I am not talking about one or two rows of azaleas in the park, but something really massive. A mountain full of blooming azaleas that turn the entire site an eye feasting one.

Located in Bucheon, a city at the outskirt of Seoul, this place is perfect for half-day-outing, especially during the first 3 weeks in April due to its famous azalea bloom. The Wonmi Mountain (원미산) will be covered with hundreds and thousands of brightly coloured azaleas in full bloom this time every year. You may want to pack your own picnic bag and spend your entire morning there appreciating the beauty of mother earth.

I especially enjoyed my morning at Wonmi mountain. You’ll see adorable elementary school kids hiking up the stairs with their teachers, and ajummas sharing sweet potatoes and a cup of coffee under the trees. The better air, the bright pink flowers, and the relaxed vibe there at the park are all so wonderful.

I’ll totally list it as one of the not touristy things to do in Seoul! It is true that the cherry blossom waits for no one, but always remember you have an alternative. The azaleas never disappoint.

Writer’s Note: Aside admiring the bloom, there’s an annual Wonmisan Azalea Festival where visitors can participate in various activities. It is usually held on the 2nd week of April.  If picnic is your kind of activity, there’s a huge convenient storeto get some snacks at the Bucheon Sports Complex Station. Alternatively, you can pack your own food before departing from Seoul. Azalea flowers last about 3 weeks to a month. However, it is best to visit the place before the 3rd weekend of April to avoid disappointment. Please wear comfortable shoes as you’ll need to walk uphill quite a bit to reach the park.

Contact Details:

Wonmi Mountain Azalea Hill
482, Sosa-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
원미산 진달래동산
경기도 부천시 소사로 482 (춘의동)

Direction:

The Wonmi Mountain Azalea Hill can be accessed from anywhere in Seoul.
1. Get on subway line No. 7 and alight at Bucheon Sports Complex Station (부천 종합운동장역), then exit from Exit No. 2. Continue walking straight and you’ll find a stadium on your right-hand side. 

2. Walk into the compound of the stadium, until you see the above slope on your way up. You’ll be able to find a notice board with Korean wordings that read “진달래동산 가는길” (circled in red in the picture above). Follow the direction indicated: go up the slope.

3. Once you climbed up the slope, you’ll be able to see the blooming azaleas on the hills. Follow the crowd and continue to walk uphill, towards the mountain.

4. You should be able to see the staircase leading upward. Climb up these stairs and you’ll reach the entrance of the Wonmi Mountain Azalea Hill soon!

Maps

If you’re currently located in Korea, please use the Naver Map below to navigate: 

2018.2.24 | 지도 크게 보기 ©  NAVER Corp.

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One of the best activities to carry out during the season, in my opinion, is “Glamping”. If you haven’t heard of the word “Glamping”, it is a shorthand for “Glamorous Camping”, a global trend that has tapped into the Land of Morning Calm in recent years. Mixing up the word “Glamorous” and “Camping”, Glamping is an idea of providing luxurious “tents” in the remote areas of the country, aiming to cater campers with comforts and convenience without giving up on civilization. Just bring your food, drinks and clothing and leave the rest (utensils, camping essentials, tent and etc.) to the glampsite owner! How convenient?

Important Notice: Please note that I have stopped updating all South Korea-related content published before 2020 on this blog. You may find all updated South Korea travel content at my dedicated, new travel site here: www.thecalmchronicle.com 

I spent an amazing weekend glamping at ‪Gapyeong. My friend booked a tent at the Gapyeong Serapim Glampsite 가평 세라핌 글램핑, which is about an hour’s drive away from Seoul. We purchased some fresh ingredients for our BBQ dinner at a market near my friend’s place before heading to the glampsite. Just in case you do not have the luxury of time to do your grocery, you can request the glampsite people to prepare your BBQ dinner, which usually includes pork belly, sausages, mushrooms, garlic, sweet potatoes and lettuce – Your typical Korean campsite staple. Cool enough, yeah?  

This is what greeted us when we arrived at the glampsite. A row of sturdy, lavish tents tucked away next to a stream overlooking an impressive autumn landscape. The tent itself was installed with wooden flooring and Ondol (Korean underfloor heating system) at the bedroom area. Everything looks clean and new.

The tent consists a pantry and dining area on a wooden deck, dressing room and a bedroom-cum-living-room area with a queen sized bed. (A bed in a tent!) The size of the tent comfortably fits three adults, and I think it would fit a family with two kids or two adult couples perfectly. The sleeping area is completely screened to keep mosquitoes out. Additional boilers and heater fan are prepared for the colder days. It is not the most luxurious glampsite I encounter, but it is certainly very well equipped.

The pantry was equipped with a mini-fridge, a stove, cutlery, pots and pans and even a water boiler — everything you’ll need to whip up a sumptuous Korean campsite meals such as Budae Jjigae (Army Stew), a hot bowl of Ramen and Oden Soup. The army stew and Oden soup are the two classic campsite dishes, which is semi-instant, delicious and of course, very easy to prepare.

We decided to make Army Stew for the first meal of the day. It is one of the easiest South Korean dishes to make. Just get an army stew stock from any supermarket, put in all the ingredients and voila! One of my go-to brand for Budae-Jjigae aka army stew stock is from Baek Sul (백설 다담 부대 찌개양념). It is my personal favourite when it comes to army stew stock. I find the rest of the brands either too sweet or less spicy. Baek Sul is the only brand that provides an authentic taste of a good army stew. It is hot and spicy, yet at the same time, full of nutty flavour — This description might sound weird to you. However, in the Korean expression for such flavour, you’ll often come across with this phrase —  “얼큰 하면서 고소함”

There is no exact translation of 고소하다 (go-soo-ha-da) in English. It is usually translated into a the flavour of sesame oil or nutty flavour, but it can be used to describe dishes like army stew as well. It could only roughly be translated to “rich and velvety” in describing go-soo-ha-da for army stew. Anyway,  if you ask for a recommendation, I would say go for Baek Sul’s.

Ingredients to make Army Stew:

-Baeksul’s Army stew stock 1 pack
– 1/2 can of SPAM, cut into smaller pieces
– a few sausages, cut into pieces
– a handful of mushrooms
– 1/4 onion
– cloves of minced garlic (optional)
– 1/4 cup of Kimchi
– 1/2 box of tofu
– some Korean rice cakes (ddeokbokki, 7-8 pieces, optional)
– small bowl of sweetcorn removed from cob (or get the tinned sweetcorn)
– scallions
– a piece or two cheese
– a packet of ramen

Add the stock paste to the pot. Then use the empty Baek Sul stock packet to measure 3 packets of water (300cc), pour them into the pot and cook. Notice there’s a marker at the back of the stock packet “◄100 cc x 3회►“, use that to gauge.

When the stock is boiling, add all the ingredients (except scallions, ramen, and cheese) into the pot. Then, add the ramen and scallions when everything is almost ready. Lastly, add the cheese before you serve!

We toured around the glampsite after the meal and discovered a shower room, a dish-washing station, a general office that sells campfire logs, snacks, instant noodles, drinks and even frozen pork belly. At about 630pm, the person-in-charge came to set up the campfire and the BBQ pit.

The night falls, and the BBQ party begins. We brought some of the finest pork neck meat, beef, sausages and fish to grill and washed them down with beer. Good food, the right music and great companion —  one of the best moments of the night indeed.

After the BBQ, my friends prepared some sweet potatoes and threw them into the campfire pit. While waiting for the sweet potatoes to be cooked, we sat down near the campfire chit-chatting, and finished up another round of beer. Before tucking in the sweet potatoes, my friend whipped up some Rösti, and again we washed them down with some fruits, then back to drinking, again! (This is South Korea, after all!)

The temperature falls to single digit as the night grows late. We brought out the electric blankets and heater fan for extra comfort. By the time we decided to go to sleep, the bedroom was in a nice, warm and fuzzy temperature. We woke up to a misty mountain view the next morning and prepared the typical Korean fare of camping food — Ramen and Oden soup for breakfast.

After the check-out, we visited the nearby Yumyeongsan Mountain Natural Recreation Forest (국립 유명산 자연 휴양림) which is famous for its autumn foliage. If you really want to experience South Korea’s awe-inspiring natural beauty, Yumyeongsan Mountain natural recreation forest is definitely an ideal location. You can even check out Petite France on your way back to Seoul!

Writer’s Note: If you love camping out but always feel intimidated by the preparation work and the clean-up thereafter, glamping is what you should give a try. Just bring your own clothing and leave all the other preparations (tent, utensils, sleeping bags etc.) to the glampsite people and you are all set for a fuss-free, fun and comfortable time with nature. For those who want a memorable South Korean experience, Glamping in Korea is not to be missed. It gives you a chance to peek into the local lifestyle in a Korean countryside setting, yet at the same time, enjoying the service similar to a hotel.

Contact Details:

Serapim Glamping 세라핌 글램핑
경기 가평군 설악면 묵안로 626-17
Gyeonggi-do, Gapyeong-gun, Seolrak-myeon, Mukan-ro. 626-17.
Tel. +8210-2183-3917
Check in: 2pm
Check out: 11am

There are many different glampsites around the country. But not all are English-friendly. Non-Korean speakers may check out Glamping.com (click me)  or Related Airbnb for fuss-free booking. However, you’ll need to get there by yourselves. For those who speak/read Korean, you may check out Glamping Korea (click me), which offers a greater array of choices in the country.

These are a few options for your reference to book a glamping site. Please note that I am not an affiliate with these companies listed above nor I have tried out any of the services from the above. The Serapim Glampsite that appeared in this post is booked by a Korean friend and I was tagging along.

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As I sit down to sort out the pictures and start writing about it, I realised how alluring these red beauties are. They managed to keep me thinking about them all the while. The swaying movement of the wild poppies in the wind was a mesmerising sight. It was so magical that I can just sit there and watch them all day long.

The splendorous sight of wild poppies could be found at Sangdong Lake Park, a regular neighbourhood park located at Gyeonggi-do, Bucheon City, some 45 minutes train rides from where I stay in Seoul. It is not a huge park, but you would see families and couples setting up tents, bringing out beautiful picnic utensils and enjoy their day here on any fine late-spring days.

The flower shrubs nearby the lake, which was the place where we got these photos are filled up with thousands of wild poppies. It is quite a sight and has also become one of the favourite location for model shooting or even pre-wedding shoot. We see at least 5 different groups taking photos at the same location. It is a popular weekend hideout for locals, and I see no tourists yet so if you are looking for some real South Korean experience,  a picnic outing to Sangdong Lake Park next late-spring could be on your to-do list.

You’ll find two major clusters of flower shrubs here at the park in late May. One of them is filled with blooming wild poppies. It comprises several clusters of the beautiful red flowers and are usually very crowded.

The other one was the magical barley field located beside the poppy cluster–the least crowded one is the location where we got most of the photos. The setting sun shines on the field, creates a mystical, soft, light and airy feel to the picture.

These are some of my favourite shoots against this background. Photos are taken by Ke Chean.

Other than the usual soft and girly photographs, we also tried some non-mainstream theme. It turned out quite ghostly, but I love it!

There are more interesting photos coming up for sure, but now what we can do is to wait as the photographer is currently very, very busy with his work.

Here are some other pictures of the beautiful poppies I took.

Frankly speaking the golden timing before sunset at this place is to-die-for. I love the place so much that I didn’t want to go home that soon but it was getting quite chilly at dusk so we had to leave. One more tip here: If you are planning to go picnic at the park, and if you are extremely picky about the food you eat, you may want to pack your own as there is only one convenient store at the park. You can find pre-packed lunchbox, instant cup noodles, snacks, drinks and ice-cream at the convenient store. Otherwise, just order anything you like to the park if you speak fair amount of Korean!

I hope you like this little local hideout I introduce here in the post and hopefully I will see you here next spring, perhaps end of May?

p.s. Please do remember poppies are only available in late spring (Late May) so if you really want to see the flowers, come according to the season^^

Directions

Sangdong Lake Park
15, Jomaru-ro 85beon-gil, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
상동호수공원, 경기도 부천시 원미구 조마루로 15 (상동)

Come out from Sangdong Station (상동역) exit no.4, then walk straight for about 5-8 minutes to reach the park entrance.

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Introduction: Petite France

Petite France is a cute and romantic village full of French elements. If you like the literature “The Little Prince” (Le Petit Prince), I bet you’ll like the place as some of the drawings in the village are illustrated in the story. To add more fun to your trip, you may want to pick up a canvas fabric at the entrance when you purchase your ticket. There are totally of 8 different stamps hiding in the village, you can get 2 Petite France postcards from the tourist information counter if you managed to collect all the stamps; )

Public Transportation to Petite France

According to Visit Korea, there are several buses that travel to Petite France from different directions.

From Dong Seoul Bus Terminal or Sang Bong Bus Terminal: Take the intercity bus to Cheongpyeong.
From Cheongpyeong Terminal: take a local bus bound for Goseong-ri (고성리)
From Cheongpyeong Terminal: take Gapyeong Tour Bus to Petite France *bus runs 7 times a day, from 830am to 530pm.

nest hotel is the first Design Hotels property in South Korea. It is located in Yeongjongdo island of Incheon, a neighbouring city near Seoul with a bunch of new development, ranging from luxury resorts, cultural centres, golf courses, casinos, adventure parks and malls — the future Northeast Asia’s cultural hub.

The architecture of the building was inspired by the hotel’s main focus of becoming a hideout for their guests. The designers first drew up plans for each room individually, blending the views of pine trees, reed fields and the calming Yellow Sea into the interior. These 370 rooms were then constructed through the “piling up” design, forming a unique nest-like facade.

It is a perfect blend of post-modernity with simplicity. I love the combination of a huge amount of white, natural light and earth tone colours, all tastefully selected for their interior colour palette. The hotel is fairly new. In fact the hotel is in a soft launch mode since 12th this month. I absolutely love the feather-like chandeliers hanging gracefully in the lobby.

Taking the island airport hotel to the next level, nest hotel, set in Incheon near Seoul, is the perfect getaway for today’s jet-set crowd.

The Room

I didn’t manage to get satisfying pictures of the hotel room since we only checked in at 11pm, but the standard twin room was pretty comfortable. The quilts and pillows are in soft, good sinking-in material to ensure a restful slumber. Standard rules for most S.Korean Hotels also applied here: Free soap and shower utensils, but extra charges apply if you use the brand new toothbrush provided.

The Lobby

If there is a word to describe the hotel, that would be “Industrial Elegance”. I love the neat colour arrangement and I appreciate the designer’s attention paid to the tiniest detail of the  bricks, the carpet and the pillars. Personally I love natural sunlight, and I must say here at the hotel you really feel the connectedness between the building at the warm daylight. Staffs are friendly and attentive, creating a welcoming atmosphere throughout my stay. Casual chats with their staffs offered me with the information that the hotel is also providing some unexpected services such as Glamping (glamorous camping) facilities, biking courses through the reed fields and adventurous watersports!

My denim overalls and me, soaking up in the glorious morning sunshine at the lobby.

The Surroundings

I was so blown away by the spectacular view of the hotel surroundings, especially the reed fields nearby, and the reservoir (or was it a lake?) right outside their restaurant. Since there is basically nothing nearby the hotel and the nearest convenient store is like 5-10 minutes drive away,  this place is certainly a recluse paradise.

The PLATZ

One highlight of the stay would be their beautiful restaurant. Tiered seating were designed to ensure a romantic theatrical dining experience — enjoying the food while overseeing the sea. The whole white and ivory colour settings give off a minimalist, contemporary simplicity atmosphere. The restaurant is surrounded by tall glass windows, make it a gem day and night. Natural sunlight shining through the glass window, lighting up your palate, making the food even more appetising.

The Platz goes quite international on their breakfast menu. Fine western cuisine was served, from fresh garden salad to a good selection of antipasti (not extravagantly wide in selection but good at what they got). Cheesy potato gnocchi and even Chicken Tandoori, the dining experience at their restaurant were a pleasant surprise. Korean style dishes like pa-jeon and haemul-jeon (green onion and seafood pancake), the holy-jeonbukjuk (abalone porridge) and even Chinese dimsum were on the breakfast buffet table as well. Not to mention the artisan croissant, hearty full-grain muffin and the beautifully baked tarts. Certainly (and perhaps, literally) a feast for the eyes and stomach!

The KUNST Lounge/ Library Café

Fancy a drink over some interesting, good read? Head to their library café at the other end of the lobby. They have a rather impressive library of books, with a few major families of genres ranging from unique culture from all over the world, design, architecture, interior and even humanities. The cosy library actually offers a collection of 1000 books for any reading enthusiast!

I would definitely love to and get cosy up with a glass of martini and getting my hands on The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman at the KUNST. But it was a pity that we were having a super tight schedule during our stay : ( To my surprise, their lounge closes as early as 11pm so if you want to get your drinks at night, you’d better be early to avoid any disappointment.

Writer’s Note: The 2d1n stay during my visit to Incheon at nest hotel was perfect — though there is certainly space for improvement. We actually checked into a room with an empty fridge and empty snack bar lol. The spa (jacuzzi pool) in the hotel was closed due to maintenance as well. (We were certainly out of luck!) Though some of the facilities (the garden, the jogging course etc.) are not exactly ready, I feel that everything had lived up to my expectations since the hotel is on soft launch. I heard from the staff that they will be all ready by mid-October 2014! So do check it out if you’re interested! I do hope I can enjoy their hospitality once again when they are all ready! ; )

Contact Details

nest hotel
19-5, Yeongjonghaeannam-ro,Jung-gu,Incheon,Korea
Incheon 400-340, South Korea
Tel. +82 32 743 9000

Our stay costed KRW 250,000-360,000 (USD 239-344) per night. Buffet Breakfast cost KRW 22,000 (USD 21+-) for adults and KRW 11,000 (USD ) for kids if you booked your meals together online.

If you decided to walk in for your breakfast, it’ll cost KRW 27,500 (USD 26) and KRW 13,750 (USD13) for adults and kids respectively. 

Promotion during the Asian Game period: Show your ticket for the games and be eligible to enjoy your breakfast at the PLATZ for free.

Disclaimer: This trip is sponsored by Korea Tourism Organization (KTO). However opinions are my own.

As many of you might have followed the live broadcast provided by your home broadcast stations, I am going to keep the post sort and simple, and let the pictures tell the stories ; )

It happened that I had to take a very important exam on the day of the Opening Ceremony, so instead of travelling together with the Wow Korea Supporters team, I had to find my own way to Incheon Asiad Stadium as my exam ended late.

I took public transport (Airport train 공항철도 towards Incheon Airport 인천국제공항, and alight at Gom-am Station 검암역, then take a bus to the stadium.) The organiser of the AG was quite thoughtful in providing high-frequency shuttle service right from Gom-am Station to the stadium, but the queue for the shuttle was way too long. So I decided to take the Incheon city bus to the stadium and ended up alighting halfway through and walking over to the stadium as the traffic was really bad. Well, I expected this so it doesn’t affect my mood anyway.

Entrance at about 630pm, 30 minutes before the opening ceremony. It was quite confusing at the entrance as there wasn’t proper instruction on where and how the people should queue up to pass the security gantries. However, it didn’t take us long to get into the stadium. Since we were hungry, we went to grab something at the snack kiosk before meeting up with the group in the stadium.

After packing our bags up with food and titbits, we went into the stadium! Look at the crowds!!!!

On my way in I saw TV crews and foreign correspondents busy at work. Observing them reminded me of my past profession. The media industry is such a charming but taxing industry. Bittersweet emotions. Sigh..

Finally, we found our seats, somewhere high up, right opposite the place where President Park Geun Hye was seated at!

So this is what I discovered at the snack bar that I find astonishing: A self-heating instant lunchbox!

It is a kind of instant rice that comes in an amazing self-heating pack. Once you pull & hold the white grip for about 15 seconds, the heat pack in the package will start to heat up your rice. All you need to do now is to put the heating rice pack back in the box, leave it standing for 10 minutes and lay flat for 10 minutes, and your pippin’ hot bento box will be ready!

This is what you’ll get after unboxing the packaging. A self-heating pack contains of rice, another pack that consists of your main toppings, a packet consists of fried kimchi, and a packet with paper bowl and plastic spoon.

Just take out the rice pack and the dining utensils bag. Pull the white grip on the rice pack upward and hold for about 15 seconds, you’ll feel the heat from the bottom of the rice pack. Make sure you see smoke coming out from the lid, and it is time to put it back in the box. It will heat up the rice, as well as your toppings. When it is time to eat, get your paper plate ready and carefully take out the rice package and squeeze it from the top part. Your rice will slip out from the BOTTOM of the package.

I was so amazed by this brilliant invention and judging by the eyeballs I get when we walked past half of the stadium to locate our seat with this smoking package, I guess not many Korean know about this either!

FYI, this self-heating bento box comes in different flavours. I see Rice topped with Spicy Tofu, Rice topped with black bean sauce and Bibimbap flavours.  Mine was the black bean sauce rice and it taste good too. (it was too dark to take any pictures of my food, but I will do one more about this bento next time!)

And again, photos of the fireworks at the AG opening ceremony 2014.

Fireworks.

The exact scene when Kim Soo Hyun appeared.

The passionate crowds at the opening ceremony.

And when the athletes marched into the stadium. Personally, I feel that the highlight for the night was when the North Korean team paraded into the stadium. The crowd cheered their approval for team North Korea, despite North and South technically remaining at war.

When Psy rock the stage with his Gangnam Style.

and more fireworks.

Ending scene of Asian Game Opening Ceremony 2014.

Photo of one of my favourite heartfelt moments of the night- fuzzy, but glittering. Thank you KTO for having me there to witness this event.  ; )

Of course we went to watch Sepak Takraw Game at Pucheon Stadium the next day.

In case you don’t know about the game yet, Sepak Takraw is a sport native to Southeast Asia. Certainly, most S.E.A countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and etc. are good at Sepak Takraw. It is quite similar to volleyball, but the ball they use is usually made of rattan. It only allows players to use their feet, knee, chest and head to touch the ball. And the game between Indonesia and Laos was intense!

So this was basically what I did on the first night at Incheon. I am going to blog about Incheon and its tourist attraction, as well as a brand new designer hotel that I stayed at during my trip to Incheon, so stay tuned!

Disclaimer: This trip is sponsored by Korea Tourism Organization (KTO). However, opinions are my own.  

Important Notice: Please note that I have stopped updating all South Korea-related content published before 2020 on this blog. You may find all updated South Korea travel content at my dedicated, new travel site here: www.thecalmchronicle.com 

Introduction: Gapyeong 가평

Located at the border of Gangwon-do and Gyeonggi-do Province, Gapyeong is right at the centre of the Korean Peninsula. Encompassing various mountains, rivers and the beautiful Cheongpyeong Lake, it is well known for its natural beauty. The Cheongpyeong lake, which is the main attraction of Gapyeong County, is an artificial lake due to the construction of the Cheongpyeong dam. Surrounding the lake is numerous summer pensions. One can enjoy water sports such as water skiing, jet skiing and various water activities, which made this place a popular vacation spot all year round.

Famous Tourist Attractions: 
The Garden of Morning Calm
Petite France
Cheongpyeong Lake

Public Transportation to Gapyeong

Commuters can take a bus from Dong Seoul Station (동서울 터미널) to Gapyeong Bus Terminal (가평 터미널).  Buses transmitting to and fro these two terminals are No. 1310, 1810, 8142,8147 and 8153.

Gapyeong Attractions Circle Bus:
Once you reach Gapyeong Terminal, you can take a Gapyeong Attractions Circle Bus, which brings you to the attractions below:

Gapyeong Terminal (가평터미널)  Jaraseom Island (자라섬)   Gapyeong Station (가평역)  Nami Island (남이섬)  Petite France (쁘띠프랑스)  Cheongpyeong Terminal (청평터미널) Cheongpeyong Station (청평역)  The Garden of Morning Calm (아침고요수목원)

Splashing The Summer’s End Away

And so here we are at our destination, the Four Season Pension which is located right beside the lake. After checking into our rooms, we gathered at the water sports platform and get ready for the water games. Life jackets were distributed. Good intention, but some of the jackets stink. Anyway, please put on your life jacket and made sure they are fastened before splashing away your summer blues. Deep waters here at Cheongpyeong lake.

Flying Fish

Certainly one of my favourite water games out of all. All you need to do is to lie down on the float and clung to the handgrip. The float will then fly off from the water for about 45 degrees. I love the feel of flying like a seagull (maybe. lol) and the scenery was great. The best part? You don’t really get wet. (Unless you fall off from the float, which is quite rare.) Just make sure you hold tightly onto the grip and enjoy!

Pang Pang

Pang-pang is my other favorite too! I think this ride is quite an adventurous one as you can see from the picture below that there is nothing else on the float to prevent you from falling into the water. However, there are hand grips on both sides of your butt but once the staff starts dragging, be prepared to spin off from the float, especially those that sit at both ends  ; D

Blob Jump

A very common summer camp activity, but something brand new to me. It is a 3 tier tower, with one platform at the 2nd level and the other at the 3rd level. The one who wants to fly off from the blob will have to first jump onto the blob at the 2nd level. Then two of your friends (preferably guy friends) have to jump into the blob together from one level higher (the 3rd level), for you to fly up into the sky and launch into the water. It is not an easy task as those that are jumping off from the 3rd level has to reach the blob at the exact same time for the “flyer” to fly off nicely and high up.

So far, I only have the pictures with me. I will upload the video of a successful blob jump demonstrated by one of our members from the KTO and the two staff once I got them up on my youtube channel.

Soon after the water sports, we went back to our rooms with aching arms for a shower. On a side note, the room condition is quite dated, with very basic amenities. Not exactly a comfortable place to sleep in I would say, as they only have Korean-style beddings. That means you’ll have to sleep on the floor without a mattress. But for a 2d1n group trip with friends, also judging by the amount we pay, I think it is quite acceptable.

Dinner:

Dinner was a BBQ party by the lake. I was expecting to do all the grilling and setting up the bbq pit by ourselves but everything was ready on the table. Surprisingly the dinner was quite elaborate, with nice kimchi, soybean paste soup and various side dishes. Everything tasted so good. The best thing? Nice unlimited meat!!!!

Alcohol is such an excellent mood-lifting supplement. After a couple of drinks, the atmosphere became high and someone volunteered to sing. It eventually led to funny sexy dances by representatives from certain countries. Time slipped away and before it gets darker, we decided to call it quits.

I got up at 6 am the next morning. It feels surreal to wake up to such misty and mysterious surroundings. As I have mentioned in my previous post about Chuncheon, most of the mornings here at Gapyeong and Chuncheon are foggy and misty because the county is surrounded by various mountains and waters.

While my roommates were busy getting ready, I came out to the water games platform to enjoy the beautiful scenery where the lake and the misty fog blend harmoniously into the landscape of the mountains in the background. Such a magical moment!

I also filmed a short clip while I was enjoying the fresh air from the mountains. Feel free to check it out ; )

This 2D1N water sports trip at Gapyeong Four Season Pension cost KRW85,000 per person. It consists a 1 night’s stay at the pension, and 3 water sports (Flying Fish, Big Marble, Banana Boat, Bandwagon, Pang Pang) + Blob Jump (Extra charges if you need their staff to jump for you, which guarantee you to fly higher) + playing at the mini water park + breakfast + BBQ Buffet Dinner (free flow of meat). 

Disclaimer: This trip is sponsored by Korea Tourism Organization (KTO). However, opinions are my own.  

“Dumulmeori”, which literally means “the head of two waters”, refers to the starting point of both the Bukhangang River and the Namhangang River. It is a great place for a day trip since it is not very far from Seoul. For cycling enthusiasts, you may want to check this place out, for its established bicycle trails along the spectacular landscape.

Important Notice: Please note that I have stopped updating all South Korea-related content published before 2020 on this blog. You may find all updated South Korea travel content at my dedicated, new travel site here: www.thecalmchronicle.com 

The journey from Seoul to  Yangsuri was like travelling via a time machine. I boarded the subway train from the hustle and bustle of Seoul and alight right at the doorstep of peace and tranquillity. 90 minutes away from Seoul and now we get peace of mind!.

Itinerary:

The below picture is the outline of the trip, from departing to the last stop at Sumilwon cafe. Once you reach Yangsu station, you basically walk/cycle to all the spots below. Think of it as a trip by public transportation and foot. We took the subway from our home in Seoul and took Jungang Line (Jade blue line) to Yangsu Station.  It is a whole 4.5 KM walking trail throughout the trip, but I am pretty sure it is doable. Be sure to wear a pair of good walking shoes before embarking on your journey.

I’ve also mapped the places out here on the Google map below. Both the blue route and purple route will bring you to the same places listed above. If you like to take more photos of the beautiful lotus farm, it is best to take the blue route as it guarantees you endless lotus farm along the way, especially during summer when lotus is in season.

We set off from Seoul relatively late. Photographers who want to catch the magical moment of the first sunlight will have to wake up early. The scenery was said to be particularly magnificent at dawn. Since the sun was already high up by the time we arrived, we decided to head directly for lunch.

Transportation: 

I figured the subway is the best way of transport to Yangsuri. Basically, travel from any subway station in Seoul, and transfer to Jungang Line 중앙선 (the only Jade Green colour line) and alight at Yangsu Station (양수역) then complete the course by bicycle/foot or cab.

1. Lunch: Korean Traditional Full Course @ Yeon-pat 연밭

Lunch was taken at this famous matjib called Yeon-bat (연밭) that serves traditional Korean full course meal since 1981. “연밭” means lotus fields in English. During the lotus blossom season, visitors are able to enjoy their sumptuous meal by the lotus field admiring the beauty of the lotus flower.

Lotus fields are everywhere here in Dumulmeori, hence lotus roots, lotus seeds — basically everything lotus are the specialities here. We ordered the “Lotus Field Course” 연밭정식 [read: Yeon-bat Jeong Sik], which cost KRW 15,000 per person. It includes steamed Pollack and lotus leaf glutinous rice. The meal was served with homemade red wine, followed by the steamed glutinous rice in lotus leaf, then a huge portion of pollack. A wide variety of the side dishes is the highlight of the meal. I love the steam glutinous rice. The lotus leaf left a nice fragrance on the rice and it matches well with the fish.

Since this is a very famous restaurant, we waited for more than an hour to finally get a seat for our meal. Moral of the story? Please make reservations before your visit to avoid endless waiting.

Address:
Yeon-Pat Lotus Leaf Korean Full Course Meal 연밭 
Gyeonggi-do, Yangpyeong-gun, Yangseo-Myeon, Yongdamni, 514.
Tel: 031-772-6064
Operating Hours: 11am-9pm
Korean Version of the Address: 경기도 양평군 양서면 용담리 514

2. Saemiwon 세미원

Saemiwon Garden 洗美苑 is one of the popular attractions here in Dumulmeori. Visitors are able to visit the beautiful water fountain made of Hagari (Korean pottery jars), and also walk through two extremely huge lotus fields with white and pink lotus flowers respectively. There are also different species of lotus flowers planted in Saemiwon, an ideal place for some flora and fauna photography.

Since the exit of Saemiwon is directly linked to the walkway towards Dumulmeori, if you are visiting this place, I suggest you arrange your visit to Dumulmeori right after Saemiwon.

 3. Snack : Lotus Ice-cream

Lotus waffle, lotus tea, lotus set lunch. Lotus, lotus, LOTUS. It is all about lotus if we are talking about snacking here at Dumulmeori. Be sure to try out some of this lotus themed street food at the snack booths right after crossing the bridge from Saemiwon. We got ourselves this lotus ice cream in a lovely shade of pastel green. Never mind the taste of the ice cream, it was a pure delight having ice cream in the summer breeze. (Well, it wasn’t that bad. I just couldn’t taste the lotus from it. Rather, it is more like vanilla with a mild green tea flavour to me. )

Continue walking down the path with your ice cream and you’ll reach Dumulmeori in approximately 20 minutes?

4. Dumulmeori

Private owned Dumulmeori is a popular spot for local dramas, movies, commercials and wedding pictures. According to visitkorea.org, there should be an ancient style ferry on the water, but we did not see one. I guess it was under construction when we visited the place. There are also three 400-year-old Zelkova Trees that appear as one giant tree, adding to the rustic feel of Dumulmeori.

To be frank, the best pictures of the trip are all taken here at Dumulmeori. I love the beautiful landscape with water, hills and lotus fields. So be sure to bring your camera with you to Dumulmeori! If not, you can hire professional photographers here to take photos of you at the lotus field. That’ll cost you some money for sure. If you intend to self-take some portraits, here are 3 great photo spots for pictures:

 Photo spot 1 : By the lotus field

 Photo spot 2 : By the picturesque river

Photo Spot 3:  With the Dumulmeori picture Frame

5. Personalized Cartoon Sketches by the river

After long hours admiring the beautiful scenery, you can get cartoon sketch artists by the river to preserve your memory here at Dumulmeori. It is 30,000 for couples, and 10,000 each person for a piece of group sketch. It takes about 10-20 minutes to complete your personalized cartoon sketch.

6. Sumilwon Art Gallery + Cafe 수밀원

Sumilwon is an art gallery cum cafe by the river. Filled up with oil paintings and artworks, Sumilwon is a great place to cool off the summer heat. I love their outdoor seats facing the river — an excellent spot for people-watching. We ordered their red bean shaved ice and it was surprisingly good.

7. Tibits: Lotus Sausage

Feeling hungry by now? How about snacking on a lotus flavoured hotdog? Before we call it a day, we discovered a stall selling lotus sausage at Dumulmeori. This fried hotdog snack looks like any other typical street food you can get elsewhere. However, we were told powdered lotus is added in the process of making the crumb of the hotdog.

Seriously, I can’t really taste the difference between a Dumulmeori lotus sausage from the usual one I had in Seoul. Anyway, it was quite yummy.

This is how we ended our Dumulmeori day trip. With a hotdog. LOL I wish you had fun reading the blog. Let me know your experience visiting Dumulmeori down here in the comment box! Did you try any of their lotus-themed snacks? : D

It is half a month since my visit. It took me some time to finally update the day trip on Life n’ Style as it was a major picture galore after the trip and I was caught up in finals. However, I remember Dumulmeori being a lush and romantic, achingly beautiful getaway — especially for a day trip or weekend hideout.

It was a tour on foot and public transportations. A whole 5 to 7 kilometres by foot in a day, to and fro. Tiring enough but it was all worth the way. The more miles you put between yourself and the Yangsu Station, the better the scenery.

Yangsuri (양수리) is located in Gyeonggi Province. The place that we visited is called Dumulmeori (두물머리), which is located at the southern tip of Yangsuri. “Dumulmeori”, which literally means “the head of two waters”, refers to the starting point of both the Bukhangang River and the Namhangang River.

The scenery was said to be particularly spectacular at dawn here at Dumulmeori. However, my friends and I only made it there when it was totally bright and sunny. No miraculous pictures since we did not catch the misty look of Dumulmeori, but the outcome of the pictures is already satisfying. I think I’d like to go back at some point later in my life. ; )

This particular post will serve as an introductory. I will post about our itinerary, activities and foodie experience in the upcoming post. So here you go!