We went to Yong Pyong Ski resort in Pyong Chang. You will hear of this region in a few years time as they are one of only three cities worldwide to make a bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics. They find out if they get it sometime in 2011 but from the looks of it they have already bribed a council member big-time. "Pyongchang 2018!!" Signs are everywhere you look in this area. Nothing like counting the old chickens eh?
We stayed at a nice little guest house about 10 minutes from the Ski Resort. They had just gotten 70cm of snow and it was piled up everywhere so the skiing was great. We arrived around noon, got our skis and headed to Mountain. I took the first shift with the kids and Jeff went snowboarding. We did 3 runs on the bunny hill with Teddy between my legs and Sasha to my left and both kids Holding my poles. That worked pretty good but it was a feat of Herculean strength for Mommy. We headed in for some hot cocoa and it turns out that skiing was exhausting for Teddy too because he took one sip of his drink and did his Barry White "Mama, I want to snuggle you" and that was it. Nigh-Nights in the lodge. That kid can go from Zero to Dead Asleep at any time in any location. Is it too early to test him for Narcolepsy?
Oh, did I say ALL the kids were everywhere? All of them except Ted who was crashed out asleep AGAIN. (This should have tipped me off to future troubles but at the time I just thought it was that "mountain air" )
We went back and put the kids to bed. Many Korea hotels or Hostels only have one bed, so you bring a floor pad for the kids to sleep on. We brought ours but as the whole place was heated traditionally, that is through the floor, I truly feared for the kids lives. "Wegugin Bulgogi" gives you a good idea of what was going on. I finally had to go tell the owner of the hostel to turn off the floor heat. No, no, don't turn it DOWN, I've already tried that - turn it OFF!! The children are cooking!!
The area smells a bit fishy and I couldn't figure out why, until I realized that there are acres and acres and ACRES of fish drying on wooden racks under the snow. If Pyongchang is known as the Olympic hope for 2018, it must also be know as the capitol of dried fish and if you can smell it in the snow, I can only imagine what the place smells like in the summer.
There is also a little stand selling dried fish on the corner before you head up to the ski mtn. I can imagine this exchange happens quite a lot:
"Heading to Yong Pyong next weekend to shred the rad yo."
"Dude, you're heading over to Yong Pyong? They have the BEST dried fish there. We always stop at this one little shop and grab a strand before we hit the slopes. Nothing says 'skiing' like dried fish man, Do NOT miss out on that."
"No way! Thanks for the tip bro, I'll bring you some back!"
"Word!"
Here's a shot of us heading out for a big fun morning on the slopes! Jeff drew a really, REALLY short straw this morning and got to ski with the kids. Turns out that Teddy can actually get so upset that he'll projectile vomit in a ski lodge. Good times!
Actually in fairness to Ted, it turns out that he came down with some kind of 24 hour bug. (family trip means SOMEONE has to fall ill within the first 48 right?). So the boys headed home and I took Sasha to the top of the mountain in the Gondola. Very excited!
Here's Sash about to go down from the very top for the first time. She progressed so fast it was crazy!
First time down, she was beneath my legs hanging on to my poles almost the whole way down, second run tried it herself where the hill became very gentle, third time, the whole way except for 4 really steep spots. I was so proud of her!
We went back and put the kids to bed. Many Korea hotels or Hostels only have one bed, so you bring a floor pad for the kids to sleep on. We brought ours but as the whole place was heated traditionally, that is through the floor, I truly feared for the kids lives. "Wegugin Bulgogi" gives you a good idea of what was going on. I finally had to go tell the owner of the hostel to turn off the floor heat. No, no, don't turn it DOWN, I've already tried that - turn it OFF!! The children are cooking!!
The area smells a bit fishy and I couldn't figure out why, until I realized that there are acres and acres and ACRES of fish drying on wooden racks under the snow. If Pyongchang is known as the Olympic hope for 2018, it must also be know as the capitol of dried fish and if you can smell it in the snow, I can only imagine what the place smells like in the summer.
There is also a little stand selling dried fish on the corner before you head up to the ski mtn. I can imagine this exchange happens quite a lot:
"Heading to Yong Pyong next weekend to shred the rad yo."
"Dude, you're heading over to Yong Pyong? They have the BEST dried fish there. We always stop at this one little shop and grab a strand before we hit the slopes. Nothing says 'skiing' like dried fish man, Do NOT miss out on that."
"No way! Thanks for the tip bro, I'll bring you some back!"
"Word!"
Here's a shot of us heading out for a big fun morning on the slopes! Jeff drew a really, REALLY short straw this morning and got to ski with the kids. Turns out that Teddy can actually get so upset that he'll projectile vomit in a ski lodge. Good times!
First time down, she was beneath my legs hanging on to my poles almost the whole way down, second run tried it herself where the hill became very gentle, third time, the whole way except for 4 really steep spots. I was so proud of her!
She was quite proud of herself too! What a goofball. Sasha is such a fun kid to hang out with. Even when she crashes, 9 times out of 10 there's that still moment and then she bursts out laughing!
Here she is headed down the slopes on her own!
Jeff went skiing with the guys that night and then the next day he took the am skiing shift with Sash and I took the afternoon shift. He said they made it down once at a pretty slow pace, and then they met up with Ingrid and Øyvind. Sasha yelled "C'mon Dad, we have to keep up with our friends!" and that was the end of it. No more help, no more slow, just took off down the hill after Ingrid and now she's a skiier!
Teddy felt MUCH better that next morning and had begged the entire trip to ride the "Dongola" so we met the whole gang at lunchtime and rode up and then ate together at a restaurant at the top of the hill. Then I got to ski with Sash and Jeff took T-man back down in the Dongola and home. I was blown away by the difference in her skiing in one morning! She is now faster than I am (On skiis anyway...). I am going to have to strap on the snowboard next time if I want to keep up!
Here we are in the middle of a super-fun afternoon!
I made a video of her skiing adventure:
At the end of the day Sasha and Ingrid begged to take a ski lift by themselves. I told them that I would ride with them once and if they could get through the whole process themselves and be safe then they could give it a shot. They took it very seriously and put the bar down and lifted it in just the right spot and everything. They were pretty cute up there together....
The night before I had stumbled into a place trying to find take-out and was like "Oh, Baby, this is the joint!" So I promised Jeff a great apres-ski surprise meal and we went back to that restaurant. Wings, Beer, Ribs, popcorn, and heat lamps! And the place was empty!! We couldn't believe it! They had the best ribs I have ever eaten. We will definitely go there again if we return to Yong Pyong. Forget the dried fish!
And the aftermath: That's one happy man folks!
So glad you Guys found an antidote for Chim Chee. Looks good on Jeff!
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Mom and Dad