[Travelogue] Power Blogger Program Day 5 – Daegwanryeong Yangtte Ranch, Pyeongchang House and Alpensia Resort

December 7, 2016 Jiji

Leaving the busy city of Seoul by bus, our morning started early at 8.30am on December 1, Day 5 of the ‘Power Blogger Program’. Our main objective is to visit Pyeongchang, the venue of 2018 Winter Olympic, located in the Gangwon Province.

The 3 hour ride by car was pretty tiring, but it was fun at the same time. As Gangwon-do is very much a rural area, we were served a scenic view along the way. We certainly recommend Pyeongchang as an escape from hustle and bustle of the city.

DAEGWANRYEONG SHEEP FARM

Our first schedule in Pyeongchang was to visit Daegwanryeong Yangtte Ranch or also known as the sheep farm. The entrance ticket was about 4,000 won. We got to see the sheep up-close and even feed them. I know we have a lot of sheep in Malaysia too :p, but there were few different kinds of sheep there, all from different genes.

skyranch-sheep-farm-1 — A boy feeding the sheep

We were told that the ranch view is much more beautiful in other seasons. We should come here again during spring or autumn season!

PYEONGCHANG 2018, THE OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES VENUES

We were excited for Pyeongchang 2018 as we visited the venues. There are 15 winter sport disciplines included in the Olympic Winter Games and 6 in the Paralympics, divided into snow, ice, and sliding sports. Yangpyong Alpine Centre, Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre, Gangneung Hockey Centre, Gangneung Ice Arena are some of the venues for Pyeongchang 2018. Check out our special post about Pyeongchang here.

ALPENSIA RESORT

We checked into Intercontinental Alpensia Pyeongchang Resort, a luxurious classical European-style alpine resort located near Taebaeksan Mountain. It has a magnificient view as it is surrounded by fascinating nature and many leisure facilities. Too bad we only stayed for a day though.

alpensia-resort-2 — Night view from the room.

When you are in winter country, of course you have to have a go at skiing! After we had dinner at a bibimbap restaurant, we experienced the most famous winter sports, ski. Before that, we were brought to a shop where we rented a complete set of ski equipment and gear, from the jacket and pants, boots, gloves (our Mr. Oh gifted us), and all the equipments needed. We wore a few layers inside the jacket we rented because it was freezing cold. The boots was so thick and hard, making it hard to walk.

Two ski instructors were assigned to us to teach us beginners on how to ski. It was hard alright! Or maybe we were just bad with activities involving our body movements.Lol They said the ski slope was for the beginners but we don’t think so. It was super scary for first timers like us! We are thankful for the instructors who were always there, guiding us and making sure we arrived safely without any injury.