Korea Sparkling ^_^!

Day 01 13/06/2008

On 12/6/2008, Thursday at 9.30pm we all take off from home to KLIA and arrived at 10.45pm… checked our luggage and after all settle, juz wait for departure at 1.30am and assumed to arrive at Incheon Airport at 8.45am in Korea time which one hour earlier than Malaysia. Flight journey took 6 hours 15 minutes. After arrived at Incheon Airport, we directly went to Odusan Unification Observatory which located in Mount Odu with superb scenic beauty, where Han River meets Imjin River. This observatory is astone building which has five floors above ground and one underground.

~~beautiful scene along the pathway~~

We continue our tentative and going to Nami Island. This is one of the famous shooting places in Winter Sonata drama. Actually, this place has its own history about General Nami and the name also taken after the general. Before, this location not so famous but after this romantic drama got hit, every people around the world wanna go and see this place wif their own eyes and my wish also has come true… but I hope I’ll come here again in winter to see the beautiful scenery and covered by snow. We had our lunch at halal restaurant there and our menu was shaking rice… its taste delicious but I can’t finish it because I didn’t like vegetables. Well, as u know, Korean people like vegetables especially beans sprout which majority in their dishes they put it

~~shaking rice~~

~~memory of winter sonata~~

Then, we went to Chun Cheon and there located shopping area called Myengdong. There also one of the shooting places in Winter Sonata drama. Along the way, I can see the ad about winter sonata.

~~chun cheon~~

We had our dinner at Suwon and it takes 2 hours to go to the restaurant. Arrgghhh… so long and far our journey… and after I think back it’s like I wanna go to Ipoh juz to have my dinner from KL. Our dinner was Bibimbap and it’s so sad coz I can’t eat the delicious meal… T_T! The taste quite weird and all the ingredients are vegetables… arrggghhh!!! The soup also weird taste.. my first day about local foods so pathetic… I can’t accept their foodstuff.

~~bibimbap before mixed up~~

~~ready to eat bibimbap~~

I’m ‘full’ with the meals and we headed to Hanhwa Phoenix Park Hotel at Pyeongchang. Not to forget, me and my bros went to their cyber café to transfer hundreds pictures in a day to pendrive. This gave us experience coz their systems all in Hangul…. but because we familiar wif computer so, that’s no problem to handle such probs… juz use short keywords.. huhu…It costs 1500 won per half an hour. The hotel quite comfortable and as suggest by our tourist guard, I also try to lay on the Ondour. How it look like?? It like you put your mattress on the floor and sleeps on it. Of course I just try it for a moment and ended up sleeping on comfortable queen size bed. ^_^!

Day 02 14/06/2008

Today, we need to check out and we had our breakfast at hotel restaurant. I’m full coz I eat much and the foods serve so good. Juz need self-belief to eat there…. We were advised not to eat meat coz non- halal… ^_^!

At 10.00am we arrived at Yeoju Premium Outlet. All the shops there are branded and original products. I juz walked around and snapped some pictures.. wat a ‘dry’ traveler can do there accept that.. T_T!

At 11.00 am++ we reached our next destination. Where?? Everland… feel excited huh but urgghhh… they gave us short time there… wat can we do there in 3 hours?? Had our picnic lunch and at 1.30pm we enter the Everland.. planning to see Liger, the famous animals there which blood mix with Lion and Tiger… but because of too many people there we dun have time to see it coz it takes 40 minutes to queue for the bus… that’s because we wasted our time waiting for fool Amazon Express… huh!! We tried to find the short queue and finally find 3D cinema but it’s spoil my mood coz the language only in Korean and no English translation…. I can’t understand at all about the movie… ahaks!!! Tried children stuffs and then headed to Skyway and waited 45 minutes again. Huh!! Everything needs to wait in almost an hour… no more exciting at Everland and I think if I wanna cover all themes in Everland I need a full day to do that, and my suggestion is need to come again… ^_~!

~~Everland~~

Had our lunch at Evergreen Restaurant and the owner is Pakistan people. In Seoul only have one Masjid and it is located at Itaewon which named Namwon Mosque. The area has many Muslims and there also you can see more foreigners. After pray, we had time to shopping at Itaewon Street.. Juz walking around and I grabbed bookmarks 13,000 won and at 7.45 pm we hopped into bus and went to Casa Villa Hotel to check in.

~~Masjid Namwon~~

Day 03 15/06/2008

Morning call at 6.00 am and at 7.30 am had breakfast at Taj Mahal Palace ~ Indian Cuisine at Itaewon of course. Then, we went to Tiger World to have an experience playing wif snow. Huh… very cold and temperature there was -5 degrees. Before lunch, we visited Aiins World that has 109 replicas of famous structures from 25 different countries. Divided in 12 zones, the park has 109 miniatures including 10 cultural heritage sites (except the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor), the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (except the Pharaohs) and 34 world cultural heritages sites, all designed by UNESCO.

~~Aiins World~~

This lunch menu I like most coz very delicious. I had 2 bowls of rice ended wif 2 cups of coffee… ^_^! Can u imagine how full my belly… hehehehe… Our menu is Korean Steamboat, grilled fish a.k.a ikan bakar, kimchi of course and other dishes (I can’t name all coz me also dunno o_0!) I also like to eat veggie-leaves [it’s mint ~ dunno wat its name] which it has fish egg on it and need to put raw fish mixed wif veggie, fold it and eat all in mouth.

~~raw fish~~

~~yummy steamboat~~

Time to shopping and we went to Dong Dae Mun Market, a popular shopping paradise for local and tourists. The prices quite expensive but I still can grab brooch and seaweeds. Huh!! Wish to buy handbag but the price veryyyy expensive than branded products.

~~peep someone??~~

~~sshhhh~~

At 3.30 pm we visited Changdeokgung Palace. It was built in 1405, the fifth year of King Taejong’s reign during Choosun Dynasty. There have many session and English session starts at 3.30 pm until 4.30 pm.. After that, we spent our time shopping at Namdaemun one of the oldest continually running markets in South Korea and it’s the largest retail market in Seoul and Myeongdong which has long been the trendsetting center of Korean fashion. Here, the environment very havoc and I really enjoy walking there.. Korean people not timid in promoting their products.. various styles I saw such as singing and dancing in front of outlets, act like statue etc.. Lastly, we went again to Taj Mahal Palace for our dinner and ended up our day at hotel.

~~namdaemun~~

~~myeongdong~~

Day 04 16/06/2008

The schedule today was more to cover about formal visits. Why I said that because our first destination is Ginseng Outlet. There, we were introduced to Korean Ginseng which has 32 saponins and ginseng also have male and female types. Huh!! I dun like ginseng but the benefits are very good in consuming our body. Just my advise, if u go there, buy ginseng tablets coz its easy to eat and it also can break it into powder and mixed wif white egg and make face mask.. Continue next location to Amethyst Showroom.. Nothing impressed me and everything there juz stones.. ^_^! Then, we had to go to school and learn how to make kimchi. I dunno wat my kimchi taste coz I donated it to orphanage. Hope I can get more rewards even my kimchi looks so bad.. T_T! We also had a chance to try Korean’s traditional costume called Hanbok. Feels like ancient Korean Princess.. hahaha!!!

~~how to make a kimchi~~

~~kimchi made by me~~

~~traditional korean village layout~~

Our last lunch at Taj Mahal Palace but not buffet anymore… After full and prayed, we continue our itinerary to visit Namsangol Hanok Village. It’s a traditional Korean houses from Choosun Dynasty. We spent about 45 minutes there and still have time so, Alan took us to shopping silk at Kwang Jang Market. I dun have intention to shopping so, my parents and I juz walking around to find interesting stuffs as souvenir but there no such things coz major outlets sell clothes and traditional costumes.

~~seafood wif bean sprout or mee?? ^_~!~~

On the way to reached bus we saw strike along the road. Alan told us the total people joined the strike around 8000 people but I assumed more coz too many.. This is a good strike coz no fighting and the way they did strike also well organized. Malaysian people should learn from Korean how to do a peaceful strike. Their police also gave cooperation in handling the traffic. As we know, the strike about import beef which got mad cow disease from United State and oil price increased.. We stuck in bus almost half an hour and at 5.00 pm we moved.. We reached Insadong at 5.30 pm and we had time to shopping there. Insadong is famous wif antiques stuffs. We had an opportunity to go there because Jump Show starts at 8.30 pm, furthermore it’s located near that place. At 6.20 pm we gather- up to had dinner. The menu is seafood and I like it even quite spicy but as I mention earlier, so many beans sprout mixed wif the seafood. Then, we need to walk to go to the show. [omg!!! I had embarrassing memories in there..huk3] Fuh!! The Jump Show really amazing and I love it.. funny and full wif martial arts. The show takes 90 minutes. Jump brings the combination of slapstick comedy, acrobatics and martial arts to the stage in a spectacle that has been described as "Jackie Chan meets Charlie Chaplin." Set in the interior of a traditional Korean home, the show tells the story of an anything-but-typical family. Each member of the household, from the strict Grandfather to the pretty young daughter, enjoys nothing more than challenging the rest of the family to martial arts showdowns. When two burglars break into the house occupied by three generations of highly trained martial artists, the family turns their expertise on the unexpected guests. The hyperactive sitcom that ensues is the ideal forum for this troupe to show off their extensive training in martial arts, acrobatics, gymnastics and comic acting. [credit to www.broadway.com] At 10.00 pm we arrived at Casa Villa and packed our stuffs coz the morning call tomorrow at 5.30 am… 

~~jump show ad~~

Day 05 17/06/2008

Early in the morning we checked out and 7.30 am we had our last breakfast called Udon Mee. It taste really good… had small shopping at free tax shopping outlet there and hopped into bus to Incheon Airport. Our flight at 11.00 am and reached the airport at 9.00 am…. After checked in luggage and bon voyage wif alan and alice we checked in and still have time to shopping at free tax. Need to clear up my won and I grabbed 2 branded things there. I satisfied wif that and had balance 13000 won… At 4.00 pm [Malaysia Time] we reached our Bolehland…. Walking around at free duty complex coz no one can fetch us at that time. Waited almost 2 hours… huh!!! Tired like crazy sia!!!