Korea Bucket List: My 2014 Goals

While it may not seem like years have passed since I first arrived in Korea, I'm officially facing the beginning of the end. My departure is still months away, but definitely in sight. By the end of this year, I will be gone. As the calendar flipped over to 2014, I suddenly started remembering all the things I've yet to see in this beautiful country! Here's what I'm looking forward to crossing off my Korea Bucket List before I leave...

1. Summertime trip to Jeju

I recently took a trip to beautiful Jeju Island, but, unfortunately, it wasn't exactly prime beach weather. While still gorgeous (and with weather far preferable to the peninsula's), January does not equal swimming season.

Soon...

Instead, I looked longingly at the turquoise water and silently promised the island that I would be back.

Information: Jeju's official website / Korea Tourism Organization website

2. Boseong Green Tea Plantation

I can't wait to check this one off of my list -- the photos I've seen of the green tea fields make it almost look unreal.

I'm not the biggest green tea fan, but I also haven't decided that I hate it. I figure a trip to Korea's famous green tea fields will be the final test. 

Information: Boseong website / Korea Tourism Organization website

3. Hike Seoraksan

As soon as the weather warms up, I'm going to start building up my hiking stamina. Seoraksan looks absolutely gorgeous (check out the photos from that old Aclipse blog!), from the hiking trails to the national park itself. 

I'm hoping I can actually do this one in the fall because everyone tells me it's the most stunning when you can catch the leaves changing colors. 

Information: Korea National Park Service website / Korea Tourism Organization website 

4. Weekend stay on Nami Island

I went to Nami Island for a day last year and I loved it. However, since it was my first time there, I didn't come prepared to fully experience everything the island has to offer! Next time, I want to book a room in one of the pensions on the island, bring a swimsuit, and go crazy! There's ziplining! And tubing! 

Information: Namiseom website / Korea Tourism Organization website

5. Bicycle around Gyeongju

Gyeongju is often referred to as Korea's "outdoor museum" and I'm already planning a trip there for the spring. Gyeongju was the capital of the Silla Kingdom, so tons of historical sites and relics were left behind. Temples, tombs, parks, a grotto... several of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites. I'm really looking forward to bicycling my way from one site to the next and learning more about Korea's history. 

Information: Gyeongju website / Korea Tourism Organization website 

One key spot to visit in Gyeongju is definitely Bulguksa. This temple was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995, it houses seven of the National Treasures of South Korea, and it's currently a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Sounds neat, right? 

Information: Bulguksa's website (in Korean) / Korea Tourism Organization website

6. Eat live octopus!

Not a whole octopus, because that just freaks me out, but more along the lines of just bits of wriggling tentacles. It looks borderline terrifying, but also fun? I already know that I won't try some of Korea's other delicacies (like dog or bbunddaegi), so I figure I can give this one a go.

I'm thinking a trip to the Noryangjin Fish Market is in order. Anyone want to join me?!

Information: Korea Tourism Organization (for Noryangjin) website 

7. Cherry blossom festival

Every spring, the cherry blossom trees create beautiful canopies of white and pink flowers. My first spring in Korea was so-so for cherry blossoms, and last year I wasn't in the country, so I am absolutely determined to catch the trees in full bloom this year. 

My research has told me that early April would be a good time to see the blossoms, and this year I'm hoping to travel to somewhere with an impressive display. (However, with the mild winter we just had, I'm worried they'll start blooming early and I'll miss it!!) 

I've got my eye on the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival, which is one of the largest in Korea. 

Information: Korea Tourism Organization website from last year (2014 info isn't available yet, but this link is still helpful for estimating about when the trees usually bloom in each area.)

8. Suggestions?!

This might be a cop out for the last item on the list, but I figure I should open this up to suggestions!

What I've listed above is by no means my complete bucket list (that one is quite lengthy) -- for this entry I decided to just focus on some of the bigger to-do items.

So, fellow bloggers, expat readers -- what else should I try to do before I leave this wonderful country? Leave me a comment below with your recommendations! 

Korea Bucket List: Nami Island

This blog entry was originally published on the Aclipse Blog, which is produced by current Chungdahm Learning teachers in Korea. The blog features entries on current events around Korea, advice for incoming teachers, and the best spots sightseeing, shopping, and eating. The original entry can be viewed here. It has been edited slightly for content. For more information about Aclipse and Chungdahm Learning, click here. 

A couple weekends ago, I was excited to cross another destination off my ever growing Korea Bucket List: Namiseom. This gorgeous, half moon shaped island has always looked appealing with its famous tree-lined paths and photogenic surroundings.

Before I get into the details of the trip, here's some quick background history on the place: Nami is an "island" in Chuncheon, formed by water from the Han River when the Cheongpyeong Dam was built in the 1940s. It gets its name from General Nami, of the Joseon Dynasty era, whose tomb is located on the island. After its creation, it was basically landscaped and reforested to become the tourist destination that it is today. It was also used as a filming location in some popular dramas, the most famous being "Winter Sonata" in 2002. In 2006, it also declared itself a self-governing country, issuing its own currency and a "passport" to enter. Of course, this is all a gimmick -- just for funsies, which I'm sure kids absolutely love.

Our trip began at 9am, since we were headed in from Incheon. We met up with one friend, Riyas, at Yongsan Station in Seoul, where we were going to be catching an ITX train so we could make better time out to the Chuncheon area. You can get there via Seoul Metro, it just takes longer. The scenery as we headed into the mountainous countryside was just gorgeous:

From the train window, somewhere between Seoul and Chuncheon.

After an hour on the ITX from Yongsan, we arrived at Gapyeong Station, where we waited for the other half of our party to arrive. Since we had time to kill, we decided to grab some lunch. Chuncheon is known for originating one of my favorite Korean dishes, dak galbi. So, obviously, this is what we had to eat. Luckily, a billion dak galbi restaurants were right down the street from the station.

They made us put on aprons, which was smart, since it a) spits and splatters while it cooks and b) I drop food on myself more often than I should at nearly 28 years old.

Before and after -- delicious, delicious dak galbi. Corey, Riyas, and I practically inhaled the whole pan. SO good.

After lunch, Kellie, Chris, and Neo had made it to Gapyeong, so we flagged down some cabs and headed to the ferry terminal for Nami. The cab ride was quick and cheap -- only about 5 minutes in medium traffic and under ₩3,000. From there, it was time to buy tickets and board the ferry.

There's a "visa" fee discount of a couple bucks for foreigners, so that was cool. The dollars saved also helped justify buying ice cream later on...

The adorable little ferry.

In case you don't fancy taking the ferry to the island, you also have the option of zip-lining, which is definitely on my to-do list, possibly for the next time I go to Nami:

Yes, those little dots are people. 

After a ferry ride that took less than five minutes, we were dropped at the "port" and set off to wander aimlessly around the island. The scenery is so beautiful -- this post is definitely more image-heavy than most (as you've probably already noticed) because I couldn't stop taking pictures. So, heads up, and also, sorry I'm not sorry.

A guide to the tiny island.

Iconic snowmen from "Winter Sonata" and a soju bottle tree. (I don't know.)

The entire island is landscaped really beautifully with so many different trees.

General Nami's tomb.

The tree-lined paths were my favorites, as cliché as it may be, seeing as they're one of the iconic images from "Winter Sonata." But seriously, it really is nice just wandering around between all these tall trees.

L-R: Corey, me, Neo, Riyas, Chris, and Kellie.

As we walked, we realized we had made a huge mistake by not bringing swimsuits or watersport-friendly clothes -- Nami has so many water-related activities to offer! Besides just cruising around on a boat, they offer tubing, swan pedal boats, and whatever you want to call this: 

Top of the list for the next visit, right next to zip-lining. 

Nami also offers a ton of bicycle options. Hourly bike rentals (single, tandem, and little four-seater family cars) are available so you can cruise around the island's paths, but what we ended up doing was the Sky Bike. 

It was a pretty short ride, but it was still fun to pedal along and see some of the island from a (slightly) higher vantage point. We were tempted to rent bikes as well, but opted not to split into groups and just walked around instead. It was still fun, however, to watch all the other people cycle by.

Recycling is really important on Nami, as evidenced by their numerous art pieces made out of old soju bottles. The island tries to be very environmentally conscious -- all of the trash bins around the island had separate slots to make recycling easier. (Which, given Korea's notorious lack of public trashcans out on the sidewalks, was more exciting to see than it should be...) 

This bridge leads to another really famous spot from "Winter Sonata," where the two main characters have their first kiss: 

Fake snow and snowmen so you can ~recreate the scene.~ This area was pretty crowded with people waiting to take their picture at the table. 

We spent hours just walking around the island. The shade from all the trees keeps the temperature cooler, and it was just so lovely to soak up the out-of-doors. The island has lots of food options, from sit-down restaurants to food tents and stalls, selling everything you could want. After a long stretch of wandering, we found ourselves at a picnic table for a couple hours, buying a few rounds of beer from the nearest tent and its kind ajumma. A few rounds in, she brought some grilled octopus and a spicy dipping sauce over as "service" because we'd bought so many drinks. It made a nice addition to our afternoon snacks. 

After we sat for a bit, we decided to finish our loop around the island. You can easily walk around the whole thing in a day -- and that's going at a slow pace, taking your sweet time. While there are areas we didn't fully explore, it's definitely easy to see it all. 

Rabbits were all over the place. Just... sitting around. In the path into the bathroom. Just staring at you and refusing to move. Apparently, they're a bit dangerous, too...?

Before coming to Nami, I'd read that there were ostriches. Ostriches? Yes, you read that right -- ostriches. Just... walkin' around. Being ostriches. A few were actually in an enclosure, but most of the ones we came across were roaming free, looking kind of freaky, and getting a little too close...

In hindsight, this was probably a poor decision. 

This one just walked right up to us when we were hanging out in the grass. Definitely not people-shy... 

After our interesting run-ins with the ostriches, it was starting to get late. We had return tickets on the ITX at 9:30pm, so we were nearing the time to catch a late ferry and grab dinner near Gapyeong Station. The island was significantly less crowded at this point, so we enjoyed one last stroll through the trees back to the ferry terminal.

So pretty!

For dinner, we decided to take advantage of being in the land of delicious chicken dishes, and instead of getting dak galbi for a second time, we went for chicken BBQ. Somehow, chicken BBQ doesn't seem to be all that popular? I haven't seen it at many restaurants -- though maybe I'm just not looking hard enough. Regardless, I was pretty excited and it was goooood. 

Mmmmm.

Added bonus: our restaurant was right on the water, so we had a nice view from the window. 

Next time, I want to stay in the area overnight and really take advantage of everything it has to offer. There's some kind of "French" area nearby, called Petit France... Looks like it might be interesting. Nami does actually have overnight accomodations -- from little bungalows to larger condo-style pensions, it's definitely a possibility to spend the night on the island itself. We peeked into a few of them as we walked around and they look pretty nice, as well as sizable. It would be easy and affordable to get a group together and just all crash on the floor in one of them. 

Plus, making an overnight-stay-full-weekend trip would allow for easily changing clothes for participation in zip-lining and some of those water activities... 

Have you been to Nami Island? Have you had a run-in with an ostrich? Leave a comment below!