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.

Jebudo Island (제부도)

The east and west coasts of South Korea differ greatly. To the east is a smooth line of sandy beaches, while to the west there is a jagged formation of islands and mudflats along the Yellow Sea. For those living in and around Seoul, getting to the ideal beaches of the east coast might take too long or cost too much money. Instead, there is a reasonable alternative: Jebudo Island (제부도).

From Jebudo (제부도)

Contents

Jebudo Island

Places to Eat

Things to Do

Getting to Jebudo

Jebudo Island

Jebudo (제부도) is a small island on the west coast of Korea, southwest of Seoul. Since there is are buses that run frequently to the island, getting there without a car isn't too difficult. This island offers a mixture of both nature and tourism with plenty of things to see along with lots of modern conveniences.

Jebudo gives people a chance to get away from the city and enjoy the beach without having to travel to the east coast. While the beach does have a lot of places to lay in the sun and catch some rays, don't expect to go swimming since the entire island is surrounded by mud flats.

From Jebudo (제부도)

From Jebudo (제부도)

Since Jebudo is not directly connected to the mainland and is surrounded by tidal mudflats, it presents a unique situation for travelers getting to the island. Due to the fact that the road from the shore to the island is built on top of the mudflats, the road is underwater during hide tide. During hide tide getting on or off the island by car or bus is unavailable.


View Jebu Island (제부도) in a larger map
When you are planning a trip to Jebudo you can pull out your Poor Richards Almanack Korean addition or just go to the Jebudo Homepage. On this webpage is a Tidal Mudflat Calendar. The calendar lists times (09:44~17:56) when the roads are closed. Worse case scenario, if you are stuck on the island overnight, there are plenty of hotels to spend the night at. Be sure to double check the calendar if you don't want to be "accidentally" stuck on the island with your date.

From Jebudo (제부도)

Places to Eat

On Jebudo, there is pretty much one type of restaurant to eat at: seafood. This isn't your only option; many people do bring portable grills and cook up their own food on the beach. If you aren't bringing your own food and don't want to have a meal consisting of food from a convenience store, get ready for some seafood!

Most of the restaurants are located along the coast, with majority of them being on the west side along the long straight beach. You will quickly realize that most of the restaurants have the same menu, so choosing a restaurant really comes down to location or motif. There was an interesting restaurant we saw called the Titanic (타이태닉) in which the dinning area was inside of a boat.

From Jebudo (제부도)

The main dish that you will see at almost every restaurant is the Grilled Clam Platter (모듬조개구이). This dish consists of a large basket of clams of all different sizes to grill at your table and eat. Though not the most efficient food to eat (is seafood ever efficient?), it is an interesting meal to have.

From Jebudo (제부도)

The key to cooking the clams is to wait until they pop open over while being heated. At this time, flip the clams over and let them finish cooking before taking them out of their shell and eating. Each person is given a white glove to hold the clams since they do get very hot. Do be careful since the heated clam shells may pop and send small pieces of shell shrapnel flying across the table. What some people see as a dangerous dining experience, I see as an exciting dinning experience.

From Jebudo (제부도)

From Jebudo (제부도)

The Grilled Clam Platter usually costs about 20,000 Won a person. For our group of six people, we ordered the Grilled Clam Platter for three along with a Sushi Rice Bowl (회덮밥) and a Spicy Fish Stew (매운탕). We all walked away well fed and it only cost 15,000 Won per person.


Things to Do

One thing to note about Jebudo is that it is quite a small island. Despite its size, there are plenty of lovely views, nice walks, a long a beach to enjoy the sun and of course lots of seafood to eat. If you are not a person who finds the idle lifestyle of sun worshiping and prefer more active and mobile activities, there are plenty of places to walk and sites to see.

On the north end of the island is a sizable hill that is surrounded by a boardwalk built over the mudflats. From here, you have a wonderful view of the surrounding islands and waterways, in addition to the cliffs of the hill that fall into the sea.

From Jebudo (제부도)

From Jebudo (제부도)

To the south of the same hill in the interior part of the island is a small flower garden next to the road. This place offers some tranquility away from the more crowded and bustling beaches and some wonderful views of the surrounding area.

From Jebudo (제부도)

From Jebudo (제부도)

Getting to Jebudo

Even though Jebudo isn't connect directly to the Seoul Metropolitan Subway System, it is still relatively easy to get there by bus. There are two subway stops that you can meet at to take a bus to Jebudo depending on where you live.

Suwon Station (수원역), Exit #4, Bus 1004

Geumjeong Station (금정역), Exit #4, Bus 330

Both buses will lead to the west coast to the bus stop called the Entrance of Jebudo (제부도 입구). This final bus stop will be in front of a Buy the Way (바이더웨이) Convenience Store.

From Jebudo (제부도)

When you get off bus, head to right side of the convenience store and in a parking lot behind the store is the bus stop for the local Jebudo Bus. You can easily find it by the yellow bus and the following sign in the parking lot.

From Jebudo (제부도)

This bus runs about every 60 minutes during the day except for high tide when the road to Jebudo is underwater. Again, you can check the time for high tide at the Jebudo Homepage Calendar. The cost for this bus is 1,000 Won each way. Unfortunately, they do not accept T-Money Cards or other forms of electronic payment, so have some cash handy. When we took this bus, we gave them a 10,000 Won bill for six people. The bus driver didn't have enough change at the time, so she told us to pay 2,000 Won when we left the island.


View Getting to Jebudo in a larger map
This bus circles the entire island and since this is the countryside and not Seoul, they are more relaxed about where they drop off and pick up customers. If you want to head straight to the beach, wait until the bus gets to the west side of the island to be dropped off.

When you are ready to head back and leave the island, you can find the bus on the same road. If you are on the west side of the island near the beach, the bus doesn't go down the road that is right next to the beach. Instead, it is on another road parallel to the beach that is a little bit more inland. While the bus will stop for anyone who waves it down, there are bus stop signs around the island you can wait at to be sure that you are in the right place.

From Jebudo (제부도)

To get back to Seoul, you can just follow the directions from above in reverse.


While Jebudo may not be the most stellar beach in South Korea, it does offer a nice beach ambiance along the west coast. Being close to Seoul, it does save time and money in comparison to traveling all the way to the east coast. Jebudo has plenty of delicious seafood to eat and plenty of places to enjoy the sun and the local scenery.

Mt. Surisan (수리산)

While there are quite a few mountains that are in and around the city of Seoul itself, it is nice to try a change of scenery and see a different part of Korea. To the south of Seoul in the suburb cities of Anyang (안양) and Gunpo (군포) is the mountain range of Mt. Surisan (수리산) which is quite accessible by the public transportation system that connects to Seoul.

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

Content

• Meeting Location
• Getting to Mt. Surisan
• Hiking in Mt. Surisan

Meeting Location

Since there are many paths all throughout the Mt. Surisan area, there are also quite a few choices of where to meet. One option would be Beomgye Station (범계역). Though this station is not right next the mountain range, it does provide some benefits as a meeting place. First of all, since Beomgye Station is on Line #4 (the light blue line), it is easy to get to from downtown or the southern part of Seoul. Also, at Exit #2 there is a nice commercial district that has plenty of places to eat lunch or pick of some food and beverages before your hike.


View Mt. Surisan (수리산) in a larger map
Next to Exit #3, there is the Beomgye Station Bus Stop. From there you can catch two different buses from Beomgye Station to one of the many trail heads to Mt. Surisan. For where we went, you can take either Bus 10-1 or Bus 6.


Getting to Mt. Surisan

After leaving Beomgye Station on either Bus 10-1 or Bus 6, you will eventually start to up the foot hills to Mt. Surisan in the west. Both of these buses will stop at the Seongkyeol Univ. Bus Stop (성결대학).


View Mt. Surisan (수리산) in a larger map
From this bus stop, head to the previous intersection that you passed before getting off the bus and turn right further up the hill to entrance of the university. At the main gate, take a right and then your first left. As you go up this road, you will see the Seongkyeol Graduate School (성결대학원) on your right.

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

To the right of this building, there will be a sign that reads 등산로 입구 (Entrance to the Hiking Trail). Take this path and you will walk up some stairs behind the school. At the top of the stairs the path will lead to a set of pavilions next a natural spring. From here, you have a few choices of paths to take to go hiking.

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

Hiking in Mt. Surisan

When hiking in this area, it can get a bit confusing since there are so many inter winding trails in the area. Some of them will lead up the mountains, some back down into the city and others around the mountain. The main peak in the area goes by the name of Kwanmobong (관모봉). When you are going up the mountain, you can just keep an eye out for the signs pointing to the peak as seen below.

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

For those of you who are savvy with a map, you can use sites like Daum Maps to find hiking paths all over the Korean peninsula. To help simply your search, here is a map of Kwanmobong to help you find the hiking paths in the area. A bit to the north east is Seongkyeol University, the place where we started our hike.

If you do get a bit lost coming down the mountain later, the cities of Anyang and Gunpo are quite visible to your east, while to the west the mountain range just extends for a long distance. In a worse case scenario, head east into the cities. Once you get back down, you will eventually reach a subway line; either Line #4 (the Light Blue Line) or Line #1 (the Dark Blue Line). If you do need some help getting to a subway station, you can always ask one of the locals, "가까운 지하철역이 어디에요?" (Where is a nearby subway station?)

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

You will find some paths in this area will be a bit more direct to the stop but steep while other paths will loop around to a more gradual incline. For the more adventurous, you can enjoy one of the many paths that circumnavigate the mountain. As you come to intersections, you will find more markers that will point to the Kwanmobong Peak.

One of my favorite features of this mountain range is the ragged stone outcrops that break through the tree line and allow you to look over the forest into the surrounding area. The places also provide a nice place to take break and have a snack.

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

You will know when you reached the top when you see a small clearing with benches and a flag pole with the Korean Flag (태극기). This a great spot to take a heroic or patriotic picture.

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

This is a good place to take a look at the cities of Anyang to the northeast and Gunpo to the southeast. If the weather is nice or very hot, there is a good chance that you will see a man selling ice cream at the top. It is amazing what someone can do with some Styrofoam boards, plenty of tape, dry ice and a strong back. The usual price is about 1,500 Won. If someone is selling ice cream at the top, you will hear a rhythmic chant of "Ice-Kke-Ki" (아이스께끼). A fun cultural note, Ice-Kke-Ki is what a little Korean boy will scream out before he tries to lift up a woman's skirt.

From here, you can take one of a number of paths that will lead you back down the mountain into adjacent cities. Also, if you have a good supply of food and water and are feeling adventurous, you can continue along the miles and miles of paths that follow the spine of the mountain. If you are really daring, you could even cross the mountain pass and make it to the coastal town of Ansan (안산).


Even though Mt. Surisan may be a little out of the ways from downtown Seoul, it offers a nice change of scenery from mountains that most Seoulites go hiking in. Also, since there are a plethora of paths crisscrossing the mountains, it will take a long time before you have completely explored this area.

Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

Our original plan for this weekend was to go out to Namiseom Island (남이섬) to the east of Seoul. Luckily, I found out early that week that there was a giant three day music festival being held on Namiseom Island over the weekend. It's always good to have a plan B and for this weekend, we ended up meeting at the Seoul Olympic Park.

Content

• Meeting Location
• Biking in Olympic Park
• Flower Garden
• Places to Eat

Meeting Location

South Korea hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. For this event, the Korean government constructed many stadiums and a large Olympic Park in the Songpa District (송파구) in southwestern part of Seoul. The biggest reason that this park is so amazing is the fact that the majority of it consists of rolling hills, grassy meadows, trees and flower gardens all within an urban environment. Compared to other Olympic Parks that are mostly paved plazas, the Seoul Olympic Park is a wonderful place to visit.

There are two subway stations that are connected to Olympic Park: Mongchontoseong Station (몽촌토성역) and Olympic Park Station (올림픽공원역). Of the two, Mongchontoseong Station will probably be easier for most people to get to, though not easier to pronounce for most people whose first language isn't Korean. Mongchontoseong Station is on Line #8 and is only one stop away from Jamsil Station (잠실역) which is a transfer station for Line #2. From Jamsil, Line #2 runs through Gangnam, southern Seoul, parts of eastern Seoul and even goes through downtown Seoul. Additionally, Line #8 connects to the Bundang Line (분당선) to the southern suburb of Bundang.


View Olympic Park Picnic (올림픽공원) in a larger map
When you arrive at Mongchontoseong Station, go out Exit #1 and you will be in the western corner of Olympic Park. You will know you are in the correct spot when you see the distinctive Peace Gate (평화문) directly in front of you as you come out of the subways station.

From Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

Biking in Olympic Park

Olympic Park is full of plazas, avenues and hiking paths for people to enjoy a stroll. For those who enjoy biking, Olympic Park does have a few paths and areas that are biker friendly. Not all areas permit biking, but for the most part the paths that circumnavigate the entire park are biker friendly. You will know when you've gone down the wrong path on your bike when an elderly Korean man in a blue park uniform will start chasing you and tell you to turn around.

For those of you who have their own bike, you can bring it to Olympic Park. One method is to transport it there by subway. Technically, bikes are only allowed on the subway on Sundays, but they are pretty lax about the rule on Saturdays. I will keep my opinions about this rule to myself. If you are going to bring your bike on the subway, the end cars are for those with bicycles, but beware if you try to get on a car that is next to a major transfer point.

Another way to bring your bike to Olympic Park is to bike there. The Han River and almost all of its tributaries have bike paths along the banks. In the northwestern corner of the park is the Seongnae Stream (성내천) which connects directly to the Han River. If you live near the Han River or a stream that connects to the Han River, biking there is definitely an option.


View Places of Olympic Park in a larger map
If you don't have a bike or it is too burdensome to bring, you can rent a bike at the park. Near Mongchongtoseong Station, there is a bike rental store right next to the northern part of Peace Gate (평화문). Here, you can rent bikes that have 2 or 4 wheels and seat 2 to 6 people.

From Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

One thing to note is that bikes which seat 3 and 6 people are better suited for 2 and 4 people respectively. While you can fit the full amount in there, the extra weight and lack of leg room for pedaling may cause more difficulties going up hill. The 4 wheeled might not handle the best, but they do add a flare of fun and excitement in the communal experience.

From Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

The cost to rent the bikes depend on three variables: Time, Day and Size. You can refer to the chart below to see how much it would cost your group to go biking in Olympic Park. This same chart can also be found at the Bicycle Rental Kiosk.

자전거 이용요금 안내 Bicycle Rental Information
구분 Type		주말 - 공휴일 Weekend & Holiday	평일 Weekday
4륜 자전거 4 Wheeled Bicycle	3인승 3 Seater	30분 - 10,000원 30 Minutes - 10,000 Won	30분 - 7,000원 30 Minutes - 7,000 Won
		60분 - 15,000원 60 Minutes - 15,000 Won	60분 - 10,000원 60 Minutes - 10,000 Won
	6인승 6 Seater	30분 - 15,000원 30 Minutes - 15,000 Won	30분 - 10,000원 30 Minutes - 10,000 Won
		60분 - 25,000원 60 Minutes - 25,000 Won	60분 - 15,000원 60 Minutes - 15,000 Won
2륜 자전거(2인승) 2 Wheeled Bicycle (2 Seater)		30분 - 4,000원 30 Minutes - 4,000 Won	30분 - 3,000원 30 Minutes - 3,000 Won
		60분 - 8,000원 60 Minutes - 8,000 Won	60분 - 5,000원 60 Minutes - 5,000 Won

If you are quite familiar with the layout of Olympic Park and can easily navigate through its winding paths, a quick 30 minute trip would suffice. If you aren't that familiar with Olympic Park, the 60 minute trip will probably be better so you can enjoy yourselves and not worry about feeling rushed to get back on time. If you do get turned around, you can always ask someone for directions back to Peace Gate. 평화문이 어디예요? (Where is Peace Gate?)


Flower Garden

One of the most peaceful and scenic places inside of Olympic Park would have to be the Wild Flower Area (야생화단지). This garden is located near the center of Olympic Park off of the southern main path. This part of the park is marked by the yellow thumbtack on the map in the section above.

In this area, gardeners have cultivated flower beds with different types of flora that bloom throughout the year. This quaint part of the park is a good place to get away from some of the more crowded parts of the park and enjoy the tranquil ambiance.

From Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

From Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

From Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

From Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

Places to Eat

There isn't really a place to eat that stands out in Olympic Park. Despite that, there are quite a few options for food here.

If you are looking for a sit down meal, there are a few restaurants and coffee shops near both subway entrances, but their prices are a little bit steep. If you are willing to walk a bit farther, you can find quite a few restaurants in the side streets to the southeast of Mongchontoseong Station (몽촌토성역).

Another option is to have a picnic in the many open grassy areas in Olympic Park. There are convenience stores all throughout the park that have a selection of snacks and beverages. Again, due to their prime real estate, the prices are going to be higher. You are of course welcome to bring food and beverages inside the park. Before entering the park, you can find nearby convenience stores, grocery stores and restaurants. We were able to find a nice Kimbab (김밥) restaurant and stocked up on food before going into the park.


If you are ever looking for a place to go that offers the (relative) great outdoors that still easy to get to, Olympic Park is always a great choice. It's one of the best places to have a picnic in Seoul and has plenty of open spaces for outdoor activities. For those of you who need a last minute meeting place on a fair day, you can't go wrong with Olympic Park.