IT'S TIME FOR EVERLAND!!!

     A long commute from Seoul on a Saturday night won't keep me from getting up early for Everland. This trip has been in my head for months! So, we skipped breakfast and hopped into the next bus bound for Pyeongtaek. It took us fifteen minutes to get to Korail Line 1 Pyeongtaek Station. After ten stops, we're already boarding #66 bus in Suwon.

     I had no idea how long the bus ride was because I dozed off from there to Everland's shuttle bus pick-up point. I thought we traveled for only 30 minutes. A lot of foreign and local tourists were bound for Everland that day, making the bus packed.

   

     It was a short ride to the gates of Everland Theme Park. We bought tickets and went through the park entrance. It was like a dream come true. I felt sad last year for not being able to visit the park because of its distance from Uijungbu.

     We started taking funny pictures, enjoyed the attractions, played in the snow, sample their food, rode the lift and the cable car and go to almost every souvenir shop we found.

     

     Every part of the park keeps on surprising me. Global Fair looks like everything and everyone's in there, European Adventure looks like real Europe, Magic Land feels magical, Zoo-Topia houses a lot of amazing animals around the world, American Adventure will make you feel like you're in America with all those rides and diners. 

     The cable car and the lift made us get where ever we want faster, easier and more fun with the excellent view of the whole park and the mountain. You can see all the attractions and gardens from up there. 

                                                At night, it's like a long celebration  

of Christmas with the trees, buildings and bushes covered with lights. Making the guests feel sad thinking that the day is over. . It's good that the parade and fireworks are there to liven up the mood again.

     If you want to explore the whole resort, it may be a good idea to stay at the Home Bridge Hostel for the night and check out the Caribbean Bay, Glen Ross Golf Club and the Ho- Am Art Museum the following day.

click here for directions, admission rates, tips and the whole story of our Everland tour

Off to Lotte World!

     It was 5am when I woke up, thinking we should leave the house early for Lotte World. But my sleepy-head husband refused to get up until 1pm. So much for that whole day of fun. We left after we had a very late lunch and took the subway to Jamsil Station where the big amusement park is. Jamsil Station is directly connected to Lotte World, a huge indoor and outdoor amusement park with cinema, mall, restaurants, hotel, folk museum and ice skating rink.

     A replica of Trevi Fountain on our way to Lotte World amazed foreign tourists while a fountain with dancing LASER, just before the entrance, entertains the kids and their parents.

Replica of  Rome's Trevi Fountain

Dancing Laser Fountain

A kid checking out how the light works

    After some snacks at Lotteria, which is also inside the mall, we purchased tickets and entered the park.

Ready to dig into his Burger and fries

Entrance to the amusement park

     We went around and stopped by the souvenir shop with lots of Lotty and Lorry items.

souvenir shop

     The park is so big that there are lots of things to goof around with.

     I love those big clocks so I insisted on taking a pic with my husband/ photographer. 

My kind-hearted husband

   Korean Drama, Stairway to Heaven's famous carousel is also here, though I still can't believe that it's the same thing because it looked bigger in the drama.

The famous carousel from Stairway to Heaven drama

     On the other end of the park, opposite the carousel, is a stage where amazing Broadway-like performances entertain guests of all ages. If you think you'll just be wasting time if you stop to see them, you could be wrong.

     Just when I thought we're about to go back, my husband led me near the cosmetic and gift shops. Now I thought we're gonna go shopping! Instead he kept walking 'til we reached the other exit. And was I blown away by the view of the castle. I was speechless. It felt like I'm in Disneyland! I got so excited that I snatched the camera and started taking pictures of him and the castle.

     Inside are replicas of knight memorabilia.

     We took more pictures after having some sausages since we took a rain check on the scary-looking rides.

     The two-hour train commute back to Pyeongtaek almost starved us so we stopped at the nearby sundaekuk shop where an ahjumma served us each with rice and a big bowl of soup with sundae (a Korean sausage made of rice noodles and pig's blood), one of his favorite Korean foods. But not mine, though. The raddish and cabbage kimchi were good.

Big bowls for the tired and starved

kimchi, rice and sundaekuk

Sundae

     That late, big meal made us very sleepy so we headed back to the apartment right after.

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read for directions and Lotte World rates

From Manila to Incheon to Pyeongtaek-si

   We had to rush to the ticket booth to get on the 7:40am bus to Pyeongtaek when we arrived at the Incheon International Airport, February 7, 2013. Was I glad when my husband asked me, after our three and a half hours flight from Manila to Incheon, if I was hungry. I wasn't but I said yes because I was craving for anything from my favorite coffee shop, Paris Croissant for months! We grabbed some bread and coffee for take away and ran to catch our bus.

     Buses bound for Pyeongtaek-si are at the middle of the arrival area. You can get your tickets and check for schedules at the ticket office at windows 7 and 8.

Incheon International Airport Bus Route
image from http://www.airport.kr/img2011/eng/routeparking/img_busroute01.gif

Bus tickets to Pyeongtaek-si

 
   The two-and-a-half-hour ride to Pyeongtaek made us doze off. I had to wait for my husband to wake up to take a picture of him in the Limousine Bus. The seats are even cozier than those on the plane we were on from Manila. Not that it's a poor airline, it's just that the bus is so nice. It won't be called Limousine Bus for nothing, right?

the comfy Limo Bus and my sleepy husband

     After hours of travel by plane, bus and cab, finally, we're home. Welcome to our apartment in Jinsari, Pyeongtaek-si South Korea! Our first home as husband and wife. I can't help but stare at the interior as I was taking off my shoes.

Our apartment in Jinsari

     We tried to rest some more and planned our activities for the weekend. In the evening, as we went out for the supermarket, it was around 4- 8 degrees centigrade outside, far from the always-summer-Philippine-climate.

It's 4 degrees in Jinsari!

     After dinner, he decided to take me to Lotte World and Everland for the weekend. E-V-E-R-L-A-N-D... that's Korea's Disneyland. And it's my dream to see it!

Valentine's Day in Korea

     Fish-shaped bread sold along the streets in South Korea makes me curious every time I see them in Korean dramas.  It was disappointing not to find one on my first visit back in 2012. Who'd have thought that I'd get some as Valentine's gift?! 

    My husband handed me a cute, white paper bag on the eve of Valentine's Day. "An advanced gift", he said. He always know how to make me smile.

     An ahjussi (old man/ uncle) opened his Bungeoppang shop just near our apartment. It's only 2,000 Won for 3 bungeoppangs. Finally, I got to see and sample them. They are actually waffles with bean paste filling, best consumed while still hot...perfect during winter.

cute bungeoppang wrapper

bungeoppang

     Everything sweet went up a few thousand Wons on February 14. I went to Daiso and M Mart to get something for my Chagiyah (sweetheart). This lovely picture frame card and chocolate lollipops caught my attention days ago. I just couldn't buy them in advance because he might see them before I get to give it to him.

picture frame card and "kyooti" chocolates

     I could hardly wait to surprise him! But I was just as surprised when he got home and got me another gift. Chocolates in heart-shaped box and more! 

sweets from my sweet!

     He told me later that the Atlas chocolates were from the ahjummas (old ladies) in the company. Oh, sweet ahjummas. They fancy my husband like a nephew.

     I didn't touch the chocolates until after 2 days. A day short of its first week on our desk, he noticed it wasn't Ferrero! Haha...

My Asawa's (Husband's) Birthday

     I stayed longer than I should in Pyeongtaek, South Korea for my husband's birthday. Since I'm the "crafty-kind", I tried to prep something unique for him. I came up with these little flowers with the help of some origami papers from Daiso, a store that's almost everywhere which has almost everything you need at home.

Origami paper for only 1,000 Won

My flower art

       A little too girly for a man, huh? Poor husband. But he didn't complain when he saw it. He was just too surprised how I made them and how I managed to get him a cake with my very poor Korean vocabulary. Oh, well, I learned a new word that day. Cho. Cho is candle in english. I searched the internet before I went out. Clever girl! Good thing I did, because the ahjumma (an older lady) who owns the bakeshop asked if I needed cho!

      Checking out the cakes was quite surprising. They were just so cute. But when I came closer to see the topping, most were cherry tomatoes! A first for me! I never saw or had a cake with tomatoes on it back home. To be safe, I took the one with strawberry topping.

milk, strawberry vanilla cake and walnut ice cream

     My asawa wanted to cook everything for me that night, though it's his birthday. We bought our favorite hodu maru (walnut ice cream), milk and some fruits from Lotte Super (they call supermarket, super, pronounced as shooper). Then he cooked some noodles, which we call "pansit", and biko (a kind of rice cake). 

My happy husband

     Celebrating with just us may look sad, but we were very happy to be together that night instead of sort-of-partying through Skype 1,628 miles apart.