A Lot to Do in Lotte World

Today, our group was scheduled to visit Caribbean Bay/ Everland, a water and amusement park in Seoul.  We had to choose which place we wanted to attend.  Knowing that there was a 100% chance of rain today, many of us chose to visit Everland, hoping for indoor shows at the least.  Surely enough, as we walked to the buses, we waded through deep puddles as the water quickly streamed down Hanyang's steep hills.  Luckily, the committee in charge of the summer school changed our destination:

The students that chose Caribbean Bay were still scheduled to attend the outdoor water park.  Surely, that was a cold trip!  Lotte World, "a mainly indoor Korean version of Disneyland," includes an amusement park, ice-skating rink, cinema, department store, hotel, and various restaurants (69).  

This place is huge and overwhelming to the first-time visitor.

We had a great time riding rides and playing games.  Everything was free of charge.  I spent time with two Hanyang students who will attend school at Ohio Northern next year, which was so much fun.  Now I know how scary it can be to travel abroad, so I could really understand their nervousness. 

In addition to rides and roller coasters, Lotte World offers engaging dance shows and parades.  The theme for these attractions was "Rio Samba Carnival," so the costumes were bright and eye catching and the music was quick.

In following my curse of always being chosen to participate in front of throngs of people, naturally I was pulled from the crowd to dance samba with half-naked dancers.

Surprisingly, however, I felt only about 60% embarrassed!

It was fun and made a great memory.  Perhaps this trip really is helping me to become less shy.  I found an orange feather on the ground after the parade finished and saved it as a momento of this great experience.      

"The Loop" at Lotte World

The rides were also a blast!  It wasn't quite Cedar Point, but perhaps as an Ohioan, I am biased.  Nevertheless, I was so impressed by the extravagance of this place maintained beneath a roof.  


Now that we're back on campus, it is time to do a little homework, unfortunately.  Tomorrow, we have our second day of class.  I can't believe I have been in Korea for a week already - this trip is really going to fly!