 Hi! My name is Cherylene! I'm an adrenaline junkie - I bungee jump, scuba dive, and hunt for the world's most insane rollercoasters. I'm exploring the world to feed an insatiable wanderlust, one city at a time. Contact me at wandersugar@gmail.com 
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We have moved!
Thursday, 5 November 2015, 01:13 ✈
Check out our new home at wandersugar.com! 0 comment[s] | back to topPetite France
Saturday, 10 May 2014, 01:20 ✈
 We have moved! Check out our new site at wandersugar.com for our latest updates. :) ********** Getting to France might cost you a bomb, but what if there was a cheaper alternative allowing you to get a feel of France? Tucked away in the outskirts of Seoul is Petite France, a french-themed park - or specifically, a Little Prince-themed park. Everything here is styled within the imagined confines of what the Little Prince's world would look like in real life. And I have to say it is very endearing with French cottages (complete with black half timbered lining) which house a number of restaurants, art galleries, and even a marionette puppet theatre. Petite France also offers rooms for the night, if you're looking for a place to stay in the Gapyeong/Chuncheon area.  
At the entrance
Stairway to heaven (pardon the hose)
 
You'll see many Little Prince monuments scattered across the grounds.
A bird's eye view of the shops below
Plenty of hand-painted murals around the park.
Most of the cottages are fully open to public, so you can venture in from top to bottom. What greets you at the top is usually a breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside. 
Gorgeous.
View from the bell tower - this looks like something out of a painting.. but it's real, raw beauty.
 And did I mention, the whole place is decorated with vivid flowers? All of which were in full bloom while we were there.   
If you watch Running Man, this outdoor auditorium in the background will ring a bell...
 You can also experience al fresco dining with this spectacular view from any of the restaurants in the park. These food establishments are located in the far end of the park, which overlooks the surrounding mountain region and the east end of the Han river. We had brunch at the bistro restaurant, and I had the beef omelette rice - it was not too bad, but the view really completed the meal. And of course, #foodselfie before meals:  
BON APPETIT!
Petite France 1063, Hoban-ro, Cheongpyeong-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do 경기도 가평군 청평면 호반로 1063 Petite France is just a few short kilometres and a 10 minute taxi ride away from the Chuncheon pier, which will be your next pit stop if you're planning an afternoon at Nami Island. The proximity of these two attractions makes it a good idea to pack these two spots into one day's itinerary. Read my article about Petite France on Ladyironchef: 3 Adventures You Must Experience in Korea Labels: Food, Mountain, Nature, South Korea, Theme Park, Travel, Wanderlust 0 comment[s] | back to topSokcho: Korea's Sleepy Port Town
Sunday, 13 April 2014, 14:19 ✈
We have moved! Check out our new site at wandersugar.com for our latest updates. :) ********** The journey to Mount Seorak started here and ended here: in the sleepy town of Sokcho, in Korea's Gyeonggi-do province. It was already close to nightfall after our exhausting trek up Ulsanbawi, so we headed to the nearby HanHwa Resort (한화리조트 - 설악) for the evening. From the resort you can see the mountaineous region, hills after hills, seemingly with no end. I didn't spend much time exploring the resort, but apparently there is a water park in the vicinity as well (and within view from my window!)  I was lucky enough to catch this shot on our trip back to Sokcho - a rainbow over Seoraksan. The Gods were smiling down on us for completing our challenging journey the day before!  
Goodbye Mount Seorak, and til we meet again!
SOKCHO By taxi, Sokcho and Seorak are about 15 minutes apart. Sokcho is a small fishing town, and an hour's drive to the DMZ. There are also apparently ferries that leave for Russia and China from here. Everything feels sleepy and slow in Sokcho, and it's a stark contrast from what you see in Seoul. It rained before we got there, so the streets were gleaming in the sun.   Near the coast there are convenience stores, a church, a TV station, and plenty of little eateries. I prefer free and easy travelling, but there is a City Tour you can sign up for.  
Close-up of the map
I only spent a few hours here while waiting for the bus to Gapyeong, and most of the stores were closed. I'm not sure whether it was because it was pretty early in the morning, or if they were closed on Mondays? I wish I had more time to explore this coastal city though. We only had time to take a walk down the port coast - even with the dark clouds looming overhead, it was beautiful.
 
There are a few statues erected in the area as a reminder of the wars from 50 years back.
Small boats like these are lined up across the coast
One thing I noticed was the multitude of starfishes washed up ashore along the port. I'm not sure whether the numbers are a seasonal thing, or if it's like that all year round. I suspect the poor fellows got trapped in fishing nets and were conveniently disposed while fishermen unloaded their catch. Check out this post I found by Something for Sundays - this is an excellent story about the author's trip to Sokcho.
 
Hopefully no tsunami hits Sokcho if I ever visit the city again. And I would, considering I have yet to explore DMZ (and possibly Russia as well!) Sokcho is very endearing in an off-beat way, and I hope to be back here again someday!
Labels: Adventure, Coastal City, Historical Places, Port, Sokcho, South Korea, Travel, Wanderlust 0 comment[s] | back to topPray for MH370
Wednesday, 12 March 2014, 22:31 ✈
There's been a lack of updates recently because my laptop's gone haywire and I've yet to get a replacement. Posts are coming along but I'll do them alot slower. If you're checking in every now and then, thanks for staying with me (: Pretty much everything that's been on the news for the last couple of days has been the mysterious disappearance of MH370, a Boeing 777 with Malaysian Airlines. The plane, carrying 239 people of various nationalities (including infants), disappeared without a trace on Saturday, 8 March 2014, in the dark hours of the night. The plane left Kuala Lumpur and was en route to Beijing, when its radar and all forms of contact disconnected... and simply vanished. For every traveller, young or old, seasoned or otherwise, flights can sometimes be quite scary. Especially when you experience even the most minor of turbulences, you wonder if everything is really under control. Hopefully we hear some news, any news, about the whereabouts of MH370... And maybe, just maybe, they're stranded on an island somewhere waiting for rescue. Maybe. Pray for MH370.  Labels: Current Affairs, Thoughts, Updates 0 comment[s] | back to top2 Degree Ice Art Exhibition
Tuesday, 18 February 2014, 02:58 ✈
 **********
Shiver me timbers! I'm not too sure why they named this exhibition the 2 Degree Ice Art Exhibition, considering the fact that temperatures are maintained at a freezing -15°C. If you're like me and you've never been in subzero temperatures before, you might want to give this exhibition a visit. Just a word of caution: do wear jeans and covered shoes as it will get really cold.
The exhibition is on for a limited time only for a period of 6 months, from 20 November last year till 15 May 2014. It's situated opposite Marina Bay Sands, and right outside Bayfront MRT exit A.
We got our tickets from Deal.com.sg for $32 each, and it includes a welcome drink at the Ice Bar and two entries to the exhibition (each ticket allows you to enter the hall twice). It does not include jacket rentals ($5 per person) or ice mugs at the Ice Bar ($5 per person again).
There are usually deals on Groupon or Deal.sg, but these are sold out really quickly, so make sure you buy fast if you do see a 2 Degree deal.
ICE ART EXHIBITION
The whole exhibition is kept cool by German refridgeration technology, and that's what it looked and felt like - a giant freezer. The entrance is a heavy metal door that looks like a freezer room door. But once you pass through those doors you will enter into a subzero environment, with a short trail lined with ice sculptures created by artists from Harbin, China.
It starts off with some sculptures of Singapore icons, such as Sir Stamford Raffles and the Merlion. The trail curls around to reveal more delicately sculpted works, featuring iconic landmarks from around the world. The atmospheric lighting really accentuates the ice art!
Me, you, and the Merlion.
A closer look...
The Eiffel Tower!
Rudolph and the reindeers, plus Santa at the end of the reins.
 
Yup, you even have some dinos.
There are also little plaques fitted onto the sculptures with descriptions of each landmark sculpture.
 
I have to say that it was really interesting experiencing minus temperatures for the first time (even if it was in a giant fridge...) and it was really fun to snap photos, see your breath forming in the cold air, and feeling your fingers go numb from the cold. I also managed to go down the ice slide!
Apparently you can try snow tubing too - ride a rubber float down the column in the centre. But we weren't sure how to work this, plus there weren't any staff around so we missed out on that. Seems fun though.
On the flip side, I do have my gripes about the experience. You can walk through the whole attraction within 15 minutes. And that's being generous.
According to the website, you can also experience snowfall from its snow simulator machines, but we totally missed out on that for some reason. There are supposedly dedicated times for the snowfall - 11.30am, 4.30pm and 7.30pm - and while we were there around 4.30pm we didn't see any snow at all. We did see some on the ground near the slide, but that's about it.
And if you look at the pictures closely, the ceilings and walls aren't very pleasing to the eye - it sort of looks like we're walking through an ice warehouse. It could have been covered up somehow to really get the atmosphere going, but it wasn't. In my humble opinion, it all felt really sloppy. In short, I don't think it's worth what we paid for at all.
ICE BAR
What redeemed it all a little bit was the Ice Bar. Once you exit the exhibition, turn right and go around the corner. The entrance to the Ice Bar is situated a few steps away. There are two parts to the Ice Bar - a regular bar open to all visitors, and the cold -15°C bar separated from but next to the regular bar.
Happy us heading into the Ice Bar! Once again we were back in freezing temperatures and had our ice mug filled with not-so-cold root beer. The tables and chairs were all made of ice, so that was very interesting. It got pretty slippery though and I almost fell off the chair at one point while trying to take a picture.
   
The ice mug was huge!
The target wall.
Once you're done with your drink, you can head to the target area and shoot your mugs into the ice wall. That was pretty interesting, but also a pretty clever marketing gimmick to get people to buy the ice mugs. Check out our aim in the video below.
Overall it was an interesting experience, especially if you've never been in such cold temperatures before. However the duration spent at the exhibition does not justify the price at all, maybe $15 would have been more reasonable. If you find a deal at $15, snap it up and live it up at -15°C for... 15 minutes.
Labels: Bayfront, Exhibition, Ice, Singapore, Winter 0 comment[s] | back to top< Older |
