Nam-i Island, you’ve probably heard about it. Once upon a time there was this popular Korean drama called Winter Sonata shot in this beautiful island somewhere near Seoul. That is the Hallyu version of the story. Technically, Nam-i Island was born with the creation of a dam and the consequent flooding of some areas. A wise entrepreneur thought it would be profitable to turn it into some sort of amusement park. After it was featured in the drama, the rest was history.
Most
people who go to Nami Island are tourists from neighboring countries, China leading the pack. The place is so popular among the Mainland Chinese that
their flag is actually placed alongside the South Korean one by the immigration
office. Oh yes, the island refers to itself as the Naminara Republic. In order
to get in, you have to get a “visa” which costs 25,000 won for the whole year.
You can get it for 10,000 won if you only intend to stay for a day. Or not get
one at all if you go there by air. Wait, what?
Nami
Island does not have its own airport, but in an attempt to be more appealing to
thrill-seeking tourists, a zip wire has been constructed by the ferry terminal,
allowing access by air for the bold and the daring. The wait time is longer than the ride itself, around an hour if you are alone; even more if you
come in a group. There are two destinations: Jara Island and Nami
Island. Jara looks rather small and boring from high above. I'd say choose Nami
Island instead.
How
do we even get here in the first place? The island is right at the provincial
border of Gyeonggi and Gangwon, South Korea’s northernmost regions bordering
the DPRK. From Seoul, most tourists take the express bus next to Tapgol Park in
Insadong, but not everyone would be so lucky to get a slot. While the
fare difference between the bus package and the Metro-bus-admission fee combo is negligible, you might still want to know
the alternative route by rail if ever you don’t make the cut in the express
bus. Feel free to read on.
First
stop: Get your ass to Hoegi station, which is in the northwestern side of Seoul
Metro’s Line 1 (Dark Blue). From there, transfer to the Jungnang line all the
way to Sangbong, where you transfer to the Gyeongchun Line all the
way to Gapyeong. Gapyeong is Gyeonggi’s last county going east. From there, a bus ride of
less than ten minutes would suffice to bring you to Chuncheon in Gangwon, where
the island immigration office is located. If coming in big groups, take a taxi. It
would only cost you around 4,000 won one way.
A
word of caution: The Gyeongchun Line connects two provinces. Do not expect
quick stops as if you were in the Soul Metro. It would take a little over
an hour to get from Hoegi to Gapyeong. The bus left without you, dude. Deal
with it. It’s not the end of the world. Since most domestic tourists take this
route to go to Nami Island, expect the train to be full. You might want to
outwit and outplay them as far as securing a seat is concerned. Otherwise, prepare
to be on your feet for an hour.
While
most of the island’s visitors are international tourists, Koreans also frequent
the place. Take note, though, that the place is a popular excursion area for
couples. As such, it would not be that surprising to find a lot of them in
couple T’s and tandem bikes. If you are bitter about your love life, you might
be better off at Itaewon where you can drown yourself with loud music and
liquor. Or just go to Nami anyway and take the zipline. It’s going to be
exciting, right?
Well,
not really. If you have tried other ziplines in Asia, you’d definitely know
that this one is a tourist trap. The one going to Jara Island is twice as fast,
but then again, what to do when you get there? In any case, you would be
rewarded with a bird’s eye view of Nami in the whole duration of your “flight”
which lasts less than two minutes. If you go in autumn, the collage of red and
yellow is said to be very nice. You have the option to shell out an additional
10,000 won for a souvenir photo. Don’t.
One
thing you would realize upon disembarking is how bad the tourist infestation
is. Going in the middle of the work week does not seem to help, since most of
the tourists are coming from abroad anyway. It’s even funny how I got a barrage
of Tagalog here. So that’s why I could not find any Filipino in Seoul for the
three months I’ve been there. They are all vacationing here! Anyway,
you are also in for a lot of Cantonese and Mandarin; many Malaysians as well.
What
does the island have to offer then? Red leaves. Yellow leaves. Green leaves.
Take your pick, provided that you come in the fall. The island would be
predominantly white in winter, with the skeletons of meta-sequoia trees left for you
to ogle at. The island is said to be charming even in winter, taking a cue from
Winter Sonata and all. But if you are going alone in such harsh weather
conditions, perhaps it is not worth it. Besides, the hot springs down south
would be your best bet against the snow.
The
island has a museum, but I never figured out where it was. The main attraction
here would be the several meta-sequoia lanes made popular in the drama. They
would be in their most dramatic during autumn, when the fusion of yellow and
red would be enough to make anyone, at least those experiencing such season for
the first time, fall in love with the colorful display of foliage. In late
autumn, the ground would be buried under a sea of yellow leaves, which you
could use as props for awesome photo-ops.
Oh,
and ostriches! Yes, there seems to be a family or two here, and most of them
are cooperative in photobombing your selfies. It has been a while since I last
saw an ostrich, and carefully observing their behavior and appearance just reminds
me of velociraptors. Freaky! But yes, they would be a good distraction if you
have kids in tow. Just don’t toss the toddlers in the ostrich play pen, okay?
The only barricade you have here are wooden fences.
After
an hour or so, I got to realize that the island is actually for everyone. I
even saw a bee line of paraplegics in wheelchairs enjoying the scenery. And
then there were those kids who came as part of a big school excursion. Some of
them were chasing one another at that large field next to the Han River. Some
were giving their teachers a hard time trying to get them down from the trees.
Kids! There is also a curious display of several huts and aborigines, which
feels more Native American than Korean, really.
You
can rent giant duck boats if you want to cool down at the Han River, which is
unnecessary in this weather. Perhaps it would still be worth it if you come to
the island as a couple since it is one of the popular activities for that
demographic. If you come with the family, there are also several options for
you because the island is a theme park after all! Some rides are operational,
but most families just bring their kids to have a picnic, or take advantage of
the yellow leaves for taking cute photos.
The
island is well-equipped with clean toilets and several restaurants which are
likely to be overpriced. It’s all about business, you see. The island even has
its own CEO, for crying out loud. All in all, the experience is actually worth
it. While the place is teeming with people, there are still some secluded spots
which you could have all for yourself if you are trying to be emo and shit. If
you plan to go to Seoraksan next, I believe there is an express bus headed to
Sokcho leaving at 5:30 PM from Gapyeong Bus Terminal.
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