Anyeonghaseyo! Yup! You guessed it right. I just came back from South Korea and I can't wait to share my memories and experiences from that trip. So hold your horses, sit tight, and here we go!
Nami Island is a half-moon shaped island and was formed as a result of the construction of the Cheonpyong Dam in Chuncheon, Gangwon province. This island is around an hour and a half drive from Seoul, so since I have not visited in my previous trips, I wanted to go this time around.
The island can only be reached by ferry from the mainland, and the ride takes about 15 minutes or so. We scheduled our trip to the island on our second to the last day as we were praying and hoping to see snow, so that my niece, who was traveling with me, might experience it for the first time.
Naminara, literally Nami country, is a micro nation, and it has declared itself as a self-governing country in the year 2006.
A 'visa' is required to enter Namiseom, its name in Korean, and basically it's the entrance ticket. Notice the windows where you purchase entrance tickets say Entry Visa and the words Naminara Republic.
This is the first thing you see when you get off the bus. The "Immigration Gate." We were very fortunate because, just as our bus was parking, snow began to fall! So my niece was super excited to see snow for the very first time!
The micro nation also has its own 'police force', and basically they are the ferry staff, but I think its a novel idea to do something like this.
This is the gate you enter when you get off the ferry. The island has invented its own passport, currency and it even has its own bank on the island. You can choose to exchange Korean Won into the Nami currency and use it in the shops in the island, should you choose to experience that kind of thing.
We were picked up from Hongdae at half past eight in the morning, then drove around Seoul to pick up more people in other locations, and we finally left Seoul around ten in the morning. This is the downside when you book a group tour, you can't control your time, but anyhow, we arrived around half past eleven in the morning.
The bank of Nami is located at the entrance of the island, and scattered around the island are several places where there are fireplaces for people to warm themselves in if they are cold from walking around.
Temperature that day was minus ten degrees, that's why we were so delighted when the snow started falling around us!
Nami got its name from General Nami, who was a Korean general who died at the age of 28 after being falsely accused of treason. His body is said to have been buried in the island, hence the name.
This is the metasequioa lane in the island, and it was made famous by the Kdrama Winter Sonata, a popular drama that was aired in 2003.
The island is filled with poplar and chestnut trees all around, and depending on the season you visit, the beauty differs each time. One special feature of the island is that there are no electricity poles, as all wires are buried underground to keep the natural element of the landscape.
The whole island can be explored in its totality around one and a half to two hours, so being in a group like us gives you enough time to wander around and take lots and lots of pictures and videos. Self travel is also possible, because there is train service nearby, and from the train station you can take bus and then the ferry to the island.
I took pictures of the icicles formed in several parts of the island because of the cold weather. And this is just the beginning of winter. What more if we visited in January or early Feb? It would have been a winter wonderland!
We just took a picture to show off the snow flakes in our jackets. The snow did not last long- it was just for about 40 minutes, I guess, just enough to satisfy the desires of our hearts to see snow. :-)
The water in this pond is frozen, and the leaves are stuck in place. The white particles are the snowflakes that just fell.
We wished the snow fall could have been heavier or that it lasted longer, but it was not to be. We were just grateful that we got to experience it, because the groups that arrived later than us did not get to.
Another advantage of being there early is that the place is not yet as crowded like the later part of the day and you can still get some pretty decent pictures of the rows of trees without hordes of people in the background.
This is what's left of the snow that fell. A white pavement. But after people walked on it or after it melted, it was back to normal.
The surface of this pond is also frozen. Perhaps a big rock will break it, but poking it with just a twig doesn't work. I tried. :-)
This is the North Han River that surrounds the island. I guess its the same Han river that is in Seoul.
It was like walking on a carpet of leaves. That's how cushiony it felt walking on this path full of fallen leaves.
There are animals in the island as well, there is a theme park, and there are accommodations available as well if you want to spend the night. There are also various activities that you can do. I saw five peacocks, but they were moving so fast I only managed to capture two of them.
Someone made a heart pattern with the dead leaves so I just took a picture of it.
This tower is actually the starting point of a zipline that goes into the island. If you want to reach the island faster, you can take the zipline. This was actually featured in the Korean variety show 2 Days 1 Night season 3. The other tower in the foreground is a place for bungee jumping. That was featured in the show Running Man.
This is the statue of the couple in the drama Winter Sonata at the start of the metasequoia lane. I just took it sideways because there were so many people taking pictures in front of it and I didn't want to wait for too long.
These are dead lotus plants. They are in full bloom during summer and the flowers look beautiful.
During autumn the leaves would be golden yellow on these trees. What a sight!
The edge of the island on the entrance as the ferry comes in.
It was such a nice experience, and I definitely would go back, this time when the leaves are still on the trees to behold the beauty of autumn in the island.
By the way, we booked our trip with Klook, and it was overall a nice experience save for some people who held us up by being late in coming back to the bus. Another hassle being in a group.
This is part of the villa where you can book your overnight stay or however long you want to stay in the island.
For people who have visited and are wondering what the stinky smell is in some parts of the island, those are the fruits of the ginkgo trees. They smell like poop!
We have been praying for snow even before we left for the trip, and God gave us the desire of our hearts. Like I said, it did not last very long, nor was it a heavy snow fall, but it snowed and my niece got to experience it first hand.
The beautiful metasequioa lane on video. You can look forward to more articles about my recent trip in the coming days, and in the meantime, you can read more travel articles in this page.
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