SK 2012: From Neverland to Everland

The first time Jona and I were in South Korea, our trip to Everland became more like a trip to Neverland. It was on our itinerary but we never made it there. We just didn't have enough time on our hands and the winter air was too harsh for outdoor rides. So this time, we vowed to go to Everland no matter what happens.

Bus #5002

Jona is our navigator for the day so she's responsible for all the commuting directions which felt really good as I can finally relax and just enjoy the trip. I've been having cramps since last night so today kind of felt like a day off for me.

To get to Everland, we went to Gangnam Station and waited under the bus stop for bus #5002. A concerned citizen approached us and told us (in Korean) to take a picture of the bus stop so we'll know how to get back. I guess he thought it will be helpful to show the picture of the bus stop if ever we ask for directions. Thank you, kind Sir!

Welcome to Everland!

After an hour, the bus dropped us off at the parking lot where you can take the free shuttle to Everland. Took a couple of pictures then went to the ticket booth to buy tickets. Tip #11: Foreign tourists can either print this coupon or just bring along their passports to get a discount. We split into two groups - the brave ones (Vanie, Jona and Ate Light) and the not-so-brave ones (Me, Faye, Erin and Rona).

First attraction: Pororo!

The brave ones went to fall in line at the popular T-Express while the not-so-brave ones went to see Pororo 3D Adventure. HAHA We agreed to meet up at the Carnival Square at 12:00 PM just in time for lunch. The not-so-brave ones were there right on time after riding 3 attractions while the brave ones were still nowhere to be found. We tried looking for them at the T-Express when we realized that they must still be waiting in line since the ride only takes a few minutes. We decided to just go ahead without them since we were already starving. We headed to the Cafeteria which is the nearest restaurant from the Carnival Square so we wouldn't miss them when they get there. Faye, Erin and I shared 2 orders of Mushroom-bulgogi japchae when we saw how big the serving is. It was delish and we were nearly done eating when the brave ones arrived. Thank heavens for free wifi! At least they checked their phones after riding the T-Express. Here's a little souvenir from them:

The brave ones!

Pardon the poor quality of the souvenir photo. It still serves as proof of their feat. :)

Carnival Festival Parade

After lunch, we freshened up a bit and walked around to kill time while waiting for the parade to start. When kids started to line up along the square, we decided to wait as well. Just like in all amusement parks, the characters came out while back-up dancers in colorful costumes danced around. I don't know any Everland character but my fave was definitely the sheep. Too cute!

Going crazy at the Rotating House.

Thanks to the parade which served as our break, we were ready to try out more attractions. Next up: The Rotating House. We had absolutely no idea what to expect except to experience being inside a rotating house. Since the overview and the instructions were in Korean, we didn't know where to line up so we just followed the ones who went before us. Sayang! We could've sat across each other and see how funny our reactions were. The ride was amazing and fun. I was laughing all throughout the ride and I especially love the surprise in the end.

After the ride, we went to look around the park. Unfortunately, the zoo and the rose garden were closed due to the weather. :( On the way back from the rose garden, we passed by the Madagascar Live! attraction and they were inviting everyone to come see the show so we decided to go as well. It turns out, you need tickets to get in! That made us panic and run like mad looking for the ticket booth. I was so tired, I let them run before me. Haha Thanks to their efforts, we were able to score free tickets to the show. Even though it's in Korean, they have English subs so we still enjoyed it.

Moonlight Parade

After going to a few more attractions and eating at several snack kiosks, we went back to the Carnival Square in time for the Moonlight Parade. The lights on the floats and the dancers will really make you go aww. So beautiful!

Just like Lotte World, they adjusted the closing time an hour early than usual. So after buying souvenirs, we went back to the bus stop and waited for the bus that will take us back to Gangnam. Tip #12: I make it a point to buy snacks/chocolate biscuits whenever I'm in an amusement park. Somehow, they are always delicious.

The bus ride home was packed! People were already sitting on the aisle. Good thing, we were all able to get seats as it's an hour's drive back to Gangnam. After eating some Orion Yegam Cheese, I didn't realize that I fell asleep. So when the bus suddenly stopped, my reflex was to look behind me and check the girls. They just stared back at me so that means we're still not getting off. But as the bus started to move, I panicked because the streets look extremely familiar. That's when the girls started to panic as well. It turns out, we're supposed to get off at that stop! We quickly rang the bell and some other locals started to scream at the driver to tell him to stop. Finally, the doors opened again thanks to the help of the locals. That was really embarrassing. There's nothing wrong with getting off at the wrong bus stop or getting lost. I'm totally used to that. But I hate it when I cause inconvenience to other people (i.e. breaking traffic rules). And since I was on my 2nd day, that really got on my nerves because no one took responsibility for the group when we all fell asleep. Oh well, at least we passed by some street food vendors and bought some pancakes filled with chestnuts/almonds. It's mouth-watering aroma and taste was able to put me back into a good mood just in time to end our 3rd day.

Or so I thought.

Blooper #1:
We were so tired from the trip, we decided to skip dinner and just reheat our leftovers from last night. We also bought instant noodles from the convenience store in case we're still hungry. That being said, we obviously needed kitchenware so we asked Ate Light to go borrow some from the office. When she got back with the supplies, we told her we couldn't make the stove work so she went back to the office again. Haha Basically, here's a quick rundown of all our concerns:

1. No kitchenware.
2. Stove won't work.
3. The vertical blinds keeps getting in the way of the stove.
4. We can't figure out how to operate the washing machine.

So this time, she came back with Mr. Choi. *ehem* After introducing him to us, we went back to minding our own businesses. Suddenly, we heard a loud *BLAG* which made me turn around really quick and caught a glimpse of an upside down view of long shiny hair tied in a ponytail. I thought it was Vanie who was bowing in the doorway and I almost teased her about it (remember the Biolink VCO commercial? Hihi) when the owner of the long shiny hair stood up and it turned out to be Mr. Choi. O.O Apparently, he tripped on the uneven flooring (where guests leave their footwear) when he's supposed to be used to that by now. Weird. I couldn't keep myself from giggling so I just turned around so he wouldn't see. I was surprised to see Faye staring back at me though while laughing. Mean girl! It all happened so fast, I couldn't recall if any of us even asked him if he's okay. Haha

Blooper #2:
So Mr. Choi was okay. And he was able to make our stove work. Next task? Pull back the vertical blinds away from the stove. Except for Ate Light and Vanie who were at the kitchen, all of us were pretty busy sorting out our great finds when we heard a loud *BLAG*. Again. This time, it was followed by a few shuffling sounds. When we checked on what was going on in the kitchen, it turns out that Mr. Choi was able to resolve another one of our concerns by pulling the vertical blinds OFF the rails. HAHA Kaloka! Good thing no one was hurt!

Blooper #3:
After resolving concern #3, we thanked Mr. Choi and he went back to the office. Only then did Faye, Erin and Ate Light realize that they didn't know how to operate the washing machine. So again, Ate Light had to go back to Mr. Choi. But this time, she came back alone. Apparently, Mr. Choi just gave her instructions as the washing machine's pretty easy to use according to him. Or maybe he was just too shy to go back to our room. Hehe Funny thing about it was that Mr. Choi told Ate Light that maybe she likes him because she keeps coming back and asking for his help. HAHAHA Thus the birth of Muchoi love team! Okay, I just thought of it now but whatevs. :p Anywaaaaaay, after pressing several buttons and watching Youtube videos of Korean washing machine operation tutorials, they were still getting nowhere and they just gave up. Or was it the washing machine who gave up? Haha

Dinner is finally served!

After the bloopers, we all gathered around the pot of noodle and our chicken platter and finally had our dinner - Koreanovela style! We were laughing all throughout the meal, we forgot about the time. Again! So we just decided to move tomorrow's call time an hour later to give everyone more time to rest. Hee~


Traveling party: Erin, Faye, Jona (organizer), Light (organizer), Rona, Sera (organizer), and Vanie
Travel date: 8 November 2012 [Day 3]
Photo credits: Faye, Light, Vanie