Thursday, December 31, 2015

Korea day 5 - DMZ half day tour + Gangnam underground shopping

DMZ tour - the only way to have a glimpse of North Korea without stepping foot there (Google map doesn't count). We took a half day tour to DMZ. Why tour, because only registered tour groups can go into DMZ via the tour buses. We even got to bring our passports for identification due to the very strict security there. DMZ stands for 'demilitarized zone', a stretch of land that separates North and South Korea and demarcates their borders.

In the tour we were told the history of how Korea became separated, the discovery of infiltration tunnels and business cooperation (Kaesung Industrial Region) between the North and the South. In the vicinity there's an observatory, historical relics of the war, the Bridge of No Return, slips of prayers for reunion on fences and the mid-bridge wall by families who got separated and fences that prevent civilians from going into the landmine fields.

We explored the third infiltration tunnel which proved to be a more physically challenging on our legs than the rail bike we had yesterday. No photo-taking was allowed in the tunnel. It was well-lit, several storeys deep and at some parts pretty narrow with low overhead.




The Bridge of No Return


What is my after-thought on the DMZ tour? It's like a sad story of history with repercussion into present and the future.

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Later in the day we explored Gangnam. It is the district south of the Han river, the name literally translates to 'south of the river'.

The mission is not to get plastic surgery or meet some Psy-like oppa but to... SHOP.


There's many 10000 won boutiques at the underground shopping arcade (Express Bus Terminal Station) - at that time 10000 won is around SGD12. What a steal!

The clothes are all of better quality than what you could get at that price in SG. I got myself a few dresses (find them a bit too short though), a cardigan, and a top. There are many worth-to-buy items in Korea if you know how to shop at the right places eg. ear rings, snacks, skincare products. 'Suaku' me just realised the all famous Peppero sticks is from Lotte and Lotte is a brand from Korea. Lotte mart is popular through out Seoul. Pop by one and you could have your fill of snacks and other food stuff. I like the honey milk chips, banana milk and chewy rice puffs.

There were skincare shops around every street corner in Seoul that you can't miss. I would recommend buying at outlets out of Myeongdong because they were generally less pushy and more generous with samples. Innisfree, Faceshop, Etude house products can be as cheap as half the price in SG. I got liquid foundation at below $10, facial cleanser at around $5, facial masks below $1... *gasp*

My treasures from Seoul
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Day 1 Here we come Seoul!
Day 2 Palaces tour
Day 3 Ewha and Hongdae
Day 4 Gangchon rail bike and Nami Island
Day 5 DMZ and Gangnam shipping
Day 6 Gwangjang market, Changdeok gung

Korea day 4 - Gangchon rail bike + Nami Island

This is one of the more exciting days because we got to take ITX train and explore out of Seoul. Due to time constraint, we didn't get to go Petit France and Garden of morning calm (looking at the plants around us when we go Gangchon, I don't think there's much to see at the garden in this time period) as initially planned.

Here's our route from Seoul to Gimyujeong:

Take ITX-Cheongchun (booked online, 4000 won per person)
Myeongdong -->30mins Dongdaemun -->30mins Cheonggyanni (ITX 9.17am departs)-->40mins Gapyeong



Gapyeong Station    Gimyujeong station (bike rail)
Gapyeong to Gimyujeong Station.

ITX is the express train which travels out of Seoul to other cities. We almost boarded the wrong train from platform because ITX shares the same platform as the normal train. The trick is to look out for the posh-looking train (occasionally double-deck) with two seaters inside. The train even have snacks and drinks for purchase on board.

From Gimyujeong Station (Gyeongchun Line) go by Exit 1. It's about 4 minutes walk away.


Bike rail start point: Gimyujeong Station - Rest stop - Gangchon Station
Temple-like Gimyujeong station

The Gimyujeong bike rail course for a two-seater cost 25,000 won. The reason we chose this route is because this is the easier route with less uphill. We are not exactly paddling fanatics.

Themed after this famous author - thus the giant books

Bikes are ready for us

I love the auto-rail tunnel. Can rest from paddling a while...

Nice view of river and mountains

A little stopover for kopi and odeng
Paddle along with winds in your hair, view of the calm nature and surprises when the bike zoomed into the 'Gangnam style' music tunnels. The Rail bike experience was real fun. Just a word of caution not to bike in winter time.

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Next we hopped over to Nami Island. It's not exactly a hop away cos we kind of lost our way finding the Gangchon station which we wanted to take a train from there to Gapyeong. We later discovered that although it looked nearby on the map, it is a freaking far walk from the Rail bike place. We should have taken the shuttle bus back to Gimyujeong station. Oh well...

We had lunch of dakgalbi in lettuce wraps and rice (you know like what you see in Korean dramas?) at this cosy restaurant which was kind of along-the-way. After all the walking, frustration and hunger, it was soooo nice to sit down to a warm place. The menu was in Korean so I used my trusty google translate to order the food. It was plentiful and cheap (sub-urban restaurant style).



We took a taxi to the terminal in the end to save some time in catching the Nami ferry.



In memory of Winter Sonata




The place is famous due to the filming of Winter Sonata there, supposedly romantic right? That day we went it was pretty crowded with tourist and it just felt a little over-rated. To describe the scenery very simply it would be - ostrich, tall bare pine trees and many 'willow' cherry blossoms. It was cold and drizzling so I didn't have much mood for pictures.

Cropping the crowd below the tree away - now that's what I call scenery