March 23rd, 2013
Upon arrival at the Incheon airport. It was around 6.00 pm, KST (which is basically +1 hour from the Malaysian time)
I was tired... and freezing. And hungry- tapi muka masih maintain.
I had this for dinner. It was basically spicy broth with seafood. It's similar to the Malaysian steamboat over here, but the seafood I had were probably a few times bigger than the ones we have here.
This is the typical way to serve rice in a restaurant- rice in a metal bowl with chopsticks and a long, Korean spoon.
The weather was really cold so we don't have a reason but to wear our jackets inside the restaurant. The water they served wasn't even refrigerated because it's just that cold.
This is apparently a typical off-the-road restaurant and it's situated in Incheon - probably a fifteen minute drive away from the airport.
I don't know what this actually means, but it basically says Jeon Ra Do Jib. Best bet- seafood restaurant. And pardon me, Kwan is a really bad photographer.
March 24th 2013
Everyone forgot to mention how seriously cold the weather can get when you're by the seaside, early in the morning. Both my sister and I were not properly dressed, that's for sure.
This was the view from the entrance of our hotel.
This is apparently the paddy fields- the farmers only harvest it once a year, during the summer.
A snapshot of the Incheon airport from a distance.
We were at the mainland, ready to board a ferry to Namiseom (Nami Island). The people there were kind enough to light up a fire for instant warmth.
I'm not kidding- this place is dubbed as The Kissing Place.
Apparently, Kwan's not the only bad photographer in the family. My mum is one too.
I think it's almost compulsory for visitors of Namiseom to snap a picture along this lane of trees. I forgot what the name of the trees are- but it starts with an M, if that helps.
This was a memorial in the name of Park Yongha. Park Yongha was a cast member of Winter Sonata (the drama that made Namiseom a famous tourist attraction) and has committed suicide a few years back.
And I forgot to mention how explicit some of the statues on this island can be.
Koreans eat a lot of dishes in tiny portions. This was what we had for lunch besides claypot rice and seaweed soup.
We were on our way to Seoraksan (Mt. Seorak) so this was mainly the view when we were on higher grounds. Ethereal- yes.
There are many Teddy Bear museums in South Korea- one of them being here in Seorak. It's probably the cutest museum I've ever been to.
Charlie Chaplin teddy bears.
Ancient Hanguk village teddy bears.
Baseball teddies!
Mt. Rushmore inspired teddy bears.
Teddy bears in a German setting.
London inspired.
This is probably one of the best displays they have - Russian inspired teddy bears.
Gulliver's Travels!
In the middle of the display hall, they had two teddy bears in a hot air balloon. Very... Oz inspired.
March 25th 2013
We woke up to the place filled with thick snow, and as much as I despise snow, I have to admit that it was a beautiful sight to look at.
And I've concluded that I hate snowball fights.
There's one more thing I noticed about Koreans- they really do love their coffee.
So this is what kimchi looks like before it was preserved. Wait, no- this is how you make kimchi.
And I think it's a normal occurrence for tourists to dress up in hanboks and pose in front of settings like this. I didn't want to wear the hanbok and I hated the hat my mother made me wear, but I was forced to do it so here's an obligatory set of hanbok photos.
We also managed to visit Everland for a few hours. Note: never go to theme parks during the cold season. Never.
Of all things, I think I was the most excited to meet this furry friend. I've never seen a polar bear before.
March 26th 2013
This, is Itaewon Street, Seoul. It's the place where my hotel was situated, and it's near the American army base camp.
We visited the Presidential Blue House, the official residence of the South Korean's First Lady. Buses were not allowed to park around the vicinity, so we had to walk a little bit further. In that cold weather. Not a pleasant thing to do.
Halal food options are wider in Itaewon, considering that there is a mosque and an abundance of Pakistanis and Indonesians around the area as well. We had Indian food most of the time.
The Trick Eye museum was definitely similar to the one in i-City, Shah Alam. Very interesting, however they seem to appreciate nudity more than we Malaysians do.
I am often dubbed the photo ruiner of the family.
After dinner that night, we went to N Seoul Tower. If you're a fan of cheesy Korean dramas, you'd probably be familiar of this place- most couples come here at night.
Behind there, are locks. Couples write lots of love messages on them and then they would throw the key away.
A portion of the night life in Seoul from the N Seoul viewing tower.
By the way, the buses will load you at a certain point, and then you'll have to climb up the hill to the entrance of the towers. Very excruciating, I tell you. No wonder the Koreans are very healthy.
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