Lotte World - one final visit before I left!

Jamsil Station, Subway Line 2, Exit 4, connected directly via shopping mall.

Awesome picture right? (Taken by a pro, Ben. Not me... )

Lotte World is an amusement park right in the heart of Seoul. Beautiful, fun & happy! No wonder it's ALWAYS crowded. School holidays. Or not.

We went to Lotte World 3 days prior to my departure. I selected Lotte World as the place I'd bid a few classmates and friends farewell because it was such a joyful place and I wanted to leave with a joyful memory!

Being the person who is crazy about thrill rides, I have been to Lotte World umpteen times during my Seoul stay. I just never took great photos of this amusement park because:

1. I am not pro.
2. I am too busy running all over the place (getting myself amused!) whenever I am in amusement parks. 
3. I .... ran out of excuses.

This is also the shooting location for one of the most melo-Korean Drama - Stairway to Heaven. (If you haven't watched/heard of this drama - you might be too young then!)

Source

See. 

This is what I mean by a proper photo! 

 

 Taken again, by the pro-cameraman, Ben. I can never take such nice shots!

This is the water feature near at the basement (I think!) of the shopping mall which is connected to Lotte World.

There are a few (were there 2 or 3?) entrances to Lotte World, one indoor, another outdoor.

So, there are different rates applicable for adults, students and kids. The later you go, the cheaper it gets:

(Taken from source)

Admission Fees

Admission Ticket Adults: 25,000 won / Youths: 22,000 won / Children: 19,000 won Nighttime Admission Ticket Admission after 16:00: Adults: 21,000 won / Youths: 18,000 won / Children: 15,000 won Admission after 19:00: Adults: 14,500 won / Youths: 12,500 won / Children: 10,500 won * Day-Pass Ticket (admission fees included) Adults: 40,000 won / Youths: 35,000 won / Children: 31,000 won * Nighttime Day-Pass Ticket (admission after 16:00) Adults: 31,000 won / Youths: 27,000 won / Children: 23,000 won * Children: ages 4-12 / Youths: ages 13-18

They have an indoor arena and a outdoor one. Both equally appealing.

As if amusement rides ain't sufficient, they also have an indoor skating rink which was made famous by the drama!

Check out the sizzling kiss!

The real thing.

Not so romantic?

Because we don't have rich boyfriends who own the place, nor book out the entire skating rink (nor the entire Lotte World!) for us just so we can have a single moment of private kiss! There is always a reason why "dramas" remain "dramas"!

 

What I really like about the indoor part is that, even though it is indoor, they have glass roof ceilings that are so high and majestic-looking which allows the sunlight to light up the entire indoor arena. 

You get the benefits of feeling the sunshine of the outdoors, while being protected from the rain or cold weather.

 

And yes, they have indoor roller-coasters etc. Your only worry would be the time you need to queue for it!

My photos obviously look pale in comparison.

 

But you get the point that the indoor arena is H.U.G.E. and colorful!

You must. MUST. take the carousel just because.

 Now to the outdoors - even more magnificent! (Apart from the crowd!)

This is a candid shot of one of the staff who welcomed us to the mini-train ride. So cute!

The ultra-scary - "tiao-loh" thrill ride. 

Wanna know what it feels like to jump a building without taking a bungee-jump?

There is awesome scenery in the outdoor arena as well!

Feels like Alice in Wonderland!

Somehow, this shot seems to suggest a ghostly tower! haha

Farewell my beloved friends!

(But look at the q behind! Pretty scary to queue like that for a 1-min ride.)

Farewell 언니.

I wanted to celebrate the end of my adventure in Seoul in this happy place, but when it came to the end of the day, I was almost tearing. I missed my real home dearly, but I just felt a range of emotions rising inside, knowing I was going to miss the friends, the freedom, the lifestyle and Seoul itself.

6 months is not a long time, but, it is still precious time. These are what memories are made of. Precious time you took to spend with precious people, experiencing precious life.

Exploring Gyeongbokgung with a pro camera man!

It's officially the first day of Ben's tour in Seoul and given that he is such an enthusiast in photography, what better place to show him around than Gyeongbokgung?

Gyeongbokgung was built in 1395, and was the main seat of government activitt of the Joseon Dynasty, which rules Korea with Seoul as capital city during the years 1329 - 1910. Though its been through tumultuous times during the Japanese invasion, it was being well-restored since 1990. It consists of official quarters like the palace throne, reception hall and living and resting quarters like the king's and queen's residences.

It;s no guess this is the place where most Korean drama filming takes place. The grandest of all the palaces in Seoul and 1 that's not to be missed. It is a huge palace and will probably take 2-3 hours to cover, comfortably.

Directions:
Gyeongbokgung Station, Subway Line 3, Exit 5, follow the sign boards from there.

You can't miss this front shot of the entrance cause its a pretty awesome sight. It faces the main road, actually. So while standing in front of the palace, one may feel like a clash of times... 






Shot of what faces the entrance of the palace.

As with most palaces, there is always a palce-guard changing ceremony every few hours. So be sure to check from the website visitkorea website to affirm the timing and not miss them.






Palaces also almost always have a majestic mountain in the background - for scenic reasons. I guess mountain-gazing must be one of the greatest hobby for kings then..
Frankly, who would mind having a mountain-view even in modern times like this?

Only professional lenses will be able to capture such great shots!

The photos in this post were all captured b Ben (cause I was too lazy to take ANY pictures). And I realized I have no close up shots of the interior of the palace like the king / queen's residence, the throne and etc.

I am just gonna spam this posts with great scenic pictures from the "lens of a pro".

I wondered if ice-skating was gonna be a feasible idea on this frozen pond?

Clear blue skies that Singapore is short of.

Here are some really random shots of what could be a servant's quarter? 

We completely missed out the living quarters of the officials, king and queens and here we are taking random shots of the servants quarters...

To close this post, here is a last shot of myself - snacking on a gimbap! 

Seriously, it's the last few days of my trip and I am really gonna just roam around the streets, enjoying each moment instead of being a trigger-happy tourist!