The flight from Malaysia to Incheon Airport, Seoul took bout 6 hours. Really a long journey huh.. When we arrived at Incheon Airport, we had to check in again for the flight to Jeju Island. Jeju Island shall be our first place of visit!
For those who love chocolates, Jeju Island indeed offers their famous Cactus Chocolates (Juicy cactus juice coated with thick chocolates... yummy). Too bad I did not capture a photo on that.
Not only that, Jeju Island also gave us a memorable Ginseng Chicken Soup. That was the most superb chicken soup that I have ever tasted!! Seriously... even Justin who used to anti ginseng, after tasting that, he can just say that Ginseng Soup was awesome! Congrates to you that eventually you appreciate Ginseng.. :THUMBS:
SLURPPSS!!
Jeju Island City.. to reach here, there is a magic road whereby cars and even buses do not have to start the engine in order to move. Amazing rite.. The bus driver then started to show the scenario when he off the engine and amazingly, the bus started to move forward until our destination. Perhaps it is physics that caused this movement.. hmm. Totally no idea bout how it works.. haha.
Jeju Island is also known as "Island of the Gods" among the Koreans. It remains one of the top honeymoon destinations for Korean newlyweds.
The island's mixture of volcanic rock, frequent rains, and temperate climate, make it very similar to the Hawaiian Islands in the U.S.
This place is also known as Yongdu-am (Dragon Head Rock). This place is very famous amongst the tourists. As a symbol of Jeju, this rock is said to be in the shape of a dragon's head. Legend claims that once an emissary of the Dragon King ordered a search for the elixir of life on Mt. Halla but was struck by an arrow released by the angry mountain spirit and fell into the sea. Then the dragon king turned into stone with its body submerged into water but its head reared to the heaven. Really a legend tho cause if you were to go for a Google search, you will find a list of different websites claiming different legends towards this..
She was trying to act mature carrying this handbag.. haha.
Julia riding a horse.. guess this was her first experience riding a real horse that she wanted so much to have a shot. *GRINS*
After the trip to Yongduam, we finally checked in our stuffs to Jeju Oriental Hotel. While waiting for our room keys.. why don't we get a shot??
Our seafood dinner at Jeju Seafood restaurant. Apart from the main dish, there will always be side dishes like Kimchi, the most famous dish in Korea. All those side dishes were served cold as those were preserved before winter time.
The shopping spree went on after our dinner. I can say that Jeju Island does not have nightlife as most of the shops were closed before 9pm. Early rite..
That was all about our first day trip..tiring but fun!!
21 December 2005.. We woke up at 6.30am and had our breakfast at hotel. Nothing special, just normal food like Malaysia besides all those Kimchis..
We were supposed to reach Seongsan Peak before sunrise to admire the beauty of the sun. Too bad, we reached there bout 9am after all the jam and turnings.
Seongsan Ilchul Park is a 182 m high volcano at the end of the Seongsan peninsula. The huge crater on the sharp cliff forms a grassy plain and 99 rocky mountain peaks on top of the crater form a circle that looks like a massive crown. The name Ilchulbong comes from its famous view of the sunrise.
Oh Gosh..I was totally blurry! I had no idea whether this was a warning signboard or a normal visitor's signboard.. Lol. Perhaps should ask favor from my Korean friends to translate.. haha.
The wind at Seongsan Sunrise Peak was extremely strong. Is like as if your hat and scarf were gonna flew off in a minute. Better hold them tight...
Next stop was to visit a tangerine farm. This farm claimed that the tangerines were all pesticides-free. Can believe? Wow, how they plant their tangerines into a love shape frame?! Tell you the truth, they were fake tangerines. Some were genuine, but some were plastic made.
PLEASE DO NOT PLUCK!! Saman 100 000 000 won!!
Hehehehe Julia.. Don't think I can't reach you huh!!!
Wow!! It was snowing 
This Korean lady was our main speaker in this village. She's also known as the Head of the village. Great huh?! The people living on Jeju Island have overcome the island's harsh conditions (infertile soil of volcanic ash, strong sea winds, severe droughts) and learned how to the develop the island. Each community possesses its own unique culture, exhibiting an attractive heritage. Glorious traditions developed through continuous efforts and hard work over many generations became the basis for the culture, which will be passed on to future generations.
This village indeed had unique houses. All the buildings were constructed in consultation with experts and historians to create the original atmosphere. Some cottages are two to three hundred years old and were relocated to this village in its original form without any alternations.
Yes, food!!! Super hungry... we enjoyed our lovely lunch at Jeju Village. I just simply enjoyed their cuisine!! At the entrance of the restaurant, we found this so called *antique* Ginseng which was kept in the bottle for years. Wow, wonder how much does it cost for one bottle?
Our lunch...yeay, seaweed!!
Time for ATV Ride. ATV ALL TERRAIN VEHICLE ADVENTURE RIDE was seriously fun and thrilling. Give yourself a try and I believe you will go back for the second time! ATV ride during winter time was freezing cold. My hands were all swollen like sausages. Ganas rite.. but it was fun!!
Get Set Goooo!!!
After all the fun and excitement, didn't notice that it was dinner time again. Time passed so fast that when I knew it, it's time to pack and go home. Why don't in office the time passed as fast as this? *winks*
Trying out supper at Korea.. haha.
Jeju Island is well known for its thick snow! Pretty cold.. Guess I wore bout 5 layers of clothes and 1 winter jacket.. it was still not enough because the temperature went down to negative. Bone-chilling cold!!!!
Julia seemed to enjoy her bites in the hotel room. She came out with a new principle, makan biscuits will become tepat dan jitu!! So everyone.. grab TIGER biscuits in hypermarkets~
Look at the windy Jeju Island.. Lolz, this was freaking cold. According to the tour leader, the temperature went down to -13 degrees. Terrible..
Throwing snowballs to one another...Haha. Who shall be the winner??
Linda and Aunty Helen ... (=
Guess why everyone was here looking at the map/brochures? It was all because our flight to Seoul was delayed which means we were stucked at Jeju Island for another day! Oh no.. all flights were cancelled because of heavy snow. Lolz.. we had to spend another night at Jeju Island.
Our pathetic meal. Meal on ourselves as the tour group did not cover this package. Terukla the tour agency.. Thanks to Jeju Island that we were stranded another night here.. =(
Everyone seemed to be so bored and sad. We were waiting patiently at the Jeju Airport, hoping the flight will be in progress instead of all cancelled.
Finally!!! We managed to board our flight to Seoul and we reached the capital of Korea at night. One whole day was wasted as we waited at the airport since noon time.. Me and Julia resting on Tatami. Our first experience sleeping on this kind of floor. The heater was placed under the wood and thus, you will feel warm and definitely have a good night sleep!
The day we were eagerly waiting for!! Skiing adventure! Woah.... We were busy preparing ourselves with the skiing equipments. Gosh, the blades were so hard to put on and it caused me to walk like a puppet!!
Justin, me and Julia.. we had skiing lessons for 1 hour before we started to ski on our own. Congrates Justin!! You made it! Tak sangka you got the skills so fast huh.. ski from top to bottom, left to right without falling!! Great!!! Haha...
Everyone was lining up waiting for their turn to try to ski in front of the instructor after the training lessons. This was to prove whether you did pay attention in class.
Resting... winter white snow!!
Wow... freaking skiing adventure! I love it!!
The Ng's family dressed in Korean costumes...
Justin and me.. I looked like an old grandma huh?
Yes!!! Everland.... Unforgettable memory at Everland. Everland Resort is a theme park in Yongin, a suburb of Seoul, South Korea. Everland is South Korea's largest theme park. Along with its main attractions, Everland also includes a zoo and a water park known as Caribbean Bay.
Christmas at Everland was fantastic! We rode on this *open air cable car* from the main entrance to the theme park. Don't worry if you fall because there was a huge net at the bottom to catch you! What a great adventure..
Ouch!! Stop pulling my ear !! It's reall pain!!!
Crowded Everland... everyone was stopping by to fill their stomach with some food.
Never missed out their 4D movies.. ehe
Safari Lions seemed to rule the whole jungle.
Christmas parade with sheeps and ducks... I love it!!
BBQ meat for dinner.. guess we refilled thrice in a row.. ganas rite. But it was seriously nice and tasty!!
This place was famous for its nightlife option.. besides, it is also a place for shopping and shopping!
Day 6, 25 December 2005
Time to visit the huge Changdeokgung Palace in Korea!Changdeokgung (Changdeok Palace) is a palace set within a large park in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the "Five Grand Palaces" built by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty. The literal meaning of Changdeokgung(昌德宮) is "Palace of Prospering Virtue". This palace is really huge and you can even get lost unless you are really familiar with the pathway!! Never walk alone !!
The surroundings of the palace.. the King and Queen really enjoying their lives to the max!
He was trying to be a Bollywood star.. hiding near a tree! Hahaha...
Look Different rite.. Just trying out their costumes for fun.. ehe
Linda, Julia and me... three Korean ladies. We changed our identities since then..
This was our learning class on how to make kimchi... Really a long process and kinda malas to jot down.
We had proven our abilities... we can do it!!!
This is Lotte World. Lotte World is a recreation complex in Seoul. It consists of a large indoor theme park, an outdoor amusement park, an island linked by monorail, shopping malls, a hotel, a Korean folk museum, sports facilities and movie theatres in one area. The Lotte World indoor theme park is the largest indoor amusement park in the world, and ranked seventh worldwide in attendance according to the 2002 census. Too bad they gave us 2.5 hours to settle everything here.. lol. Not enough time ler..
Our last day at Korea..
Our last shopping spree at Korea as well..
Look at the boots!! Anyone wanna grab a pair? Then, head to Korea during winter and you will find lots of booots there..
Our last meal at Korea... *sob* *sob*
The last meal will always be the most delicious. Believe it or not?
Goodbye Korea... We were flying back to our lovely Malaysia.
