Hey Hive!
So if you missed the last few posts, I've been sharing about our first trip to Seoul back in Nov 2022! We were waiting post-covid for everyone to go on their holidays before taking a big one and we finally decided to go on our honeymoon! It's also our first time experiencing Fall so we were double excited!
Last week, we explored more of Gapyeong which is an hour or so outside of Seoul, and tried Rail Biking for the first time in Gapyeong Rail Park!
We enjoyed some beautiful views on the rail bike ride and had an interesting experience riding it as well.
It was pretty fun and a nice tranquil ride through the countryside, and after that we had a delicious buldak lunch.
But there's still more to this day so let's go!
11 Nov 2022. Friday.
After a very satisfying meal our driver brought us to the port just across the road from the restaurant. We were going to be taking a ferry across the river to the neighbouring Nami Island!
Source: foodinloveid.com
Nami Island or Namiseom is a beautiful river island that is known for its natural landscapes and year-round picture-perfect scenery, making it a popular tourist destination. Because of its incredible foliage, Nami Island has been used as the backdrop for many Korean dramas, most notably Winter Sonata back in the early 2000s.
Source: estudioepository
Another fun fact about Nami Island is that it's actually a self-declared micronation! It is home to the Naminara Republic and is described as "a tourist destination that advocates the concept of a nation, so much so that they even have their own immigration and "border"!
Our driver brought us here to the counter and told us he'd meet us back here at the parking lot to take us back to Seoul in the evening.
Initially we were nervous since it wasn't really clear if we needed our passports for the this immigration counter and we didn't bring ours. But we just followed the people in line and it didn't look like we needed passports.
Everyone was just queuing up for the ferry and there was just a ferry ticket checker so it was all good. The line cleared quite quickly and we waited for about 10 minutes for the next ferry.
Thankfully it didn't take very long, and the journey itself is quite short too since it was just across the river.
Once everyone had alighted, we boarded the ferry. There was an indoor section with a few seats further in and along the sides but was mostly empty. I guess this is for people to stand in if it rains.
Thankfully the weather was good so everyone flocked to the outdoor section of the boat to enjoy the view.
The other side of the boat also had a wharf where there were a few other outdoor activities. We saw some people on a really long zipline high up and it looked really thrilling!
Soon after we boarded the ferry, we started moving towards Nami Island! The sun was hidden so it was nice and cool out and we enjoyed the breeze and the views.
It was a very peaceful and smooth ride as we glided through the water. We also went to the upper deck of the boat but it was a bit more cramped with less space and more people up there. There were also a lot of flags on the boat from many different countries.
Soon enough, we arrived on the shores of Nami Island! It was clear that this was indeed a very popular destination since there were so many people around. Most of them were waiting for the ferry though, so we made sure to come back early in case there was a long line.
We saw that there was a tour bus and a Charity Train that goes around the island, but we figured we'd walk it instead since we didn't want to waste time waiting for the bus.
There was a makeshift map of the island that looked like this and it seemed like there would be a lot to see!
We didn't really know which direction to go in to start, and there were many signs pointing in different directions.
But since we were here mainly to enjoy the scenery we started from the Maple Lane! It definitely seemed a good start since it was autumn at the time.
The nature here definitely did not disappoint; there were some very red maple trees just in front near the river.
There were some nice orange trees as well that weren't as popular but I thought was just as beautiful.
There were so many people around trying to take pictures with the red trees too so we decided to walk on in search of more quiet and open areas.
Not too far from the signposts there was a photospot with the letters spelling Nami Island that we had to wait to take a photo with. Thankfully it didn't take long and we managed to get a decent shot.
Other than nature, Nami Island is also a host of various cultural events, concerts, exhibitions, and more! There was an outdoor gallery of sorts depicting some indigenous people.
I think it was some international cultural event of sorts but we didn't really take a close look since we only had a few hours to explore the island and wanted to see as much as possible.
Along the Maple Lane, we came across this area called the Baekpungmilwon Garden which had many maple trees. Unfortunately their leaves had mostly fallen to the ground already though.
The sign says the trees were planted here in 2008 by a group of Nami Island supporters and the garden's name means "to speak of love in the 100 maple tree grove".
We tried to capture as much of the fall foliage as possible wherever we could, since this was our first time experiencing autumn.
We came across this aisle of trees with a bunch of overhead lanterns that I think would look so pretty at night.
I think this was where a lot of people would take their instagrammable photos, but unfortunately there weren't many leaves on these trees anymore. It was still pretty though, and I had an urge to sketch it.
We came across a train track and a small station. At first I thought it wasn't in use but then I figured it was probably used by the Charity Train and this must be the station it travels to from the port.
I don't think we got to see the train which was unfortunate but we figured it was probably just a small train like the one you'd see in some shopping malls.
I did find this picture online though which looks not bad; a pretty decent looking train but I guess it must not go that fast.
Source: vviptravel
We just enjoyed a nice leisurely stroll on the island, not really having a destination in mind. The sun was slowly setting and the rays cast a nice glow on the orange-brown leaves.
The trees were really beautiful and vibrant; it made me wish we had autumn back home.
We came across a pond/river of sorts with lots of plants in the water that were unfortunately mostly dead. But I think there might still be some wildlife in the water.
Speaking of wildlife, we did encounter some wild animals while walking around the island, like this rabbit!
There were plenty of squirrels scurrying around the dead leaves and climbing up trees too, probably looking for nuts and fruits.
I tried my best to capture the squirrels as best as I could but they were too quick. Some of them were really small and cute though!
There were also some outdoor activities you could do here on the island, like ride buggies and other outdoor mobility devices like segways, rollerblades and bicycles.
We came across a clearing with what looked like a cultural performance happening, but it was deathly silent. Then we realised that those weren't people but makeshift figures. They were like scarecrows and they didn't have faces on them so it looked quite creepy close up.
I guess this was more to depict the different types of cultural performances there are in Nami Island but tbh it just looked really creepy to me.
We walked until we reached a different part of the river. I guess this was the other side of the island since its surrounded by water.
There were some nice bright red trees near the riverbank but it was tough to get both the trees and the river in frame.
It looked very lovely though, and thankfully the island was big enough that we could avoid the crowds of people while enjoying the nature.
I think we chose the perfect time too since it wasn't too bright now that the sun was setting but it was still bright enough to see all the leaves.
The houses in the back here were designed to look like traditional Korean houses and it looked just like the ones I've seen in old period Korean dramas. You couldn't go inside these but they did have some props outside. I think if we were in hanbok we would blend in well here.
There was a track of sorts slightly overhead that made me curious. It reminded me of mini roller coasters but it was way too small for that. I wonder if the squirrels use them to get around.
The trees here were really beautiful, it truly felt like a fairytale experience.
There was a lovely pagoda that we spotted that was surprisingly empty; I thought it made a good shot with the fall trees behind.
But I think that's gonna be it for today! Thanks so much for reading and tune in next week for more Nami Island adventures!
To find out more about me, check out my intro post here!
Check out my previous post in this series!
TacoCat’s Travels #235 (Seoul): Romantic Rail Bike Adventure in Gapyeong! 🚴