Canasta (카나스타)

While the rainy season in Korea is starting to die down, the Dog Days of Summer are here. To stay cool, we headed back to the Konkuk University (건국대학교) area to find a board game cafe to play Canasta in.

From Canasta (카나스타)

View Canasta (카나스타) in a larger map


Last Saturday, the temperature in Seoul was a sweltering 33°C (91°F). Since the annual hot spell in Korea comes right after the rainy season, this heat is mixed with a very humid atmosphere. Because of this combination, Sauna Season might be another apt name for this weather pattern. To Koreans, this time of the year is called Sam-bok-deo-wi (삼복더위).

Members of Saturdays in Korea suggested going to one of the public pools in Korea to help escape the heat. Last Saturday, the pool at the Han River Park next to Ttukseom Resort Station (뚝섬유원지역) was overrun with hundreds (if not thousands) of little kids and their respective parental units. While cooling off in the water does sound like a good idea, the ambiance would probably have been ruined by a cacophony of high pitch screaming.

For this Saturday, we ended up going to a board game cafe (보드게임카페) by the name of Lime (라임). Starting at 4,500 Won, you can buy a (non-alcoholic) beverage and enjoy three hours at the cafe. In addition, there is a large selection of board and card games. This place is a good deal since other board game cafes are known to charge both by the drink and by the hour.

The original plan was to share a piece of American college culture and have a Poker Night (but during the daytime) that didn't involve gambling. After being advised by a number of Koreans, it was discovered that poker, even without the gambling component, has a severely negative perception due to the tumultuous history of gambling in Korea. Also, for the most part, gambling in Korea is illegal.

To avoid any trouble with the Korean Law, and to avoid getting dirty looks from any passersby, we decided to forgo poker. Instead, we ended up playing Canasta at the board game cafe. To be on the safe side, we posted the following sign on the tables we played at:

From Canasta (카나스타)

Roughly translated, the sign says, "This card game, Canasta, is a traditional card game from Uruguay. We are not gambling. Therefore, do not contact the police." Our Korean members found the signs humorous but unnecessary. It seems that since we weren't using poker chips, there really wasn't a problem.

Since this was a new game for most people, it took a little while to get the game rolling. After about 30 minutes of play, everyone seemed to have a handle on the game. While no pair of players were able to get to the 5,000 points to win at either of the tables, we did have a couple of groups that were in the lead after three hours.

All in all, we were able to experience something new while staying cool indoors out of the hot weather. Maybe next time we will try the game of Go-Stop (고스톱), but it will probably take much, much longer for people, especially for the non-native Koreans, to learn the complicated rules.

Bowling (볼링)

Since the rainy season in Korea hasn't abated, we ended up scheduling another indoor activity for this previous weekend. Bowling seemed like a good idea especially since we heard about a 'Happy Hour' at a bowling alley in the eastern part of Seoul. It turned out to be quite a popular choice, for about eighteen people from our group showed up for this activity.




View Bowling (볼링) in a larger map
In the eastern part of Seoul on the north side of the Han River is Konkuk University (건국대학교). On the southwest corner of the campus is a subway station named after the university, Konkuk University Station (건대입구역). To the northwest of the station is a commercial district that, like all commercial districts outside of a major university, caters to the local student population.

Just like any area next to a college, at 10:30am in the morning on Saturday, one can find a handful of young people stumbling back home after a long night of 'fun'. Despite the plethora of restaurants, drinking establishments and singing rooms usually found in a commercial district in Korea, there are a few other places outside of Konkuk University to have fun without all of the alcohol. For us, we went to the Hanareum Bowling Alley (한아름 볼링장)

From Bowling (볼링)

Every Saturday morning, from 10:00am to 2:00pm, Hanareum Bowling Alley offers one game of bowling for 2,200 Won. However, just as principals of economics state, a decrease of price will bring about an increase in demand. When we arrived at 11:00am, it ended up being about a 2 hour wait to get a lane.

Luckily, all around this area are many different types of restaurants. After walking around for about five minutes, we were able to find restaurant nearby to have lunch. This place served a bowl of Naengmyeon (냉면) - cold buckwheat noodles - and small serving of bulgogi (불고기) - Korean barbecued beef - for 5,500 Won. The food was quite good for the price we paid.

From Bowling (볼링)

From Bowling (볼링)

When we got back to the bowling alley, only one of our three lanes that we had reserved was open. While one group got started, the rest of us went off and played pool and ping pong, both of which were located in the same building as the bowling alley.

From Bowling (볼링)

After a little while, a couple of lanes opened up and the rest of us were able to start bowling. Since we started late, our group of twelve on two lanes were able to play one game before the Happy Hour price was over. After 2:00pm, the price of game went up to 4,200 Won.

One thing to note, most of the customers at the bowling alley were Koreans in their late 30s. Most of the people seemed to people who were on bowling teams and taking advantage of the cheap prices to practice. Even after we left at the end of the Happy Hour, many of them stayed on to play some more.

One thing that was still a bit of a culture shock to the ex-pats in our group that day was the amount equipment that all of the serious bowlers had. The majority of these people were all wearing the exact same type of large, plastic bowling wrist braces. In addition to that, it seemed that everyone had a carry-on suitcase filled with three bowling balls. None of this equipment seemed cheap at all.

This habit of buying a lot of (what one can guess) expensive sporting equipment is not isolated to the bowling community. The people in Korea who bike, ski or hike are also known to buy top of the line gear for their hobby. Despite anyone's objections to the amount of money people tend spend when buying sports equipment, it is good to see people getting out on the weekend and enjoying some physical activities.

Hanareum Bowling Alley would definitely be a good place for Saturdays in Korea to go to again in the future, especially if it is a rainy day. The next time though, we're going to arrive earlier to make sure that we get a bowling lane before the place fills up.

Table Tennis Tournament (탁구대회)

While last Saturday wasn't the worst day to be outside in a Korean summer, it can get much worse. Usually during this time of the year, Korea is plagued by the monsoon season (장마철) that brings lots of rain, heat and humidity to the peninsula. Because of this adverse weather pattern, a lot of our summer activities have been planned for inside. Last Saturday, we ended up heading over to the Songpa District (송파구) to have a table tennis tournament.




View Table Tennis Tournament (탁구대회) in a larger map
We were able to find a nice Tennis Table Center (탁구장) called the Songpa Table Tennis Club (송파영탁구클럽) in the Songpa District, just a short walk west from both Seokchon Station (석촌역) and Songpa Station (송파역). The actual place to play table tennis was located in the basement of one of the many four storied buildings along the road.

Before entering the table tennis center, a few of us who were wearing sandals had to buy a cheap pair of socks at one of the small stores along the street. At this place, people must wear appropriate shoes in order to play on the wooden floors. For those who don't have the correct shoes, there were plenty of shoes that one could borrow for free. My rule of thumb for any pair of communal shoes: always have on a clean pair of socks before putting on the shoes.

When we first got to the establishment, there were only a few middle-aged regulars playing table tennis. It seems that at this time in Korean history, it is mostly the older folks who are out and about doing physical activities and exercise. I'm sure that once the Olympic Generation (those Koreans born in or around the 1988 Seoul Olympics) start hitting their 30s, they too will become more physically active.

For our group of 11 people, we were able to rent three ping pong tables for 10,000 Won an hour. After a bit over 2 hours of playing table tennis, it cost each person about 5,000 Won. Not bad considering what it costs to go to the movies or to go to a bar with your friends.

After a warm up, we organized everybody into two groups. For each group, a miniature round-robin tournament was held. The top two people from each group went on to the semifinals to determine the winner overall. On the opposite end of the spectrum, one person from each group played for the "ultimate underdog" position.

When the finals were concluded, we asked a gentleman who seemed to be a regular to play the champion of our group. We didn't want the winner from our group to get a big head, so a bit of humility was in store for him. After three lightning quick games, our champion was left perplexed, trying to figure out how he could have countered the large amount of spin that the veteran table tennis player was able to put on the ball.

Overall, we had a great time, worked up a bit of sweat and burned some calories. Even though there was a "tournament", the greatest part of the day was just hanging out with friends and having a good time.


P.S.
Some of you may have noticed that my style of writing for the blog has changed. My original goal for this blog was to write a bit of a travel guide for ex-pats living in Korea. Instead, I've switched to more of a journal style of writing. With my very full work schedule this summer, trying to teach and write a travel guide blog every week was a bit overwhelming. While I did enjoy the challenge, I found that at this time a travel guide wasn't my favorite style of writing and the overall process just didn't feel right.

For those of you who are regular readers of this blog, I would love to hear your feedback on the direction that the blog is taking. If anyone does need more details on how to run one of the trips that we have done here in Saturdays in Korea, I am more than happy to share. Please contact me at anytime.

Namiseom Island (남이섬)

Near the end of June and the beginning of July, the monsoon season (장마철) starts in Korea. Last Saturday, the summer rain started in Korea. Despite the moderate amount of rain that fell on that day, we enjoyed a wonderful trip to an island in the middle of the river east of Seoul called Namiseom (남이섬).

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

Contents

Namiseom Island

The Naminara Republic

Getting to Namiseom

Namiseom

The Han River (한강), which flows through Seoul, is the result of two tributaries to the east, the North Han River (북한강) and the South Han River (남한강). The North Han River starts in North Korea and flows southwest through the mountainous provinces of Gangwon-do (강원도) and Kyeonggi-do (경기도). In a section of the river that creates part of the border between Gangwo-do and Kyeonggi-do is an island by the name of Namiseom (남이섬).

Named after a famous general from the Joseon Dynasty (조선시대), Namiseom is well known for being a wonderfully designed and cared for park. While much of the island is covered in carefully placed mature trees, there is still a large variety of flora on the island. From open grass areas, ponds, gardens to rice paddies and farms, there are plenty of breathtaking scenes to see.

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

What makes Namiseom especially popular are the long paths that are lined with tall straight trees. These iconic paths were made famous in a Korean Drama by the name of Winter Sonata (겨울연가). The basic plot line of this drama is about an endless love that cannot be due to some social or familial pressure. If this sounds familiar, it is same plot line of pretty much every modern Korean Drama made.

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

One interesting thing to note is that much of the art work and statues are made of recycled material. You will find a lot of pieces that are made of the ubiquitous green soju bottles of Korea.

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

Though not a highlight on any brochure for Namiseom, one fun activity on the island is to go down to the riverbank and try to skip stones across the river. You will be able to find plenty of flat, smooth rocks along the shore.

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

The Republic of Namiseom

Though not officially recognized by the United Nations or any country in the world, this island is also referred to as the Naminara Republic. When you come to entrance to Namiseom, you will see a traditional Korean style gate stating that you are entering Immigrations for the Naminara Republic. Don't fret if you didn't bring your passport.

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

The cost to get onto Namiseom is 10,000 Won for Korean citizens and 8,000 Won for international visitors. If you do have someone who is obviously from overseas in your group, you might want to send them ahead to buy all of the tickets for everyone. The cost of both tickets does include a round trip boat ride to and from the island.

A little ways from the ticket booth is the dock for the boat to Namiseom. The boat ride is a little bit less than 10 minutes each way. Since the boat unloads and takes on passengers fairly quickly, you won't be waiting that long to get to the island. The view of the North Han River and the surrounding mountains during the short boat ride is quite stunning, rain or shine.

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

If a slow moving boat ride is not your cup of tea and you'd prefer a mode of transportation that provides an adrenaline rush, there is an alternative way to get on the island. Next to the entrance to Namiseom is a tall grey metal tower. Connecting from the top of the tower to the shores of Namiseom below is a zip wire that allows people to ride on a chair across the river. To get to Namiseom this way costs 38,000 Won and includes the return boat ride. Unfortunately for us, due to the weather, the zip wire was closed on the day we went.

If the zip wire is not enough of an extreme experience for you, there is also a place to bungee jump a little ways up river.

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

Getting to Namiseom

Namiseom is located just a little bit southeast of the town of Gapyeong (가평). Luckily, the local station, Gapyeong Station (가평역), is apart of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway System. Because of this, you can take a subway from downtown Seoul to Gapyeong for about 2,500 Won.

A good place to meet friends before traveling all the way out to Gapyeong is Sangbong Station (상봉역). Sangbong Station is the starting point for the Gyeongchun Line (경춘선) which goes out to Gapyeong. This station is also a nice place to meet since it is the transfer point for Line #7, which goes to Gangnam (강남) and the Jungang Line (중앙선), which goes to Yongsan Station (용산역). When meeting in Sangbong Station, the Storyway Convenience Store is a good meeting place due to its central location.

From Lake Homyeong (호명호수)

Once you arrive at Gapyeong Station, there are a couple of choices on how to get to the entrance of Namiseom. While it is possible to take a bus, the buses don't run that often around here in the countryside. You might get lucky and catch a bus right away, while other times you might have to wait over an hour. Since there is a taxi station next to the entrance of the station, taking a short taxi ride to the entrance of Namiseom will probably be your fastest (most likely your cheapest) option. Just tell the taxi driver Namiseom and they will know exactly where to go. If you want to be a bit politer and practice your Korean, you can always say, "남이섬입구로 가 주세요." (Please take us to the entrance of Namiseom.)


View Namiseom Island (남이섬) in a larger map


Even with the rain, we had a wonderful time on our trip to Namiseom. The amount of time and energy that is put into designing and taking care of this island is amazing. I am looking forward to going back to Namiseom many times to see all of the spectacular scenery in the different seasons.