24 April 2013 - Yangdong Village ~ Bulguksa Temple ~ Seokguram Grotto ~ Anapji Pond ~ Cheomseongdae Observatory

Peeking into our dark room, a little sun ray smiled upon us. At 8am in the morning, the room was so brightly lit when we opened our windows wide. And the rain had stopped. It was still drizzling when we came back last night after dinner.

Jac had discussed with us the night before on our breakfast menu for this morning & we all agreed to have Korean Traditional Porridge (Bonjuk). We all met in Jac's parents' room for breakfast.

Left: Seafood porridge & Wild mushrooms porridge.

Right: Red bean with dumplings porridge & Pumpkin porridge.

We left out hotel at 10am & travelled for another 2hrs 30 mins before coming to a rest stop. I thought we had arrived at our 1st POI for the day but realized its only a toilet stop. (still in a daze; slept all the way). Jac's parents suggested having lunch. Huh?! Lunch? Now? Eat again?....

So we had a simple lunch of Udon soup. 

Finally, we arrived at Yangdong Village. Jac wanted to skip this attraction since we had already visited Yongin Village yesterday but her parents said to just look around first. If there are nothing much, then we can all leave early.

Yangdong Village (UNESCO Heritage) were one of the 1st clan villages formed in the early Joseon period (1392 ~ 1910) & survived up till today. There were still residents inside those houses & we felt awkard stepping inside their compound to take pictures. Not that there were anyone around but we felt like thieves. LOL.

Just like the little yellow tulip (bottom right photo), it was growing inside the garden area in one of the houses & I just had to take a picture of it. I ran quickly inside, as far as i dared to, zoom in my lens to its max. and snapped. The rest followed. Haha!

Next stop, Bulguksa Temple. 佛国寺

Oh... many lovely cherry blossoms everywhere. Sorry, our driver had to wait a little while longer. Think we spent at least half an hour there, soaking in the delights of the blossoms around us. Reminder: it was already late April; who would have thought these flowers still existed..

Come to think of it, were they really cherry blossoms? There were many species all around. Heck! Its pink! And its everywhere!

After a long & winding uphill, we arrived at the gates of Seokguram Grotto & was told its closed for the day. Time: 1800hrs.

Lets just said I did not enjoy this scenic drive & my lunch came right out.

Before the skies turned dark, we made it to Anapji Pond.

And this is Cheomseongde Observatory. What is this for? For star glazing.

Actually, we saw some dome shaped structures & we suspected it to be tombs. I took a photo of it but Uncle (Jac's father) told me to delete it. You never know what might be seen on the photo other than the tomb.

Across from the observatory, we had our dinner at a Korean Traditional Restaurant.

Look at all the different varieties. And they refill it for you again when any particular dish is finished. And all for only 10,000won/person.

Our country side resort for the night - Gyeongju Happy Plus Pension.

And since there were 1 big bed each in the living room & bedroom, we took the beds down & lay them together for the 3 of us. ( Jac, Elaine & Yvonne)

23 April 2013 - Yongin Korean Folk Village ~ Suwon Hwaseong Fortress ~ Suwon Hotel

I hate travelling on a plane as I cannot fall asleep on matter how I tired I am. And to add on, the damn flight entertainment was not working so there was no movies I could watched, no games I could played nor music I could listened to. Sucks!

I could not be more than happy when our flight touched down at 0700hrs. We meet our driver who took us to meet Jac & her family. They had arrived the night before, hence we picked them up at their hotel first before heading to our next destination together.

The drive to Yongin Everland Folk Village took slightly more than an hour & when we arrived, it was drizzling. Damn! The rain never stop & it continued into the night.

Cherry Blossoms were still around everywhere in Korea & we were lucky to have seen it. Due to adverse weather conditions, the flowers were still in their cheeky bloom :)

There were many, many school children everywhere. Goodness! I'm not sure if it is their school holiday or what... Every corner we turned, groups after groups...  However, I was totally pissed off at their manners!

Some of the many performance we caught. Cant possible looked at all; the rain, the crowd, and majority of the umbrellas posed a danger. Those children never did bother about the adults around them; swaying & swishing their umbrellas as if there were fairy wands. Yikes...

And when they blocked our views. we had to gently but firmly pulled their umbrellas aside & with our hand gestures, told them to buzz off please move away ( we do not know how to speak their language). Except for Jac who can speak Korean.

Our lunch consisted of some spiced pork slices & bean paste stew. For those of you who can read Korean, you can read & understand the menu.

Suwon Hwaseong Fortress. Walking under the rain & cold wind, we were exhausted but the walls never seemed to end. It was only when we saw the map, we realised we had: (1) started off from the wrong point in the 1st place & (2) only 1/4 of the walls covered after such a long time.The rain was pelting down heavier & we were very reluctant to open our umbrellas as the wind was so strong; our umbrellas could have been blown away.

We arrived at Suwon Hotel around 1730hrs, took a little nap ( i fell asleep within seconds) & met for dinner again at 1930hrs.

Elaine & Yvonne ( top right photo)

Together with Jac & her family (bottom left photo)

Hot Ginger Ginseng Chicken Broth for a wet & cold day. Yummy! Of cos, not forgetting those spicy kimchi soup & ramen .

22 April 2013 - SIN/ICN

Elaine & I met at 1900hrs, Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 for our flight to Incheon, Seoul via Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines. We will be meeting Jac & her family in Korea since they are flying via China Eastern Airlines via Pudong, Shanghai.

The 1hr flight from Singapore to KL was fast & on schedule. Before i even finished my drink & peanuts, we were already descending into KLIA.

And since our connecting flight to Incheon, Seoul was not for another 1hr & 15mins, we took our own sweet time, doing a little shopping at KLIA.

Pre Trip Concerns

04 May 2013 (Sat):

Hey Hey! Good to see everyone again. I have been away for awhile, planning, deciding, worrying, monitoring, wondering, asking, enquiring, etc...

What's all the fuss about? Well, since end March, a few of us (that is, my friends & I) have been planning a trip to Korea. But in early April, the threats between NK & SK have become so intense that we put our plans to halt. Everyday, we checked the internet for news, sourcing for reliable info & checking around with friends who have been to Korea or who were in Korea at that moment.

Finally, we believed the threats were empty since 15 April was NK's big day & there was no tension at all. NK seems to be at peace & there were celebrations going on. There were mixed feelings on this particular trip: ~

Happy & Excited: after such long planning & dicussions, we were finally going on a vacation together.

Worried & Concerned: what if after the flights & hotel accomodation were booked & all POIs planned,  NK decided to go into a war for real?

Greatly missed & Sadness: leaving my 2 darlings behind although i know they will be in good hands. But it does seems something is missing when they are not by my side.

Putting all concerns aside, we got on with our trip; doing some last min shopping to get stuff, checking weather conditions to determine the clothings we need, etc... At long last, the day we have all been looking forward to.... 22 April 2013 SIN/SEL via KL on Malaysia Airlines.

Bloggy Break

22 April 2013 (Mon):

My apologies to all. There hasnt been any exciting happenings these past few weeks, hence the lack in updates. Will be on a bloggy break though for another week or so. Will be back with exciting & wonderful stories.

See ya on the flip side. :)

CSTD - Primary Ballet Coaching Class

07 April 2013 (Sun):

Rachel was dancing for joy when she showed me this form. She has been selected to attend coaching classes for her Primary ballet exam to be held in Nov 2013 & coaching will begin in May 2013.

Happy 8th Birthday, Lionel

03 April 2013 (Wed):

Happy Birthday to Lionel. 8 years... since 2005; from birth, to his 1st flip, his 1st walk, his 1st tooth, his 1st "Daddy" & "Mummy", his 1st day of school in the nursery, kindergarten, primary school; there will be many 1st to come in the many years ahead.

Mango Deluxe from Bengawan Solo.

With grandma & cousins.

Cake cutting.

Distributing the cake.

Birthday Song in 3 different languages :)