KOREAN DRAMA TOUR FOR BACKPACKERS- DESTINATION 2: NAMI ISLAND (Sepember 20, 2013)

     The first bus from Gapyeong Bus Terminal leaves at 9am so we started stretching and packing at around 8am. It would take around 15 minutes to get to Nami Island, depending on the number of passengers that will board when the bus stops at Gapyeong (subway) Station.

     When we reached our destination, we saw the Zip Tower, ticket office and the "Immigration" gate. Guests are given two options to get to the island. Either via Zip wire or a ferry. But whatever you opt for, you have to secure a Visa from the ticket office.

Naminara Republic Visa

     Namisum or Naminara Republic declared itself a country in 2006. It is an imaginary country which created its own, passport, currency, stamp and telephone card. It is named after General Nami, who courageusly fought in many battles during the reign of King Sejo and died at the age of 26.

Nami Island Map

     The island is a leaf-shaped piece of land in Cheongpyeong lake with an area of 460,000 square meters, a home to squirrels, rabbits, ducks, ostriches, deer and many species of birds and a perfect relaxation spot for human beings especially after Mr. Byeong Dong Min planted thousands of trees in 1965.

        Nami Island became more popular to foreign and local tourists after the filming of the Korean Drama "Winter Sonata" in 2002. The filming locations and the island map (which you can get at the ticketing office) has markers so visitors won't miss any of them. The most popular spots are the Winter Sonata First Kiss, the bridge where Jun Sang's funeral wad held and the Metasequoia Lane.

     Yoo Jin and Jun Sang had their first kiss on a bench while making snowmen. Replica of the snowmen were installed after the filming so tourists can recall the scene and take pictures with them. Snowmen became a popular symbol of the island because of this. Notice the souvenirs at the gift shop, the canvass bags, magnets, even hair ties have a ceramic snowman on them. 

     The bridge where friends gathered for Jun Sang's funeral has been slowly destroyed by the waves and the weather, so by the time we visited, it was already gone. We wouldn't have recognized the area if not for the marker.

     The drama also filmed at the Birch Tree Lane, Central Korean Pine Tree Lane and the Reed Wood Lane, but the most popular is the Metasequoia Lane. Every lane of trees blew us away. It gave the whole island a romantic ambiance which made us want to stay there another day. Too bad we didn't have a reservation.

Nami Maid, the ferry goes to and fro Nami Island

     We had a hard time getting good pictures a the Metasequoia Lane and Yoon Jin and Jun Sang's statue because of the big number of tourists that day. The ferry, Nami Maid, carries a new batch of guests every 30 minutes and is packed every time it arrived.

Riverside Lover's Gingko Tree Lane

     For those who aren't interested in the Winter Sonata film locations, the island is big enough for you to relax and has theme gardens to have a picnic or stroll around and enjoy nature. We passed by the Sunrise Village which is near the first kiss bench. The small houses made of wood looked like small cottages which used to be occupied by guests because they even have tiled toilets despite the native Korean-inspired exterior. One of the best spots for couples to see is the Riverside Lover's Gingko Tree Lane. Check it out and feel romance in the air as you walk through the wooden bridge and the trees.

     Time seems to run so fast for us since we both love nature and we'd love to stay longer. If you think a day is also not enough for you to indulge in this scenic view, try to get a reservation for an overnight stay in either the Hotel Jeonggwanru main building or the bungalows or cottages by the tree lanes. Fee ranges from 99,000 KRW to 380,000 KRW. The most expensive bungalow can accommodate as many as 10 guests. Cooking inside the condo-style bunglows is allowed, so you don't have to worry if you want to have ramyun late at night or have breakfast while the restaurants are still closed in the morning.

Hotel Jeonggwanru

2+2 cotages

     





     
     Another lovely feature of the island are the mini libraries under the trees. Imagine how relaxing it is to read and relax in this atmosphere, only if I have a wide Korean Vocabulary. Good luck to

toilet with books and bookshelves

me! The books are all written in Hangul, so all I could do was to take pictures. The toilets, by the way, are also built like libraries in a wood cabin. Even the individual cubicles have bookshelves with about five books on each shelf. Every part of the island never seemed to stop surprising us.

     My stomach started yelling at me after exploring half of the island. Good thing we're near the restaurants that time. We wanted to grill some meat but the Korean Restaurants were already full so 

Korean Beef Stew with Kimchi Rice Bowl

we went to Huyusona Grill instead. Food is satisfactory but the service is slow considering they have enough crew, I think. We we're almost done with out meal when they served our drinks. The restaurant is clean, though and has a cozy interior. I had the Korean Beef Stew with Kimchi Rice Bowl to match my Korean drama experience.

Clay Sculpture 

     Some sculptures might catch your attention with their quirky  poses and breasts all exposed which line the walls going to the Yu Qing Cheng Sculpture Gallery. Brace yourself for more bizarre sculptures as you get inside.

     There's a glass blowing facility nearby which recycles soju bottles for decors around the park. A girl was given a tutorial at the time we checked out the building. These bottles can be seen adorning the Recycling Garden, the First Kiss Bridge and the exterior of the glass blowing building. The First Kiss Bridge, which takes guests to the First Kiss Bench, is lined with unique Glass Sequoia.

     The entire island is like a big gallery. Different works of art of different media could be found  in almost every nook of the theme gardens. 

     Near the Unchi Garden is the playground for kids (and their young at heart parents) and the bike center. Parents get to sit and rest for a while on the benches around the playground while kids run, play, laugh and scream of excitement at the top of their lungs. I spotted a father and son team trying out the Sky Bike. We didn't dare ride it since our legs and feet are already aching from walking the entire morning around the island. It's already late when we discovered the bike center where bikes are rented at 3,000 KRW for 30 minutes. Here's a list of the fees for the rentals if you wish to go around on wheels:

Family-serve Bike and Couple Bike

Sky-Bike

                   







                  Bicycle     Single                3,000 KRW for 30 minutes

                                                             5,000 KRW for 1 hour

                                   Couple              6,000 KRW for 30 minutes

                                                           10,000 KRW for 1 hour

                                   Family-Serve   10,000 for 30 minutes

                  Sky-Bike

                                    12 years old and below     2,000 KRW

                                    13 years old and above     3,000 KRW

                  Electric Tri-way               10,000 KRW for 30 minutes

                                                            18,000 KRW for 1 hour

                  Namycar                        10,000 KRW

The Song Museum

     We stopped by the Song Museum before saying farewell to the island. The Museum shows the evolution of music in Korea and the famous Korean Musicians. Near it is the Song Monument of Park Taejun and the Tomb of General Nami.

     There was a very long queue of passengers waiting for Nami Maid. We waited with them after sitting and resting in the Baekpungmilwon Garden so we can catch the 3:15 bus to the Garden of Morning Calm. It took us around 15 minutes to get on board. Enough time to take more pictures of the gate, some statues and everything else near us.


WINTER SONATA FILM LOCATIONS PHOTOS

Jun Sang's funeral location

Reed Woods Lane

Marker going to the First Kiss Bridge

First Kiss Bridge and Glass Sequoia

First Kiss Bench

Winter Sonata Poster in the Recycling Garden

Winter Sonata Photos

Yoo Jin and Jun Sang's Statue

Yoo Jin and Jun Sang

Metasequoia Lane

ART AROUND THE ISLAND

Soju bottles wall decor

wooden statues

UNICEF Hall facade

One of the paintings near UNICEF Eco Stage

VILLAGE LIBRARY PHOTOS

BUDGET (for two):
Gapyeong Shuttle Bus      10,000 KRW
Nami Island Visa              16,000 KRW
Lunch  and Snacks           35,000 KRW
total                                 61,000 KRW

SHUTTLE BUS FROM SEOUL
BUS STOP:
Insadong      9:30am  (Near the West gate of Tapgol Park)
Jamsil           9:30am (in front of Lotte Mart near exit 4 of Jamsil                                           subway station)

Nami Island 4:00pm (parking lot in front the ticket office)

FEES:
Adult 15,000 KRW (round trip)/ 7,000 KRW (one way)
Child  13,000 KRW (round trip)/ 6,500 KRW (one way)
 *child- ages 24 months to12 years

KOREAN DRAMA TOUR FOR BACKPACKERS- DESTINATION 1: PETITE FRANCE (SEPTEMBER 19, 2013)

     Chuseok is Korea's thanksgiving. Every year, locals rush to their hometown to take advantage of the 5-day vacation while foreigners either stay in their pad or pack their bags and travel somewhere they haven't been to.

     This year, my husband and I planned to backpack to Petite France and Nami Island. We searched for the easiest route and hopped on the bus to the subway station. We boarded Korail Line 1, got off at Yongsan Station, and purchased Intercity Train Express (ITX) tickets to Cheongpyeon, following directions in the internet telling Cheongpyeon is the nearest station to Petite France. When we got on the ITX, we realized we should have bought tickets ahead of time beacause of the volume of passengers during holidays. We didn't get a seat, so we ended up sitting on the floor. I didn't really mind since the train is very clean and it looked new, anyway. We arrived at 3:50pm at Cheongypeon Station, just as indicated on the ticket. (Tip: Exit on the right if you wish to take a cab. Exit on the left if you wish to take the bus.) We waited for both, but 30 minutes passed and no bus nor cab came by to pick up the passengers. An Ahjumma on queue said they've been there for an hour, so instead of wasting precious time, we boarded the next train to Gapyeong Station which is only two stops away.
     Gapyeong Station seems busier compared to Cheongpyeon Station which looks too far from the city. We got a cab right away which took us to Petite France. The lady cab driver did a lot of overtakes and swerving and had us infront of the theme park in 30 minutes. Whew! We paid her 30,000 KRW for that, anyways. Cab meter read 23,000 KRW but my husband wanted to give the lady a tip. He said it's safer to take a cab than a bus if you're not familiar with the place. One purpose of this blog is to, of course, be of help to future travelers. So another tip... take the Gapyeong Shuttle Bus which stops at every tourist destination in Gapyeong. This is

Shuttle Bus Tickets

cheaper and more convenient. Pay 5,000 KRW to the driver and this is already good for the whole day. Just remember to keep your ticket and show it to the driver every time you board a bus. Bus route and schedule is posted inside the bus and in the Gapyeong and Cheongpyeong Bus Terminals. Unfortunately, most of them are written in Hangul. So try to learn a little Hangul or maybe ask the bus driver who speaks a little English.
     It was already 4:30pm when we reached the park so we took pictures at the entrance right away and paid 16,000 KRW for our entrance pass.

     Petite France became popular after the filming of Secret Garden and Beethoven Virus and photo shoot of Personal Taste (Gain's Taste) Dramas. As the name suggests, it looks like a small version of a French Village, overlooking the Cheongpyeong lake, where everyone can enjoy French culture in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi-Do.
     The Orgel house near the entrance, houses a collection of musical boxes from Europe and the St. Exupery Memorial Hall, the only Memorial Hall of St. exupery in Korea which has a license from the St. Exupery Foundation, is filled with various works and characters from Le Petite Prince.
     We were led by a narrow zigzag stairway down the fountain plaza surrounded by a gift shop, gallery and a restaurant. The upper floor of the building has accommodation facilities if you wish to stay in the park for the night.
     Adults seemed to travel back in their fairy tale and storybook days with the huge storybook page and Le Petite Prince wall art. I am, of course, one of those who waited on queue to have a pic with the little prince. I have to try real hard, though, to fit to that little chair. Lots of wall art caught the eyes of the guests. The observatory even has wall paintings on every wall.
     Try to check every building and let them surprise you. If you're into dolls, there's a house of French dolls with a miniature french village at the center. Antique lovers, on the other hand, may enjoy the antique gallery which is like a flea market where visitors can see and actually buy items that they want. If you're curious about French puppets, the Guignol Theather conducts puppet plays which stars, of course, the puppets from France and other parts of Europe.
     Since I got my photo-op with the Little Prince, My husband didn't pass on the opportunity to pose like Hyun Bin. So, try to check that out too if you're a Secret Garden fan like us.

      If you're lucky, you'll get to see a show in the amphitheater. Or, maybe, just sit for a while and relax if you got tired walking around, which I doubt since the park is so small that you'll get to see every corner of it in just 30 minutes.
     Staying overnight in the village or the nearest Hotel just outside Petite France seemed boring for us so we went onto our next adventure. We looked for a ride to the nearest city so we could grab a humongous bowl of soup and get some rest.
     We noticed everyone waiting for the bus has tickets. This is how we discovered the shuttle bus that goes around Gapyeong. The bus stops at Namiseom, so we already have an idea where to get off the following day for our Winter Sonata Tour. We noticed a lot of pension houses along the way but the bus doesn't stop there, so it may be better to stay somewhere near Namiseom. There are some hotels around the area but we doubt that there are still available rooms because of the holiday so, we opted to get off at Gapyeong Bus Terminal. I spotted a Motel across the terminal which is quite o.k. (or maybe we're just too bushed and starving). It's proximity to the bus terminal made us choose to stay there to avoid the hassle of walking too long to get a ride in the morning.
     Getting something for dinner was surprisingly challenging at that

Yeong Cheon Haejangkuk

time. Only the convenience stores, hofs, coffee shops, Dunkin' Donuts and Pelicana Chicken were open. Even  Lotteria was closed for Chuseok. The Haejangkuk shop along Gahwa Road was the only Korean restaurant that's open.   We didn't have a choice but to have beef haejangkuk since it's the only one available in their menu that night. Their small serving of Haejangkuk with few slices of beef and some bean sprout is a little disappointing. The serving size and the lack of flavor didn't satisfy us. It doesn't really taste like haejangkuk at all. It's too far from the one we usually have in Pyeongtaek (The ahjussi at the shop is kind, though...and speaks a little English). So came Dunkin' Donuts and Pelicana Chicken to our rescue for midnight snack.

     We ended the day by planning tomorrows trip and reminiscing with our photos, so here they are...

Fountain Plaza

St. Exupery Memorial Hall

Giant Storybook

Wall art

Guignol Theater

Secret Garden filming location

A glimpse of Cheongpyeon Lake

Petite France Amphitheater

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BUDGET (for two):
Subway ticket to Yongsan                   -   5,300 KRW
ITX ticket to Cheongpyeon                 -   6,800 KRW
Gapyeong Shuttle Bus                         -  10,000 KRW
Petite France Entrance Pass                -  16,000 KRW
Haejangkuk (dinner for two)               -  22,000 KRW 
1 box Pelicana Chicken with               -  16,000 KRW
    1 bottle of soda
Donuts                                                 -   9,000 KRW
Motel fee                                             -  33,000 KRW
TOTAL                                                 118, 100 KRW

*   Another mistake is that we didn't check the nearest bus terminal in our area. Taking the bus will save you the trouble of train transfers and you might also save around 30 minutes to 1 hour  of travel time since these buses have lesser stops compared to the regular G Buses and travel through the express way.
     There are buses bound for Chuncheon which stops at Gapyeong and Cheongpyeon bus terminals. Here's a list of bus terminals with bus routes going to Chuncheon (always double check as you get to the terminal):

Incheon Airport
Bucheon
Suwon
Ansan
Pyeongtaek
Anseong
Dong Seoul
Jamsil
Uijeongbu