Korea Diaries: Day 2
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re not lounging in a #Laboracay-worthy outfit, making the most of the holidays by frolicking about on a pretty beach filled with pretty people. If we share the same preference for sweater weather over the summer heat, join me in my wistful longing for a little drop in temperatures through my Korea diaries! :)
Sweater weather is yay. Oversized “Love” sweatshirt, Mango. Sakura shorts, The SM Store. Beanie and necklace, SM Accessories.
This is where we went on our second day. Everland Resort in Yongin is about two hours’ drive from Seoul. It’s the largest theme park in South Korea owned by Samsung, and it was formerly known as Farmland—you’ll see why in a few.
Tights, Dongdaemun market. Sneaker wedges, Skechers. While there were a few brave souls who were actually wearing heels, most people I saw were in sneakers or boots—it’s 100 hectares of walking around, after all.
Along with my phones, I brought my ice blue Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 for some instant snapshots.
Kept it in this itty-bitty camera bag, along with the tickets, some money and IDs.
We got there pretty early, so there weren’t many people lining up. But there are usually 6.6 million visitors who come to Everland every year.
Tickets in “Madagascar” holders. So cute.
Pretty castles are a common sight in theme parks, but Everland has something different. Everywhere you look, there are fields upon fields of blossoming flowers and beautifully manicured gardens.
This is why it used to be called Farmland (the direct Korean translation is actually Natural Farm). Today, Everland has five zones: Global Fair, Zoo-Topia, Magic Land, American Adventure and European Adventure, which includes that roller coaster in the distance. Known as the T Express, it’s the steepest wooden coaster in the world, with the first drop at 77 degrees. Nope, we didn’t ride it.
We did ride on the Columbus in the American Adventure zone. It’s similar to Anchors Away in Enchanted Kingdom (where I actually haven’t been to) but they say this one swings much higher.
Seems like it, yes?
Everland is on a mountainous land, and walking up and down the roads to get to the different zones can be tiring and time-consuming. There’s the option to ride the Sky Cruise, where you can also enjoy the view.
Speaking of enjoying the view, we got to watch 2NE1 in concert! Not live, but it’s the next best thing, I guess. Cameras weren’t allowed during the “concert,” but I was able to take this photo with them after.
Spotted these little students on a field trip while walking through the Aesop village. Their teacher instructed them to hold hands to keep them from getting lost. Adorable!
View from the top. With or without the rides, the scenery alone makes this place worth visiting.
On the leftmost is our host, driver, tour guide and resident comedian, Robert 오빠. We had a lot of fun going on rides and shopping and eating and watching shows, that I almost didn’t notice we had spent close to four hours in Everland.
The sky had this take-home gift for us as we headed home.
Dinner with our hosts meant overflowing soju (similar to vodka), samgyeopsal-gui (heavenly slices of pork grilled and wrapped in lettuce leaves and dipped in special sauce), bokkeumbap (stir-fry rice and vegetables with special sauce), stories and laughter.
Living in our beautiful tropical country, I’d sincerely like to love summer the way Olaf does. I’ve tried, but most of the time the sun and the heat just cause me some major headaches and skin rashes that I don’t really get in cooler places. So while I hibernate and wait for some chilly breeze to blow our way, I’ll reminisce on this wonderful spring day in Everland where the only warmth I felt was that of the people I was with. ♥ (To be continued)
Photographed by myself and Jeru Czar. Hype this outfit on Lookbook here, vote on Chictopia here. What do you think of this post? :) Tweet me @shailagarde or leave a comment below!