Nami Island, Incheon Airport, Final Thoughts (Part 5)

Like most of the female population in the Philippines, my mom became hooked with the Korean Wave from the early 2000s up to the present.  She would stay up all night, teary-eyed with heavy eye bags and all, and watch countless VCDs until she finished an entire series.  Then it was on to the next one and this would continue for a while.  She got so engrossed in Koreanovelas that she would discuss the latest dramas and swap CDs with her "fellow" K-wave addicts,  it even got to a point where she was watching some without subtitles!

Her all-time favorite Korean drama is Endless Love 2: Winter Sonata.  She would always tell me that if she ever got to Korea, she'd want to visit the places where they shot the most memorable scenes of the series.  That place is Nami Island, located in Chuncheon about 2 hours away from Seoul.  This is her main motivation in going to Korea, and as our time in the country was nearing an end, I had to make sure to get her there.

Scenes from a long trip

Gapyeong station

Landmark signifying your arrival to Nami entrance

It was near lunch time when we arrived at the gates of Nami Island.  The area of Chuncheon is famous for its Dak Galbi and there were lots of restaurants outside Nami claiming to serve the "Original Chuncheon Chicken Ribs".  We decided to try one of them and hoped for the "best".  We ordered dak galbi (what else) which consists of diced chicken, chili paste sauce, cabbage, other veggies and rice cake all mixed into a big frying pan in the middle of the table.  You are supposed to cook your own meal, but since we were tourists, the waiters kindly helped us prepare our food.  At first sight, dak galbi didn't look appetizing (parang pinaghalo-halong kanin baboy) but all our apprehensions vanished at first bite.  The taste is sweet and spicy, it's like eating a combination of tomato-sauced pasta and caldereta.  We were almost able to finish the entire spread, almost.

Chef at work!

Masarap naman pala

Also called Namiseom or Naminara Republic, Nami Island is a tiny moon-shaped island named after a Korean General falsely accused of treason.  It spans almost 6 kilometers, filled with tall chestnut trees, pine trees and beautiful grassland.  Nowadays it's more identified with Endless Love II.  Many visitors come to Nami to relive the famous scenes of the popular soap opera.  The island has been heavily promoted by the government through statues, markings of the important scenes of the drama, souvenir shops, restaurants and recreational facilities.  My mom also told me that Bae Yong Jun (the male lead) would occasionally visit the island, helping in its promotion as well as greeting visitors.  Maybe she was hoping against hope that he'd be there when she came.

Inside Nami Island, you will be transported to an imaginary country where you will be issued passports and use special currency.  Entrance fee is 8,000 won inclusive of round trip ferry transfer.  The island is open everyday from 8 am to 9 pm.

Lines at the ferry terminal, they're really popular aren't they?!

Nami Island

After a short 10 minute ferry ride, we finally set foot upon the island.  There are a lot of reasons to like Nami Island.  First, it is surprisingly well organized with Tourist Centers and signage in Korean and English everywhere.  This is in part thanks to the large number of foreign visitors.  During our visit, I think half of the guests who came with us were foreigners.  Secondly, the place is spotlessly clean and well maintained. I imagine it looks the same now as it had been during the shooting of Endless Love.  Third, pictures, statues and memorabilia of Winter Sonata are on display throughout the island, no doubt to grab the interest of the series diehard fans.  You might as well call Nami Island, "Winter Sonata Museum".  Fourth, there are other activities to be done like biking, boating, eating and shopping.  To make exploring the island easier, you should rent the popular two seat lovers bike (just like in the series).  It may not be romantic riding with your mom, but it was a good family bonding activity and it saved our legs from heavy walking.  We also tried some of the food found in Nami like baked sticky rice and Korean red bean bun.  Lastly, the best thing about the island are the millions of tall trees lined up perfectly and looking down on you.  This is nature showing bare beauty without the marketing and the emotional attachment that comes with the rest of the island.  Walking in the middle of uniform, perfectly lined pine trees, makes for a truly romantic setting.

K-addicts, does this look familiar?

Almost every couple makes a pose here

And I mean every...

Relation to Endless Love?

Romantic, indeed

Family bonding

Red bean bun for sale

To be honest, if you don't have any attachments to Winter Sonata, don't go to Nami Island.  There are better parks in Seoul, and places with more historical significance.  There is nothing particularly special to see or do in the island that would justify the long journey.  It is too touristy and shamelessly capitalizes on the Endless Love phenomenon.  I could think of a few places more interesting that I'd rather go on a day trip out of the city like going to Suwon or braving the DMZ.  Oddly enough though, I would go here again in a heartbeat.  We've been to a lot of cities and seen a ton of interesting sights but my mom was difficult to impress.  Like for example, when we are raving and high about a particular place, it was she who would always put things in the right perspective, who would tell it as it is.  But seeing her here at Nami Island with so much enthusiasm and cheerfulness, it was all worth it.  In all are days in travel I'd never seen her any happier, and in turn, this made me happy.

There are two ways to get to Nami Island.  (A) You can do what we did and go independently.  From the city, take the subway to Sangbong station.  Then switch to the Gyeonchun Line and exit at Gapyeong station.  It takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes to get from Seoul to Gapyeon costing 1,950 won.  After exiting Gapyeon station, ride a taxi and tell the driver to take you to "Nami-som" (every taxi driver knows this). You will arrive at the gates of Nami Island in 10 minutes or less.

(B) A more expensive but convenient option is to take a shuttle bus straight to the island.  Tickets and bus stop are located at Insadong, beside the Tapgol Park.  Round-trip tickets cost 15,000 won each and bus departs 9:30 am and returns 4 pm.  It takes 2 hours to get to Nami.  Advance reservations are encouraged especially during weekends as the bus seats tend to be grabbed really fast.

Satisfied with what we've seen in Seoul, we were now heading back home and off to Incheon International Airport.  Incheon Airport is one of the largest and busiest airports in the world and dare I say, one of the best.  It's a modern, complete and organized airport that will make any stopover stress free for its visitors.  It's spacious, clean and tourist friendly, adjectives you'd want to have your airport associated with.  Despite it's size, it is easy to navigate the airport because they have moving walkway everywhere and an underground train to whisk people to gates.  The airport also has ATMs, money changers, lockers, a plethora of restaurants, cellphone rentals, duty free shopping centers and best of all, FREE wifi.  Almost everything you'd look for in an airport is here, heck they even have an ice skating rink and golf course!  There are also tourist information centers, and most of the staff in the airport can speak English.  If you have to spend the night in the airport, there are sofa beds, I even saw some people who came prepared with pillows and blankets to boot!  This is an airport where I would feel perfectly safe sleeping in.  If you need to freshen up, there is an available shower and spa center.

Another thing to keep you occupied is the  Korean Culture Museum.  It houses a few artifacts and information about Korean culture.  There isn't much to see, but it's free and a good time waster.

Incheon International Airport

Korean Culture Museum

Sleeping in the airport has never been sweeter

Final bite: Kimchi Fried Rice

The Day's Expenses (P) (Per Person): 

Transportation      1,780 (Subway, Taxi, Airport Bus)

Entrance Fees         350 (Nami Island)

Food                       1,000  

Shopping                      ?    

Total P 3,130

I left Seoul feeling better about myself, as if my knowledge of the city has grown exponentially, as if I'm in the know.  I'm still far from being a Seoul expert but I've had my fair share of memorable Korean experiences.  First and favorite among these is exploring the Myeongdong area to see, shop, eat and feel.  Then there's visiting Changdeokgung and Gyeongbokgung, historic jewels, with the former's beautiful landscape and the latter's grandeur.  Next on my list are the areas of Insadong and Dongdaemun. These places offered two different shopping experiences with Insadong and it's cultural shopping and Dongdaemun and it's modern, current trends kind of shopping.   I'l also remember my side trips to Lotte World and Nami Island.  In Lotte World my brother and I got to bring out the kid in us, while in Nami Island my mom got to feel young again.  Finally there's Korean cuisine which I've survived and the Korean people which I've liked. Although it still wouldn't crack my list of favorites (too many veggies!), I did enjoy those which I could eat like bulgogi, galbi, guksu and mandu.  The Koreans have proven to be ever the cool, glamorous and charismatic type as the world media has portrayed them but that's not all there is.  They are also tech savvy, open minded, fun loving, disciplined and show a willingness to entertain their guests.

To conclude, I now have legitimate reasons for going to Korea or to go back to Seoul, reasons that the traveler in  me could justify, reasons that I like.  But most importantly, reasons that give me a reason to visit more than just the 4 K's.


Helpful Links:

Korea Tourism Organization
Seoul Guide
PEX Seoul