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Selasa, 24 Mei 2016

SOUTH KOREA TRIP (2016): Gapyeong Day Trip Part 2 - PETITE FRANCE, The World of Little Prince



Once upon a time there was a Little Prince who came from Asteroid B-612, stranded on Sahara Desert where he met the pilot. Some of you might be familiar with this story, some of you might not even heard of it. And so, what is the connection of this Little Prince story and this Petite France in South Korea? So Petite France is a famous French culture village with 'Rose, Asteroid, and Le Petite Prince' as its concept. You might have seen this place before in several dramas and variety shows, but I should tell you that this place is a bit meaningless to visit if you don't read The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) - a French novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. But if you want to know about this place, let's wander around a little bit with me.


As I stated on my previous post, we left Nami Island around 1 PM to catch the next Gapyeong tour bus, but apparently the bus wasn't on time. It was 45 minutes late from the schedule From Nami Island, it took around 25 minutes through the winding road to reach Petite France, and because of the road, I arrived at Petite France feeling a bit nauseous. But luckily, the nausea was quickly gone after a cup of hot tea from the coffee shop across the street.


The entrance ticket to Petite France is KRW 8,000, the same price with Nami Island ticket, but there are a lot more to see at Nami Island. Like I said before, it will be more meaningful visiting this place if you already read the book.


If you already read the book, you'll know the story behind these statues.


Remember the beginning part of the story when Little Prince asked the pilot to draw him a sheep?


Little Prince escaping the asteroid taking advantage of the migration of the wild birds.


The first asteroid Little Prince visited was inhabited by this King.

"Then you shall judge yourself," the king answered. "that is the most difficult thing of all. It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then you are indeed a man of true wisdom."


And this is the drunkard.

“Why are you drinking? - the little prince asked.
In order to forget - replied the drunkard.
To forget what? - inquired the little prince, who was already feeling sorry for him.
To forget that I am ashamed - the drunkard confessed, hanging his head.
 Ashamed of what? - asked the little prince who wanted to help him.
Ashamed of drinking! - concluded the drunkard, withdrawing into total silence.
And the little prince went away, puzzled.
'Grown-ups really are very, very odd', he said to himself as he continued his journey.”


The last planet visited by Little Prince was inhabited by The Geographer who advised Little Prince to visit planet earth.



Some of the most notable quotes from the book came from this fox.

“I am looking for friends. What does that mean -- tame?"

"It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. "It means to establish ties." 

"To establish ties?" 

"Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world....” 

Okay, enough with the fairy tales. If you are curious, just read the book. It was one short yet interesting book. Okay, back to Petite France. So this place has several buildings and halls which held several activities and exhibitions like Puppet Play, Marionette Dance Performance, Plaster Art Exhibition and others. Let's take a look around Petite France.








I was amazed by the view I saw when visiting the back part of Petite France. So captivating.









Mention any drama or variety show that took place at this place!
You might remember some right? Some notable ones were My Love from Another Star, Secret Garden and Running Man.


You could take pictures as Do Min Joon and Cheon Song Yi Here.


Or maybe as Kim Joo Won or Hyun Bin KW 1?


So, that was my visit to Petite France. After the short visit, I queued again for the Gapyeong Tour Bus to reach my next destination - The Garden of Morning Calm. See you there!


SOUTH KOREA TRIP SERIES
[2013]
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Rabu, 27 April 2016

SOUTH KOREA TRIP (2016): Gapyeong Day Trip Part 1 - Nami Island



That day, I was planning to tour around Gapyeong using Gapyeong City Tour Bus. What's interesting in Gapyeong? Well, if you know Nami Island & Petite France, both of those places are in or nearby Gapyeong. Gapyeong is a county in Gyeonggi Province, surrounded by mountains and a river. You could reach Gapyeong by using bus or train from Seoul Metro lines you could transfer to GJ line and stop at Gapyeong Station. From this station, you could wait for the Gapyeong City Tour Bus to tour around the area. So, my first destination that day was Nami Island, let's check this post out and have some Winter Sonata moments.

I arrived at Gapyeong Station with friends around 8.30 in the morning at it was so freezing, apparently it was -5°C. No wonder. The tour bus should be arriving at the station around 9.10 AM, but since we couldn't bear the cold, we decided just to take taxi to Nami Island.




The fare was around KRW 3,700 from the station to Nami Island parking lot entrance, not bad. Across the street you could see Winter Sonata restaurant. I wonder if Nami Island would be so famous if that TV series never exist.




So, Nami Island is a half moon shaped isle, formed as a result of the construction of Cheongpyeong Dam. and on it is the grave of General Nami, who led a great victory against the rebels in the 13th year of the 7th king of the Joseon Dynasty, King Sejo - so the name Nami came from the General name. Actually Namisum is located 3.8 km from Gapyeong County, but belongs to Chuncheon in Gangwon-do. But still, it is one of the course for the Gapyeong Tour Bus.


To enter Nami Island, we need to buy the Naminara Republic Entry Visa for KRW 8,000. After purchasing the visa, we need to stand by and wait for the ferry to get across the river. Other than crossing the river by boat to reach Nami Island, you could also ride the zip-wire for KRW 38,000. It only took a few seconds to get across by zip-wire. So if you're not an acrophobia and willing to spend more, do try the zip-wire.




Nearby the ticket booth, there's a cozy cafe to sit and have a cup of tea or coffee while waiting for the next ferry to come.



Here comes the ferry! It only took around 5-10 minutes to get across.




Welcome to Nami Island! As you could see, there were still traces of snow on the rocks in the middle of March.


And you could see ice here and there. I even slipped on the icy ground once.



What's inside Nami Island? There are several themed gardens, exhibition galleries, performance halls, restaurants, and others. Let's take a look.












Hello ostrich!





So what do you think about Nami Island through those pictures? I think this place is quite pretty and photogenic with lines of tall trees, lake, where you could meet animals like squirrels and ostriches. A perfect place for those who enjoy strolling around the nature and breathe the fresh air. It is also a perfect place for couples I guess, this place has that romantic vibe.

Hungry while visiting this island? Don't worry, there are several restaurants here. And because it was quite freezing that day, we chose to eat something hot and soupy. So we entered this Korean Cuisine restaurant called Nammoon.


We were just so happy just to enter the restaurant, escaping from the cold air outside. Aah, finally it was warm. 




We ordered all soupy dishes, and as usual, the banchan (side dishes) were served first. And not so long after that, our steamy soupy dishes were served.



Galbitang (Beef Ribs Soup) - KRW 12,000

Hanu Gukbab (Korean Prime Beef Soup with Rice) - KRW 10,000

Bulgogi in Hotpot - KRW 10,000

Everything I tried was good. I guess hot soupy beef dish is just perfect for such weather.

After filling my tummy with the food, I continued to explore the island. Well, if you're too lazy to walk, you could rent something like this, or maybe you could rent a bike.


Don't forget to take the mandatory pictures in between the lines of trees.


Maybe, because this island is so famous that people from all around the world visited this place, they display the snowman statue in different traditional clothing to greet the visitors.





Selamat datang!


I found an interesting scene. Winter stroller?

Overall, I think Nami Island worth a visit. You could spend around 3-4 hours here, strolling around, take some pictures, have lunch, and hop on the tour bus to visit another tourist site. You need to schedule your visit if you're going to use the Gapyeong Tour Bus, so you won't miss the next bus.


We left Nami Island around 1 PM to catch the next Gapyeong tour bus, but apparently the bus wasn't on time. It was 45 minutes late from the schedule, and the line was getting longer. Luckily we got seats as we were the front liners. Yes, you might have to stand on the bus if it is crowded. Next stop, Petite France! I'll meet you in Petite France on the other post. Ciao!

SOUTH KOREA TRIP SERIES
[2013]
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