FAMILY TRIP TO KOREA 2015- DAY 1

27/3/2015
FRIDAY

Today's the day - beginning of our family trip.   We have booked the holiday many months ago and after all the waiting we can finally leave the house at  5 a.m when the taxi came to pick us up for airport.   After the bags are dropped, we proceeded to have our breakfast  at Nyonya Colours.  The KLIA2 has many eateries and shopping outlets too.  We were window shopping when suddenly we realised that its final call to board and we had to dash our way to the departure gate......hahaha what an exciting beginning.

The flight was uneventful and we all managed to get back some sleep before we arrived at 3.10 pm - almost half an hour early.  The weather was very cold outside.  We saw Jeremy and Eunice immediately as we came out and met her parents once again.

I am glad that I do not have to do any planning at all for this trip.   Eunice and her parents had planned everything for us.  It was so thoughtful of them and throughout this trip they really showered us with so much good food and gifts as well. 

The first stop is dinner time.....what a gem of good food somewhere on the outskirts of the city. We were driving along some vast fields/farms and turned into this almost deserted  road and ended up......

at this restaurant..... 

Can't wait  to taste the good food here.....

interior of restaurant.... we were the first customers for dinner.  The evening sunlight bathed the dining area and lit up the place....such a warm homely feel  

This restaurant is famous for their own preserved black beans... 

They proceeded to serve and first came the appetisers:  vegetables salad, black bean taufoo served kimchi and cold kimchi soup and another hot soup. The cold kimchi soup supposed to whet your appetite for more deliciousness to come...

Japchae salad

Fried pumpkin in a sweet syrup mix with black beans.. wonderful. 

light and refreshing veggie salad 

 Lotus root coated with  crushed black beans and sesame paste... interesting texture and delicious

this is actually shredded potatoes made like noddles (cold) and top with a sesame sauce. 

We managed to finish all these tiny morsels and our stomach were almost full, when the actual main course arrived .....

this is the main course (the balck claypots) and more banchan.. so much food and rice too.... but healthy organic food..  

After the meal, we took a walk around outside and it was so, so cold.. I was totally unprepared as my thick jacket was inside my luggage! 

There is a cafe next to the restaurant and a display of old cookware in the open kitchen here 

and then, there are rows and

and rows of these miso/kimchi pots 

These items are for sale inside the restaurant... and yes while we were eating, there are customes that dropped by to buy them.

Those are "green houses" in the background... 

The sun was setting as  we drove out.    

My in-laws did not drive us to the hotel immediately but instead took us for a long drive up a mountain range. I really have no idea where this place is except we passed the guards and were told that the President's house is also somewhere on the other side of the mountain.  Really pity the guards standing in the dark, cold windy night...

This is a restaurant (almost empty) at the top of the  mountain.  

the night lights of Seoul below us.

This seems to be a popular place for nighttime but it was just too cold for us to linger around longer to appreciate the beauty at that moment.   

check-in Ibis Hotel, Dongdaemun 

The hotel is nearby the shopping center of Dongdaemun.  It is only about 5-10 minutes walk from the nearest subway station which is Dongdaemun Cultural and Historical station.  And the Airport limousine stops opposite the road every 30 minutes which is so convenient.  Of course, we love the beds and their breakfast. 

great start of our holiday.....