A change of plans got Nami Island as our first destination in South Korea.  After dropping our bags at the hostel, we proceeded to Nami.  From Jongno 3-ga, we took the subway + korail to Gapyeong Station.  We then took a taxi from Gapyeong Station to Gapyeong Wharf (costs about KRW3,800 going there due to a bit of traffic but only KRW3,000 going back to the train station).  There's also a bus from the train station to the wharf which runs on a schedule but haven't tried it yet.

For a stress-free travel to Nami, there are also tour buses from Seoul (Insadong) to Gapyeong Wharf and back, but I haven't tried it yet since it leaves Seoul a bit late.  Normally, I would want to get to Nami early so I always take the train.

Admission tickets to Nami Island (or Naminara Republic) costs KRW8,000/person which includes the round-trip ferry ride.  Last time, we took the zipline to Nami Island (not sure of the price now).

This is the first time I came to this place during the peak of Autumn.  The last time, the leaves are just starting to change its color.  Below are the pictures I took from the island.
 

Gapyeong Station

Gapyeong Wharf

To Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Nami Island

Schedule of trains going back to Seoul

South Korea [Autumn 2013]

The Flight

It was the first time I flew Air Asia Zest to an international destination.  I was a little hesitant but then it might be worth a try since I was able to purchase a ticket for around PhP7000.

We got early at NAIA Terminal 3 on the evening of Oct 31st since this is (supposedly) a peak season.  On the contrary, T3 is not congested.  It might be that a lot of people have already taken their holiday as early as last weekend due to the Monday holiday.

NAIA Terminal 3

At exactly 11:30PM, the boarding announcement came.  We have a full flight, there were more Koreans than Filipinos.  I think all the passengers were already aboard early and the runway is not congested so we were able to depart earlier.  ETD was supposedly 12:40AM but I think we took off at 12:20AM.  Food was served after about 30 minutes from take off.

MNL-ICN In-flight Meal

ICN-MNL In-flight Meal

Generally, the whole flight experience from and to Manila is ok.  The flight back to Manila was delayed for 5 minutes, but still acceptable.  The only thing I didn't like is their seats.  For a full flight for 4 hours, it is not comfortable.  The flight back to Manila was more comfortable as we have the middle seat empty that left us some room to stretch.


Upon Arrival

We got to ICN earlier than expected. But it took us almost an hour to get past through immigration.  Our plan was to go straight to Seoraksan National Park so we bought a bus ticket to Gangnam Express Bus Terminal (bus 6020) for KRW15,000.  It was already around 8:15AM when we got to the terminal and the next bus with available seat is at 9:00AM.  Upon hearing this, we decided not to push through going to Seoraksan today and just go to Nami instead (that is after dropping our bag at the hostel).

Our Accommodation

I was able to book Songwontel Guesthouse via booking.com at KRW40,000/night for a double room with private bath.  The room is ok for the price.  They have free wi-fi, hot and cold water in the shower, air conditioning and fan in the room and a big LCD TV.  They have a shared kitchen where breakfast was supposedly available (I've only seen coffee, no bread), hot and cold water dispenser, a microwave oven and some other kitchen facilities.  

However, you need to pay cash upon check-in.  They don't accept credit card.  The hosts also do not speak much English so it's a bit of a challenge to communicate with them.

As for location, it's conveniently located near Jongno 3-ga station.  You just need to prepare yourself to go up the station stairs everytime you use the subway.  It'll be better if you would be able to take Line 5 Exit 4 as there's an escalator there.

Directions from the hostel website

Guesthouse Facade

Guesthouse Lounge

Shared Kitchen

Room

Bathroom

Inside the room

Itinerary

We've made changes to the original itinerary due to time constraint (as what happened when we got to Seoul) and weather.  It rained on our 2nd and 4th day.  Both times, it stopped around 2:00PM.

Day 1

• Nami Island
• Seoul Lantern Festival

Day 2

• Paju Premium Outlets
• Lotte Premium Outlets
• 63 Building

Day 3

• Deoksugung Palace
• N Seoul Tower
• Myeongdong

Day 4

• Seoraksan National Park

Dinosaurs Island is an animatronics dinosaur park in Clark, Pampanga.  It is located behind Clark Picnic Grounds near Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA).  They're open Mondays to Sundays from 9:00AM to 5:00PM.

Map from Clark Land website

This is a great place especially for my nephews who likes dinosaurs so much.  They never get tired watching Jurassic Park, all 3 movies, even if we adults are already sick of it (they want to watch it almost everyday).  They hadn't stopped asking about the place since we let them see some pictures and videos of the dinosaurs in the park.

The ticket counter is on the right side of the main entrance (with the sign Dinosaurs Island) of the park.  The entrance fee is PhP350 per person.  They offer discounted rates for students: PhP300 for private school students and PhP250 for public school students.  They also have a discounted rate of PhP280 for senior citizens.   Children below 2 feet tall are free, although when we were procuring tickets, they informed us that children 3 years and below are free.  Woohooo! One of my nephews is only 3 years old so he goes in free.  We were also able to download (and print) a voucher from Clark Freeport Marketing so we got additional 10% off.  We went there as walk-ins and they still accepted the voucher.

Ticket Counter

Attractions in the park include Dino Trail, Fossils Museum, Adventure Ride and World of Fun.  The Adventure Ride is an additional PhP50.  Inside the park, there's also a platform where one could see the whole park and have a chance to have a picture feeding the T-rex for PhP20.

Dino Island Attractions

Inside the park, one would not get lost as the there's only one path.  About a third of the trail is the Fossils Museum.  Walking in the park could take 1-2 hours depending on how long you would stay on each dinosaur. 

Click on the images below for a larger version.  The arrangement here is how we've gone past it in the trail.


At the end of the trail, before the exit, is the World of Fun.  Here, they have dinosaur mascots entertaining the guests.  We were presented with dinosaurs dancing to the tune of Psy's Gentleman.

The adventure ride can be found outside the park.  One could ride the dinosaur for a fee.  

Adventure Ride

They have a new attraction: Jurassic Safari ride for PhP100.  We haven't tried it but they said that guests would ride a cart (normally for a group of 6) and would be chased by dinosaurs.  The ride would take about 10-15 minutes.