Day 4 South Korea, Welli Hilli Ski Resort

We were packed into the tour bus early in the morning and made our way to Welli Hilli Ski Resort to ski! My first time skiiing and I was naturally very excited. It was a sunny day, strong sunshine through a cloudless sky, and you could feel the slight increase in temperature that everyone was grateful for.

We reached Welli Hilli Ski Resort shortly after lunch and rented our ski gear at the nearby shop. For some reason, the shop owner decided to provide me with an outfit that was completely pink. Skiing was fun but immensely tiring. The repeated falls also drained the energy out of me very quickly. I was still unable to stop successfully when we decided to go back to the resort for some rest. But it was a great experience nonetheless!

 

After washing up and taking a quick rest, it was still early so we decided to explore the food outlets in the resort. There was a giant convenience store in the basement, well-stocked with fresh food, snacks, and fruits. The Chicken Resort was situated beside the convenience store and we went inside to have our fried chicken fix. We ordered a basket of original fried chicken and a mug of Kass beer. The fried chicken was delicious! The batter was crispy, and the chicken was so fresh and tender! The fried chicken came with mustard, salt and pepper. The side dish was marinated radish which was refreshing after the oily fried chicken. Washing all the fried chicken down with Kass beer was just a fantastic end to the meal.

At about 8 pm, we met the tour guide and the rest of the tour group for a cable car ride up to the top of the mountain. It was getting really cold by then and large flood lights shone on the white ski slopes outside. The cable car ride was fast and we reached the top pretty quickly. On the way up, we watched young kids ski and snowboard down steep slopes. I wonder how it must feel like growing up in a wintry country where you could do winter sports since young. 

The top of the mountain was covered with a thick layer of snow and bright lights. It was a pretty sight and we took many pictures against the blustering wind. 

Dinner was free and easy so we chose to have Korean food at the Poonggyeongmaru restaurant. We ordered a steamboat with Kimchi and Pork belly and my dad had the grilled saba set. The side dishes were so yummy!

The Kimchi and Pork Belly Steamboat was so good. It was much, much better than those found in Singapore. The broth was thick and flavorful, kimchi was very well-marinated, two slabs of juicy pork belly swimming inside the pot. It was definitely the most delicious meal I had in South Korea!

Our room had a clear unobstructed view of the ski slopes outside and we could see people skiing through the night. How they could survive the low temperatures out on the slopes at night remains a mystery to me. I was just glad to be bundled up in the room, eating Jagabee snacks, strawberries, and drinking soju with my family. The rooms were traditional, with futons and blankets for us to sleep on the floor. The ondol meant that the heated floor remained warm through the night and it was very comfortable sleeping on the warm floor. 

Read about Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 5 and Day 6.