Day 2 - Nami Island & Dongdaemun

The trip was mean to be free and easy. Suffice to say, we got good sleep and late breakfast. :P

Everyday also need to pose here!

Was it hard to use the subway in Seoul? The answer would be, NO, not at all. :P The first thing is you need to understand there are a few lines which is clearly differentiated in respective color code. So, what you need to do is just to identify where you need to get off. Then know the color and fix the puzzle from your station.

Do not worry as each place will be labelled in Korean and English.

Before going to Korea, i was a little scared of the language barier. Words has it that Koreans can not, would not, do not speak English, thus, they won't speak to foreigner. I mean, of course not all, but most of them. However, that is really not the case in our trip. Most people can speak English. At least some basic. Those who could not, will use sign language or will still speak in Korean with hopes that you could understand it. Like this Ajimunni who wanted to tell Laili that she is pretty. She use her hand and make love <3 shape to Laili. So cute!!!






Seems there are a lot of nice places to visit along the way towards the last station. It would be nice if we could stop at each places..hehehe... but that would take forever to reach Nami Island then. :P

To reach Nami Island, the final destination is Gapyeong station, which you can take from Sangbong station. So, where ever you are from, just take note on this two station and plan your route accordingly. ;) Once you reach Gapyeong, you just need to take a taxi to the Wharf which is less than 10minutes away for KRW 4000.

If you are up for adventure, you can take this skyride to Nami Island. Laili & I contemplated of doing it.... but in the end decided to use the ferry instead for KRW 6000.

While we were taking the pictures, an ahjussi approached us to offer his help. Another 10points to the Korean! :D So, we invited his wife to join in the picture.

Reach Nami Island and got mesmerized by the wonderful scenery.

On Nami Island, you can find this Halal cafe, Cafe Drama in between Nami Historium and Winter Sonata photo gallery.

To explore Nami Island, you could either walk or take the bicycle. The bicycle center is however, is located somewhere in the middle, where u can see shops, cafes and galleries. If you are still early, then i'd suggest u rent it for more than 1hour.. explore the island, make stops to take pictures and enjoy the ride. :)

Since it's still early, we decided to make a stop at Dongdaemun, labelled as the market with the greatest bargain. We went in a few shops, but we did not buy anything. It's either is too expensive or too fashionable for us. :P So in the end, we did not buy anything from today's night out.

Korea Accomodation

Booking was done through HostelBookers. Initially , we wanted to book Namsan Guest House. But then, it is fully booked. Panic striken, we search a few other options and a few of them also replied saying there are no more rooms left. Finally, we managed to secure Hong Guesthouse. Phew~~ A tip for looking for hostel besides the transportation factor, choose the one that is not on an uphill or with stairs! Like you need to climb 2,3 floor to reach your room. Imagine walking the whole day and coming back all tired with blisters on your feet and yet you need to climb up to reach you room! (T_T) . Gladly, Hong Guesthouse is not like that. :D

This is how easy it is to get to Hongik University station - direct from Incheon International Airport.


Here's the direction from Hongik Univ station to the hostel. (^_^). If you decide to stay there...not to worry, they will email you the direction. ;)

At 7-11, we made a stop to buy instant rice. The cost is around 2000 -3000 KRW.
And here is the view from the 7-11 where we need to cross the street for direction#5. At first, i was a bit worried knowing that we will reach there at night. So, i emailed the guesthouse and they said it is pretty safe in Korea. So, it is. :)

After crossing the road, we just need to walk straight until we reach the next 7-11, then turn right and wallah....here we are! As we walk in, we were greeted NOT by a Korean, but by an American. (-_-") Josh checked us in & showed us around the hostel.

We had the family room which had 1 double decker bed and 1 queen size bed.

hehehe.... here's a bigger picture of the room. :P

Suddenly, someone knocked on our door. To our surprise, there are 2 ladies outside and they asked "kamu orang malaysiakah?" . Cool! There are 2 other Malaysians staying at the guesthouse, Gloria and Elaine. Super sweet & nice people. Then, we head downstairs to cook our instant rice with sardine. :P

Living room for hang out, meeting other travellers, and free usage of internet.

There is also a supermarket nearby where you can get fresh fruits such as this super big , juicy , fresh and sweet strawberry. Nyummeh!

Thanks so much for the great hospitality, Smith(left) , Josh(right) and Charlie(taking the picture) (^_^)v

Kamsahamnida!