A Photo Safari Halloween Solo Trip for Oct'13: Trip Report Started!

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I'm not a huge Star Wars fan, but I am just excited about the possibility of a DHS expansion. That park needs more, that's for sure! Cars Land would be great too, but I hope it won't be a carbon copy of the one at DCA.

Totally agree with you about the expansion at DHS! As much as I love RnR and ToT, I think DHS has so much more potential to create awesome movieverses. And as for Cars Land, I wouldn't mind a slightly different version than DCA - maybe forego the flying tires and come up with something else.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Main Street Bakery Cast Member

Another cast member idea inspired by recent developments. The newly Starbucks aligned MS Bakery opened and I saw some preview pictures of the interior and the CMs on Disney Food Blog (http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2013/06/16/review-main-street-bakery-starbucks-in-walt-disney-world/). I have to say, even though none of the pictures had a close-up view of them, I think the turn-of-the-century costumes that the cast members are wearing look pretty good with the Starbucks green stripes. And I would love to get some pictures of the CMs while supplementing my Starbucks addiction by sipping on a grande Pike.

 

[SAT887]

Howdy! Just trying to catch up on all the posts!!

Oh how I would love both Carsland and Star Wars Land.... My almost 4 year old is really getting into Star Wars, she loves it!! Which for us is great, bc we love the movies. They could build a whole park around Star Wars and I would be happy with that

And since you are in VA, I am going to tell you I love your state! We lost a keen sandal at a truck stop outside of Richmond and the manager mailed it back to us. How awesome and how nice!

 

[emmysmommy]

Enjoyed the conference quite a bit and the Oklahoma Joe's BBQ was as good as advertised. Yesterday morning while the first speaker was being introduced, I happened to look to the side of the auditorium we were in and saw this decorative cloth on the side panels. Figured my DIS friends would have appreciated it in the same way I did so took a picture of it in my iphone. One of my colleagues who was sitting next to me gave me a very puzzled look and asked why I was taking a picture of THAT. Hope everyone has a great weekend!


Untitled by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Glad you enjoyed the BBQ!

I totally "got it" for the decorative panel!! It definitely has the contemporary Disney feel to it!

Space Mountain Launch Tunnel

The launch tunnel at the beginning of space mountain has been photographed plenty by a lot of people so this won't be all that new. It's just one of those images I've always wanted to capture for awhile. You know the tunnel I'm talking about, the one that makes you it feel like you're about to jump into Hyperspace or Warp which ever scifi franchise you're into. It's probably the only thing that's photographable for the entire ride.

THAT would be a great photo!!

Rumors about DHS getting an expansion for "Star Wars Land" in addition to "Cars Land" just went up another notch in the past few days and the idea of combining two of my favorite things has got me all giddy. I know this is just still at rumor stage and a supposedly intel from a CM in the park is always a crapshoot but am really hoping that this particular rumor comes to fruition.

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201306/3524/

Here's another article from disneyfoodblog.com about one specific aspect of the rumor: a Star Wars themed restaurant.

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2013/06/14/why-disney-world-needs-a-star-wars-cantina-restaurant/

Thanks for sharing that!

Totally agree with you about the expansion at DHS! As much as I love RnR and ToT, I think DHS has so much more potential to create awesome movieverses. And as for Cars Land, I wouldn't mind a slightly different version than DCA - maybe forego the flying tires and come up with something else.

I'm in complete agreement that no one should re-create a Carsland with Luigi's Flying Tires. I heard that they may already ditch that for something else at DCA.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I know I seriously neglected my PTR. Going two weeks without a post or an update. But I will try to make it up to you!

I think I mentioned this a a few weeks back but the reason for my absence on DIS for the past couple of weeks was that we took a 2 week family vacation to South Korea to visit my parents and do some sightseeing. We just returned home - and I mean literally just returned 20 minutes ago!

We had an awesome time and everything went so smoothly and as planned! I'm pretty sure I gained about 10 pounds after all of the food we ate. This was a first visit to Korea for DW and the kids. Also DFIL came with us for his first visit. They all had a blast. And DFIL and my dad became best buds during the two weeks!

I also had a major breakthrough for my Disney planning while in Seoul. On our second night in Korea, the kids woke up at 2:30am thanks to jetlag. I stayed up with them all night to give DW some rest. At 3:30am, while the kids were playing with a couple of toys my parents got them I opened up Disney's ADR website to look for any availability for BOG. Prior to the trip I had been checking for BOG ADRs 4-5 times a day every day for two months to no avail. So imagine my surprise when I found an opening for 5:05pm for the Monday of my trip!! I snatched it right up!

I am starting to sift through my three CD memory cards for camera so that I can share the pictures I took with you and put together a mini TR!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Howdy! Just trying to catch up on all the posts!!

Oh how I would love both Carsland and Star Wars Land.... My almost 4 year old is really getting into Star Wars, she loves it!! Which for us is great, bc we love the movies. They could build a whole park around Star Wars and I would be happy with that

And since you are in VA, I am going to tell you I love your state! We lost a keen sandal at a truck stop outside of Richmond and the manager mailed it back to us. How awesome and how nice!

I'm hoping my kids will start to get into Star Wars by the time Episode 7 is released. I'm with you - I would LOVE if they created an entire park out of Star Wars but would be perfectly content with a corner in DHS!

We love living in Northern VA! We also love visiting other parts of VA especially Williamsburg!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I totally "got it" for the decorative panel!! It definitely has the contemporary Disney feel to it!

I'm in complete agreement that no one should re-create a Carsland with Luigi's Flying Tires. I heard that they may already ditch that for something else at DCA.

Hi Brenda! That's what I thought too about the decorative panel - it looked like it could belong in CR or BLT!

I didn't feel inclinded to line up for Luigi's Tires last year when I visited DCA. It just felt like a lot of work for something that's suppose to be fun.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Im pretty sure this will turn out to be a fairly decent size TR but hope youll find it interesting and a nice diversion from my Disney planning. A little background. When I was growing up, my family moved a few times between Seoul and the United States. Although my birthplace is in Florida, I spent cumulatively 14 years of my childhood and teenage years in Seoul before moving permanently back to the US starting with my college years. My parents continued to live in Seoul and since then I have visited Korea about a half dozen times the last trip being 3 years ago. DW and the kids had never visited Korea until now partly due to my irrational fear of international travel with young children and also being less motivated with my parents frequently visiting us. DFIL also had never visited Korea and my parents invited him as well for this big trip.

Although I lived in Seoul all those years, going back this time was a bit of a foreign experience for me for many reasons. For the first time, I was visiting Korea with a tourist agenda as I planned things out for the rest of my family. This turned out to be quite difficult and I had to enlist a lot of help from my mom who ended up doing a lot of the leg work once I mapped out our daily itinerary. Korean hotels, restaurants, domestic transportation, and tourist attraction websites are mediocre at best especially in English versions which had a lot of glitches when it came to reservations. I wanted to give everyone the fullest exposure to Korea as possible so our schedule was really packed in. Mapping out each meal was also a bit challenging since we didnt know how DFIL would fare with Korean food. DW has become quite a fan of Korean food. In the end, everything worked out perfectly and I dont think we could have come out better than we did with our experience.

We booked our flights with Korean Air. I cant say enough good things about this airline. Customer service was excellent and the flight attendants couldnt have been more helpful. We were given options for arranging kids meals prior to our trip which turned out to be a great alternative to the adult meals. Each tray of food for the kids was loaded with snacks and fruits so we didnt have to worry about running out of snacks for the entire duration of the flight. They also handed out goodie bags for the kids that included a coloring book with crayons, stickers, and a magna doodle. There were plenty of kids on-demand programming options on the individual entertainment monitor for each seat including two Disney flicks  Wall-E and Peter Pan as well as cartoon shorts and animal documentaries. As for us adults, we couldnt complain either with a couple of dozen of movies to choose from our on-demand entertainment system. The meals were very good for airline standards.
We arrived in Korea late afternoon of Sunday, June 23rd. While the rest of us stayed with our parents in their condo, we had to check DFIL into a nearby hotel for the trip as there wasnt enough room.

Monday June 24th  Namsan and Seoul Tower

I limited our plans for this day because I figured we would all be struggling with jetlag. Even though all of us slept through the night, we were still pretty wiped out for the entire day. DS woke up bright and early at 5:10am and the rest of us followed within 30 minutes. DFIL told us later that he ended up waking up at 7:30am in his hotel room and ventured downstairs to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. He was feeling adventurous and ordered a Korean style breakfast and enjoyed it! We had some breakfast at home and the kids spent some time playing with their grandparents. DD loved playing with my moms piano that shes had since I was 12. DD and DM played while DS was spending some time with DF. DS asked my dad where Korea was on a mini-globe. We decided to head out for the one activity I had planned for the day  going up Namsan mountain and its observatory tower, Seoul Tower. We picked up DFIL on the way in our two car caravan with my parents driving each of their cars.

Speaking of driving, I just couldnt bring myself to driving in Seoul. Many travel guides use the phrase that driving in Seoul is not for the faint of heart. And having grown up in Seoul and being familiar with the traffic and driving habits of the locals, I strongly agree. Driving habits are very similar to those of cab drivers in Manhattan except in Seoul pretty much every driver drives like the cabbies! The road signs are a bit confusing and dont give you enough forewarnings for the turns even if you know how to read Korean. Motorcycles weave in and out of lanes frequently cutting in front of cars and occasionally jumping on to the pedestrian sidewalks! Car lanes are more of a guideline than a rule with cars straddling two lanes or drifting in and out of lanes without much warning. The thing is though, all of the drivers are used to these patterns and anticipate very well what the other cars are about to do. Which is why I decided against driving myself. I was very grateful that my parents offered to drive us to most places! If you visit Seoul, I would strongly recommend using the subways which can get you pretty much anywhere you need to be or cabs during non-rush hours.

Mount Namsan (which is sort of redundant since San means mountain in Korean) is a popular spot both for tourists as well as locals. During the Joseon Dynasty (the last Korean Dynasty that spanned from the 14th to early 20th century), the mountain served as one of the major defensive posts against invaders with forts and communication stations being built some 600 years ago. Its not a very tall mountain but enough to give folks a good walk. We parked at the base in the parking lot for the National Theatre.

The building to the right is the National Theater. You can see Namsan and the tower to the left of the building.

IMG_2649 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

We then took the shuttle bus up to Seoul Tower. Only tour buses and shuttle buses are allowed up the mountain roadways. You can also choose to take the more scenic mode by using the cable cars. Once we got off at the bus station, we walked up a very short but moderately steep path to reach the Seoul Tower. Along the path, we saw parts of the fort walls.


IMG_2543 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2544 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2545 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2546 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

At the top was Seoul Tower which is the highest point of Seoul.


IMG_2576 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

A Palgakjung (meaning an octagonal hall) originally built 60 years ago is located right next to it which is meant to provide a nice resting spot for the hikers.


IMG_2558 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2579 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2555 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2569 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Nearby there was a set of 5 chimneys that were used for smoke and fire signals to communicate with the palaces.


IMG_2573 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The original structures were demolished near the end of the Joseon Dynasty. These were rebuilt and restored based on historical documentations but the exact location of the originals is not clearly known.


IMG_2562 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

When you read how they utilized the signals, it reminds you of the Defcon system. At baseline, only one stack is lit. When enemy troops have been spotted two, when enemy troops are approaching the defense line three, when enemy troops have crossed the line four, and when enemy troops have engaged in battle with the Joseon troops five stacks are lit. Apparently, they usually perform re-enactment of traditional military ceremonies in front of them except on Mondays which of course happen to be the day we were visiting.

At the base of the tower was also an interesting sight of trees and walls of padlocks that were placed there by couples as a symbol of their love. The tradition goes that a couple makes the hike, places and locks the padlock in place and throws the key away as a symbol of their commitment. Funny enough, there was a sign next to these areas asking people NOT to throw the key away as it adds to the trash and pollution!

I don't know why, but the appearance of these trees are a bit freaky to me.

IMG_2585 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2586 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

There were shops and eateries lining the outside of the entrance to the Seoul Tower including a Cold Stone Creamery. American food and restaurant chains are commonly seen in Korea but this was the first time I saw Cold Stone anywhere in Seoul!

Continued in Next Post

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Continued from Previous Post

We walked inside the base of the tower. They had this thing called Teddy Bear Museum and of course we had to try it for the kids. I thought this was going to be more like the Teddy Bear Factory than a museum and really didnt have much expectations for it. What I saw was a whole lot better although I couldnt completely shake off Tourist Trap! from my brain. They had recreated scenes from the Joseon dynasty with teddy bears! The second part recreated famous modern neighborhoods of Seoul.

Hmmm......I don't like the look on that bear. Sketchy.

IMG_2590 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

It's a good thing bears are soft and cuddly because those bears on the roofs are not wearing helmets.

IMG_2593 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2594 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The Royal Bear Court

IMG_2601 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Don't think that's how you're suppose to work a flute

IMG_2603 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2609 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

At the Market

IMG_2611 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

This is a recreation of a famous Korean painting - with bear heads

IMG_2612 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2613 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2615 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2596 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2607 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Seriously. It's bad enough I have to watch him in those awful pistachios commercials. It's also fitting that there's a sign for an emergency exit above this bear just in case you have the urge to RUN!

IMG_2623 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

DD and DS really enjoyed it but what they really liked the most was the gift shop at the end where DS had a hard time picking out something. At one point, he thought he wanted a stuffed snake which I talked him out of since we were really at a Teddy Bear museum and not a one for snakes!

After the museum tour, we sat at the café which had windows facing out the vista looking down on Seoul. The kids got some popcorns amazing how popcorn pretty much taste the same anywhere in the world! After the brief snack, we went up to the observation deck which is circular and provides a 360 degree view of Seoul. Even though it was still hazy, I thought this was pretty cool. The kids mostly focused on the binoculars that needed about 50 cents to work for a few minutes. It gave us a good overview of the layout of the city.


IMG_2630 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2643 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

These pictures are not doing justice on just how big, sprawled out and packed in Seoul is. Because of the low clouds and haze, there weren't a lot of pictures that turned out well. But just to give you an idea of how populated Seoul is. There are 10 million people living within the city limits of Seoul. There are about 25 million people (half of the country's population) in the Seoul Metro area which roughly has a 30 mile radius.

We headed back down to our cars on the shuttle bus which took a longer route around through areas closer to downtown Seoul. We drove home and had a small lunch. Then we all took naps. DS had the longest of 5 hours! Rest of us had 2-3 hours and woke up just in time to head out for dinner at a local restaurant that my parents frequent. It was a French restaurant called Bistro de Yountville which was quite good. We had 5 course meals with my entrée being the duck confit. The kids were out of sorts though mostly because they were so tired. DS took forever to wake up even after his 5 hour nap. DD was pretty grumpy and tired. Early in the meal, she dropped her glass of apple juice which shattered on the wooden floor and dumped all of the juice on her seat and clothes on the way down. The servers were very helpful in cleaning up the mess and getting her dried up a bit but it got her upset to tears for a few minutes. By the time dessert with two scoops of ice cream rolled around for the kids, they were back to their normal selves. I had the crème brulee which was EXCELLENT! All things considered the kids did a good job since the meal took about two hours. We had a great time and the food was excellent. My dad was excited and eager to tell stories about Korea to DFIL DW and I have heard these stories multiple times so were glad we had someone else to hear the stories out!

 

[Luvchefmic]

I couldn't wait for your trip to Seoul Dave and the reporting & pictures that would come Looking forward to more more more I also really enjoy when someone tells the history of where they went, makes for much more fascinating reports I have driven in Manhattan most of my adult life but what you are describing I wouldn't be behind the wheel of a vehicle there either !

Truly enjoyed seeing the Teddy Bear museum (not so much the lounge lizard looking one by the exit sign I totally agree) and the tower

Ill be here for the next chapters

Ruthie

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Truly enjoyed seeing the Teddy Bear museum (not so much the lounge lizard looking one by the exit sign I totally agree) and the tower

Ruthie

As I later found up, the Teddy Bear Museums could also be found in a couple of other cities that draw a lot of tourists. Saw an ad for one even in Hawaii.

 

[Luvchefmic]

As I later found up, the Teddy Bear Museums could also be found in a couple of other cities that draw a lot of tourists. Saw an ad for one even in Hawaii.

I know its "touristy" but I think the charm factor outweighs that I kept going back and studying the details in all the pictures

Oh speaking of the trees, kind of weird looking at first glance too but looking at the closeups of the different padlocks and messages it was touching ..don't throw the key away though kind of defeats the purpose of the tradition they should put some kind of baskets or cans there for couples to throw the key in & then do something with them

 

[afwdwfan]

Cool! One of the best things about following a Disboards TR is getting to know some of the people on the boards and even catch the occasional side trip. I love watching the Amazing Race, just to get a little sampling of some other countries and cultures that I've never visited myself and may never get to, so I'm very interested in your South Korea TR.

I just have to say, when I saw the teddy bear historical re-enactments, I couldn't decide whether to describe it as cute or interesting... but then you had the Gangnam Style bear and I could no longer take it seriously.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Cool! One of the best things about following a Disboards TR is getting to know some of the people on the boards and even catch the occasional side trip. I love watching the Amazing Race, just to get a little sampling of some other countries and cultures that I've never visited myself and may never get to, so I'm very interested in your South Korea TR.

I just have to say, when I saw the teddy bear historical re-enactments, I couldn't decide whether to describe it as cute or interesting... but then you had the Gangnam Style bear and I could no longer take it seriously.

Andy I had to go back and look at the bears to see how I possibly missed this ! Then I realized its the one I referred to as a "lounge Lizard" I agree with you about the TR side trips I have had many DisMeets over the years and one of the people and her family lives in Australia another I will be meeting soon from CA I live vicariously through them seeing parts of the world I will never get to actually visit Pretty amazing isn't it ? Better than watching the travel channel

Ruthie

 

[khertz]

Yay! I too was looking forward to this TR even though I saw a lot of the pics already. The DIS has spoiled me and now it's just not as exciting to flip through pictures without all of the story of what happened to go along with it!

Driving in Seoul sounds . I'm scared enough to drive other places in the US (I leave that to DH), but that sounds absolutely terrifying! Good to know - Use public transit in Seoul.

The teddy bear museum, mostly really cool, but some of those bears freak me out a bit, like the ones with their heads wrapped in bandages or chopping meat! Not what you expect to see cute cuddly teddy bears doing. Oh man, the Gangnam Style one...UGH! I'm with you on the pistachio commercial, I have to change the channel.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Cool! One of the best things about following a Disboards TR is getting to know some of the people on the boards and even catch the occasional side trip. I love watching the Amazing Race, just to get a little sampling of some other countries and cultures that I've never visited myself and may never get to, so I'm very interested in your South Korea TR.

I just have to say, when I saw the teddy bear historical re-enactments, I couldn't decide whether to describe it as cute or interesting... but then you had the Gangnam Style bear and I could no longer take it seriously.

I'm a big fan of the Amazing Race as well! Several years ago they had the contestants go through Seoul. I was yelling at the TV "Noooo! Don't take the cab during rush hour! Take the subway!!!"

Andy I had to go back and look at the bears to see how I possibly missed this ! Then I realized its the one I referred to as a "lounge Lizard" I agree with you about the TR side trips I have had many DisMeets over the years and one of the people and her family lives in Australia another I will be meeting soon from CA I live vicariously through them seeing parts of the world I will never get to actually visit Pretty amazing isn't it ? Better than watching the travel channel

Ruthie

DW didn't recognize the Psy bear either until I pointed it out. It just looked wrong on so many levels.

Yay! I too was looking forward to this TR even though I saw a lot of the pics already. The DIS has spoiled me and now it's just not as exciting to flip through pictures without all of the story of what happened to go along with it!

Driving in Seoul sounds . I'm scared enough to drive other places in the US (I leave that to DH), but that sounds absolutely terrifying! Good to know - Use public transit in Seoul.

The teddy bear museum, mostly really cool, but some of those bears freak me out a bit, like the ones with their heads wrapped in bandages or chopping meat! Not what you expect to see cute cuddly teddy bears doing. Oh man, the Gangnam Style one...UGH! I'm with you on the pistachio commercial, I have to change the channel.

Driving in Seoul is definitely an adventure but probably not as bad as some other countries. But yes - the public transit especially the subway system is soooo well done that it would be a no brainer for first time visitors. How well and intricate is the subway system? Here's the map of Seoul's Metro (DW first thought it was the map of the bus system because of its complexity!):


subway_seoul_eng by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

 

[khertz]

subway_seoul_eng by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

O. M. G. And I was freaked out by the D.C. Metro system!!!!!!!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

O. M. G. And I was freaked out by the D.C. Metro system!!!!!!!

20 years ago, it was a lot simpler with just 4 lines. Now they're up to 8 lines and they're currently building a 9th one!!

One of the challenges on The Amazing Race for Seoul was they gave contestants a random subway station and told them to find the station using the Metro System. The contestants were so confused because there are more than one way to get to a certain station using transfers and some are shorter routes than others!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Tomorrowland Phone

As I was perusing through some of the semi-hidden gems of WDW, I came across people talking about a futuristic looking phone located somewhere by the Peoplemover/Astro Orbiter in Tomorrowland. Apparently the phone will provide some recordings from Tomorrowland. I had no idea this existed but now am eager to look for it during this trip. Have any of you come across this phone?

 

[khertz]

Tomorrowland Phone

As I was perusing through some of the semi-hidden gems of WDW, I came across people talking about a futuristic looking phone located somewhere by the Peoplemover/Astro Orbiter in Tomorrowland. Apparently the phone will provide some recordings from Tomorrowland. I had no idea this existed but now am eager to look for it during this trip. Have any of you come across this phone?

Never heard of this! It will be interesting if you can find it. I might have to keep any eye out for it myself! I love looking for little things like that. I was so excited to find the Disneyland time capsule when we were on our anniversary, although we expected it to be a lot more hidden than it actually was so it took us awhile to find it.