AK Plaza in Pyeongtaek

AK Plaza in Pyeongtaek

(Hangul: AK플라자)

AK Plaza is a large, 9-story department store with Pyeongtaek Station attached.

From our house, we jumped on the 20 bus and rode about 20 minutes.

The first time I rode the bus, I had no idea what to do.

There at the front of the bus, you see a clear plastic box - this is where you can insert cash (only 1000 won bills and change) and it will give you change at the bottom.

The other (more popular) option is a T money card, which you can buy at most larger convenience stores and at Pyeongtaek station too at a store called Storyway.

You just hold your card up to the white square on the scanner above the cash box.

Most Koreans don't even take their card out of their wallet, bag, etc. (but there can't be many layers between the card and the scanner).

Also, you want to scan your card again when you get off. If you get on another bus within 30 minutes (I think that's the time limit), it will only charge you part of the amount as a "transfer fee."

Here is AK Plaza! And Pyeongtaek train station!

Thankfully, you can see it coming on the bus, so it's easy to tell when you need to get off ;)

When you cross from the bus station, make sure you watch out for buses and taxis!

There are also usually some vendors along here. It is my goal not to accumulate junk while I am here ;) so I haven't bought anything.

Also, notice there are lots of bicycles used around here!

There is parking for vehicles on the other side of the building.

This confuses lots of people. If you drive there, you have to go THROUGH AK to get to all the restaurants and shops on the other side.

If you arrive on the bus, do NOT go through AK Plaza to go out into the city!

To get up to the train station and the rest of the shopping (besides the basement grocery store), you have to go up that mountain of stairs or ride the super cramped escalator. 

This older man is usually posted here at the bottom of the escalator.

His tunes aren't complex, but he is always there! He seems to be such a steady presence that even we expect him to be there whenever we go to AK! (which he usually is ;)

Yeah, I'm really not sure why they don't have more escalators ;)

Near the bus terminal are these machines. 

This is where you can purchase a train ticket or you can reload your T money card. 

You can choose to see the menus in English, which is a HUGE help ;)

You just place your card in the red slot near my husband's hand and choose to reload money card.

You can put various amounts on your card.

Each bus ride is approximately 1200 won per adult, so keep that in mind when considering how much to put on your card. You can also use your card in some taxis and some convenience stores (haven't done that yet though).

Around the corner is a small Daiso, lots of inexpensive things from kitchen accessories to organizational baskets. Across from Daiso is the escalator up into the shopping levels.

Sorry if this is unclear...will have to take more photos...we mainly wander around, looking thoroughly American and extremely uncertain ;) 

Now, up to the roof and you find a garden area. It is winter and it is raining, so we tried not to judge it and plan to return when it warms up!

One level down is a movie theater (unfortunately the prices are almost as high as the US!) and an arcade (apparently). We missed the arcade on our last visit. That is easy to do considering this place is very spread out and the escalators are scattered all over the place.

Around the corner you find a kid's play place, so if it's raining (like today) kiddos can burn some energy.

And you can participate in tarot reading. I don't know much about it, but I did find it interesting that these ladies had tables set up for interested shoppers ;)

From this high up you can see the "five fingers" of this area of Pyeongtaek.

You can see the five different streets that branch off here at the main bus stop at AK Plaza.

You have to pay attention to which "spoke" you're on, or it's easy to forget where that amazing place you love is located ;)

On the second spoke (road) from the left, you will find the McDonalds shown below. This is always easy to spot and good to keep track of, because here I can get on the 20 bus to head home! Otherwise it's easy to get on the bus going the wrong direction - you would still get there...it would just take a lot longer!

Oh and I'm proud to say, we have not had any McDonalds since being here!! ;)

Although, my husband does plan to eat some of the American chains for comparison's sake.

Floor 4 or 5 has food and other floors have shopping.

Will have to do another post when we've investigated more fully!

But we did check out the basement!!

There is lots going on down there.

We entered this area from the street level to the left of the escalator we normally take.

There were lots of places to eat down here. Every square inch of space is used in Korea. You don't have much privacy, but it's very efficient.

This little place had a sushi conveyor belt. You just pick up each of the plates you want and the color of each plate determines the price.

Here is the wine section! I love wine, but these were definitely above our normal price range - haha under $10 ;)

Many of these were 30,000 won ($30) or more.

Then we found this little bakery. Bakeries in Korea typically provide trays with wax paper on them and tongs to make your selections. Then you take your tray to the cashier and they bag up everything and you pay.  Some places have an English description, but many don't ;) It's definitely hit or miss.

They had lots of wonderful looking cakes too!!

Everything seemed very high end so lots of option, but a bit pricey too.

Well, that's our trip to AK Plaza. We plan to go back so keep watching for further information ;)

These are random pictures taken on our bus ride back home:

(This was downtown...lots of traffic and they are just protected by little orange cones...)

 (Hanbok - traditional Korean outfit)

 (I know Pyeongtaek was close to water, but this is the closest I've gotten...)

Thanks for reading!! I hope you enjoyed and God bless!

Desperate for...NOT Korean food

Desperate for...NOT Korean food

So.. one evening my husband and I were desperate for anything besides Korean food. 

We've been eating it a lot!

We really want to get to know the culture here, but sometimes you need a little something familiar ;)

We found a pizza place in Anjeong-ri (the local shopping village outside Camp Humphreys)!!

Lots of places must have heaters like this one below to keep the place warm!

Most places have glass walls and windows (so...very little insulation).

Hi! We were the only ones in there this night, but it was super cold and drizzly outside.

We could watch them making our pizza from our seat. They were using awesome fresh ingredients and made it all fresh when we ordered!

They had a nice little setup for each table. So simple and so nice isn't it?! 

 We kept it simple and just tried a pepperoni pizza...yes, they are under the cheese ;)

It was great flavor! The bottom wasn't very crispy which is my husband's favorite aspect of pizza.

Can't wait to try the cheese sticks!!

Haha this is just kind of funny...no copyright laws in Korea, so lots of places copy American names.

No, we did not go in. It looks super sketchy ;) and I'm not sure it's even open...

Well, that's all for this one! Short and sweet ;)

Korean BBQ in Seoul

Korean BBQ in Seoul

Weekend before last, hubby and I headed up to Seoul on Sunday to visit a friend. He is in South Korea for the scheduled military exercises and only had Sunday off for us to visit.

We took the 20 bus to AK Plaza in Pyeongtaek. It costs 1200 won per adult. I believe childrean are 750 won (which is roughly $0.75).

 Then we purchased tickets for a train to Seoul. The train ride is only about 50 minutes long!
The other option is the metro - it stops at a lot of small stations and takes longer.  Sometimes you have to get on different metro lines, depending on where you are going.

So, just a side note, if you get a ticket on a train, it doesn't mean you get a seat. There are two types of tickets: sitting and standing. There is a slight price difference.
Most people on trains are pretty quiet. Seems like many take advantage of a chance for a nap.

Hubby sat since he is recovering from plantar fasciitis  :)
But for the last part of the trip, I got a seat.
When people get off at their stop, their seat is up for grabs!

We arrived at Seoul Station!

 

 Then we took a taxi and since the driver didn't speak any English, that was an adventure! He didn't understand "Yongsan" or "Army base" so finally we tried "Itaewon." He got that one and on the way we were able to point out where we wanted to go.  We had to walk the final half mile, but we got there!

We met up at the Dragon Hill Lodge and headed out to Itaewon for lunch.

Yes, I know we just came from that direction, but our friend did not have communications, so we had to find him at a pre-determined location ;)

Well the day was overcast, but we still got a great view of Seoul Tower in the distance!

Itaewon was full of people. Here in the square there were lots of young teens skateboarding.

Cars in Korea are generally smaller, or at least more narrow, than cars in the states - the roads are more narrow and parking is always an issue ;)

This is the smallest car I have seen yet. I'm not sure if it is must for advertisement or if they actually use it! 

After a super steep climb, following signs for Namsan Park (I think...we never actually made it...) and found this amazing overlook at the Grand Hyatt Hotel parking lot. 

And it is amazing to think that only a fraction of Seoul can actually be seen from this picture!

 We passed by many interesting looking boutiques, including this one with a vintage bicycle on their sign...but notice the tiny wheel in the back!  Seems like it'd be easy to get a flat tire with that one...maybe that's why they don't make that kind any more...

We finally turned around. We were only halfway there and really not sure what would be at the end of our climb, so we enjoyed getting our cityscape pictures and headed back toward Yongsan. We weren't sure when the bus would be returning to Camp Humphreys. 

Better safe than sorry ~

We passed several embassies on our way back down - each waving their own flag!

It's amazing to think about all the international connections essential in a city of this size.

We weren't sure whether this was a vet, a kennel, a pet boutique or a restaurant (just kidding!), but this plastic pouch definitely caught my attention!

Then, we saw plenty of beautiful architecture!!

 This was a beautiful restaurant we passed.

Then we came across this Turkish entertainer.

He was serving a  sticky, taffy-like ice cream in vanilla, strawberry and chocolate.

The interesting part is the show he performs before he gives you the ice cream...amusing to watch when performed on children...annoying when you just want to take your ice cream and walk away ;)

Here below, you see as the ice cream server suspends an ice cream cone, attached to a metal stirring rod with the taffy-like ice cream, as he twists and turns the rod to keep the ice cream out of the child's reach.

This area was predominantly Turkish, including a grocery store!

We found a little Korean BBQ place to have lunch at!

This little restaurant was not busy, but a decent-size Korean group was partaking, so we figured it was safe ;)

It looks a little weird from the outside! We think the plastic siding is raised to get a breeze through in the summer...

I think they just use the plastic portion to commandeer some of the sidewalk for extra seating ;)

Funny story, hubby and I actually found this place (came recommended) a while back, but no one was inside...including staff...and we had no idea at the time what those large metal tubes were for.

We hadn't had Korean BBQ before.

Now we knew better!!

Korean BBQ places are characterized by tables with a hole in the middle for the fire and a vent pipe above. As you can see above, there are little basins in the middle of each table.

And below, a fire is places in the basin and a grate is placed on top.

Our friend really struggled with the chopsticks, but he persevered!

Our waitress/server (not sure what term they use here) was kind enough to attempt helping him even though she spoke very little English and we spoke almost no Korean.

Here you see the meat and whole garlic cloves placed on the grate. If the grate gets covered in burnt stuff, they will bring you a new grate and move your meat to a new grate.

Whole garlic cloves, grilled is so tasty!

When you order your meal, you typically order multiple meats - it never goes as far as it seems ;) or maybe it's just so delicious, we just eat more!

You have to order rice for each person separately - usually around 1,000 won (or $1 each).

You can usually order some kind of noodles, but we typically stick to rice ;)

All Korean BBQ meals come with a plethora of sides.

Usually some kind of kimchi - there are two kinds: cucumber kimchi and pickled cabbage kimchi.

I like the cucumber kind, which is spicy.

I'm not a fan of anything pickled, so I struggle with kimchi.

I keep trying it though! Maybe by the time we leave I'll like it!

Most places bring rice in little metal bowls with lids.

This place brought them in little rectangular, metal boxes. They were nifty ;)

A lot of places will take away your lid and most will not provide you an individual plate or dish.

Koreans often share all the sides and eat after one another.

I think the chopsticks help with this as there is less surface touching each item...course he have to be pretty good with them for this to help ;) 

Most places have some sort of shredded cabbage salad.

This one on the right had a ginger dressing that was really good!

On the left are bean sprouts and lettuce with hot pepper paste.

Koreans really like spicy food!

After eating we walked around a good bit!

Below: There are a lot of businesses that are underground! They look super sketchy from the street, but are typically well-lit and completely normal on the inside (except of course, no windows).

The first time I saw these, I really wondered if it was safe to go down there.

It definitely is, but be prepared for pushy Korean shop owners to try to convince you to buy their wares. 

This place even had a little bulldog mascot gathering attention outside their shop!

With a long bus ride back to Camp Humphreys still in store, we headed back to Yongsan and went in search of bus tickets.

One of these days, we are going to make it up to Seoul Tower! I'm determined. I've heard the view is great!!

I hope you've enjoyed our trip and God bless!!