South Korea: Best of Autumn in Nami Island

The Korean soap Winter Sonata did Nami Island an injustice when it used the island as the filming location during the winter season. Because Nami Island is simply breathtaking in autumn.  Thank goodness Glenn had it right when he included Nami as our top destination when we had our vacation in South Korea last October.  Fall has always been his favourite out of the four seasons and he wanted me to love it too so I will relent to visit South Korea every year. So you could say that this sand bar situated in the middle of Han River is the make it or break it factor for our future visits to the land of the morning calm.

There are three ways to get to Nami Island. The most convenient way from Seoul is to take the Naminara Republic shuttle bus. Their office is at 3F Gallery Sang building is located in Insadong so if you’re going to take the Seoul Metro, take line 1 and get off at Jonggak station and walked straight until you reach Topgol park where you can find the Nami Island Bus stop. You have to make a reservation though since bus seats are usually occupied beforehand. Reservation is only available via phone (call +8227531247 and the reservation officer will instruct you in the methods of payment) and it will only be confirmed after the payment is completed which should be made at least a day before your reserved date. If you want a hassle- free tour to Nami, use their shuttle bus so you can just be at the bus stop at least ten minutes before the 9:30am departure time. Of course, the tour costs more compared to if you go to Nami on your own. A one way ticket costs KRW 6,500 while the round trip ticket costs KRW 13,000. An integrated ticket is also available for KRW 23,000 which includes the bus fare plus the entrance fee to the island.  You can check their website  for further details

Another way of getting to the island is to take the bus going to Gapyeong Bus terminal. Buses depart from three terminals namely East Seoul Terminal (02-446-8000), Sangbong Terminal  (02-323-5885) and Chuncheon bus Terminal   (033-241-0285). The first bus at all three terminals depart at 6:15am and last trip for the day leaves at 10pm at the latest. You should arrive at Gapyeong Bus terminal after 1 hour and 20 minutes if you took the bus at East Seoul Terminal or Sangbong terminal. Chuncheon Terminal is nearer so it should only take about 25 minutes.  Here’s a link for the bus schedule from Gapyeong terminal to Nami parking lot. 

The third option which is what we took is using Korea’s efficient subway system.  Glenn intended for us to take the Naminara Republic shuttle bus, unfortunately we were not able to make a reservation. Still, we took a chance and went to Insadong so early that the tour office was still closed. Good thing there is a Starbucks shop nearby so we had coffee and bulgogi sandwich for breakfast while waiting for their office to open. 

Breakfast at Starbucks Insadong

Burial tombs

Train ride to Gapyeong Station

 Apparently, there are a lot of tourists that visits the island on weekends that when we inquired we were told that the tour is already fully booked. So we decided to take the fastest and cheapest route which is to go to Sangbong station which is part of line 7 and take the Gyeongchun line. A one way ticket from Sangbong station to Gapyeong station costs KRW 1800 and travel time is about 45 minutes.  After we arrived at Gapyeong station, it was just a 5 minute taxi ride to Gapyeong wharf for KRW 3000. For those who don’t want to spend KRW 3000 for the taxi, you can opt to walk 1.6 km which should take you about 25 minutes.

Our route, in yellow lines, with 2 stops to change lines

Group shot at Gapyeong Station

It was a short albeit cold walk to the Nami Tourism Office where we queued to get an entry visa or ticket to the Naminara Republic. Regular visa fee which includes the ferry ride is KRW 10,000 but foreigners are given a discount so we paid KRW 8,000 for it. After we paid our tickets, we waited for the ferry to take us across the river. A ferry leaves the wharf every 10-20 minutes so you don’t have to wait too long. 

After nth train rides, we finally arrived in the manmade paradise of Nami Island.  My first glimpse of the colourful leaves of trees everywhere is definitely worth the long rides and the cold weather.  People watching also added entertainment value like watching a Korean couple doing their Prenup shoot and a tourist climbing a tree for that perfect souvenir shot.

First glimpse of Nami Island

Prenup shoot

A tourist's antics

 

To get to the center of the island, you can either walk or take the UNICEF charity train for KRW 2000. Since it was quite cold and Glenn’s parents were with us, we decided to ride the train and we were treated with these awe inspiring views.

Loving Autumn in Nami Island

Yellow trees of Autumn

Railroad in Nami Island

Colors of Autumn

Autumn leaves

 

It was past 12 noon by then so we set off to finding a restaurant to have lunch. There are seven restaurants in the island and most of them are a bit expensive for our budget.  We settled on a Korean resto for some ramyeon and pajeon.  After lunch, we went back to sightseeing and passed by a rental station for bicycles, sky bike, electric tri-way and electric tour car. 

In 1965, Mr. Byeong-Do Minn spearheaded the planting of thousands of trees so there are several lanes lined up with various trees. Walking along Central Pine tree lane, Gingko tree lane, Cornel tree lane or Metasequoia lane is a good exercise and a feast for the eyes. 

Lovers in Nami Island

At last no tourists in sight

Winter Sonata

The things a tourist do for that perfect souvenir shot

Different Colors of Autumn

Jump for Joy for a Beautiful Autumn Getaway

 

The picturesque trees of Nami Island showcased the best of autumn and the highlight of our Korea experience. It was definitely a memorable day to fall in love with the country in fall. I got what I have always imagined of what a beautiful day in autumn should be. And Glenn got what he planned all along. I said yes to his proposal for a yearly visit to Korea at the end of the day.

Bicol: Carefree in Caramoan Islands

After a successful Ilocos trip last August of 2009, our all girls travel group agreed to do it again on the same dates the following year. Hence, the Bicol trip last August 28-31, 2010. Everyone joined the trip except for two due to work constraints. The girls from Philippine Airlines took care of our tickets and made sure that we got promo seats from PAL’s anniversary seat sale. They booked a Manila – Legaspi flight because it was cheaper at that time.  As usual, I was in charge of making the itinerary.  Some wanted to see Mayon volcano, others wanted to go to CamSur Water Sports Complex and the rest just wanted to visit the Caramoan Peninsula.   Some of the girls will be leaving a day early and they requested that we visit Caramoan Islands on the first day. 

So after a photo finish check-in for our 6:30am flight, we arrived in Legaspi city after an hour. The van driver hasn’t arrived yet, so we had breakfast at the airport restaurant while waiting for him. We rented a van for 2500php to take us straight to Sabang port in Camarines Sur. There were ten of us so it wasn’t too heavy on the pocket. We took the Legaspi-Tiwi-Sabang route for the 2 hour trip and arrived 30 minutes before the last boat trip. We had time to contemplate if we wanted to wade into the waters or sit on the porter’s shoulder for 20php to get to the boat. The name Sabang port is a misnomer because it’s not really one. There is no structure where the boats can dock so porters had to carry passengers to the boat. At first everyone wanted to wade into the waters but we all changed our minds at the last minute. And boy, did we have a grand time of it. The “porter ride” experience made the 2 hour boat trip amidst choppy waters bearable.

Boat at Sabang port

Weeks before our trip, I contacted a boat owner in Caramoan for our island hopping tour.  Mr. Ramil Cruel met us at Guijalo port in when we arrived in Caramoan. He brought us to Juliana Inn to find out in our dismay that the owner, Mang Roger was not expecting us. Good thing Mishay who took care of the reservation brought the payment slip with her.  Even so he was reluctant to accommodate us and kept on insisting that he doesn’t know the one who took our reservation. Never mind that we got the contact number in their website. Luckily, one of his workers told him that might have corresponded with their Manila office. Turns out that the one that we corresponded with is the owner’s daughter- in- law, why he was not informed is a perplexing story. I think the reason why he was not willing to honor the reservation is the fact that they no longer have the rooms available. In the end, we had no choice but to take the 2 rooms left.  It was past 2pm before we were able to leave for the island hopping tour. It was not really an island hopping tour per se since we only visited Lahos Island because we started late. But Lahos Island is worth the 1500php we paid for the trip. 

Lahos Island

Lahos Island

Friendship trip year 2

All too soon, we had to leave the clear waters of Lahos Islands since it was getting dark. And we had to tread the pot-holed roads from Bikal port back to the town proper. After a 30 minute bumpy ride we were looking forward to getting back to the inn since we were promised a seafood feast by the owner. We ordered crabs, shrimps and fish before leaving for the tour. Imagine our surprise when we were served adobong pusit. Again, we had no choice and we were all starving so we swallowed our disappointment and dine in candlelight since the electricity went out. Good thing we were a merry group so it was a dinner full of peals of laughter. 

We retired after dinner because we need to be up by 5am so we can start the tour early the next day. We were going to take another island hopping tour for 2000php before we take the boat back to Sabang port. This time we visited Cagbanilad Island, Matukad Island and Tinago Island. 

Cagbanilad Island

Agua Bendita @ Cagbanilad Island

Matukad Island

During our visit, the island was being used by Survivor Serbia as one of their location. The island is usually off limits during that time but since we were there early and they were still setting up, they allowed us to stay and even gave us bottled water. How can they not let 10 girls in 2 -piece swim suits swim?

Tinago Island

Sunset in Caramoan Island

I always look back at the time spent swimming in the calm waters of Tinago Island with a fond smile. Tinago which means hidden is a cove which is an ideal place for a morning swim while communing with nature. It was a perfect time to say a prayer of thanks to God for giving me a chance to experience His amazing creations with good friends.