The Vivaldi Park at Daemyung Resort

One of my Christmas wishlist is to be able to see one of the finest ski resort in Seoul. They said the Yongpyong ski resort is one of the best, but around 2-3 hours away from central Seoul (which i cannot manage to give more effort on travelling and besides I'm not a ski athlete!)

Going there is less hassle, I asked my office mate to book the free shuttle online (since it's in korean). I reserve slots for 4 people together with my husband, Laila and her friend. We got off at the Sadang station to catch the free shuttle bus (i forgot which exit it was) but a few steps away subway station. 

Vivaldi Ski Park World boasts of state-of-the-art facilities and slopes suitable for all levels, perfect for creating unforgettable, cherished memories.

Ski World is a world-class leisure resortable to accommodate 20,000 visitors daily, consisting of a combined slope area of 1,322,021㎡, total slope length of 6,784m and total lift length of 6,332m. Among a total of 10 lifts, Vivaldi Park Ski World operates Asia’s first 8-seater express chairlift and an 8-seater gondola.

Enjoy our pictures!

Nami Island

Last weekend, going to Nami Island unplanned (well it was really part of the plan few months back) made our freezingly sundate worth the trip. Well it didn't rain as far as Laila's presence is concerned :) We took the train, transferred twice for only 2thousand won roundtrip - but around 15-20min waiting time for transfers, I don't like it because it's so freakin' cold! For those who will go there by subway- do it on summer time or spring. Better take the bus with the package tour all the way to the Island. That would cost you around 15kwon roundtrip plus the entrance fee of 8kwon. Yep, winter time is quite expensive but at least you're comfortable. :)

There are only few interesting spots you can see during fall or winter season. And I think the peak season for Nami Island is Cherry Blossom between April-May and Syas were the lakes are muddy because of the rain and cold coming together before winter comes. Quite not interesting but surprisingly the only thing that we enjoyed are the food. Their famous nami hotdogs! oh sorry i have no picture, but might as well go there and check it out yourself. :)

When you get to the entrance of the park, you will see this weird fountain with Soju bottles on top of the stones. I don't really know the whole idea of the bottle on top...:)

There should be two people here...take your picture here with your partner! see the kissing snowball couple? :)

This tree is so creepy....as well as the whole background. Reminds of a suspense horror movie chasing wolves and witches...

Seriously, I didn't watch this korean drama...but they are raving on this picture for pictorial purposes...so, why not? 

Ok, so what now? a door in the middle of somewhere...

This is their famous spot here, where endless pictorials are made of...because of this tall trees along the path.

The Hanbuk Experience & Trick Eye Museum

This is actually a late post last weekend ago... my sister, Aye came for a visit and our itinerary went well at least a fully booked weekend of rain and cold! Anyway, we were not really prepared for a  winter walk but we have no choice but to deal with it. An endless walking in metro Seoul.

First stop was the Hanbuk Experience. At M Plaza (5th fl)  in Myeongdong there is a Tourist Center where foreigners can inquire tours, and they provide other tourist information and services. In that building, you will also find free hanbuks (korean traditional costume) for men & women where you can try it on for pictorial. At first it was really awkward, like I don't really look like Korean, but what the hell, just for experience.

After my office we went to the Lantern Festival in Gwangwhamun near the City hall, a few steps from our building... Since its inception in 2009, the annual Seoul Lantern Festival has managed to put on remarkable displays of lanterns on the famous Cheonggyecheon Stream in downtown Seoul. During the festival period, hundreds of lanterns, each with a unique design and story, will be lit on Cheonggyecheon Stream. Visitors can expect to see lanterns made by international artists, as well as local citizens.

The Trick Eye Museum

My sister really enjoyed this one and since we were running out of time we were not able to take pictures of other interesting paintings on this museum. 

The Trick Eye Museum is located in the lively Hongdae district at the second basement floor of the Homi-hwabang building and has proven to be a popular destination for tourists. It specializes in providing amusements that trick the eyes into seeing something else. In addition to various trompe l'oeil installations, the museum also houses a Greek-style cafe, an educational room for learning Greek mythology as well as exhibit halls featuring contemporary artists.

Muju Resort

• Muju Resort, which is located in its 2,123,000 pyeong area within the Deokyu Mountain National Park and is a representative mountain resort in Korea, is a general resort for four seasons pursuing for the state harmonized with nature & human beings and arts & health on the basis of the basic concept of the harmony between nature and human beings. It boasts of its fantastic scenic beauty enough that you may be illusioned as if you were in an European country when you step into the entrance of the resort, since Muju Resort seated within the gorgeous natural environment of Deokyu Mountain and all the infrastructure, such as each building and street, etc., are harmonized with the mountain terrain in an Austrian style.

Winter and Summer is the best season for Muju Resort. On winter, you will enjoy the ski slopes in the mountain while on summer you can go hiking in the Deokyu Mountain and they also have swimming pools and carnival. When we went there during Fall, we just went to the top of the Deokyu Mountain in a cable car. Other Facilities were closed. But we enjoyed the cold breeze and autumn leaves though.

Busan Trip

Chuseok (Korean: 추석), originally known as hangawi , from archaic Korean for "the great middle (of autumn)"), is a major harvest festival and a three-day holiday in Korea celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Like many other harvestfestivals, it is held around the Autumn Equinox. As a celebration of the good harvest, Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns and share a feast of Korean traditional food such as songpyeon and rice wines such as sindoju and dongdongju. 

Since it is a three day or almost a week holiday here in Korea, I went to Busan to "kill" and endure my time there with Laila. :) No, we did not celebrate Chuseok with Koreans but we had our grandest time discovering Busan from Gwang-Ali to Heondae Beach. Nothing really special in their beaches compared to ours in the Philippines :) We also went to Haedong Yonggungsa Temple which by the way we got lost because of those foreigners in the bus. There's a lot of travellers there during holidays and traffic is awful, like we were on the road for around 2 hours when you can get there for only 30 minutes, they say.

Moving on, we were supposed to buy those red velvet cupcakes in Gwang-Ali but when we went there, they're close already and we were starving already looking for some seafood resto nearby. And I was amazed that seafood restos there are expensive that I thought. Anyway, we ended up eating Dongge jigue...

It was a nice experience exploring Busan. We went to see the largest Shinsegae Mall, they say it's the largest in the world. They have a very unique art designs in their Lotte Department Store too.

We actually booked a hostel near Heondae beach because we wanted to experience running first thing in the morning, but as usual, we got up late so, useless. The small hostel that we rented for the night is "not so nice", maybe because it was holiday and there were a lot  of guests and they're too busy to attend to our needs. But that should not an excuse, regardless of how many people you are attending too, you should give your best service. We waited for around 2 hours before we finally checked in. The door lock is broke and sometimes not working, we can't open it easily. They say they have breakfast but apparently, none. They said check out time is 12nn but they wanted us out by 11. This time I complained, and they complied because we're foreigners. By the way, It's Mr. Egg House. (Now you know if you want to go there)...

About Haedong Yonggungsa

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is situated on the coast of the north-eastern portion of Busan. This superb find of a tourist spot and temple offers visitors the rare find of a temple along the shore line. Most temples in Korea are located in the mountains. Haedong Yonggungsa Temple was first built in 1376 by the great Buddhist teacher known as Naong during the Goryeo Dynasty. Haesu Gwaneum Daebul (Seawater Great Goddess Buddha), Daeungjeon Main Sanctuary, Yongwangdang Shrine, Gulbeop Buddhist Sanctum (enclosed in a cave), and a three-story pagoda with four lions can all be seen looking out over the ocean. 

The main sanctuary of the temple was reconstructed in 1970 with careful attention paid to the colors that were traditionally used in such structures. On the right-hand side, inside the a cave, is a uniquely designed Buddhist sanctum, while situated just in front of the main sanctuary is a three-story pagoda with four lions. The four lions are symbolizing joy, anger, sadness, and happiness. Other special sites at the temple are the 108 stairs and stone lanterns lining the rocky landscape. After going down the 108 steps, one will be delighted with the beauty of the temple. Midway down the 108 steps one can stop and enjoy the calming sounds of the waves, and view the majestic sunrise. 

Many people often come to this spot on New Year's Day to make a wish for the new year as they watch the sun come up. April is an especially beautiful time of year with cherry blossoms in full bloom. The birth of Buddha is also celebrated in April (following the lunar calendar) and offers a spectacular night view as the temple area is aglow with electrically lit lanterns.

Shinsegae in Busan- The Largest Department Store in the World...

Dongang River Rafting at Gangwhon

One of the most scariest water sports FOR ME is river rafting. I really don't like the idea but when I get to experience it, it's kinda fun though. My trading team went there for a workshop and at the same time for an R&R. It is around 2 hour travel by car if you leave from Seoul. We stayed in a beautiful Italian style hotel with several villas called, Cistar Condo, Golf Club and Spa located in a mountainous part of Gangwhon. 

After the morning workshop session with our Director, we went on to the River Rafting in Dongang River.

Donggang River runs 72 kilometers through Yeongwol-gun, Jeongseon-gun, Pyeongchang-gun in Gangwhondo. The area around river is largely untouched and the scenery picturesque. Rafting can be enjoyed on many parts of the river, from its upper reaches at Jeongseon to the lower ones at Yeongwol. The river is especially popular with beginners and families, as it is relatively wide and the currents are slow and calm. 

Cistar Condo Golf and Spa

This is our Villa in Cistar :)

Cistar Healing Spa

River Rafting with the Team at Donggang River