I see snow for the first time in my life! ^^

:) Started 2013 with an overseas trip to Korea! Yes, I specially wanted to go during the winter time so that I can see snow and of course to get my butt frozen! ^_^!!!!

I was on tour package this time round instead of F&E. The top reason being language barrier. I practically only know a few Korean words (which I learnt from the drama) and I'm definitely sure won't get me anywhere.

Signed the package at the NATAS Fair in August and cost about $2k+ / pax with air ticket, accommodation, food inclusive. Initially we think that it's quite expensive, but after the whole tour, we realized that it's quite worth it! :):):)

It's a 8D6N trip, quite packed and tiring, but seeing those snow on the ground and wearing thick layers of clothes make me super excited! I'm a winter girl, not a summer lover at all! ^^

Itinerary as followed:  

5th & 6th Jan: Jeju Island - Pacific Land, Shangri La Yatching, Teddy Bear Museum, Seongsan Sunrise Peak, Tangerine Orchard, Trick Art Museum, Yongduam Rock

7th: Seoul - Lotte World, Yeoju Factory Outlet, Oak Valley Ski Resort

8th: Gangwon Province - Banana Boat Snow Ride, Cheese Making, Mount Seoraksan National Park with cable car ride, Gwongeumseong Fortress, Shinhungsa Temple, Aqua World (Spa)

9th: Seoul - Seaweed Gallery, Ginseng Showroom, Cheong Wa Dae, Dongdaemun Markets & Shopping

10th: Seoul - House of Cosmetic, Amethyst Gem Factory, Natural Health Showroom, DFS, JUMP Show, Myeongdong Shopping Street, Namsan N Seoul Tower

11th: Seoul - Gyeongbokgung Palace, Provision Shop (Korean food), Home sweet Home :)

Some favorite shots from the whole trip, more can be found on my Facebook page! :):):) 

At the Pacific Land, waiting to check out the animal performances.
On the tour bus trying to get away from the strong wind outside! ^^

At the Seongsan Submit Peak! :) That's me with the 石头爷爷!

It's super cold but we braved it and climb all the way up for a magnificent view of the volcano! :):):) 

石头爷爷 is considered as one of their 神像 in Jeju Island. You will see this pair (usually) even outside their shops, which I think it means prospering business.

 

:) At the Yongduam Rock, meaning the rock looks like a dragon head. 

HAHAHAHA! I guess it's the constant wind erosion that cause the rock to shape like that. 

Spent 2 days in Jeju. Indeed it's a beautiful place, well-conserved! Definitely coming back here again. This time round I'm planning to go up the Hallasan, the tallest in South Korea! 

Took the flight back to Seoul, and the first stop is to Lotte World! It's a theme park, with indoor and outdoor rides. You must be wondering who will want to play the outdoor rides in this butt freeze weather! HAHAHA! But you're so wrong, lots of kids will brave this kind of weather to go get their heart popping in those rides! ^^ I'm no exception!

Our first ride of the day: 海盗船! It's not as scary as I thought, and can you imagine throughout the whole ride my legs are trying to hold on to my bag. 

PS: They allow us to bring our bags on the rides which is weird since in USS, no bags are allowed for most of the rides.

I never miss the chance to play the carousel! :):):) 

PS: Do you know this carousel is where 天国的阶梯 is filmed at? :)

Spent almost half the day in Lotte World and after that we rushed on to the highlights of the whole trip!!! :):):)

S.K.I..I.N.G!!!

It's about an hour plus trip up the northern side (which is colder!). We got our rented ski clothes, gloves and ski masks are a must (at own cost) and goggles (rental, about SGD10)! :) The shop owner is friendly and has 2 lovely dogs! 

Our stay for the night is at  Oak Valley Ski Resort. 

First impression: A high class chalet, with the basic necessites! 

That's until you see what's the room like! HAHAHA! It's a house with 2 bedrooms (1 with a normal king sized bed, the other is tatami style), a kitchen, living and a balcony! ^^ DAMN SHIOK! Heard from our guide, January is the peak season for the Koreans as the kids are having their winter holidays. Thus, most of the rooms are booked and we're fortunate to be allocated to this super big house! 

Make a guess how much this house cost per night??? ^_^_^

........

SGD500++ O.O!!!! *OMG!* More photos on the resort can be found on my Facebook Page! :):):)

1 night stay and the next day is our first try at skiing! :) Initially I thought how hard can it be? I mean you have 2 poles to help guide you right? HAHAHA! Trust me, as a first timer, you'll be surprised how hard it is to move, stop, change direction and go back up the slope. HAHAHA! Even though it's damn cold, I'm actually sweating underneath. -_-""

But it's super fun (though tiring), and Mr. is so interested in going up those intermediate slopes that he actually ask to come back to Korea for skiing! OMG x100 times! HAHAHAHA! 

P.S: It's the first time he initiate going overseas! 

Enough said about skiing, our next destination is Mount Seorak National Park! :) It's even further up north, and according to our guide, we're about 2km away from North Korea! *WOW!* Unfortunately, you won't be able to see any part of N.K even at the summit. 

:) After a 5 minutes cable car ride, we're at the top!

It's a very windy day that we have to force a bit to walk in the wind. HAHAHA! And after this trip, I honestly can say that wind can blow you away! -_____-" 

See the amount of snow! *LOVE IT!*

Next day, we are back to Seoul and it's time to shop and spend money! For the past few days, we didn't get to shop much as it's purely scenery and skiing trip. 

Now that we're back in Seoul, we were brought to some of their famous shops like the Korean Ginseng, Seaweed Museum and House of Cosmetics. 

Also, the popular shopping district like Dongdaemun Markets & Shopping & Myeongdong Shopping Street. 

We even make our own way to the N Seoul Tower (which is very near to Myeongdong Shopping Street)! Told the guide that we'll make our way back to the hotel! ^^ Beautiful scenery up there! *ROMANTIC!*

Last day before we fly back, we visited the Gyeongbokgung Palace. It's a place full of history and I'm definitely going back there to take more photos! :):):)

Some of the shots inside the Gyeongbokgung Palace! :) 

Seoul is full of different palaces, and if you're visiting, do plan a day just to visit these old structures. You'll be surprised that these old palaces are well kept to pass down the long generations of history.

This is supposed to be a very short post, but in the end too much words to tell you guys how much fun we had! The 2K is totally worth it! *Trust me!* ^_^_^_^

And now that I'm back in Singapore...

I really wish that the weather would be a bit (or should I say a lot) cooler than now? -___-"