We took this hike back in September...I know it's the end of October. 
This is how I tend to roll now, a day late and a dollar short. 
Fun trip nonetheless. 
Enjoy.

Line 1 Seoksu Station, exit 1.
When you exit you will be on an overpass.  Take the staircase that shoots off the left, and when you hit the bottom make a u-turn and go back the way you were walking down the stairs. At the intersection - Samseongsan-gil - which is very close, turn left where you will see a GS25 from here follow the hikers to the mountain, which is straight ahead.  If you see someone selling makgeolli on the street you should fork over the 1,500 won and buy a bottle.  Don't worry, you won't be the only one drinking on the mountain.

You will pass a garden on your left, where a little old lady might be working.

And then you will head up this path:

If your family is anything like ours, 5 minutes into the hike someone will be EXHAUSTED and will need a break.
Thank goodness I splurged on that bottle makgeolli!

Hitting the trail again and guess what?!  10 more steps in and someone else needs a break...
Yes, this was the theme of our hike.

The kids  are consistently breaking or giving me heart failure.  They really enjoy hanging out on the edge of a rock with a huge drop off on the other side -- at least I know I can call for help if needed. 
Just call 119 in Korea!

Ahhh, getting closer to the top!
I'm always amazed by how big this city is.
EVER.SINGLE.TIME.

Forget to bring something on the hike?  No worries, someone is sure to be selling it along the way.

Awe, the beauty of nature.

We made it to the top, and this is as good as it gets in the picture department.

On the way down we stopped at this cute little Buddhist temple for some lunch. 

Lunch was around 8,000 won for the 5 of us. PLUS they gave us all kinds of rice cakes and the people sitting beside us shared their grapes with us.  This is a theme for us here in Korea - people always sharing food and drinks with us and wanting to practice their English.

At the end of the day, if you can't make it all the way down, no worries, just take a little nap on the mountain.

This hike was pretty easy for Korea standards.  No ropes or climbing crazy rock structures.  Pretty straight up.  It took us a bit longer than it might take you since our kids are so out of shape and we had to stop every 5 minutes to break.  All in all SUPER FUN day.  Once on the mountain I think it took us about 4 hours round trip, including breaks and lunch at the temple -- plus we always go slow to take in the beautiful scenery. 

Till next time,
Trish

Nothing says welcome quite like a GIANT TEXAS FLAG, and that is exactly what you get when you walk into the Southside Parlor!  If that's not enough this pub in Haebangchon or Itaewon (I'm not exactly sure which area it is in as these areas tend to run together in my head)  is filled with Texas memorabilia, mason jars & Tito's Vodka!   It was love at first sight and I hadn't even had the Piggy Chips or fried pickles yet.

Since my arrival back to Seoul Betty had been dying to take me here, talking up the fantastic drinks and piggy chips.  I have no idea why it took over a month for us to get to Southside Parlor - had I know how fantastic it is I would have arrived much faster.  In  the past month I have visited 3 times and I see many more visits to Southside in my future.

The Texas boys down at Southside know how to mix a drink.  All drinks are not only beautiful works of art, but deliver on taste as well.   Most, if not all ingredients are homemade, including sodas, syrups, bitters, and infused liquors.    If you are in a hurry and want a cheap drinks, don't bother coming here.  All cocktails are mixed, muddles, or shaken by hand and they are locally inspired with a Texas flair all drinks over 10,000 won and well worth every penny. 

My first cocktail was the Barton Springs.  I got it for the name alone.  I mean really the Barton Springs?!?  This drink screams cool & crisp and since I was dripping in sweat after walking to Southside I knew this was the drink I NEEDED to have!  It hit the spot just like Barton Springs on a hot Texas day! 

After 3 visit, this drink is my 2nd favorite drink here, but it is a VERY CLOSE 2nd.
The Barton Springs:
Beefeater Gin, Elderflower, Cucumber, Lime and Mint served super cold, just like the real Barton Springs.

My #1 favorite drink at Southside is the Chiquita Pepita!  However, if you want one, you need to get there by the end of September as they are changing their menu to fall drinks and the Chiquita Pepita will be gone till next summer.  (crying buckets of tears...)
Cucumber infused Tequila (Seriously, they had me here!), triple sec, pineapple, cilantro, mint chili agave and lime 
It reminds me of a margarita, but only better! 
Coming in as my 3rd place drink is the Pimms cup....oh my goodness!! Who doesn't love a drink in a mason jar?!
Also pictured is one of the mules (I can't remember the name of it...but it is Brent's favorite), and a mojito!

PIGGY CHIPS!!!
Holy mother of all things good!
Homemade sweet potato chips, pulled pork, onions, spicy goodness and cilantro!
Get there now and put them in your belly.

The food menu is small, but oh so worth it.  Last week I was craving fried pickle and was dreading making them myself...but guess who has them?!  That's right Southside does!    While you are at it make sure you try their fried chicken tacos. - they are heaven in your mouth.

TO get there: 
From post: Go out the Kimchi Pot gate but turn LEFT -- opposite direction of kimchi pots.  Go to the underground street crossing and cross over go out the right side.  Pass my Standing Coffee, cross street walk just a little ways and go left into Happy Building  (How awesome is that?!?  I love that Southside is in the Happy Building - so fitting!) --- Happy Building is right before Taco Chili, Chili.  If you pass Taco Chili, Chili you have gone too far, but just barely.   Go to the 4th floor -- open the door that doesn't look like it should belong to a bar and go in. 

Subway:  Noksapyeong Station Exit 2 walk straight you will be able to see the sign across the street - you will walk past where you need to be to get to the underground street crossing, cross the street come up on the right side  Pass my Standing Coffee, cross street walk just a little ways and go left into Happy Building (How awesome is that?!?  I love that Southside is in the Happy Building - so fitting!) --- Happy Building is right before Taco Chili, Chili.  If you pass Taco Chili, Chili you have gone too far, but just barely.   Go to the 4th floor -- open the door that doesn't look like it should belong to a bar and go in. 

Do you live on post and are you grumpy about the selection of fresh fruits and veggies you find on post? 
If yes, I have (another!)  alternate solution for you!
There are little farmer's markets all over this great city, they just don't look like those you see in the states. 
The pictures below are from the market I frequent.
From talking to the vendors I believe this market to be pesticide free.   A couple of them have even said it is organic, if I an understanding them correctly.  
The potatoes are super fresh and straight from the ground -- you will have to scrub them to get the dirt off!
A couple of my plums have had worms in them, so I'm pretty certain no pesticides were used on them! 
If dirt and worms freak you out, then this is not the market for you, but if you are like me and are happy to see a worm here and there and then follow the directions at the bottom and check this place out! 

To get here:
Walk out the gate at Ichon
Turn right and walk....pass Park Tower Apartments on your right
Right after Park Towers you will see the vendors hanging out on the street every day EXCEPT SUNDAY from 6-9AM!

Prices are great and quality is good!

Happy Eating!
Trish

Yes, you read that correctly. 
POOP CAFE!!!

This place is a 10 year old boys paradise. 
Here they can tell all their 'potty' jokes and not get in trouble.

To think I paid for us to drink coffee out of a toilet. 
WHAT?!?! 
I guess that is only fair since I traveled 1,000's of miles and paid good money to drink coffee that was extracted from the poop of a luwak (cat). 
WHO AM I?  WHO HAVE I BECOME? 
If you had told me 20 years ago that I would be drinking poop coffee and coffee from a toilet bowl, I would have said you are crazy.
Now look at me.... 
I'm considering opening a new theme coffee shop where I sell cat poop coffee in a toilet bowl for you to drink.

Ddo-ong scones prepped and ready to go in the oven.
I was so sad they didn't have any ready for me to eat.

My sweet little shit-head.

To get there
Anguk Station, exit 6,
straight for about 100M, turn left into the Insadong Shopping district.
There is an open, multi level shopping mall about 200 meters down the road on the left (I'm sure you have seen it in Korean drama's!)
The Poop Cafe is on the top floor.

BUTT, (pun intended!) before you go to the top floor, there is a vendor on the bottom floor where you can get a poop pile of  chocolatey goodness!  Totally worth the 2,000-ish won we paid for it.

Till next time,
Trish

We have been to cat cafes,  dog cafes, a sheep cafe, a camera cafe, an arts and craft cafe......AND
NOW, a RACCOON cafe!!  Are you kidding me?!  A flippin' raccoon cafe?!?!  Oh Korea!  You make me love you more and more with each passing day. 

I know what some of you are thinking.  NO FREAKING WAY.  Raccoons are rabid.  Raccoons are wild.  Raccoons are cray-cray!  Well, not these raccoons.  They are sweet, cuddly, cute and never fear -- Milk (female white) & Kong (male brown) have had all their vaccinations!

 You know what is really exciting?!?  Milk and Kong have babies!!  2 of them!  A white and a brown, sadly they were not available for viewing while we were there.  We were told the babies come in the mornings sometime between 10 & 12 each day.  I'm hoping to go back and see them one day!

There are a few rules when hanging out with the raccoons:
(Written EXACTLY how posted)
 - Please empty your pockets when you enter the raccoon room
 - Don't take the bag and your beverage
 - Be careful not to tease the raccoon, or you can be bitten by him!
 - If anything happen, let the clerk know.
 - Who order take out beverages can't enter the raccoon room.
 - Please push slowly when Raccoons following on you
 - please do not hug raccoons.

To get there directions are just like if you are going to the Lamb Restaurant...

Go out Camp Coiner walk out gate
Take an immediate RIGHT,
then an immediate LEFT.
Go to the main street, turn LEFT and cross the street using the cross walk.
Once across the street turn RIGHT
Walk to intersection with Starbucks on your left, and turn LEFT.
Go through tunnel
Cross the big street.
BUT THIS TIME don't turn, keep walking STRAIGHT until 2 streets come together.  You will know it when you get there.  Cross to the right side of the street. Pass Starbucks on your left side, keep going.  Pass Kimchee Restaurant.....RIGHT AFTER Kimchee restaurant (that is the actual name of the restaurant!) TURN RIGHT and you are here!

They let us feed grapes to the raccoons! 
So much fun...Milk LOVED my hair, before these pictures she kept playing with it and her gentle touch was so ticklish! 

If you aren't too excited about hanging out with the raccoons you can always perch yourself in the table next to the window and which the cute little creatures from afar.  I gotta tell you, they are so much cuter here in the cafe than when you find them in your garbage! 

Till next time,
Trish

We all miss certain foods from our home country or other countries that we have visited.
I know we are blessed to have access to the commissary....oh the commissary.  They mean well don't they?  But why don't they ever had cilantro, or limes, (don't get me started on lime-gate!) or cheese that hasn't been frozen and then thawed for our consumption.  I know it must be hard to be the commissary, and I am so VERY GRATEFUL for what they do have, but sometimes you just need avocado oil, or good Italian coffee, or galangal, or buffalo mozzarella....
Well, you can get these things and more at the Foreign Food Market in Iteawon. 

To get there from post walk out the gas station gate -
Walk down the main street in Itaewon (stay on the right hand side).
Pass Pizza Peel on your right (you should eat here someday!).
Keep walking - you will pass Vatos on your left (you should eat here too!) keep going....
Pass Hamilton hotel on your left - keep going! 
When you get to Mr. Kabab on the corner of Itaewon & Usadan-ro, turn RIGHT.
Go a couple of more blocks and you will see Foreign Food Mart on your left hand side.
It looks like this:

There are actually 3 Foreign Food markets in that small area.  This one is the largest and yes, some of the prices are more expensive than what you would pay at the commissary, but some of the prices are less, depending on what you are shopping for.  

They have pretty good selection of Thai, German, Italian, American, and Vietnamese products.

Go ahead and give them a try!  

Hey, while we are on the topic of food, does anyone know where I can get fresh 'organic' milk? 

Till next time,
Trish

You know when you do something and you have such great memories of it and then when you finally go back and do it again it is a disappointment?  That is not the case with this little gem of a restaurant!  Hubby has been talking about this restaurant for over 2 years.  No joke - TWO FLIPPING YEARS!  One of his coworkers took him to this restaurant back in 2014 about a week before we left Korea.  He wanted to take me, but we ran out of time.   Over the past couple of years he has mentioned how he wishes he could find a restaurant like this and has rubbed it in more than a few times that I didn't get to go with him.  It's not often he experienced something in Korea that I didn't, so when it happens I hear about it....often. 

This past Saturday night he planned where we were to eat for date night and I'm so glad he did!!  I'm certain we will become a regular here!

Go out Camp Coiner walk out gate
Take an immediate RIGHT,
then an immediate LEFT.
Go to the main street, turn LEFT and cross the street using the cross walk.
Once across the street turn RIGHT
Walk to intersection with Starbucks on your left, and turn LEFT.
Go through tunnel

Cross the big street.
Turn left and you will see the Lamb restaurant about 7 store fronts down on your right. 

So very delicious!  The lamb is mild in flavor and not 'gamey' tasting at all.  Make sure you add a skewer of garlic cloves on the roaster! NOM-NOM!

Our bellies are full and we are so very happy!

The price wasn't bad at all.....we walked out of there with a bill of ₩53,000 for 4 people and that included 2 giant beers!

They also have lamb chops, noodles and various other thing I can't read and haven't translated yet.  

I would love to hear what you think if you venture out and try this place!

Till next time,
Trish

I let the kids pick what they wanted to do today and they unanimously picked the Trick Eye Museum so I went back and read my blog posting from 2012 to get some general information & directions to the Trick Eye. 

Later in the day I noticed some eerie similarities from that posting back in 2012.....

"Our day started off rough..." yeah, that happened again.   "Boy's 2 & 3 were fighting..."  yeah, that happened again too.  "I thought I was going to pull my hair out and have a meltdown before it even started..." -- same/same.
"but after a little while everyone forgot they were mad, bothered, annoyed, and upset  and we had a pretty good day playing & goofing around here at the Trick Eye Museum!"  - That happened too!
Oh, and as a bonus, this time NOT ONE PERSON complained about walking too much!  I call that a WIN!!

Directions have changed just a tad since the last time we were here as they moved the exit of the subway station:  To get there by subway take line 2 to the Hongik University Station go out Exit 9 walk straight cross 1st intersection, at 2nd intersection  (McDonald's is on left side of the street) cross the street and turn left.  Pass Forever 21 on the right, take a right at the first street/alley in between Bershka & Tony/Molly.  Walk 1 block and you will see Trick Eye Museum on the right. 

Adults: 15,000
Ages 3-18: 12,000
Open 9AM-9PM everyday

Address: Seoul, Mapo-gu, Hongik-ro 3-gil, 20 서교 프라자 B2 트릭 아이 미술관 B2 floor, Seogyo Plaza 20 Hongikro 3gil, Mapogu

Phone: 02-3144-6300

Just when I think things are going well and my boys are little angels......

This happens:

These boys!  I can't take them anywhere!

The Trick eye is on an alley full of food vendors if you just keep walking past the Trick Eye.  Your kids are sure to love you a little more if you head down the alley and buy them a freshly made churros with ice cream!  YUM-O!!

The end.

I am blessed.  I know this better than anyone.  I have an amazing husband, great kids and wonderfully supportive family and friends.  In the big scheme of things LIFE IS GOOD.  (You know there is a BUT coming, don't you?!) BUT, MOVING IS HARD.  No matter how excited you are, how ready you are, moving is hard - PERIOD.  Moving overseas is harder. Watching your kids say goodbye to their friends and their brother is heartbreakingly hard.  Having your vet tell you that he thinks your dog probably won't make it if he flies half way around the world is hard.   Leaving your first born in the states is EVEN HARDER.  Leaving him while he is going through personal difficulties of his own is stab a knife in your heart hard.  Saying goodbye to a Mother that doesn't even recognize you anymore and thinking this  *might* be the last time you see her here on this earth beyond hard.  I've always know life is hard, I preach it to our children.  "Life is hard - get over it.  Life is not fair - suck it up buttercup." These words are echoing in my ears now, right now, when all I really want an easy button.  Is that too much to ask for?  EASY BUTTON, where are you?!?! 

BUT, (there's that word again!) I know if I had an easy button to push I wouldn't be the person I am today.  Life is hard, and it makes us who we are.  There are lessons we all need to learn and if we had an easy button, what lessons would we learn? There is a reason there is no easy button.

Boy 1 didn't hit the easy button.  He could have pushed it and moved to his favorite city with us and went to online school here in Korea, BUT he is writing his own story now and as I watch him from afar I am inspired and in awe.  He is such a strong, self sufficient young man.  He works full time, goes to school full time, has moved to a new city to pursue his dreams and he's not giving up.  I like to believe it is because I told him multiple times to 'suck it up'. ;)  As I watch him I'm in awe!   I don't know if he knows it or not, but he is helping ME right now.  His family, his lifeline has moved to the other side of the freaking world.  He moved to a new city where he knows NO ONE.  Not a single person.  He is out there on his own, TRULY on his own.  Yes, he has met a few new people at work but he went knowing NO ONE.  What 20 year old does that?  He is STRONG.  He inspires me each and every day, and I miss him so much my heart physically aches. 

I share this with you all today because even though I'm living the dream,  I want  you to know behind all the fun post of which market I shopped at, how I'm running into new/old friends, how much joy I'm getting out of eating at all our favorite restaurants in Seoul that I am just like you, going through my own stuff. Even though I make it see fun (which it is in that moment) and seamless, moving is hard, and fun, and glorious and HARD.  However, I know better than anyone that it could be harder.  I know that there are so many people out there that are going through so much more than I am -- I'm talking real struggles and they are one of the many reason I always count my blessings.  
Life could be so much harder. 
Life is good.

Till next time,

Trish

Day 2:

We are rocking the jet lag! Boy 3 is a bit tired, but nothing we can't handle. The kids went to bed by 9PM and slept till 9AM! Me, I woke an hour earlier than normal, but in my book, that is a total win!

So, I'm still ticked about the housing situation, but I am hoping it will work out. Housing is working very hard to make things right and they did tell us that they have a house in mind for us, but they can't 'promise' it to us because, well, you know how their promises go. Oh and said house will not be ready until mid-August, so I guess we need to get used to hotel living. I'm trying really hard to have faith.....

This morning I took it easy. I ran a few errands and then took the kids to the pool to meet up with my friend Betty that I have known from our first tour here! This girl knows my weaknesses and brought a 'Welcome to Korea" basket filled with goodies to help make me feel at home. I'm embracing my inner Ajumma this time around!

After the pool we headed to our favorite spot in Itaewon -- VATO'S!! 
I've been dreaming about Vato's since leaving here.  If you remember, I made a copy cat recipe of their famous kimchi fries, but tonight I had the REAL DEAL.  Just as good, if not better than I remember.    I've decided I'm going to gain about 10 pounds this first week. 

That's it for today....