Some highlights of this trip:
Day 1-2, 16-17 Dec (Tuesday to Wednesday)
1) Spending quality me-time with Big Bee in the airport, eating a sumptuous supper of waffles piled high with whipped cream and a steaming cup of frothy milk. We chatted, giggled and laughed like 2 girlfriends going for our holiday. She is a big girl now, her behaviour is so different from our previous trips last year to Japan and Mauritius. She is highly curious and excited, and stayed awake till midnight when the plane took off! She woke up in the plane at the slightest disturbance, unlike last year, when she could sleep like a log, prodding me awake at 3am, uttering "Breakfast!" excitedly when the aircrew switched on the lights.
Her new boots fit for arctic temperatures!
Grinning with elation - way past her bedtime! - in Changi Airport
2) Taking an airport shuttle bus with just the 2 of us, yakking and snoozing in the bus...catching the first glimpses of a city that was awakening in the chilly morning light. Reaching the hotel to find Papa waiting for us in the cold hotel porch, waiting to snatch a few moments with us just before he headed for work.
3) Both Big Bee and me falling into a deep and dark slumber from 11am to 3pm, hugging each other on the warm hotel bed. I sure wished Little Bee was snuggling with us too!
4) Scouting the gargantuan mall below our hotel for food when we woke up finally, like Sleeping Beauty emerging from her long yet satisfactory sleep! Finally settling for a Chinese fusion restaurant (Mummy here is not a fan of Korean food) with both of us gobbling down a big bowl of delicious crispy noodles, YUM!
5) Going to the COEX Aquarium with zero expectations, only to be amazed by the scale of the aquarium that was filled with so many more creatures than mere fishes! Big Bee's eyes nearly popped out when she saw creatures that she had never seen before, upclose and personal! Tarantula, scorpion, beaver, otters, a friendly seal and ALL kinds of gigantic, fearsome sharks with the sharpest of teeth (that Big Bee said resembled the criss-crossed patterns of a weaved basket!)
We were doubling over with laughter at the array of funny mirrors on display! Check out how Big Bee has now become Little Bee!
Sealife Galore!
6) Meeting Papa for a heavenly BBQ dinner of sinful yet delectable beef and hot steaming soup, sitting on an ondol floor in an old-fashioned, traditional Korean restaurant that the locals frequent. A perfect recipe for a cold, freezing night!
7) Traipsing to Dongdaemun, the pinnacle of shopping glory, with rows and rows of shops opened till 5am! Of course, with a grumpy and sleepy girl in tow, it was almost impossible to focus on getting cheap and good buys from the plethora of winter wear!
Starring at the plethora of nail polish bottles in Skin Food...at 11pm!
8) Snuggling in the soft, warm bed, all 3 of us - with the biting cold outside! How we all missed Little Bee though!
Day 3, 18 Dec (Thursday)
It's Lotte World day!! Big Bee was excitedly looking forward to it. It was a superabundance of rides after rides, with us shivering in the Magic Island, Lotte World's outdoor park complete with a Disneyland castle that enthralled all 3 of us, and grinning in the comfortable warmth of their adjacent indoor park with a domed glass roof that allowed the sunlight to seep in.
We played all sorts of games and rides, with Big Bee playing the Bumper Car for the first time and enjoying it thoroughly and dark thrilling rides that got timid Mummy screaming, Papa laughing at silly Mummy, and Big Bee hiding her face throughout much of the rides.
Big Bee's favourite bumper car!
We stayed there from 11am to 9.30pm, and witnessed the closing light show with pyrotechnics, fire and laser, much to Big Bee's open-mouthed amazement!
Day 4, 19 Dec (Friday)
It was Papa's and Mummy's turn to see the soul of Seoul, much to Big Bee's chagrin, whose mind was still wandering amidst the rides in Lotte World.
1) We went to Insadong, the old quarter of Seoul, filled with little shops and quaint restaurants that seemed forgotten by modernity. Cobble-stoned pavements and wooden walls filled our tactile sensations with glee. Antiquated architecture filled our visual senses with wonder.
The rustic, narrow and charming streets of Insadong
We relished the freedom of just walking about, deciding on what restaurants to go into, peering into dark touristy shops and buying local snacks along the streets. Big Bee braved the harsh cold courageously, trudging alongside us in temperatures hovering around 1 to 3 degrees.
2) Our lunch was taken in another small restaurant frequented by locals, where we had to use sign language with the friendly matron to order our food. Seeing our food cooked and stir-fried on 2 portable gas-cookers, away from the harsh cold, made us feel so contented and at home!
3) Papa played baseball in a make-shift baseball range in a dank building, very much like a golf driving range, only much smaller.
4) Having nice warm tea in a cosy, small, charming teahouse atop the Insadong streets, where we people-watched and bonded big-time, chatting with Big Bee, being entertained by her constant invention of funny songs and rhymes, and laughing till our stomachs ached!
5) Heading towards Myeungdong, the posh shopping district, where we were dazzled by the bright neon lights from all the shops!
6) Seeing Big Bee eating heartily from the street side hawker stalls, latching onto any small bit of warm food just to heat up our cold bodies.
Day 5, 20 Dec (Saturday)
Big Bee's day again (though Mummy and Papa were equally excited too!) to Everland, the supposed Disneyland of South Korea.
We searched on the internet the night before for ways to get there, and finally made our way through a shrewd combination of subway and a rickety public bus that went up into the hills, 50 minutes away from the heart of Seoul.
Everland was magical. It was like a mini Disneyland minus all the beautiful Disney characters. It was the coldest day since the day we arrived (highest temperature at 1 degree, lowest at -12 degrees!), having rained the night before, hence, there were minimal crowds - which suited us fine!
We took lots of rides and watched parades there, in the midst of subzero temperatures. What was thoughtful in Everland were the ubiquitous heating stations with kerosene-like lamps where many cold souls huddled together to warm our chilly bodies in between rides.
Big Bee's favourite was the toboggan slide down a long gentle slope of pure white sparkling snow! She made us slide down 4 times, with Mummy screaming her way down, deafening steady and calm Big Bee. But it was certainly bewitching to be up on the snowy slope, feeling the arctic wind biting on our bare faces.
Her next favourite was her first time on a roller coaster, albeit a big kids one, and she took 3 rides, with Papa not liking the twirly rushing sensation one bit, and Mummy taking it twice with her. Despite the fact that it was a big kids coaster, it was certainly thrilling, minus the 360 degrees twirl! We were screaming away in the coaster!
We finally made our way back in the same rickety bus and rapidly descending temperatures with Big Bee snoozing all the way from the Everland hills down to the city centre. Had room service in the hotel, which was something that Big Bee had been bugging us to do for the past 3 nights! This girl really knows what pampering is about!
Day 6, 21 Dec (Sunday)
Homebound! We had a lazy Sunday morning breakfast at Dunkin Donuts and Big Bee proceeded for her manicure, a tradition that persisted since our Japan holidays, where Big Bee never failed to have manicures during our holidays in different countries. The high life indeed!
Happily doing her manicure!
We finally reached home on late Sunday night to find Little cute Bee sleeping soundly, no doubt missing us loads...and us missing her tremendously too. All of us rushed into the dark room just to feel her soft skin and little hands, and I told them that we will not go on another holiday without Little Bee!
Overall, it had been a wonderful holiday, experiencing the cold subzero temperatures, relaxing in the streets of Seoul, immersing in the excitement of the different theme parks, not thinking of work and just focusing on what to enjoy! A fabulous break indeed!
3 comments:
Sounds like a superb trip. I never knew about Everland! Maybe i can consider that as a destination next year although just like you, I dislike the cuisine.
Wow, looks fun!
The picture of the funny mirrors is hilarious!
Everland looks wonderful... I wonder if Soph is too young to go next year.
Hee, I love Korean cuisine *drool*
Actually I think I am just a greedy foodie :P
viv: Yes! We enjoyed ourselves, although Japan is still nicer, haha - at least the food is better there! But the theme parks in Seoul are really fun...!
YM: The funny mirror picture is hilarious, rite? Haha. Everland is fantastic, they have different themes at different parts of the year! I think Soph should be a good age to go next year. Am intending to bring Annette to Disneyland this year! They are at the right age now!
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