Myeong-dong (plus NANTA Show and Cathedral)

EJ, Annette, Ria and I went to Myeong-dong two times during our stay.  There are other shopping areas in Seoul like Itaewon and COEX Mall, but Myeong-dong had the Cookin NANTA Show and the Myeong-dong Cathedral.  Plus, it was hip and happening like Harajuku in Tokyo.

Myeong-dong is located in the center of Seoul.  There are a lot of international brands with stores there like Zara, Forever 21, Uniqlo and Gap.  But what caught my eye was the number of skin-care retail shops in the area.  I saw like 3 The Face Shops and 5 Nature Republics.  What's up with that?  And their models were guys.  What's up with Koreans and make-up?

We watched the Cookin' NANTA Show over at the UNESCO Building at 8:00pm.  Our tickets cost W40,000.00 (P1,600.00)

This is the view you get for W40,000.00.  The closest costs W60,000.00.  Then W50,000.00.

The show was okay.  There are five performers.  They're supposedly cooks/chefs working in a restaurant.  And they create music while cooking.  Most of the time, they use their knives to produce a beat.  It's like STOMP meets Iron Chef.  There is limited dialogue.  Any person can understand and follow the story.

We enjoyed the show.  If musical live performances are your thing, then Cookin' NANTA is the show for you.

We also visited Myeong-dong Cathedral--east of the shopping district.  It houses the Archdiocese of Seoul and is the oldest brick church built in Gothic style in South Korea. 

Myeong-dong Cathedral was one of the film locations of Korean Drama TV Series, You Are Beautiful ( Minami Shineyo).  In the show, Hwang Tae Gyeong was supposed to meet Minam in front of the Myeong-dong Cathedral, but he never show up.  Instead, Sinu takes Minam around the shopping district and the two have a great time shopping and eating.

In front of the cathedral is a statue of Jesus that looks like a minature version of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.

The inside looks similar to the Manila Cathedral, only cleaner and sleeker.

Bean Pole is Soth Korea's version of Zara, Polo Ralph Lauren and Lacoste.  It is a high-end fashion brand which counts Gwyneth Paltrow and Wentworth Miller as its endorsers.  The penny-farthing bicycle is their logo.

UNIQLO is a Japanese fashion brand more up my alley because it is more affordable than Bean Pole.  And I like their designs.  Its current poster boy is Orlando Bloom.

Budget:

Cookin' NANTA Show            P 1,600

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 Sonata, Yoo-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 Sonata, Yoo-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.

Zip Line from Gapyeong to Nami Island

Having just opened last November 2010, very little has been written about Nami Island’s (Namiseom) latest attraction, the 940 meter long Nami Skyline ZipWire ZipRider (zip-line cable ride) from Gapyeong Wharf to Namiseom.  And their website is not helpful unless you know how to read Korean.

So, EJ, Annette, Ria and I had to discover it by ourselves when we went there.

Nami Island can be reached by Tour Bus from Insadong, Seoul.  Round trip fare costs W15,000 (or P600*).  However, They follow only one schedule.  The bus leaves Insadong at 9am and returns at 4pm.  I didn’t want to go there on a fixed schedule, so I decided to go there via Korail train.

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).  The Nami Skyline Zipwire ZipRider Tower is next to the wharf.

From Gapyeong Wharf, you can reach Nami Island by ferry.  Round-trip fare (including entrance to the island) costs W8,000 (P320).

OR, you can take the Zipwire, which is what WE did.

There were no lines to the zipwire, compared to the line for the ferry.  Either the tourists were scared of ziplining, or they thought it was too cold to hang on a zipline 80 meters (260 feet) above the Cheongpyeong Lake.

According to the guy at the front desk, their zipline is Euro Standard compliant.  It was built by the same company who built ziplines in Utah, Colorado, California, New Hampshire, Vermont and Switzerland.

Ziplining from Gapyeong Wharf to Nami Island will set you back W38,000 (P1,500), including entrance and return ferry.

Feeling adventurous, the four of us tried it out.

You get to the top floor via elevator.  It was cold that day.  Temperature was about 4 degrees Centegrade (4°C).  The wind was blowing, but the tower did not sway--as I had earlier expected.  The tower was solid and sturdy, which was good.

Once you get to the top, you will be met by a guy who will brief you on what to do.  Basically, sit down and lift your feet when you land.

While waiting, there was a tent with a heater to warm ourselves.

Watching the couple ahead of us zipline to Nami Island.

When it was our turn, we jumped into our harnesses.  The zipline guys strapped us in.  And then opened the doors.  Only then do you realize how high up you are from the ground, and it’s too late to back out!

Annette and EJ getting ready for their turn.

Surprisingly, the ride down was not fast like a rollercoaster.  Ria and I glided on average speed (the website says about 35 mph).  The speed was just enough for us to take in the experience and enjoy the scenery.  I used my point and shoot camera to videotape the whole ride.  Will post it next time.

The zipline ride lasted for about 1 minute.  It was quick, but well worth it.  After all, how many of us can say that they ziplined a kilometer, 80 meters above a lake in South Korea?

My next post will be about our time in Nami Island.

Budget:

Item	Price
Subway Fare to Sangbong Station	P 40
Train Fare to Gapyeong	P 70
Taxi to Gapyeong Wharf	P 120
Zip-Line to Nami Island with Entrance and Ferry	P  1,500
TOTAL	P 1,730

 

*As of March 2011, currency exchange rate is W1 = P0.04