Our call time for our first full day in Seoul was around 7:00 - 8:00. Cindy and Biboy were in one room while the rest of us were together in another room (me, Donna, Noche and Miong). As for our room, one of us needs to be awake around 5:30. Since the three of us were gentlemen, the lady should be first! :) After all of us finished fixing ourselves, we then head to the lobby for our breakfast. I had Korean instant noodles - the flavor was seafood and had seaweeds. It was good and it only cost 1000 won.
Travelers A had a nice gate and wall in front so we used them for a quick "photo op" before heading to our first stop.
First on our itinerary was Namiseom or Nami Island and we took the subway going there. From Euljiro 4, we passed 25 stations and spent more than an hour one way! After we got off, our bodies were still in sync with the subway! lol. Subway fare cost 1800 KW one way.
We got off at Gapyeong Station and took a taxi to Gapyeong Wharf. Since we were six, we need to have two cabs. Lucky for me, Donna, and Miong, we were able to catch a very nice taxi driver and the "ahjussi" (this is how they address men in Korea) happened to be in the traditional Hanbok! Taxi fare cost around 3000 KW.
From the wharf, we took a ferry going to the island proper. It was just a regular weekday that time but there were already a lot of visitors. I can't imagine how would it be on a holiday. However, the lines for the admission tickets were not that long and their ferries constantly travel to and from the island. The admission ticket including the round trip ferry fare is 8000 KW for foreigners.
Nami Seom is a leaf-like island floating gracefully on top of Cheongpyeong Lake in Chuncheon, South Korea. It is very famous for its beautiful tree lined roads and it has been the setting for many Korean dramas including the Winter Sonata.
Since it's autumn in Korea, leaves were already falling and most of the trees were already turning yellow, orange and crimson - it was such a wonderful view and we really enjoyed it!
(Caution: There were a lot of small flying insects by the afternoon which stick to your coat. It can get really annoying so having a dark colored coat would help conceal the blood marks from the insects)
This was our lunch in Nami - meat dumplings, vegetable pancake and ramen. My dumplings and rice just cost 6,000 KW.
We left the island around 2:30 and head off to our next destination - Lotte World. Just like our way to Nami, we took a taxi going to Gapyeong Station then subway going back to Seoul as well.
Because of the long travel via subway and lack of sleep, Cindy and Miong weren't feeling very well when we reached Jamsil Station. In addition, I also failed to find exit 4 so we didn't see the main entrance of the theme park and reached the indoor park instead.
The mood was getting low so we decided to eat first and Lotteria was just nearby. I ordered the ever famous Bulgogi Burger and it fit my taste. It was delicious and the whole meal cost less than 5000 KW!
While we were eating, we discussed our next itinerary. Since most of us were not into theme parks, we decided to skip Lotte World. Luckily, the theme park has a mall inside so we stroll around the mall instead. Noche was in a wrong crowd this time for theme parks :( However, we still got pictures of Lotte World.
Our next destination from Lotte World was Myeongdong - a popular shopping district in Seoul. It is here you can find high end malls like Lotte and Shinsegae. If you are on a tight budget then the street market is perfect for you. Unlike other street markets I've been to, Myeongdong doesn't give discounts so don't bother haggling. Myeongdong comes to life at night since all the lights are lit and the streets are filled with locals and foreigners as well. The shops close by 22:00 but the street shops can extend depending on the foot traffic.
Aside from shops, Myeongdong also offers a lot of street foods ranging from Korean cakes, fried squid, potato chips, and hotdogs. Me and Noche happened to try one - hotdogs wrapped in potato chips! The combination was good but it was hard to eat. The hotdogs w/ potato chips cost 2000 KW.
After a few hours of shopping, our tummy asked for some attention. This time, we wanted to try McDonalds. It was one of the few McDonalds in Seoul which only proves that Koreans really do have a high degree of nationalism. My dinner - Bulgogi Burger again but this time it's double! The whole meal cost less than 7000 KW.
Before heading back to the hotel, we grabbed some bread from Paris Baguette for my tomorrow's breakfast.
Photo sources: Yours truly, Noche, Cindy and Donna
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