As our time in the ROK comes to a close, we are squeezing in a few more Korean adventures. The latest and greatest? An animal themed birthday party at Lotte World, a theme park in Seoul. No... this was not a party for one of our students, but for one of our friends, a fellow English teacher.
You see, Korea (or at least the foreign community in Bundang), has these animal pajamas/costumes that you can buy online. They are great for Halloween, Animal-themed parties, or simply a Sunday afternoon. Most of our friends (and everyone at this party) have them.
Unfortunately, Clayton and I didn't order our costumes in time. So, we settled for the other Korean classic: couples shirts. And later we paired them with these fabulous accessories!
Lotte World is the world's largest indoor theme park. It has roller coasters winding through the building, its own version of Splash Mountain, an ice rink, a monorail, and a plethora of other attractions. Outside, there is another section of amusement park called Magic Island. Magic Island has a roller coaster called the Atlantis, on which an employee lost their head last year due to standing up on the ride. After riding it, I can see how it could happen. The ceilings were pretty low. Yikes! While we enjoyed riding it, we did not enjoy the 40 minute wait in the freezing cold with no coats. The second time outside we were wiser.
The French Revolution, the indoor roller coaster, was our favorite ride. This roller coaster wound all the way through part of Lotte World, and the loop-de-loop went around a walking bridge, so you could stand under the people and make faces at them as they went upside down (see above picture). It was amazing to see people eating lunch right under the roller coaster. It also made the ride better because you felt like you could hit something at any moment.
We stayed until just before the park closed... or at least until the outdoor rides closed. We even tried (and almost succeeded) to sweet-talk our way on to the Atlantis after it was closed...
The skating rink.
All in all it was a fabulous day. Highlights included being given fast-passes because we were dumb foreigners, joining a parade, and "stampeding" through the park with a bunch of animals. With such wacky, wonderful friends, you can see why it is hard for us to leave.
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