Too... Dia!

Seoul Sensation - Day Three

We started our 3rd day with a wholesome breakfast. Wholesome? Hehee.. Free breakfast buffet that we had was only bread, corns and orange juice. That was the only halal food (i think) that we can eat. But it was great for us. Simple and satisfied. Hakuna matata.. hehee..

For our 3rd day visit, we went to Nami Island. Famous island where the outdoor shooting site for the famous Korean drama 'Winter Sonata'. I'm sure ramai yang tahu drama ni kan. Saya pun suka drama ni.

Sepanjang perjalanan, kami lalu pekan2 kecil yang menarik. Banyak building yang cantik2 dan menarik. Ada bangunan macam cendawan. Ada windmill mcm kat holland pulak. Agak busy juga pekannya, maybe because its Sunday. Semua warga Korean bercuti. So, masing2 datang dari Seoul menuju ke kawasan desa utk ke Nami Island atau tempat2 percutian lain.

Eiffel Tower in Korea?

Akhirnya tiba di Naminara Republic. Kami tiba awal pagi untuk elak sesak dengan pengunjung yang terlalu ramai. Maklumlah, weekend. Perlu ambil lake cruise untuk ke Nami Island.

Nami Maid - lake cruise yang membawa kami ke Nami Island. Ferinya besar. Setiap 10 minit sekali untuk ke Nami Island. Tidak perlu tunggu lama sangat. Lagipun, nak menyeberang ke Nami Island tu dalam 10 minit je.

Nami Island is located in Chuncheon-Si, Gangwon-Do. Its actually a man-made island formed by the rising water of the North Han River. Our tour guide told us that this place is dedicated to General Naminara.

One of the best things about Nami Island (to me) is that there's no air pollution. So the air is so crisply clear and fresh. The atmosphere of this half moon shaped island was relaxed, peace and calm. Sesuai untuk menenangkan fikiran.

The other best thing is the creativity of their janitors. Banyak daun2 kering dan ranting2 patah di tanah. So, tanpa sebarang kos, dibentuknya seperti heart shaped dan ianya mencantikkan lagi kawasan sekitar. So creative.. I like!

Janitor's buggy. Cool huh? Kawasan sekitar memang bersih dan nyaman. No wonder. Janitornya kerja kuat untuk pastikan kawasan Nami Island ni sentiasa bersih.

Our tour guide, Mr Joseph. Born in Korea. But spend 7 years in Canada for business. He's now back in Korea for good. He told me that he's a korean for sure but with the canadian-minded. He found that bollywood's movies very.. very.. very.. cheesy and sometimes, quite ridiculous. Apart from he loves to joke around, he's a smart businessman and brilliant. He's also one of the best tour guide so far. Dia ada anak istimewa kerana medical failures. Dia saman doktor yang rawat anak dia dan kes nya masih berjalan di mahkamah (for 3 years now). He told us that he might has a chance to win. Negara yg maju mcm Korea pun still ada kes begini. Well Mr Joe, we pray for your case and hope you'll win. Chaiyok! Chaiyok!

Feeling Winter Sonata jap di Nami Island ni.

The famous pathway in Winter Sonata.

Lepas jalan2 di Nami Island, kami lunch di vegetarian/seafood restaurant di Gangwon Province. Di sini juga tiada resto muslim/halal. The best option is vegetarian/seafood restaurant. Resto nya ok, bersih dan selesa. Style makan duduk bersila kat lantai (lantai yang ada lubang tu).

Kami lunch seafood steamboat dengan kimchi, hirisan kentang rebus, nasi, taugeh and seaweed. Look at the size of that squid! Besar betul! Sedap juga. Alhamdullillah.. Untuk yang tak boleh makan seafood tu, kenelah standby serunding, makan dengan nasi pulut panas2. Kalau dah penat berjalan serata Nami Island tu, memang sedap aje.

Lepas lunch, kami ke Mount Sorak National Park di daerah yang sama. Mount Sorak or Seoraksan is the highest mountain in Gangwon Province, South Korea. The third highest in South Korea.

We then visited Kwongumsong Fortress by cable car ride and enjoyed one of the best scenery in Korea. Kepada yang agak2 gayat ketinggian tu, don't worry, you will not feel a thing when you ride this car. Just pandang ke depan, tengok straight ke puncak mountain tu. Don't you ever look down.

What an amazing scenery. Subhanallah...

The old version of the cable car. So classic...

Snowy Mount Sorak.. So beautiful..

We checked in Hotel Sorak Park in Seorak-Dong, Gangwon Province. Our tour leader told us that this hotel is a five star hotel. Has its own casino and all. At first, we didn't believed him (he loves to joke around). But after we saw it with our own eyes, we believed him. He said all the other 'regular' hotels were fully booked. So I guess we kinda lucky..

The lobby

Spacious room...

The bathroom...

View from our room..
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Our ride for the vacay... nottt...
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Had our dinner in one of the hotel restaurants. They served us Bibimbap - plain rice with vegetables, kimchi (of course), seaweed, bean sprouts and anchovies. Served in a hot bowl made of stone. Similar to our own mortar without the pestle. Tetibe teringat sambal belacan..
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Well, that was the end of our 3rd day. After dinner, we went to Daepo Wharf - macam pelabuhan kecil tempat nelayan jual ikan2/makanan laut. Biasa je untuk isi masa lapang. Lepas tu, kami balik hotel and zzzz...

To be continued...

Seoul Sensation - Day Two (Part 2/2)

When we were in Korea, we noticed that every restaurant/ hotel/ park has its own mineral water vending machine.. its free of charge.. ada air sejuk dan panas.. the best part was (to me) the thin-paper-cum-cup yang digunakan untuk tadah air minum.. so environmental friendly and space saving.. brilliant!

Take one of those thin papers.. kembangkan.. and its ready to use.. so easy. Tapi paper cup nya comey je. Untuk yang kehausan tu, maybe perlu 10 kali refill.. :-)

Then, we went to Seoul International Mosque in Itaewon Street for Zohor and Asar prayer. The one and only mosque in Seoul. Located at the uphill side of Itaewon. Sakit kaki to climb up but its so worth it. Such a wonderful feeling to see this beautiful mosque. Alhamdullillah.. Subhanallah..

Lunch at Muslim Restaurant, Itaewon Street. Sejuk2 kat Korea nih jadi cepat lapar la pulak. Sampai terlupa nak amik gambar restaurant dan juadah2 nya.

But, on the way to our next destination, we passed by this 'Ankara Picnic' Halal Restaurant in Itaewon Street. Jual kebab panas2. I think its good coz so many peeps lined up in front of their resto to get the taste of their kebabs. Went there to get some kebabs on our last day (saja nak rasa) tapi tak sempat, kedai dah tutup.

Next we went to MBC Drama Filming Studio in Yangju Theme Park. Famous for its outdoor shooting site for the popular 'Jewel in the Palace' drama. Not so much to see here actually. Sesuai untuk photography session dan posing2 je kot.

Its kinda boring, i think. Maybe I'm not a fan of this drama. Kalau tempat shooting drama 'Boys Over Flowers' tu syok la jugak. Lagi best kalau dapat jumpa actors nya. Ada yg tak nak balik Malaysia pulak. Tapi, walau tak berapa gemar tempat ni, tetap layannn.. tetap bergambar di mana ceruk dan celah yang boleh.

Found a cherry blossom tree... full bloom.. so beautiful!! Subhanallah.. Tetap ambil gambar sendiri, coz my mom not so IT savvy person.. terpaksa la posing and ambil gambar sendiri.. kesian dia..

Then we went to Vegetarian and Seafood Restaurant for dinner in Yangju. Kinda difficult to have muslim/halal resto in this province. So we had to dine in this resto as an alternative. Its alright for us. We've got our Serunding with us. Serunding + hot plain rice + windy and cold weather = yum! Or masitta in Korean.

This is our dinner. Actually kat tengah2 tu ada ikan bakar. Panas2. Tak sempat amik gambar jugak sbb dah kelaparan. Plus, ada side dishes mcm kimchi (wajib ada - sepanjang 6 hari di Korea, lauk tu wajib ada atas meja makan diaorg), seaweed (nori utk balut sushi tu, sedap) dan sayur2 lain. Thats why Korean kurus2 je. Makanan depa kurang minyak, kurang garam, kurang gula dan kurang rasa.. hehee.. Anyway, sedap jugak tau sekali sekala makan mcm tu.. seriously.. i said 'sekali sekala', thank u..
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Beautiful scenary in front of the restaurant. So peaceful. Banyak mountain sekitarnya. Udara nyaman dan segar. Ramai juga warga Korean yang agak kaya tinggal di sekitar kawasan pergunungan nih - just for the air and breeze yg nyaman.

We checked in Evergreen Hotel, Yangju. Nice hotel. Surrounded by all the mountains. So beautiful. Rasa mcm di Genting Highlands pun ada.
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That was the end of our 2nd day in Korea. Kaki dah sakit so we need more rest to start fresh next day. Sekitar Yangju ni ada juga recreational park/ amusement park yang dibuka waktu malam untuk dilawati (sendiri). Tapi malam tu, kami rest dalam hotel dan berposing2 sekitar hotel saja.

To be continued...

Seoul Sensation - Day Two (Part 1/2)

After we claimed our luggage, we went straight to the airport hall waiting for the tour guide. We were waiting for him for about 1/2 an hour. Tour leader kami sunyi sepi without any notification. So, we were kinda waiting and waiting without knowing what is actually happen. Nampak mcm semua group members bersatu hati dan masing2 menunggu saja dengan senyap (except for my mom yang dari tadi dok pot-pet-pot-pet compare dgn semua travel agency yang dia dah join, this is the worst katenyer. Plus, some more 'incomprehensible utterings' from her, I senyap and dengar je lah).

This is actually our first time touring with this travel agency. Famous jugak travel agency ni sebenarnye. Tapi takpelah, I already swore to myself that I will enjoy myself and never let anything ruining my vacay. So whatever pun yang terjadi, I'll be happy all the way.. even its only in my heart..

At last, tour guide kami pun datang. He apologized and mingled around with all the group members. Kami pun terus naik bas dan menuju ke War Memorial Museum, Seoul sebagai lawatan pertama kami di Seoul.

Along the way to War Memorial Museum, we passed by lots of public parks. Seems like Korean loves to jog or brisk walking along river side to maintain their health.

The government even builds public gymnasium (in this case, public gym under the highway bridge) with exercise equipment to support and maintain healthy living.

So, we went to the War Memorial Museum.. Not bad.. but its a little bit boring for me though.. not a fan of this kinds of historical thingy.. tapi tetap layannnn.. dan harus berposing ceria utk eliminate kebosanan..

Seoul Sensation - Day One

My mom and I gathered at KLIA with the rest of the tour group members at around 9.00 pm. Then we off to Incheon International Airport at 11.30 pm. Long flight.. almost 6 hours.. kematu pinggang.. can't even feel my leg all the way to Seoul..

Around 3 - 4 am Korean time, a thin line between day and night emerged.. captured from our flight's window.. so beautiful.. Subhanallah.. cantiknya ciptaan tuhan..

Around 5.00 am Korean time, Mr Sunshine still shy to come out.. but the other side's still night time (i think).. isn't it wonderful? Tetiba teringat lagu 'Sinar mentari oh Korea.. Ku mencari mimpi2.. Sinar mentari oh Korea.. cinta bersemi.." Hehee..
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Finally, we arrived at Incheon International Airport, Seoul around 06.10 am Korean time. Immigration process was not so smooth (compared to Kansai International Airport, Japan). The immigration officers was arguing with each other in front of all passengers. The lines were too long. Tak banyak kaunter yang buka. But, the officer was friendly though. Well, this is totally my own personal opinion.
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Sakura belum banyak keluar. Our tour guide told us that this year's weather was so unpredictable. Sepatutnya musim Sakura dah tamat 17 - 18 April. But now, its still not even started yet. Tapi Alhamdullillah, dapat juga tengok Sakura.. walaupun baru sikit yang keluar.

To be continued..

Seoul Sensation

Anyeong Haseyo! It means 'Hello'. Just came back from Seoul, South Korea yesterday. My mom and I went there for 6 days (the Girls Over Flowers.. hehee.. for those who are watching Boys Over Flowers should know this).
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We had so much fun. Great country. Still cold and windy in mid April. We chose to travel to Seoul in mid-April just for the cherry blossoms (sakura) actually. But those cherry blossoms still shy to come out. But still, we had fun and enjoyed ourselves.
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The travel log will come after this post.