My Seoul Day 8: Phoenix Snow Park Part 1

It was an early morning - we had to leave the hotel at 5.30am to the bus pickup point at 6am. The pickup point was outside the Doota mall, which we had no idea where exactly and can only hope that Google Map, that doesn't work well in Korea, is right this time.

We found the mall with 2 sleepy kids and 2 luggages and hoping very much that it was the right mall. We were supposed to be 10 mins earlier and looked out for the purple bus. At sub 6am, there was no purple bus, just the bitter cold. The kids and I were hiding at the underground mall staircase, leaving Daddy Lim to brave the cold and flagged down the right bus.

The purple bus did arrive shortly and once again, I find myself thanking whoever that invented heater.

The ride to the Phoenix Snow Park was a long 2-hour ride. We opted for the 6am bus to maximise time at the ski resort. It was also why we had chose to stay in Dongdaemon; to be able to get to the pickup point easily at 5ish in the morning.

The 2-hour bus ride was great for catching up on sleep. We were the only ones at the pickup point and the bus was very empty when we boarded. There was another pickup point further down and then suddenly the bus was full. Nevertheless, full or not, my sleep will go on.

Hello, Phoenix Snow Park!

The bus dropped us right in front of the park and we had to go look for our guesthouse. Haha, ya, another guesthouse.

The snow park hotel and condos are expensive. I managed to find the White Cabin Guesthouse, which the website say is 5 mins walk away, at a much affordable price. I really hoped that the website wasn't lying to us. The kids were happily exploring the various ice patches on the floor.

We found it! It was really about 5 mins' walk away!

Errrrr.. why you all stand so far apart?

I was overjoyed when we were told that our room was available for checkin. The guesthouse manager continued to tell us about the different cost of the ski lift and recommended that we rent out suit from the rental shop opposite the guesthouse.

I had booked the traditional Korean style room this time, which basically means lying on thin mattress on heated flooring. Hoho. Must experience mah. Before the mattress come on, the kids happily enjoyed the heated flooring.

They even provided the low table for meals, just like in Korean dramas. 

We had a little pre-lunch snacks.

We later figured out that there is no entrance fees to the snow park. What we had to pay was the cost of the ski lift and they weren't cheap. The ski lift passes were by specific timing blocks. Different blocks = different price.

The kids were happy to monkey in the room and enjoy the wifi. Daddy Lim and I took a walk to the convenience store opposite the snow park and indulged in more food. Yes, that delicious Starbucks Latte while Daddy Lim whacked that 麻辣 noodles.

We also took a walk to the recommended rental shop and they were eager to push us their snowboarding lesson. We had already reserved snowboarding lesson with the snow park ski/ snowboard school for 400k won for 4 hours for our family of 4. While the equipment were provided, we still needed to pay for the ski suit rental and ski lift.

The shop then cut the price by offering us the same class at 300k won. We had to rent the equipment at 15k won each but that still amounts to 40k won savings. We emailed the school to cancel the class and proceeded with the rental shop. The timing was much flexible and we agreed to start at 12pm instead of 2pm, saving us more $$ on the ski lift due to the timing blocks. We bought 2 ski lift passes for 12pm to 4.30pm, intending to switch when the need to take the ski lift. The shop also provided free shuttle to and back from the snow park.

Upon arrival at the snow park, we realised that it was the same one that we went to during our package tour to Korea many years back!

Our snowboarding instructor was a young chap - Young Won. I am not sure if he is really qualified to teach but we managed to at some point, learned how to snowboard down the learning slope.

Snowboarding is really strange. When we 1st started, we were trying to slowly go down the slope with the snowboard perpendicular to the slope. Moreover, the feet are both stuck to the snowboard. It took me quite a while to figure out how it works.

There were of course plenty of falls and tumbles.

And high possibility of injuries, especially with unexpected falls without time to break the falls. Daddy Lim and the kids had plenty of bruises on their knees. At one point, I fell suddenly and landed on my tailbone. It was bloody painful, like murderous painful. The kind of pain that leaves one silent to take that moment to bear with the pain. I half suspect that I fractured my tailbone with my weight impact. The pain crippled me for the rest of the session.

To make matters worse, I was the only one who didn't master standing up after wearing the snowboard in the sitting position. To be able to stand up is essential after falling on the slope. So when Young Won suggested that we take the ski lift to try the easiest slope - Dodo, I was quick to decline. I wasn't sure if the rest were ready to take the slope but Young Won seemed to have issues teaching us on the learning slope; the security approached him 2x.

So Daddy Lim and the kids tried the slope together with Young Won, 2 at a time. I waited with the other kid.

Can you see them? Can you see them?
There were more falls and tumbles. I thought they did quite well for a 1st timer.

The ski lift took a long time and there was a Q. It was a couple of times down the slope before we stopped for lunch.

We resumed after 30 mins lunch break and Daddy Lim and the kids spent the remaining 2 hours going down the Dodo course. Young Won was encouraging but my butt hurts too much. It hurts when I had to stand up from a sitting position and vice versa. I tried learning how to stand after wearing my snowboard but to no success. I think I have no core muscle. T.T
After a while, I just resigned to fate that I am reduced to waiting. That was especially when I saw a skier/ snowboarder being stretchered off the slope. *Gulps* I passed.

Daddy Lim was nice enough to take pictures of what it was at the top.

The remaining 2 hours fortunately also passed very quickly. While snowboarding may look effortless, it required a lot of energy and core strength from maintaining the correct position and to stand up after falling down. As one gets more tired, it is easier to lose balance and fall and more tired from having to stand up. Basically just mad tired. Hoho.

Towards the end, Zaky fell and was grouchy. I am sure he was dead beat.

He was even more upset that I didn't help him up immediately but asked him to stay and pose for pictures. I can't help it; he looked like a little mermaid. Hahaha.

The snow park was opened until 2am but I managed to convince the kids to go back to the guesthouse for a rest. Instead of going for round 2 at the snow park, we decided to go to Blue Canyon, which is a heated water theme park. As we walked to the water park, memories flooded - this looked so familiar, that too!

Sorry, no pictures at the water park. It was freaking expensive; we paid like 120k won for entrance and it was totally not worth. We came to the same water park then too and I should have recalled how simple it was. The heated swimming pool has different features but was crowded with secondary school kids on excursion. The heated pool wasn't that warm and we spent most of the time soaking in the 37.5 degrees hot tub. To add on the heartache, I lost my locker key right after I got it and fortunately got it back from the staff after much running around.

The kids did try the slides and the other water features. We stopped the trip when Zaky ran and slipped and fell on his head, earning him a big barugu.

It had been more worth if we had made used of the sauna pools at the shower areas. However, it was a naked for all areas and Lil Shauna was uber traumatized by the hoards of people walking around naked. It was really all shapes and sizes and while it was a cultural shock to us, the locals were very much comfortable in their skin. They walked around, joked and played with their friends as it they were fully clothed.

It was already 8.30pm by the time we were done with the showers. We decided that we would eat sinful dinner of hotdogs and instant noodles.

We then laid out the mattress for the night and hung out the wet swimming stuff to dry. I got a heat pack for my lower back and felt very much like an old lady. Pain.

Mummy Lim

My Seoul Day 7: Everland

Charim Guesthouse provides bfast! It wasn't anything to shout about but bfast nevertheless. Bfast starts at 8am with simple toast and cereal. We topped up with our own honey cake and muffin. We were the 1st at the bfast table.

The kids showed off their creative flair.

We had to wash up after bfast and I only used a mug (while sharing others' plate and cutlery), which I quickly washed and escaped to the room to prep, leaving Daddy Lim with the rest. I is clever.

It was a happy place day - Everland. We skipped Everland the last trip after the horrendous crowd that we experienced at Lotte World. This time, we took a risk and I also read that the exciting rides could be closed in winter subject to weather conditions. Fingers crossed.

We bought bus tickets from Klook after comparing the various sites. The bus was picking us up at Dongdaemon H&C exit, which was a stone throw from our guesthouse. We departed 30 mins earlier for fear of not able to find the pickup point, only to realise that it was less than 3 mins' walk away. Chey.

There were many others waiting for the buses. The bus was early and we were soon on our way. The bus ride was about 1 hour and it was a peaceful ride bcos the kids were on the gadget and I had to rely on my trusty Suduku once again.

Hello Everland! To get to Everland, we had to switch to a transfer bus and we saw a huge crowd waiting for the bus such that we only managed to get onto the 2nd bus.

Must-take-picture-with-the-famous-tree.

The park was indeed crowded. The kids were whinny bcos of the long lines. dampening my mood. Our 1st ride ended up being the skylift that got us to the other part of the park. Haha.

We had more success with shorter queues and one of the 1st rides was the Raptor Adventure, that required pre-booked slots. While waiting for our turn, we happily munched on snacks in one of the heated tentages - we could bring food into Everland and while I had our usual triangle rices, I should have brought more.

The Raptor Adventure was described as an escape mission that got the kids very excited, thinking that it is some escape room. We played in a group with the other people in the same time slot, going around the different containers looking for the code to open the door to escape while being chased by man in raptors costume.

It was so funny. Our big kids were excitedly running away from the raptors but some smaller kids were bawling their hearts out at the raptors who were going to eat them up. Lol. The Raptor Adventure was followed by other rides with short Qs. Though not exciting, at least we got to take some rides.

After a couple of rides, we headed for lunch at the Lotte burgers place. It was a nice change from the many meals of Korean food. Daddy Lim and the kids were into seeing who can stretch the longest cheese.

We still had no luck with the exciting rides; the Qs were like over an hour, including the T express, the most exciting roller coaster in the park. The kids pleaded for the paid games instead, which I usually disallowed bcos it is either a waste of money or winning us more soft toys that we do not need. I relented this time and the kids played the confirmed win ducky game.

The cute oppa was so nice, peeking at the results and allowing the kids a second chance. Our haul - Lil Shauna won the blue dino and Zaky got a smaller one. Ok, seriously no more wins, we barely have space in our luggage.

The kids were barely interested in the animal kingdom; we had to drag them for the Safari adventure.

Not bad what, so many animals to see.

Including these big ears ones.

We finally got our go at the exciting rides in the late afternoon. The 1st was the double loop roller coaster.  It wasn't scary bcos the safety barrier was very snugged.

Then, the kids went on to take 3 crazy rides. I chickened out bcos I saw the people got thrown around like rag dolls on the rides.

All the 3 rides were like twisting and spinning in whatever ways imaginable. It looks more like a torture to me, I can imagine my organs switching places while on the rides. Seriously it was that bad.

While the kids go crazy on the rides, the parents were just hiding under the heated lamps. It was freaking cold, so cold that I felt that I had enough of Korea cold. We had to persuade the kids to go and took the last Viking ride before dinner and leaving the park.

I managed to convince myself to take the Viking despite being angry at the cold; I love Viking. This Viking was huge, which also meant a lot of thrill usually. However, it was another ride with a snugged safety barrier. In fact, it was tight given that I was sitting with little people. There was no thrill at all. Wasted.

Dinner was at a noodles place near to the entrance. Before leaving the park, we had to take the customary picture with the famous tree in the lights.

Then it was the wait in the cold for the transfer bus for the pre-booked bus back to Seoul. We arrived at 8pm for the 8.30pm pick up bus and were so glad to find the bus already waiting. The shelter from the bus provided unspeakable comfort. I never knew that I like heater so much. Lol.

It was late by the time we arrived back in Dongdaemon H&C station. It was really a case of us staying in Dongdaemon for 2 nights without realizing how the area looked like. Haha.

Mummy Lim