12-16-2010
Day 282 of 365: A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to Everland, the premier theme park in South Korea. Although I have been here almost ten months now, this was my first trip to a theme park, so I was very excited. Many folks consider Everland to be the "Disneyland" of South Korea, and having been to both Disneyland and Disneyworld back in the states, I was curious about how it would measure up.
The impression I got after spending half a day there is that Everland has more in common with Six Flags than Disneyland. It had a couple of exciting roller coasters, but most of the rides were kid friendly. There was also a jungle safari where you can ride a bus through an area inhabited by lions, tigers, bears, giraffes and hyenas. I was disappointed to find that the windows didn't open, but I soon found out why. Any of the above mentioned animals could approach the bus at any time, and they did. Tigers crossed the street in front of us, giraffes poked their heads over, and a particular bear stood up on his hind legs and put his foot/claw directly on my window as the driver threw treats into his mouth! Thaaaat's why the windows don't open. Earlier in the day I'd had an encounter with a small field mouse. He was fast, but I managed to corner him and get a few shots with my camera. However, by the time we made it to the safari, it was too dark. Most of my pictures came out blurry since I couldn't use the flash because of the windows, but I guess it's better than losing an arm to a bear.
The Christmas theme throughout the park was fun, and it was refreshing to hear old familiar Christmas carols (in English) playing over the speakers. There were lights on all the buildings, a big tree with decorations, and Santa sitting under it with kids lined up waiting to meet him. It actually reminded me so much of home, at times I forgot that I was in Korea. It was a great diversion from my weekly routine, but as is always the case when I get a little taste of home, I end up missing the real thing a little bit afterward. It's ok. I'll be home before I know it.
On a side note, I made an awesome discovery that day: Samgak Kimbap. Kimbap is a ball of rice with various kinds of meat or vegetables inside and wrapped in dried seaweed. Samgak means "Triangle". So basically it's a triangle riceball, and it's very popular in Korea. My favorite so far is tuna, or chamchi, samgak kimbap. Mashisoyo! (delicious)
