SEOUL (16 Dec- 20 Dec 2014)
Rush rush day! Had to take a flight back to Seoul at 11ish so we really couldn't afford to be late~ Today's itinerary!
1. Yongduam Rock
2. Flight to Seoul
3. Nami Island
4. Petite France
5. Mt Seorak nightstay
Went out for a walk by the beach after breakfast since it was just right by our hotel, but guess what, the winds were SO STRONG!!
Headed out to Yongduam Rock, right after that, to visit the dragon-head shaped rock which was like a must-see (or so I've heard?)
According to KTO, strong winds and waves shaped the rocks to eventually over time, bring about this legendary dragon-head shape. In that area, visitors can also spot women divers catching seafood (just like at Seongsan Ilchulbong~)
But the winds were so strong that I could barely open my eyes and what was worse was that it was RAINING! My goodness, it was total chaos the moment we got off the bus- half the group followed Jiejie, and the other half just sought shelter at a nearby convenience store HAHHAHA.
So I only caught a glimspe of the rock. But look at the scary waves!!
My more than 10 shots after this picture were all ruined by the water droplets that covered my lens filter, or were blurred out by my lack of balance in that strong wind.
So yup, Jeju International Airport after, for our flight back to Seoul, back to where it snowwwwws! :D
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First stop at Seoul, we were going out to Nami Island, Namiseom! This was one of the places that I had really looked forward to going to, as it was the filming location for Winter Sonata, and of course, I did expect the snowy walkways/ trees and really LOR-MANTIC HWEEEEE-LING~
According to KTO, the grave of General Nami lies on the island. He once led a great victory against rebels back in the 13th year of the 7th kind of the Joseon Dynasty, King Sejo (Reign 1455 ~ 1468).
Just to share a few pictures out of the many I took~
Here's Jiejie explaining the history of the island to us, showing us the rock with the poem that the rebels sabotaged the general with, engraved on it.
Original entry ticket pricing: 10,000won~ [Adult]
Includes the ferry ride to and fro too :) Frequency of ferry is high, at approx. 20 mins per trip? The ferry is also an adorable spaceship-orb-like shape.
A uber nice family picture taken by Jiejie <3
And then I basically kept only my left hand glove on for the rest of the hour, as I was soooo busy taking pictures non-stop. So while you enjoy these amazing pictures, think of my pitiful fingers that were so cold :( Well, worth it methinks :')
And this is where I start to complain... Le father thinks that he should have a picture taken, where he throws up snow. *watched too many Korean dramas*
Guess what happened next when I snapped this picture?
I GOT A WHOLE FACE-FUL OF SNOW.
Basically, the wind blew the lot of snow right at my camera and bare face o.o
Jacky came along and taught my parents how they should throw the snow so it doesn't end up attacking me~ And ended up taking individual pictures for us ;)
Looks like a normal shot? He edited it till it looked super dreamy with falling snow...
That's why all of us liked Jacky. He's really serious in his work! :)
Okay back to MY pictures, hahha!!
And my final picture of Nami Island we our ferry was moving off~
I'd want to come back to this place, to really enjoy my walk and take better pictures. It was somewhat rushed as we had limited time due to the shorter daytime as a result of the weather.
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Final destination for today! Petite France!!
Original entry ticket pricing: 8,000won~ [Adult]
I was really looking forward to going to Petite France too, as I had seen it on You Whom Came From the Stars, Running Man and other programs. Sadly, it was so dark when we were there :( I couldn't even take decent pictures!! %($@%)(^#%
According to KTO, Petite France is a french cultural village, where visitors can lodge and relish in French cuisine, fashion and culture. IMO, it seems themed towards the Little Prince?
The highest amount of editing done thus far was to these pictures.
But the architecture is really unique as compared to the rest of Seoul. The lights were really beautiful as there's this Le Petite France Star Light Festival which explains the very festive lightings that only illuminate the place at 1930 daily this winter season :) So I was still half glad that Jiejie changed this location visit to the evening time rather than the initial-planned afternoon visit!
We didn't last long outdoors though, it was too chilly and dark for us to explore much. So we actually left within half an hour hahha!
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Retired to our hotel located on Mount Seorak, which is one of the hotels I was looking forward to- Delpino Golf & Resort!
Look at the spacious basement that leads to the convenience store and food stalls, and my uber spacious and well-equipped room!
Walking down along with fellow tour mates to stock up on night snacks and water~
Okay don't let the cushy-looking bed fool you. It was way too stiff for my comfort. Bed was kinda hard uh :/
Nonetheless, I had an awesome balcony view, which was way too dark to capture. The supposed-to-be well-decorated trees ended up looking like multiple illuminated broccoli -.-
I have to admit though, that this resort is quite the huge~ There's Block A, B & C. Amazing eh? And the 'broccoli' decorations are in the middle-area between the 3 blocks. The winds were so horrible we didn't even attempt to venture downstairs outdoors to look at the decorations~
TIP: An outdoorsy day in this particularly windy area of Seoul would definitely need you to be well-wrapped up!
I was indeed well-wrapped up in 5 layers on top- short-sleeve Heattech, long-sleeve Heattech, wool sweater, fleece sweater, down jacket. Yup, that kept me warm. But the gung-ho me wanted to wear my pretty jeggings, and I didn't want the discomfort of a thermal bottom layer beneath, so my legs were numb most of the time even though I kept walking. Spammed moisturizer on my thighs especially though, so my skin was still okay- just that each toilet trip saw me warming my legs with my heat packs LOL.
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Post-trip thoughts: Nami Island- definitely have to visit it again. In winter or autumn, that I have yet to decide... Autumn would have me see maple leaves, sounds pretty appealing an idea too~
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