MYEONGDONG SHOPPING

     Shop 'til you drop in Myeongdong! From the Subway Line 4 tunnel  to the streets of Myeongdong, expect to find everything you want and everything you wished for. From muffins, coffee, schneeballs to cosmetics, clothing, bags, souvenir items, K-pop memorabilia and more.

     Keep yourself from the temptation while still in the tunnel because you'll get the same items in the main shopping area for a better deal. Almost all the stores in Myeongdong shopping area give gifts as you enter their shop. As store attendants hand you a shopping basket, it comes with either a free pen, facial wipes, or a  moisturizer sampler. But before those freebies get you to come to the shops, larger-than-life fiberglass statues smile at you as you walk along the streets. Even the police station has statues near its entrance.

     Tourists from all over the world drop by this area and made the Korean storekeepers used to dealing with foreigners. They may not speak English but don't get intimidated by this. If you wish to shop, ask them about the price and they'll respond using their calculator. I've become fond of these funny socks, because I haven't seen anything thing like it elsewhere but in South Korea, and the souvenirs made of polymer clay and ref magnets so I always tend to stop and grab something at these shops.

     Another attraction in the area are the Korean streetfoods. I'm familiar with udeng, waffles, sausages potato swirls and topokki but it's my first time to see a Korean giant lollipop made infront of me. The sign says it's called popki. I didn't buy it since it smelled like the Filipino candy tira-tira so I already had an idea how it tastes and it's too big just to try out. The lemonade stands also attract tourists, with their freshly squeezed lemons placed in tetra packs, and the ice cream stands which sells ice cream as high as a foot.

Popki candies

Potato swirl and sausages

Ice cream and some cute girls

    Diners, coffee shops, fastfood and restaurants are on every street so there's no problem looking for a place to eat during lunch or dinner. Just look for the signs and check which building level they are found because most of them are on the upper floors of the buildings.

     My husband is an omurice fan, so we chose to have lunch at Han's Deli. The name of the meals are very enticing but not the meal itself. I was disappointed that the premium beef I ordered which looked like a thick slice of steak in the picture is nothing but a burger patty smothered with spicy sauce. But their pizza is the best pizza I had in Seoul (thank goodness) and I would come back for that if I get to go back to Myeongdong.

    Myeongdong gets busier as it gets dark. Rows of food carts, shoes, socks, belts, cap vendors and more line the streets. A colleague said some stay as late as 2am but we saw several started packing away at around 10:30pm. I could say, the place even got more attractive with lights brightening up the shopping area. The Seoul Tower got more noticeable, too.

     Hotels are also everywhere. There won't be a problem looking for a place to stay if you didn't come on a package tour.

     And if all that shopping ate all your Korean Won and need to exchange your Dollars, try looking for money changers found in the smaller streets. 

AN UNEXPECTED TOUR TO THE GARDEN OF MORNING CALM (SEPTEMBER 20, 2013)

     As my husband and I were checking on the bus routes the previous day, we found out about the other tourist spots in Gapyeong. We got some brochures from the shuttle bus and one of them caught our attention. The Garden of Morning Calm's brochure has the garden's picture filled with colorful flowers and pine trees that cover the mountain. We doubted it would look the same this season provided that it's almost autumn, but it's still worth seeing since we're already in Gapyeong. So, we boarded the 3:15 pm bus which is 15 minutes late due to heavy traffic because of the volume of private vehicles who came for the holiday.

     It was a long commute from Nami Island to the garden. We thought it will only take us around 30 minutes since the bus goes around Gapyeong the whole day and I have to admit we forgot to check the shuttle's time of arrival out of excitement. The shuttle followed the course of the road nearest the lake, went through a bridge to cross the dam, followed the road again and took the expressway. Two hours had passed before we reached our destination.

     We ran towards the ticket booth fearing the garden would close at 5 or 6 pm. We thought a quick walk through it would be enough but, as we walked past the entrance, we almost didn't want to go back early with what welcomed us. It was almost unbelievable. If I would recommend a must see in South Korea, this is it! The garden is one of most beautiful places I've been in all of my travels.

     Overwhelmed with what we saw, we went in right away without checking the brochure. I found out after a few days that there was a recommended route so tourists won't miss out on the most beautiful parts of the garden. This is how you (and I hope you'll really get to see this one) should walk through the garden:

The Best Course:

1. The Ticket Office- purchase your tickets at 8,000 KRW/ head for adults

                                   

2. The Hometown Garden- right after the Morning Calm Gallery is this garden. Azaleas, magnolia and rose mosses are very sentimental to Koreans. You'll see these along replicas of tile-roofed houses and give you a glimpse of an old Korean town.

3. Bonsai Garden- bonsai trees of dwarf trees beautifies this garden along with bigger and older trees. Its curves and asymmetrical balance will make you appreciate the essence of Korean beauty.

4. Eden Garden- this garden has lilies, 20 kinds of peonies, around 100 varieties of roses. It was built in  commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Garden of Morning Calm.

5. Millenium Juniper- the 1000-year old Chinese tree symbolizes the garden. The marks on its trunk always make everyone feel in awe. This is one of my favorite spots in the garden.

6. Sunken Garden- the shape of this garden looks like the lands of Korea filled with flowering plans that flaunt their beautiful colors and trees which symbolizes North and South Korea's desire to be reunited.

7. The Sunken Garden View Point- an area where you can best catch the beauty of the garden and the Chukryung Mountain.

8. Korean Garden- this garden has 50 kinds of Korean Trees. The  view of the bridge and the small pavilion in the middle of the pond and the tile and thatched-roof houses are essential elements in  the Korean Culture. 

9. Road to Heaven- this is a road leading to a small white chapel in the Moonlight Garden. It's like walking in a long aisle with the prettiest flowers you can imagine.

10. Heaven Garden- they said that this garden represents the Kingdom of heaven with the daffodils and tulips that bloom in spring, lilies and violet macmoondongs in summer and the Siberian chrysanthemums during fall.

11. Moonlight Garden- a small white chapel stood in the center of white flower beds of margarets and lilies which seemed like clouds from afar. You'll feel like you want get married or want to get married again once you see this garden. Most Catholics try to get inside and pray in the chapel. You'll have to wait for your turn, though, since it only has eight sitting capacity.

12. Morning Plaza- this is a wide space covered with grass where kids can run and play and where adults may sit and enjoy the view of the Milleniun Junipers, Hwanyou tree and the pine trees on the mountain.

13. Wild Flower Garden- you'll discover different wild flowers and plants from Chukryung and Baekdu mountains in this garden and will appreciate them more with the view of the pond and arch-shaped bridges.

     The hidden corners and trails in the garden may not be regarded as the one of the highlights but they are as beautiful as well. Many tourists get psyched about building their own pagoda stones in the Pagoda Garden. Someone even managed to build a pagoda as high as around three and a half feet and the smallest one we saw is about two and a half inches tall made of pebbles.
     Find your own spot, take time to breathe in the fresh, soft breeze and relax your cramping leg muscles from exploring Gapyeong the whole day anywhere in the garden. There are pavilions, benches, boulders and wide grass covered spaces where tourists may sit or even lie down if you have a bit more time left before the next bus comes.
     Stuff like figurines, fridge magnets, bookmarks made of dried flowers and cardboard and letter openers are just some of the souvenirs you can find at the Souvenir Shop. It's always good to take home some remembrance of the places you've been to aside from the pictures that you took. The items were affordable, anyway. The least expensive I bought was marked at 2,000 KRW.

Pagoda Garden

Smallest Pagoda built at the Pagoda Garden

A pavilion for guests to rest

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