Korea Travelogue (Day 6 - 8)

Drafting my #SCTRAVELOGUE Day 6 – 8 on 28/05/14; let’s see when will this entry be posted up on my blog. Heeeeee..

Missing the man now that he is in back in the green uniform for 2 weeks :( Dislike the feeling whereby I am unable to get his reply instantly when I whatsapp him. Worse still, he is required to go outfield (tekong) for 3 days, which means I’m unable to contact him *cries* I’m a sticky gf…

Okay, cut the long story short. Let me bring you back to the main agenda of this entry…..

Day 6

Don’t you agree that the serene morning sight deserves an OOTD backdrop shot?? The cool breeze that smacks right into the face & the frozen fingers while taking the shot – things that people I do (& forcing Sam as well) for an ootd.. HAHHA.

The widespread of international breakfast buffet provided by Hanwah Hotspring Resport.

Act cute only with my pororo cups :p

1^st stop: Nami Island (via Boat Ride) – The famous filming site for Korea Drama “Winter Sonata”. Be mesmerized by the scene view of wide grassland, rows if chestnut trees, authentic cottages and beautiful lake. Stroll along “Lower’s Path” where the lead actors strolled. Boat ride is subject to prevailing weather condition.

Got 冬季恋歌 feel?? 
Sam is very proud of his photography skills & he always mock at me for my lousy skills.

 One of my favourite pic <3

  

The boat that was packed with tourists. Look like there is going to have a WAR & they are coming onshore to attack us.

Forgot where we had our lunch. But it somehow resembles the newly opened Yoognae restaurant in SG?? Lunch was a little oily for my liking & the frying smell of the whole restaurant was TERRIBLE!!! Luckily we got Ah Bao & Ben to cook for us.

2^nd stop: Lotte World (Day Pass) – A full-fledged theme park era in Korea and is regarded as a world-class theme park along with Disneyland of the U.S and Japan. A complex life town with a department store, hotel, duty-free shops, large discount store and a fitness centre in addition to the theme park. It is a city within a city.

Sam only managed to try one ride (Gyro Drop) due to the never ending crazy queues for each single ride & the limited time given. Took a video of how fast & great impact of the drop :S When it comes to amusement park, Sam never fails to go for those VERY ADVENTUROUS rides; while I can only go for those kiddy rides, like a carousel merry-go-round (not even roller coaster for the kids) =/ Yet, Sam is always loving enough to accompany me take this kid-dish rides & look like a BIG KID. He will only go for those adventurous ones when I insisted and that he should not waste money walking around the park with me. <3

Cordyceps Ginseng Chicken Soup for dinner. I was looking forward to this meal cos I love ginseng soup. Sadly, the meal failed me big time. The soup was very very bland, even after we add the light soya sauce & salt. Ginseng taste was not strong as well =( Ah Bao must have brought us to a random infamous Ginseng Chicken Soup restaurant. Firstly, there wasn’t much people at the shop when we were there having our meals & secondly, people around me who have tried other Ginseng Chicken Soup restaurants love what they tried!!!

My hair looks like crap :X

3^rd stop: “Jump Martial Arts Performance Show” – Combining physical comedy and Tae Kwan Do, Jump is a high octane martial arts extravaganza hailing from Korea that features gravity-defying stunts such as slick acrobatics, sword fighting and wall-walking! The choreography and a graceful flight of the imagination combined with martial arts and acrobatics leave us with a new experience born form an impressive performance in the air.

No camera allowed in the theatre. Some people find the show entertaining but I find it so-so. Abit lame at certain parts. My EQ damn low one.

Checked into Koreana Hotel for a night. If I never remember wrongly, this hotel doesn’t come with complimentary wi-fi. Super sianz so we decided to sleep it off.

Day 7

Preparing to check out but not forgetting an OOTD shot :)

Kekekke :p

Ah Bao dressed up very formerly cos there was some "evaluation" of his service on that day. Spot the head on the top right of this pic; that is the "invigilator" that will grade Ah Bao on his overall tour guide performance. 

Had some very meh buffet breakfast which I only bother to take 2-3 pics.

Couldn’t recall where did Ah Bao brought us to after breakfast, but since no pictures taken, it should be some Ginseng, Hoganbo, Local Products Shop (i.e. Seaweed Factory) or Amethyst Specialty Shops whereby no photos are allowed.

Sam & I did not buy any Ginseng & Hoganbo products, needless to say Amethyst. But we did buy several packs of SEAWEED back to SG!!! Yum :p

Bibimbap + BBQ for lunch & it was pretty good.

After lunch, we embarked our journey to the SHOPPING HEAVEN – Myeongdong, Namdaemum Market & Dongdaemum. Imagine we have only less than half a day to explore these 3 areas. SUPER UPSET cos obviously there wasn’t enough time for shopping at all :(((((((  I was on the verge of “escaping” from my tour group & do a free & easy around Myeongdong on my own with Sam. One of the cons of joining tour!! >:(

After our shopping at Namdaemum Market & Dongdaemum (nothing caught our eye; we blamed it on the inadequate time), Ah Bao brought us to this Chinese restaurant for their 炸酱面 & some Chinese dishes for dinner (no pictures cos all I wanted was to quickly finish dinner & go shopping!!). This was an optional meal which Sam & I were so regretful of joining in. We felt “cheated” by Ah Bao once again!!! We should have leaved our tummy for the yummy street food in Myeongdong!!! >< There are soooooooooooooooo many street food to try but we were just too full :(

Got all my skincare products from Duty Free @ Lotte Department Store & Myeongdong. After grabbing the laneige items, I got Sam to queue for me to make payment (thanks dear :*) while I shopped for other skin care brands. Btw the crowd at Lottee Duty Free is CRAZZZZZY!! As if the items are on 80% sale….super packed with Cheena tourists -.- 

One thing to highlight: Not sure how true, Ah Bao mentioned that for skin care; get it from Duty Free cos they are more “authentic” & “safer”. It might be slightly more expensive than those bundle set you get elsewhere (like Dongdaemum), but the skincare is definitely not expired or nearing to expiry. Note that the expiry date should be printed on the product itself; not outside the box of the product.

Continue my shopping at Myeongdong after grabbing most of my skincare from Lotte Duty Free. As expected, we could only go in selected shops BECAUSE OF THE LIMITED TIME!!!!! Argggghhhhh~ >:( Got myself a pack of eyebrow pencil from Face Shop & a shawl along the street.

Ended our night with a night stay at Grande Sheraton Walker Hill; a 6* hotel but situated FARRRRRR away from Myeongdong!!!! Pffft….. Ah Bao should have just arranged us in IBIS Hotel @ Myeongdong or what lorrrrr! @#$%^&*@#$%^* 

Still unable to get over my limited shopping time throughout this trip. Perhaps I should consider heading to Seoul for a short honeymoon trip while saving up for Europe trip. *Hint Hint @samsam_xq*

Visited their casino since entry is free. Stay for only 15mins cos the whole casino is filled with cigarette smell.

Biggggg strawberries which we got from Myeongdong street which wasn’t really sweet =/

Day 8

Our last day in Korea :’(((((((((((

After breakfast at some cheena 梨花会馆, we headed to Korea’s University Street also known as Shinchon Shopping Street, the trendiest place for the latest youth fashion. There are many interesting fashion boutiques, beauty salons (I would be more than eager to do a hair makeover if only I’ve the time) and eating outlets in this area. Explore the popular Korean version of Evisu Store which offers all kinds of jeans, shirts and many more. 

Ben gave his thank you speech to all of us; for appreciating & purchasing his photography work during the 7 days. Not cheap lorrrs.. Sam & my combined photos for the 7 days costs us S$231 in total!!!! O.O 

No choice since everyone in the tour group bought, we cannot don't give face also. Moreover this is part of his earnings for his Uni-sch fees as a part-time photographer & he had been serving us really well throughout our tour. 

One of my tour mates bought the egg bread for us to try. IT WAS DA-BOOMZZZZZZ okay!! Everyone must try the egg bread. It looks something like the above. (pic credits Cheryl Wee)

We also have some last-minute shopping at the Korean Local Produce Convenience Store, offering locally manufactured goodies such as ginseng sweets, kimchi, seaweeds, honey citron tea, instant ramen, souvenirs, Banana Milk, etc etc..

 Check out what I packed back from Korea :DDDD

PS: Adding on very abruptly, below are the 2 places I will briefly talk about, as I’ve forgotten which day I visited them.

D.I.Y Beauty Course with ODBO

One of my favourite programs on the itinerary.  Pamper yourself with DIY facial session (for both men & ladies) and get to know about the beauty tips from the professionals. Learn more about the latest make up techniques to create a style of your own and beauty products that suits you. If I’m not wrong, ODBO products can only be purchased at their showroom, not those retail outlets.

My first ODBO product was their Silky Essence. Not much effect shown after applying though. This time round, I bought their Silky Essence, Toner & Sleeping Pack. My colleague wanted 2 bottles of Silky Essence. 5 products in total & I got a complimentary eye essence. Love the smell of ODBO products. Fyi, ODBO products cost slightly higher than Laneige products. Got myself a bottle of Face Shop eye remover from the showroom too.

Jeju (Cheju) Underground Shopping Street

Cheju Underground Shopping Street is the perfect place for shopping in Jeju as there are more than 377 outlets one after the other. The underground shopping street takes you away from the city traffic and you can walk peacefully to have a look around the place. But be sure that the place will be crowded and you will have to face a lot of human traffic; however that’s half the fun of it as you’ll get to see so many people engrossed in buying famous Jeju merchandise that’s not available anywhere else in Korea. 

This is the best place to hunt for clothes, footwear, accessories and local crafts. As this street is covered, you get to save yourself from the sun during the daytime and of course you can shop here when it’s raining outside. There’s so much on offer that you will need an entire day to browse through it.

为什么快乐的时光总是短暂的?? (“How the time flies when one is having fun!”) We bid farewell to this beautiful county before transferring to the airport for the flight back to SG.

4 months ever since I’m back from Seoul, but did I mention that I’ve left my heart there?? I have been telling Sam that we need to go back Seoul for holiday soon, at least a 8 – 9 days trip man!!

안녕하세요 KOREA; 보고싶어요 ♥

PS: Apparently I only manage to post this entry 1 month after I drafted :p I’m slowly starting to dread blogging. HAHAHAHA…but I will definitely persist on till my house renovation & wedding is completed :) That’s the main reason why I created this blog in the first place; to jot down the little details in my life, between you & I <3 #SCYESWEDO