Monday, April 25, 2011

Lotte World

 So we had been to this mall that has an amusement park inside it. Actually it is said to be the largest indoor amusement park! We walked past it and the logo to the park is almost an exact replica of Disney. So we figured this has to be good if it looks similar to Disney. So we decided to check it out. It feels like a mock off of Disney. It's a really cool place and has some things that seem very Disney-like. The park is an indoor and outdoor park on the top floor of a mall. There are a lot of little kid rides and some rides that seemed too adult for being on the main floor. The admission cost us about 32,000 won a piece this was with a 10% discount that we heard is for foreigners! Also, it is cheaper to go on the weekdays (which we'll keep in mind if we go back later this year). There is a ride that goes all over the park (similar to the monorail) and stops on both sides of the park. There is a hot air balloon ride that goes all around the ceiling of the indoor part, but we didn't get a chance to ride it because of the lines. One interesting thing that we found at the park is that there are all kinds of cute headbands with ears and bows on them. The strangest part about it was that there were really no children wearing them. The adults are the ones who sport the cute animal look around the park...and of course we had to fit in and buy some as well.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Cherry Blossoms in Korea



         This past weekend we went to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Seoul. We rode the subway to Dangsan station and had to walk about 15 minutes to get there. On our way, we came upon a Boat Show that was going on. We checked it out, but turned around quickly because it seemed really boring. We started walking toward the beautiful trees and there was a young Korean man that approached Chris (we think he was asking directions or wanted to practice his English.) We were traveling with a new teacher on our staff. She just arrived last week from Australia and will begin teaching one of the Pre-K classes next month. Anyway, when the Korean man noticed Natalie and I standing there he seemed very uncomfortable, basically stopped talking and walked away. The street was blocked off for the festival and was absolutely gorgeous! Every tree filled with beautiful pink and white blossoms. There were other trees along with some potted floral arrangements. The other flowers included: azaleas, yellow daisies, tulips, pansies, and many other flowers. We had street vendor food for lunch and found an event for the Korean Red Cross that was going on in another part of the stop that had basketball tournaments and a magic show. It has been so beautiful outside lately, but it doesn't seem like our typical springtime back home. In a lot of ways to Chris and I, it feels like early Fall weather. Cool, moist mornings, hot afternoon and somewhat cold evenings. It's starting to warm up more in the evenings now too. The sad news that we have heard is that the cherry blossoms only last around three weeks, so we better enjoy it while we can.