Everland!!!! - Shawna's birthday continued

Welcome to Everland!!!!!
This is Korea's largest theme park.

We would start off our day at the mini-zoo. Here are some friendly "Jack Ass" penguins. . .


. . . and some not-so-friendly lions!


Hey, where's all the snow, eh?


The Golden Monkeys were the highlight of the zoo - we've never seen these guys before.


Shawna took the chance to arm-wrestle a chimpanzee . . . and lost. He was a good sport though - no show-boating!


We had no idea what was going on in the Korean Mystery House but we had a good time nonetheless.


"Are we seriously gonna ride that?" . . . "Maybe later."










The parade came through after we got off the carousel. I think these captives they had were Russian. They were chained to the floats - their spirits were high, though. Smiles all around and extra waves and winks for us waygookins!



Later, Jon and Shawna got some sweet, bumpy revenge on some annoying little kids. . .


Is Shawna in a Kia or a Hyundai??? No . . . I think its the only Ford in Korea.


A view from the giant Ferris Wheel!


We opted out of the log ride due to the chilly weather (and the sight of some uncomfortably wet Koreans).


Hi Ho Silver! Away!


There was a beautiful rose garden in the middle of the park - so we stopped to smell them.




Getting ready for the "T Express" - The world's steepest wooden roller coaster!!


While in line we had to do stretches, remove all loose items (including my glasses - which adds another perspective to the ride altogether), and watch a safety video akin to an airplane safety demo. The demo was in Korean(obviously) so we made up our own safety rules. #1 Don't fall off. #2 Don't fall off.


It went well - not quite the 'Behemoth' but still pretty scary!


Our final stop at Everland would be the 'Safari'. It consists of a couple souped up tour buses and some indifferent, yet wild, animals.



Looks like a movie but we're pretty sure they were real animals.


We couldn't get any shots of the 'Liger' but they had one!! Finally a lion and a tiger in one body!! (I'm serious - they had one!!) We were able to catch some other creatures on film, though, so all was not lost.




The lions bode us farewell and we took the long trip back to Yeoju - it was an awesome weekend!!

Happy Birthday Shawna D!!!

It was Shawna's Birthday last week so we went to Seoul to celebrate with friends. First we were off to dinner in Itaewon. Itaewon is where the largest US military base is located so it has become the place to find foreign food, books, or people - if foreign things are what you after.

7:00PM We went for some Thai food and it was good. . . We were joined by our Canadian friends Ashley and Andrew.




10:00PM Next, we were off to Hongdae in search of a bar for some drinks. We met up with quite a few teachers from Yeoju there (and they brought cake). The bar was called "Jane's Groove" and had some extremely poignant graffiti in the bathroom that had to be photographed.


It was 90's night so they were playing a bunch of hits from the good ole' days . . . we heard The Spice Girls, Hanson, and The Backstreet Boys all in a row!! It was horrible and fantastic all at the same time.


I think we may have been the largest group of Waygookin's they had seen in some time because they treated us very well. When they found out it was Shawna's birthday they brought us a bottle of Champagne on the house.



After we polished off the bubbly, we were off to see some more bars. This time we stepped it up a notch. We went to the "Ice Bar". They dress you up and send you in to a giant freezer. It was a good time . . . reminded us of Canada.

12:30AM Here we are getting suited up before entering the Ice Bar . . .



You book the entire place for your group's private party. We were lucky to have so many people with us because I'm sure it wouldn't have the same vibe with just the two of us in the whole bar.



"I triple dog dare ya. . ."


Our cool bartender making us some cocktails.


Shawna enjoying her drink in a glass made of ice.


Shawna enjoying my drink in a glass made of ice.




I think I may have had a little too much to drink because everything was starting to look hazy. . .


1:30AM We were getting tired while our friends were ready to party on. We had a big day ahead of us (at Everland) so we wanted to get some sleep but we couldn't resist checking out "The Cave Bar" they were headed to. So, we popped in for a couple photos and then headed off in search of a motel.




The Seoul-ites really seem to enjoy their 'theme' bars / restaurants / motels / parks / etc. It does make a night of partying more memorable!




2:00AM - Now we're off to bed - gotta get up early for a day in the theme park . . .