Sunday, April 3, 2011

Namiseom (Nami Island)

Arrived on Nami Island (Namiseom) via ZipWire.  It was a good day to visit the island as the sun was out, the sky was blue, and spring was just around the corner.

However, there were still some remnants of the winter season:  cold weather and a bit of snow.


Nami Island is about 60 kilometers east of Seoul, located at the border of Gapyeong and Chuncheon.  It has an area of 460,000 square meters.  It was named after General Nami, and is known to be a dating destination of Korean couples.  Para siyang Burnham Park na ginawang island.


The Remnants of Winter: Snow



Nami Island was made popular by world-known Koreanovela, Winter Sonata (Gyeoul Yeonga), starring Ji-Woo Choi as Yoo-Jin Jung and Yong-Jun Bae as Jun-Sang Kang.  

The photo below shows the spot where Yoo-Jin and Jun-Sang made snowmen on a picnic table and had their first kiss.

No Kissing Scene Here



You can tour the island by bike.  It's 5 kilometers around the island.

Bikes can be rented for 30 minutes or by the hour.

There are a lot of bikes to choose from.  For couples, there are tandem bikes.  Ria and I tried one and it was difficult to maneuver.

There are mountain bikes.  These are brand new Lespo (Korean brand) bikes.

There are bikes for kids.

And bikes for families (well, for 3 adults and 2 infants)

Ria and I chose to rent the "made in italy" family bike as it was more stable.

At one of the edges of Nami Island.

Back to our favorite topic of this blog, the Korean TV Series Winter Sonata.  This is Yoo-Jin and Jun-Sang's statue.

Ria and I just had to take our "Korean/Japanese/Taiwanese" "V"-pose with Yoo-Jin and Jun-Sang.

In Winter SonataYoo-Jin and Jun-Sang held hands in this spot and walked past the redwood trees.

Ria, Annette, EJ and me

My favorite photo of the bunch.

Again, in one of the scenes in Winter SonataYoo-Jin and Jun-Sang rode a bike along this road.

Ria and I are rehearsing for our very own Koreanovela:  Spring Sonata

Boarding the ferry back to Gapyeong Wharf.



Good bye, Namiseom!  We enjoyed our visit!

And that was our day-trip to Nami Island.  You can actually stay there overnight.  They have a hotel and some cottages.

For more information about Nami Island, check out www.namisum.com.

5 comments:

  1. Hi there Sir Kris! I'm also a Filipino travelling to seoul this november. Ask ko lng po, if kaya ng half-day magtour sa Nami island? like for example start ng early AM and be back in Seoul by after lunch.
    Thanks so much! your blog was very useful :D

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  2. Hi, k_Red! Yes, kaya naman. Just don't take the tour bus kasi fixed schedule yun. You'll get back in Seoul at 430pm na. Take the KoRail Train so that you can return by lunch. Here's how:

    From wherever you are billeted in Seoul, take the subway to Sangbong Station (using Line 7 or the olive green line). Fare should be around W1,000 (or P40). When you get there, transfer to the Gyeongchun Line and take the train to Gapyeong Station. Don’t worry, directional signs are in Korean and English so you won't get lost. Fare should be around W1,800 (or P70). Gapyeong is 60 kilometers east of Seoul and the train ride should take about 60 to 70 minutes.

    Once you get to Gapyeong Station, you take a taxi to Gapyeong Wharf. Fare should be W3,000 (or P120).

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  3. This is very helpful Sir Kris. We plan to visit on December and it's good to get other options other than the packaged tours.

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome! Naku, good luck! Sobrang lamig siguro sa December! At least makakita kayo ng madaming snow!

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