Day 1 started at 10.55pm on 14 of December and the rest of the time were spent on the plane. -_- agency cheat us of one day... everyone says it's like that one... sho unfair... anyway, not to spoil the holiday mood~ we set off for the airport at 8pm and met everyone else (xiao yee, uncle davide, uncle & family) there. wanted to go eat Ajisen for dinner but daddy was too hungry and he wanted his rice. so we went to the foodcourt instead so daddy could have his rice and we had Popeyes~
miserable mickey mouse deco @ the airport
these lights were quite pretty though... this was outside the glass doors of the departure hall where we alighted from the taxi.
checking in! daddy was grumpy cos we wanted to check-in earlier, but uncle was not there yet... and he was hungry... haha... i was hungry too of cos... but the holiday mood overcame the hunger~
group check-in is FAST! and very easy!! initially thot we were taking Aseana (never heard of it but mummy & daddy said they are part of Singapore Airlines) but we took Korean Air, even for the domestic flights.
me & uncle davide and our many many luggage!
mummy owned 1 and 1/2 luggage -_- the other half is daddy's and the one on top is mine :D i claimed ownership of that luggage since mummy bought it for my hk trip~ its MY luggage. la la la~ and its going to follow me wherever i go~ the hand-carry bag on top has our jackets~ so that we don't have to rummage though the big luggage when we arrive there
mummy weird look o.O with xiao yee and uncle davide (in the transit hall waiting for daddy to buy his cigarettes) somehow... mummy reminds me of ah leech in this picture... hahahaha
another miserable-looking deco in the transit hall (ok la... this wasn't so miserable looking)
time to board the plane!!!
xiao yee was the only one that bothered to pose for me... heh
sleepless @ 3am o.O it was so uncomfortable to sleep in the plane... spoilt me always has the window seat... i think its the nicest to sleep cos i got a corner... but the seating arrangement was kind of weird and i got the aisle seat. anyway, after a couple of hours... (the journey was 6+ hours) breakfast was served! xiao yee chose the "Bibibap" and i chose the omelette.
the tube of toothpaste-look-alike is some chilli paste to mix with the rice. xiao yee says it's nice but i have my doubts....
my omelette which didn't taste any better... probably due to the lack of sleep... stomach always becomes weird when i don't get my sleep... i only ate a bit of the omelette... but i finished the bread...
picture of us before we landed at 5.40am~ its 1 degC outside!!
statues of the 12 zodiac animals on the way out... it was a very very very long walk....
mummy the sheep!
me the rat!
xiao yee & uncle davide the TIGER & TIGRESS!!
off to claim our baggage!we met up with the tour guide - Charlie, there and he gave us some time to walk around the airport and have our breakfast. first impression of the guide was so so... but he proved us wrong afterwards....
nice deco in the airport~
me & some more deco...
having a rather rushed breakfast - everyone was hungry~
in the bus! xiao yee & uncle davide - look so fierce... (he's actually very nice la... pretend de...) hehe
that's me!!! and my cousin...
i like trees without leaves... :D on the way to 2 attractions before heading to Gimpo airport for our domestic flight to Jeju~
pretty houses... if only i stayed there...
and we arrive at Namsan Park! It is said to be a city landmark with an unobstructed view of Seoul with strolling paths and jogging courses. i did see a few people doing their morning exercise there... there are some history behind the park but I cannot remember most of it. lol. there's a statue of 安重根 (An Jung-gun) in the park. its some sort of memorial thing for him... some war between South Korea and Japan and his fingers being cut off and him writing some statements against the Japanese Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito.
ok... i suck at History... go read it urself~
ok... i suck at History... go read it urself~
mummy & xiao yee~
daddy and a very happy mummy~
see wad happens when i ask them to pose...
xiao yee took a picture from far far away and i took a picture of her where i was standing~
there was where xiao yee took the photo from~
it was too cold! and mummy thinks some exercise might help.... haha
the memorial hall of An Jung Gun
me & xiao yee~ cold cold cold!
next stop was Namsangol Hanok Village - filming site of 大长今 (DaeJangGuem a.k.a Jewel in the Palace). It is a village with 5 traditional Korean houses. These houses models traditional houses of Joseon Dynasty belonging to the various social ranks of the society from common peasant to the king. Furniture is displayed to help us understand their daily lives, it also include a large common area where we can play their traditional game.
i think veggies are their best deco in the city...
frozen pond! daddy lied and said there was a frozen fish inside... and i actually believed him! obviously i couldn't find it... and daddy say... fish where got so stupid... stay there and get freezed.... :( bluff me...
the layout of the place~
traditional v.s. modern
the handle thing that mummy is pulling is actually for old people to hold and keep their balance when taking off their shoes before entering the house.
this sign teaches us how to walk like 闵大人！ haha!
mummy having fun with the see-saw... o.O and daddy laughing at her. haha...
more trees :D
look so stern... heh
my legs look oddly positioned... and both mummy & daddy were not looking in the camera... -_-
our one and only group photo for the entire tour!
where the emperor sits...
traditional stoveS - like in DaeJangGuem
i have no idea what this is... i only took a picture of it because the water inside is frozen... heh
this display was in the gift shop and they are all made of paper! amazing artwork...
very helpful when you cannot decide wad to drink... heh
resting & waiting~
Lotte World? :D
more buildings in the city~
Headed for lunch!! Our first Korean meal in Korea - Ginseng Chicken!!
radish kimchi - this is said to balance the heatiness of the Ginseng Chicken... i tried the white non spicy one and it tasted like my ah gong's kiam chye...
my Ginseng Chicken! there was glutinous rice stuffed in the stomach of the chicken and we were given Ginseng wine and noodles to add into the soup... the soup was quite tasteless.. not like the usual Ginseng Chicken soup that we drink. This is probably pure Ginseng and Chicken... no msg, no salt... but we added our own soy sauce cos we weren't used to it. Charlie (in case u forgot, Charlie is our tour guide) says this is the best thing to eat during winter. because Ginseng keeps your body warm. i still like the Ginseng Chicken my mummy cook...
Charlie also said the women in korea are not treated equally... the drumstick is usually given to the men and the women will have to take the "bones". complete opposite in Singapore... we take the drumstick, the men take the bones! wahahhaa
all tt is left is a pile of bones! ( i forgot if this was my bones or xiao yee's bones.. haha)
the pretty displays of Ginseng in the shop
views from outside the Ginseng Chicken shop - where we have already started shopping... there was this small stall set up outside the shop selling Korea souvenirs... i think this Ginseng Chicken shop is THE shop that all the tourists visit...
and off we go to Gimpo Airport to take our domestic flight to Jeju~ u know how domestic air planes always look dodgy and old... (maybe cos the only domestic flight i've ever taken before this was in china o.O) Their domestic flight is also operated by Korean Air~ (<- 5="" :="" a="" anyway="" as="" big="" but="" check="" christmas="" didn="" div="" donuts...="" donuts="" down="" drive="" dunkin="" eat="" even="" every="" everywhere...="" from="" get="" go="" have="" i="" if="" in="" is="" model="" of="" once="" one="" out="" past="" plane...="" plane="" pretty="" quite="" really="" regret="" same="" say...="" seconds="" sentence="" seoul.="" singapore="" sounds="" street="" t="" the="" themed="" there="" they="" this="" to="" took="" waiting="" was="" we="" went="" while="" will="" wrong="" you="">
snowman donut! :D they have a pretty xmas tree one too~
my boarding pass~
see see! i told u it's the same type of plane...
we are all sleepy already... i was actually dozing off watching ayu on my ipod~
here's a picture of me in case u missed me~
ready for take-off!
still cam-whoring in the plane... this time.. i got to sit by the window!!! :D all thanks to daddy~ who had to sit at the aisle... heh....
we were above a HUGE MASS of clouds...
my first encounter with Jeju~
Korean Air is so sweet.... but it was too late to get a drink cos the stewardess were all seated for landing already...
and we arrive at Jeju International Airport!
my first encounter with this weird looking statue that is ALL over Jeju (outside the airport) I later found out that he is called "Haruba", the 土地公 (the god that watches over the land) of Jeju. Charlie told us why his hands were placed like that... i... forgot why... :x
this was man-made...
it was just a garden full of stones and wood... but with very interesting folk stories, some very sweet but some very sad...
these drift-wood look-alike pieces were all named... some of which were very interesting...
one story about YongShil, the spirit grove ( i have a better resolution of this.. if anyone is interested to read the story can let me know! i will send it to u~)
eerie-looking rocks all over the garden...
people used it believe there are these little elf-like creatures (精灵鬼 - something like tt la..) that stays around the road, making this strange phenomenon possible. so there are statues of these elf creatures around the area... they are so cute!!!
the Mysterious Road...
we were soon distracted by food! haha... the entire group were crowding around this small food stall selling street-side korean food. i was too conscious to try any... it is afterall our first day in korea and i don't want to be down with food-poisoning...
the place where we had dinner~
mummy & the bus...
after dinner, we went to check in to Jeju Hanwha Resort. According to Charlie, Hanwha Resort is the leader in Korea's resort/leisure industry and has been operating the most directly managed condominium chains and golf courses in Korea since it started Korea's first condominium for the leisure business. In a nutshell... it is a famous and reputable resort known all over Korea.
snowman donut! :D they have a pretty xmas tree one too~
my boarding pass~
see see! i told u it's the same type of plane...
we are all sleepy already... i was actually dozing off watching ayu on my ipod~
here's a picture of me in case u missed me~
ready for take-off!
still cam-whoring in the plane... this time.. i got to sit by the window!!! :D all thanks to daddy~ who had to sit at the aisle... heh....
we were ALL knocked out... i fell asleep almost immediately and didn't even realized tt the plane took off! o.O by the time i woke up, we were ready to land! haha
we were above a HUGE MASS of clouds...
my first encounter with Jeju~
Korean Air is so sweet.... but it was too late to get a drink cos the stewardess were all seated for landing already...
and we arrive at Jeju International Airport!
my first encounter with this weird looking statue that is ALL over Jeju (outside the airport) I later found out that he is called "Haruba", the 土地公 (the god that watches over the land) of Jeju. Charlie told us why his hands were placed like that... i... forgot why... :x
we were told that Jeju is also known as 三多岛. (三多 being 石头多，风多，女人多） (loosely translated - many stones, many wind, many woman). It also has 三无 (无墙，无乞丐，无小偷) (no walls, no beggars, no thieves) and 三宝 (if i'm not wrong... 植物学，海洋学，海女）(studies of the plants, studies of the ocean, and 海女 - widows who make a living by diving into the sea to collect shellfishes with no equipments) because Jeju is an island surrounded by water, most men are fishermen due to the unpredictable weather, many were lost in the sea... in order to survive, the only thing these widows could do were to go around the seaside collecting shellfishes to sell...)
and we're off to Moksukwon Park - to see strange and oddly natural rocks, storm polished driftwood and weathered lumps of basalt that have been gathered to tell the stories and legends of various romantic characters
this was man-made...
it was just a garden full of stones and wood... but with very interesting folk stories, some very sweet but some very sad...
The best website i can find describing this place is this.
Stone towers show the appearance of Solmundae Grandmother (the famous, legendary grandmother of Cheju) and her 500 children. The most famous exhibition (titled "The Life of Kapdol") is about joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness in human life. There are a series of stone sets named "Kapdol" and "Kapsun" which show each stage of life.
if we had been able to spend more time here, it would be nice... there were stone plates all over the place telling old folk stories... I managed to read a few...
these drift-wood look-alike pieces were all named... some of which were very interesting...
one story about YongShil, the spirit grove ( i have a better resolution of this.. if anyone is interested to read the story can let me know! i will send it to u~)
eerie-looking rocks all over the garden...
next, we're off to the Mysterious Road. It is said that we would be able to experience a vehicle going uphill with the engine off. It is actually a trick on the eyes... no matter how you look at it, its uphill, but its actually downhill... well.... its complicated... haha... but anyway, i am amazed!!
people used it believe there are these little elf-like creatures (精灵鬼 - something like tt la..) that stays around the road, making this strange phenomenon possible. so there are statues of these elf creatures around the area... they are so cute!!!
the Mysterious Road...
we were soon distracted by food! haha... the entire group were crowding around this small food stall selling street-side korean food. i was too conscious to try any... it is afterall our first day in korea and i don't want to be down with food-poisoning...
Diner is next!! we were brought to eat the 定食 of Jeju... which is basically the traditional Korean food with the standard rice, kimchi, seaweed soup, and many other small dishes... I am not a fan of kimchi... neither am i a fan of saba fishes... luckily, there were boiled pork and steamed egg...
the place where we had dinner~
mummy & the bus...
i thought our room was so so... it comprises of 2 rooms, a living room, a kitchen and a toilet. Though it is suppose to be a 5 or 6 star resort... It just looks like a clean chalet... not exceptionally good or luxurious. This must be the longest day ever... since 8pm from the previous day... though all tired, we still went to the super market downstairs and bought some drinks and snacks up. xiao yee and uncle davide came to our room and we drank and ate some titbits~ until we were all tired... and they went back to their room and we went to sleep... must rest up for the busy schedule tmr!
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