Hi, everyone! Today, let me take you for a day trip from Seoul to Garden of Morning Calm, Gangchon Rail Park, and Nami Island! 🌸 ✨ 🚂
I know some of you have been to Korea, esp. the famous Nami Island. But I still want to write this blog post as my own travel diary when in Korea… and for other people who haven’t been there 😊
The view was beautiful and I took many photos. I hope they will brighten your days when reading this, hehe!
Okay, so I took this day trip from Seoul to Nami Island, Garden of Morning Calm, and Gangchon Rail Park before my South Korea group tour with One Life Adventures started.
I landed in Seoul 2 days before the tour started, so I could explore Myeongdong (the shopping hub) myself and visit the super famous Nami Island.
On my first day, after landing in Seoul, I took the train from the airport to the Myeongdong station, then dropped my luggage at Namsan Gil House, an affordable guest house near the shopping street.
Since the Korean Won is 3x higher than the Malaysian ringgit, it was the best option I could find. The road to the guest house was a bit inclined—but it was a good exercise for my legs 😄
Next, I did my No.1 mission coming to South Korea: Innisfree shopping spree! ✨✨✨
First thing first after dropping my luggage skincare shopping, so I could adjust my budget later on.
As someone whose blog’s tagline is “A Travel and Personal Finance Blog for Conscious Spenders”, I feel the need to justify my 4.5kg skincare shopping:
- The price is at least RM100 or up to 50% cheaper than in Malaysia
- There’s a promotion “Buy 2 Get 1 Free” at the store
- I don’t know when I’ll return to Korea, so I have to seize this chance
- I’m turning 35 next year, so skincare is important
The most important justification was the price, obviously. Need me to put the price difference in detail?
❤️🔥 (RM100 / 50% cheaper) + Buy 2 Get 1 Free + Tourist Tax Refund Discount ❤️🔥
So, for each Innsifree product bought in South Korea, I actually saved A LOT. And bear in mind, I use skincare day and night, so this shopping spree was a necessity 😆 😆 😆
☀️ Clara’s Morning Skincare Routine:
- Hada Labo Premium Hydrating Lotion
- Innisfree Vitamin C Green Tea Enzyme Brightening Serum
- Innisfree Perfect 9 Intensive Eye Cream
- Innisfree Vitamin C Green Tea Enzyme Brightening Cream
- Sunplay Anti Blue-light & Anti-infrared Sunblock
🌙 Clara’s Night Skincare Routine:
- Hada Labo Premium Hydrating Lotion
- Innisfree Retinol Green Tea PDRN Skin Booster Ampoule
- Innisfree Perfect 9 Intensive Serum
- Innisfree Perfect 9 Intensive Eye Cream
- Innisfree Perfect 9 Intensive Cream / Avène Hyaluron Activ B3 (currently using)
Also, for the first time in my life, I felt like a Datin (high-ranking title for women in Malaysia) when I did my Innisfree shopping spree…
I was like, “I want this, this, this…”, pointing at the products without caring how much they cost. Ah, what a nice feeling…!
But after that, I had instant ramen for 5 lunches 😂 😂 😂
After that, I went to Lotte shopping mall and had two salt breads from Sio Panya for lunch because I was still full. They were so nice and buttery… now I know why it’s a popular brand in Korea!
Then I watched NANTA – an interesting live cooking performance, and had kalguksu, a comforting chopped noodle soup, for dinner.
Before I returned to the guest house, I bought a beef kimbap at a restaurant in the neighbourhood and put it in the freezer.
Since Nami Island, Garden of Morning Calm, and Gangchon Rail Park were very touristic areas, I was worried the food there would be very expensive. So, the 5,000 KRW kimbap was for my lunch.
But I was wrong! In South Korea, whether it’s a small restaurant in the neighbourhood or a very touristic area, the food prices are stable.
Amazing! Kamsahamnida, thank you! 😊 😊 😊
Basking in the Sun at the Garden of Morning Calm
I went to the meeting point of the day trip early in the morning, at around 6 am. Over there, I met some people who signed up for the trip.
The seat was pre-assigned by the tour leader. Sitting beside me was a solo traveller too, a guy from Singapore named Chew.
We talked a bit on the way to the first stop, the Garden of Morning Calm.
I showed Chew my group tour itinerary and we found out that the hostel he was staying at was the same hostel that I would be at with the group tour!
Plus, he also liked photography. What a coincidence!
We had around 1.5 hours free to explore the Garden of the Morning Calm. As the name suggests, exploring the beautiful garden in the morning was truly calming.
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Although it was already at the end of October, the flowers bloomed beautifully and the trees were lush. There weren’t many visitors and the area was quiet.
Professor Han Sang-kyeong from Sahmyook University designed this beautiful garden. I didn’t know that it had 20 themes! If I had more time, maybe I could explore all of them…
But it’s okay. I had a nice walk at the Garden of Morning Calm, absorbing vitamin D with beautiful views ☀️ ☀️ ☀️
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Being Present in Nature at Gangchon Rail Park
On the way to Gangchon Rail Park, our tour leader gave us the option to have chicken BBQ for lunch. The restaurant would have the food ready by the time we arrived.
I was happy with my beef kimbap, so I went to 7-Eleven and bought a drink, so I could sit down and eat my lunch there. The 7-Eleven there had a spacious and comfortable space for people to eat!
Afterward, I went to the Gangchon Rail Park’s entrance gate and met with the group. While waiting for the tour leader to buy our tickets, I walked around and took some photos.
Finally, it was our turn! For the first part, there were two types of rail bike: the 4-seater and the 2-seater. Our group booked the 4-seater, but couples could opt to pay extra for the 2-seater.
I thought I would sit beside Chew in the 4-seater rail bike as both of us were solo travellers. But the tour leader was considerate; she paired me with a 3-person family. So, I sat beside their daughter 😊
At first, I thought we really had to cycle for hours to make the rail move forward. I was ready for this exercise, wearing my ultra heat-tech leggings under my dress.
Luckily, the paddles were just for decoration, hahaha… 😄
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The sky was very sunny, and cool breeze blew on our faces. What a perfect day for an outing! I was spoiled with beautiful views throughout the rail bike journey.
From mountains, lakes, to a fantasy impression in the tunnel, the whole journey was wonderful and calming. At some point, we got off the rail bike and boarded a romance train.
I chose to sit alone and right beside the window so I could take some selfies and photos without obstructions, hehe!
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Beautiful Fall Scenery on Nami Island
Next was the most-anticipated destination: Nami Island! This small island is super popular thanks to the global success of Winter Sonata, a Korean TV drama series.
To reach the island, we had to board a ferry for around 15-20 minutes. Before we even reached Nami Island, we could see a huge crowd waiting to embark on our ferry.
I had only around 2 hours to explore the island and had to queue for the return ferry earlier. Otherwise, I would have missed the tour bus to Seoul.
Nami Island was beautiful! It was lush and many tall trees provided shade, protecting the visitors from strong sunlight.
Since I was there at the end of October, the family and pet-friendly island was a bit packed.
If you plan to visit Nami Island during the fall season, don’t worry! Although it was packed, you can still explore the island comfortably. Only a few areas were packed because people were taking photos.
Remember when I said the food prices in Korea were stable? It also happened on Nami Island! Usually, in other countries, restaurants near highly touristic places are more expensive.
However, it wasn’t the case for Nami Island. But if you join a day trip from Seoul to Nami Island, you may want to grab snacks instead of a meal, as you have a limited time exploring the island.
The roads on Nami Island were very simple. There was only 1 main road, a huge one, which was located in the middle. So you can never get lost.
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My tour guide suggested we walk halfway, then return to the ferry station using a pathway beside the lake for a different scenic view.
After some time, I looked at my watch and realised I only had 45 minutes to walk back to the ferry station. Then, I saw some bungalows at the lakeside.
Apparently, you can rent those bungalows and stay on Nami Island! They were available in various sizes, small and big.
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The wooden pathway beside the lake, the beautiful fall scenery, and the glittering lake made the return walk perfect. I really enjoyed the walk ✨ ✨ ✨
At one point, I decided to return to the main road just to make sure that I walked in the right direction and boarded the ferry on time. My Nike Vomero 5 (junior size) helped make it happen! 👟
Thank you, Nami Island! You brought back memories from the Winter Sonata era!
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Kyochon Dinner and Dongdaemun in a Glimpse
The bus couldn’t drop all of us back at the pickup points due to the traffic jam, so we got off in Dongdaemun.
It was ok, I considered it a free ride to explore a new town. Myeongdong started to feel boring!
The vibe in Dongdaemun was similar to Myeongdong, but less crowded. I told Chew that I wanted to eat Korean fried chicken, especially Kyochon, my favourite.
He said he was still full but wanted to join me for dinner. Luckily he did, because the food portion in Korea was huge!
In Malaysia, we could order a single portion of fried chicken. For example, 2 or 4 pieces of chicken with rice and a drink. In Korea, there was only 1 size, which was enough to feed up to three adults!
I was so happy to be able to eat Kyochon in Korea. The chicken tasted way better, so yummy!! 😍 🍗 😍
Next, we explored Dongdaemun for a while before taking the subway back to Myeongdong. I asked Chew to show me the way to his hostel, because I would stay at and meet the group tour there tomorrow.
It was a great decision! If he didn’t show me the way, I wouldn’t be able to find the hostel, as it was on the 15th floor and the signage was hidden (some people got lost).
I think it was my luck sitting beside him during this day trip 😄
What a wonderful day! I hope you enjoy our day trip from Seoul to the Garden of Morning Calm, Gangchon Rail Park and Nami Island 🌻 🌻 🌻
CLARA10
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