Friday, March 21, 2014

My 11 Days In Korea; 8 Days With Hong Thai

ANNYEONGHASEYO!!!
I AM FINALLY BLOGGING ABOUT MY TRIP TO KOREA!!!
(Date: 27 March 2014)

It's been a week since I got back, but I'm finally sitting my ass down to do up this entry today because...... I've been trying to recover from my jet-lag. HAHAHAHAHAHA!! Okay, bullshit. Korea is just an hour ahead of Singapore. I've just been extremely lazy to sort, edit and arrange the thousand over pictures I've taken over the span of eleven days. Besides, I've also been patiently waiting for our photographer to email me the few pictures he took of us............... It's been a week and still no email. Hai.

ANYWAYZ!!! Better late than never, right? xD
ps: I'm going to cheat and schedule this entry 21st March anyway! hehehe.

Because I have over a thousand pictures, and, knowing how livejournal has a limit to the length of each entry, I've broken up the experience into a few parts there and two parts in here (4 Days Free & Easy)!!!

Click click >>> for my broken up account if one long entry is too much for you:
Part 1 - Arrival at Jeju-do and visiting Trickeye Museum, Ice Gallery
Part 2 - Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, Seongeup Village, Teddy Bear Museum, Eating Live Octopus
Part 3 - Hanbok, Everland, Snowy Night
Part 4 - More snow!, Temple visit
Part 5 - Nami Island, Lotte World, Ginseng Chicken
Part 6 - Free & Easy, Cat Cafe, Gyeongbokgung, Dog Cafe, Myeongdong
Part 7 - Temple visit, Coex Aquarium, N Seoul Tower
Part 8 - Departure Home!!

We were supposedly there for 11 days, but it would seem as though we were there for 12. Truth is, it was technically 7 days with Hong Thai but they included the midnight flight to Korean as day one. -,- #justsaying

Okaaay,,, before I go on to spam this entry with pictures, here's just a quick run-down about my wonderful vacation. HEHEHE.

✿✿✿

First off, I won't describe or remember this vacation in Korea as the most perfect or the best vacation yet...... Because, there were drastic ups and downs throughout the 11 days. In fact, this entire Korea experience seem to be filled with a roller coaster of emotions; Like... just in our planning phase we were already arguing about going with tour or on our own. Talked about it here. Lol.

Well, I'm glad we had the best of both worlds. :D

ANYWAY!! Even though it was a crazily awesome and fun vacation, there were almost as many upset/frustrating/unhappy episodes. Looking back, I wonder why I was so easily frustrated with my parents. :/ There was definitely something wrong with me; I behaved horribly towards them half the time. I got upset whenever they were unenthusiastic (in regards to taking pictures or at a place/activity) and whenever my Dad's stomach shuts off from Korea's food, which is 90% of the time. (Yes, my dad doesn't like Korea)

I end up giving myself and my parents a hard time whenever I get annoyed by those trivial things. :/ Damn stupid. I was aware but I couldn't control or stop myself. Tssssk. My screwed up head was the only imperfection throughout the entire vacation.

That's that.

Ultimately, it was still a very very very good vacation with the family.
AND FYEAHHH, IT WAS KOREA!!!!

Korea. Korea. Korea.
Korea is the furthest country the family has traveled to, together.
Korea is the first country that the family is visiting for more than a week!
Korea is the first country that the family has went on tour.
Korea is the first cold country the family has visited.
Korea is the first country the family HAS EXPERIENCED SNOW!!!

The entire vacation was very surreal. I couldn't believe I was finally in Korea until the third day! Not that Korea is a country I've always dream to visit... But, I've watched too many Korean dramas and variety shows that I couldn't believe I was actually going to visit the place. It was like... going to break all kinds of fantasy I have of the country. Does that make sense?

Then again, no fantasies were broken. It still doesn't feel like I've visited Korea. Hahahaha. I can't wait to go on another vacation in Korea! The second time free and easy so I can really explore the place.

OKAY OKAY, I've just scrolled up to see how much nonsense I've typed. Let's just move on to pictures and I'll rant along!

OH OH! Before I go on, I'm extremely glad that we got to experience a real cold country. Lol. The weather was very good throughout the 11 days (less our Everland day where it rained. pfft) and the average temperature was 15°C to 7°C. When we went to the skii resort, the lowest was -7°C!!! AND IT SNOWED IT SNOWED!!! It was insanely cold but I LOVED IT!!! Hehehe.

Lastly ah, I don't think I've taken a lot a lot of pictures throughout my vacation. Most pictures are selfies also. :x I think I was too shy to spam photos uh. Like... to go around snapping while the group was together. I was already shy to snap every meal we had. Lol. I didn't get to take much pictures of our hotel lobbies also! So.... I don't think I can remember all the hotels we've stayed in. >< Also because our tour guide usually bring us to one spot and stop us from taking pictures on the way; So by the time we were given our free time to explore, I won't get to head back to take pictures. -,- Boo.

It's okay, I'm going back to Korea. ;)

✿✿✿

ღDay 1: Flight to Seoulღ

 photo P1020775_zps83632b75.jpg

 photo P1020777_zps9fbbddde.jpg  photo P1020778_zps1e8176c8.jpg  photo P1020791_zps5f2476f0.jpg

 photo P1020787_zpsab0d1865.jpg

 photo P1020792_zps49276c03.jpg

 photo P1020794_zpsc77d2f8d.jpg

 photo P1020795_zpsdf705d06.jpg

 photo P1020796_zps07e2e4e4.jpg

 photo P1020797_zps2fb95300.jpg

 photo P1020798_zps1afa048f.jpg  photo P1020800_zps65ef8403.jpg  photo P1020799_zpsdd01b618.jpg
Waiting to board!

 photo P1020801_zpsa69f69ad.jpg  photo P1020802_zpse77e4f08.jpg  photo P1020803_zps20b1829f.jpg  photo P1020804_zps0b8dab83.jpg
On-board Korean Air!

I like how smooth their landing and taking off were, we can hardly feel it.
But, their airplanes are quite noisy. Lol.
When we were going to Korea, we had one of the prettiest air stewardess too! HEHEHEH.
Their uniform makes them look very professional, but it looks uncomfortable. Like... full formal wear.

 photo P1020805_zps0ae679e2.jpg
&WE WERE ALMOST THERE!!!

I didn't take out my camera to take pictures of the food. :x But for "breakfast", we had omelette! It tasted normal luh.

Because it was a midnight flight, it is wise to sleep throughout the flight. Duh. But of course, how is it possible to get good sleep when you're thousand miles up in the air and seated in Economy Class?! I manage to sleep quite a bit (I think) but my mother and sister barely rested.

✿✿✿

ღDay 2: Arrival → Jeju-doღ

 photo P1020809_zps5acdb896.jpg
WE'VE ARRIVED, WE'VE ARRIVED, WE'VE ARRIVED!!!

 photo P1020810_zps695962c8.jpg
Here's my sister taking out scarves and other wears for the cold weather!
We also manage to wash up in the toilet. Hooray to no breakouts and bad complexion!!

It was freaking cold when we exited the airport to search for our bus.
I was extremely excited when I felt the cold breeze!

And I got even more excited when I exhaled; there were "smoke" coming out of my mouth!!!

 photo P1020811_zps32352f35.jpg
Some fruit stall opposite the restaurant where we had lunch.

We were on our way to Gimpo Airport for our flight to Jeju Island, and dropped by somewhere near the airports for lunch.

 photo P1020812_zpsbf874b08.jpg
My first and few random shots of Korea.
&That's Sharon. We were still strangers until the 4th day of our tour.

But but but, we have a small funny episode. Both of us turn out to know Jasmine. Hahahha!! Jasmine as in Jasmine from MCBI! Super coincidental!

She first updated her Facebook with a picture taken in our skii resort. And then, I updated my Instagram with a picture of me in the same skii resort. Jasmine commented and asked about my trip only to realise that both her ex-colleagues were in the same group! Thereafter, Sharon and I became closer. Hehehe.

Actually, the entire tour group got closer and opened up to one and other after the 5th day. I guess because we were all there with our own family and group, it took us slower to become friends? :3

 photo P1020813_zpse6cc5646.jpg

 photo P1020814_zps7c78e6b1.jpg

 photo P1020815_zpsaa67e6a6.jpg

 photo P1020818_zps090335ab.jpg
Lunch place!

Most of the restaurants we visited with the group look somewhat like this!
Like this not as in the interior, but the tables all well set with food! I guess the restaurants we visited are all 'designated' for tourists. Obviously to handle the crowd. Even though they are designated tourists restaurants, the food were all good! And we kept getting food refilled! (Y)!

 photo P1020819_zpsd51f38de.jpg
Our first meal!

 photo P1020820_zpsf45a38fd.jpg
Bibimbap (비빔밥)!! But this bibimbap is less fanciful.
Still nice. xD

THEIR KIMCHI IS DIFFERENT!
My mother hardly eats kimchi here, but I think she had their kimchi EVERYDAY! :O

 photo P1020822_zps8246c469.jpg
@Gimpo Airport with my new luggage. HEHEHE.

 photo P1020823_zpsaa9ff236.jpg
Caught in the moment shot. Bwahahahahahaha!!!! Super funny.

 photo P1020825_zpse2f563cc.jpg

 photo P1020827_zps307312cd.jpg

 photo P1020828_zpsc6dc436d.jpg
Me with ugly flat hair after the flight and feeling super duper lethargic. x,x

 photo P1020829_zpsdc1f096a.jpg
Beanie to save the mess!!!
Special thanks to my bimboticgirlfriend Karena for lending me SIX beanies. Lol.
I tried to wear every single one of them throughout my 11 days... Wasn't successful. Lol.

 photo P1020832_zps996ad67f.jpg
Because we weren't given window seats previously, here's a few mandatory flight shots!

 photo P1020834_zpse4602bc9.jpg

 photo P1020836_zps5a485ebe.jpg

&about an hour later....

 photo P1020837_zpsb44ba573.jpg
!!!!

 photo P1020838_zps0b580f77.jpg
That's our Tour Guide, Kim Mi Hua (Jin Mei Hua)!
She was explaining the mascots of Jeju-do.
And here's our first destination: Dragon Head Rock (용두암)

 photo P1020839_zps44d65c38.jpg
A really nice serene place I've seen on TV before. :x

 photo P1020840_zps8fe5ee76.jpg
Pictures does no justice!
It is extremely gorgeous in real life.

 photo P1020841_zpsca287728.jpg
But yeah, that's all there is to this place. :x

 photo P1020843_zps0b697cc0.jpg
The unenthusiastic parents who stayed up at the top and end up hiding in Dunkin' Donuts. x,x

 photo P1020844_zps673b45aa.jpg
I was a bit bummed about leaving my tripod at home, but I made do with anything that can hold my camera! :D

So yeah, 80% of our pictures throughout our trip is not taken by anyone else but self-timed on something nearby. Lol.

 photo P1020845_zps64c0c4fb.jpg

 photo P1020846_zpsa5603e04.jpg

The air is really fresh in Jeju-do!

 photo P1020847_zps1595ddd6.jpg
With our Tour Leader, Virine!
She turn out to be the youngest in the entire group! :O She's 4 days younger than my sister.
I feel kindda bad that I keep forgetting she's there to work; I kept wanting to take pictures for her and asked her to join us on many occasions. :X But who says work can't be fun too, right right? xD

 photo P1020848_zpsf31f52ef.jpg

 photo P1020849_zps053f8b0a.jpg

 photo P1020850_zps2bfafde3.jpg
Last two shots of the beautiful scenery.

 photo P1020851_zpsf2779fde.jpg

 photo P1020852_zps178f91c8.jpg

 photo P1020853_zpse4131eed.jpg
SELFIE!!!
Like as if we've been friends for a very long time. Lol.

At this point, I honestly felt like I've already spent quite some time in Korea. It felt like I was awake for a very long time. lol. Maybe I didn't really sleep much during the flight? It was like as though I haven't slept for 24hours, but truth is, this was only our first destination. LOL!!!

The first two days of our tour was very packed and extremely long. There were a lot of itineraries to finish in a day. It was good though, because the rest of the vacation zoomed past too fast. TOO FAST!!!

 photo P1020857_zps417077a6.jpg

 photo P1020859_zpsf850f48f.jpg

 photo P1020860_zps938111d8.jpg

 photo P1020861_zpsf9b50119.jpg

 photo P1020862_zps3cd5a3d3.jpg

 photo P1020863_zps149cf06a.jpg

 photo P1020865_zpsea81e726.jpg
Next destination!!!

No pictures of this place because it was........ not very interesting. :X
The highlight of this road is how it looks like the road is up slope and yet vehicles can proceed without any engine. It was interesting at first but that's really all there is to this road. Lol. Besides, it's not like we'll be able to capture this whole road attraction.

 photo P1020864_zpsa7b28253.jpg
THIS! Along the road got more attention. :X

 photo P1020866_zpse55ab72f.jpg
OUR FIRST STREET FOOD!!!
Wa, now I get it. I now know why Koreans like to eat these fishcakes/odeng (오뎅).
PERFECT for the weather. And my family loves it too! Even my dad!

 photo P1020868_zps3a86bc30.jpg
Insanely sweet strawberries for only 10,000won! Approximately SGD$12.50 with our crappy exchange rate.
22 strawberries that are freaking sweet! We went down to buy another pack and my parents finished it all at night. T^T
I ONLY GOT TO EAT ONE!!! Elsewhere sold it more expensive I think.

Anyway, about our crappy exchange rate. We had the worse! Everyone exchanged their money at much better rates. We had ours changed for SDG1 : 800won while others had like... 829won to 839won.

It won't matter much if you're not changing big amount, but everything you buy ends up being expensive. Zz Blame us for being too occupied with sick Sugar (she was ill for an entire week before we flew!) and totally forgot to ask our Aunt to help with exchanging our money. Zz We had it changed on the flight day itself at Compass Point. TOTAL RIPOFF! We also came to know that Airport has better rates than ours. Zz FUUUUUUG! T^T

Anywayz, here was also the place I spoke a little Korean and got praised. :3 I told my sister my confidence got boosted and I was going to try to speak more. Bwahahahah. Downside of barely knowing the language? I could ask and talk but I wasn't able to understand their answers. HAHAHAHAHA. JOKE! Like... I was able to ask where a place is located, but I couldn't understand the directions. LOL! What's the use of knowing how to speak right?! Damn stupid. Lol.

 photo P1020869_zps59f3dda3.jpg
I NOW KNOW WHY PEOPLE RAVE ABOUT THIS BANANA MILK!!!
I also like their strawberry milk but their banana milk is DAMN NICE! :O
(ps: We also have it here in Korean supermarkets!)

I have no idea where our next stop is but it was some building where we got to visit the 3D Trick Art, Ice Gallery and do some ice carvings!

 photo P1020870_zpscb323914.jpg
I was very very excited to visit this place.

 photo P1020871_zps3bd18b6a.jpg
But,,, there were so many people.
I got sian-ed after a few pictures got ruined by some rude Chinese. Zz
They don't know how to wait and stay away when people are trying to take pictures.
IT WAS SO FRUSTRATING!!

& I know some of the pictures don't look at all "realistic". Hai.

 photo P1020872_zps230064b4.jpg  photo P1020873_zps468d9814.jpg  photo P1020875_zpsc04dbc41.jpg

 photo P1020876_zps2d6b1291.jpg
People, people everywhereeee!
How to take pictures without being photobombed?! Tsssk.

 photo P1020878_zpsd08924b2.jpg
See see!
But I was glad it was only this room that was damn crowded.

 photo P1020879_zpsf307819d.jpg
Possibly the most convincing photo. Lol.

 photo P1020880_zpsb53324bd.jpg

 photo P1020881_zps117299b4.jpg
I think this picture quite nice also!

 photo P1020882_zpsba3126a9.jpg
Award for being the best dad!!! xD

 photo P1020883_zps72ca607d.jpg

 photo P1020885_zpsf3e9884f.jpg

 photo P1020886_zps29911515.jpg

 photo P1020889_zps937c23d0.jpg

 photo P1020891_zps74ded6c1.jpg
My first time meeting Mr. Jobs.

 photo P1020894_zps846466bf.jpg
THIS WAS SUPER COOL!
Looks damn real right?

 photo P1020897_zps6d138800.jpg

 photo P1020898_zps5ff1b8a0.jpg

 photo P1020899_zps2837e58d.jpg
One of my favourite shots taken there!

 photo P1020900_zpsa095f6a5.jpg
This also quite cute though blur.

 photo P1020901_zps9104fffa.jpg

 photo P1020902_zps7ca0a4d3.jpg
Wanna have a drink? xD

 photo P1020903_zpsd842c29f.jpg
In real life, if this were to happen, I don't think I'll run.
Because, obviously, I won't be able to outrun that kindda disaster. Lol.

 photo P1020905_zpsea3da2d9.jpg
&Then, ice cravings!

 photo P1020906_zpsf0bd7046.jpg
The master quickly carving a cup!
He did it so freaking fast! I wasn't able to catch a thing.
In the end, I didn't even bother to finish my piece. :x
Throughout this workshop, I kept wondering in my head: "what the hell am I doing?!" Lol.

 photo P1020908_zpsb7a8eee0.jpg  photo P1020909_zpsc07f3660.jpg
My family did a pretty decent job though.

 photo P1020910_zps6ea9fd78.jpg
ICE GALLERY!!!
I was super glad I didn't visit the one in Singapore. :X
Get to save the money.

 photo P1020912_zps5be2113b.jpg
Snowflake that reminded me of princessjojo!
Little did we know we were going to see real snow. HEHEHE.

 photo P1020913_zps13fa0538.jpg  photo P1020915_zps145d081e.jpg

 photo P1020916_zps91bdef4c.jpg

 photo P1020917_zps0ada9181.jpg

 photo P1020918_zps403ea74f.jpg
This is just one out of the 3 or 4 sections of the gallery.

 photo P1020919_zps1cbe10a7.jpg
Damn retarded, I know. Few more retarded shots for you to laugh. Lol.

 photo P1020920_zps5abdcc8f.jpg

 photo P1020921_zpsf63ce502.jpg

 photo P1020922_zpsfdcd5d81.jpg  photo P1020923_zps0f2eed52.jpg  photo P1020924_zps506965c0.jpg  photo P1020925_zpsf8ad30ed.jpg
AND I WENT ON THE SLIDE!!!
SO FREAKING FUN!!!

 photo P1020926_zps7719cfe2.jpg  photo P1020928_zps3061b763.jpg

 photo P1020929_zps35a30ac8.jpg  photo P1020930_zps28cf2514.jpg
Lol. First picture damn unglam.

It was about... -5°C and my parents hurried out of the gallery right after the shot I took with my dad. -,-

 photo P1020933_zps37255f5c.jpg

 photo P1020934_zps037a18a7.jpg

 photo P1020935_zps1fd48988.jpg
I went on it thrice and my sister was feeling too cold to allow me to play more. :(
It was freezing cold to the extent that I couldn't feel my hands and feet. LOL.

 photo P1020936_zps3bf9dbaa.jpg


 photo P1020937_zps5c289aa5.jpg
♥♥

 photo P1020938_zps2a7c423d.jpg
If only the lights were white.
Some Korean helped us with this shot because no one in the tour group was there. Lol.

 photo P1020939_zps1892c601.jpg
!!!!!

 photo P1020941_zps8c160437.jpg
So pretty!

 photo P1020944_zps4305bec1.jpg

 photo P1020947_zps1d9dae24.jpg

 photo P1020948_zpsc24ce91d.jpg

Ice Gallery ended the tour there. :)

 photo P1020950_zps21c36d00.jpg

 photo P1020952_zpsf3c90d31.jpg
Our dinner!
I LOVE THEIR EGGS LEH OMG!
We had fish and boiled pork here!

 photo P1020953_zps1a038664.jpg
SO PRETTY RIGHT????
This was taken in my camera's sunset mode. It didn't look like that in real life. HAHAHAH. :x

 photo P1020964_zpsbb38df4f.jpg
Taken in the morning, our first hotel!
Jeju Oriental Hotel (제주오리엔탈호텔)!

 photo P1020956_zps106b3b7b.jpg

There's no view outside our hotel, by the way.
BUT WHO HAS TIME FOR VIEW?!
We were exhausted by the time we reached our room.
Pity though because our tour guide brought some people to this fried chicken place.
We only tried it the second night AND I SO REGRET WE DIDN'T GO THERE THE FIRST NIGHT!!! T^T

 photo P1020957_zpse55971e7.jpg

✿✿✿

ღDay 3: Mountain, Museums, Castle, FRIED CHICKENღ

So.... My sister and I missed the fried chicken to prepare our outfits for the next few days. HAHAHAHA. We slept pretty late and got a morning call at 6am. x,x Woes of being with tour groups. Early morning every darn day! But worth it since the day is all packed. Who needs sleep when you're traveling anyway?! Lol.

 photo P1020961_zps490053be.jpg
Breakfast next day!
I love love love that bowl of Cereal! Wanted to buy a box back but I FORGOT. FML.

 photo P1020968_zpsb75aad1d.jpg
At some Mandarin Orange Farm.

 photo P1020969_zpsc9c5f500.jpg  photo P1020971_zps655bfd35.jpg

 photo P1020973_zpsc15a6725.jpg

 photo P1020976_zpsc4653de0.jpg

 photo P1020977_zps0593ca2a.jpg

 photo P1020978_zpsc0db2466.jpg
Our next destination!

 photo P1020979_zps18cff779.jpg

 photo P1020980_zps849ac5f2.jpg
Short distance from the bus and my mother is already tired.
Warao.

 photo P1020981_zps73c7a9e3.jpg
Songan Sunrise Peak/Seong San Ilchulbong (성산일출봉)!
Gorgeous place. Especially when you go all the way up to the peak!

 photo P1020982_zps8d7c0bbb.jpg
Plenty of tourists!

 photo P1020984_zpse3cd51d8.jpg
There was horse riding too!

 photo P1020985_zps12c9e303.jpg

 photo P1020986_zps1f5e4573.jpg

 photo P1020988_zps5e8f7fcf.jpg
My mother and her double chin. HAHAHAHAHA. :X

It's really interesting yet annoying how our faces will all swell in the morning during our Korea vacation. I've always had this swelling issue but this time in Korea, my parents and sister's faces would also swell in the morning! Why uh?!

 photo P1020989_zps63fab08f.jpg

 photo P1020990_zps346062a2.jpg

 photo P1020991_zps536551b2.jpg
Initially thought the entire road up would be like this. :O So crazy to walk on!

 photo P1020993_zps1e13c427.jpg

 photo P1020994_zpsa5872e34.jpg
Steps, steps and more steps!

 photo P1020995_zps21e60ba9.jpg

 photo P1020996_zpsfce44aea.jpg
Super glad that the weather was great that day!
Sunny yet damn cooling. It was a little cold in fact!

 photo P1020997_zpsea264f39.jpg
Camwhoring because I didn't know how much more we had to go to reach the peak.

 photo P1020998_zps9f600ccd.jpg

 photo P1020999_zpsf1ea52c9.jpg

 photo P1030001_zps3c5dcd66.jpg
This is like... barely halfway up?
But I guess most people head back down from here.
And yes, you can see that both my sis and I started to feel hot here onward! My sister even took off that sweater and proceeded with just a thin layer of shirt thereafter!

 photo P1030002_zps1539c46e.jpg

 photo P1030005_zps0d76d0d1.jpg
Not being able to see the top was the toughest! Lol.
It's like... I didn't know how much more to go, but to reach the top, I just had to go.
So drama. xD

 photo P1030007_zps4d89e843.jpg
Almost halfway up!
The aujummas all damn zai. They don't pant as hard as I was panting. :x

 photo P1030009_zpsd8f81aa1.jpg
A barely 5 minutes stop to rest.
Thereafter, we just kept going up non-stop.

 photo P1030010_zps556f0d21.jpg

 photo P1030011_zps5a871daa.jpg

 photo P1030012_zpsa94d5f6e.jpg

 photo P1030014_zpse29ebd05.jpg

 photo P1030016_zpsa5520940.jpg

 photo P1030018_zps2ba5abe7.jpg  photo P1030019_zpsa1817463.jpg
FINALLY AT THE TOP AT THE TOP!!!!

 photo P1030020_zpsbe33e6a8.jpg
Super happy at that point of time.

But we had no time to waste!
Because we were there with a tour group, there's always a time limit that we have to follow. We were only given about an hour to go up and back down. I can't remember how long we took to go up but I remember rushing down within 10minutes. LOL. Madness. So, we were up there for barely.... 10minutes! Maybe for about 5? :O

 photo P1030022_zps7cfa71e4.jpg

 photo P1030023_zpsc8e99f7d.jpg
I loved it up there!
It was really cooling and very very pretty!

 photo P1030024_zpsdb9ab95f.jpg
Sorry for the many similar shots.
I couldn't get enough of it.
SEA SO BLUE!

 photo P1030025_zpsa71c284d.jpg

 photo P1030026_zpsc6307431.jpg
Can't see the top, can't see the bottom as well.

 photo P1030029_zpsa98cde9d.jpg
Just walk walk walk!

 photo P1030030_zpscd324ac1.jpg

 photo P1030032_zpscac022b6.jpg
Took this shot and slipped down two steps. LOL.
I think I sprained my ankle a little?
But it was so cold, I think it was all numbed. LOL.
I remember feeling discomfort when there was heat though.

 photo P1030040_zps1740a280.jpg
Next stop: Seongeup Village (성읍민속마을)!
Supposedly the place where they filmed Dae Jang Geum/大長今.

 photo P1030041_zps162d0b56.jpg
Ajumma showing us the black pigs and telling us how people in the past use the toilet.
Yes, that's their toilet. Funny how men had to use stick to distract the pigs because they have...... yeah.

 photo P1030042_zps39b90bba.jpg
Our ajumma was super cute! And she spoke pretty fluent Mandarin!

This place was small but pretty nice! Really like a village. Lol. It is also the place where tourists would be introduced some local products: Pure Honey, Schisandra Chinensis (五味子) and Ganoderma Lucidum Honey Tea.

I'm gonna say it... DON'T BUY THEM!!

They would all sound really beneficial for our bodies and even taste really good, but don't buy them! One of our groups got products that were expiring in six months. They will take your order, proceed to pick up the products, quickly seal the boxes, and send them to your buses. So, it was not easy to check them on the spot (Unless you request immediately I guess). The ajumma told us that the products can be kept for ten years if unopened and two years in the shade. But still, being given products that has expiry dates in six months time is a little bit.......... :/ Lucky for us, our products all expires in another year or so...

Also, when we came back to consume what we bought, we found that the 五味子 isn't as thick as the shown by the ajumma. It was very thick and gooey when the ajumma scooped hers up; but ours is just watery. &Instead of six teaspoon of it to mix with water, we had to use six big soup spoon instead (to get the same taste)! A little disappointing. :/

So... When you ever get the chance to visit this place, don't be too quick to decide if you should buy a lot~ Check check check first!

 photo P1030044_zps59cdf478.jpg

 photo P1030046_zpscbc85081.jpg  photo P1030047_zps74d1c6fd.jpg  photo P1030048_zps5685711a.jpg  photo P1030049_zps40d6dd91.jpg

 photo P1030050_zpsc6888753.jpg

 photo P1030051_zpsc58f6212.jpg

 photo P1030053_zpsb72ccaf4.jpg

 photo P1030055_zps4b4fe720.jpg

 photo P1030056_zpsc70cfaec.jpg
Pork again, for lunch!! :D

 photo P1030058_zps4139dc29.jpg
Teddy Bear Museum (제주테디베어뮤지엄) next!

 photo P1030121_zpsb1773308.jpg

Well, the museum is just filled with.... teddy bears. Lol. All kinds of teddy bears.
There were a lot! But I just snapped a few that I like.

 photo P1030061_zpsf4362d45.jpg
Looks exquisite, isn't it?

 photo P1030062_zps01a15db0.jpg
Variations of Pooh Bear.

 photo P1030063_zps4034899c.jpg
The bear dressed in LV.
*cough*materialistic!*cough*

 photo P1030064_zpsdfe34bbb.jpg

 photo P1030065_zps5dbf7933.jpg
Do you know who they represent?

 photo P1030066_zpsdf37b674.jpg
That bear in leopard prints dress pose until damn vain! Lol.

 photo P1030067_zpsded0798b.jpg

 photo P1030069_zpseaad5aeb.jpg
Cinderella?

 photo P1030070_zps3f9a25f3.jpg
This one damn cute. Will move around one some more!
And check out the Panda working the runway. ;)

 photo P1030072_zpsbeca06de.jpg
"Gong" bears! I didn't finish the drama. :x
And young Jihyo was one of the cast!

 photo P1030073_zps88d4bac8.jpg

 photo P1030074_zps7078455f.jpg
I find this hilarious leh. hahahahah.

 photo P1030077_zps1d347205.jpg
The Teddy Bear store!

 photo P1030083_zpse3efbe50.jpg


 photo P1030084_zpsa9bdae26.jpg

 photo P1030086_zps1944859b.jpg
Ma fren!

 photo P1030087_zpsb0fb97af.jpg
&his family~ Lol.

 photo P1030089_zps84c81b4f.jpg
&Here's where I met Steve Jobs again.
Bear version. xD

 photo P1030090_zps5cfedb74.jpg
This was a bit boliao. :x
Rushed out to watch this bear go one round.

 photo P1030092_zpsc01f513f.jpg
See how big it is with the man controlling it as a comparison!
It's gigantic but no wow-factor.

 photo P1030095_zps5f47eb4b.jpg

 photo P1030096_zps3833e6a3.jpg
So, my sister got attached to this bear.
She was sending this picture to her friends telling them she found a boyfriend. -,-

 photo P1030098_zps70681762.jpg

 photo P1030099_zps9e7c4635.jpg
Oh nothing, just chilling with bears.

 photo P1030102_zps02dc0dba.jpg
Pig roasting a pig. LOLOL!!! :X
ps: Just kidding only okay! ♥

 photo P1030103_zps9c2eacb1.jpg
Father like cute here only...

 photo P1030106_zpsa5a0f138.jpg
Here, let us take a picture of you taking a picture of us.

 photo P1030108_zps00065f41.jpg
Potential place to camwhore!

So, we did! :D

 photo P1030111_zps0e878380.jpg

 photo P1030113_zps210fed26.jpg

 photo P1030114_zps036e46f0.jpg

 photo P1030115_zps75fb9b45.jpg

 photo P1030117_zps94f95fc5.jpg

 photo P1030119_zpsc4eeac21.jpg
THESE BEARS DAMN CUTE!!!! Favourite in the shop!

 photo P1030120_zpsa5ed2bed.jpg
I didn't buy them so I took a selfie instead. xD

 photo P1030160_zps5f8a4f34.jpg
We were given free bears also ah! (Y)!
Unsure if it's a door gift or a gift from our tour guide though. Lol.

 photo P1030122_zps093c6e48.jpg
Glass Castle (제주유리의성) next! Almost everything made out of glass!
And that was all. A little bit boring. :x But of course, the things on display were pretty!

 photo P1030123_zps7d6beb2d.jpg

 photo P1030125_zpsf3105588.jpg

 photo P1030126_zps908c54fd.jpg

 photo P1030128_zps71148f75.jpg

 photo P1030129_zpsd4e1b511.jpg

 photo P1030130_zpsf5d3c9ef.jpg

 photo P1030138_zpse7c84b9f.jpg
My tourguide and I~

 photo P1030139_zpscf59a835.jpg
&She told me to pick one. xD

 photo P1030140_zps0b60bc3a.jpg
Dad & Mum switched roles. Bwahahahahha!

 photo P1030142_zpsbefc452d.jpg

 photo P1030143_zps8c3a529a.jpg

 photo P1030144_zpse0fb2ead.jpg

 photo P1030145_zps11e7c9e4.jpg

 photo IMG-20140311-WA0066_zps52734546.jpg
This is so pretty!!!!!

 photo P1030148_zpseb66e472.jpg
Some wishing well thingy~

 photo P1030150_zpsd593076b.jpg
None of our coins went in. T^T

 photo P1030151_zpsca456e05.jpg  photo P1030152_zpsd78e885b.jpg

 photo P1030153_zps723bf0d4.jpg
We're the only crazy ones to eat icecream in the cold weather. Lol.

 photo P1030154_zpsdaba7ad6.jpg  photo P1030155_zps3553895a.jpg

 photo P1030156_zps6e6ed082.jpg

 photo P1030158_zps9376dcd9.jpg

 photo P1030159_zps94be8fe7.jpg

 photo P1030163_zps7d66d3a5.jpg
Next stop!
O'sulloc Museum (설록차 뮤지엄 오설록)

They sold Green Tea and..... I can't remember what. But mostly green tea stuff.
OH! There were makeups too!

 photo P1030162_zps3c24dd0b.jpg

 photo P1030164_zpsa0e8bd4a.jpg
OH.MY.GAWD.
THE ROLL CAKE FREAKING NICE!!
I didn't wanna eat it at first... But after the first bite, I couldn't stop eating it. LOL!
The cream in the middle is damn nice.

We bought it again during our Free & Easy days!

 photo P1030165_zps1fcf1be3.jpg
"View" from our hotel's lift.
Went back to put our stuffs before heading out for dinner nearby.

 photo P1030167_zps0eab6c61.jpg

 photo P1030170_zps6e74bf45.jpg
Dinner!
The starters.

 photo P1030171_zps45eff3ad.jpg

 photo P1030172_zps47e0f50e.jpg
I love these!
Crabmeat with cheese, potato and a little bit corn.

 photo P1030174_zpsdc4a349d.jpg
Cooked Abalone!

 photo P1030175_zps7cae5191.jpg

 photo P1030177_zps670fcfec.jpg
We upgraded our dinner to include sashimi!
I guess Koreans and Japanese are not as crazy about Salmon sashimi as us.
They usually eat other raw fishes.

&yes, we had soju! :D
It's so freaking cheap there!! We just drank them like it's free!

 photo P1030178_zpsc5b86ca5.jpg
RAW ABALONE!!! :O

Honestly, I don't really like their abalones.
They taste........ almost like rocks? Damn hard.

 photo P1030179_zps93624aef.jpg
&Here's the highlight to dinner...
LIVE OCTOPUS!!!!!

 photo P1030181_zps8050795c.jpg
SEE THE END OF THE LEG ALMOST INTO HIS NOSTRIL!!!

 photo P1030182_zpsd64faacb.jpg  photo P1030183_zpsf7348c5d.jpg  photo P1030184_zpsfe4b6fcd.jpg  photo P1030185_zps800e977a.jpg
Hehehehe. I also tried!

 photo P1030186_zpse5f5ebc2.jpg

Go on and say that I'm being cruel... I ate it already and I don't care what you think. -,- I find it damn lame that some people find it a need to tell me off for eating it. Like......... I'll give you the finger if I'm crude. Not like scolding me cruel will stop Koreans from eating it live right?!! And when in Rome, do as Romans do! It's not like I'm eating it all the time. -,-

 photo P1030187_zpsa041a714.jpg  photo P1030188_zpsd7462325.jpg

Anyway, it taste like clams. I've heard about people having it stuck in their throat.....?
No leh, just continue chewing it! It's quite amusing when they are stuck on you though. Like suctions!

After dinner, we didn't go back to the hotel. It was still early... like 8pm? Instead, we walked around the place and tried to look for the Fried Chicken shop. Couldn't find it at first so we went to the convenience store to get umbrellas (Weather forecast said it would rain the next day, tmd it did -,-).

 photo P1030189_zps9813f1d6.jpg
FOUND THIS ICE CREAM!
Chiulee recommended it. AND I LOVE IT!!

 photo P1030190_zpseb9440fd.jpg

Ah! I didn't manage to eat their carp cakes so I need to go back again! xD
*random*

 photo P1030192_zps14007d0f.jpg

 photo P1030193_zps6edc81e7.jpg
Icecream and redbean!

 photo P1030196_zps9012de1c.jpg
My sister likes it too and went back to get three more! Lol.
It is more expensive in their convenience stores. Chiulee told me it's sold at 1000won at their Daiso.

So.... We walked all the way to the end and couldn't find no fried chicken shop. :( We gave up and headed back with our tummies full from dinner and icecream....... ONLY TO FIND THE FRIED CHICKEN SHOP!!!! Whuuuuuut!!!

 photo P1030200_zps0887e63e.jpg
Kyochon 1991!!!!
It's a pretty small shop.
Very near our hotel though. Just exit, turn right and walk all the way till you see it. Lol.

 photo P1030199_zps17034855.jpg
I SWEAR TO GOD, THIS IS GOOD!!!!
Not greasy at all and damn tender! :O
And now we know why Koreans love to have beer with fried chicken. SUCH A PERFECT COMBINATION!!!
I'm not sure if it works with the fried chicken we have here though. :/
But anyway, I'm not craving for ANY fried chicken here. Pfft. OMG..... THEIR FRIED CHICKEN.... T^T

My mother loves fried chickens and she love this as well!
I told her there's few outlets in Seoul and she went on to ask why we didn't tell her and bring her there. LOL.

We only got to eat it once because we missed it the first night and couldn't find this shop in Seoul.
Okay, we didn't really bother to hunt for the shop in Seoul la.

&So, we headed off the Seoul the next day.

Morning call was at freaking 4am la. =,=

✿✿✿

Ah!! The vacation was surreal also because it didn't really feel like I was in Korea: since I was able to use my phone very freely! My sister and I bought their SIM Card: EGSim. We did a lot a lot of research before finally deciding on EG Sim Card.

 photo P1020289_zps367445d9.jpg
Our EG Sim Cards!

We had them delivered to our place because we won't have time to go collect it in Korea and wasn't sure where our hotel would be.
It was a great idea though. We were able to use the internet once we arrived at Korea!

NO REGRETS!!

Korea has plenty of places that provides free Wifi. But my sister and I went ahead to purchase a EG Sim Card anyway because we did not want to waste time searching for available Wifi every time we are at a place. Since we were going on tour, it is a better idea to spend our time using our phones in the bus to the next destination, isn't it? :D It also felt nicer to have the freedom to use our phone anytime we want!

Especially useful when we were on our own and needed help with directions, language and whatnot! The card worked perfectly fine for us. Only issue for me was my lousy phone stopping me from topping up the card. -,- Because I was low on credit, I had to go around searching for free Wifi for the last four days. T^T

✿✿✿

ღDay 4: Seoul, Hanbok & Everland!ღ

Our fourth day was fairly simple. Flew back to Seoul, visited their Seaweed Museum: Songhakkim (송학김), and then went up to try on some Hanbok (한복) before having lunch and traveling a long long way to Everland!! Everland was interesting and fun; but it could have been better if it didn't rain!

Everland was also the place I realize how Korea is not very tourist/foreigner friendly. Most of their stuffs are in Korean and no English. Like... if they were to brief us about safety rules in each ride, we won't be able to understand a single thing! But I guess it's because Koreans travel around Korea a lot themselves. Since it's a big country~~~

Many Koreans can speak Mandarin though. Some shops have Chinese workers too.

 photo P1030207_zpse8779774.jpg
Flight back!

 photo P1030212_zpsdf0f9b3e.jpg
It's like we're above a whole lot of cottons!!!

 photo P1030214_zpsab756e9a.jpg
&Seoul we're back! xD

 photo P1030215_zps7bfcb813.jpg
Seaweed being processed.

Almost everyone in the tour bought something! They have a wideee variety of seaweeds. Our family bought 10 bags of seaweed (5 packs in it, 4 seaweed per pack, which is like... 200 pieces of seaweed?! LOL) and three packets of shredded ones. Up until now (27th March) we are still eating them with our rice. LOLOL! Of course, some of them were gifts la. I like that their seaweed are not crazy salty!

 photo P1030216_zps6569c68b.jpg  photo P1030217_zpsfbe0f7c2.jpg
While everyone was busy looking at the seaweeds, we camwhore!

And...... the next thing we did......

 photo P1030219_zps054b2b10.jpg

 photo P1030222_zps6b7131ad.jpg
LOL! Very weird and funny hor?
We quickly wore them, quickly took pictures and quickly took them off. haha.

Parents not seen because mother has no size and dad totally not interested. Zz

 photo P1030220_zps44078a05.jpg

 photo P1030224_zps239f5992.jpg
Up next, Gamjatang (감자탕) for lunch!

This is said to be similar to our Bak Kut Teh. My parents (and most of the people in the tour) think this is the worse meal throughout the tour. But,,, I quite like!!!! It's a little too peppery but overall still very nice! Maybe my sister and I have a biased tastebud? Lol. Ah! Just take out the leaves because they kindda smell. :x

 photo P1030225_zps03196ab2.jpg
Another random shot of Korea.
Also the last shot of good weathered Korea for the day. -,-

IT RAINED AT EVERLAND WTF.
WORSE TIMING EVER!!! =,=


 photo P1030226_zps2a4508ae.jpg
Everyone in poncho to brave the horrible weather.

It was freaking cold! And it is terrible to experience such weather when you're scheduled to have fun in a theme park. T^T It is ten times worse when it is not a local theme park. At that point, I understood how sucky it must have been for tourists who visits Singapore, goes to USS and see that the thrill-est ride is still down for maintenance. Zzz LIKE WHUUUUT!!!

But fine, it means I'll have to go back to Korea again. HEHE. Besides, we were given too little time to spend in the theme park. Four freaking hours for a huge theme park leh. Walao.... My first proper visit to USS lasted longer than four hours uh! And our USS is way smaller than Everland?! Mehhh... Because of the cold during winter season, most rides/attractions were closed anyway. I was told that the best season to visit Everland is Spring/Autumn. So.... I'M COMING BACK, KOREA!

 photo P1030227_zpsb20b12f7.jpg  photo P1030228_zps31a8379c.jpg
Before we were wrapped up in ponchos ourselves.

 photo P1030229_zps62fdda6e.jpg
The tickets!
Please don't lose them.
I find it weird how we have to keep presenting them at every single ride we go to.
I lost mine and had to quickly go to my parents to take one.
Obviously, the two elderly stayed put in warm places and just walked around on their own.

 photo P1030230_zps272ad2ef.jpg

 photo DSC_0014_zpsfd3eadbb.jpg

 photo jasmineeverland_zps9c1e375c.jpg
So ugly....

Anyway, some (like less than 10) of the shots are the pictures we bought from our photographer. Had to scan them because our photographer haven't (and probably won't) email me the originals. T^T

 photo P1030231_zpsefce86a6.jpg

 photo P1030233_zpsab0c85c5.jpg
Some screening of their performances that would look like it's real!

We were quickly hurried to Zootopia straight when we arrived, and end up figuring out our way through Everland. Didn't have the time to head back here and check this out. The timings for the shows didn't tally with our time there too. T^T

 photo P1030234_zps1bbd484f.jpg

Sorry for the terrible shots. The weather was just... T^T
I had a hard time taking pictures because I have to keep wiping my lens clean from the rain. I should have brought my lens protector man. Zz Never knew I would need it. My zoom also had some issues. Sigh....

ANYWAY!

 photo P1030235_zps2909ccd1.jpg
The tree I saw on Running Man before!

 photo P1030236_zps0b63e000.jpg
Quick shots as we walk past.

 photo P1030239_zps970310a3.jpg

 photo P1030242_zpsba592222.jpg
The most excited person to visit Zootopia. Her main aim for the trip to Everland. Lol.

 photo P1030246_zps8137f335.jpg

 photo P1030251_zps9f959924.jpg
Some animals when we were on our way!

 photo P1030253_zpsd8f370d8.jpg

 photo P1030254_zps9a9619a8.jpg

 photo P1030259_zps91b39e97.jpg
Queuing to board a bus all to ourselves! HEHE.

 photo P1030260_zps621c3a52.jpg

 photo P1030261_zpscbe81603.jpg
A fugly shot of me. LOLOL!
I have no idea what the hell was going through my head when I took this.

 photo P1030262_zpsfa4cc86c.jpg  photo P1030263_zps861cdfe4.jpg

 photo P1030264_zps0ebb74bd.jpg
Us excited to see what we've watched on TV before. xD

 photo P1030266_zpsd688d8fd.jpg
Was super awed that we'll get to be damn close to some of the animals!

 photo P1030268_zpsc13ec322.jpg

 photo P1030270_zpsabf38869.jpg

 photo P1030272_zps03e096ce.jpg
Going through some tunnel.

 photo P1030275_zps66eb2459.jpg
The dancing elephant!
We also caught a glimpse of the talking elephant! The one that Yoo Jaesuk had a mission with. :3



 photo P1030277_zpsb9dab647.jpg
The transition from land to water! :O
We already know about this but still very cool!!!

 photo P1030276_zpsbb78eb5e.jpg
Whole bus all to ourselves! HEHE.

 photo P1030278_zps782c2821.jpg

 photo P1030282_zpsf7f095bc.jpg

 photo P1030284_zpsb0863beb.jpg
So.upclose!!!!

 photo P1030288_zpsb07704db.jpg
Donkeyyy

 photo P1030290_zps07666dc1.jpg
&Lee Kwangsoo! I mean... Giraffe! :D



I think Giraffes are cute when they face you. Like... OMG SO CUTE!!!!

 photo P1030292_zps60ae3cae.jpg

 photo P1030294_zpsb19b19ac.jpg

 photo P1030295_zps0ffd71e8.jpg
The end of this ride and going for another!

 photo P1030296_zpsb73f719d.jpg

The weather was so bad and we were all wet that we had to keep going to their souvenir stores to hide and warm up. T^T

 photo P1030298_zps14937321.jpg
They have so many white tigers!

 photo P1030299_zps85c413da.jpg

Even though the weather was a bummer, the good thing about it is.... there was hardly anyone! So, we were able to take up an entire bus and have our tour guide translate whatever the driver says! Imagine being all excited to visit this place but not being able to understand whatever is said! &Yes, they only speak Korean.

 photo P1030301_zps3e706f56.jpg

 photo P1030303_zps1d475c7d.jpg
I was super :O by this shot.

 photo P1030305_zps3d47fe39.jpg
Hyena! I never knew they really look that ugly in real life. LOL.
I've only seen them in cartoons! :x

 photo P1030310_zpsd06dad67.jpg
Secret affair? Lol.

 photo P1030313_zpsc65cb15a.jpg

 photo P1030316_zps96e30122.jpg

 photo P1030318_zpsa63f4b95.jpg
Liger. SO UGLY! :X

 photo P1030320_zps2bc9844f.jpg
Bears!
Some bears are cute.

 photo P1030323_zpsed8443fc.jpg
But some can be scary...

 photo P1030324_zps2b22c6f4.jpg
Like this!!!! ><



What the drivers would do while we drive pass. SO CUTE!!!

 photo P1030325_zps184ced09.jpg  photo P1030327_zpsbca766c2.jpg  photo P1030326_zpsb9c7d037.jpg

&That was the end of our tour. We were allowed to wander around for about... three hours. Obviously not enough but there wasn't much stuffs opened anyway.

 photo P1030328_zpsd04cccf6.jpg

 photo P1030330_zps3d95430e.jpg
The warmest place in the theme park. :X

 photo P1030331_zps5539ddc9.jpg

 photo P1030332_zpsa21139c2.jpg  photo P1030333_zps4eab3402.jpg
THEIR CORN SUCK!!
I thought maybe it's a theme park thing but nope... tried corn from another place.
THEY BOTH SUCK! Damn nua....

 photo P1030334_zps43a49d6d.jpg
Sister checking out where to go!

 photo P1030335_zpsd4f96895.jpg

 photo P1030336_zpsb0528cae.jpg
She picked this ride and wanted to go back.
OF COURSE IT'S A NO GO BACK!!
It's the ride Running Man once ride before! Muahahahah.

My sister was all scared and black-faced. But I was damn excited!

 photo 2014-03-12160029_zps206e8006.jpg
&Yeaps, we got wet.

We were a little wet from the bad weather but got drenched from our waist down in this ride. Hurrr... I like how most of their rides don't require us to be empty handed! We can just bring our bags along!

 photo P1030337_zpsc5378a9c.jpg
xD

 photo P1030338_zps925f5ffe.jpg

 photo P1030339_zps818305c5.jpg
MY FIRST CHURRO!!!!

 photo P1030342_zpsea3122b0.jpg

 photo P1030347_zps3493179a.jpg
Our third ride!
We played some shooting games before this.

 photo P1030348_zps9c0f53ef.jpg

 photo P1030349_zps0a02cfb4.jpg
Cheap thrills lol.

 photo P1030352_zps19d0c6d3.jpg
They have many tents like these there. But only this was lighted.
And we realize it's for people to keep warm and dry! There's heater inside!!

 photo P1030355_zps02c52ddf.jpg

 photo P1030356_zps7ab910ca.jpg
THEIR CORNDOGGG!

 photo P1030359_zps87df2bc8.jpg
I loveeee!

We snacked a lot there. A wrong move because the next place we were heading to was.... KOREAN BBQ BUFFET DINNER!!! T^T End up eating very little for dinner. Tsssssk.

 photo P1030360_zps2aea9d4a.jpg  photo P1030365_zpseefeb22c.jpg
With our favourite trees. LOL.

 photo P1030366_zpse976c979.jpg
Who brings umbrella to theme parks right? LOL

 photo P1030367_zpsf49e6e44.jpg

 photo P1030368_zpsdef6ab6d.jpg
I was very wet and cold here.
But it was so so so cold, it felt very normal. Lol.

 photo P1030370_zps0aa02879.jpg

Rested here for a bit before meeting with the rest of the tour group, and head off for dinner!

 photo P1030373_zps54beef7e.jpg
Too cold that night, they had to use the BBQ to warm themselves. Lol.

 photo P1030375_zps0fdd6bb2.jpg
LIKE SHIOK ONLY RIGHT?!!!!
40,000won for buffet.

The price is slightly more expensive than the Korean BBQ Restaurants here. With our crappy exchange rate, it was $50SGD for that dinner. But no complains because their meat is really incomparable to those here!! Their pork belly... T^T A pity we didn't try their beef. Dinner kindda got ruined.

Every meal we had in Korea with the tour was fantastic! The ones sold in Singapore cannot even compare!!!!! T^T

Okay, good things aside!

So... although it was a pretty fun day, I must also document the lousy parts. This day is probably the unluckiest day I've ever had in my life! &Possibly the unluckiest day I'll ever have.

Other than the horrible weather that ruined our theme park, the family had a horrible argument over dinner that totally ruined our freaking nice dinner..... T^T (Also why we didn't eat much for dinner) And the cream on top of this horrible cake? I DROPPED MY PHONE INTO THE TOILET AFTER I PEED!!!! Zzz

So yes, you people who has read this, DON'T TOUCH MY PHONE!!! Lol.

I'm super glad that it was a squat toilet. Barely touched my pee la. But still gross, I know. I cleaned my screen with soap two, three times uh. I now cannot really remember how I dropped my phone but from now on, I'll NEVER have anything on me when I use the toilet.

I also remember how cold and wet I was, the entire mood and feeling suck.

But I guess with ups, there'll be downs. And when it's down, the only way out is to go up! The next day was freaking awesome (IT SNOWED!!!) and the rest of the vacation was never bad anymore.

After dinner, we headed off to do fittings for some skii-ing outfits! After spending a long time renting skii outfits, we finally headed off to our hotel. x,x

 photo P1030377_zpsd2206d76.jpg
Outside our hotel!
You cannot really see it here but it was snowing a little!



It looks like it is raining but nope! It was snowing!
And it's amazing how they literally melts once they touch the ground!
The only good thing about that day was this! Snow!
Also because we didn't know it'll snow a lot the next day. Hahaha.

 photo P1030378_zpsa5a29405.jpg
Yongpyong All Seasons Resort/Yongpyong Resort (용평리조트)

 photo P1030380_zps91e13c7e.jpg
The room! With a nice view outside.

 photo P1030381_zps1e96d86f.jpg

After being in a cold country, we realize how important it is that hotels and places we live in needs to have warm floors! We were super glad to come "home" into warm grounds after a long day out in the cold. LOL. But in the toilets, it's just cold. So we'll have to quickly shower in hot water and get dressed quickly inside. Lol. Another thing about cold countries, we'll look for toilets with toilet seat warmers! HAHAHA. I never understood the fuss about it. But woahhhhh, having to sit on hard cold toilets and warm ones has a DRASTIC different. I unknowingly started looking forward going to the toilet also. Hahahaha. Damn drama.

The few days in the cold also made me learn something new about myself.. I think my body can easily adapt to a new environment. Because it is warm in our bus, I'll always shiver for at least.... 10minutes when we first head out, before my body get used to the cold and then stop shivering. Unlike my parents, I wasn't really dressed for the cold (can see from my shorts, leggings and skirt ah!) but it wasn't as bad for me because I really loved the cold! :D

✿✿✿

ღDay 5: SNOW!!!, Temple, Hotspringღ

 photo P1030382_zpscc4a5c6f.jpg
The view outside our window in the morning. :')

 photo P1030384_zps01c29b00.jpg

 photo P1030387_zps9cb53816.jpg
I didn't watch the drama so I wasn't interested.
BUT IT WAS SNOWING!!!

 photo P1030388_zpsd4ff2699.jpg
I really love their eggs...............

 photo P1030389_zps2dc25cd7.jpg

SNOW IS SO SO SO PRETTY!!!!

 photo P1030391_zps02910f93.jpg  photo 2014-03-13080521_zps2a86c02c.jpg  photo P1030392_zpsa6a23c7a.jpg
They look just like iceshavings!

 photo P1030393_zps1f9c54c0.jpg
The temperature in the morning. -3.3°C!!!

Here ,you have everyone all dressed up to brave the snow and do some skii-ing!

 photo P1030394_zps85c98893.jpg
The crazy mum. Lol.

 photo P1030395_zpsfb9a9fe7.jpg
Even though we didn't skii, it was still good that we rented the jackets and goggles!
The snow was insane!

 photo P1030396_zpsb8cb4715.jpg

So... while others were learning to skii, my parents went back to snooze and my sister stayed indoors to keep warm. As for me, I was out being a busybody helping others and taking pictures! At one point, I was even running around on the soft soft snow with my tour leader because it was darn cold. HAHAHA.

Reason for not skiing was because we didn't think it was worth it. 28,000won supposedly for the entire day but we'll only get about two hours. We would rather spend the money on something else and play in the snow instead! Except, my sister was indoors 80% of the time. Lol. Few friends kept saying how wasted it is, but no lehhhh! It gives me another reason to visit Japan or Korea during winter! :D

 photo 2014-03-13080324_zpsa1a0f856.jpg
Super lucky to be seeing it snow at a time like that!
It was supposedly Spring already~

 photo P1030399_zpse344a1d5.jpg

 photo P1030401_zpsa39de3eb.jpg
Yeah, we snowball fought a little. Lol.

 photo P1030402_zps822c3d96.jpg
Have to be wrapped up because the snow gets into your eyes...

 photo P1030405_zps818db0f0.jpg
But of course, I'm always trying to challenge myself with something stupid. Lol.
I never protect my face and end up having red cheeks and nose!

 photo P1030407_zps57898370.jpg
See how heavily it snowed!
Still gorgeous though!

 photo P1030408_zpsf0e16dd3.jpg
Got pretty place must camwhore!

 photo P1030409_zps6f27dc8c.jpg

 photo P1030410_zps355ec44d.jpg

 photo P1030411_zps8031c9e0.jpg

 photo P1030412_zps921fbae8.jpg

 photo P1030413_zps4070657c.jpg
Everywhere just so.. Picturesque!

 photo P1030415_zps0ae1f86c.jpg

 photo P1030416_zps6fb39b4c.jpg

Went back to tidy our luggage before coming out again to go somewhere higher!

 photo P1030417_zpscdd7da8b.jpg
A freaking 20minutes ride up! :O

 photo P1030421_zpsde094648.jpg

 photo P1030418_zps563152aa.jpg

 photo P1030419_zps13000f57.jpg

 photo familycable_zpsc8908001.jpg
I am not crazy about the edits our photographer made lo. -,-

 photo P1030423_zps9d58ad6d.jpg
It was -7.6°C up there!!!!!

 photo 2014-03-13101945_zps8d6a345e.jpg
Ah.. Check out my slightly red nose and cheeks here. LOL.

 photo P1030424_zpsf096a008.jpg
Poor photographer. He was definitely not dressed warm enough.
But still had to take pictures of us.

 photo P1030425_zpscad32c3f.jpg

 photo P1030426_zpsf14b7856.jpg
Within a minute, they ran back indoors.

 photo P1030427_zps132775fd.jpg

 photo jasmineampjo_zpsc48702f7.jpg
I LOVE THIS SHOT!!!
It looks freaking gorgeous in print!
If only he emailed the original one to me. T^T

 photo P1030429_zpse4eea5dd.jpg
Here's me just lying down on the snow.
IT WAS FREAKING SOFT!!!

But a bad move for me because I forgot I was no longer in skiing pants. My skirt and leggings were all wet! But it was so freaking cold, I couldn't feel it at all! I wasn't sure if my skirt and shoes were still wet or already dry. LOL.

 photo P1030430_zps4454fb8f.jpg
YOLO!
Pardon for the unglam me ah.

 photo 2014-03-13114837_zpse87de10c.jpg
Check out our photographer in JEANS and a wind breaker. :O

 photo 2014-03-13115919_zpsa249560f.jpg  photo 2014-03-13115948_zps0439d5ad.jpg  photo 2014-03-13115924_zps6fd9f6b3.jpg
Face and hands all red! My hand became so fat too! Lol.

 photo 2014-03-13120151_zpsb830e7f8.jpg
Obviously, both of us thought it was cute that we were red. LOL.
But but but! The redness made my bad complexion so freaking obvious!!!! T^T
I had to spam a lot a lot of concealer to cover up. :(

After the crazy experience up the peak of the place, we quickly warmed up in the toilet and headed off for lunch! It was a perfect lunch dish... HOT SOUP!

 photo P1030432_zpsa6ca86cb.jpg
Hot soup to give us warmth in the cold!

 photo P1030436_zpscc385d67.jpg
One of my favourite pictures throughout the trip!

 photo P1030453_zps600950fd.jpg
Next location!

 photo P1030455_zps76fc8017.jpg
Sinheungsa Temple (Seoraksan) (신흥사(설악산)

 photo P1030446_zpsab2ef840.jpg
But first.....

 photo groupshot_zps16403520.jpg
GROUP SHOT!!!! :D

 photo P1030450_zps38552672.jpg
Snowflakes are real!!!!!!!
But they melt too fast, this is the only best shot I got. T^T
&Yeah, it snowed a little here too!

 photo P1030451_zpse6510783.jpg

 photo P1030452_zpsebda9447.jpg
The place was beautiful!!!

 photo P1030456_zpsea99359e.jpg

 photo P1030458_zps59fa4e0e.jpg

 photo P1030459_zps53a65c99.jpg

 photo P1030460_zps86e6cabb.jpg

 photo P1030466_zpsb58a5475.jpg  photo P1030467_zpsce518c23.jpg

 photo P1030463_zps1ad49793.jpg

 photo P1030468_zps77173691.jpg

 photo P1030469_zpsecccc780.jpg

 photo P1030471_zps47e760fb.jpg

 photo P1030473_zps57702391.jpg

 photo P1030474_zpsf2f8cdb5.jpg
Their wishing stones!
I think they have this belief (seen from dramas) that if you stack a stone on top of another and it doesn't drop, your wish would come true...

 photo P1030485_zpsa7fa5d97.jpg  photo P1030486_zps1c3223e1.jpg

 photo P1030487_zps65e5cff6.jpg  photo P1030488_zpsccd02425.jpg
Of course I had to try and make a wish myself! xD
For the fun of it!

 photo P1030475_zpsb31368f3.jpg

 photo P1030476_zps6d791ff2.jpg

 photo P1030477_zps9bec5412.jpg

 photo P1030478_zps6366d70f.jpg

 photo P1030479_zps1f884755.jpg

 photo P1030480_zps68714a0b.jpg
Nothing to see further in~

 photo P1030481_zps9117dff2.jpg

 photo P1030482_zps635bfbc7.jpg

 photo P1030484_zpsbadb4b71.jpg

 photo P1030489_zpsb7cbc863.jpg

 photo P1030490_zps3c19bff8.jpg

 photo P1030491_zps99cab7a6.jpg

 photo P1030492_zps0cea6f72.jpg

 photo P1030493_zps484f54e8.jpg

 photo P1030494_zps77419579.jpg
Sorry, couldn't resist taking these shots. Too pretty!

 photo P1030495_zpsfb63e0dd.jpg  photo P1030500_zpsc0178b2d.jpg  photo P1030496_zps4d4e55f7.jpg

 photo P1030506_zps053fdcee.jpg
Next destination.....

 photo P1030504_zpsed4b0ed9.jpg
HOTSPRING!!!!

I didn't go in. :X Never liked spa and wasn't interested to bathe in door-less cubicles! Lol. But it's interesting! Their hot-springs include swimming pools~

So while others relax, I chilled with my tour guide, tour leader and a few others!
Our tour guide even treated us Starbucks coffee! Super nice.

 photo P1030510_zpsf9d2dd3c.jpg
&They were done!

 photo P1030513_zpsdb8a84dd.jpg
Dinner!

 photo P1030514_zps8a1e9fb5.jpg
Our tour guide preparing for us!

Have I mentioned how awesome our tour guide, tour leader and photographer was? I'm not sure if it's the same for all tour groups (I've heard different stories though), but ours were very nice and awesome people! They'll make sure to prepare our meals in proper Korean ways and then when we've started eating, make sure we have enough side dishes! They'll, of course, top up for us if we want more. &They'll usually wait till we're about half done with our meals before going ahead with their own food. Like... super nice!!!

Dinner was delicious, as usual. Our family is usually the first to finish our dinner so we headed out and got some snacks. xD Bought this really nice black sesame candy! My sister likes it so much that she bought about... three packets?! :O But uh.. it's indeed nice!

 photo P1030515_zps74035db7.jpg
Sorak Hanhwa Resort (한화리조트)

 photo P1030516_zps4c87340f.jpg
Our usual debriefing before going into our rooms.
Now know how rude it would be if I was snapping pictures? Lol.
But I was comfortable with the people here on la. hehehe.

 photo P1030517_zps3addb1a3.jpg

Anywayz, this is my third favourite place to stay throughout the entire vacation! :D

 photo P1030518_zps3cb287a0.jpg
A place for tatami.
We didn't try. :x

 photo P1030519_zpsf09cece0.jpg
The small kitchen!

 photo P1030520_zps05dc5f80.jpg
&the bedroom with pretty lousy bed.
It is my third favourite place to stay but I really didn't feel that comfortable on the bed.

 photo P1030521_zpsb1d4c397.jpg

After settling down our stuffs (which means putting everything to charge!), a few of us went down to the convenience store to shop! I bought a lot of snacks and even some drink. HEHEHE. Wanted to try soju bomb but the glasses provided in our rooms were too short. T^T Maybe next time!

AND WTH! Their soju sold in supermarkets are damn cheap?! 1200won for a bottle that could easily cost up to SGD$14 here?! And it's 4000won in Korean restaurants. Zz

Which means less than $2SGD in supermarkets and about $5SGD in restaurants. SINGAPORE Y U SELL SOJU SO EX!!!

After shopping, we went back to our room to slack, drink and put masks. Lol. I was semi-high after half a bottle of soju but I sobered up when everyone else was asleep. Not sure why but I wasn't keen on sleeping, and I end up watching three episodes of a randomly searched Korean drama. hurrr. Slept at 3am and had morning call at 6am. I was a little insane that night.

It was also the night I found out Sharon and I knows Jasmine. :D

✿✿✿

ღDay 6: Nami Island, Lotte World!ღ

 photo 2014-03-14084250_zps645f963b.jpg

 photo P1030523_zpse5216016.jpg

 photo P1030524_zps50d5340e.jpg
Ferry with my parents who wrapped up so much that they look like... terrorists. LOL.

 photo P1030525_zps0f39d9ea.jpg

I was pretty excited to go Nami Island because I've seen plenty of pretty pictures taken there! Wanted to take a nice family photo but my parents were too unenthusiastic!!! Zz They were like... ten steps away from the nicer view, but refused to move more and went walking on their own instead. Hai.

 photo P1030527_zps1b677ab4.jpg

 photo P1030529_zps2d4fba6e.jpg
HOW IS THIS NICE LO!

 photo P1030530_zps7fd65bd5.jpg  photo jasminejolenenamiisland_zpse5649a90.jpg
Our pictures didn't turn out very pretty either. :/

 photo IMG-20140314-WA0003_zps0bb824ae.jpg

 photo P1030531_zpsfd072a59.jpg
Picture with Momo! Our photographer~

He doesn't look very good-looking in my pictures but he's quite handsome in real life!

It was funny how he tried to rub his eyes when I asked if he wore color contacts (his eyes are light brown!). He also rubbed his nose and hit his jaw when my mother ask if he did surgery. Lol. On both occasions, he would show physical proof that it's all natural while replying us "original, original" Lol.

 photo P1030532_zps1dc387a0.jpg

 photo P1030533_zpsfe79910b.jpg  photo P1030534_zps53144ad3.jpg
 photo P1030535_zps3e34b2ec.jpg  photo P1030536_zpsf83d149e.jpg

 photo P1030538_zpse2ea12d5.jpg

 photo P1030539_zpsfb93be9b.jpg

 photo P1030540_zps11fc21ff.jpg

 photo P1030541_zps65dfecf6.jpg

 photo P1030542_zpsfcf20dc4.jpg  photo P1030543_zps5fa30211.jpg
Sharon and Virine! ^^

 photo P1030545_zpsc5ee2613.jpg

 photo 1939656_10152118656519016_161980734_o_zpsceb1b15a.jpg
I hate doing jump-shots but I was thickly clothed so, to hell with it! Lol.

 photo P1030546_zps1ce1cbed.jpg
All together now! :D

 photo P1030547_zps4792595c.jpg

 photo P1030548_zpscc5227e3.jpg
Eyyy, unglam shot is unglam~

 photo P1030554_zps9d275739.jpg
Hot pancakes! Perfect for the cold weather. :3

 photo P1030556_zpsb0456664.jpg
I guess this place will look even more gorgeous in Spring and Autumn?

 photo P1030557_zps6ad2ccdf.jpg

 photo P1030566_zpse815fbdf.jpg

 photo P1030568_zpsf7750a09.jpg

 photo P1030569_zpsd0396b2b.jpg

 photo P1030570_zps6ddfe53b.jpg
Waiting for the ferry back!

 photo P1030573_zps1fbbd100.jpg
Lunch!

 photo P1030574_zps7ca79370.jpg

 photo P1030578_zpsa629483b.jpg  photo P1030582_zps1e9e1f0f.jpg  photo P1030579_zps1e8cd441.jpg

After lunch, we went to the last place for the day; Lotte World! :D

 photo P1030586_zpsb7f3b6bc.jpg

 photo P1030587_zps5d1f0a0d.jpg

As usual, we weren't given much time for the place. We just explored the theme park and played like... three rides. LOLOL. There were plenty of teenagers in Lotte World! Mostly couples and 90% of them were all very lovey dovey.

 photo P1030589_zps18e125ed.jpg
Queuing for the first ride! Some boat ride our tour guide recommended.

 photo P1030590_zps44d44109.jpg
Tadaah!
Despite not being able to understand a single thing throughout the long long ride, it was still quite interesting. The ride was really very long! There were also a few "surprises", there was this part where we fell a little and I got damn excited! I thought we'll have more of such thrills but meh.... If only we could understand what the entire ride was about ah!

 photo P1030593_zpsf9912135.jpg
Overview of the indoor park!

 photo P1030595_zps9c6eb602.jpg
We wanted to ride on these but there was a 60-minute wait line. Zz
These as in the "hotair balloon"

 photo P1030596_zpsbc7b268e.jpg
Also wanted to go on these!
The queue was about 30-minutes long too. And since it was a ride not all of us were going to try, we swore we will come back for it.

And by us I mean my sis, a new friend and her mother. My parents start off this place by telling us to go explore on our own and not disturb them. -,- I realize, other than during our meals, we were barely with our parents. =,=

 photo P1030600_zps562821d3.jpg
Went outdoors!

 photo P1030601_zps164d5076.jpg

 photo P1030602_zps7b186124.jpg
It's very small!
Like maybe... less than half of USS?

 photo P1030604_zps5b372528.jpg
Contemplated damn long before we decide to go on this.

 photo P1030605_zps57da42c0.jpg
Here's Huiying! The friend I mentioned earlier on.
Also the person we went shopping with at our resort~
Y'all will never guess her age!

 photo P1030608_zpsc6d08887.jpg

 photo P1030609_zps5a316a59.jpg

 photo P1030611_zps9b4a11cc.jpg
THE RIDE WAS DAMN SHIOK!!!!
Pretty gentle but got a little kick still! (To me!)

 photo P1030613_zps0069c6d5.jpg

 photo P1030618_zps8a2736bf.jpg
I enjoyed the cold breeze!

 photo P1030622_zps3ab6d925.jpg

 photo P1030624_zps95eb03e8.jpg
Messy hair but happy faces!

 photo P1030626_zps6e8f0db6.jpg
Went back in and saw these!!!! So cute.

 photo P1030629_zps24fc2243.jpg
Bought the watermelon heart! :D

 photo P1030631_zps307543b1.jpg
&THEN!!!!!

 photo P1030633_zpsa996f3c1.jpg
I went up the ride I hate most!
Pirate Ships.

I've never liked going on this ride because of the feeling I get when the "ship" swings down.
And I have no idea what made me go on it this time. Lol.

 photo P1030636_zpsf57c79d0.jpg
Does it look high yet?

 photo IMG-20140314-WA0012_zpsf4438269.jpg
Because at some point, IT WENT ALMOST 90°!!!


Video to prove my point! Lol.
ps: My sis filmed me up there but I can't find it. :/ So, I'm not on this!

Even though it looks damn scary, I was actually able to raise my hands when we swing down. :O :O :O I was damn freaking shocked with myself. But I guess this Pirate Ship is slightly milder? Because I didn't feel as much fear as I remember always having. :/ I know I know, I was seated so near the middle. But I swear, I used to really hate this ride! Even sitting in the middle would scare the shit out of me. Lol. Not literally.

 photo P1030642_zpse8c9ab5b.jpg
The ice-rink!

Ah! I just recalled this other thing I did at Lotte World!

Within the amusement park, there's a few Tarot Card readers. But because they can only speak in Korean, I thought I won't have the chance to play. :( That is until I asked my tour guide about it... I've always seen Koreans in variety shows going for tarot card readings and exclaiming how accurate it is. Out of curiosity, I asked if she plays it and if it is really accurate. My tour guide was extremely nice!! She just told me that they play it for fun and asked if I was really interested. Even though we were left with just eight minutes to gather, she offered to translate for me!! :O And so I manage to ask about work and love life. Hahahahah.

Surprisingly, the cards I chose really did gave me very accurate readings! :O And it was hilarious how the readings actually matches the fortune telling I've went years ago! So now, I guess my fate is sealed. Lol. How can a Thailand fortune teller and a Korean Tarot Card Reader say the same things?!! Damn cool! hurrr.

After the long day,
 photo P1030644_zps1195c554.jpg
Ginseng Chicken (삼계탕) for dinner!
One small chicken per person.

Out of the 11 days in Korea, my exhaustion level was extremely prominent on this day. Lol. Going with tour makes you feel a little tired every other day; due to the packed itineraries and long bus rides. But on this day, I was so tired that I didn't really wanna talk. Maybe it's because I played games that made me go all tensed? I was all dogged and just... tired during dinner. In fact, I was so tired that the Ginseng wine didn't help! I didn't have much appetite and barely finish my dinner.

 photo P1030645_zps9569ad07.jpg
Not a fan of this dish but it was good!

 photo P1030646_zpsf97fefa5.jpg
&Here's my least favourite hotel!
Hotel Marigold Seoul. It's very clean and well located, but it is my least favourite!

 photo P1030647_zps4145e6c8.jpg
Cold floor, cold toilet bowl. AHAHHAHA!
Not the reason why it's my least favourite ah.
No reasons, just least favourite.

We didn't rest immediately after going back to our rooms. Instead, we settled down our stuffs and met up with Huiying and Virine to go shopping! The area around our hotel is quite happening. But some of the shops closed a little too early and we weren't going to eat or club.

✿✿✿

ღDay 7: Shopping & Jjajangmyeonღ

Wa.... Can't believe it's almost the end to my trip already. :O

 photo P1030648_zps055bb065.jpg
This is probably lunch!

If I'm not wrong, we had Chinese cuisine in buffet style for breakfast. I ate a lot of buns. LOL. And unfortunately, I cannot remember what we did in the morning. :/

 photo P1030650_zps34a81613.jpg

 photo P1030651_zps2027f7c3.jpg  photo P1030653_zpsb6f51c0c.jpg  photo P1030652_zps666388e9.jpg  photo P1030654_zps023a6147.jpg

 photo P1030655_zpse79ec30a.jpg
The War Memorial of Korea (전쟁기념관)

We didn't explore much in this area.

 photo P1030657_zpsddb04797.jpg

 photo P1030659_zps9a755a14.jpg

 photo P1030667_zps7d8172e1.jpg

 photo P1030665_zpsb63d430b.jpg  photo P1030666_zpsda7c28ca.jpg
Here after, we went shopping!!!!

No pictures of the streets because there were too many people!
Actually, without pictures, I cannot be sure that we actually went shopping. LOL.
But I think we did la! Since I know we had dinner near Myeongdong (명동).

 photo P1030668_zps9d3ce17f.jpg
Finally eating some Chinese food.

We also had Jjajangmyeon (짜장면) but it was served as one of the dishes so I didn't take pictures of our food again. It's nice! But we couldn't finish because there were so much food already.

After dinner, we headed down to some theater to watch "Jump! (점프)" a comic martial-arts performance.

We were all pleasantly entertained! I know some other tour members didn't like it though. But my family sure enjoyed the entire show! We almost went to watch it when they came to Singapore! But I'm glad we didn't because the tickets in Korea cost a lot cheaper and we had like.... the third front row seats! :O After the show, we traveled back to our hotel to rest.

 photo P1030669_zps57a4c2d7.jpg
My sister's favourite Hotel and my second favourite!!!

 photo P1030670_zps0ed95e7a.jpg
I love the bed!!! Extremely comfortable.

 photo P1030671_zps37b41e28.jpg

✿✿✿

 photo P1030662_zpsca2aed7b.jpg

And that's about all for my trip with Hong Thai Tour! It is the 8 Days All-In Korea Deluxe (Here! If it's still there). Good food, nice places and really fun tour guide & tour leader! :D

But of course, all that I've blogged may not necessary be everything we have done. There are shopping areas we've been to where I didn't manage to snap a picture! We did quite a bit of shopping! If I'm not wrong, the tour brought us to three or four shopping destinations. First one in some underground shopping place, then there was Dongdaemun (동대문종합시장 쇼핑타운), Namdaemun (남대문시장) and also Myeongdong (명동)!

The family has bought A LOT!! Too much that we exceeded our baggage limit. Lol. But, more on that later~

There were also some tourists places where we couldn't take pictures~~~~ Like... this place we bought supplements for our liver. Lol.

All in all, this tour was really enjoyable.

I am extremely happy that my first tour experience was good. Really good in fact! Thanks to our young tour leader, cute tour guide and extremely nice tour members. :D

 photo groupshot_zps16403520.jpg
Thank you all for the wonderful experience and vacation! ^^

If given another chance to decide on this vacation, I would opt to go with tour again. I guess, it was a good choice to start off our Korea trip with a tour group. Since it is a country that we won't be able to communicate as easily, going with tour helped to reduce cultural shock and allowed us to adapt to a new environment quicker. Like... the tour guide gave us a lot of information about the country; their habits, history and whatnot. We were also given the chance to try a wide variety of Korean food! Like if you go on your own, you might just try the nearest restaurants but with tour, every meal is different! Then again, I'm saying this with respect to going with less adventurous parents. Lol.

Okay, our Free & Easy experience up next!!! :D

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Chanced upon your blog while searching for Hong Thai 8D Deluxe and I find this blog entry really detailed and useful as a reference despite it being 2 years ago! :)