Day 4 - 10th of Dec - Seoul, Korea - Gangwon-Do

These are taps for fire hoses located right on the centre wall outside the hotel. Interesting.


The street of Seoul, Korea. 2 Degree Celsius. Just like Singapore, trees are planted along the sides. Healthy environment.


Bus stop of Seoul, Korea. Though there is no shelter, it seems much better than those in Baltimore. ^^ The bad thing is that everything is written in Korean, you couldn't know the destination of the bus. Plus, it is not wise to communicate with the locals with either English or Chinese


Dustbin!!! This is a rare picture. The Korea government does not place many dustbins on the streets in order to prevent the citizens to dump their "home rubbish" in them. For info: To save the environment, there is a new law in Korea - one has to dump their rubbish in a gov. labeled bag or they would be fined. However, one has to purchase that bag; therefore, there is a phenomenon of people dumping rubbish on the street.


This is the place where we have our first breakfast.

The table is filled with food. From Chinese cuisine to Korea cuisine to Western cuisine. Wow!


A place where puffer fish is sold. Look at the window plates.


0900-Arrival at KimChi School. This is a place where we learn and understand the history of KimChi and more importantly, how to make KimChi.

Preparation in progress.

Mummy and KimChi ^^

Me and KimChi ^^

My masterpiece. ^^ Most nicely wrapped KimChi around here.

Me and Mum in "Da chang jin" clothing. Look nice but doesn't really look like Korean. We are too tanned.

Baba. The Perfect "xiang gong". ;P

Just Me.

Me again.

One interesting thing happened at KimChi School. Mum got trapped in the washroom. The staffs there were so panicked and were shouting around in Korean. Luckily, the door opened on its own after a while after our Korean tour guide peered at mum through the top.


1100-Namsangol Hanok Village. Centred on five restored Korean historical homes depicting various social levels from the Joseon Dynasty, the village is a time capsule in the midst of the city with its peaceful pond and pavilion.

Kitchen in a middle of a garden.

View of the Seoul Tower. I luv the landscape!

Bedroom. Notice how small it is. I think the length of the room is shorter than my brother.(186cm) There is also a 'stove' below the room. It is to keep the room warm during wintor time.

KimChi house.

KimChi is store this way underground for around 1-2 years.

This is what they use to farm.

More pic- Dad n Mum. ^^


We had Samgye-tang (Ginseng Chicken Soup) for lunch. This dish is famous as summer dish. Koreans try to survive the summer heat with hot stamina food.The body cavity of a small chicken is stuffed with glutinous rice, young ginseng shoots, and jujubes. The chicken is then boiled in a clear stock and served in an individual earthenware pot. It is highly recommended for those new to Korean food. I thought it would be very delicious but to my disappointment, the soup tasted blend. Due to the rush of time, I didn't even manage to finish my food. ;(

Pic of a typical Korea street during winter. I really like the design of the lamp post. A combination of ancient and modern taste.


1600- Arrival in Gangwon-Do.
Here, we took the YongPyong Cable Car, equipped with 100 8-person cabins, which makes it the longest cable car in Asia. From Dragon Plaza, it took us 18 minutes of the cable car ride to arrive at the Dragon Peak in Mt. Balwang which is at the 10th highest sea level area (1,458m) in South Korea.
The view was real magnificent. Simply unbelievable.


In the cable car.


1400ft above sea level. Welcome to Dragon-peak. This was also the place where Wintor Sonata was shot!



View from the mountain top.

Winter Sonata's coffee shop.

Mummy, me and Idol Bae yong Jun.

Daddy and snow house.

A panorama of Dragon Peak. Real breath-taking.

The weather on the 'top of the world' was simply unbearable. The temperature taken was around -15 degrees C, adding on was strong wind. Luckily, the sun was still there to keep me from shivering; nevertheless, my whole feet went numb. I got a feeling that I was going to become a snowman! Frozen.

This is cable car 14. The one that Bae Yong Jun and Choi Ji Woo took in Winter Sonata. Me and Mummy being romantic here.


Steamboat. The pork is marinated for at least four hours to enhance the flavor and to tenderize it in a mixture of sesame oil, soy sauce, black pepper, garlic, sugar, onions, ginger, and wine. The pork appeared to be of the colour of beef. Real delicious!!! Love it :)We also ate Gimbap (Rice Wrapped in Seaweed)- The laver is rolled into a tube, sliced into sliced pieces, and seasoned with sesame seeds. The idea was borrowed from the Japanese during the colonial period.


The park where Winter Sonata was shot. (just located outside the restaurant)Recognise it?


We stayed in the above resort for the night. The room is like that of a big chalet room, real cosy. However, there is a slight problem with the shower. The water was freezing cold for one moment and scorching hot for the other. To save the torture, I didn't bath for the night. ;P


First time sleeping in "Ta Ta Mi". Real warm and comfortable though. ^^

Good night.