RIOT OF CHERRY BLOSSOMS...

After so much anticipation, the day of our trip to South Korea, a trip for the reigning Unduk Ngadau Ms Cheryl Lynn and which my team and I had planned since last year, finally arrived. We've been warned of the Spring's still chilly and unpredictable weather in Seoul with temperature of 16'c daytime but would suddenly plummet to 4'c anytime in the day.  Used to hot and humid weather, we therefore came prepared with our boots, shawl and light jacket.

Our 8 days, from 11th to 19th April 2015 in South Korea soon passed quickly taking with us beautiful memories, lots of photographs and burning a big hole in our pockets. Shopping in Seoul is expensive especially as our Ringgit has fallen bad recently. However, our resolutions of  not going to buy anything flew out of the window when we saw lots of nice things.  If you, like me, who love cosmetics, skin care and clothes, bags or shoes, go shop at Myeongdong and Dongdaemun in Seoul. You will be spoilt for choice and can't help but buy as some come in good bargains!  My friends and I, we went a little crazy and the 2 hours that our tour guide gave us felt like 30 minutes.  2 hours, where got enough ohh...Lol! 

We demanded we return there for more shopping the following day...haha... During the last day when we started packing for home, I found myself with 4 handbags, a pair of boots, a pair of sandals, oh and some cloths and some small souvenirs and horrors, could not fit into my luggage! Well, nothing like an extra luggage cannot solve.  Ok, ok, only 2 of the handbags are mine  haha.. sounds extravagant but really mine is nothing compared to some of my friends.

Cheryl with a dashing 'Korean Movie Star' :)

Cheryl, looking like a Korean movie star ..:)

Beautiful Korean ladies at the Festival of Cherry BlossomsYeouido Park, Seoul.

Korean ladies are known for their fair and flawless skin  - no heavy makeup, no photoshop, and these no plastic surgeries.  

What would a visit to Korea be if one does not buy kimchi and ginseng. Though kimchi is readily available in our local stores.  Why ginseng? Well our tour guide said that Koreans who are known for their fair and flawless complexion attribute it to them taking ginseng since young. Ginseng, he said is used for improving overall health, strengthen the immune system and help fight off stress and diseases. The problem, he said is that by taking ginseng, Koreans do not get old, therefore never die! Unless they get run over by a bus.... hahaha.. very funny.

Cheryl at the set of the famous Korean tv series, Winter Sonata

But we did not only shop. We visited museums, old palaces, went up Mt Sorak, visited Nami Island and lots more.  But the most memorable one must be our walkabout joining in the thousands of Koreans who came in hordes at Yeouido Park. It was the Festival of spring cherry blossoms!

Koreans celebrates the Cherry Blossoms Festival to celebrate the precious few days each spring when the thousands of cherry trees especially in Yeouido Park erupt into clouds of pink and white.Our guide told us that it is almost always in the second week of April where the trees's buds inevitably burst and there seems to be riot of spring's spectacular blossoms each tree seemingly in competition with each other of which tree gives a more beautiful blossoms! A really treat for us for after the 2nd day, it rained and the flowers dropped like raindrops creating a carpet of white under each tree leaving the trees bare.  Not all the trees dropped their flowers though as cherry blossoms are planted all over the streets of Seoul but still not as beautiful as the first day when we arrived...

 Kimchi, served to us in one of our meals. Kimchi is served at every meal.

 Street food . giant squids

the one in the big pot is like 'siput sedut' except they are white in colour. No did not try. I am

not that adventurous where food is concerned.

  

We also did our Sunday obligation at St Andrew's, a Catholic Church, Seoul. The Sunday Mass was conducted in English. We met lots of fellow countrymen there..