Wandering Fel

A few steps from the welcome sign, we saw UNICEF Hall which seems to be a kid-friendly hall because it provides a lot of activities for children to play. Timed performances are also available at UNICEF Hall but since we did not really have time to watch performance, we did not check it at all. You can ride UNICEF train (did not see any when we were there though) which boards from Seonchakjang/ Jungang Station for a fee of 3,000 KRW. 

Otherwise, if you are into cycling, you also have the option of renting bicycles at Nami Island. One-person, tandem, electric and sky bike are the type of bicycles you can rent here at Nami Island. The fees for the bikes are listed at the end of this post. While riding bicycles is nice, it will be hard for you to take picture with the cute snowmen here at Nami Island when you ride a bike. The snowmen are dressed in the national costume of each country. Aren't they a cutie?

The snowman from China says "Da Jia Hao". Do you think the snowman become alive on winter and start hopping around like Chinese ghosts? Hahaha. 

The lady snowman looks so cute too in her traditional costume which is in the color of watermelon. Wait, I should find out the snowman from Korea since I am at Nami Island right? 

Once you have reached Gongsaengwon Garden, you will see a lot of filming spot and the props which were used in the filming of Winter Sonata. The series was really a big hit amongst women back in 2012 and I believe my Mom was also a fan of Bae Yong-joon back then. I did not really watch the story though because back then it seems that the theme revolving around Korean dramas is sadness. Ultimate sadness. Omo. 

There is a queue spotted for the man and woman statue. Mom offered to take picture of me and my Bro doing that pose but that would be so wrong. I mean, both of us totally are not in the mood to follow Jaime and Cersei Lannister's path in our real life. So yeah, let's give it a miss shall we? 

The next statue may not be related to Winter Sonata at all because it is a statue of mother and baby. Hmm no idea what it depicts though, motherhood?

While we were walking back to the entrance of Nami Island, I saw ice cream stall. Hmm, soft served ice cream for the price of 2,000 KRW. Since ice cream is my weakness spot, I was...uhm...easily lured to join the queue to buy the ice cream. It tastes pretty good but it melts rather fast under the hot summer of Nami Island. I nearly stained my own t-shirt. Oops. 

Once I was done with the uhh, messy situation, we continued our walk to the Maple Lane of True Love. Omo omo, we noted that  some of the maple trees have changed color to red. And the best part is, there is not many people around this area (since it's so damn hot). Major photo taking opportunity spotted. 

Mom seriously has a thing for taking candid picture of my brother and I but this one turns out pretty good. Like two kids doing some exploration. Ahh kinda miss the good times when all we had to do was studying and playing. #nostalgic #noteventhursday

Nami Island's bike rental fees:

One-person bike: 4,000 KRW (30 mins)/ 7,000 KRW (1 hour)

Tandem: 8,000 KRW (30 mins)/ 14,000 KRW (1 hour)

Electric bikes: 10,000 KRW (30 mins)/ 18,000 KRW (1 hour)

Sky bike: 8,000 KRW (elementary students and younger)/ 3,000 KRW (middle schoolers and older)

Boarding site: Bike center

But there is immigration and the word "VISA" is also there on the notice board. Is Nami Island really a stand-alone-country and since Indonesia passport holders need visa to a lot of places in the world, do we really need visa to enter the republic? O_O!

Visa fees for visitors which includes round-trip ferry fare & tax. Turns out this is for real. The Naminara Republic declared its cultural independed from the Republic of Korea and hence, has its own diplomatic and cultural policies. Okay if this is the case, who are then the citizens of Naminara Republic?

Mr Minn Byeong-do, the founder of Nami Island, and the person who had planted and cultivated the island is regarded as the citizens of Naminara Republic, the Naminarian. I don't know why but the whole arrangement makes me thinking of an adventure in One Piece manga series. Anyway, we were directed at the waiting area for the ferry after Jenny has purchased the tickets for all the tour participants. 

This is how the ferry looks like. It has the flags of most of the tourist countries. The ferry trip to Nami Island only takes around 10 minutes but it can get a bit windy so if you don't like to be slapped by the wind, it's best to stay inside. 

However, if you are the type of traveller who like to enjoy the surrounding, you should definitely stand at the outside area of the ferry. 

Since we came in the summer, there is no cold wind slapping our face while we were making our way to the island. There is a zip line which looks like electrical cable but turns out it's a cable for Namiseom Zip Wire where riders start from 80-metre high tower and zoom down along the wire cable to Jareseom (640 metres away) and Namiseom (940 metres away). It really looks like a fun attraction to ride but admission fee of 38,000 KRW is applicable. Weight restriction of 35 - 120 kg is also applicable for the ride. 

Welcome to Nami Island. Oh right, a brief history lesson. Nami Island was formed as a result of the construction of Cheongpyeong Dam. It is basically a half moon-shaped isle and there is the grave of General Nami on this island. He led a great victory against the rebels in the 13th year of the 7th kind of the Joseon Dynasty, King Sejo.  

While the above historical background of Nami Island may not be known worldwide, Nami Island is definitely known outside Korea as the shooting location of the famous drama, Winter Sonata. The snowmen are here to welcome us. Hahaha. 

Nami Island seems to be a perfect location to have picnic as there are many tables and seats available for public. If you are travelling with the elderly or young kids, they can also easily sit down to take a break when they visit Nami Island. A lot of drink and food stall are scattered on Nami Island as well. 

The walking path whereby there is a row of trees on your right and left side is the most famous spot on Nami Island. It is called Metasequoia Lane after the name of the tree. This has become a global symbol of Nami Island after being filmed for Winter Sonata. I believe it looks so beautiful even in winter when there are no leaves left on the trees. It is, however, very difficult to take picture here without other human being photobombing your picture. Oh gosh. 

Since this island is associate a lot with Winter Sonata, there are so many spots from the TV series that we can check out here. Let's do that in the next post, shall we? Anyeong!