Lotte World

A typhoon was scheduled to hit Seoul for my birthday weekend but I didn't care.  I was going to Lotte World.

"All the good rides outside will be closed if it's raining," said Kylie.  But I wasn't necessarily going for the big rides.  This is the description I had read that was sending me to Lotte World:

Lotte World - kitsch, dated, but still impressive amusement park where the eternally 70s vibe is half the fun. I like the “hot air ballon” rides and the “shooting gallery”(!~!!!). See the little stage show called something like “The Mystery of Fire’ . Marvel at how sh*tty and non-cute the mascot characters are. I used to live just near this park. I could hear people screaming on the rollercoaster from my apartment kitchen. Memories…


It had also stated that Lotte World was a good place to go on a rainy day, since much of it was indoors.  No, rain wouldn't stop me...it was my 31st birthday and I was ready for a campy, good time!


We didn't even have to walk outside from the subway station when we got there.  Once we left the train section, we entered a giant Lotte shopping mall.  (Lotte here is like Dillards, but better.  It's a huge department store chain that also has mini stores--grocery stores and the like--all over town.)  I eyeballed the huge, happy, underground station.  There were large European-replica fountains, Hello Kitty and Miffy stores,  and watermelon and pineapple on a stick by the hundreds.  Meredith, Nicole, Kim, and I window shopped as we followed the signs to the "Adventure" section of this monstrous building.  

Fruit on a Stick!  My Favorite!

European-style fountain in the middle of the underground shopping mall

We found the ticket booth and bought our tickets, which were only $25 since it was after 1pm.  Actually, we paid with our Korean bank accounts and got an extra $6 off.  We had expected it to be around $35!  We entered through the turn-styles, and...

WOW!!!  I'M IN HAPPY LAND!!!  I squealed with delight.

The Entrance

SQUEE!!!

SQUEEEEEEE!!!

I couldn't believe my eyes.  How was this place indoors?  There was a monorail, a roller coaster, a carousel, a few castles, an ice skating rink....unbelievable!  There were fake mountains and houses that looked European, and hundreds of girls wearing giant bows in their hair.  We decided to get on the "hot air balloon" ride ASAP.  We could see them overhead...but where on Earth did you get on the things?  We began to walk around to find out.  I was actually skipping with delight.

First, we went on a loop ride that just spins you upside down a couple times on a big circle.  Kim and I went alone.  Even though we had decided to find the balloons first, the two of us just couldn't pass it up.  We sat in the front seat which added nicely to the fear factor.

Yay!  Loop ride :)

AAAAAUGH!!!

After buying ourselves some of those huge hair bows, we found the hot air ballons.  They were on the 4th floor.  The escalators had been kind of hidden from view.  After a very long wait, the four of us boarded the pretend balloon, which lowered on ropes to pick us up.  It was shaky as it raised us all the way to the ceiling.  "This would be a cool way to die," I told myself, trying desperately to convince myself not to be scared.

The line for the balloons

Hot Air Balloons!

From the top of the ceiling, we could really see how magnificent this place was.  It was built in layers, like a synthetic, rainbow Grand Canyon.  The ice skating rink was on the bottom, then two layers of shops and snack food restaurants, and then the bottom floor of the "adventure" area which was apparently 4 floors high by itself.  The ceiling was the hugest sky light I'd ever seen.  I wondered if you could see it from space!

Balloons lowering on ropes to pick people up

What a view!!!

The ropes were...kinda shaky.

Looking down at a water ride

The biggest ice skating rink ever!

Huge stage

Lotte World!!!

Nicole and Kim taking pictures from the balloon

Straight down

Me and my sparkly pink giant Lotte World hairbow

At one point, we were taken quite by surprise as the balloon took us behind the fake mountain and everything lit up red.  Then some weird Egyptian-looking stuff, like obelisks, lit up and made cartoon sword sound effects.

Whoa, we are entering a cave!

Yikes!

After the balloon ride, we went on a ride that takes you on a "Jeep" through the pretend canyon, and also on the roller coaster.  The roller coaster went clear up to the ceiling and rattled our brains as it looped around pedestrian bridges.

Up to the top of the building...

...and around a bridge!

While we were waiting in line, we were entertained by Korean graffiti (inventing stories about what it said) and a couple wearing matching cartoony raccoon tails.  I loved the tails so much, I later bought one for my friend back home for a mere $5.  Money well spent!

Hers is pink and his is brown! 

The funniest part about the line for the Jeep ride, however, wasn't even the tails.  It was the fact they had us line up for an hour outside of the entrance...then they let us into where the line was meant to be.  We ended up speeding through a pretty extensive fake European Egyptian museum...

OK, so the fake museum is supposed to be in Europe...

But it's Egyptian.

This part looks like the basement of some cathedral...

But it's definitely supposed to look Egyptian.

Why didn't they just have us line up in here?

The Lotte girls had a funny routine with clapping done in unison

Inside the Egyptian ride

After eating pizza on the snack food level of the park, we decided to hit the water ride we had seen from overhead.  It was exactly the kind of campiness I had been waiting for.  Here's how the conversation must have gone between the people who created it:

"Should the theme be Middle Eastern terrorists who shoot at you...or dinosaurs?" the first one asked.

"Both!"  said the other.

I laughed at the hilarious animatronics.  They were on par with the ones in that ride at Dollywood where the buildings are on fire.  Except they were terrorists pointing guns at me.  Then dinosaurs.  Was this Lotte World...or Itchy and Scratchy Land?  I wondered if the water would make me hallucinate if I drank it.

I regret to inform you my camera was packed safely in my backpack for that one.  Like I said--it was a water ride.

After that ride, we walked past some animatronic monkeys and watched a parade of foreigners in elaborate bikinis and feathers go by for the second time that day.  It was getting dark by then, so this time, the parade was all lit up!

Animatronic Monkeys

Parade Float

Bikinis and Feathers

Lights!

We left the "Adventures of Sinbad" ride for last.  Martha had told us it was pretty terrific, and her sense of humor has never failed to disappoint.  The inside of this ride was a blur of more hilarious animatronics, black lights, and dark caves.

Adventures of Sinbad

Entering the cave...

A blur of pretty lights!

Three-headed dragon!

Oooo....scary!

Cyclops!

Four-armed spread-eagled goddess monster?

Animatronic trumpeters!

After the last ride, it was time to go home.  We soaked in the final views of the fabulously lit indoor park and visited the candy store on our way out!

Lotte World at Night

Lotte World at Night

Korean Candy Store

On Sunday, we were exhausted.  Still expecting the typhoon to hit, Kim and I lounged around in my apartment and watched movies.  Even though it was the day before my birthday, I decided to open up my presents from my mother.  They were amazing!!!  Thanks, Mom!  And we never got a typhoon.

On Monday I got a birthday cake from my school and actually ate a piece.  I had to after they sang "Happy Birthday" and popped little streamers in my face.  Then, my friends took me to a restaurant on the way home from work called "Vips" that had a huge salad bar.  It was amazing...but even better was my birthday song!  Two really cute Korean girls sang a hilariously upbeat Korean birthday song complete with tambourines, which they shook in my face!  I was as mesmerized as a baby staring at a shiny object for the very first time.  And of course, they put us ALL in funny hats!  Then they took our picture and printed out copies for each of us!  My birthday was finally complete.  I'm so proud to have made it through another year of this crazy life!

My birthday cake, after we had annihilated it

Say, "KIMCHI!!!"