Two weeks ago, (funny, isn't it? I can't seem to catch up to TODAY, it's always "two weeks ago...")
my roommate and I visited Nami Island. Situated to the northeast, 60km outside of Seoul, it took about 2 1/2 hours to reach by subway. I am desperately going to miss the subway! It is amazing how far and how easy you can travel by underground here.
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| Looking towards Seoul (60 km in the distance) from Nami Island |
Anyway, Nami Island is a man-made island only a few years old (meaning created after 2000), in the middle of the Han river. Several years ago, a popular drama was filmed there, leading to a huge rise in tourism. And rightly so, for the place is gorgeous! It only takes an hour or so, to walk the circumference of the island, however many varieties of trees, and sounds of animals in the bush offer a lovely distraction!
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| Lots of animals scurrying around |
A friend recommended us to leave EARLY, because the place gets crowded with people by lunch time. So we left our dorm at 6:30am, and arrived at Nami Island around 9am. After boarding the ferry (do you board a ferry?) it took us across the narrow straight, and we spent the next 3 hours taking pictures and walking. It was cold! But it was beautiful.
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| The only thing that made the sharp, cutting air bearable was the soft warmth of the sun. |
The leaves had mostly fallen, creating a carpet of browns and yellows. However the some trees still resembled brilliant bursts of color; mostly reds and oranges. The sun shone down on our faces, warming our chilled bones in the crisp air.
We picked a good day to visit the island, for we stumbled across a small group of people surrounded by tents selling food; loud Korean music playing through speakers. The mood was festive, and we decided to buy lunch and sit at the tables in the center of this spectacle. A kind lady spoke a few English words, and offered us some Mokgoli (Rice wine) to drink. She explained that the festival was a Potato festival. I'm not sure if the purpose was to celebrate the potato, which seems odd, but there certainly were varieties of delicious smelling potato foods being sold.
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| A variety of strange looking, but delicious smelling food |
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| In the center of the tents was an area with games. One game was to stand on a board with another person, jumping up and down until one fell off. I was really impressed with these two ladies who could have been my grandmothers' age. The lady in the pink jacket is even wearing high heals! I think I'd have a heart attack if I catch my grandmother playing this game! |
It was a good day, and after we got back, we went to bed EARLY! My body does not like waking up at 6am...
