Call me a spoiled brat but we went for business class on CX. The CX holiday package was alright in value (2 nights at the Park Hyatt in Seoul + Business Class return is less than the normal full fare Business Class ticket). Changunnie started her eating tour early at the lounge. I think she had one bowl of noodle, one cup of ice cream, half a glass of iced chocolate and some muffin.... That's my girl!
When we got on the plane, the Business Class type gave us the eyes and the looks but I couldn't care less. Try to travel with a toddler (READ TERRIBLE TWO) in economy when it's nap time! It means no nap nor movie for anyone in the immediate rows around the toddler. Changunnie didn't kick up a fuss at all. She did a little friendly hello round to people who don't have the manners to say hello back and settled calmly in her flat bed seat. I gotta watch "New In Town", ate my bibimbup and downed maybe two cocktails. Grandpa was quite happy with the "unstoppable" flow of champagne.
We got to the Best Western Niagara in the middle of nowhere near Kimpo that night. The rooms are..... smelly, the beds got sand and there was absolutely nothing around in the neighbourbood. It rained quite a bit that night and we settled with jajangmyun and kimbap from a roadside stand that serves taxi drivers in the area. Probably not the ideal way to start a supposedly nice holiday but I took that as expectation management!
A bad breakfast (the dwenjjang chigae was spoiled! They probably didn't reheat it well enough the night before) and we were at the Kimpo airport. It looked tiny and something straight from the 70s. Grandma and Grandpa walked around and showed us the gate at which they caught the flight to the US 30 plus years ago, without knowing what was really ahead of them. This time, they flew with certainty of what they were going to do, a relaxing holiday.
Changunnie must be going through another growth spur. She was hungry and insisted on getting something from Lotteria. For those who are not familiar with fast food joint in korea, Lotteria is a cross between McD and KFC with a little bit of Baskin Robins the Korean way. The chicken nuggets was excellent, a little spicy without bringing tears to the eyes. We got on the plane with a full stomach. Asiana served Jeju Mandarin orange juice (very similar to mekan and very sweet) on the plane. Changunnie liked it and was willing to ask for more in Korean. "Unni! Juice Chusaeyo!"
We arrived at the Shilla Jeju after a 45 minutes bus ride. The hotel is located in the Jungmun resort area. It was very nice to look at the ocean. There was nothing between the sky and the sea when we looked out. It took a while to settle in (plus Changunnie fell asleep whilst I signed all the forms and tendered my credit card to the hotel staff). She woke up at 2:30 and we headed for our first meal in Jeju at the "Home of the Women Diver" (Hae Nyoh Weo Jib).
The place was nothing fancy but the catch was fresh and not something that you can get easily in Hong Kong. It's full of the flavour of the sea. The best part (to me) was the abalone congee in the end. It was naturally sweet and the rice cooked well, not in grains anymore but not mushy either.
The afternoon was just sitting by the pool, surrounded by Koreans and Russians (yes Russians). It was a bit surreal for us but it wasn't difficult to hang out by the pool side on a hot day.
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