The dog days of summer are officially here. Sulking over the hot weather is not going to make your day any better. Don't confine yourself in your bedroom; find some hot places to beat the heat!
"A Towsome Place" Cake Classes
Ever wanted to bake your own customized cake but didn't know how to? You don't need to be a professional pastry chef to bake your own cake. And you definitely don't have to wrestle with all sorts of baking tools and flying ingredients. Gently place the whisk back in the cupboard and head out to a nearby desert cafe. From 2003, the franchise desert cafe, "A Twosome Place" has been holding "Twosome Cake" classes for people who wish to make their own cakes. The participation fee is 28,000won. You must make reservations by phone or visit the place in person. Total participants will be 8 people for one class and each class will have two to three pastry chefs to guide you through the course. The cake sheets are prebaked for you, but the rest is up to you to finish the cake. It takes about 2 hours to complete the cakes. Since the class dates vary among different locations, you should check out the "A Twosome Place" homepage online and find your location and date to make reservations.
Ice Gallery
It's getting hotter by the day and still a few weeks away from the rainy season. You are already drenched with sweat by the time you arrive at school. Summer season is really starting to drive you crazy. Don't worry, though. There is a place in Seoul where it's winter all year round. Located in Hwa Dong, Jongro Gu, Seoul 138-7, "Ice Gallery" is a place where you can experience winter in the midst of a sweltering hot summer. It is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., but final admission ends at 8 p.m. Gather a couple of friends after school and visit the ice gallery. Because it's below 5 degrees Celsius, be sure to wear sneakers or bring a pair to change from your flip flops. You can borrow jackets at the gallery. The admission fee is 7,000 won.
Thanks Nature Cafe
What happens when sheep meet a cafe? You get "Thanks Nature Cafe". Baa, Baa. Two furry white balls greet you at the entrance of the cafe, located at the basement of SeoGyo Prugio Shopping Center in Hongdae. The sheep are from a sheep ranch in Daegwanryeong; they stay outside the cafe until they grow into adult sheep. Although the sheep spend a majority of time digging in their food bowl munching on straws, they give out the low "Baa Baa" noises once in a while. Feeding times are assigned, during which customers can feed the sheep in person. With the whole theme being centered on "sheep", the cafe is full of sheep and sheep-related ornaments. Pleasant surprises await you at "Thanks Nature Cafe," so don't hesitate to visit.
Mi-rae So-nyeon Cafe
You've met the sheep, now we have donkeys. At "Mi-rae So-nyeon" Cafe in Shinsa Dong, you can see two little donkeys wearing cute little scarves around their necks. They are very docile, causing no harm to customers. The donkeys are from a donkey ranch in Yangpyeong County. Because the donkeys are so popular, you must make a reservation before coming to the cafe. Don't miss out on the donkey parade that you can see at every 4 p.m. on Garosu gil. "Mi-rae So-nyeon" Cafe opens from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch time and 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. for dinner time. The place transforms from a cafe to a pub during the dinner time.
To-chon Cafe
Moving on, we have birds. "To-chon," a cafe in China Town, Incheon, is famous for its wide array of birds. The cafe itself is more like a park, with 150 different species of birds freely flying across the cafe. First opened in 2004, it is a traditional cafe, where you can enjoy various kinds of tea. There is also a huge aquarium where you can see sturgeon, Amazon catfish, and Korean fresh water crayfish swimming around in the water.
Homemade Ice Cream
What better way to endure the scorching summer heat than to enjoy a bowl of frigid and delicious ice-cream? Here is an easy recipe you can follow to make ice-cream in only 5 minutes. All you need is sugar, milk, Nesquik, 2 plastic bags (one smaller than the other), a bowl of ice cubes, and salt. Follow the directions below and you'll be surprised to find that you have whipped up an ice cream when you've spent a grand total of 5 minutes.
1. Pour 2 cups of milk, 1 Tsp of sugar, and 3 Tsp of Nesquik into a bowl. Using either a spoon or a whisk, start blending the mixture until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
2. Pour the mixture into a plastic bag. Then, fill a bigger plastic bag with ice cubes and add 2 Tsp of salt.
3. Place the smaller plastic bag into the ice filled bag and shake for about 3 minutes.
4. Take out the smaller plastic bag and serve the final result in a nice bowl. You'll notice that the liquid mixture has turned into a nice ball of chocolate ice-cream.