25 Sep 10 - Day 2 (Everland & Yongpyong)

Touched down about 6am Korean time (1 hour ahead) and by the time we cleared the custom, it was closed to 6:30am. Met up with our local guide whose name was Hanna Che and the rest of the group. The group consisted of 14 people including us. The group make up of a family of three where the parents in their 70s and a daughter about 20s or 30s; a group of 4 ladies; a pair of ladies who were from Malaysia; a couple; a single lady in her 40s and us. Hanna gave us about an hour to rest and take breakfast before gathering again at 7:30am.

Walked around to see what’s there to eat and bought a bottle of water each while at it. Most of our group members went for MacDonald so M and I headed to KFC instead coz it was less crowded. Bought the Zinger Meal to share with M since she wasn’t very hungry and she took the chance to take out her camera from the luggage. After eating, sent her to the information counter to collect maps so that we can use them later the trip.

Gathered at 7:30am and headed out of Incheon Airport to board our coach. It was cool out of the Airport. While I was able to tolerate the temperature, M was not used to it. Fortunately she was wearing her thick sweater. After boarding the coach, Hanna told us that due to some unforeseen circumstances, our Itenary had to be rearranged. So our first stop for the day was to Everland and the journey took about 4.5 hours. M was excited and kept snapping away on her camera. While traveling, Hanna told us about Korea Culture, History, Politics, etc.

Got to Everland, there were already lots of people. The decoration was that of Halloween with lots of pumpkins, scarecrows, etc. Took some photos at the entrance while waiting for Hanna to hand us our tickets, which entitled us for all rides. The staffs were dressed in nice uniforms and many people wore cute headbands on their heads. Followed Hanna for a while to familiarize ourselves with the place before heading to different directions on our own. Was told that we could either take the chairlifts up and down the place or by walking.

Look at the crowd!

Staff wearing nice uniform

The chairlifts

Took the chairlift down and got down at the front of a character shop. M saw the soft toy that some celebrities put on their shoulders while attending variety shows and she wanted one. So decided to go back to the shop later to get it. Followed Hanna for a while more and then we were on our own. Walked around the big open space where the staffs were arranging traditional games, drums, etc. and visitors were allowed to play with the things.

The parade square

Traditional dance hats

Big drum

Went back to the character shop to buy the soft toy and M was very happy. Took the chairlift back up and walked over to the Alpine Horror Village. Went to the petting zoo, saw some cute animals and took photos. M managed to see real hedgehogs at last. There was a very, very, very long queue for the Safari and so we decided to skip that. Saw the T-Express which was a roller coaster ride with a 77 degrees drop, was told the ride would last for 3min and we were contemplating if we should give it a shot. Walked over to the ride and again there was very, very, very long queue. So we decided to skip that as well.

Some pictures of the cute animals :

Saw other rides and finally decided to take the Columbus Adventures: Viking (American Adventure), the one that Dongho from U-Kiss took with his partner in U-Kiss Vampire. While queuing up, we saw the people taking the ride before our turn. The ship swung very high and the people scream while waving their hands in the air. Sat the third last row and M happened to be the one sitting at the edge. The higher the ship swung, the scarier it got and the louder M and I screamed. The little girl who sat on my left wasn’t screaming at all and I felt so paiseh. Still we screamed at the top of our lungs and tried to wave our hands in the air. Only towards the end of the ride, that I turned my head side way to see the surrounding view. Finally the ride stopped, we got down and I was so glad that I survived the ride without wobbly legs. I suggested that we buy each an ice cream cone as a reward. Ate that while walking around, saw the parade and ran towards the area but only managed to catch the end of it.

End of the parade

Explore other areas, took photos and then strolled towards the entrance area. Each of us bought two coin pouches and I bought a handkerchief for sis. Soon it was 2pm and we walked to the meeting point. We thought we were the last to arrive but fortunately the couple was the last instead. Left for lunch and Hanna arranged us to sit with the single lady named Cynthia and the family of three. Left for Yongpyong Resort around 3:30pm and the journey took 2 hours. Took nap on and off while listening to mp3.

Some photos of the rides and garden :

As the resort was on higher ground, the temperature was less than 15 degrees. Though M was not used to this kind of temperature, she was excited still. Got our room key, the lift was small and since our luggage were light, we decided to take the stairs. Took photos of the room, settled down and went out to the café opposite the resort to take some photos. It was said that the café is a film site for Winter Sonata. Then gathered around 6+pm to go out for dinner where we had tofu and fish steamboat.

Returned to the resort about 8+pm, walked around the resort and saw there was an outdoor screening of Avatar. It was below 10 degrees and if we had thicker clothing, we probably would have joined the crowed out there for the movie too. Went to the Family Mart and I bought the banana milk and melon ice cream that Hanna recommended while M bought a cup of coffee that has Lee Min Ho on it and a milk soda ice cream. Headed back to our room to enjoy the drinks and food and rest for the night.

Banana Milk and Melon Ice Cream

Cantata Mocha Java and Milk Soda Ice Cream

Thoughts: Everland was a very nice place with beautiful decorations and fun rides. Just a few hours there were just not enough for us to cover the area. Look forward to visit the place again in the near future on my own with M and explore the place properly. Yongpyong Resort was nice place to stay and I hope to go there for skiing soon.