at night. So while she slept, I watched tv and whatsapping little big sis. Little big sis told me that the plastic cover for her Iphone 6+ cracked and she asked me to keep a lookout for mobile phone cover for her. Initially she wanted to get something similar to her previous one, a leather flip-cover kind. Then she changed her mind and said those were kind of boring and told me to just get the back cover but with slots for at least one card.

I woke SWT up at 6:45pm so that we could return to Lotte supermarket to stock up some drinks and food. While walking over to Lotte supermarket, we passed by a building where the second floor was called “Teteru Museum”. It was a café with a small teddy bear museum and the entrance fee was W6,000 that comes with a free drink. We didn't in and instead went up to the third level where the giftshop was. Came back down and popped into another shop that sells mobile phone covers and found some for Iphone 6+. Surprisingly, there are really some back cases that offer slots for cards. Felt happy that I managed to find what little big sis wanted but I didn't get it immediately because I thought maybe I can find them at cheaper prices over at Hongdae area or in Dongdaemun Market.

SWT bought a pack of four cups of yogurt and a big bottle of Pocari while I bought a big bottle of orange juice after having failed to find my favourite banana milk in tetra pack. SWT didn’t need dinner but I do so walked back to Myeongdong area with our purchases to hunt for my dinner. Walked along so many streets, passed by so many food stalls yet nothing really interest me, partly because those food required me to eat on the spot. In the end, I told SWT to return to K-pop II first since we were at the doorstep, while I continued to walk around. After more walking, I bought a pack of tteokbokki and returned to the room to eat. The food was tasty and spicy but unfortunately, it was plain without any fishcakes or vegetables. Rested a bit before taking shower, firmed up the plan for the next day with SWT before hitting the bed close to 11pm.

Thoughts: The stay in Busan was too short. Even though it is not tourist-friendly, I believe I can still get around with a map or two in hand. Perhaps next time I should fly direct to Busan and just spend the days there at leisure. Lotte supermarket was crowded as usual but somehow felt different this time compared to my last visit, yet I could not pin-point what exactly. The sales staffs outside those beauty shops in Myeongdong were getting aggressive; I was grabbed by the arm a few times to try to get me into their shops. Myeongdong is not the one I used to know.

2 May 15 – Day 2 (Haeundae Loop Tour, Haedong Yonggung Temple)

Got up, washed up and packed before eating half of the onion cheese bread bought yesterday as breakfast. SWT and I agreed to queue for the bus tour at 9am so after eating, we lazed around before heading out at 8:45am. When we got to the bus stop, there were already two long queues, one for the Haeundae Loop Tour and the other for the Taejongdae Loop Tour. The tour buses with open top were already there, just waiting for boarding. The weather was really sunny and hot. The queue started to move but unfortunately, we didn’t get to board the first bus which moved off at 9:45am. The second bus was a single deck and moved off after 10am. The bus crossed the Busan Harbour Bridge before reaching the first stop, UN Memorial Park. We didn’t alight and was aiming for the next stop, Busan Museum. After the first stop, the bus did a turn and stop at another bus stop which reflected as UN Memorial Park.

Continued the ride and then the bus system announced that the stop was Gwangalli Beach. SWT and I were shocked that we had missed the Busan Museum stop. Oh well… too late to cry over spilled milk so we made sure that we alight at the correct stop for the Nurimaru APEC House. Fortunately for us, there were a number of people alighting at that stop and heading to the same place. So we alighted and followed the group of people. Along the way to the Nurimaru APEC House, we saw some pretty flowers and stopped to take photos. Finally we got to the Nurimaru APEC House and walked around to see the exhibits. Recalled reading an article talking about this place recently and the author talked about looking for the seat that our PM Lee sat back during the meeting in 2005. So I also went to look for that seat and somehow felt very proud when I found it. Explore the area outside the Nurimaru APEC House and took a selfie with SWT using the mono-stick that she brought along.

Went up to a pavilion to rest and eat the balance of our bread from breakfast as lunch. I finished my food and went back down to look at the other areas while waiting for SWT to join me. Saw a signboard indicating the different places that one can see from the viewpoint and I saw Haeundae Beach towards the left. The beach seemed to be accessible via a boardwalk from the Nurimaru APEC House area. When SWT joined me later, told her about it and we decided to walk towards the beach instead taking the city bus which would only arrive about an hour later around 1+pm. The walk along the coastal boardwalk was enjoyable because of the nice view. And somewhere between the boardwalk, we passed by a statue of a mermaid so we stopped briefly to take photos. Finally we reached the beach and we took off our shoes to walk on the fine sand. We even went further down to the shoreline to wet our feet. The water was cold but it was fun. I haven’t been to a beach for a very, very long time and it was great! We walked half the length of the beach and then went off to find the bus stop to take the city bus to the defunct Haeundae (Train) Station.

Again we had problem locating the bus stop and had to go around asking people. After hitting a few walls, finally an uncle gave us some directions in Korean and we tried to follow. Turned out that the bus stop was actually towards the other end of the beach, had we continued the whole length of the beach, we would have been able to find it. Anyway, got to the bus stop and there were already many people waiting. So joined the queue and waited for close to an hour before finally boarded the bus. By the time we got to the defunct Haeundae (Train) Station, it was already 2:35pm. We took snapshots of the station and realized that there was a subway station of the same name there. Proceeded to wait for public bus 181 at the bus stop in front of the station to go to the famous Haedong Yonggung Temple as per what we read from one of the TA posts. When the bus came, SWT checked with the bus driver and was told that we should be taking the bus from the opposite direction instead. Quickly crossed the road and there was a bus arriving. By the time, we ran towards the bus, it was already fully packed and some people were not able to get in. So we all waited at the bus stop for the next bus.

Soon another bus came along, we quickly boarded the bus and it was fully packed very quickly. We had no seats and the bus was stuffy. The bus journey took about 45 minutes, longer than the stated 30 minutes, due to slightly heavy traffic. Many people alighted with us at the same stop and we followed the crowd towards the temple. There were stalls selling food and stuff in the area before the temple. By the time we reached the temple, it was already 3:40pm. Walked around to take photos and saw some steps leading to an underground opening and there were people queuing to go down, so we joined the queue and found out that it was a place where water from a natural spring flows through. Plastic ladles were provided for people to scoop the water to drink. Took a few quick snaps of the interior before drinking some water myself, doing what the locals do.

Emerged from the ground, round the corner, there was another place where people queued up to pour water over a small Buddha statue. Continued our walk around the temple and then we got to the area near the sea where we took another selfie. Walked back out and got back to the area where the food and stuff were and we approached a stall that sells hotteok and gukhwappang (chrysanthemum-shaped mini red bean cake). I told SWT to choose one snack to share but she wanted to try both. So we bought one hotteok and a bag of 10 gukhwappang to share. While waiting for the food, took photos of other food at the stall, there were the local specialty of boiled silkworm larvae and boiled water snails.

We ate while browsing the other stalls and I had the hotteok first while SWT ate her five gukhwappang. After that, we swapped to eat the balance. Then I saw a food stall selling hotteok on one side and odeng on the other. I wanted to try the odeng so asked the aunty the price and was told W2,000 per stick. There were two types of fishcakes in the cart, the flat-folded one and the round-long one. I took the former and SWT took the latter where we ate half each and then swapped. Sauces with cut chilies were provided and there were small brushes provided in the containers for patrons to brush the sauce over their odeng before eating. The odeng gungmul (the fishcakes broth) was free flow and it was really tasty with all the flavours from the odeng and the generous amount of leek used. After we were done, it was close to 6pm, SWT made payment and we went off to take bus 181 back to the defunct Haeundae (Train) Station.

Again, there was already a very long queue for the one and only bus service at the bus stop. We waited for a very long time before the bus came along but it did not stop because it was fully packed. A female passenger popped her head out of a window and shouted something in Korean to the people at the bus stop. We asked the Korean guy queuing in front of us what was said and was told that the lady said many people were waiting for the bus at the bus stop before this. So SWT and I walked to the said bus stop. As we were reaching that bus stop, we saw another one further up. SWT suggested that we go to the one further up. Turned out the bus stop further up was also for bus service 181 so we waited there with the two Korean guys that were in front of us previously. The bus came around 7pm and we were able to board before it became fully packed. Because we were packed like sardines, plus we were both short, we had to constantly peep through whatever gaps there were to see if we can spot the defunct Haeundae (Train) Station. Then SWT took an opportunity to ask the driver when to alight for the defunct Haeundae (Train) Station but the driver did not answer her. Two Korean teenagers boarded the bus and SWT asked them instead. Fortunately, one of them could speak simple English and told us that our stop was about two stops away.

Alighted at the correct bus stop and hurried to the subway station to take the subway back to Busan station. While we were waiting on the platform, we saw an uncle pushed a bicycle with a little dog inside the bike basket onto the platform. It was then we saw a small sign depicting a picture of a bicycle on the wall. I was so impressed that I took a photo of the uncle with his bicycle. Back home, we can only bring folded foldable bikes confine to a certain measurements onto the train at stipulated time on weekdays. It was close to 9pm when we finally got back to Busan station and still there was a very, very long queue outside that fishcake shop. We went to the café next to Paris Baguette to get food as breakfast for the next day. Could not resist the rice cakes available and bought one, on top of the sweet potato steam cake that I had already taken. Got back to the motel, showered before settling down to eat my rice cake while recording the amount spent during the day, as well as firmed up the plan for the next day. According to the weather forecast, it would rain the next day. Oh dear…

Thoughts: Did not think that the queue for the Haeundae Loop Tour would be that long and most of the people were actually local tourists. The Haeundae Loop Tour has quite a few sights worth seeing and had we not gone to the Haedong Yonggung Temple, we would probably be quite comfortable covering the whole loop for the entire day. Now that we know the travelling time to get to the Haedong Yonggung Temple, I think it would have been best if it was done as either half-day or full-day trip. Perhaps it was due to the long weekend, there seemed to be a lot of local tourists than foreigners in Busan. The temple was super crowded. I would have enjoyed even more if it was not so crowded and if I had more time there to explore at my own pace. One thing turned out well today, I got to eat street food! And the best thing was that I finally got the chance to eat odeng beside a food stall like the locals!

1 May 15 – Day 1 (Busan)

Touched down at 6:40am KGT, guessed both SWT and I were still drowsy from our flight, we joined the shortest queue in front of the immigration counter even though it was stated that the counter was for Korean passport holders. I had my doubt while queuing yet I could see no other counters opened for foreign passport holders. When it was SWT’s turn, the immigration officer directed her to another counter which was on the other side of the area, blocked from our view. By the time we got to the correct counter, there was a very long queue. 

Finally cleared the immigration and collected our luggage by 7:30am. We followed the directional sign to get to the KTX counter, which was at the basement at one end of the airport, to get our 3-day Saver KR Pass. Read from TripAdvisor (TA) that one needs to show the passport, the reservation printout as well as the credit card used during reservation in order to get the pass. However, I was only asked to show the passport and the printout. Asked the lady at the counter for a timetable of the train and she said that this counter in Incheon International Airport does not have timetable of train. She then asked where we were heading to and we told her Busan. She then informed us that the next train for Busan departs at 9:07am. She handed me the KR pass and told us that it was a standing ticket. SWT and I were confused but we just accepted the piece of information without clarifying and moved off to the nearby 7-11 to get the T-money that cost W3,000 each. Remembering that it used to cost W2,500, I thought perhaps price had increased due to inflation. We then proceeded to one of the kiosks near the KTX counter to top up the cards. The machine was touch-screen and easy to use since there was an English option.

Since it was still early, we sat down to wait. SWT read the material that came with the T-money and I found out that the usual T-money still cost W2,500. The ones we paid for came with the Citypass+ option hence cost more. We were not given the normal T-money option while making our purchases. Oh well… Perhaps the convenient stores in the airport only sell T-money that come with Citypass+. Not convinced that we only need the KR pass to board the train, we checked with the lady at the KTX counter again asking if we needed any tickets for the train. She repeated that the KR pass was a standing ticket. We still did not understand but we had no other choices. We went through the gate about 8:40am and went down the track to look for Train 125. As we were not allocated any seats, we just went up car number 10, loaded our luggage at the luggage area and were considering if we should take the seat on both side of the doors. In the end, we decided to sit in the last two seats in the car number 9.

The train departed at 9:07am sharp and made stops at Geomam and Haengsin. When the train came to the Seoul station, many passengers came onboard. The father of a family tried to communicate to us that they had the right to our seats and tried to show us the e-ticket on his phone. It was pretty clear that we had to give up the seats because we were supposedly to be holding on to a “standing ticket”. So we stood up and moved to the section where our luggage was. There were already many people standing in that section, so we just took whatever space there was. A nun was facing us and she tried to strike a conversation but we had communication problem because she did not speak English and we did not understand Korean. She tried to ask a young lady beside her to translate and it turned out that she was trying to say that it would be another 2+ hours from Seoul station to Busan. The young lady asked us if we know that there was no more tickets available, we replied that we only knew about it when we tried to change for tickets. She said the same thing happened to her and we continued the rest of the journey in silence.

The train made stops at Gwangmyeong, Cheonan-Asan, Osong, Daejeon, Gimcheon(gumi), Dongdaegu and Singyeongju. During one of the stops, a young lady boarded the train onto our section. She then took out a piece of paper, placed it on the floor and sat on it. She then proceeded to take out her makeup stuff and did her makeup on the moving train. After she was done, she went on to do a beaded mobile phone charm for her mobile phone. Talking about dolling up, this young lady really takes the cake. There were many movements up and down the section because other passengers from car number 9 had to pass us by to get to the toilet. Train staff also walked up and down to check on the passengers and there were pushcarts selling drinks and snacks passing through. When a train staff saw that young lady sitting on the floor, he said some things in Korean to the rest of the people in the section. No idea what he was talking about but I was guessing that he was trying to embarrass the young lady; however, it had no effect on her as she continued to sit on the floor for the rest of her journey.

The train journey was leg-breaking because I was holding on to my heavy backpack and supporting my own weight on my two feet. Initially we were still joking about the seats at the side of the two doors; we ended up regretting not taking them in the first place. Gradually, the section got less crowded. At the second last stop, Ulsan, the seats beside the doors were empty so SWT and I quickly took the two seats. Finally, we reached Busan station around 12:46pm and tried to follow the direction given by the Pusan Inn Motel website to get to the motel but we could not find the stated exit. There was a tourist information booth in the train station so we went in to ask. Turned out that instead of the exit 10 stated, we should look for exit 9 instead. We managed to find the motel, which was not far from the station, left the luggage there and went back to the train station to try to get the train tickets for 3 May back to Seoul. Unfortunately, we were told that there are no more seats for trains starting from 5+pm onwards and those with seats are from 9+am onwards. Now I understand what “standing ticket” means. It meant that even though KR pass is cheaper than single-trip ticket, it does not guarantee you a seat. If the seats of a particular train are all fully booked, the KR pass will still allow you to board the train but you will have to stand for the entire journey, hence “standing ticket”.

Went to look for the subway station but could not find it so went to the tourist information booth again to ask. We were told that the subway station is actually located outside the train station so we went outside to look for it. We took some quick photos outside the train station before the hunt began. While looking for the subway station, we found the place where we need to queue for the bus tour tomorrow. When we failed to see any signs indicating a subway station, we resorted to ask a local aunty who gave us directions in Korean. Continue the hunt and finally found a small sign indicating the subway station. Took the subway to the Jagalchi station and took the exit indicated in one of the TA posts to look for the Jagalchi Market. Walked around the area, snapped some photos and marveled at the different kinds of big and fresh seafood available in the market, some of which we have never seen before, for instance we saw a lot of this particular seafood that look like yellow balls with red tips. Went up to the second floor of the actual Jagalchi Market, walked around to compare prices of the different stalls before deciding to settle lunch at one of the stalls which the aunty was able to communicate in Mandarin and also provide customization to the set menu to cater to our requirements.

The set menu which cost W60,000, included a big plate of fish sashimi, two abalone sashimi, two fresh prawns, two fresh oysters, a few pieces of boiled octopus, a few pieces of that yellow ball with red tip (which we later found out was called sea squirt), a plate of live octopus bits, a plate of squid pancake, one fried mackerel fish, three side dishes and a big pot of spicy seafood broth. SWT is a smaller eater than me and we could not tell the size of the portion from the picture so we insisted that we can only take the smallest set available. In this stall, we had the option of having some cooked food instead of having all seafood in sashimi style, which was offered in the earlier stall at W40,000. The aunty told us that we can have the set for W50,000 since we didn’t want the plate of live octopus bits and we requested to have one of the abalones to be grilled.

Sat down and waited for all our food to arrive so that we can take a photo with the food before digging in. It was close to 3pm when we ate lunch, the food was fresh and I like the chewy texture of the fish sashimi. Half way through eating, the aunty distributed plates of tempura to every table and said they are on the house as a kind of promotion gimmick. Nice touch. SWT and I managed to finish all the raw seafood and were left with half a fried fish, small portion of pancake and 3/4 pot of seafood broth. It was a very good meal and we left the place about 3:50pm, feeling very satisfied. We walked around the nearby areas such as the BIFF Square and Gukje Market Food Street. These two places were super crowded so much so that both SWT and I were practically being pushed along the flow. There were food stalls selling boiled fishcakes, tteokbokki, fried snacks, etc in the middle of the walkway and many people just stood round the stalls to eat.

We got out of the crowded area and headed towards the Busan Lotte Department Store at Gwangbok. We were pretty tired and once we were inside, I remembered reading in one of the TA posts that the 4-storey fountain show is a must-see in the departmental store. So found a good spot and sat ourselves down to wait for the show to start at 6pm. The show lasted for about 15 minutes and it was really good. After the fountain show, we walked around the food area but did not get any food because we were still full from our late seafood lunch. Took the subway back to Busan station and explored the area near our motel. We discovered that there is a Chinatown just across Busan station and inside is a big compound housing kindergarten to secondary schools with very nice mural on the compound wall. Perhaps it was in the evening, the Chinatown was pretty quiet.

Crossed back to the Busan train station and saw the installation that we passed by earlier in the afternoon in front of the station lighted up. We took some photos of it before entering the train station to go to Paris Baguette to get bread as next day’s breakfast. Passed by this shop with very long queue and I thought maybe it is a very good bakery shop but SWT later pointed out the shop sign indicating that it is actually a shop selling all kinds of fishcakes. Recalled seeing a fishcake museum sometime during the day and thought to myself, people in Busan are really big on fishcakes. There were some stalls outside on the second floor of the station selling cooked food such as boiled fishcakes and tteokbokki but we were too full to eat any. Passed by the lighted installation again and a fountain show was going on, so we stood around to watch. Got back to Pusan Inn Motel, settled the payment and lugged our luggage to our room on the second floor.

It was a small, simple room with a double bed and a dressing table in front of it. On the table was a flat screen tv and stuff such as toiletries, hair dryer, etc and below it was a mini fridge. Settled down, took shower before packing and firming up the plan for the next day. Finally I went to sleep close to 11pm.

Thoughts: This is my first time taking KTX and so was not sure how it actually works. Now I finally figured out the pros and cons of KR pass versus single-trip ticket. This is my first time to Busan and I find that it is not as tourist-friendly as Seoul because most of the directional signs were in Korean, most people do not understand nor speak English. Despite that, the people are very friendly and try their best to help us. Compared to Seoul, seems like Busan has more local street food and I was really tempted to eat little bit of each. Unfortunately, both SWT and I are small eaters and could not fit in anymore after our heavy late lunch. The variety of seafood was really wide and really fresh, the seafood meal was every penny well spent.

26 Apr 15 (Sun) - Chrysanthemum Sorbet with Red Date Bits

Had a couple of chat sessions with a friend and it prompted me to think very hard about my dream of owning a small dessert stall or shop. My initial thought was I'm contented to do any kind of desserts , be it baked or non-baked, Western or Asian, as long as they are desserts. The conversations helped to narrow down to more feasible options, ice cream or similar.

Well... I have done Philadelphia-style ice cream without any machine a few times, making conventional flavours such as chocolate chips and strawberry as well as unconventional ones such as red dragon fruit and pumpkin walnut. The results were not too bad. I have been brain-storming in interesting flavours for sometime but did not have the time to try. After the last session, I started researching on sorbet and sherbet. Came across this recipe by Honest Fare on chamomile sorbet and decided to modify it to try.

Instead of using chamomile, I substituted it with chrysanthemum and added some red dates. Instead of using cane sugar, I used caramel sugar and added white sugar. The recipe uses "cup" measurements but I converted it to metric measurements on my own using my measuring cup. Did it without any machine and hand-churn it every two hours for a few times before freezing it overnight.

Chrysanthemum buds

Caramel Sugar

Ingredients:
110g caramel sugar
110g white sugar
1 litre water
15g chrysanthemum buds
2 tbsp honey
4 red dates

Method:
1.  Bring water to boil in a large pot
2.  Remove from heat, add sugar, chrysanthemum buds, red dates and honey
3.  Stir to dissolve all sugar and for buds to open up
4.  Let the mixture stand in the pot till room temperature
5.  Once cool, strain the mixture and set the red dates aside
6.  Pour the liquid into a container of your choice and put into freezer
7.  Dice the red dates into small pieces and keep in the fridge
6.  Remove the liquid from the freezer after 2 hours to churn with a fork
7.  Repeat step (6) for another 3-4 times
8.  Add in the diced red dates, churn one last time before freezing the mixture overnight

---------------- Edited on 27 Apr 2015 ----------------

Brought a tub to office for my colleagues to try and two of them came back with comments. My honest food critic, CC, told me that the texture was more of shaved ice than sorbet, was a bit too sweet but the chrysanthemum flavour was strong enough, plus the red date bits was a nice touch. The other colleague, NYP, commented that it was sweet and refreshing. When I probed further, she said it was a bit too sweet.

I started to review what I have done wrong and concluded that I should have either stick to cane sugar or reduce the amount of sugar if I intend to use caramel sugar and add white sugar. As for the icy part, I could not figure out why until I looked at my one and only pomegranate sorbet recipe after I got home. Instead of churning it every two hours, I should have churned it every 45 minutes so as to break down the ice crystals before they get too big. Oh well, at least now I know where the mistakes are and make sure I won't repeat them again.

Did a bit of researching and found an article on "What's the Difference Between Sorbet and Sherbet?". In the article, it says that "Granita starts with the same base as sorbet, but instead of churning it in an ice cream maker, the base is just poured into a pan and placed in the freezer. The surface is scraped multiple times as it freezes, creating icy flakes that are coarse and more crystalline in texture than sorbet." Hrm... maybe I should rename my blog post title from sorbet to granita instead. Hehe...

15 Mar 15 (Sun) - Stir-fried Asparagus, Bamboo Shoots and Sliced Beef

Was reading the newspaper few days ago when I saw a picture of this Shanghai dish called Stir-fried Asparagus, Bamboo Shoots and Bacon. It was a promotion by the Paradise Dynasty under the Paradise Group. The dish looked good and so decided to try it out this weekend. I didn't have any recipe and so searched the Internet for one or something similar.

Managed to find something similar and did some modifications since I didn't want to buy bacon and didn't want to make too big a portion.

Can't comment on whether the taste is same or similar because I have never tried the original dish from Paradise Dynasty, I can only say that the dish is still edible. Lol.

Look-wise, perhaps I should not use light soya sauce or use less of it so that the bamboo shoots will still retain its bright color. Also maybe I should have used bacon instead of beef because beef could have darken the color of the dish as well.

Anyway, shall try again sometime soon and hopefully get something closer to the original dish.

A Review: Cake Spade

Googled about bakery shops near Tanjong Pagar area and "Cake Spade" popped out as one of the results. Checked the website out and browsed through the list of cakes, brownies, crumbles and tarts. The cakes looked yummy, plus the price seemed reasonable so shortlisted some cakes to buy during lunchtime. The shop is situated just below the Orchid Hotel. Small shop space with a few small tables for people who want to dine in.

Bought a slice of Hummingbird Cake, a slice of Chocolate Blackout Cake, a slice of Peach Tofu Cheesecake and a slice of Lemon Meringue Cake to share with my colleagues and all have different preferences.

Hummingbird Cake (Below) and Peach Tofu Cheesecake (Top)

Chocolate Blackout Cake (Below) and Lemon Meringue Cake (Top)

CC voted for the Hummingbird cake while TYY seemed to prefer the Peach Tofu Cheesecake. As for me, I find the Hummingbird cake very flavourful and it is one of the cakes that I had planned to try out one day. The Peach Tofu Cheesecake and the Lemon Meringue Cake were very soft and light. As for the Chocolate Blackout Cake, I didn't find it special, perhaps because chocolate cakes are quite common.

Most of the cakes are priced at $5.90 per slice except the Lemon Meringue Cake which cost $6.20 per slice. Given the size of the slice, I find the price rather affordable. Maybe next time I will try their brownies and tarts.

Name: Cake Spade

Address: 1 Tras Link, #01-06, Orchid Hotel Singapore, Singapore 078867

Opening Hours: 12:00-21:00 (Mon-Thu) and 12:00-22:30 (Fri-Sat)

Tel: 6444 3868

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cakespadesg

Wesbite: http://www.cakespade.com/index.html

8 Mar 15 (Sun) - Strawberry Ice Cream

Had some dried rose buds sitting in the pantry and wanted to try to make use of them. So surfed the Internet and found a strawberry ice cream recipe that uses Greek yogurt, rosewater and rose petals. Tried the recipe yesterday without adding rose petals but was called out for an outing after I had mixed the ingredients. Got back in the late evening to try and churn as much as possible but the mixture was too icy.

Left the mixture in the freezer overnight and checked it again today. The texture was still towards the icy side. Taste-wise... It tasted more like strawberry frozen yogurt than ice cream and I couldn't taste or smell any hint of rose. Perhaps I should have used the real rosewater essence instead of DIY the rosewater myself or maybe I didn't make the rosewater concentrated enough. Anyway, it still tasted good and just in time to celebrate International Women's Day.

17 Jan 15 (Sat) - Rum & Raisin Ice Cream

Lately, one of my friends pointed out that it is very peculiar that for someone like me who doesn't like to drink wine or liquor, would enjoy food with wine and liquor. Come to think of it, rum & raisin ice cream has always been my favourite, then I also like tiramisu and liquor chocolates. And since I had some leftover rum essence so I decided to attempt to make the rum & raisin ice cream at home. Did a bit of researching but couldn't settle on a recipe, therefore, I decided to just come up with my own.

Soaked a bunch of golden raisins with about 20ml rum essence and about one teaspoon of vanilla extract for two days beforehand. Then I did the usual of whisking the whipping cream while incorporating about 90g of fine sugar in three batches. But what I did differently this time was that I also heated up a tablespoon of honey to mix into the whipped cream before putting the mixture into the freezer.

After about two hours, the mixture wasn't firm at all so I quickly did a search on the Internet to find a solution. I read about "The Science of Ice Cream" by Ice Cream Nation and figured out that perhaps I should add in some milk. So I actually added about 100-200ml of Meiji milk to the mixture, whisked till well combined before putting it back into the freezer for another two hours.

Took the mixture out to check and it seemed to have firmed up much better. Folded the pre-soaked raisins into the mixture, added some of the soaking liquid of rum essence and vanilla extract into the mixture and chucked it back into the freezer for another two hours. Took it out to check after two hours, instead of becoming more solidify, it became soft again.

Quickly consulted Mr Google and found out that alcohol lowers the freezing point of ice cream. Recalled what I read earlier, I came up with the idea of adding in more milk of about 100ml. My theory was that milk contains moisture and by adding into the mixture, the mixture would be able to form more ice crystals and hence be able to solidify. Chucked the mixture into the freezer after I was done mixing and this time round, I left it inside for another three hours.

Took it out again to check and I was so glad that my theory was correct. The mixture became more solid though not as solid as I hope it would be like the commercial ice cream. Still it was firmer than before and not sure if it was due to the addition of honey, the texture was slightly gooey and creamy. Going to leave it in the freezer for a couple more nights, hopefully it will firm up more before bringing some to the office.

---------------- Edited on 21 January 2015 ----------------

It was a bad time to bring ice cream to office because two of my usual taste testers were down with cough so they were not allowed to eat. Fortunately, CC was around to give me comments and her first comment was "Yum! It's your best ice cream yet. Everything just right." Then she elaborated that the taste was just nice, however, the ice cream was slightly on the soft side. Hahaha... My first DIY rum & raisin ice cream for the first cooking in the year 2015 didn't turn out too bad afterall.