After hoping and praying for about 7 years, I finally went to Korea! I can't thank the heavens enough for making my dream come true. If you've read my post about how much I want to go to Korea, you can feel how happy I am! This is the highlight of my life in 2014 and I can't wait to tell y'all about my experience!
Good morning from Incheon International Airport!
Wow the Incheon Airport is sooooo- woah, wait! Is that a celebrity van?!
After a red-eye flight, I definitely felt sleepy.
Once we went out of the airport, we felt like a bucket of ice were poured on our heads! It was so
freaking cold! My not-so-huge mistake was not wearing leggings before putting the pants on so yeah, the cold seeped through mostly in my legs. I wore 3 layers of upper clothing (thermal pullover- I recommend Uniqlo, thicker pullover and winter jacket), by the way.
First stop is a local restaurant for breakfast! Just 5 minutes away from the airport. :)
We ate Udong (top pic) noodles and Kimbap (bottom pic). Both dishes were delicious! This kimbap is so far the best kimbap I've ever tasted! I didn't believe at first that I was going to eat legit Korean cuisine for 5 days!
Just think of kimbap as the sushi of Korea. The kim (seaweed) is wrapped around the bap (rice) along with vegetables such as carrots and greens, and even ham and egg. The long roll will then be cut into not-so-bite-sized pieces, then sprinkled with sesame seeds. But remember to not just take a bite off the kimbap. It should be eaten wholly. Since kimbap has rice, it can make you really full.
Smilin' after a hearty breakfast!
This was my view after falling asleep for about 2 hours inside the bus. How I wish I can wake up to this surrounding everyday! We're on our way to Nami Island which is about 3 hours from the Incheon Airport. I really like South Korea's highway and toll system. The drive was really smooth and there were no long lines at all at the toll gates.
First tourist attraction: Nami Island!!
We all knew about Nami Island all thanks to the Korean drama, Winter Sonata. We were waiting for a ferry to take us to the island. It takes about 5-10 minutes to get there.
View from the ferry....
My friend looking towards the river...
Going off the ferry..
Welcome to Nami Island! :) (Lots of autumn leaves ahead!)
Soju bottle Christmas tree!
Acting lost hahaha
really beautiful autumn leaf!
This is where the scene in Winter Sonata was shot...well a bit further.
It took me long before I captured a perfect shot of this cute squirrel! (I just zoomed the camera in! I didn't freighten this cutie with my presence)
According to one of our tour guides, long time ago, jars of kimchi were buried in the ground inside these cool, dark huts. Kimchi is made usually during autumn season and stored during winter. The cold temperature slows the fermentation of kimchi that is why it is buried under. The ground gives the constant temperature needed for the kimchi to ferment faster during the winter season.
Me and my friends weren't able to reach the other end of the crescent-shaped island, because we were too absorbed taking pictures (well, you can determine hahaha). Besides, we were only give an hour to roam around Nami.
After enjoying different sites in Nami Island, we headed back to the station (where we waited for the ferry) for lunch, just nearby the parking lot of tour buses.
We ate dak galbi (the orange meats with the rice cakes and mushrooms at the griller), with lettuce, ssamjang (the red sauce with the garlic and chili peppers beside it), seaweed soup and banchan (side dishes). Of course, there's also rice! :) We all know that Asians (most especially east and southeast) cannot live without rice.
After eating another authentic Korean cuisine, we headed back to the bus for our next destination: Mt. Seorak.
Stay tuned for the next part of my Korea travelogue! :)
Always Keep the Faith.
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