Winter Sonata (Yong Pyong-Day 4)

7 December 2009: Another FRREEEEZZZING morning.. bbrrrrrrr!!! We woke up at 6:00am, checked-out by 7:00am and took a cab to Jamsil Station (just outside Lotte Mart) to catch the 9:00am bus to Yongpyong Ski Resort. We reached BEFORE 8:00am (we had anticipated rush-hour traffic) and had to wait in the cold with all our luggage. Thankfully, we found a few minutes of warm respite with pre-heated instant coffee (not found in Singapore) inside a nearby 7-eleven store.. which seemed like the only one opened that early in the morning?! The bus finally arrived and we were on our way to the Winter Wonderland that was made famous by Bae Yong Jun and Choi Ji Woo.

As we journeyed away from the city, the scenery gradually changed.. dreary grey buildings gave way to the evergreen and bare trees that stood prominently against the stark white snow. We checked into the Tower Condo before venturing out with Justin and Jared for their first real snow experience. It was really picturesque and peaceful up in the mountain.. the meandering brooke with snowy stone banks and quaint bridge.. the Tudor roofs.. the slopes dotted with skiiers casting darting shadows on an enormous blank sheet of white...

We found some clean soft snow and tried our hand at building a snowman which wasn't easy. After about 40 mins, we only managed to produce a foot-high cutesy midget snowman.. which we proceeded to adorn with a beanie, red scarf and gloves.. and VOILA!.. presenting 'Mr. Dwarf Frostie'!!!

Then we chanced upon The First Cafe which housed some iconic props from the Winter Sonata drama series.. the piano.. the black and white uniforms.. the dining table.. and the jigsaw puzzle with one missing piece of course! So romantic lor.. true K-drama fans will understand what I'm talking about.. *sigh*

Later that evening, I tried to replicate the recipe of ramen with dumplings, sausages and SPAM.. and served dinner with pre-packed kimchi of course! But unfortunately, I couldn't add in too much spice cos the boys were not accustomed to it. Jimmy and I had our first swig of soju too.. almost pure alcohol.. aarrgghhh!!! The Koreans probably acquired a taste for soju since it kept them warm on the inside during winter.. but how does that account for drinking in summer? Then we made our beds by pulling out the mattresses and laying them on the heated floor. Hmmm.. it was rather uncomfortable I must say.. not quite the image portrayed on TV...

Jimmy had wanted to go night skiing initially but thank God the slopes closed at 10:00pm cos the rest of us didn't feel as brave or enthusiastic under minus 9C weather! So we enjoyed the night scene instead.. the snow machine (I'm not sure if people were allowed go near to cry their hearts out.. as depicted in Winter Sonata?).. the Christmas lights.. and the boys liked watching the rising vapour from their mouths and nostils with each breath.. they call it smoke.. ha ha ha!