[Journey] A Touch of Seoul – Day #2

When planning for my Korean trip, since I would be staying in Seoul for 4 days, I wanted to have a trip outside Seoul. I researched mountain hiking tours but much to my disappointment, it required a minimum of 3 people booking that the tour would be operated, otherwise, I had to pay 540,000 won for an entirely private trip. No way that I was going to waste my precious money haha. So I emailed to ask the tour agency, they suggested me Nami Island, which is also a popular tourist attraction. This place was once a film locator of Korean’s big hit drama “Winter Sonata”. I heard that the drama was a bomb in Japan that Bae Jong Yoon, the male lead, was called Yoon sama in Japan. I wanted to meet more Japanese people too, why not this tour?

It somehow reminded of another film locator I visited previously which is The Hobbit in New Zealand. Oh my New Zealand feels~

Day 2: Nami Island – Petite France – Gingeng Centre

Nami Island

Winnie was my tour guide on my second day. This time, I went with a group of 5 people in the family who are all Filipino. One thing I love the most about my trip is that I do not need to wake up so early haha and we started at 8.20. Since it took us more than 1 hour to get to Nami island, we had fun time chatting on the car, from showbiz to politics. I really like Winnie, she is cute. She spent one year studying in the US and met a Vietnamese lecturer named Van. That is why she loves me so much. Her knowledge of Kpop/Kdrama is so great that I think I can spend hours after hours talking with her. How could we skip Sandara Park? She is an iconic figure in Philippines and of course, my bias in 2NE1. If you want to know how old you are getting now, just ask a simple question: “Who is your favourite Kpop band?”. You lovely readers do not know how embarrassed I was when telling that DBSK, Super Junior, 2NE1, and Girls Generations while the little Australian girl said “BTS”. I had no ideas who they are. Oh I feel so old now.

Before getting to the island, we had to take a 5-minute ferry. Winnie told me that Nami island is just a like a small country (Naminara Republic) that has their own stamp, currency and even flag. We arrived at around 10 and had 2 hours there before having lunch at the local restaurant. Nami island is such a nice place for a stroll. As a matter of fact, people come here to go camping as I saw a lot of groups sitting on the grass, preparing their meals and chatting. This place is beautiful, peaceful and huge. I bet that when autumn comes, it will be extraordinary. One of the biggest shames is that I missed the signature Winter Sonata statue, which is nowhere far but on the right of Janggang and Hwangha statue. I watched “Winter Sonata” more than 10 years ago so was so unsure if the main couple had their first kiss. In the Nami map, I was supposed to see that famous place right after the ostrich cage but failed to do it. Anyway, it could have been that I passed it without any ideas.

I took a walk by the lake to get back to the meeting point. It is so great.

The downside, however, of going travelling on your own is that you just can have photos of your half body, unless you ask for people’s help for photos.

Do not believe it? Let me show you. All is my face and my pink sweater.

Selfies:

Photos taken by people:

Got a lot of nice cards

Lunch at the local restaurant. That was chicken; it actually tasted like frog though :P.

Petite France

We continued our tour to Petite France which was 10-minute driving from Nami Island. Winnie told me that everything in Petite France, from building materials to decorative items, was imported from France. That’s why it brought me my French feels. I took a couple of photos and bought nice postcards to friends. There was a puppet show at the central stadium but there were too many people, I was unable to see. I left the show, as a result, and continued to take more photos.

Oh scary doll

Gingseng centre

No, I came to this place again. Not fun at all *cry a river*

Tour ended.

Highlight of the day

Sushi and Nanta show.

Instead of my hotel in Insadong, I request the driver to drive me to Myeongdong, which is the shopping district in Seoul. In Vietnam, as netizens highly recommended a performance “Nanta cooking show” as it is internationally acclaimed and has come to many countries around the world, I booked the show on 20.00. I was dropped at Lotte Department Store and got 2.30 hours before I got to Myeongdong Nanta theatre. There were a lot of international and local brands that I really got dizzy.

And here came my sushi. Walking from 1^st floor to 13^th floor only for sushi, you must have some ideas that I was desperate for sushi.

I came to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. It was based on the colour of your sushi dish that you would have different prices. I finished 5 dishes and got the bill of 24,000 won. OMG

Leaving Lotte Department store, I passed through the underground way to get to the other side of the street for Nanta show. I had to get there by 19.30 to get my ticket and my google map told me that I was close to the theatre, so I strolled around the street, dropping by some cosmetics store until 19.15. It, however, turned out unexpectedly that I was lost for direction. How can I put into words my situation? It was not like I was lost, I just could not find the Myeongdong Nanta Theatre. I asked for local help as my last resort, but I asked “Can you show me the way to Myeongdong Theatre?”. Yes, they showed me it. Myeongdong Theatre, which is also another theatre next to the Nanta theatre but closed at 18.00. I felt like being cheated. I continued to count on my google map. It took me back to the place I was before and the Myeongdong Nanta Theatre is actually located on 3^rd floor of a building. It showed on a tiny board, if you do not pay careful attention, you would never see it. It was too bad that I did not bring the book guide along with me. If I had done that, I would not have freaked out that like.

Something a bit unforgettable to me is that I happened to see a group of Korean girls on Myeongdong who crept me out with their heads covered with bandage, with only eyes and mouths visible. According to Winnie, plastic surgery clinics concentrated in Gangnam district so I did not expect to see these people in Myeongdong. I got so damn scared. Perhaps you have no ideas that even though I am a big fan of horror movies, I could not dare to watch “Goodbye Mommy” because the mother in the film had plastic surgery and had a bandage-head. This just activates my imagination and I could not help thinking what is underneath the bandage, a face full of blood? NO!!!

The show lasting for 100 minutes is exceptionally good, worth the money. It is hilarious and relaxing. I admire how Korean people cleverly promote their traditional culture in the form of musical performance. It is indeed of an awesome show which tells the story of three chefs receiving an unplanned wedding dinner by 6PM from their manager who also requests them to teach his nephew on how to cook. Oh it is non-verbal show, so completely comprehensive to foreign audience like me.