It's been years since my family and I went on a family vacation anywhere further than Thailand, Indonesia & Singapore. Last Chinese New Year, my parents made an impromptu plan to go on a holiday in Korea! We were all ecstatic when we heard the news 'cause we've never been to Korea before. This was also our first time going on a guided tour organized by a Muslim tour agency, Triways. We were lucky to have met such wonderful group members. They were very friendly and outgoing, especially Uncle Sani (He was definitely the life of the group!). You know how going on guided tours comes with a risk that your group members aren't always punctual and fussy, thankfully we didn't have that problem at all!
Our holiday package was for 6 days 5 nights; 4 days in Seoul and the last 2 days in Jeju Island. It was the first time my brothers and I experienced winter. Actually, there was a whole list of firsts for all of us - skiing, playing with snow, building a snowman, making a snow angel and the list goes on. The weather was freezing cold! When we arrived in Seoul, the temperature outside was around -8°C! When we were at Nami Island, the temperature dropped to -18°C!!! What a vast difference compared to the weather in Malaysia, eyy? We came prepared though - with our bubble jackets, gloves, thermal wear; you name it, we've got it! I personally think I looked like an eskimo in my winter jacket. There was only one problem with my winter apparel; my shoes! I wore my pink high-cut Converse shoes throughout the trip. My poor feet had to withstand the cold. I did try to look for boots there but not one store had my size. Bummer!
Anyway, we were all very lucky to get Gina as our tour guide. Apparently, she is one of the most sought after tour guide for Malaysians in Seoul. It's not surprising 'cause she was amazing! She even knows how to speak Malay! She would greet us every morning with "Selamat pagi!" and when it was time for lunch, "Kita akan pergi makan-makan! Makan tengahari. Ada asam pedas!". Before she ends the day, she'd say "Okay we're going back to the hotel so you can all golek-golek, gelek-gelek, tido-tido." We totally LOL-ed whenever she said that. Oh and she even introduced herself as "Beautiful Sexy Gina". So much love for this lady!
Peter was our group's photographer. At the time, he had just completed his two year compulsory service in the army so he took up photography to fund his further education. Peter is very quiet and shy. Maybe it's because he knows very little English and can only say Malay words such as "ikan bilis (anchovies)" and "nasi (rice)". Okay, it was more like "nashiiii" than nasi, really. Haha! On the last day of our tour, Peter compiled all the pictures he edited and organized them according to families. My family had 48 photos all together and it cost us almost RM700 for them. Blimey! You better put all that money into good use alright, Peter!
Speaking of money, we did not get the chance to shop till we drop because our travel itinerary was quite packed. Our tour did cover all the must-go shopping places in Seoul - Namdaemun Market, Myeong-dong Fashion Street, Lotte duty free department store, the National Amethyst Factory and the Korean Cosmetics duty free store. Don't you just love the word "DUTY FREE"! As we all know, Korea is not only famous for their phones and cars but their cosmetics too! I did manage to get my hands on some of their cosmetic products. How can you possibly go to Korea and not get a BB Cream at least. I love Skin79's BB cream! I cannot go a day without it, literally! Now this gives me an idea; I might even write a review on my favorite Korean beauty products. So stay tuned! Dad was generous and got me a cabochon amethyst ring from the National Amethyst Factory. Thank you, Ayah! xx
Isn't it pretty? :)
Okay. I can't quite put 6 days of fun and adventure we had in Korea into words as this post would be a rather lengthy one. Look how much I've written so far and I have not even gotten to the interesting parts yet. Fret not for I have made a compilation of pictures and videos for your viewing pleasure. As the saying goes, "A picture speaks a thousand words!". Hope you enjoy the video! :)
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