Korea - The Land of Morning Calm 24 - 31 Dec 2008

Had a very enjoyable and fruitful trip back from Korea. We were fortunate to have a good local guide which made me changed my mind about joining tour groups :D

We stayed at Phoenix Park Hanwha resort for one night. Took this picture in the early morning from the hotel room's balcony. It was freezing cold. I dashed back into the room right after taking a few shots :P



Due to some 'mistakes' we were given a huge royal suite with 3 bedrooms and a big living room! How nice! Just for fun sake, we slept on the futons in the living room instead.. lol. funny..

The room's heater was set at 39 degree celsius. We couldn't adjust the centralise heating system and so had to open the balcony window to cool down the room. So, the floor was very warm but the freezing cold breeze blew in at the same time. A weird feeling of hot and cold at the same time.. haha.. it drove my friend nuts..

Naminara Republic aka Winter Sonata Island

Nami island is situated 63km along the north of Han River and was made famous by the popular Korean Drama 'Winter Sonata'.

Our tour guide kept reminding us to think 'romantic' to feel the atmosphere of the island. But it's hard to do that when you have scores of tourists around you.. lol.

It's a pity that we do not have the luxury of taking our sweet time or relax for too long there.

http://www.namisum.com/
http://www.naminara.com/


Nami Island in the background. This was the very first stop in our trip. We had 'weather shock' the second we got off from our tour bus. So so cold ~~~~ It reminded me of the time when I first arrived in Tokyo. Only this time, it's worst! Much worst!


We boarded the ferry for a short 3 minutes ride to reach Nami Island.


It was Christmas day that day, so it was quite special to celebrate this day in Korea. And to my surprise, at least one quarter of the population in Korea are Christians!

While hunting for shooting opportunity, I saw this couple riding on the bicycle. They looked like they came right out of Winter Sonata drama. Haha.. so cute.. the hairdo, the outfit and their accesories looked so much like the lead roles in the drama.

The nice lines of trees made famous in the drama. According to my pamplet, it's called the Metasequoia Lane.

Another shot from ground up and you can have a feel of the height of the trees.

Towards the end of the lane, there is this nice lonely tree by the lake. I like how it almost touches the water.


Another shot and we are off the island. I wished I had more time to stay there and enjoy the scenaries.

Shinchon Fashion Street

This is supposed to be a popular shopping district in Seoul for the teenagers.

We weren't too enthusiastic about it because
1. it's just too cold to be shopping outdoor.
2. we felt a little tired due to the overnight flight.
3. what we had for lunch was less than desired.

We ended up heading towards the first cafe that we could find for a cup of hot drink! haha.. i know.. we sounded boring.. and again, mind you, it's freezing cold. (I'm probably gonna use this word for another hundred times.. )





I shot all these pictures at waist length without using the lcd/viewfinder. Didn't want to attract any attention to my camera.

Traditional Korean Folk Dance

We were supposed to go for a submarine trip but it was cancelled due to the strong wave. Not that I'm complaining that much since I don't think I can handle the sea sick part well either.

In replacement, we went to watch a 'circus' kinda performance. I was feeling a little bored actually. The usual clown act, bike in cage, acrobatic performance etc. I might as well watch on TV. :P

Towards the end, a group of Koreans performed a traditional folk dance. Finally seeing a more authentic Korea stuff.


If I am not wrong, this should be a type of farmers' folk dance to celebrate harvest.