Showing posts with label Honeymoon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Honeymoon. Show all posts

Honeymoon - Korea (IV)

Continuation from Honeymoon - Korea (III)


Day 7 (19th Nov 2006):

After bfast, checked out from the hotel, we headed straight for the Samsung Electronics building. Jason was keen of getting a handphone, so we went to check out the Samsung phones there. To our dismay, it's more ex than Msia. And they're selling in USD$! But it was cool trying out the phones there.

Next, we went to the Presidential Blue house. Cheong Wa Dae (or the Blue House) is the executive office and official residence of the South Korean head of state, the President of the Republic of Korea. Both the English and Korean names refer to the building's blue-green roof. We weren't allowed to take pictures beyong the fence. There were guards everywhere.

National Folk Museum was the next place that we visited. Big place. Basically it tells one the history of the Korean people. It is actually located inside Gyeongbok Palace. Also, at the back of the Korean 10,000 won note, you can see that the picture is actually Kyeonghoe-ru. It is designated as a National Treasure #224. Actually in plain terms, it's a banquet hall/ meeting hall. Read more on the link provided.

After lunch, we headed for the Amethyst Factory. And, there goes my wons. Bought a pair of earrings for my mum, and for myself, I bought a pendant and a handphone key-chain holder. It was not cheap. At the end of the trip, all our wons were used up, we even had to swipe card. :P Sadly, couldn't take pictures there because it's not allowed. Same goes for the Ginseng shop.

We went to Dongdaemon for a little shopping. Next before going on to Lotte World, we dropped by a night market, which I have forgotten the name. We got the famous ice-cream (super tall one & imagine eating ice-cream in cold weather? Syiok!) and hurried over to get KFC for Lotte World because food in there is super ex. We sat on the super geng roller coaster which we queued for 45 minutes for it. It's something we've never experienced before.

Cool! Before going back, we went to Walker Hill Casino for a little while. It's a very different atmosphere altogether compared to the Gentings casino because it has very few people! And the place isn't full of smoke! Can breathe!

We reached the hotel at almost about to midnight. Sleepy and tired.. zZzzZzzzzzz....



Day 8 (20th Nov 2006):

The last day of the tour. So sad. :( Early in the morning, after bfast at the hotel, we headed for the Village of Traditional Houses in Namsan Valley. They have all kinds of traditional houses here. And as what the tour guide mentioned, the height of the houses represents the status of the people staying in there. Rather cool. And, found out in those days, when they made kimchi, they kept it in a clay pot, bury it under ground for about 100 days. No fridge in those days. :)

Next, we went on a cruise for seagull feeding. This was quite interesting. They fed on Rota. Haha. Birds eating junk food. And the way they actually can scoop down and pick the food up is really amazing. God's creation.

After lunch, we headed back to the Seoul - Incheon International Airport, and said our last goodbyes to the tour guide. He was a great, humble and nice guy.
And yeah, at the airport, they had this robot thingy to entertain kids. So Cool! And it's all by Samsung. Sigh... Korea.... Am wishing I could go back there again.. especially during spring time to watch the cherry blossoms... :) Goodbye Korea, till we meet again.



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Honeymoon - Korea (III)

Continuation from Honeymoon - Korea (II)


Day 6 (18th Nov 2006) :

The next morning, after a hearty bfast at the hotel, we left for theme park, Everland. The journey was rather long from the hotel. But anyway, we were warmly greeted by the park attendants there and they were wearing very nice costumes! The entrance fee was approximate RM100 for 5 rides only!

The first thing that caught my attention was the 25m tall Christmas tree. It was early Nov, but the Christmas decor was everywhere! And they call it, the Christmas Fantasy. After we went back to Msia, no decor at all. So potong stim. Hehehe.

First up, we went to the Safari. According to our tour guide, he said, in this lifetime, we have to see something that perhaps, won't exist again. He said that this is because, we have to see "liger". It's basically a breed of tiger + lion. So happened, these 2 mated, and produced 2 cubs. One with a lion head, but tiger body, and the other, vice-versa. We managed to get a glimpse of it, where the one with the lion head, had faded tiger striped body. We waited for about 45 minutes before it was our turn for the trip around. But while waiting, they provided screens of the safari and the number of animals in the safari, etc. They even had heater fans!

After that we went round and were greeted by some bears on our left. One came so close to the bus we're in, that most of us automatically went to the other side of the bus. It was huge. When it stood, it was the height of the bus. But, they were gentle. The driver asked them to sing and dance, and one even pulled out its tongue at us. So cute!

We went on river rafting after that. And we got wet! While waiting for our turn (mainly to entertain kids), there were two "elves" singing and dancing in their suits. Very nice! No chance to take a pic because all our stuffs were in the bag. Scared get wet.

The rest, we went for their 4D movie while waiting for the parade to start. The parade was so elaborate! And it was pretty cool because they had Disney characters in it too. After that, we went for a coaster ride. Also had to wait for about half and hour. But it was a good one. Still, the one in Lotte World was the best.

That night, we had Korean chicken ginseng rice + soup for dinner. After checking in to the hotel, we went out and roam a little. That's when we bought some hot stuffs from the hawker shops nearby.




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Honeymoon - Korea (II)

Continuation from Honeymoon - Korea (I)


Day 4 (16th Nov '06):

The next morning, after our last bfast in the hotel in Jeju Island, we went to Gimpo Airport and flew back to Seoul. Took about 45 mins ~ 1hr. We then proceed to the kimchi school. There's a row of plates with the cabbage and chili paste lined up in the kitchen. Next, the "teacher" taught us how to fold. Basically, you need to put in the chili paste in between the cabbage leaves. After that, there is a technique to fold the cabbage and "lock" it, like a knot. Next, they will put this for 10 days for it to preserve, then it's ready to eat. Modern days, they put it in a fridge. Olden times, they put this in the clay pot and bury it underground for a longer period of time. Once done, we were then given a chance to wear the traditional costume, also called the "hanbok". After taking pictures, we proceeded to the next destination.

Next was the Korean War Memorial Hall, where we took a few pictures of those vehicles used during the war, such as the tankers, submarine, fighter jet, etc. It has so many stuffs on exhibition and it is a huge place. And, the weather suddenly plunged lower.. Not sure how cold it was, but cold enough for us to wear our gloves. It was chilly cold.

After that, we were on our way to Nami Island. Quite a distance, and through out the journey there, most of us slept. :) We had to take a ferry there, and on the way, it was such a nice scenery.. with autumn trees at the backdrop.. very nice.. And of course, we took some pics of winter sonata... practically everywhere there has some pics of the famous actor and actress, Bae Yong-Jun and Choi Ji-Woo... Ahh.. Blogging about this, makes me wanna go back for a visit again. :P

Next, we had dinner, and it was like fried rice? But it's mixed. First, they had the dishes on the hotplate. Next you stir and fry it.. Once done, they put in the rice in it, and eggs.. and mixed them all up together.. and ta daa.. it's like fried rice. Just like the ones we see in movies (Full House, Beautiful Days), they have this part where you mix everything in the steel bowl. And eat it from there.

After that, we went to our hotel, and it was so cool. The toilet bowl had a remote control thingy. You even can have a butt massage. Hehehe.. The best part was, the wooden floor was heated. Yay. It was real cold. Jason went for sauna with the tourist guide in the hotel. It's seperated for guys and gals. They have drinks, you can read, watch tv and so on while in sauna. The details, you have to ask him himself. But I guess it was a good one since I saw him so refreshed after the sauna. Then it was zZzzzzz....



Day 5 (17th Nov '06):



The next morning, we were on our way to Mt. Sorak. A mountaineous area. And the weather was so cold even though the sun was shining at our faces. We had to climb up, the same as we did for the other one, Sunrise Peak. After that, we were on it, it was a bit scary though, as there were no barriers or fences on the sides of cliff. Took a slow walk down, and after that, prepared ourselves for lunch :)

It was rather a long way back to the ski resort hotel that we're supposed to stay, about 3-4 hours? Can't remember anyway coz we were sleeping in the bus. Hehehe. We had early dinner, and went to the hotel after that. On the way to the hotel, we saw snow! And yes, at the R&R, I went down from the bus, took off my gloves and touched it. Like ais kacang. Hehehe. Upon checking in, before we even reached the hotel we saw the ski slopes from afar and we all got very excited.. hehehhee.. So cool!. We stayed at the Hotel Phoenix Park. And after checking in, we went tour around the hotel and its grounds. Very huge place. And oh, since it just started snowing (off & on), they had to generate snow from a machine so that people can start skiing. We didn't ski because it was expensive... and pretty scary if you don't know how to.

And, the tour leader was kind enough to let us have the room with the ski slope as the view.. He knew we were on honeymoon. Hehehe. And yes, that night, it was a 5* hotel. We slept on tatami, on the floor. The wooden floor was of course heated. There is a bowling alley, a small super mart and other stuffs. Can't remember what it was. We bought a bottle of sake, and drank it in our room. My throat almost burnt! But it felt good after that because it was really cold outside. Had a good rest and was ready for the next day. :)


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Honeymoon - Korea (I)

Have been wanting to blog about this for a long time.. I hope I do remember the details. :) More pics on My Multiply. :)


Day 1 & 2 (13th & 14th Nov '06):

After MBC studios, we left for Jeju Island after lunch


Departed for Seoul at 12.15am. Had the whole day to prepare to pack for the trip. At least, had one day buffer to prepare, else, it'll be more rush. Reached the Seoul-Incheon International Airport at around 7.00 am (Korean local time. It is an hour ahead of Msia). At touchdown and upon checking out, I saw these nice cacti garden just after the checking out counter. Couldn't resist taking a pic there. Hehehe. After that, we met up with the tour guide ( A Msian tour leader followed us), who is Korean national, married a China national wife, also, previously was studying in China for 9 years. So, it was a Mandarin-speaking tour. (Jason was my tour-guide the rest of the trip - I promised myself that I will send my kids to Chinese national school in future. It's a must! :P ).


We managed to get a tour bus by ourselves, and so... first destination was MBC Studios, the official shooting site for the Korean drama series, DaeJangGeum. It is somewhere near Seoul, but we had to travel about half an hour or so. Can't remember. Opps.. It was cold. It was 6degC once we stepped out of the airport. After lunch, we head straight for Jeju Island. Also known as honeymoon island. Nehhh... hehehe.. Anyway, upon reaching Gimpo Airport, we had a bus on our own, and straight, we went round the island and finally to our hotel in Jeju City.


After a sumptuous dinner of steamboat, yummy hot soup, Korean rice... and kimchi.. we went walking around near the hotel where there is a shopping haven. The whole streets (comprises of 4 streets with a crossroad in the middle) are all shops, selling knick-knacks.. and, we found there was an underground mall. Wow. So we went underground because it was warmer there, and a few of our tour group members bought nice boots. Very cool boots. Shoes, bags, clothes. And I just love their hair accessories. Bought a pin for myself, and a few more for my nieces. Too ex to buy more. But they are beautiful. Sigh... After that, went back to hotel and zZzzz..nice and cosy.. the hotel didn't have a heater though. :(



Day 3 (15th Nov '06):

Check it out. Practically went to all parts of Jeju island... in the bus!


The next morning, after breakfast in the hotel, we went to Dragon Head Rock (Yongdu-am). It is a large, unusual rock formation that is shaped like the head of a dragon. It is made of basalt (lava) and was shaped by the wind and waves over the centuries.

After taking some pictures there, we moved on to Tamla Mok Seok Won. Literally meaning, "Trees and Stones Academy" which display trees and stones of Jeju. Everything here is made of trees and stones. Even as we entered, the ticket booth has no nail, or screw. Everything wood. So cool. Read up on the link provided. It's so cool that they can create a story just out of stone and trees.

Next up was the Seongsan Sunrise Peak. We had to climb up the 182m to get a full view. And it was really worth the climb up. It had a spectacular and breathtaking view. It was cold, but we had to take off our outer coats as we were sweating! Coming down after that was chilly as the winds were blowing quite fast. And... at the foothill, we enjoyed the bbq-honey-pork-satay. It was yummy. :)

On the way to the Seongup Folklore Village, we passed by orange orchards. Loads of them! Everywhere in Jeju Island, we find people even planting it at the back of their yard. But, it's sour. :(. We bought a crate of oranges, and everyone in the bus shared. Not cheap though. Anyway, when we reached the folk village, we were greeted by a lady, who speaks very good Mandarin... Later to find out she's from China, married a Korean. She did explain how to call each and everyone using the their folklore language. "Wang Ba li" - married men. "Neng Ba Li" - married women. The rest, I forgot. Hahaha. And also, at the entrance of the house, they have 3 log wood across. And the placement of the log-wood represents different meanings to the situation at home. Whether are visitors welcomed, or no one is at home, or the men is in, women went out to the fields, and so on. So cool. At the end of the trip, they just wanted to promote their horse leg powder - good for arthritis and source of calcium, and honey. We bought the honey. :) Oh yeah, and it was my first time seeing a real live black pig. And we ate bbq black pork after that. The smell was strong, but it was nice, as it is eaten with fresh lettuce, wrapped up.

Some phrases taught by the tourist guide, we've forgotten... But I can remember this "Ahning hae sae-yo" - I love you. Hehehe... After lunch, we travelled to the famous waterfalls, Cheonjiyeon Waterfalls. It was also a very scenic place. Pictures you may see on postcards. Also our first time seeing eels swimming in the pond. Eerie. And they had lots of love ducks. Very cute, and always in pairs. Nice place to pak-tor. After a tiring day, we had dinner and was on our way back. On the way back, we stopped at this place called the Ghost Road. At the bottom of the hill it's a short stretch of road, our bus driver stopped the bus. He put the gear on neutral and switched off the engine. Slowly, the bus began to move backwards. He did it again. And the same thing happened. Weird. No one can explain. After that, went back to hotel, went "shopping" around, then slept. Cold & cosy. Hehehe.



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