Travelog Kembara Orang Johor: Day 3 in Korea - Ski di Yongpyong, Yoogane Myeongdong, N Seoul Tower, Teddy Bear Museum

23rd November 2013 - 3rd Day

Plan for today : Skiing in Yongpyong

Yup. Ski. For the first time in our lives... :)

Untuk aktiviti ni, kita gunakan travel agent di Korea coz nak arrange sendiri ski session dan transport dari Seoul ke Yongpyong agak susah sikit especially bila ada anak-anak kecil. Tak mengapalah keluar duit lebih sikit asalkan kita selesa dan segalanya menjadi mudah.

So, pukul 7.30am tepat our guide Mr Kim dah muncul di lobby untuk picked us up. Very punctual diorang ni taw! Together with us in this ski trip was a Singaporean couple and a family of three. The travel agent prepared a 11-seater coach for us which was quite comfortable. Cuma driver dia mungkin ex F1 driver kot, laju gila dia drive! Hehehe!

Near the resort, kita berhenti sekejap kat satu kedai ski ni untuk collect our ski gear which was included in the package. Untuk dapatkan kasut yang sesuai, kena ukur dulu saiz kaki guna pengukur. Baju dan seluar pun available tapi kena sewa la, sepasang KRW20,000.

Tengah testing ski boots

11. YONGPYONG SKI RESORT

Yongpyong Ski Resort yang terletak di Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do (kira-kira 2 jam 30 minit perjalanan dari Seoul) merupakan antara tempat ski yang terbaik di Korea Selatan. In fact, it is the biggest ski and snowboard resort in Korea. Fyi, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has selected Pyeongchang as the host city of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in 2018.

Dalam perjalanan menuju Yongpyong tu, Mr Kim sempat menerangkan yang 70% Korea's land area is covered by mountains. Yongpyong Resort itself is situated at the center of Baekdudaegan Mountains, with an average of 250 centimeters of snowfall per season. The resort’s enormous seventeen million square meters complex includes a 45-hole golf course, gondolas, swimming pool, and other facilities.

Some scenes of the 2002 Korean drama Winter Sonata and in 2013 That Winter, The Wind Blows (featuring actors Jo In-sung and Song Hye-kyo) were filmed at the resort .

Inilah Yongpyong Resort... Wowww, excited nya!!!

Kalau dah terrer, boleh la try ski dari atas tuu...

But, before we start the ski lesson, kena la angkat ski equipment tu sendiri. Berat tu!

Ski lesson ni diajar oleh tak lain tak bukan, Mr Kim tu sendiri. Hehehe! Serba boleh dia ni ya..

Bersungguh-sungguh nampaknya tourist guide kita Mr Kim mengajar cara-cara berski

Sedikit tips kepada mereka-mereka yang teringin mencuba berski ni, bersedialah untuk jatuh bergolek-golek dan sakit-sakit satu badan. Kalau dah jatuh tu, nak bangun semula dah satu hal pulak. Nak kena tanggalkan kasut tu dulu bagai.. Susah jugak lebih-lebih lagi untuk yang usia tak berapa nak muda ni...terkial-kial gitu. Tapi it was a very fun experience of course! Sedar -sedar dah dua jam kita berski ni... Rasa tak nak balik!

Budak kecik ni pun berski jugak

Masa ni badan tak terasa sejuk sangat, mungkin sebab pakai ski suit. Tapi bila removed gloves nak snap photos, aduhaii rasa nak beku tangan.... Btw, neck warmer sangat penting time ni sebab boleh guna untuk tutup hidung juga...

Kat sini kalau tempat beli tiket untuk ski lift

Lepas 2 hours of ski lesson, kitaorang rest utk quick lunch (bawa bekal sebab tak ada makanan halal di Yongpyong resort ni). Disebabkan kita hanya ada tak sampai sejam je lagi kat sini sebelum gerak balik ke Seoul, we've decided naik gondola ke Dragon Peak at Mt Balwang (one of Winter Sonata's filming location) untuk snap photos lagi. Untuk sampai ke puncak Mt Balwang ni mengambil masa 20 minit (one way).

Sempat ambil gambar dulu sebelum naik gondola

Waktu kita pergi ni bukan peak season, so takde pun manusia beratur kat sini... kalau tak....

Beginiah keadaan di puncak Dragon Peak. This is the same peak that could be seen on the popular KBS TV series ‘Winter Sonata’.

Winter Sonata fans, you should visit this place

Melihat keajaiban ciptaan Tuhan

Setelah puas bergambar dengan kadar pantas, kami anak-beranak pun berlari-larilah naik gondola semula untuk turun ke bawah. Almaklumlah, Mr Kim dah pesan masa sampai tadi to meet him at 2.30pm sharp supaya dapat tiba di Seoul around 5.00pm (coz time winter, waktu malamnya adalah cepat. Fyi, sekitar pukul 5.15pm dah maghrib, Isya' pukul 6.40pm!). Diorang ni bab masa memang punctual habis. Aishh!

At 3.00pm, we returned to Seoul and get off at Myeongdong station.

12. YOOGANE RESTAURANT, MYEONGDONG

We had our dinner at Yoogane Restarant in Myeongdong since ramai Muslim bloggers recommended this place.

Direction to Yoogane Restaurant : Senang nak cari jika ikut dari exit 8 of Myeongdong Station. Belok kiri di Tous Les Jours and then walk straight sampai nampak Yoogane Restaurant sebelah kiri.

Sampai sini, the restaurant was quite packed so we have to wait around 5 minutes to be seated.

Makan nasi goreng seafood untuk 4 orang cuma KRW22,000. Murah. Cuma siapa-siapa yang tak suka Kimchi, tak suka rasanya kot... masam-masam gitu...

Kesian tengok anak-anak I telan le jugak walaupun diorang tak minat. Lapar punya pasal....

Note : Lepas balik dari Korea, ada terbaca kat Yoogane ni ada juga nasi goreng yang letak ham. Wallahua'lam.... So kalau tanya my opinion, better skip je restoran ni walaupun popular di kalangan Muslim....

Nasi goreng dimasak depan mata

Lepas makan, gerak ke subway station semula untuk catch the bus to N Seoul Tower.

13. N SEOUL TOWER AND TEDDY BEAR MUSEUM

N Seoul Tower (a.k.a. Namsan Tower) is a very popular filming locations for k-dramas including Boys Over Flower starring Le Min Ho yang handsome itu. In 2012, it was ranked Seoul's number 1 attractions by foreigners according to the surveys by Seoul city.

Operating hours : 10.00am - 11.00pm all year round

Actually, ada beberapa cara untuk ke N Seoul Tower ni. It's either by shuttle bus (number 02,03 or 05), cable car, Seoul City Tour Bus atau kalau rajin walk on foot. For us, we took bus no 05 bus near Myeongdong subway station exit 3.

Since it was Saturday night, berduyun-duyunlah Korean couples yang bersama-sama nak ke N Seoul Tower tu jugak. Satu benda yang I tak berapa minat tentang minah-minah Korea ni ialah diorang suka menunjuk-nunjuk kalau ada boyfriend, asyik nak berpeluk and smooching memanjang. Macam dia sorang je la yang ada boyfriend....hmmmm..

Bas ni akan berhenti di separuh jalan je dan untuk sampai ke puncak Namsan, kena lah mendaki jalan yang tersangat curam... Tertinggal-tinggal punggung I kat belakang, you....semput!

N Seoul Tower was open to the public for the first time on October 15, 1980. Since then, the tower has been a landmark of Seoul. It measures 236.7 m (777 ft) in height from the base and tops out at 479.7 m (1,574 ft) above sea level.

Seoul night view from Mt Namsan

Roof Terrace is an expansive outdoor observatory on the annex building of N Seoul Tower that offers visitors impressive views of Seoul. It is also known largely for its “love locks.”

Tempat Jun-Pyo tunggu Jan-Di (Boys Over Flower.) Love locks kat atas tu

N Seoul Tower

Sebenarnya, kaunter beli tiket untuk Observatory dan Teddy Bear Museum ada dua. Satu kat atas tu, satu lagi kat bawah, kena turun tangga sikit... Yang bawah tak berapa ramai orang sangat...