Skiing @ Konjiam Resort (part 2)

The intermediate course. I did not have the slightest idea as to why I was up there. Well, I was just following my friends who were so eager to go up the hills by taking the alluring ski-lift. So...I was up there and ready no matter what....to go down skiing. 

The atmosphere during my skiing day. We were quite lucky since the temperature was 5 degrees Celsius. A bit warm, actually. No sunshine....another advantage:) I did not have to wear sunglasses!! 

My beloved skiing kits. Thank you.... 

Southeast Asian guys: Wawan, me, and Somkhit. 

Red Wawan, Turquoise me, & Black Somkhit: we were so happy to have this experience. 

How was it going, Wawan? Did you have a great time?

Looked like he did^^. A sore thigh, a bruise on the knee and back...

were incomparable to the fun you got, eh? 

Wawan, Chanmi, and me.

Somkhit, Wawan, Chanmi, and me. 

The picture did not do any justice to the depth of the white snow shown on the spot there. 

Fell off? Well, uncountable times...

Let's pose, get set....

go....

For some people, we might look so silly and ....so lame. But, we did not care of what others think....in fact....we just wanted to enjoy most of our time in Korea.  

Yes....victory!!!

for the first timers like us....having managed to do some skiing is an achievement in itself.

And..there's nothing wrong to be happy about it. 

Skiing @ Konjiam Resort (part 1)

Another privilege of being a foreign student in Korea is....having an experience that I would not be able to find back home in a tropical Indonesia.^^ Should I mention one more? Being a foreign HUFS-an, it does come with its additional advantage, i.e. got invited to experience it for free. Well, we got to pay the least minimum amount to do so. So, just like what we had last year....we got this ski trip at another resort.

After an-hour trip from Seoul, we arrived at the ski equipment rental shop... 

This kind of shop is scattered around the area heading to the ski resort. We got to choose our skiing or snowboarding equipment that would include: gloves, ski shoes, ski pad (?), skiing stick(?), and the outfit. 

Everyone was busy choosing their own favorite color, shape, and size that would match their own personality. I guess. Well, I loved this color and that's why I had it on. I looked so fat in it.^-^ 

This is the signboard or sign balloon indicating where we could just visit and rent the equipment. The last time I had a skiing trip last year at Vivaldi Resort (read my other entry on this one, too), we were just heading straight to the resort and had our kits rented there. But, this time's different. Guess, it's cheaper and more convenient as it would cut down the time allotted to choose the arrays of kits available? 

Anyhow, we managed to have our kits in about 30 minutes for as many as 30 friends. Guess, each person as 1 minute to gear up for skiing or snowboarding? (Nope, of course). Each of us at least took 30 minutes to 'dress ourselves up.' 

Wait...what is this tempura udon is doing in here?

Yes, this is our lunch at that time. At Konjiam, we were advised to have our lunch first prior to start exploring the resort. That turned out to be quite true.

Well, there were lots of restaurants back there..but we ended up eating at a Japanese Restaurant. 

Well,  being a vegetarian...I could not enjoy it that much though it was edible. 

As for Wawan, he ate it all up. He loved it.  

As for me, I got to make sure that I could enjoy eating it. But...I got to eat...otherwise I would not have had any energy left to even start the skiing in the first place. 

Here we cooooommmmeeeee!!!!

First, I tried out the basic slope slated for beginners just like me. Though I did skiing a couple of times..I never consider myself being a good skier, let alone a pro. Way....no. 

So, the first couple of minutes...before gearing up into the peak(?), we were just playing around getting ourselves warmed up... 

It looked so impressive. The condominium down there on the right was tall..but once I was up on the starting point...I felt like choked up as to what the heck I was doing up there....how could I get down hill?^^ 

Before...gearing up, click click: a proof shot to prove that I was there.^-^  

Even the kids as old as 7 or 8 were so great and seemed like they did not have any fear....or whatsoever...That I just stopped skiing and started wondering.... 

As for Wawan, all I could say was that...for a first timer, he did manage himself quite well. 

Let's see what this is. I don't know and I did not even remember as to why I took this picture. 

Oh,  Oh...OH...do you see the four snow-terminator machine at the back row? 

That's the reason why I took this picture. 

Then, this is--if not mistaken--the basic intermediate slope. It challenged and teased me at first. I thought that it would be the same as the beginner's slope be. But, I was completely wrong...

I was trembling while going down the hill skiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 'crashed' ing. Well, I bumped into a snowboarding guy on my way going down... 

My gloves took a rest, too. ^^ 

Vivaldi Park Resort (again)

These are the videos I took when we were strolling around the Vivaldi Park at night. We were exhausted of skiing the whole day. But, the resort seemed to be so irresistibly tempting...for us ...just to let them slip away while we were sleeping. 

So, instead of going to bed early, in the midst of the Winter cold, we stepped out of our hotel room and rushed to find out that the hotel underground was full of entertainment for kids and adult alike. So, we had it covered. Skiing? check! Entertainment? check! Food? Sure!

Vivaldi Park at night

Since it was our last night of staying at the Condominium inside the resort, we might as well spend the night outside---despite its chilling and freezing cold.







So, instead of going straight to bed, we decided to take a stroll along the resort just to enjoy the night skiing. Before that, we went underground to check the mall where all of kinds of rides were available, too. It is a 24-hour underground city in its own.




Then, we came out again...

Well, the night skiing program turned out to be popular among youngsters who wanted to seek thrills.




It was about 11 p.m. and lots of people were still going back and forth at the skiing resort.
Of course we were just looking around.






The fact that the night (a cold one) appended the eerie-ness of the resort (in a positive term, of course) made it more challenging for thrill-seekers to try it out at night
We just took pictures!





Vivaldi park resort was just like a town of itself at night.
It was--as far as I learned--surrounded by the mountains and hills that dotted the area.











So, I kinda imagined it being the bright dot out in the middle of nowhere...somewhere in Chuncheon mountainous area.







I am still wondering as to what those people expected from having to expose themselves in the cold of the night .......wrapped in tights just to go on skiing:) But, I guess...this was just a murmur or a stupid ranting of someone who never had it tried:) ^^







well, still.......just by looking at it....it already made me shiver.
That's why......our night strolling time....did impress us.

2012 Ski Experience for Asian Students

Thanks to Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (문화체육관광부) as well as to Korea Ski Resort Business Association (한국스키장경영협회), I could take all of my family to experience Ski at Vivaldi Park Resort.












Thanks to my university, too...for always providing swift information for its students to experience Korea. Through our office of International Affairs or One Stop Global Service at HUFS, I was informed about this not-to-be missed chance of taking a trip to a Ski Resort. What a trip indeed it was!

 So, the 3-day trip was worth-taking and a memorable one.
--( I posted some of the stories on my previous entries)--










This time, I just want to share the cultural night that was specially held for us.
Lots of cultural shows and an extravagant dinner were laid out for us.
It was indeed a remarkable night.

Lots of people participated in the event......for they did provide lots of presents, too.
We enjoyed the traditional such as samulnori and ...ahem...^^ Trot. Yes....trot songs were --I could say--the theme of that night's singers....
I was not into Trot...until that night.

Well....since it was a live show, the singer could somehow managed to steal the show by indicating that trot was not what people mostly think of: being its out-dated and not-that chic kind of song. But, through the show, I was --at least-- a bit agitated by the sheer fact that trot was fine,to. In fact...I kinda compare it with that of Indonesia's very own trot-like music genre: dangdut.!!!






Oh, we also got a chance to see Korean so-called modern/contemporary (mostly...nothing else than..K-Pop cover dance) of Korea. But, what stroke me most was the performance of an acapella group. One of the best highlights of the show.

Swimming during Winter?

Why Not.!
and..that's what exactly what our family did last February at Vivaldi Resort.

Eyra and Freya were excited!! They were already in their swimming suit...as soon as they woke up.^^

It was at first...too good to be true...but as things got clear...I got the idea as where we could enjoy the comfort of swimming in Winter.
It was an indoor water park with warm water!
Now I remember all of the ads I saw on the subways which depict the two-worlds that Vivaldi Park has to offer. People can do both skiing and swimming at one place.










I guess..the better route would be: just do your skiing first, and then end your day with swimming in hot or warm jacuzzi inside the Ocean World...which lies next to the Skiing resort.
What a nice offer it has!












So, Eyra and Freya could not resist the temptation of having to feel the warm water inside this magnificent indoor water park.

I guess...in summer it would not be this special...but, since it was WINTER...it became so memorable!!!

Here is the main gate of the Ocean World!
See the banner? It's a Ski World + Water World in One place.