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Survey Says: All The Best Airports Are In Asia

June 10, 2009 at 10:40 AM | 0 Comments

The results are in, and Incheon Airport near Seoul in South Korea has been crowned the best airport in the world. The Skytrax survey people say they've spent ten months surveying almost nine million passengers and Incheon wins.

No doubt it helps that Incheon Airport has a casino, golf course and indoor gardens; we've only flown in and out of there twice but have nothing but good memories—the airport advice counter actually found us a great place to stay even when we arrived without a booking in the middle of the World Cup a few years back.

And if you're after a good airport experience, this survey definitely says that you've got to stick with Asia. Hong Kong International Airport came in at a close number two, and Singapore's Changi Airport was put in third place by just a few votes. Three more Asian airports made it into the top ten, with Zurich, Munich, Amsterdam and Auckland getting the other big votes.

Related Stories:
· Seoul's Incheon Airport Voted Best [CNN]
· Big Korean Airport Makes Friends With Jin Air [Jaunted]
· Changi Airport Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: riNux]

Sweat It Out in a Sauna While You BBQ Your Meats

April 22, 2009 at 12:31 PM | 1 Comment

This week's Bizarre Foods saw host Andrew Zimmern visiting the weirder side of Seoul, South Korea, where the emphasis was on undercooked foods – and by undercooked, we mean still moving.

We're fans of fried octopus, but not when it's cooked just to the point that the tentacles are still squirming around as you pick them up with chopsticks. And no, we're not so comforted by the knowledge that dipping them in sesame oil helps stop the suckers from gripping onto the inside of your mouth. Ack! Once you mention a food item "gripping onto the inside of your mouth," we've pretty much lost our appetite.

The same goes for mudfish, which sound pretty unappetizing already, and don't get any more so when we see they're tossed into the soup still flipping around. We like to eat after the food has lost all chance of jumping out of the bowl.

But one place we were taken with was Zimmern's stop at a charcoal BBQ/sauna. Yes, you can work up an appetite while relaxing inside a steam room, and then order up a tableful of BBQ meats – all barely cooked of course. Now that's more like it. How long before a BBQ/sauna opens in New York?

Related Stories:
· South Korea Travel Guide [Travel Channel]
· Lounging In The Jjimjilbang Is As Cool As It Sounds [Jaunted]
· Drinking Dirt Soup and Banana Beer in Tanzania [Jaunted]

[Photo: Travel Channel]

Seoul May Be A Notoriously Expensive City, but Haircuts are Only $15

January 23, 2009 at 10:07 AM | 0 Comments

In South Korea, where vanity is not a sin but a lifestyle, it is not uncommon for people to go in for a weekly haircut in order to maintain a their preferred look. As a result, Seoul is one place where you are always guaranteed to score an awesome hairdo at a hip salon for under $15; it's a favorite economical sort of pampering.

Feeling adventurous, we tried out this trend in the chair at Leechard ProHair in the Gangnam neighborhood of Seoul, an area known for its high-heel hockers in the day and clubgoers at night.

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Prada's Tetrahedron 'Transformer' Building?

January 22, 2009 at 1:10 PM | 1 Comment


Remember last year and the press buzz around that traveling capsule of brand vanity created by Zaha Hadid and Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, called "Mobile Art?" Citing weak financials, the structure was grounded and retired after only making it through half of its worldwide stops, but apparently this has only inflamed rival Prada with more desire to carry out a copycat project.

Currently under construction on the ground of the Gyeonghui Palace in central Seoul, South Korea, is what is being called the Prada "Transformer." A tetrahedron-shaped structure designed by the architect behind their revolutionary Manhattan store, Rem Koolhaas, the temporary building will not be traveling like the Chanel orb, but will instead be firmly grounded in Seoul from March through August. Should the 65-foot tall structure prove popular however, there is rumor that it could be carted to a few more cities badly in need of a luxury goods injection.

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Eating Toasted Octopus Chips At The Ssamziegil Market

January 9, 2009 at 2:00 PM | 2 Comments

Buried in the heart of Seoul's cultural village of Insadong is the striking postmodern structure of Ssamziegil Market, an open-air shopping plaza housing the best of both modern and traditional South Korea. It's a local haunt for the most part, meaning this complex boasts a rooftop tea house and garden instead of a Starbucks--although there are plenty other Starbucks in Seoul--and thrives on locally-grown, seasonal goods.

From the traditional pajon, a seafood pancake eaten during rainy weather, to toasted octopus chips to fish-shaped sweet bean pastries called bungeoppang, Ssamziegil offers a capsule of unique Korean flavors guaranteed to help you reach your gastronomic goals.

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Big Korean Airport Makes Friends With Jin Air

January 8, 2009 at 11:00 AM | 3 Comments

Our favorite Korean budget carrier, Jin Air, has just done a deal to move its hub to the massive international Incheon Airport, near Seoul. The goal is to make Incheon a big Northeast Asian hub and this deal might just do it.

Singapore-based Tiger Airways got rudely shoved out of the way when it tried to start up an Incheon-based LCC, and now it turns out to be Korean-only territory.

The Incheon city council seems to be promising that the airport will deal exclusively with Jin Air over other Korean budget carriers, so it's a real coup for the Jin Air genies. With Incheon's future looking exciting with stuff like the Asian Games being held there in 2014, it's a spot we're sure to be hearing more about.

Related Stories:
· Incheon, Korean Air in Alliance [Korea Times]
· Tiger Airlines Aggression Works in Oz, Fails in South Korea [Jaunted]
· Jin Air Genies Take to Korean Skies [Jaunted]

[Photo: d'n'c]

South Korean Housewives Forced To Live With Fewer Facelifts

January 2, 2009 at 3:15 PM | 0 Comments

The economic crisis won't even spare the real housewives of South Korea: After riding high on Botox and nose jobs, newly frugal plastic surgery aficionados are, ahem, cutting back on procedures as clinics are closing down for lack of business.

In Seoul, where The New York Times reports there are more than 600 plastic surgery clinics, 20 or so have already closed, with more posting "for sale" signs in the windows. Says one surgeon:

In hard times, people always cut back on luxuries like eating out, jewelry and plastic surgery. If this is a normal recession, then these desires will eventually get reignited, and our patients will come back.

If this downturn is like the Great Depression, then we are all going to get killed off.

The good news--for those of us spending dollars, anyway--is that South Korea has gotten about 25 percent cheaper in the last six months, as the financial crisis has shored up the value of a buck. And now that you can get more than 1,200 won for a dollar--and clinics are desperate for customers--now might be the time to check out a swanky destination hospital or clinic in Korea.

Related Stories:
· Economy Blunts Korea’s Appetite for Plastic Surgery [NYT]
· Turns Out South Korea Is Just As Shallow As Thailand [Jaunted]
· Plastic Surgery Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: DanMelinger]

Seoul Says Celebrate Here

December 8, 2008 at 9:00 AM | 2 Comments

When we plan a Christmas getaway, Seoul isn't the first destination that springs to mind, but the South Korean tourism peeps are telling us it should be.

About 15 percent of Koreans are Christian--and with 60 percent saying they don't belong to any religion at all, that's a fair chunk of believers--so the whole Christmas thing doesn't get ignored like it would in neighboring Asian countries.

On the contrary: There's plenty of Christmas shopping to be done at the big Seoul malls like Lotte World, you can skate on the outdoor ice rink that opens December 12 and at night you can admire the "Lucevista" street lights through the city center.

But the weirdest bit is Piano Street. In true Korean techno-geek style they're installing a road-sized piano keyboard and while you stroll around admiring the Christmas lights, your feet will be playing a tune--just like in "Big!"

Related Stories:
· Korea Sparkling [Official Site]
· Christmas Alternatives coverage [Jaunted]
· Seoul Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: wish I had an SLR]

Turns Out South Korea Is Just As Shallow As Thailand

November 17, 2008 at 11:30 AM | 1 Comment

After watching Thailand, India and Argentina grab all the headlines--and big-spenders--South Korea is now courting medical tourists looking for everything from cheap joint replacements to low-cost breast implants. Government officials are encouraging the nascent industry, too, by relaxing immigration rules and working with foreign hospitals so potential patients will decide to have procedures done in Korea instead of elsewhere in Asia.

On Jeju Island south of the mainland, for example, the Wooridul Spine Hospital is adding apartments, a concert hall and an art museum to its existing amenities, which include a golf course, says The New York Times. A government official says:

We believe this is a major future industry for our island. The town will specialize in medical checkups, long-term convalescence and procedures Korean doctors do well and cheaply, such as plastic surgery and dentistry.

After reading a first-hand account of one of these swanky Asian destination hospitals, we're actually considering going to have a bit of dental work done ourselves. After all, if you're gonna suffer for your pearly whites, might as well get an international vacation starring UNESCO-recognized lava tubes thrown in for your trouble, right?

Related Stories:
· South Korea Joins Lucrative Practice of Inviting Medical Tourists [NYT]
· Wooridul Spine Hospital [Official Site]
· Jeju Island to Have Foreigners-Only Medical Centers [Korea.net]
· Plastic Surgery Travel: Thailand [Jaunted]

[Photo of Jeju Island: karendotcom127]

Lounging In The Jjimjilbang Is As Cool As It Sounds

October 31, 2008 at 11:30 AM | 0 Comments

The Korean Jjimjilbang is even more fun than trying to spell it. Think of it as a 24-hour Peewee’s Playhouse--but giant-size and minus the psychosexual disorder.

Thousands of Jjimjilbang’s fill Korea. They’re large, gender-segregated complexes complete with spas, pools, video arcades, massage parlors, snack bars and play centers for kids. The main draw of the centers are the heated hardwood floors, once a fixture in traditional Korean homes but forced out by the modern high rise and the arrival of the padded bed.

Since most Koreans live in tight quarters with their extended family members, the Jjimjilbang is a wholesome way for parents and kids both to retreat to their own favorite activities and get away from each other. It’s also a place for a foreigner to learn the surprising joys of laying on a hot, hard floor.

Related Stories:
· For All Kinds of Good, Clean Fun, Koreans Turn to Bath Houses [NYT]
· Learn The Monk’s Life In South Korea [Jaunted]

[Photo: IHT]

Food Festival Travel: Gwangju Kimchi Festival

August 19, 2008 at 9:33 AM | 0 Comments

Personally we always find that Korean pickled cabbage they call kimchi a bit too spicy, but since it's been named in a few lists of "top ten anti-cancer foods" we're trying to be open-minded. Presumably we'd be able to cure our aversion to it by visiting the Gwangju Kimchi Festival which takes place this year from October 15 to 19.

Gwanju, about three hours away from Seoul, is quite famous for kimchi and the festival does pretty much what you'd expect: Celebrates the dish in all its many forms. You can watch it being made, you can make it yourself, and you can eat a million varieties of it (give or take a few).

After four days of solid kimchi eating, you're either going to love it or hate it. But just be aware you're going to be around thousands of people who are also eating an overdose of cabbage.

Related Stories:
· Film, Arts and Cultural Festivals Draw Visitors to Korea [eTravel]
· South Korea Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: buck82]

Starbucks Alternatives: The Coffee Mill

July 29, 2008 at 12:30 PM | 0 Comments

In Seoul, where the locals generally prefer their morning brew to be of the hazelnut-flavored and watery persuasion, finding a decent cup of coffee can be an endeavor. Cafes here are often pricey with plush, tacky decor, so stumbling upon a simple spot to while away a rainy summer afternoon is even more rare. Which is why we were delighted when we came upon The Coffee Mill.

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