2014 Korea - Day8 & Day9

Day 8 – June 13, 2014

It is our last night at Okpo-ro so off we went to Gohyeon to go and visit their biggest supermarket/mall. It has Uniqlo so si July di mapakali pagpili ng gusto nyang T-shirt. I bought some T-shirts there and clothes for the kids as well. We also did our grocery shopping at Homeplus. Dun na lang ako namili ng mga make-up na pasalubong plus some knick-knacks. Food and grocery is expensive at Korea kaya not all the items that were there were sulit.

 

We also planned to do a tour of Busan but because pagod na rin kami with the tours, we just stayed nearby. We visited their palengke na rin and Juliana wants to buy a KRW25,000 dress which is hindi talaga pwede my dear. Sa Pilipinas na lang tayo bibili nyan.

 

That night, we had pizza for dinner and sumabay kami pabalik ng apartment with Marks' friends. Ang hirap mag-empake as we have limited baggage allowance. My trusted Samsonite luggage was fulled to the brim.

 

Day 9 – June 14, 2014

 

Our flight was at the evening pa but we went to Busan International Airport earlier to explore Busan. We paid around Php 600 for the baggage storage as we cannot afford to carry the luggage with us while we explore the city.

 

Our first stop is at Busan City and we took the train from the airport to the city center. Naku, muntik pang maiwanan si Juliana at the train station kasi pasara na ung train when she was able to get in. Sobrang iyak ang kawawang bata. It was a realization for me kasi what if hindi nga sya nakasakay ng train. What does a 5-year old do in that case? Baka habulin nya ung train... My God, ayaw ko na isipin what could have happened!

 

We had lunch at KFC pero walang rice kaya nanibago talaga sina Juliana at Isabel. They refused to eat and maanghang daw ang chicken! Hay naku!

 

We went to a place with rows and rows of shopping at the train station and nag-tantrums pa si Juliana because she wanted to buy a toy. Kung mura lang sana ung toy, okay lang but it is really not worth to buy it there.

 

Once we were back at the airport and we are already checked-in, Ate Agnes, Mark and Denise left us already as they have to do their own packing na din. Si Isabel naman fell asleep while we were checking-in kaya sa boarding gate tulog din sya. Si Juliana naman ate a Korean noodle na hindi maanghang which we bought at the convenience store sa airport. I kept asking the cashier if the noodle is spicy or it has hints of chili kasi kapag maanghang yun, definitely hindi namin makakain.

 

 

 

 

 

2014 Korea - Day7

Day 7 – June 12, 2014/ Thursday

After being recharged from all the traveling the past days, we readied ourselves for a tour within Geoje. We left the apartment at 7am to go again to Geohyeong for our Geoje tour. It was very early because we will be joining a group tour. Nagbaon lang kami as we will have picnic na lang during the tour. It was raining that morning pero we are ready.

 

 

Our first stop for the tour is the Prison camp. Syempre takot ang bunso kasi may mga simulation pa sila on the prison camp and because it involves plenty of walking, we just stayed sa baba. After the camp, we went to the Pebble Beach and the Windy Hill. Ang ganda ng views but it is not ideal for children who likes to be carried pa (like Isabel) kasi she really refused to walk after some time. Grabe nakakapagod but the view was all worth it.

Part of the tour is the visit to Oedo Island which is the venue for the Winter Sonata telenovela according to the tour guide. In order to go there, we need to ride a ferry for about 30 minutes. Nakakahilo sya pero no choice as it is part of the tour package. The island is so good but we were not able to go on top because of the kids. No wonder Koreans are so fit – even their holidays involve a lot of walking and climbing hills!

 

 

Last stop of the tour is a marine exhibit. Kaya lang lobat na ang mga digicams so wala na masyadong pictures from this.

I cannot remember how much Ate Agnes paid for the tour but it is not a tour that i will avail again. Parang I felt that it was enough to see it once in your lifetime. Anyway, who knows...

2014 Korea - Day6

Day 6 – June 11, 2014 / Wednesday

We stayed at Mark's apartment at Okpo-ro for the remainder of the Korea trip. It was a cute little place will all the necessities just in that one-room apartment. May washing machine, heater, dining table, ref and everything that you need to survive on your own. Super high-tech nga kasi the building are locked electronically so you just have to input a 4-5 digit code in order to enter the place. The doors of the apartments din are locked electronically so walang susi sa Korea. It was an expat city with several restaurants of various cuisines nearby. I was told by a Korean friend that Okpo-ro has a higher cost of living than other cities because it is an industrial area.

 

 

 

Pahinga muna as we were reallly tired kaya we just stayed and watched movies at the apartment. July went with Ate Agnes to their version of palengke during lunch and in the afternoon we went to the nearby parks. Nakakatuwa kasi because at Korea, public parks are abound. And hindi sya pipitsuging parks, they were well-maintained even though its free. We went also to the place where Mark is working, Daewoo something. It was near the sea kaya the breeze is nice and I’m sure sobrang lamig dun during winter time.

2014 Korea - Day5

Day 5 – June 10, 2014/Tuesday

It’s check-out time at the hotel and goodbye Seoul as we move again to another city. But before we left the hotel, we went again to Lotte Mart to buy make-up from Face Shop and some groceries. Kabilin-bilinan ni Mama to get for her a gel-based facial wash kasi she does not want to use cream on her oily skin. Sean (another friend from work) is already waiting for us at the lobby when we got back to the hotel and he will be bringing us to Insadong as we wanted to wear Korean traditional costumes. Actually he is supposed to bring us for lunch at the Han River but because we already went there last Sunday, I asked him to bring us to a place where we can wear hanbok na lang. We wanted to go also to Gyeongbokduing palace kaya lang it was closed on Tuesdays pala.

Kaya lang wala pala syang van so we rode 2 taxis going there. One taxi has me, Juliana and Isabel plus Sean while the other taxi is Ate Agnes, July and Denise. Kaya lang instead of sundan kami ng taxi #2, nagkawalaan na and good thing I have Marks’ Korean number which Sean called. I asked for the number of Ate Agnes and Sean called her from there. Ayun, buti naman at nagkita-kita rin kami. Once we were at the cultural center, naku sobrang tuwang-tuwa na kami as we saw the costumes for us. Bilang nanay, syempre kailangan ko munang bihisan ang 2 chikiting and they were so cute. Si July naman wanted only a Prinsipe Jumong costume for him. Talagang feel na feel nya. Si bunso naman, nakakatuwa kasi ultimo ung head gear, bagay sa kanya... nabinyagan tuloy syang jumonggo...

 

 

We spent about an hour at the place and pictures galore! After that, naglakad na lang kami papunta sa isang Korean restaurant nearby and bitbit na namin ang lahat ng mga maleta namin. We had bulgogi, Korean barbecue and July tried their soju. As usual, super busog na naman.

Once we were finished with our lunch, Sean was able to hire a jumbo taxi kaya isang taxi na lang kami papunta sa bus station. We bought tickets for the 5:30pm departure for Geohyeon and from there susunduin na lang kami ni Mark papunta ng Geoje. Good thing it was a luxury bus for us kay super comfy ng seats and we were able to sleep. We had a 15-minute stop-over halfway through the bus ride and we arrived at Geohyeon by 9pm. Another bus ride naman going to Geoje which is about 15 minutes. Mark’s apartment is at Okpo-ro and we arrived there at about 10pm. Pagoda ang beauty namin and maulan pa kaya ayun, pahirapan with the kids.

2014 Korea - Day4

Day 4 – June 9, 2014/Monday

It is buffet breakfast for us all but Mark availed of it earlier as he went to Geoje already. The breakfast buffet spread is good but not spectacular. Syempre, the kids enjoyed their favorite fried egg and ang cute kasi the restaurant has Pororo plates for the kids.

We decided to stay just at Lotte World for this day so once I bought the tickets at the hotel lobby, we requested for a stroller for Isabel at the concierge. Nauna na ako and the kids to check out Lotte World theme park and the place is really for kids and kids at heart! Pero syempre if you compare it to Everland, wala syang sinabi. Well, Everland is Everland naman kasi...

 

The kids rode the train, carousel and we entered a trick museum which is so cool with pictures that can be deceiving. I wish I had a super good quality camera with me. We had lunch at a pizza place and I can say sobrang mahal lang talaga ng bilihin at Korea because the princess headband that I bought for Juliana cost me KRW7000 which is Php 280, ilang headbands na un sa Pilipinas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did not explore Lotte World that much because some of their rides are for older children na. Plus the good bed at the hotel is calling us all! I felt tuloy that hindi namin masyado nasulit ang KRW28,000 na entrance fee. Ayun, once back at the hotel, we went to the 5th floor to enjoy the hotels’ indoor swimming pool. Syempre mas nagustuhan pa ito ng mga chikiting coz they really enjoy swimming. After our swim, we rested for a while and then went outside in the supermarket to buy some essentials (diapers and chocolates plus some crayons for the kids). We had dinner at Lotte Mart na din at one of the Chinese restaurants.

It is our last night at Seoul so kahit gusto pa naming mag-gala, nakakapagod naman talaga. Maybe when the kids are older we will explore the city more.

2014 Korea - Day3

Day 3 – June 8, 2014/Sunday

It’s check-out time na from Yonggin as we are now scheduled to go to Seoul. Chill lang muna as empake mode kami and we had brunch sa isang Japanese restaurant. Pahirapan pakainin ng ibang pagkain ang mga bata! And since not so many people in Korea understand English, point-point lang ang peg namin sa menu. We tried to ask them if they can cook fried egss for the kids, pero di talaga carry.

 

We have to take a bus going to Jamsil which is the nearest station to Lotte World Hotel. Juliana and Ate Denise really bonded on that one-hour long journey to Seoul. Ang sosyal ng bus namin!

 

 

 

 

When we arrived at Jamsil Station, malayo-layo pala syang lakarin to Lotte World Hotel. May luggages pa kaming dala nyan ha. Plus Isabel requesting to be carried.

 

We were given free nights thru a membership by a very generous friend sa Lotte World Hotel plus breakfast kaya si Mark di agad bumalik ng Geoje. We checked-in at Lotte World by around 2pm and I requested our tour guide, Mr. Jang to pick us up by 3pm. OMG, ang ganda ng hotel as in we have good views and we are at the 22nd floor. We have a king size bed plus another bed for Juliana.  Juliana even claimed her corner of the room:

 

A few minutes after check-in, Mr. Jang arrived already and we planned to go to Gyeongbukdong palace sana. But along the way, we saw the Han River and Mr. Jang asked me if we wanted to go to a Han River cruise. I was initially hesitant to oblige because another friend is going to bring us there for lunch the day we are going to Geoje but good thing we agreed to be brought there because the view from the river is really nice and picturesque. We had a simple merienda muna at Lotteria for some burger and ice cream before we rode the yatch/boat for a 60minutes cruise over at Han River. Na-enjoy naman ng mga bata at matanda because the weather is nice and cool. Buti na lang I said yes to Mr. Jang’s invitation.

 

After the Han River cruise, we were supposed to go Gyeongbukdong palace but it is already closed so dun na lang kami sa labas nagpicture-taking. Juliana wanted again to play at the fountain pero I really said no this time because magbabasa na naman sya. Picture-taking again and some playtime at the mini-park.

 

Pagkatapos nun, Mr. Jang brought us to an authentic Korean restaurant, whose owner speak English as he has a child studying in Manila plus he plans to open up a restaurant at Timog daw next year. It’s bulgogi time and syempre sarap na sarap si July, nag-beer pa nga sya. And finally, nakakain na rin ang mga bata ng request nilang fried egg... hahaha

We thought we are done already with the sightseeing at Seoul but Mr. Jang brought us pa to Namsan Tower. It is on the top of the mountain and you can have a good view of Seoul from the top and we just need to ride a cable car on going to the top. Excited ang lahat, except for Ate Agnes who really does not want to ride a cable car. The cable ride is so cool, it was the biggest cable ride I have ever ridden and it can fit, 30 people ata un. Ung tatlong bata wanted to see the views kaya kahit puno andun sila sa unahan. Once we reached the tower, naubusan ng 500won si Mr. Jang as the kids insisted on using the telescope. We even left tiles with our names as souvenirs!

Lobat na ang digicam ng mga panahon na yan kaya sobra limited lang ang pictures sa ipad. I'll try to upload one of these days.

Mr. Jang brought us back to the hotel by around 10pm na ata un and we enjoyed a leisurely sleep at our hotel beds...

2014 Korea - Day2

Day 2 – June 7, 2014/Saturday

We had breakfast of Maxim coffee courtesy of the hotel and some bread from Ate Agnes before we went out to go to Everland na. I saw from the website that it opens at 9:30am so we decided to leave the hotel by 9am. We were advised by the person at the reception (who finally can speak English) to just take the color green bus going to Everland and it will be a 15-mins ride. Madali lang sumakay ng bus though we do not know how much to pay. I let Mark do it for us kasi we really had no idea.

The kids were excited on the bus ride and when it stopped, we saw Everland shuttle buses which we have to ride in order to reach Everland. Ang Everland pala ay nasa dulo ng bundok and because it is a weekend and it was a holiday the day before, the bus ride pa lang is jampacked na. Good thing sandali lang sya and i honestly felt like the bus is climbing mountains. Nakakatuwa kasi I really saw that Koreans patronize Everland and many Koreans bring their families there. Ang konti lang ng foreigner tourists.

When we reached Everland, kagulo na po. Everybody’s excited, pati ako. We immediately went to the foreigner’s booth and we were told that we got discounted tickets. 30% discount daw ang tickets for the foreigners and free pa si Isabel! Entrance pa lang bongga na ang Everland and what more pa sa loob. It was a super big theme park that i doubt if we can finish to go around in 1day. Dapat ata we allocated 2 days. I immediately went to the stroller rental and gusto ata ni Hannah pati sya may stroller pero please, ambigat na nya!

 

Our first stop is at the cable car that will bring us to the other side. Takot pala si Ate Agnes so it was just us who rode the cable car. Everland has really nice views and rides. We really cannot finish visiting it all in one day. At the other side is where we saw their garden with lots of different colored flowers and it was their rose festival that week so sobrang nice to see different colors of flowers in different arrangements, etc. Pumila na rin kami to ride the carousel wherein all the horses has adjustable seat belts, they did not allow Isabel though on her own.

 

 

We stayed for a while at this area – just look at the smiles of the girls while they were playing. Nung una takot pa si Isabel but when she saw her 2 ate’s having fun, carry na! Takbo na rin dito at doon. Syempre nabasa na sila after a while as you cannot really time the release of water from the fountain saka syempre kasama na dun ang excitement on having to run within fountains. Super duper mega to the max saya talaga ng mga bata at this corner of Everland. Eh since it was rainy season when we were there, malamig pa rin and nakupo, baka sila ubuhin. Honestly pahirapan sila paalisin sa place na un.

 

 

 

We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant and nakakatuwa sa Korea, libre lang ang water on some public places. Even Isabel is okay with it as we only brought with us a few bottles of Dr. Edwards. We watched a Madagascar show and the Everland parade. Panalo ang mga floats and the show was really good. Good thing we have tickets with us as they cannot accommodate everybody in the area. Everland has a mini-zoo and we enjoyed seeing kangaroos, seals, birds, etc. Some of the 3D shows lang does not allow Isabel because of the height requirement.

We waited until 9pm for the fireworks display and sobrang reklamo na ni Juliana as she is already tired from the long walk. As in mahaba-haba naman talaga ung lakad and we still have to take 2 buses pabalik sa hotel. One is the shuttle bus from Everland to the bus station and another bus going to Yongin. Si Isabel nakatulog na sa bus#2 as in plakda na sa sobrang pagod. It was tiring but a very memorable trip to Everland. I promised myself I shall return kasi ang dami pa naming hindi napuntahan...