Daegu

A night in Seoul to rest was enough for us to head out to Daegu the next day. We took the KTX (similar to the bullet train) utilising our three day pass (approx. $50; this was day 2, day 1 was Busan). You can use this pass as much as you like on the KTX within the 3 day span, and would have worked out to be economically cheaper than separate tickets. The only downfall was that you'd have to use it in three consecutive days. There were also one day and 7 day passes (and more) alongside group and student discounts which were really worth it. What I suggest is, if you know you're going to be traveling everywhere especially to see the mountains, temples, beaches and what not all around Korea, the KR pass is the way to go. You can find out more on the KR site here. I didn't really get the chance to explore the bigger picture of Korea, but I would love to go back to go hiking and to experience food specialties of each and every town in Korea.



We didn't really know where we were going in Daegu because there was hardly any massive crowds on the streets like we would see in Busan or Seoul. I don't know if it was the chills, or the day, but once we reached the market, all we saw were locals scattered here and there, not little, but not a lot. There markets mainly sold dried food like nuts, anchovies, etc, and also home ware products. An ajumma haven.



Upon filing along the several aisles, we found ourselves in an abundance of outdoor street food stalls and tents.



It was pretty cold so we hit up two snack tents, the one above being the second. It was so oozy and warm inside these heated plastic covers, my bottom just started melting on the seats. Ahh, the defrosting. Upon entering, we were intimated or just lost as to how to order for food. Do we order first then sit? Or do we sit then order? We couldn't understand them, they couldn't understand us. God, the language barriers! This is obviously what makes traveling all the more exciting, trying to decipher another language and spilling out gibberish as a result. Though one friend who knew a bit of Korean was such a life saver, she knew how to order food in Korean and read Korean. Phew. I only knew some Korean by ear, especially the names of food and common phrases, which I'd learnt from Korean dramas and variety shows.



Left: Dukbokki. The famous dish of Korea. These rice cakes simmered in slightly sweetened chilli paste mixed with anchovy stock and flat fish cakes,hold a gooey yet spongy texture, totally soft, and fill your stomach just like that!
Right: Knife-cut noodles. I can't remember what ingredients these hand-made noodles were served with, except bok choy as you can see, but the warmth in every mouthful reached from the buds of my tongue to the ends of my tummy. Thank god for soup noodles on days like these.



Left: Fish cake. This is the other common street food after dukbokki. It is (I think) processed fish made into a paste, then flattened into sheets. They are then deep-fried, frozen/refrigerated until they are ready to be skewered, then boiled in anchovy broth. They are usually sitting in the broth in front of you for self service. Beware though, some stalls have you paying for it first so control that sneaky hand before you get scolded by ajummas. You can even drink from the large pot of broth using a scoopy-bowl. I liked these ones in Daegu, but they were a little weak on the flavour. I would've preferred a stronger broth.
Right: Thin sliced pancakes dressed in some soy-sauce based sauce and seasoned with chilli and spring onions. These were okay. I didn't particularly enjoy so much the pasty texture of these pancakes, and plus, it lacked flavour.



All in all, I could put a smile on my face as I was full and warm, on $3! Though the warmth only lasted a split second after revealing my face to the world again. There was really no reason for us to be in Daegu anymore, we couldn't find anything special, and it was freaking cold, so we opted to head back home. The photo above is just a part of the lovely snowy landscape we passed by on the KTX.