Trip to Busan Part 2 (Gyeonghwa Station and Samnak Ecological Park)

It took me a long time to post....I know...I wasn't able to cope with Bean's new school schedule so much. I was also under a lot of stress due to health issues and moving to a new home. Alas, there is time, finally. I felt that I needed to post about this trip before the year ends and before I forget minor details!

So, from part one of my Busan post, we spent the night at Miyoung's. She upgraded us to a bigger room but Ellie was having a hard time adjusting to sleeping on mats (or that thing they roll out to sleep on the floor.) We weren't able to get a good night's sleep because she kept waking up to cry. But Adam and I wouldn't let that get us down. We still woke up at 6 am to prepare ourselves, the kids' bags, camera bags, breakfast and we got them in for a bath and change of clothes.

We got to Gyeonghwa sation a little past 8 AM and wow it was packed! So long to my dreams of having a decent photo taken....but you see between me and Adam is a great teamwork when it comes to snapping our travel photos. We are complete opposites in style but our relationship was built around us taking pictures...we spent years arguing, debating and even fighting about it that at present we just get each other. A little side look from me means I am not satisfied and him reviewing the photos means he wants to shoot from the same angle again and again.

It takes timing and patience to take pictures in a beautiful place full of so many people! But here are a few of my tips:

1. Be patient- when your instagram husband asks you to hold that pose or change it again and again it doesn't mean there is something wrong with you...it just means he's giving it his best--to capture your beauty and the beauty of the place.

2. Timing- the crowd will not be in the same place at the same time! Spot areas where the crowd is less and take it from there.

3. All out effort- being extra with your makeup and clothes goes a long way. Pesonally, I planned all the colors of our outfits based on the photos I saw on the internet so that we would stand out from all the pinks of the cherry blossoms. My makeup is also a bit more than I put in person so that it would stand out in the photos, too.

4. Shoot from a lower angle- not only does this thin out the crowd and make you look a few inches taller but it also captures all those blooms on the trees!

5. Do not ask your kids to pose if they don't want to- not only will this ruin their mood but yours, too! If you notice on my posts, I usually just snap pictures of my kids when they don't know it. This looks more natural and puts less pressure on both of you.

6. Use a lens that has a low aperture- I love bokeh. I really do! But don't just take pictures with blurred backgrounds and call it art. Research, take a look at other pictures, make an inspiration board. You know what I mean.

We stayed here for about and hour and a half and rode a taxi back to Busan. We settled in our Air BnB and then had chicken for lunch. There were actually no plans on this day I just wanted to go buy some BTS albums. LOL! But Adam said there was a nearby park we could go to to relax and let the kids play. Samnak park was few minutes away from where we were staying and all I could say is she is quite a stunner! It's a very long "road" where people can bike, jog, walk, run or just play around in. There were also some food stalls in case you get hungry. This is one of my favorite parts of this trip. Because the kids enjoyed playing and running around. Adam and I were happy watching them and of course, documenting the moment.

Making memories is an important thing for our little family. Hopefully, I get to post about the final part of this trip soon.

Nami Island (Korea Trip Part 3)

It took me a while to get to post this and I want to be able to before Ellie turns 2. Lol. There is just too much happening at once and I feel like a wreck most days. But I will be writing about that another time.

NAMI Island was always a dream for me. Being the KDRAMA addict I am I have wished for this day to come for a long long time. There are a lot of places I wish to visit in the world, but this has always been on top of my list. So imagine my agitation when we weren't booked for a tour yet during our stay.

When we were still in Manila I carefully picked out what to wear because I wanted to commemorate this time on my life. Hahaha. Since it was late into spring I assumed it would be a little bit green this time of the year so I picked out something red in order to stand out. Now that I think about it the pictures a little "Christmas-y."

The bus ride from Petite France to the ferry going to the island was short; the boat was around 10-15 minutes. As we arrived I told Adam that there were a lot of people and I worried that it would be too crowded to get the shots that I want...not just for me but for all of us. So he told me we should head to the farthest location in the map first as most people tend to go to what they immediately see. And it worked! Thank God for my husband!

But because we arrived at lunch time most restaurants were packed and we were too hungry to wait in line. We found ourselves an outdoor table with chairs and bought hot dogs on sticks. We ate quickly and proceeded to the farthest location in the map which was the row of giant sequoia trees! I was in awe! My Kdrama dreams just came true! Bean had a blast running around, picking up sticks and leaves and exploring; while Eleanor was such a trooper just patiently in her baby carrier smiling at people.

Do you know about those "expectation vs. reality" posts? They are true most of the time when you have kids. Since Ellie likes being worn in her carrier we took turns wearing her and took turns photographing each other. There was no time to check how I looked; how my daughters looked...or even if my husband's shirt was askew. But that's what made our time and our pictures there beautiful to me: it reminds me of our teamwork as a family. And for me, we make a great team!

Our time there was limited because the  boat will head back in a few hours so we weren't really able to go around the whole island. So we will save that for next time....maybe when it's winter. For now, I am happy to get to experience this place with my family.