Frugal Bastard: Korean Holiday 2013

The missus went shopping with her sister today. The Boy and I went to Everland. It should be renamed Waiting-Forever-Land. We walked down to Gangnam Station via the backstreets. Interesting to see all the kinds of businesses around.

That's a decent load of Chinese cabbages

Chillies anyone?

All sorts of kimchi available

Heaps of different rice cakes for sale

Not a lot of space in the backstreets

Got eggs?

Advertising, cables - it's a busy skyline

Yes, we stayed in Gangnam

Looked for bus 5002, as per the guide book, but grabbed an Everland Resort coach instead. Asked the driver how much and couldn't understand his answer so kept giving him money until it was enough - W25,000. Didn't even know if it was a return ticket. Got there in half in hour. When we arrived he said it was a return trip and that departure was at six o'clock. There was a five minute bus ride from the parking lot to the entrance. I received a discount of W3,000 that I wasn't expecting - even after using my discount voucher. Bonus.

Entrance of Everland

Just part of the queue for the first ride - the Rolling X-Train

We rode the Rolling X-Train after a one hour wait. Too short but not a bad ride. Walked down to the T Express - largest, longest, fastest and steepest wooden roller coaster in Asia. Waited about 25 minutes before receiving a ticket to allow us to queue for the actual ride. And we couldn't start queuing for another hour and a quarter. Went all the way back up near the entrance before taking the Skyway down.

Dance display for the kids

T Express - biggest wooden roller coaster in Asia

Skyway - best way to get around Everland

One helluva drop

Spaghetti Junction

There's a lot of wood and not much else

About 40 minutes into queuing for the ride

Going up

Another 40-45 minutes wait for the T Express but what a rid. Fantastic. Goes for about three minutes and totally worth the wait. Decided to try Horror Maze - another hour and a quarter wait. In the interim he wanted to ride Columbus Adventure, which was too busy, so settled on the Championship Rodeo.

Street parade

Colourful floats

Just some of the buildings in Everland

The Boy enjoyed the Championship Rodeo ride

We'd found a bankcard on the way back to the Horror Maze. The queue was thirty minutes long, after finally convincing them that he was old enough (in Korean years, at least), and it was scary and thrilling. Fabulous. Scared the crap out of our leader and he ran off without us a couple of times. The girl in the group sat down in fright twice. The Boy chickened out halfway through as it was pretty creepy. Afterwards we tried the K-Pop Hologram on the way out and that was very well done and enjoyable.

Inside the K-Pop hologram room

Just part of the bus parking area

Our bus driver was waiting for us although we were half an hour early. Then we found out, by accident, that we were on the wrong bus. But the other bus was overloaded so they sent us back to the first bus. Something about being unable to organise a two-door shithouse comes to mind. Back at Gangnam Station we walked the half hour home. Spotted my brother-in-law, checked the car that he was driving, and was sure that it was him. He just happened to be looking for a parking spot as we reached our apartment.

Catching flies on the return bus trip

The whole family walked to the shabu shabu restaurant, BIL and SIL were surprised that we managed to locate it again after only having spot it during a late evening walk in unfamiliar territory and being about five streets back from the main road, and had our meal. Not nearly as good as in Busan. Drinks later at Coffee Bene which weren't particularly nice although the dark choc ice cream was fantastic.