Everland (에버랜드)

Don’t know where to go on vacation for the holidays? How about going to South Korea? Where exactly in South Korea? Try Yongin (용인) in Kyung-ki (경기) province, just south of Seoul (서울), the capital city of Korea. There are several ways to get to Youngin (용인). One way is through the subway. If you take either the Jukjun (죽 정) or the Bojung (보정) line, you’ll get there within reasonable time. Your other option is to take the bus in the city of Sungnam (성남).

Ok, now that the transportation issue is out of the way, let me talk more about Everland (에버랜드). Everland (에버랜드) is one of my favorite amusement parks. It’s very decorated; especially during Christmas. Everland (에버랜드) has everything, it’s the Disneyworld of Korea. Admission is around 26 U.S. dollars for adults and 19 U.S. dollars for children. Here’s a tip: go during the nighttime. You’ll get discounted admission prices when you go at night.

If you’re going with your family, check out Zoo Topia (즈토피아). There’s a place where the kids can feed the goats and ride horses as well. They also have animal shows where the animals will perform stunts. The main attraction is an elephant named Koshik (코식). I don’t know if it’s some kind of magic trick, but he can mimic Korean words. Either that or it’s a guy hiding behind a curtain and making those sounds. They also have a safari bus where you can see animals from the wild lounging about and sleeping. Sometimes the animal trainers will feed or pet the wild animals. I get a little nervous because I’ve seen footages of “When Animals Attack Part 2″ on cable television, and let me tell ya, it ain’t pretty.

If you’re with your date then go check out European Adventure (유로피안 아드벤춰). The place is full of European restaurants. You’ll never see so many European restaurants in one place, other than European Adventure; especially in Korea. According to my memory I think there were a couple of Italian restaurants, but they all seemed more or less decent. The interior is very sophisticated, and the food is good as well. I had some spaghetti and the sauce tasted sweet, but it was still very delicious. They also have a flower garden where you can stroll through and enjoy the scenery.

Two places that are a must see are Caribbean Bay (가라비안 베) and Everland Speedway (에버랜드 스피드웨). Caribbean Bay (가 라비안 베) is a water park and you’ll need to pay extra for it, but it’s soooo worth it. It’s indoors and the water is heated. It’s just perfect for some winter relaxation. Everland Speedway (에버랜드 스피드웨) is a race track. You don’t have to be a professional driver to drive a car. It’s great for letting out all that pent up stress you might have accumulated during the holidays. I just rammed into the walls, other cars, sometimes people (oops!), and had to calm myself down after an hour of doing that.

Of course since it’s an amusement park, Everland (에버랜드) has all sorts of rides and rollar coasters, but every amusement park has that, so I didn’t bother writing about it. Other than it, it’s time to say bye or annyung (안녕) in Korean.�