I believe in process. I believe in four seasons. I believe that winter’s tough, but spring’s coming. I believe that there’s a growing season. And I think that you realize that in life, you grow. You get better.
-Steve Southerland
The storyteller in me slowly faded from the endless cycle of routine that held me back last year. That was the main reason I stopped writing. However, here I am hoping that you will enjoy reading what I have experienced: 5 days of Seoul searching.
Pardon the pun.
Stepping off the plane and feeling the final winter days of cold air embracing me, I couldn’t believe that I am here. Again. Feeling right at home. However, this time, I am determined to just follow the flow instead of being the tour guide like the previous years. This time, it was a girls only trip with my work mates and my sister and we were staying at Hongdae, which is the prime spot for people to feel the vibe and hangout until the early dawn. It couldn’t have been a better place. We have a two bedroom apartment with a kitchen and a toilet to ourselves. The presence of the laundry machine was also a plus.
The best thing to do once you arrive would be to explore the place you’re staying in. I love cafes and enjoy sitting in one with a book in one hand while sipping a cup of coffee. Or hot chocolate. I had to strike that plan first and head to Myeongdong because a few of my friends don’t have Korean cash with them.
It was a great choice because this is the area to be if you want to enjoy street food like the locals. Our first bite of Seoul had to be the baked cheese lobster. Love at the first bite!
For a proper dinner, we stopped at Yoogane Restaurant and we ordered the marinated seafood fried rice (해물 쳘판 볶음밥) as well as Nurungji (누룽지). For those wondering what Nurungji means, well, it is a Korean traditional food made of scorched rice. Nurungji can be eaten in its crispy state as a snack or as an after meal rice tea by adding hot water or re-boiled with water.
The fried rice was made with love. Literally. We were so excited for food that we wanted to cook it for ourselves but a waiter came and decided to cook for us then and there. He even shaped the fried rice into a heart shape. What a very sweet gesture! It made my friends who came here for the first time felt welcomed. Thank you Yoogane Restaurant.
The second day was reserved for our short trip out to Gapyeong. We decided to go to Nami Island and also stop by Petite France. The first time I went here, we took a bus from Tapgol Park. This time, we went to Yongsan Station and took an ITX train straight to Gapyeong Station. When we arrived, the bus driver was already waiting for us asking if we’re going to Nami Island. It was a stroke of luck!
As soon as we arrived, you can go straight to the dreamy immigration entrance of Nami Island to purchase a ferry ticket and entrance fee (8,000 won). Immigration? Actually, Nami Island declared itself to be an independent nation. Visitors are required to purchase a ‘visa’ before you can go through ‘immigration’ and get on the ferry to arrive at the island.
However, for those who thrives on crazy, like me, you can go for a more adventurous route into Nami Island by taking the exhilarating Nami Skyline ZipWire for 38,000won. It was scary. It was foolish. It was mind-numbing. It was the best decision ever. Lol. I will take this route again next time.
Some people spend 2 hours here, but we took our time to become one with the serene and picturesque surrounding. We took pictures at the famous Metasequoia road. We roamed further until we found the statue of the famous couple, Min-hyeong and Yoo-jin of Winter Sonata.
My sister, Mimzy and my friend, Zowie played with the remnants of snow piled together in one area. We could’ve stayed here until sunset. Maybe stay overnight at the Naminara hotel, but let’s save that for the next trip. I have a few places in mind to visit. Actually, something funny happened near the statue area. We were minding our own business as usual, but apparently Mimzy and Zowie caught the attention of an ahjussi who were walking around with his own group. He couldn’t help but take pictures with them and he even asked his wife to not interfere. Lol! Funny ahjussi. Of course in the end they took a group picture with the wife included. Spot the picture below~
For our lunch, we had lunch at Kko Kko Chuncheon Dakgalbi Restaurant (꼬꼬 춘천 닭갈비). It’s one of the halal eateries and you get to sample local food – Dakgalbi! This dish consists of rice cake, marinated chicken and cabbage. The owner even added a few more bowls of rice for us because we looked hungry. (Confession: We were ravenous from all the walking and taking pictures.) By the way, our food was cooked live right in front of us. All we had to do was sit back and feast on the perfectly cooked meal.
The wait for the Gapyeong Tour Bus was really long and while waiting, Mimi and Fatin bought themselves the latest craze during winter: strawberry latte. It came in a pretty glass bottle and tasted so sweet and fresh. Just what you need after a hearty meal.
Petite France. A beautiful French cultural village set in the Korean countryside where visitors can stay for a night and experience a slice of French culture. Have you heard of the Little Prince? This village has a memorial hall dedicated to Saint-Exupery, the author of the celebrated French novel, Le Petit Prince. Just to prove a point, once we entered the Antique Exhibit Hall and were treated to a life-size statue of Le Petit Prince himself. The hall was 2-storeys high but I was spooked by the porcelain dolls and puppets exhibit so we went exploring other halls instead. Heheh.
Considering that this is my second time here, once in winter and now it’s almost spring, I still can’t get over the beautiful and colourful buildings. Ohh did I forget to mention? This place was the filming location of the well-known and beloved Korean drama, Beethoven Virus, Secret Garden as well as My Love from the Star. We were fortunate enough to catch the marionette show and the soap bubble experience.
Bip! Bip! Bip! Bip! Bip! Bip!
I was scrambling to get my phone. What was going on? Is that a safety alert? Is it an earthquake alert? Everyone was looking at us. I looked at my screen and it was definitely an alert. Apparently the air pollution became worse and the smog level was really bad. The public was warned to use public transport instead of their private cars. Fuhh. My heart stopped beating for a second there.
Getting back to Seoul was another experience. Our return train is at 8pm but it was only 6.30pm. We were tired, hungry and in need of a place to relax. I went to the person in-charge and asked him if we can get an earlier train. He was kind enough to offer us the earliest train available which was in 10 minutes, but with a catch. There were only 2 seats available and the other 4 of us had to stand. Did we take the offer? Of course!
Our adventures will be continued in the next post.
Through Nora Johari's Eyes 