Ann nyeong haseyo! CTTA Goes To Korea!

CEBU, Philippines - It was truly an honor when the Cebu Tours and Travel Association (CTTA) invited me to their first ever international familiarization tour last June 23 to 26 to the “Land of the Morning Calm,” Korea. The four-day tour was supported by Hanatour, one of Korea’s biggest tour operator, and Asiana Airlines, recognized as a 5 Star Airline for four consecutive years by the world-renowned airline research organization Skytrax and awarded as Airline of the Year at the 2010 Skytrax World Airline Awards held in Hamburg, Germany last May 20. 

The 21-man group was of course headed by CTTA’s young and energetic president Cookie Queblatin-Chan with Hanatour’s Bryan Lee and Asiana Airlines’ Leoben Wenceslao. The other participants were Sunstar Cebu’s Nelia Neri and this writer representing the media, Faithful Travel’s Barbette Lim, Hanatour’s Xenia Iway, Leisure Travel’s Reina Marie Tan, First Metro’s Jackie Uy, Destination Specialists’ Rowena Mijares, CTTA founding members Marilou Ordoñez of Delmar Travel and Alice Quebaltin of Southwind Travel, Worldwide Travel’s Zenaida Chua, Pan Pacific Travel’s Gwen Po, Globalink’s Cherilla Aldemita, Royal Prince Travel’s Emily Gaw, Maganda Travel’s Janette Infante, Jetsetters’ Ana Marie Ng, Travelsaver’s Milony Ching, Adam’s Express Travel’s Kookie Tolentino and Uni-Orient’s Bryan Felicisimo. 

Undeniably, I was just as excited as everyone in the group since it was my first visit to Korea. Not to mention the experiences and stories I’ve been hearing all these years of how beautiful the country is and how nice the people are from my mother and some friends who’ve been there already. And true enough, the moment our plane touched down that early and cool Wednesday morning, I was impressed right away with the Incheon International Airport, the largest airport in South Korea and one of the largest and busiest in the world. Well, who wouldn’t be, when the Incheon International Airport has been consecutively rated as the best airport in the world by the Airports Council International and got a full 5-star ranking by Skytrax, a recognition shared with the Hong Kong International Airport and Singapore Changi Airport.

DAY 1

Ann Nyeong Haseyo! (hello or hi!)... our pretty Korean tour guide Heather (Lim Hye Ran) greeted us with her sweet smile before proceeding to the huge Hanatour coach that will tour us around South Korea for the next four days. After having a quick Korean noodle breakfast at a nearby restaurant, we then went on with our scheduled itinerary for the day, not wasting a single minute.

Nami Island. Located at the Gangwon-do Province in the central eastern region of the Korean Peninsula some two and a half hours away from Seoul, Nami Island is one of the most popular tourist destinations of South Korea. It was where the famous Korean TV drama Winter Sonata was filmed. Scenic and extremely romantic, the place is perfect for honeymooners, lovers and even to friends and families. One can go biking around the area under the tall pine trees, passing through a lake or just simply strolling around while enjoying the cool breeze and the pleasant sounds of birds chirping all around.

Mount Seorak & Shinheungsa Temple. Also along the Gangwon-do area, Mount Seoraksan is the highest mountain in Gangwon province and the third highest after Hallasan Volcano in Jeju Island and Jirisan Mountain. Mount Seorak attracts local and international tourists with its extraordinary splendor especially during autumn as the trees in the mountain turn yellow and red. The whole group had the chance to take the cable car to the highest peak and stayed at the observatory deck for an hour and truly enjoyed the beauty of Mount Seorak. Then we had quite a long but enjoyable walk to the Shinheungsa Temple which is used to be called Hyangseongsa built in the ancient years by Jajangyulsa, who traveled to famous mountains all over the nation and during the 6th year reign of Queen Jindeoj-s. On the way to the temple, a magnificent 10-meter high bronze statue called Bronze Jwabul Statue caught all of us in awe. Along the way, we passed through some beautiful spots that were picture perfect, the reason why the walk took a little longer (right, Cookie Chan?). After a long but enjoyable day, we then checked-in for an overnight stay at the 5-star Maremons Hotel, where we were pampered with 5-star amenities and first class service.

DAY 2

Kimchi Making. Fully recharged and after a heavy breakfast at the Maremons Hotel Café, the group headed to one of most educational and interesting stops, the Kimchi-Making session at Yeo-Ju. The trip to Yeo-Ju from Maremons took us almost two hours but it was worth it. Upon arrival, we were met by “Mr. Farmer” (as we fondly called him), the very pleasant administrator, who toured us to the ginseng plantation and briefed us on how important ginseng is for the body, its health properties, the techniques on how to grow good ones, etc. He also told us that with the help of ginseng and kimchi, Korea was spared from the SARS outbreak. Well, with all the given nutritional facts, that statement of “Mr. Farmer” could be logical. 

Anyway, as we all know, kimchi is synonymous to Korea. A Korean dinner table isn’t complete without it. It has become a staple food for them. During our four-day tour, we never had a single meal without it. Yes, even for breakfast! Kimchi is a fermented vegetable side dish that can be stored for a long time. They prepare kimchi as substitute for fresh vegetables during winter. We had an interesting hands-on demonstration on how to make kimchi with the equally pleasant wife of “Mr. Farmer” and we really had fun. Thanks, “Mrs.Farmer!” I tried making kimchi a few days after we got back and I am proud to say that I was successful! Go mab seom ni da!

Hanbok. Right after the interesting kimchi making lessons, we then proceeded to the adjacent room where quite a number of Korean traditional costumes called Hanbok were hung in racks. There, we had a chance to choose our own and wear them for pictorial purposes. We had solo and group shots as souvenirs where we can be mistaken as cast members of a Koreanovela. Photos perfect for Facebook profile pic (What can you say, Bryan L. & Xenia I.?). It was such an experience!

Everland Theme Park. Considered as one of the best in Seoul, Everland is an amusement park with world-class facilities comparable to the famous ones such as Disneyland. Its major attractions are the Festival World, the Caribbean Bay and the Speedway. The Caribbean Bay is a huge water park with wave pools, water slides, etc. while the Festival World has breathtaking rides, a jungle safari which I enjoyed the most, a zoo and some seasonal festivals. The Speedway is a race track where one can enjoy car racing regardless if one is an enthusiast or just a curiosity seeker. Everland also houses the Ho-Am Art Museum where I was stuck for quite awhile appreciating the finest private collections of Korean art which are on display. It was one fun filled afternoon spent there. As a matter of fact, majority of the group begged for an hour and a half extension while the others gamely approved without second thoughts.

Then it was time to have another gastronomic Korean dinner before heading to our “home away from home” that evening, the La Vie d’ Hotel situated on a hill overlooking the bay. Before calling it a night, the two Bryans, Bryan Lee and Bryan Felecisimo hosted an after-dinner sort of thing in their room for those who still had the energy for some Cass Beer and Soju (a Korean alcoholic beverage) with three kinds of flavored dried squid strips, mixed nuts and chips to match. As expected, the “bonding” lasted ‘til way past midnight. Kumbai (cheers!)! ?