Breakfast is available in The House Hostel and I really love it. The cornflakes were a bit sweet but it was nice! Milk, bread, butter, strawberry jam and coffee are available as well. If I revisit Korea again, I would like to stay in Sokcho for a longer period. After breakfast, we departed to Yongpyong Ski Resort.
How to go to Yongpyong Ski Resort from Sokcho:
Sokcho to Gangneung – 1.5 hour, 7,100 won
Gangneung to Hoenggye – 20 minutes
From Hoenggye, take a taxi to Yongpyong Ski Resort – 10 minutes
This was the first time I went for a ski. It was the main agenda of this whole winter trip, because only during the winter you can ski. Despite hearing many unpleasant comments from those who have experience it, I decided to go for a try. There is a lot of ski resort in Gangwon-do. We went to Pyongyang Ski Resort where majority of the Winter Sonata scenes were taken. I am not a fan of Winter Sonata, simply choosing it for the facilities and price. But I glad I did.In Yongpyong Ski Resort, you can get whatever you want from Dragon Plaza. From the Dragon Plaza, you can take a gondola up to the Dragon Peak for sightseeing. It was the highest and coldest place we have ever been. It was so cold that my glasses were blurred and I can hardly stay out there for more than 5 minutes. But the scenery on the way to the Dragon peak was extraordinary, like the fantasy land of Narnia (I am not a fan of Narnia but happen to like their scenes).
Before skiing, you need to rent 2 items – skiing attire and equipment. For the ski equipment, you will need to rent it together with the purchase of the admission ticket.
We did not take any meals in Yongpyong Ski Resort as it was extremely expensive and we do not have the time. I took 2 energy bars and rather amazed that I withstand the weather and go for skiing. Anyway, for those going for skiing in the future, other than the skiing jacket, please just wear one layer of clothes inside. As you ski, your body generates heat and you won’t feel that cold. It was around -8 Celsius when I ski and it was perfectly alright. I fell down a few times and hit the snow. Well, I felt okay and my butt was safe. Anyway, after 1 hour plus, I manage to walk with the ski! Mission accomplished!
Before skiing, you need to rent 2 items – skiing attire and equipment. For the ski equipment, you will need to rent it together with the purchase of the admission ticket.
We did not take any meals in Yongpyong Ski Resort as it was extremely expensive and we do not have the time. I took 2 energy bars and rather amazed that I withstand the weather and go for skiing. Anyway, for those going for skiing in the future, other than the skiing jacket, please just wear one layer of clothes inside. As you ski, your body generates heat and you won’t feel that cold. It was around -8 Celsius when I ski and it was perfectly alright. I fell down a few times and hit the snow. Well, I felt okay and my butt was safe. Anyway, after 1 hour plus, I manage to walk with the ski! Mission accomplished!
From Hoenggye, you can take an intercity bus back to Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (3 hours, 13,800 won).
P/s: It is recommended to prepare some energy bars before skiing.
Day 5: Palace Tour and Dongdaemun Market
Palaces in Korea are almost the same. On New Year eve, we visited two palaces, namely Changdeokgung and Gyeongbokgung. They have many similarities in terms of architecture and design. In a sense, there are many resemblance of the Forbidden Palace in Beijing. With the snow, the scenery was very beautiful. The admission is 3,000 won per pax for each palace.
Changdeokgung is located near Insa-dong where you can find lots of antiques and artworks. There are many hanbok (Korean traditional clothes) shops over there. Around that area, there are some art galleries. We enjoyed ourselves at the pottery gallery while on the way to the Tteok Museum. Tteok Museum consists of 3 levels and the admission is 3,000 won per pax. There are sample displays of tteok, its importance and occasions. There are no free food tasting but you can try out some tteok at the Tteok Café which is located in the same building.
We had tea at the Tteok Café and lunch at a restaurant selling mainly pork leg. The pork leg is really soft and tender (shared by 5 pax). It cost 22,000 won for a medium size one and 25,000 won for a large one. We brought along strawberries from the minimart, and it’s huge, sweet and crunchy. Yummy! 
We had the famous samgyetang (土俗村蔘雞湯) near Gyeongbokgung as our New Year Eve dinner and it was nice. The portion is huge and they stuff rice into the chicken. Each samgyetang costs 14,000 won. We ordered another BBQ chicken (the type of chicken which we normally have for chicken rice) and it was very dry, hard and tasteless. It is recommended to share when you order; else you will eat till you feel like vomiting.
We went to Dongdaemun for shopping after that. The hawker stalls selling chakchae (fried glass noodle) had closed but many shopping complex were still open. Many shopping complexes there opened till early morning and it is really worth going. They have the whole floor selling only handbags, accessories, clothes and so on. Bear in mind that they are not cheap but more on the design, quality and money for value. Please negotiate price before you buy as you can get a lower price.P/s: In Dongdaemun, there is a very long street of hawker stalls and they are only available up till around 5.30pm. It will be easier to negotiate price with a male seller compared to a female seller.
Mr Park hold a party in the guest house for the New Year celebration and we are just in time. Great!
See FB for more photos. I will be updating on the rest of the trip shortly.
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