Snowboarding Phoenix Park

This past weekend I went snowboarding to Phoenix Park with the Adventure Korea tour group.  There were about 80 people signed up on the trip.  

We met in Seoul on Friday at 1pm and headed to Pheonix Park resort area.  This is the area that Korea is hoping to win the bid for in the 2018 winter olympics.   (I have since learned that although there were signs all over the resort rallying for the Olympics, this resort is not, however, the one they want to win the bid). 

First we picked up our rental gear and clothing.  I wanted to find a rad outfit but ended up having to settle for the red LA Gear set.  Someone made a comment "We are going skiing, who cares about fashion?"  So I replied "Well clearly you haven't been skiing in Korea yet."  Fashion is everything in Korea.  And skiing is no exception.    

When we got to the ski resort it was about 6:30 or 7pm and directly after checking in to our youth hostel we all went night-skiiing.  I snowboarded for a few hours and then headed in.  

I met up with a few of the other girls I was rooming with and together we all went out for pizza and fried chicken.  Our meal took a long time to get to our table.  When we noticed that a group of Koreans who came after us was served fried chicken 2 times before we got our first, one girl cried racism.  Racism is a really big deal here and many foreigners (just that fact that we are called foreigners..) get upset.  Frankly, I hardly notice it at all.  

The next day I went snowboarding on my sweet "Dungeons and Dragons" board with Nicole.  Together we hit up almost every run in the resort, but it was a rather small and easy ski resort.  Really, if you count in the picture above, there are only about 10 runs-- maybe even less depending on how you count.  

That evening we walked over to the Phoenix Blue Canyon which is an indoor/outdoor water park.  Normally the nighttime admission fee cost w39,000 (about $33) but we got a group discount for only w11,000 ($9.40)!!  It was well worth the 11,000 and I thoroughly enjoyed the water slide, hot tubs, lazy river, and water-massage stations.  

After another pizza dinner (from Dominos this time) it was time for bonding over drinking games.  We played card games and other various games and then we all went out to Karaoke.  Naturally, I aced my karaoke singing contest and did another rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody (score 99%) followed by I Kissed A Girl by Katy Perry (score 100%).  

I went home early with a headache.  I also lost my voice at some point in the evening.  I blame Queen.  

On Sunday we had the option to go skiing again but I chose not to.  Instead, I took my book that I was aching to finish up to the fancy hotel and bought myself a fancy latte (blueberry flavor!) and read and relaxed.  

All too quickly it was noon and time to pack up and go home.  We battled the crazy traffic and drove through the snow flurries and got back to Seoul at around 6:30pm.  

By the time I got back home to my apartment, it was about 8pm.  

Another good weekend.  

Now if only I could get rid of this disaster of a cold.  ...