Winter Sonata Day 1 & 2

There were many photos to be sorted out. I also had some difficulty in mastering the software to compress my pictures. Still not used to my Mac. But finally, the long awaited entry is here!

The story of Winter Sonata begins on 6 Jan 2010. The day we flew off, the tour agency considered that as Day 1. It was kind of wasted as we had a night flight, departing at 10.40pm.

The unfolding of Winter Sonata began from here!

It was a good landing. I didn't even realised we had landed at Incheon. Only opened my eyes when passengers started to unload their overhead cabin luggages. Korea! Here we come!!

Snow Snow Snow

After changing out to our Winter wear, we were ready to embark on our Winter Sonata Journey! First stop - Breakfast!

1st Breakfast at Korea

After breakfast, we were given a choice to go for steam bath before starting the day. We had to don their uniform and it resembled our sauna except that the Koreans really slept inside like in the K drama we watched from TV. Interesting!

Our first stop was to Daejanggeum Filming site. The weather was really cold that day, -13.5°C.
A usual tour around the filming site would took 40 mins. But after 20 mins, we gratefully seeked refuge in the bus.

A filming site - Kitchen in the show Daejanggeum (Da Chang Jin)

It was really comforting to know that our next stop was Lunch!!!

When can I start eating?

Lunch can never be better. Piping hot Ginseng Chicken stuffed with glutinous rice and abalone added. Yummy!

Abalone added to our Ginseng Chicken lunch

After the upgraded lunch, we were driven to Kimchi School in Incheon where we were be learning the art of making Kimchi.

Kimchi School - the place to learn the art of kimchi making

After the Kimchi attempt, we ushered to another hall where we can changed to Korea's traditional costume, Hanbok. We took a few pictures posing in our Hanbok's look.

Me posing in Hanbok

We were told to board the bus and it was time to head to Gimpo Domestics Airport for our transfer to Jeju Island also known as the Honeymoon Island. How appropriate!

Waiting at Gimpo Airport

Our first stop was to come to Yongduam Rock (Dragon Head). It was said that this rock was formed by unusual lava formation. So it was naturally shaped. At this point of time, it was our first snowing moment. Small and light. It looked like rain drop but on closer look, you realised it was snow afterall. Yeap! It was our 1st snowing encounter.

Mermaid

Dragon Head

We were then brought to this house where we got to remove shoes before entering. The dinner theme was on seafood served fresh as sashimi and as hotpot. It was welcoming soothing after braving the strong wind outside.

Sumptuous Dinner Spread with Fresh Sashimi and Seafood Hotpot

In the midst of the dinner, the chef brought out a Live Octopus. Stuck on a stick, he beckoned anyone brave enough to try this Korea's delicacy.

Fear Factor of the Moment : Chewing on a Live Octopus Tentacle

Task was to bite and hold the tentacle bit and the chef would cut the portion out. Gosh! Come to think of it, the whole act was rather gross and I hope Mr Octopus does not have nerve system. I left the moving tentacle on the plate after that and waited till it stopped moving. If you had swallowed it live and moving, the tentacle would kind of suck its tail along your mouth cavity. Taste was like Ika Sashimi. This was really once in a lifetime kind of act which will not be repeated.

Finally, we came to the resting place for the night. Vegas Hotel & Casino.

Jeju City Night View from Hotel room

Good night Jeju city!