My trip to Korea- Soul of Asia (Day 4- Everland)

4^th day and we are suppose to take the plane back to Seoul and travel up to Mt Sorak in the evening. I wasn’t feeling well since the night before, so for breakfast, I settled with a miserable bowl of porridge and soup. Right after breakfast, we rest for a while before leaving for the airport again. It was raining cats and dogs so the airport send a shuttle bus to sent us directly to the plane. When we arrived at Seoul it was 11am.

We passed by Seoul famous Han Gang or River Han where countless of drama’s and reality show were filmed. I distinctly remember my favorite show Running Man had a Bride race on the bridge and the popular drama Master’s Sun was also filmed there.

 The tour guide decided that we are ready to have lunch. I was certainly ready, what with the little porridge I had in the morning. Our lunch was Ginseng Chicken(Samgyetang)and it was superb. The dish was a whole spring chicken in ginseng soup and we were given some ginseng wine to mix in the soup. After that throw in some rice noodles into the soup and dig in. I finished the entire bowl. I was THAT hungry and my stomach was fine. The chicken is small so one person can settle it, no problem.

          Later, we did what all tourist must do while in Korea- wear their traditional Hanbok. It is an absolute must. When we got there, we can start choosing the Hanbok that we wanted to wear. I chose a blue and red Hanbok because the color was very vibrant. They had the walls decorated with different background for us to takes pictures. Needless to say, we snapped away. I got to admit, wearing a Hanbok made me felt classier. The Hanbok I was wearing are colors fit for the royals once upon a time. 

           Part of our tour was to learn how to make Kimchi, I wasn’t really interested in that since I’m too lazy. I prefer pre-packed Kimchi in the supermarket than doing it on my own. I went along anyway. The Kimchi making class was on top of the Hanbok studio so we just climbed up one level.

In the class, there were already soaked cabbage and Kimchi paste on the table. All we had to do is actually splatter the paste on the cabbage and wrap it. The instructor gave us a brief introduction on how the paste is made and how to preserve the cabbage, the duration and skill. I didn’t pay much attention. Later the instructor watched as we spread the red paste of the leaves and wrapped it. I did it wrong for the first time so I had to rewrap Kimchi. She mentioned that our end product would be donated to the Children’s home. When we were done, they brought in some sample for us to try. I knew there were many types of Kimchi but I didn’t know that there was ginseng kimchi and raw octopus kimchi. At the end of the class, I bought some since my dad just loves it. They were going to pack it for us and sent it to the airport on the day we leave. How nice to have one less baggage to lug around. Here’s my Kimchi. Tadaa~~~

For our next journey, it promises full of adrenaline rush, thrills and fun for the entire day! Yep, we are going to Korea’s biggest theme park- Everland! The trip was long enough to make me fall asleep in the bus but when we got there, it was a little past noon. I was all geared up for the rides. The theme park was beautiful. The main entrance was shaped like a castle, I reverted back to childhood. Seriously, when you’re in a theme park, it doesn’t matter how old you are, you just NEED to be a kid again. My sister, being a flower fanatic, was more in love with the flowers they planted throughout the park. It was the normal Chrysanthemum flowers but the way they decorated it is just lovely. I love the “Italy” themed fortress near the entrance. But Halloween was just around the corner so the whole place is full of pumpkins, bats and eerie skeletons. Now I’ve never been to Disneyland but I think I’ll be happy enough to just play here for the rest of my life. Now don’t forget to grab your map brochure at the entrance, you can get lost in this huge park.

I understand now why everyone loves to go to theme park, its suitable for old ages. There’s section for young children, more thrilling rides for preteens to adults and if you’re too old for a good fright down the rides, then you can just enjoy a relaxing walk in their beautiful garden. The four seasons garden is a must to visit if you don’t plan to ride, the flowers bloom for all season and it looks magnificient. I guarantee you would feel like you’re in a fairytale story. Further in the park is a rose garden which I didn’t visited because time waqs scarce. We were only given 4 hours, what a bummer. I could stay there an entire day.

Everland was exploding with life. Squeling teens in cat ears head bands walk past us, crying children that didn’t get their favourite toys and couples being excessively romantic can be seen all around. Koreans could be good boyfriends, I’ve seen so many guys holding their girlfriends handbag, bending down to tie their girl’s shoelaces, tucking her hair behind the ears and all those little sweet notion you see in dramas. They really do that in real life and in public and no one finds it weird. That’s it! I’m finding a boyfriend here! Haha~~

The tour guide insisted we take the safari ride first to see Ligers (Tigers + Lions mix breed). It’s like their pride because Ligers are extremely rare. Okay, let’s go see some ligers! To save some time getting down, we took this Ski lift and the view was amazing from the top. When we reach the safari, we didn’t even have to stand in line, just go through the back door because we are a huge group. The whole bus was reserved for us and we entered the carnivore’s lair. First animal that greeted us was the beautiful white tigers, they were sleeping. Next were the ferocious lions and then tigers. They all have sections dedicated for themselves because these Kings of the jungle can’t be friend each other, they’ll fight to their death. Then finally, their main attraction, the liger. It looks more like a lion than a tiger but you can see some strips on the body- the distinctive tiger characteristic.

They look so tame like this~

The infamous Liger!

The safari bus entered this gates which closes behind us and we entered the bear’s lair. They weren’t grizzlys but boy are they HUGE. They are close to 6-7 feet tall when they stand up on their hind legs. Each of these bears have their own antics and I find some of it cute, especially the kissing bear and the praying bear.

Don't be intimidated by it, he just wants a kiss!

The carnivore safari only last a few minutes and suddenly, we’re out. That was when we are free to roam the premises. Whee!! Let the fun begin. First stop, the T express roller coaster. One of the theme park attraction that could let you taste death. Only three of us dared to take the ride, including me of course. You’re in a theme park! You don’t waste your time walking around and doing nothing. I got only 4 hours, no time to waste. It took me almost 30 min to wait for that ride and the safari wait took 1 hour off my 4 hours already. We got lost trying to look for the T express and when we got there, a long queue awaits. We waited in line and there where over excited kids behind us who screamed that high pitch shriek when the roller coaster zoomed past us. I was preparing my heart for the scary ride and these kids weren’t helping. 

The T-Express!! 

Sitting in the coaster waiting to depart was agonizing. You don’t know what awaits and my heart was already trying to jump out of my mouth. The MC told us to do some neck exercise but I was busy excersizing my vocal cords. I’m prepared to scream my lungs out. Then it started with a slow creep up this hill and towards towards the steep fall. Writing this right now still reminds me the chills. Oh, I feel bile coming up. Excuse me while I hurl~

Suddenly, I fell and I screamed and screamed like I never did before. I don’t undestand how some people can jump off the building when they try to commit suicide. This is one scary death. The drop was 90˚ and I clung on to the bar for dear life. Screams erupted everywhere and I even hear some people laughing with glee. They’re nuts!!! Just when I thought it’s the end of the fall, the coaster climbed up in lighting speed and fall again. I don’t remember how many times I fell and mind you, it all felt like a 90˚ descend.

When it was all over, my legs were so wobbly it almost buckled. I was so lightheaded, I think my soul left my body. Everyone was chattering excitedly about the ride but I was more focused on the stairs in case my legs gave way and you’ll see me rolling down the stairs like a ball. That was the scariest ride I’ve ever had, my sister described it as “tasting death” for a minute there. And that was the only ride I had in Everland. For the rest of the time, we just walked around, looking at camel rides, cute animals and more flowers. We didn’t have much time and all the rides looked like we needed to wait for a long time. We wandered into the four seasons garden and I remember Running Man being filmed here. I don’t need to be told and my photographer mode was switched on. I went to all of the places that I remembered the running man members went to.

Does this jog your memory?

Remember GwangSoo and Jaesuk hiding here?

Jaesuk hid in here

I remember Yoo Jae Suk dashing through the shops with his grasshopper hat and Kwangsoo hiding behind the flowers in his giraffe hat. Good memories indeed~

For the rest if the time, we walked into confectionary stores and toy shop. The confectionary store is a children’s heaven. All sorts of candies and chocolate you can find are on displayed, even I felt attracted. But I persevered my sweet tooth cravings. In the toy store, I was even like a kid, playing with the plushies and cute toys. I love the adorable baby penguin soft toys and pumpkin headbands but my budget is holding me back from buying. My sister and I just walked all over the park, marvelling at the decorations and flowers.

Dinner was supposed to be our own responsibility, we are just meeting up with the main group at 5pm before we take the long ride to Mt Sorak. I had pizza and my sis had this delicious cream cheese bagel. I was thinking of getting some churros too but I held back. Everland was an unforgettable memory and I’ll be sure to come back the next time I visit Korea. 

Aren't they adorable?

I love pumpkin ears!

 When times up, we were on our way to Mt Sorak. It was a very long journey, I think it was 4 hours or so. All of us fell asleep from wearing ourselves out at Everland.

It was 2 hours before midnight when we arrived at the resort. Mt Sorak is really cold, it is the coldest place in Korea. The tour guide warned us about it and I for one, will not argue with him this time. I hauled my bag into my hotel room again, it looked more like an apartment. Since Mt Sorak has no streets to walk during the night and we’re far away from the nearest town, I went to the convenient store in the resort and bought some instant noodles. I cooked it with the stove in our room and that’s my supper. After that I zonked out for the night.

My trip to Korea- Soul of Asia (Day 3- Jeju)

Morning again! Jeju looks really peaceful in the mornings. No traffic, screeching children and car horns blaring. Just the sound of the sea, it was raining, way to start the day. Breakfast in Jeju Palace Hotel is good, they have bibimbap even in the mornings. There were abalone porridge, kimchi soup, chestnut wrapped in bacon, prawn tempura, sausages, eggs and dumplings (Mandoo)! Such a wide variety of food for me to gorge in the morning.

The first place we went to was Seopjikoji (Beach) where the drama “All In” was filmed. I never watched the drama but it was a beautiful place to go to. The rain was pretty big when we arrived, the sea was also rough. We hike up to the church where the filming took place but it was closed for renovation. The rain made it hard for us to hike to the top and we were already out of time. Tsk… the annoying schedule of tour-you never get enough time. I spent too long taking pictures of the sceneries. I love the sea breeze brushing gently against my cheeks and the salty smell of seawater. I even saw Jeju’s traditional breed horses. They say it’s one of Korea’s national treasure and a symbol of Jeju. There’s a long history of these horses. They are short like ponies, maybe a little taller but still short and their heritage is mixed Mongolia and Korea.

A lone Jeju Horse

 It has been long known that men are more important than women in the olden days. Wives are like slaves to their husband so they have to treat them like Kings. Koreans in Jeju used to eat horses (I guess it was abundant then) but the husbands only get to eat the meat; the wives can only eat the bones of the horses. So they grind the bones into powder and ate them with rice, this made the women of Jeju to have stronger bones and lower risk of osteoporosis.

The rain was pouring down then, so we went back to the bus and the driver took us to a confectionary shop. I didn’t purchase any chocolate but I did try some orange chocolate. I didn’t like the flavor of orange and chocolate, to me, they should be eaten separately. The confectionary shop planted mandarin oranges trees around them, so I can only see and I can’t eat it. It was Autumn as I mentioned, so I was early on the mandarin orange season, it wasn’t ripe yet. Such a shame! I wanted to try their oranges. Jeju is the main supplier of oranges for Korea. They did sell some that are starting to turn a little orange but I’m not going to eat that, it’s definitely going to be sour as vinegar.

That there, is a pony and rows of mandarin oranges trees.

During our journey to our next spot, the tour guide told us interesting stories about Jeju. Did you know that the women of Jeju are called the sea women (Haenyo)? During war time, all the men in the village were sent away so it was left to women to do the work of men. So they went out to sea to catch fish and feed their family. Young girls as old as 11 years start to dive until they grow old. These women don’t use boats or transportation, they dive into the ocean with their spears and nets. This somehow became a tradition. There is a bunch of old ladies that still goes out to the sea and gather seafood. They can hold their breath underwater for more than an hour! Korean women during the olden times have my respect, they really are impressive.

There are 3 national treasures in Korea- the sea, the mountains and the dialect. If you listen attentively, Seoul language is usually heard around the world but the language in Busan is different, so is Jeju. They are Korea’s dialect, I find it amusing to listen to how they speak in dialect since I was so used to Seoul language. Annyeonghaseyo in Jeju is Annyeonghasuka, both meaning Hello. I try not to laugh while listening because they sound like they are either singing or complaining.

Additional Information: Not all Koreans ever visited Jeju Island because the trip there is costly. For some married couples that can’t afford an expensive oversea honeymoon, they will go to Jeju for their honeymoon. The lands in that island is very valuable and pricey, those that own properties (eg Land and Houses) in Jeju are mostly the rich people or they are originally from Jeju. So if someone from other than Jeju say they own houses and land in Jeju, you would know if they are well off.

We arrived at Seongsan Sunrise Peak. It is suppose to look beautiful there during sunrise but it was already 9am when we got there and the rain was still hammering down. The tour guide lied, he said Autumn rain doesn’t last long. It rained the whole day. Only a few of us wanted to hike up the mountains to the peak, the rest stayed in the bus. I was one of the adventurous few that took the challenge. Nah… No one wants to go with me so I stopped halfway to the peak- enough to snap some pictures. But no way was I going to waste my time in the bus when I get to see some amazing view. I didn’t regret my decision. I was annoyed that tourist was everywhere and I can’t get one picture without getting photo bombed.

Here’s a Jeju 101, the whole island is full of stone statue called Harubangs. They are carved from volcanic rocks and is also a symbol of Jeju. Mushroom like with a face- It is considered to be their deities and to ward of demons in the old generation. The guide told us not to miss out on the chance to touch it when we were in Jeju. Why? He told us this:

“Touch the ears and you get a baby girl, touch the nose and you get a baby boy. Touch the belly and you will get rich”

I don’t know how true was that but I touched the ears and belly anyway. No harm touching since everyone is doing it. I turn back at the intersection to the mountains. Time was scarce again so I took pictures of the sea. It was gorgeous and standing at the edge absolutely takes my breath away. You can’t see it from the picture but it was blue. There were a lot of small caves at the side of the mountains. The rain died down a little by then. Thank Goodness.

Let's touch the Harubang!

There was a temple nearby but my sister prefers to walk among the flowers and pretend she’s in a movie. Pfft~~~

 Taking the last picture in Seongsan Sunrise Peak, we were called back to the bus and it left for Seonyop Folk Village. It’s like time never changed anything. The village really looks like it came from the movies, old hut and houses made from wood and straws, rainwater collected from trees into pots and stone grinders. The only thing that changed was electricity and toilets.

This is where the famous drama Dae Jang Geum was filmed. We were greeted by a lady that lives there. Behind her was 3 wooden poles shaped like a stable gate. She told us that during the olden days, it was very safe so they don’t need gates to protect houses. The three poles serve one purpose- to inform people or neighbors if the tenants are home.

Interesting fact: Putting one pole up means that “I will be back soon, please wait for a while”, two poles up means “I will only be back in the evening, please come later”, three poles up means that “I won’t be back for a long time, please come another time” and if three poles are down, it means “I’m home, please come in”. 

The three poles

Water being collected from trees

The lady brought us on a tour in the village, telling us about the histories and the head of the village. Apparently, they are not shame about having mistresses and they tend to show off. Oh, she told us to be very quiet because the head doesn’t appreciate loud noises. She told us more about the horses of Jeju, the people during the good old days and of course Dae Jang Geum who sought refuge in that village.

Her main point was finally revealed when she brought us to a room with all the products that the village “produces”. First up was a syrup made from preserved berries from the mountains. I like it, it was sweet and sour like lemonade. She told us that it helps to identify health problems, a sip of the drink and if we taste sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness and sappy, we have different problems with our organs. I can’t remember exactly which and which but I remembered her mentioning that mine was unhealthy liver. Okay I admit, I sleep late, have insomnia and I eat a lot of unhealthy stuff. The drink was to help me improve my liver function. I was tempted to buy but I figured, stuff like that I might be able to get it at the convenient store at cheaper price. So I didn’t buy. Next, she introduced us honey made by their own bees.

“Interesting fact: If the honey starts to foams from the bottom, its fake honey because the bees are fed with sugar. If it foams from the top, it is genuine honey”

She introduced us calcium pills made of grind horse bones, she said the calcium level of one tiny ball was equivalent to 9 glasses of milk and it is a highly controlled product that you can’t find it out of the village. If we purchase it, the product would be packed, sealed airtight and delivered to the airport for you. But the price? I think it was about 1000 dollars in my currency. I ain’t got that much money with me! I’m still a student, even impossible to have a credit card. In the end, we didn’t buy anything from the village. The lady was disappointed, I can see.

Without paying attention to the time, it was lunchtime again! I was starving and the meal made my day. It was black pork sautéed in spicy sauce. We can eat it with rice or like a bossam (wrapped in a piece of leave). I took my time savoring the meat, it was tender unlike normal pork and there’s no porky smell. Mmm~~~ I also like the sea kelp soup. My sister loves the rice in Korea. She said it wasn’t sticky and it is short grained.

 With lunch done, it was raining really hard again. Our next visit was a Buddhist temple again but since it was raining, we changed it to the famous Teddy Museum (Teseum)! YAY!!! I wanted to visit that place since watching “Princess Hour”. Let’s be buried in cuteness and loads of fun!!! The entry ticket was paid exclusive of the tour since we changed the temple to museum but totally worth it. With each ticket entry, you get a free teddy! The teddy they say, is worth more than the entry ticket. How true? Nobody knows except the employees. Inside, you’ll see all kind of teddy bears in different position, doing different actions and reenacting famous movies and people like Tarzan, Gullivers Travels, The Beatles and others. They even have a series of teddies in Greek Gods series. Have fun!

 In Teseum, you must not miss out the chance to look at the world’s most expensive teddy bear. Behold Hera! Her tiara is made of diamonds and is worth millions. Talk about diamonds are girl’s best friend. And husband Zeus did not gave that to her.

Check out that bling!

I spent a long time in there. The entire bus was waiting for us. Ooops~~ Time really do fly when you’re enjoying yourself. Next up is another museum that promises a blast! The 3D trick art museum, is packed with a hell load of fun. Prepare to release that goofy and silly side of yours. The 4D and 5D exhibition is more expensive so we only went for the free 3D exhibition. I think Teddy Museum and The trick art museum is the most fun I had that day. I did crazy and silly poses that you can never see me do in public. I let loose that day. You had to or else there’s no point. Upon reaching there, we went into the ice sculpture museum. It was freaking cold there, I thought my nose was going to fall off. But the sculptures were amazing.

The point of this museum is to trick the naked eye. It looks really deceiving and I had fun.

Who sees a dragon?

The last destination to finish Jeju tour was to go to the mysterious road. The bus drives up to this hill and I saw a lot of cars in front of us slowly moving forward. I didn’t know what was happening but when the driver stopped at a point, he asked us: “Are we ready?”. We were confused as to what he meant. Then he shut off the engines and guess what? The bus crept up the hill slowly, without any help. Goosebumps out yet? It stopped after a few meters and the bus driver started the bus again and we’re off for dinner. Nobody knows how to explain this strange and creepy phenomenon. It’s like there was a force pushing up the vehicles, not wanting it to be there on their lands. All the vehicles can move on their own! (Screams) Well, it remained to be a tourist attraction.

Dinnertime at 6pm! What’s on the menu? Some black pig pork again, with steamed egg casserole (Gaeranjim), melon stew with pork and bean sprout (oh god!) but good thing there is some golden needle mushrooms (I like!). I stuffed myself like a chipmunk.

After dinner, back to the hotel again to prepare to leave Jeju the next day. I got bored just staying in the hotel again so I took a walk around the hotel. I love to see the fishes and shellfish in the tanks. I stopped in front of a restaurant to watch them prepare one of Korea’s weirdest dish of raw life octopus being chopped up. The tentacles were still squirming and the customers dipped them in sauce and eat it-raw and twitching! Ugh~~~ not for the weak stomach. I wanted to find that stall where I got my Soondae the previous night but we kinda got lost. So we wandered around and found an intriguing find - underground shops. It looks quiet and gloomy at the streets but if you take the stairs down ( Like in the subways) it’ll lead you to the ground full of apparel shops and it is cheaper. It kind of freaks me out to think that on top of me was a road with cars. The shops occupied a whole row/road. I walked the entire row from one end of the road and exited the other end. It’s funny.

Passage to underground shops

When we got out, we found the street but unfortunately, the stall was closed early. I settled for a 24 hours convenient store. It is really convenient. You can make your meals right then in the store with the microwave oven and a hot water dispenser. My stomach wasn’t feeling well and I was having sulphur burps (I hate it very much) so I skipped. Later, back to the hotel and catch some needed sleep. It was a long but enjoyable day.