One of our favourite pastime is going groceries shopping. A trip to the nearby NTUC saw us coming back with the ingredients we needed for tonight's dinner.

We had potatoes and carrots in the fridge and I didn't want that to go to waste so we came up with soy sauce chicken, potato and carrots stew. I told C that I have Korean pancake mix at home and her eyes lit up! "Let's have Korean Seafood Pancake!" and we did.

That's her mixing the batter needed for the pancake. We had a lot of spring onion in there too but Daddy and C later declared that they would prefer the pancake without them next time. C was confident enough to flip the pancake and I praised her for her steady hands. :)

Our dinner! Because we hardly cook at home during term time, C rarely turns down the opportunity to do so during the school holidays.

We were looking forward to seeing this piece of work - from the day C started working on it, she has been telling us that it was a difficult piece to draw. She spent 5 sessions of 2-hours each to complete it and when she emerged from class holding her artwork, she was extremely pleased.

She took a while to name this piece and I tried to suggest several. She finally settled on "Caitlyn" because she said there is something creative about her. The coy smile seems to suggest that she is demure and those forlorn eyes focussed intently look screams that "melancholy" - Perhaps the pain was too much to express yet there is a certain calmness and serenity in that smile.

Food! Vacations are about food as much as the sight-seeing and the wonderful experiences.

The food on board was pretty decent. :)

Myeong-dong is really a food haven and there were many eateries here that were exceptional. These noodles were bouncy and the dumplings were huge and juicy. They were so good that C asked to come back for seconds.

Another wonderful place we went to at the Insa-dong area.

Jjimdak dinner at Lamp Cafe.

Lunch at a small eatery on our way to Bukchon Hanok Village. I didn't even get its name. Food there was good and it was crowded. I guess it being near the train station helped.

Bingsu at Bukchon Hanok Village. It was Grand mummy's first taste of this delicious Korean dessert of ice shavings and various ingredients. Ours had almond powder, mochi, and red bean.  

Daddy met up with his colleague and he took us dinner at Wang Dae Bak Korean BBQ Restaurant. The service there was exquisite.

Lunch at Nami Island.

Gamjatang at Wondang. It was absolutely delicious!

Jogabi Seafood Bar and Restaurant
We thoroughly enjoyed this meal.

We went western while at Lotte World.

Sumptuous lunch at Dong-daemon.

The ever famous fried chicken - Korean style!

Dinner at another BBQ restaurant - Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong Korean BBQ

Activity 9: Everland, Lotte World, and Trick Eye Museum

C also contributed to the planning of the itinerary. She had specifically told us that she wanted to visit Everland and Lotte World so we put that in.

The theme park doesn't open till 10 am so after a light breakfast we headed out. We took the train out to Gangnam Station and then walked about 300 m to the bus stop where we boarded bus 5002. The journey took 40 minutes and after alighting at the bus terminal, we had to take a shuttle bus to Everland.

 A short nap later, we woke up to this beautiful sight.

Grand mummy and C enjoying some of the rides at Everland.

The place was huge and besides the rides, we also saw animals like sheep, foxes, and lions. These little fellows here in the pictures were adorable. 

We made many small snowmen and left them every where - on the railings, on top of trash bins... you get the idea. Daddy, Cheryl, and Grand mummy were in the queue to take a ride and I was chose to not ride as I wanted to be their photographer. While they were waiting, I decided to make a snowman so I was rounding up some snow in my hands. One of the boys in the group that was standing behind Daddy, Cheryl, and Grand mummy grabbed some off the leaves of a nearby tree and threw it at their friend who turned around and saw me with the snow in mine. I froze literally then shook my head.

Just before we entered the animal enclosure where we saw giraffes, lions and elephants.  

Lotte World

Trick Eye Museum

We didn't have the chance to visit the one in Singapore so we thought we could do it here in Seoul. The tickets to the museum also gave us entrance to the (tiny) Ice Museum.

Activity 10: Skiing

We went skiing at Gangchon Elysian. We had an hour of lesson about how to handle the ski, and how to move about safely. We also learned to keep our balance and I must say the most difficult part of it all was trying to get up once we fell.

All suited up!

Grand mummy was game enough to try and this was enough for me. She was grinning from ear to ear and despite falling several times, she continued. It was truly a blessing to be able to see her play like a child again.