Day 3 in Seoul: Garden of Morning Calm --> Nami Island --> Petite France

When I researched Nami Island, it was said to be the most visited tourist spot in South Korea. With such an accolade, there's no way I would have missed it out on the itinerary. So once we were done at the Garden of Morning Calm, our driver-cum-guide, Seo, brought us to take the ferry over to Nami Island.

I've got to say, my initial itinerary was to get to Nami Island first, then Petite France and lastly the Garden of Morning Calm. But I'm glad that Seo swapped it around. I had initially planned for Nami Island first because I wanted the avoid the swarm of people. My research indicated that there was no way I could get any photos without some stranger photo-bombing it unless I went super early. 

However, of all the 3 locations, Nami Island was the only one with any decent lunch options. And to be honest, Nami Island could be easily completed in 2 to 2.5 hours, even if you were to include a meal there. And that's luxurious, leisure walking. Just after 30 minutes, my parents and I got bored at Nami Island. My parents only entertained me because I wanted to get my pictures of the famous trees, else they would have high-tailed it out of there once they had their lunch.

Don't get me wrong. Nami Island IS picturesque. It's just that after 30 minutes of seeing similar tall trees, it can get a tad monotonous. 

There are 2 ways to get to Nami Island. If you have young children or the elderly with you, the easiest way would be to hop onto this huge ferry. That boat can take quite a load of people, it's pretty spacious but mostly standing space only as seats are limited. You can also choose to stand around on the deck to admire the view or enjoy the sea breeze. Its only a short ride though and before you know it, you'd have arrived on Nami Island (also known as Namiseom Island).

If you're into thrills and adventure, you can opt to zipline your way into Nami Island. Well, it would have been something I would have done if I didn't have my parents with me. I couldn't get a decent shot or video of the zipline as we were just in time to rush onto the next ferry, but it looked like people were really having fun!

I was quite amused to find out that Nami Island actually portrayed themselves as a Republic. When you reach the island, there's a banner that welcomes you to Naminara Republic! Ok, haha! So now I know there's a tinier republic other than my beloved Singapore.

We soon learnt that Nami Island is a leaf-shaped isle that was formed after the construction of a dam. It is named after General Nami whose tomb is situated near the entrance when you arrive via ferry. I sure was not expecting to see a tomb there on the island.

In fact, when you goggle Nami Island, most times you'd be informed that the place was made famous after the k-drama Winter Sonata (which I personally acknowledge as the mother of all K-dramas, the one that started it all) was filmed there!

So famous that the island also worked it into their tourism marketing. They even have a life-sized statue of Bae Yong Jun and Choi Ji Woo. And the marketing obviously worked! Gosh the number of visitors/couples who were all clamouring to pose in  front of the statue! This was the best shot I could get without too many photo-bombers.

To be honest, I found that there were other more interesting statues littering the island other than the Winter Sonata couple. My parents were quite amused with some of them. There was a series of big-breasted women with children and made me wonder if they were an advertisement for the joys of breastfeeding/motherhood...

We also settled our lunch at one of the Korean restaurants on Nami Island. There are several lunch options including pizza, pasta and even Malaysian cuisine. We choose to have ours at Seomhyanggi, and had a very yummy pork belly wrap along with lotus leaf wrapped rice.

Once their tummies were filled, my parents were more amenable to walk around the island. There are enough scenic or cute spots that we entertained ourselves taking lots of pictures before making our way back.

You can also explore the island using bicycles, they are available for rent. But I personally find it easier to just walk. For one, there are just too many people that you'd probably have to keep stopping to avoid collisions with, and secondly, it's a hassle to keeping jumping down for photos.

We even spotted a miniature of our Merlion at Nami Island! Haha, we were too lazy to walk around the pond to get a closer look, so this is the best shot I have.

I've included iPhone pictures of a map of Nami Island as well as general information, including entrance fees, operation hours etc.  I won't list them again in the information box I usually include at the end of each post, but instead, I'd just include a link to their website.

Tourist Information

Nami Island
Website: http://www.namisum.com/
For operating hours and fees, please refer to picture above.

Week in Seoul: KTourStory

*Image taken from their website.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I decided to book a driver and car for Day 3 of the itinerary as the locations were all quite a distance away. Also, I had wanted to include a DMZ and JSA tour as well on Day 4. Unfortunately, DMZ tours can only be done if we joined an organised one from an approved tour agency. That factored into my decision to hire someone for a private Day 3 and 4 tour.

There were several operators on Klook and TripAdvisor that were organising similar tours, so I took a chance and emailed a few of them to enquire about a private tour for 3 pax. of the 3 who eventually replied, I decided to go with KTourStory for the following reasons:

1. Their quote was the most competitive and they were prompt in replying my emails. There was at least 1 operator who did not even reply even though it was advertised that they conducted private tours.
2. I did a quick scan of their social media presence. Ok, I know that can be moderated, but that quick scan led me to think that the company seemed legit and doing pretty ok.
3. Best part, the agency did not require any upfront payment! Instead, I was asked to pay the driver on the day of the tour itself! Yay! Score for me!

OK, I didn't know who I was emailing with, since the person signed off in Korean, but I received an email from them on the second day I was in Korea to say that we were unable to proceed with the DMZ tour because of African Swine Flu. Seriously! What's with all these diseases lately?!

I was disappointed that we couldn't do the DMZ tour (but ok, another reason for me to return next time), but I had already prepared my parents (and myself!) that the tour can be cancelled anytime. DMZ tours are notoriously unpredictable.

Instead, what I was really disappointed in, was that even though we had agreed on the itinerary in advance, including a Han River dinner cruise, the operator waited until the last minute to get the cruise tickets. And given my luck on this trip, that meant that the tickets were sold out. That was a real bummer! I was prepared to change out itinerary for the DMZ tour, but not being able to get on the dinner cruise was really a sore spot. If I had known, I would have gotten the tickets on my own. 

Since nothing on my initial Day 4's plan was coming through, I canned the second day with KTourStory and just settled for a day's private tour. For that 1-day itinerary (Garden of Morning Calm, Nami Island and Petite France), the total came up to 600,000 Korean Won. This was inclusive of toll fees, entrance tickets, car, driver and insurance. Meals were excluded.

I've already introduced you to Seo in the earlier post. But I didn't tell you that not only was he our driver and guide, he was also our photographer as well! Apparently that's part of the service as well! He came well prepared with his professional camera and his photography skills are quite good! The photos above and below were taken by him! Nice right?!

So during the day with us, he helped us to take some really lovely individual and family shots! My mom loved one of the couple shots with dad so much that it is now her phone's lock screen. Seo also guided my parents in them taking pictures on their phones! Really appreciated the extra service!

Ok, I didn't get his permission, so I'm not going to show his face here. Instead, I will share that I found that his interaction style really suited my family. My dad is more out-going while mom and I tend to be more reserved with strangers. Seo was able to adjust his interactions accordingly and engage me and my parents well. He seemed to know when to approach and when to back off. Mom found him to be a really respectful lad and I also appreciated his quiet but thoughtful consideration for my elderly parents. I observed him quietly keeping an eye out for them. And when my parents requested for a dinner drop-off after the end of our trip, Seo tried his best to get us there even though he was not familiar with it. 

Oh! I almost forgot to state. Seo texted me over Whatapp prior the trip and it was reassuring to have his contact number at the ready.

In addition, Seo also passed us each some Lotte discount coupons at the end of the tour. It was the agency's way of showing their appreciation for engaging their services. We had a set each and they were definitely handy! We used them that very night while shopping at Lotte!

All in, I had a good experience with Seo and KTourStory. I'm interested in bringing my parents to Busan one day, and I'd definitely shortlist KTourStory again if I'm considering a private tour again.

Tour operator

 KTourStory

Website: www.ktourstory.com

Contact Number: +82 10 9650 8388

Week in Seoul: Garden of Morning Calm

I decided to hire a driver and a car for Day 3's itinerary as the locations were all a distance away from our hotel in Myeongdong. Of course, these attractions on the day's itinerary can all be reached via public transport, but I figured it would just be easier on my parents with a car.

I ended up on a private tour with KTourStory. I will probably write a short post about my experience with them later.

Day 3 in Seoul: Garden of Morning Calm --> Nami Island --> Petite France

We started Day 3 really early! Out driver-cum-guide, a young, strapping Korean fella named Seo, was prompt in picking us up at 7:30 am as agreed on. Haha, mom thought he was handsome enough to become an actor! But eye-candy or not, off we went with him on a chilly morning to out first destination of the day, the Garden of Morning Calm.

Mom and I love our flowers and hence I would often include a garden or a flower festival into the itinerary whenever I travel with her. I guess its no surprise then that the Garden of Morning Calm ranks as one of my favourites in this Seoul trip. Plus, I did say that I was chasing K-drama locations right?

Can you figure out which popular K-drama was shot in the location in the photo below?
Hint: It stars Park Bo-gum!

If you guessed "Love in the Moonlight", BINGO! 

In all honesty, I didn't recognise it at first. Seo, who found out about my love for K-drama (and hence how I picked up some really basic Korean phrases), was the one who pointed the Pond Garden location out to me. I think he was amused when I squealed Park Bo-gum's name out loud. Yeah, I know. Embarrassing 40-year old auntie moment.

The Garden of the Morning Calm is an arboretum designed by professor Han San-kyung and opened in 1996 as a private garden. Apparently its name originated from an Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore who declared Korea the "Land of Morning Calm". This private garden that's now opened to the public is pretty impressive, housing an estimated 5,000 species of plants, some of which are rare or endangered! Just like how scared this Millennium Juniper tree (pictured below) is! It is about 1,000 years old and is apparently the representative tree of the garden.

We were fortunate enough that there was a chrysanthemum exhibition going on during the time we visited. My colleagues often laugh at how much I love chrysanthemums which are often seen as prayer flowers here in Singapore. It’s just that chrysanthemums are so sturdy and hardy while looking pretty at the same time! Pretty much how I would like to be.

There are several sections to the garden and you should be able to allocate a good 2 to 3 hours for this attraction if walking at a healthy pace. I’ve included an iPhone shot of a map of the garden for your reference. Alternatively you may wish to check out the website. I’ve included the link below. My elderly parents ain’t the fastest walkers but we managed to cover most of the grounds in about 3 hours. And that included taking photos and exploring the herb and gift shops.



I highly recommend dropping into the shops, especially if you are into plant-based products. We bought quite a lot of things for ourselves and friends, including hand-crafted soaps, essential oils, hand creams, etc. Mom and I also got ourselves a bag of pine nuts each! Seriously love it! Pine nuts do not come cheap in Singapore and this packet I got was very yummy! I've been happily adding them to my salads.

The Garden of the Morning Calm is definitely one place in Seoul that I wouldn't mind returning to in future. Not just for a different festival, but also to pop into those stores to get my pine nuts and stuff!

Tourist Information

Garden of Morning Calm

Website: http://www.morningcalm.co.kr/_ENG/html/main.php
Address: 432 Sumogwon-ro, Sang-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Entrance fees:

	Adult	Youth *Japan’s middle to high school aged youths	Child *36 months to Japan’s elementary school aged children	Adult with discount *Aged 65 years and older	Child and Youth with discount *Those with disabilities
Individual	9,500	7,000	6,000	7,500	5,000
Group *Weekdays only	8,500	6,000	5,000	6,500	4,500

Prices reflected are in Korean Won.

For your reference, I've listed some of the exhibitions and festivals over the 4 seasons that the Garden of the Morning Calm hosts. Please check the opening hours for each season.

Spring	March	Wild Flowers Exhibition
	April to May	Spring Flower Festival
Summer	June to July	Hydrangea Exhibition
	August	Rose of Sharon Exhibition
Autumn	September	Wild Chrysanthemum Exhibition
	October to November	Chrysanthemum Exhibition
Winter	December to March	The Starlight Garden Festival

Week in Seoul: Bukchon Hanok Village

My apologies for the hiatus. Yes, again. I know. I apologise. But with a change in jobs (again), CNY and an upcoming trip to plan for (amidst all this Covid-19!), I didn't have the time to sit down and write. Back now, and hopfully, I'd clear some more posts about Seoul before I fly off!

Day 2 in Seoul: Gyeongbokgung Palace --> Tosokchon Samgyetang --> Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을)

Bukchon Hanok Village, the last touristy spot on my Day 2 Seoul itinerary. And haha! We cabbed here from our lunch place at Tosokchon Samgyetang. Like I said (in previous post) if you have at least 3 persons or have someone in your group who's less mobile, you may wish to consider taking the cabs in Seoul if the distance between destinations is short. My rides were mostly around the SGD$5 range. Well, technically it is really walkable from Tosokchon Samgyetang to Bukchon Hanok Village, but mom just wanted to hail that cab.

Anyway, Bukchon Hanok Village is another spot that's totally for the gram. Even my mom who doesn't always enjoy taking pictures, suddenly got so game to try all sorts of poses. All because she fell in love with the quaint estate. Those of you who intend to rent the traditional hanbok costume, should definitely make your way here in them! There were so many hanbok-wearing groups doing selfies, wefies, single or group shots!

In fact, if you can only choose your hanbok wearing time between Gyeongbokgung Palace or Bukchon Hanok Village, I'd suggest that you choose the latter. Sure, the palace may suit the ancient vibes of the costume more, but at Bukchon Hanok Village, even if it's crowded, you'd have much better chances of getting better pictures with less photo-bombers. 

The village itself is an actual residential neighbourhood. Hence, do be respectful when you visit. And I don’t mean just not being loud and rowdy. It includes being respectful of the properties and belongings of the residents there. Hell, don’t go knocking on doors for videos, pulling down branches or flowers for photos or clamber up and down their stairs! I saw a group who was being angrily shoo-ed away because they were resting their butts on the stairway and blocking the lady’s exit from her own house!

Instead, feel free to pop into any of the shops, tea houses, restaurants, etc. in the area! Many of these traditional houses, also known as hanoks, have been converted and commercialised to take advantage of the tourist trade. When we weren’t taking photos, my parents and I had a good time exploring the different shops. I definitely dropped some cash buying accessories and souvenirs. Thrifty mom approved too! Heck she even helped in choosing! We also popped into a teahouse for a quick break where mom was suddenly adventurous enough to try their traditional Korean coffee. She pronounced that it tasted somewhat like Milo! We spent a good 45 mins here at the teahouse just chatting and enjoying the quaint vibes.

I admit, I was initially a little worried that given her weak knees, mom wouldn’t be able to deal with the walking around, especially since the area was full of slopes. However, my fears were unfounded and my parents thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I think because we took enough breaks in-between exploring the shops and resting in the teahouse.

While doing my research, I found that there is an organised walking tour. If you think you're up for some walking, do consider that! I'd include the details below. However, if you have young children or elderly, please consider if they are able to walk for 3.5 hours. The walking tour is held in 4 languages, so choose your preference of English, Mandarin, Korean or Japanese. Online reservations need to be made at least 3 working days before the date of your intended tour.

Otherwise, just do what we did, just walk and duck into random alleys or shops!

By late afternoon we were done with the day's itinerary, so we headed back to the hotel for a short break before we hit the Lotte stores across the road for shopping. We hit the supermarket that night and honestly didn't leave until store closing time. I forgot to grab any pictures at all while shopping, so you'd just have to take my word for it that we bought quite a lot. And that ended our second day in Seoul!

Tourist Information

Bukchon Hanok Village

Website: https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=561382

Address: 37, Gyedong-gil, Jong-gu, Seoul

Local Address: 서울특별시 종로구 계동길 37 (계동)

Walking tour:

Online Reservation: http://english.visitseoul.net/walking-tour/BukchonHanokVillage_/622

Please book at least 3 days prior your intended date

Week in Seoul: Tosokchon Samgyetang

Day 2 in Seoul: Gyeongbokgung Palace --> Tosokchon Samgyetang --> Bukchon Hanok Village

This is another one where practically almost everyone (in person and online) tells you that it is a MUST-GO. Legit. EVERY SINGLE PERSON. Even if they couldn't recall the name of the restaurant, its "You MUST GO to this famous ginseng chicken place!"

Ok, got the message. And since it is only a walking distance from Gyeongbokgung Palace, that's where we headed for lunch after touring the palace. I had initially wanted to visit the museums within Gyeongbokgung but mom said she was way too hungry for museums.

Less than 10 minutes later, we arrived at the famous Tosokchon Samgyetang restaurant. I was actually quite surprised that there was no queue even though we arrived during lunch hour. Yay! Hurry for us!

We were very promptly ushered into the spacious Hanok-styled restaurant. There are options for the traditional sit-on-floor or table-and-chair arrangement. I believe the staff's usual habit is to sit people on the floor, so do make the request upfront if you want the table-and-chairs option. Else you might get the same annoyed face we got when we later realised that there were chairs which my mom preferred for her mobility issues.

Excuse my less than stellar shots of the menu. We were shoved into a pretty tight corner and this was the best I could manage in that cramped space with the iPhone.

My parents and I ordered 2 versions, their signature Ginseng Chicken Soup and the other one with the Wild Ginseng Adventitious Roots. My advice, just stick to the signature one. The roots added a slight punch to the herbal taste but otherwise, there really isn't much difference in taste between the two.

We also added the Haemul Pajeon when we realised that almost every other table also had a plate of it. Unfortunately, we couldn't finish it. Not because it was awful. On the contrary, I enjoyed the savory pancake thoroughly. However, we were just too full from our individual bowls of the ginseng chicken soup.

You know those situations where you anticipate something so much, or the hype has been built so high, that when you actually get to it, you come off slightly disappointed?

Well, that's what happened to us at Tosokchon.

And here's the second "Don't get me wrong". It's not that the food was terrible. Each bowl came with a whole chicken stuffed with a ginseng root, glutinous rice, chestnuts, jujube and ginko nuts. The chicken was tender and the meat easily fell off the bones with each tug of our chopsticks. The milky broth was piping hot and soothed our tummies on a chilly day. The soup also had just the right amount of oil from boiling the chicken that leaves you with that lip smacking feel of a well-boiled soup. I also enjoyed the small cup of Insamju (ginseng liquor) provided and (as my mom has an alcohol allergy) gladly poured my mom's cup into my soup to enhance the taste.

The kimchi was also one of the best I had during my time in Seoul. I considered hauling some of the ginseng liquor and kimchi home but eventually decided against it.

But that's about it. With all that hype, I had actually anticipated something earth-shattering, you know, food so yummy it sends a punch to your gut. Well, the food is good but not the gut-punching good I was looking for. I think I probably would have enjoyed it more if I didn't learn of the hype around it. But it really just wasn't the same unlike when I visited Ichiran or Ippudo in Japan. 

Yummy, worth a visit. But go without expectations. Oh and don't expect great service.

Tourist Information

Tosokchon Samgyetang

Website: www.tosokchon.co.kr/

Address: 5, Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03041

DID: +82 2-737-7444

Week in Seoul: Gyeongbokgung Palace

Sometimes, even the best-laid plans can come to naught. And, to be honest, my original Seoul itinerary wasn't the most detailed in plan, but had just enough research done prior that when adjustments had to be made, it was simple enough. That said, I really had to make quite a bit of adjustments since something came up almost every other day. 

So, where I can, I'd indicate the day's itinerary, else I'd just write about the places that we visited.

Day 2 in Seoul: Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁; Han: 景福宮) --> Tosokchon Samgyetang --> Bukchon Hanok Village

Gyeongbokgung Palace seemed a MUST when almost all travel sites online listed or wrote about it. And with everyone also indicating that the changing of the guards parade was not to be missed, it was highlighted on my itinerary as well. Unfortunately, therein marked the start of my itinerary that went awry.

All because I forgot to change the time on my watch. Neither did I tell my parents about the time, just that we needed to be there for a parade. And we completely missed it. Sigh. A completely silly and avoidable mistake.

By the way, we were on time having taken a local taxi there. Just thought that we had too much time to spare and wasted the opportunity. And I know quite a number of sites write that they took the subway to Gyeongbokgung. However, if you are travelling in a group of about 3 to 4 pax, you may wish to consider taking the local taxi at times. Our trip from Ibis Myeongdong to Gyeongbokgung Palace was just under 5000 Korean won. I understand using T-money on the subway helps you save, but given that the price difference isn't huge, we chose to save on time instead.

Sigh. The irony of it all.

Ok, we did manage to catch a mini version of the guard change when we left, but that's all. I guess I'd just have to include this part again when I return to Seoul in future.

Heh. That is, if I ever want to come back again to Gyeongbokgung Palace. Don't get me wrong. The palace can provide for some Instagram-worthy shots and is worth a good 2 to 3 hour stroll (depending on how fast you walk and how interested you are). But man, the place was just super packed with people, hanbok wearing and non-hanbok wearing. With the main halls and gates, there was absolutely no way I could get any shots in that didn't feature at least a person.

Entrance to Gyeongbokgung Palace is free if you enter wearing the Korean traditional costume. Given that there's an entire line of hanbok-rental stores from across the road, it makes sense to play dress-up, gain free entry, pretend you're in some historical K-drama and get some period era Insta-worthy shots in a palace. I think that's basically what almost everyone thought. Makes economic sense for the operator too if you're in a tour group, which I guess is why most tour agencies would advertise the hanbok experience if their itinerary includes Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Gyeongbokgung Palace is reputed to be the first and largest of the 5 Grand Palaces built in the Joseon dynasty, hence it should not surprise that Gyeongbokgung was designated as the main royal palace then. However, it was destroyed twice in Japanese invasions and restoration efforts have been ongoing since 1990.

Gotta say this, whatever that's been done is pretty darn awesome. My parents and I stopped many times for pictures as we marvelled at the reconstruction.

There are free guided tours at various timings for different languages (English, Mandarin, Japanese and Korean). Unfortunately, I don't think some of the slots work well if you intend to also catch the morning changing of guards parade (which starts at 10 am). You'd definitely need to work out your schedule as to how you want to deal with this if the guided tour is what you are gunning for. 

I think the guided tours probably would have provided additional interesting, detailed snippets of history (we happened to overhear a couple on our stroll), but personally, I think you can still get by without. There were enough signages around to provide a short explanation as to where you are and what you are looking at. Or else pick up a brochure at the ticketing booths.

I've included my quick iPhone shot of the tickets as advertised at the booth (if you don't intend to wear the hanbok). There is an option for a combination ticket if you're intending to go for 4 palaces and Jongmyo Shrine. You may also wish to check Klook or KKday for discounted tickets or hanbok rental deals.

In addition, the National Folk Museum of Korea and the National Palace Museum of Korea are both sited within Gyeongbokgung Palace. If you purchase tickets, it grants you free entry to the museum.

Please do note that the Gyeongbokgung Palace is is closed on Tuedays.

Tourist Information

Gyeongbokgung Palace
Website: http://www.royalpalace.go.kr:8080/html/eng_gbg/main/main.jsp
Address: 161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul