Fly to Seoul : Day 7 (Chongga Kimchi World and Goodbye Seoul)

annyeong haseyo...nothing much to do at work today...so gonna update my blog then :P ...

final day at Seoul...a mix of feelings actually...happy that we're going back to kl, craving for the malaysian dishes & cuisines...nasi lemak, roti canai, hehehe....but was also sad that we had to bid farewell to Seoul....although we stayed there for almost a week, time flies very fast and we were absolutely not done yet exploring & enjoying Seoul to the fullest...i must admit that Seoul is a really nice place to live...the amenities, facilities, technology & people were just amazing...really made my heart wanted to migrate there, seriously...and ofcourse i would like to visit Seoul again in the future...but who knows, i might migrate there someday or continue my phD studies over there :P ....

in the morning, we headed to Insa-dong as my wife & mother-in-law wanted to attend the kimchi making class at Chongga Kimchi World...from Seollung station line 2 head to Seoul National University of Education, then change to line 3 heading to Anguk and drop off at Anguk...exit via exit #5...once exit, there is an SK Telecom building on the right...walk straight about 100~150 meters, Chongga Kimchi World is at the building on the right...there's also a signage pointing to the location there...at Chongga Kimchi World, they teached how to prepare the Kimchi, how to wrap it & how to pack it...the ingredients itself were already prepared by them as the ingredients were kept secret (i thought only KFC keeps the secret ingredients of their 11 herbs & spices :P)....the class was also joined by 2 other ladies from Thailand...since i didn't take part in the kimchi making class, i became the official photographer for the class instructor :P ...after about an hour, the class then ends...the participants were allowed to bring back the 1 kilo of kimchi made back home...so we had our very own made kimchi back at kl....

 

after that, we headed back to our hotel to have our prayers and straight away check-out from the hotel as check-out was 12 pm...however we requested for and extension of 30 minutes to perform our prayers...at 12.30 pm, we checked out and left our luggages at the reception counter as we had our lunch first at Itaewon before heading to the Incheon International Airport...would be very troublesome to carry our luggages together with us to Itaewon...we then head to Itaewon again to have our brunch at the Foreign Restaurant, the place where Simon from our AirAsiaGo tour took us for lunch...this time we had buffet instead since when we arrive, buffet lunch was set up there...quite a variety of dishes they had there...pricing wise was quite okay...about the same price per person's meal at Usmania International Restaurant...

after satisfying our hunger, we then head back to the hotel to get our luggages and off to the Korea City Air Terminal to board the bus to the airport...it was the same bus as we came to Seoul from Incheon International Airport...was the same price as well...the journey this time, all of us including me slept most of the time due to exhaustion & tired...after almost an hour of journey, we then arrived at the Incheon International Airport...the AirAsiaX counter was not open yet, so we had to wait...after about an hour, auntie Angeline and the gang arrived too at the Incheon International Airport (did i mentioned that auntie angeline also went to Seoul but a day later than us? :P)...

after checking in our luggages and our selves, we hanged around a bit at the gate entrance area to wait for our 11.25pm flight...around 10.30pm, we started to board the plane to bid farewell to South Korea...it really has been a wonderful trip, seeing wonderful places, experiencing wonderful facilities and interacting with wonderful people of Seoul...am already missing Seoul...will definitely want to visit Seoul again and perhaps stay there :P ...

stay tuned for my next post, Mini Vacation, Swiss Garden Resort Damai Laut...

Fly to Seoul : Day 6 (Namdaemun Market and NANTA Show)

annyeong haseyo~...was a bit busy & lazy recently...hence the late update of this blog...juz came back from Lumut the recent Sunday as we had a free 3d2n stay at the Swiss Garden Resort Damai Laut, Lumut...will be posting about this trip after done with my Korea trip posts...

day 6, the day before heading back to KL...went out at from our hotel at around 11am and headed straight to Itaewon to have brunch at Usmania International Restaurant as the nite before we only had a light diner...was really starved that time...Usmania International Restaurant is one of the halal food restaurant at Itaewon...from Seollung station line 2, head to Sindang, then change to line 6 heading to Itaewon....head to exit 1...walk a little till u see KFC...turn right into the alley of the KFC and u can see the restaurant already...

each of us ordered a set but since the portion was large, we shared our meals among the 3 of us...we ordered meals that consist of chicken, meat & lamb...had a really good meal as the nite before only had mee maggi :P ....each of our meal costs 16,000 won, equivalent to around RM48...for more info can look at their website http://usmania.com.ne.kr/index.htm ...after a delicious brunch meal, we then went to Namdaemun market...from Itaewon station line 6, head to Samgakji, then change to line 4 heading to Hoehyeon station exit 5....

 

 

 

 

 

we met ojai a.k.a rozailina, my ex-coursemate at there and she brought us around there to do some shopping...ojai was my ex-coursemate degree...although she has a degree in computer science, she took another degree in foreign language study which in this case was Korean language due to her deep passion into Korean language...luckily we have her there to bring us around Namdaemun market as she guided us where to shop for souvenirs, brouch, etc...Namdaemun market is almost similar to our CM or Central Market combined with Petaling Street in KL...a lot of interesting stuffs can be purchased but mostly were clothings, attires & apparels...also, there is a complex there where the whole floor sells brouch & pendants...the design were really nice...my wife & mother-in-law bought a few of those....

 

  

  

  

 

 

after almost an hour and a half, we then head back to hotel to send my mother-in-law back...took the subway from Hoehyeon station line 4, head to Sadang and change to line 2 to Seolleung station exit 4...after that, me & my wife went out back to head to Myeong-dong to watch the NANTA show...from Seolleung station line 2 head to Sadang, change to line 4 heading to Myeong-dong, then exit 6...Myeong-dong is where the cosmetic heaven is located if u remember on my previous posts...the NANTA theater is located there...to head to the NANTA theater, once out of exit 6 subway, turn around and walk down the street of cosmetics & apparel shops where there is a shop called Migliore on the left...walk straight the street where there are rows of shops on both left and right till reach the Woori Bank on the right, then make a left turn, walk a little and look out for the NANTA Theatre on the left...there are 4 NANTA theater actually in South Korea...1 is located at Jeju Island while 3 others are at Seoul...

NANTA show is actually a non-verbal 90 minutes show about 4 chefs and the restaurant manager...the chefs would have to prepare dishes for a wedding ceremony in 90 minutes time...however, the show has many elements, musical, stunts, magic show, interaction with audience and plentyful of humor which i had a really good laugh that night :P ...although the NANTA show ticket admission was 60,000 won per person, it was really worth the penny...it was the best theater show that i have watched...since it was a non-verbal show, no problem for anyone in the planet to understand and to enjoy the show...the theater was full house at that time...no wonder NANTA show can survive for so long and was so famous world wide...highly recommend to watch it if u are at Seoul...after the show, me & my wife then headed back to the hotel to call off for the day...

 

stay tuned for my Korea trip final day...

Fly to Seoul : Day 5 (Lotte World)

annyeong haseyo~...continuing with day 5 i.e. Lotte World day...went out a bit late that day as we were exhausted from the Nami Island day trip...went out from our hotel at about 12.30pm after the zuhur prayers...off to Lotte World via subway from Seollung station line 2 to Jamsil station...the Lotte World is actually an indoor theme park, similar to the Berjaya Times Square indoor theme park...but ofcourse, Lotte World is much, much more bigger than Times Square's...Lotte World is the world's largest indoor theme park according to the Guinness World Record...not sure what's the name of the building Lotte World is located, it was Lotte Mall or something...Lotte World basically is divided into 2 main sections, Adventure land and Magic Island...Adventure land is located indoor while Magic Island is outside the main building and are interconnected...

Lotte World was not that far from our hotel...so, in less than 30 minutes we were already there...bought the ticket at a discounted price of 34,200 won coz we bought 3 tickets...took a few snaps at the entrance before going in and then the fun begins...as soon as we arrived in there, the first parade of the day i think just started...great timing :P ...there were quite many characters including some of the Disney's characters...the parade was about 20 minutes if my timing was right...quite a nice parade it was actually...after the parade, we then started exploring the Adventure land...the Adventure land was divided to 4 floors where each floor has it's own attractions...most of the thrilling rides we did not tried as my wife is afraid plus my mother-in-law was together...since both of them can't ride on most of the attractions, i too decided not to gave it a try coz where is the fun if it's only me alone...so, we only ride on those less & non-thrilling rides...

we first rode on the World Monorail...it's similar to our monorail as the cabin train brought us round the whole theme park, in and outdoor...the ride took about almost 15 minutes...after that, we went to ride on the Jungle Adventure...we entered a dark cave on a jungle boat...it's like riding a boat maneuvering the rivers in a dark cave...was quite fun but wasn't really thrilling which my mother-in-law rode too...after Jungle Adventure, we then went to ride the Aeronauts Baloon Ride...the Aeronauts Baloon Ride is a hot baloon which the difference is that it doesn't move using hot air but instead is already attached to the rails where it rounds the whole indoor theme park...was quite fun as if we were riding on a hot air baloon overlooking the whole indoor theme park...

after the Aeronauts Baloon Ride, we then wanted to try the Pharaoh's Fury but due to the long queue, we decided to skip that first...so we went to the Dynamic Theater...the Dynamic Theater is some sort similar to the Genting's Motion Master...i haven't tried the Genting's Motion Master yet, so couldn't compare which was the best...but the Dynamic Theater was thrilling although we only sat on the same seat...but the visual, effects and the motion of the seat really made us felt we were on an actual roller coaster...was an interesting experience...after that, we went out to the Magic Island...

the Magic Island is where the fun & thrilling experience is all about...here is where u can test your limit...for those dare devils out there, Atlantic Adventure, Gyro Drop, Gyro Swing, Bungee Drop & Comet Express awaits you...ofcourse i didn't try all those as my wife was not fit to ride on those...so me and my wife only ride on the Swing Tree and the Waikiki Wave...after at the Magic Island for around 40 minutes, we then went in back to the indoor, the Adventure land...me & my wife then went to queue up to ride on the Pharaoh's Fury while my mother-in-law sat on a bench waiting for us...the Pharaoh's Fury is like a ride inside the mummy's tomb and in the pyramids...was quite fun and there was one part of it which luckily my mother-in-law haven't joined as the car zoomed down a cliff...overall it was okay...

immediately after we exited the Pharaoh's Fury, the next parade took place...another perfect timing...this time, they were different characters than the previous...so, was not a boring one to watch...the parade this time was a bit shorter...around 15 minutes i think...after that, we went to the 4-D Theater to watch the 4-D short clip movie...it's similar to the HK Disneyland's 4D theater but the HK Disneyland's was much more fun & better...the show was not that long...in about 15 minutes, the show ended...after the 4-D Theater show, we then went around to the souvenir shops there to get some souvenirs, as usual :P...after done souvenir shopping, we then took a seat in front of the stage theater where a stage show was taking place...kids would definitely enjoy watching it...there was Peter Pan, Pinochio & Dorothy from Wizard of The Oz, and other characters as well...after almost half an hour, the stage theater show then ended to give way for the multimedia laser show which was the finale for the day...the reason why we waited there was because to watch the multimedia laser show actually...after waiting for about 20 minutes, the multimedia laser show then started...was quite nice & interesting to watch but not that much to WOW about...

the multimedia laser show was not that long...in about 15 minutes, the show ended and it's time for us to make a move to head back to the hotel...before heading back to the hotel, we thought of having a diner first at a Kebab restaurant at Gangnam called Pasha Kebab restaurant which was quite near our hotel area....we tried to find the restaurant but unfortunately couldn't find it due to we have not searched and surveyed for the location of the hotel prior to head there...as a result, we went back to the hotel starving and only had maggi cup when back at the hotel...after diner and shower, went to bed to call off for the day...

stay tuned for my day 6 Korea trip...Namdaemun market & NANTA Show...