I had the chance to talk again onstage for Korea Tourism Organization in Manila's biggest event of the year at the Glorietta Makati's activity center. This is the fourth time I spoke for them, the first I can still remember was in 2018 at the Mind Museum!
I really love working with KTO as they always acknowledge my Korea travels. Traveling to Korea is so big now, so I will forever be grateful whenever they choose my travel stories. :")
The stage segment was a bit similar to last year's, with the set-up at the center of the mall. There was no need for me to prepare slides or a presentation, but will just be interviewed by the host. As with most interview segments, KTO sent me the set of possible questions so I can check them prior the event. Posting here the outline I made while trying to answer them.
(This year's host was singer-Youtuber Jinho Bae)
So, Ana, can you briefly introduce yourself to everyone, especially for those who do not know yet about your social media, can you tell us a bit about its contents?
Hello everyone! I am Ana Gonzales, or @anagon on Instagram. If you go there now I have a little giveaway on my recent post mga official BTS posters, unsealed ASTRO album, and some BTS V pillows.. Hope you can follow me there join the giveaway! Just post anything about my talk on you IG Story, tag me and KTO, and invite your friends to also go here in Glorietta till tomorrow for the Korea Festival! That’s it! I’ll give agad your prize at the end of the segment so you have to be here in Glorietta.
Photo with the winners after my stage segment:
Moving on, I also have a blog called www.anagonzales.com so more of sulat sulat sya, not video. And I had it for more than 10 years na! It started as a personal blog, then a bit about my travels, but since I got into the Korean wave in 2016, I also post about my Korean trips and mga fan meetings and shows I have been to. I hope you will visit my blog or Instagram for my fan girling contents!
Last year, we heard about your journey on how you started being a Hallyu fan, this time we would like to know more about how you’ve been during these 2 years of no Korea trip, like how did you keep the side of you being a Hallyu fan?
Alam mo before, since most of my entertainment budget goes to travel, I rarely buy yung mga Kpop or Kdrama merch. But these past two years, grabe UNBOXING is key! Haha! Merch life and mamahaling papel is life! Super napapahappy ako everytime may bagong lapag yung favorite groups ko, or yung mga favorite kdrama ko.
Aside from that, I also got into food deliveries and Korean groceries. Pag misss na miss ko na traveling in Korea, dinadaan ko sa food! So I order tteokbokki, or kimbap..alam mo yan lalo kakapanood ng Kdrama lalo ako nag ccrave kahit for Kimchi! I also “attend” the online concerts of my fave groups or actors, and siguro ang isa din na nagpa busy sakin was enrolling for hangul class.
Selfie at the backstage before entering the stage:
Recently, you’ve attended a lot of K-Artist concerts here in the Philippines, can you share with us your experiences?
I am super happy when they first announced na magkaka shows na uli dito sa Pilipinas. Parang yung namiss natin nung 2 years, bawing bawi naman mashado mga mi parang every month may ganap! But I am thankful and excited, I super missed being in one venue with fellow fan girls and boys to see our idols. So the first one I watched since the doors opened is si Kim Soo Hyun 김수현, Rowoon 로운, Yugyeom ìœ ê²¸, and NCT 127!
Have you visited Korea after it opened its border again last June 1?
Alam mo funny story I was really waiting for this nung lumuluwag na ang travel restrictions. May travel funds na ako for it--iponging is life, but nainip ang ate nyo so I booked for a solo trip sa first country na nag open which is SG. And the day na pauwi nako yun nga June 1, biglang nalaman ko na pwede na mag Korea e ubos na ang iponing natin hahaha!
Anyway, it’s still summer season so naisip ko okay nadin, I usually go to Korea pag yung season na wala sa atin dito sa Pilipinas. So now I am preparing for an upcoming autumn trip this October!
Now that Korea has opened its border again, what are the places you’re planning to visit and why do you want to go there?
Eto nga nag pplan na ako ng autumn trip, and it won't be my solo trip, I’ll be with friends and most of them mga co-ARMY. So mostly mga BTS pilgrimage kami, and personally nilagay ko talaga sa itinerary naming yun Pohang for Kdrama locations of Hometown Cha Cha Cha. I really want to see what’s new din in the city, but still visit kahit onting provinces during our stay. Aside from Pohang, babalik ako ng Busan for the BTS concert! But also mag side trip nadin since andun nadin naman. Baka may recommendations ka? :D
Line to try the hanbok Korean traditional costume; I tried the Hometown Cha Cha Cha VR, taking me to places in Pohang--the Kdrama's shooting location:
Ilang beses ka na nga ulit nakapunta sa Korea and saan-saan?
Mga around 10x na! So aside from Seoul, I also went to different provinces in my every trip. Parang hindi kumpleto sakin if I just stay sa city. So far I've been to Busan, Daegu, Jeonju, Sokcho, Incheon, Yeosu, Jeju, Gwangju, etc.
Wow, ang dami naman! Super expert ka na siguro noh? So, Ana, since you’ve been to Korea a lot of times, do you have places or food you would like to recommend to our audience here? Especially for those who’ll be visiting Korea for the first time, can you give them some tips?
Siguro for Korea travel tips, first is plan your trip na may magandang season. Alam natin na supppper ganda ng Korea regardless sa season, but super bonus din if you go na weather is good or tipong hindi yun yung usual natin nakikita in our tropical country. So that’s winter, autumn, and spring in korea. And then you make your itinerary out of it. Like if winter, go on ski places, pag autumn or spring mga parks…picnic sa Han River.
Busking and The Painters during KTO' Korea Festival made me feel I am back in Korea again:
Then second tip, visit places outside of seoul. Thing ko talaga yung nag pupunta ng provinces nila. But if Seoul centered yung trip nyo, aside from going to tourist locations like the palaces and Everland theme parks or Nami Island, you can also try very Korean activities like Pojangmacha, Jjimjilbang, and Noraebang. I also took classes before, so nag Kimchi making class nako saka Kpop dance class!
Lastly it is also doable to go to Korea on a budget. There are food options, accommodations that are budget friendly, and also yung transportation system nila is very intense so it’s easy to go around via bus or train.
-END-
My segment ended with the classic Filipino game called Pinoy Henyo, where I tried guessing Korea-related stuff under the categories K-Food, K-Event, K-Pop, and K-Drama. It was so fun and really tested my Korea knowledge in front of KTO's huge audience that day. :) Parang first time ko nag laro nito with a big audience? Haha! It was fun!
After the talk, I spent the rest of the day with my friends who visited me to support. We went around KTO booths, tried the different games, and took lots of photos! Sharing photos to end this post, and again, THANK YOU for listening and appreciating my Korea travel stories! Excited to add new Korea memories that I can share from my upcoming autumn trip!
The games we played were very RUN BTS!
Thank you for being there, chingudeul! It was an even fun afternoon!
Follow Korea Tourism Organization Manila Office on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/koreatourismmanila
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