Category — Travel in Asia

As we are looking forward to our Summer trip to Thailand, I couldn’t help but look back at our old album from our last visit 2 years ago.

Both Miss J and Mr. Z were still so young. I didn’t know anything about blogging yet.

Still… I  remember those little moments like a peaceful dinner by the beach in Pattaya with my family. It all started out like what you would imagine seeing from the magazine. Then the reality set in. Mosquito came by and we moved inside to the comfort of air conditioning.

I remember Mr. Z ran wild in the replica building of the Sanphet Prasat Palace in the Ancient City. Even with all the heat, they could careless about that. They were just so happy to be able to run and enjoy the space.

Those were little moments that I still cherish and couldn’t wait to make many more little moments with my kids in Thailand. Summer couldn’t be here fast enough.

See other travel blogger’s Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

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As we plan our Summer trip to Thailand and check out the ticket price, I am SO not prepare to spend more than $1,000 per ticket to get there but I digress..

Traveling to Asia might seem like an out of reach for many families due to high cost in ticket. But don’t let that prevent you and your family from enjoying and learning about the East culture. A trip to any Asian grocery store will give you a glimpse and will provide you with a fun day of exploring.

We are very fortunate to have lived in Atlanta where there is a big population of Asians and countless opportunities for us to enjoy Asian cultures without living town.

Every once in a while I take my kids to the Asia/International Supermarket like Super H Mart or Assi Supermarket in town. This mega supermarket sells all things international but mainly focuses on Asian.

Our first stop has always been the food court within the market itself. This is a great place for you to try out different food without breaking the bank. I have been craving Korean food – Kimchi Fried Rice for a while. So I was so pleased to taste it in the hot stone bowl.

I ordered Ramyeon – Korean Instant Noodle soup for Miss J. Yeah.. It’s something we can probably make it at home but where else can I serve it up in this cool hot pot for her.

Environment sure does help encourage kids to try new thing. Even though, my kids are 100% Asian (Thai and Filipino). They still don’t know how to use chopsticks nor do we use it on a regular basis. I was so proud to see her eating her noodle with chopsticks and she seemed to have a lot of fun with it.

After the meal, it’s the fun part. The walk around the store is my favorite part and my most dangerous part. I tend to grab everything I can find. Japanese rice cake in multi-color looks too good to pass up. The mochi ice cream (which I finished it before I could take any pictures) is a different take on ice cream. Thinking of it as rice cake with ice cream filling.. Yum!!!

If Mr. Rojo wasn’t there with us and encouraged (nagged) us to go home, I probably would spend hours and hours there and filled up my grocery cart to the brim.

This is one of the best way for us to introduce our kids to Asian cultures before the big trip. It might not give them the real perspective but it sure will open their eyes to the new things.

Super H Mart and Assi Plaza (Lotte Plaza) has several stores in various states.

I haven’t participated in Mondays are for Dreaming at Mara’s Mother of All Trips for a while. But it doesn’t mean that I haven’t been dreaming of places I want to visit with my kids.

My current obsession with K-dram (aka Korean Drama) has sprung a new destination for my Dreaming of Series – Seoul, South Korea.

Seoul is probably one of the destination that is not on the top list of many travelers. If you look at most of itineraries to Asia, you probably see Japan, China, Thailand, and India in most of those list. However, South Korea seems to be at the bottom of the list. I’m guilty of that as well. Until now..

After watching many series of K-Drama and starting to know more about Korean’s culture. I’m dreaming of a visit to check out many sights I have seen from my shows.

N Seoul Tower and Namsan Cable Car

It seems to be a very popular destination. A trip on the Namsan Cable car will take you up to N Seoul Tower where on a good day you will  enjoy a view of Seoul’s skyline. Kids will love the ride up the cable car for sure. But they will also enjoy a hike and play at the surrounding park.

COEX Mall and Aquarium

COEX Mall is an underground mall in Seoul and is one of the largest shopping center in Seoul and one of the largest underground mall in Asia. This mega shopping center reminds me of Siam Discovery in Bangkok. It consists of hundreds of shops, COEX aquarium, Mega movie theatre and Kimchi Field Museum. Talking about all-in-on stop for the whole family.

The Palaces (Goong)

The Joseon dynasty built ‘Five Grand Palaces’ in Seoul. The main palace – Changdeokgung – will be one of my top destination to visit. Kids will probably enjoy the changing of the guard ceremony at the Gyeongbokgung Palace. The other 4 palaces are Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, Gyeongbokgung and Gyeonghuigung.

Shopping Markets

Shopping and Asian culture is like a pair of chopsticks. It goes together and can’t live without one another. Seoul is no different than other major cities in Asia like Bangkok, Tokyo or Beijing. Shopping is a big part of the city. There are several notable markets that I will definitely have to check them out.

Dongdaemun Market is probably one of my favorite to check out. What with opening from 10:30 am to 5:00 am.. This non-stop shopping area will be my best friend on a sleepless night.

And if you are looking for more high priced retail with brand name attached then Myeongdong will suit your need. It’s located at the financial district and is popular among young people so you can expect a great fun nightlife.

Insadong market will be perfect if you look for more arts and antique products. This market is where traditional and modern Korean artworks are sold. It’s also a great place to sightseeing and enjoy a leisure walk

Banpo Bridge

This might not be on many of Must-See list from major travel sites. But this one is purely for my own indulgence. Any fan of the popular K-Drama, F4 will remember this scene very well. I am determined to check them out when I visit Seoul. Plus I think my kids will get a kick out of a fabulous Rainbow Bridge fountain show as well.

Most of all, I’m dreaming of many great meals there. The Korean food has become my new obsession so I can’t wait to try them all out in Seoul.

Check out other travelers’ dream at Mother of All Trips.

Photo Credits: yeowatzup, hyku, ysjjhfox, jaytong