Tourist on Weekends: 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.