Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Seoul, Korea

Another country to check off our list!  In all reality when my husband suggest Seoul as a family vacation I immediately wrote it off.  M had been there a few times for work and both times he returned home raving about it.  He assured me I would love it. So with great hesitation I booked the trip.

I ended up booking our airfare through Jin Air, got an awesome deal!  We flew directly into Seoul from Okinawa.  Cheap tickets, direct flight, baggage included...I'll take it.  For our hotel we stayed at the Dragon Hill Lodge.  We also got a great deal with them.  It is a hotel for military personnel, so the rate per night is determined by rank.  This hotel is located directly in Seoul.  Walking distance to shopping and sightseeing.  Another HUGE plus was this hotel was on a small base {Yougsan Army Base}.  So we were able to go to the exchange, there were known restaurants and they had banking facilitates.  Big plus in my book, I always get so nervous about using my credit cards overseas.

Anyways, so before we left we looked up things to do in Seoul.  And...that's when I got excited.  I'd like to think that I'm a pretty seasoned traveler with kids.  I like to have an itinerary because I like to plan and when traveling with kids planning is a must.  Since Amelia & Nolan are both under 5 {still toddlers} we planned to do things that we believed they can handle, we also gave them breaks and outlets to let out their energy.    Amelia is 4 so she doesn't sit in a stroller, but we brought one for Nolan.  Our hotel was in the heart of Seoul, but this city has lots of hills and my 4 year old can only walk for so long.  We did have to cab it to a lot of places.  There was the option for public transportation {bus} but I didn't want that hassle since we had limited time.

A few of the places we saw//

The War Memorial of Korea





Our first outing was to the Korean War Memorial.  The museum was free, big plus and walking distance from our hotel...another big plus.  I'm told that this is the largest war memorial in the world and they weren't kidding this place was huge!  Outside had a lot of stuff to see on display, things that you could touch and sit in.  Inside was nicely set up.  There were a ton of exhibits and a lot of information.  M being a military man and a lover of history had a ball.  I too am a lover of history and it was a nice museum.  The kids on the other hand, were not as interested. Amelia liked all the displays outside, Nolan ended up falling asleep so he just stayed in the stroller.  All in all, I'm glad we went.   There was a big section on the Korean War, lots of Americans fought in that war, it was nice to see them honor our military men and women.

Everland







Everland was my favorite day!  It's an amusement park, right outside of Seoul.  I asked the concierge at our hotel about how to get there, they recommended a bus, but we would need to take 2 buses to get there.  I didn't want to deal with that, so I asked about a taxi...they laughed and explained that its outside of Seoul so its going to be expensive.  We didn't care, we didn't want to deal with two toddlers on a public  bus.  So we took a  cab there, it was about $40 USD.  Not bad, it took about 30 min to get there.  Anyway, this place was a Disneyland wannabe BUT the prices were actually reasonable!!  Because we were foreigners our tickets were discounted and were only about $35 each for me and M,  Amelia was $30 , and Nolan was free.  We got into the park for less then a 1 day admission to Disney.  Now I know its not Disney, but it gave my kids the same fun!  We all had a blast.  Unfortunately Amelia couldn't ride all the rides she wanted, she even broke down after being turned away from a ride she wanted. It literally broke my heart. She is a definite thrill seeker, doesn't take after me at all!  She was wanting to go on rides made for teens and adults.  One day she will be able to , but that day wasn't it.  So we did everything under the sun that was in her height requirement.  It was great, no lines, she even rode rides more then once cause the lines were so short. The park was nice, there were trees everywhere and the decor was tasteful and fun. Did I mention how affordable things were?!  Every time I would ask a price to something I'm sure my jaw dropped each and every time!  We literally were buying every park picture {the picture that get taken on the ride}, any and every snack, my kids got a few souvenirs, I even got a couple.  It was fun.  They also had a big street parade.  We didn't recognize any of the characters but my kids still looked in amazement and danced along!  We were there when the park opened and we left around 6, we were all pooped.  They normally have fireworks nightly, but due to the missing kids in the ferry boat they were canceled.  I thought that was very respectful.  We ended up taking a cab back, this cab ride was more expensive, we left during traffic time so we spend $60 on the way back.  Still totally worth it, we all fell asleep on the way, couldn't do that on a public bus.  Plus we had to pile all the S we bought in the trunk.  All in all, my fave day of our trip.  I know we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  When I put the kids to sleep that night, Amelia thanked us for bringing her to Korea.  OMG...I die...

Gyeongbokgung Palace // The National Folk Museum of Korea// The Children's Museum of Korea ::
























On our 3rd day we spent the day sightseeing.  These are all in the same area so we hit them up.  One very awesome thing was that President Obama was there visiting the palace at the same time so admission to the palace and museums were free!  Pretty cool!  The palace was enormous and the grounds were beautiful!  We saw the guards, but wasn't able to catch the changing of the guards, I guess that happens hourly but we didn't see. They really did stand there like statues.  We wondered the palace grounds for awhile, their architecture was beautiful and the details were amazing.  My favorites was the water garden, it was so peaceful and beautiful.

The kids museum was fun!  They had an exhibit for Korean Folk tales, pretty interesting.  I couldn't understand the stories but its fun learning about another culture.  The museum was colorful and had lots of activities.  The kids had fun running to each activity and playing.  There was some school kids there too and Amelia tried to tag along with them, it was the cutest.

Final Verdict::  We had a blast in Seoul.  We of course did some shopping and some eating and drinking.  I would totally suggest Seoul as a family vacation.  Our hotel was nice, and we got a great deal on airfare.  There was a lot to do and experience, we barely made a scratch on experiences there.  Maybe one day we'll go back and see the Seoul Tower or the DMZ.  But I loved our first experience.  I'm glad my hubs suggested going here, cause otherwise I would have passed on this awesome vacay.




Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Botanical Gardens anyone???

On Sunday , after the fight {boxing ppv} , my lil family headed to the Southeast Botanical Gardens.
When we first moved here it was closed.  I heard that it had been closed for about 6 or 7 years because it was buried in debt.  It recently opened back up in mid 2013.  Since the weather has been gorgeous these past few weeks I thought it would be a perfect time to go.  Not too hot, late afternoon, after naps, and most importantly no humidity.

Before going there I was worried about sun and bugs, so we stopped to buy some bug repellent and sun screen.  When we got there, the parking lot was almost empty.  I'm assuming the crowds came earlier in the day, it was nearly 4 when we parked.  It was 1500 yen for adults and since the kids were under 5 they were free.  There was also a tram ride we could add to our entrance fee but we skipped that since we had the stroller.

White Cows
There was this area in the middle of the water gardens that had about 10 bright white giant cow statues.  Of course, the kids ran directly to them and started climbing.  These cows actually get painted everyday.  At a certain time of the day anyone who is there can choose a cow to paint.  After painting is done and the pics are taken, the cows are painted white for the next batch of people.  Kinda cool.  Unfortunately, we were too late for this.  Seems like a fun and artistic thing to do with the family.





Feeding the Carp
One of the kids favorite things they got to do was feeding the fish.  It was 100 yen for a small ball of food.  The kids had a blast.  Nolan even tried eating it!  They laughed and squealed when the group of fish swam up to the dock.  It's the small things that get them excited.




Feeding the Monkeys & Cappybara
Another thing we were late for.  The last feeding is at 1600.  By the time we got there, they had just finished.  Amelia was pretty bummed about this, since I totally talked it up.  My bad.  But she got over it and had fun watching the monkeys and the cappybara in their cage.






The gardens were beautiful.  It was pretty serene since the sun was low and there weren't too many people.  We walked around as we pleased and the kids ran as they pleased.   The park is split in half, a water garden side and the regular gardens.  Both sides pretty big, the water side seemed bigger.  There were a few areas we couldn't get to since we had the stroller, stairs got in our way.    The water gardens were so cool.  The lily pads were huge.  They looked like a fairy tale or something.  The gardens inspired me to want to plant more flowers.  I would love to have a beautiful, colorful, lush garden.  Unfortunately I don't have a green thumb.  I'm sure we'll go again, especially since we missed most of the action.  They also do a night garden with lights all over, that would be fun.  Oh and I hear the buffet is delish, I'd rather go for the lunch at 1800 yen as opposed to the 3500 yen for dinner.  Till we meet again...







Saturday, April 12, 2014

Lunch with the Girls and Nolan

Last week, Nolan and I got together with some friends for dim sum lunch.  {drooling again}  I haven't had dim sum in years.  I love dim sum cuz of the variety of food.  I know some people would say, a buffet has a variety of food.  But, with a buffet you have to get up every time you want food, with dim sum the food comes to you!  I can be fat and lazy.  :P

So we made reservations at the Hotel Nikko Alivila, lunch for 4 please.   Its actually 5 min away from my house!  I can't believe I've never been there before. We were there right at 11:30 when their lunch begins.  I wanted enough time to indulge, enjoy, laugh and eat till my hearts content before I had to pick up Amelia from school.

The hotel was beautiful.  The restaurant was pretty.  The view was gorgeous.  We sat right next to the window, with a view of the water and their gorgeous church.  They even had a wedding going on. Nolan was knocked out so I was at ease during lunch.  Conversation was funny and the food was delish! There was a walk up area that had a hot tea bar, fried foods, soups, dim sum {if you couldn't wait for the carts}, desserts and a few Chinese dishes.  We started there and loaded up on a couple plates and soup bowls.  The carts quickly came after we sat down at out table.  We couldn't help but get at least one of everything.  There were so many things I've never seen at another dim sum restaurant.  I didn't even ask what most of the stuff was , I just ate it.  And I'm not sorry about it, there wasn't anything there that wasn't delish.  After a couple plates and a handful of dim sum dishes I needed a breather.  I had to give myself some room for desserts.  The desserts were more Japanese then Chinese.  I munched on green tea cookies, almond jelly, and flan.  After that I was out for the count.  I was so full it hurt.  To top that off, we were laughing so hard...didn't help my stomach situation.

It was a good time.  Lunch was 2,500 yen and definitely well worth it.  We went on a weekday and it was nice.  Not too busy and the dim sum carts were fast.  I'm going to have to take M here when he gets a day off during the week, its a must try.

                                     

      

      

      

      

                               

                                







Thursday, April 10, 2014

Field Trip Chaperon

Since it's the month of the military child, its fitting to do a post about my recent chaperon experience with A's school.

When I was growing up, my parents were never able to come to any of my field trips.  I don't resent them for it, I understand that they were busy working and providing for our family.  I can't say that I wasn't jealous of the other kids whose parents tagged along.  I always wished my parents would come.  I know they would have if they could.

So when A's first field trip came up and her school was asking for chaperons I totally volunteered!  Right after, I immediately became nervous.  How would I handle all theses preschoolers?  I know I wouldn't be doing this alone, but the task was daunting....I'm not the best with kids. lol :)  For starters I don't have patience and I hate going to places with big crowds {unless its the mall}.  Either way, I was excited and stoked about getting to hang with my sweet pea and her school.  She was really excited too, it had been awhile since we had done something together.

Since sweet pea is attending a new school, this was actually their first field trip.  The plan was to go to the aquarium.  Its not just any aquarium, its the 3rd largest aquarium in the world.  It used to be 2nd, but a new one was built in Dubai.  We've been a handful of times before as a family so I was familiar with the place.  That put me at ease a lil bit.  For this being the first field trip this school has every put together, it was coordinated pretty nicely.  I'm sure its no picnic to plan and travel with 60 plus kids and a handful of adults.

 We traveled in nice buses up there and back.  The kids were watching Finding Nemo on the way up to get pumped for the trip.  It ended up being a beautiful spring day. We had a great time.  I loved seeing the kids light up witch each tank we visited.  I loved that A was so happy that I was there.  She made it a point to introduce me to everyone in her class.  I loved being able to talk to the teachers and staff, putting faces with names.  I loved seeing sweet pea interact with all her lil friends.  She is actually quite popular...there were lots of kids who wanted to be her walking partner. :)  It melted my heart. I literally stressed for no reason.  And I would do it again in a heartbeat.  I love that I am able to be involved with my kids' school and help when needed.