Weekends 43 and 44 of 52.

Lotte World, Lotte World Folk Museum

Bonnie is here! We've tried to brave the ridiculous cold and go show her things. So far we've had most of the good foods: Korean Pizza with sweet potato ring around the crust, Dalk Galbi, Bibimbap, Jjim Dalk, Korean fried chicken, Donkatsu, Paris Baguette, Pho, and right now she is off having an authentic Korean dining experience at the home of one of her Korean friends.

On Sunday we took her to Lotte World, the world's largest indoor amusement park. It was still decked out for Christmas, complete with constant Christmas caroling, live and canned. We couldn't believe how much they were able to pack into an indoor stadium type space: some quality coasters, a parade, fireworks, so many snack booths, food courts, even video game arcades and traditional arcades. Our favorite ride was the boating adventure through jungle rapids. We sort of bookended our day with it, staying completely dry the first time despite warnings that we'd get wet and then with Dan and me getting soaked right before heading back home in the 10 degrees. That part was not awesome.

By now, our 2010 is over, and we rounded it out in concert at a local coffee shop, playing the show pretty much especially for Bonnie. Our first activity of 2011 was eating Korean Bugles and finishing up an episode of Real Housewives of New Jersey. So much scandal! Right now I am ringing in America's New Year by watching some sort of unidentifiable livestream of Times Square. I have never heard of any of the people they have performing, but I appreciate the festive background noise, so Happy New Year!



Our little Christmas tree and collection of presents. We also did stockings and filled Bonnie's with Korean snacks and teas. Because Bonnie is awesome, she brought over Dan's present from his mom and Dan's present from himself me, which we'd had shipped to her.


Christmas cakes were abundant in Seoul, so we bought one from Baskin Robbins and got for free a very strange knitted hood.


Bonnie and me in the Lotte World complex. I still don't get what this statue is for, but it's funny.


The regular entrance and the grande scrolled entrance.


We were immediately greeted by the sexy Santa band.


Lotte World takes advantage of four separate floors of fun, not including, but looking down on, the skating rink on the basement level. This is not Hans Brinker's Silver Skates, you guys, these people are not messing around.


The domed ceiling allows the park's ambiance to change as the sun goes down. It's such a good idea. By nightfall, it felt like we were outside as the park lit up from the ground up.


Our first order of business was the hot air balloon ride around the world. It even ascended and descended like I'd imagine a real balloon would. We rode with a father and his 10 year old daughter who was in a fit of tears by the time it was over. Uh, what?


Packed in.


Spying the skaters.


Sorry folks, Closed.


The monorail as a ride, not a mass transit device.


Happy Christmas.


An indoor log flume.


The gateway to Magic Island. There is an outdoor section of the park, but it was too cold for us.


To prevent from being injured, please take off your earrings while running. That seems inaccurate.


Look how glad Dan was about the French Revolution! For real, such a perfect reveler.


Our dry run on the jungle rapids.


Posing with some Christmas decorations.


Nighttime at Lotte World.


The park also features a really cool folk museum. It was definitely more kid friendly than the other folk museums we've been to, with several try-ons and games and models. Dan is backpacking through history.


Bonnie grinding some grain, finding it inefficient.


I mean, I'm pretty sure this is Gyeongbokgung, where we took Bonnie the very next day. If I am incorrect, though, this looks an awful lot like Gyeongbokgung, where we took Bonnie the very next day.

-Serenity