The last part of our Gyeonggi-do 2D1N tour with Trazy.com and K Story Tour is the Gapyeong County--home to the popular tourist spots of Korea namely Nami Island, Petite France, and the Garden of Morning Calm.
I've been to the Nami Island several times, with different people and different seasons, but it's my first time visiting when there's peak fall foliage. Our visit was in October 27, and although the island was packed with locals and tourists alike--the sight was worth it!
After exploring the DMZ, our group traveled to another part of Korea that I've been meaning to go to for the longest time. Thank you so much to Trazy.com and K Story Tour for this sponsored Pocheon Tour! Trazy is an English friendly tour booking website I've been using since 2016. I am sure you'll find interesting Korea travel deals in their site too, just like this 2D1N tour!
I finally got an opportunity to go on a
DMZ Tour again sponsored by
Trazy.com and K Story Tour, an English friendly tour booking website. It has been ages since my last visit of the
Korean Demilitarized Zone, and a lot has changed already.
WHAT IS THE DMZ?
"The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in half. It was established to serve as a buffer zone between the countries of North Korea and South Korea under the provisions of the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953, an agreement between North Korea, China, and the United Nations Command." (SOURCE)
I can't remember these bronze statues of short-haired girls seated straight on a chair, with their hands on their laps from my last DMZ trip. So I was surprised to see two Statue of Peace at the rail tracks in Imjingak. It was striking to me after seeing it in the most heartbreaking episode of the KDrama Tomorrow, a grim reminder of the comfort women, victims of sexual slavery, during the Japanese military during World War II.
I never regretted a single travel, never regretted being game to activities even though I am not really good at it and may even result to embarrassment, hehe. Whether it's surfing, wake boarding, or those other activities that involve a lot of courage but does not require much skill (haha) like jumping off cliffs or riding steep roller coasters, I am up for it! When the day comes that I've consumed all my strength and courage, I'll be proud to say that at least I've used them all up well.
Back in Seoul, and after days of being on the road, I am glad that one of my last activities before going home is a
Whoo Spa Beauty Care Package - Trazy Care -- The ultimate pamper time while in South Korea!
You can actually book this package in advance via
Trazy.com, a Korea-based booking site where you can find all sorts of activities that you can avail during your trip in Seoul, Busan, Jeju, etc. This is my favorite online travel agency because they have a lot of things to offer, pricing is good, and the website is super easy to navigate. They even have honest to goodness testimonials per activity from real people who've tried them.
Anyway, so on my second to the last day in Korea I found myself in Sinsa district of Seoul, one of the upscale wards in Gangnam. Before heading to my strictly by appointment spa session, I even had enough time to get a coffee in the nearby 88Mansion, the coffee shop of actor Lee Jong-Suk! After that, I was still early for my appointment and so I strolled around Garosugil, and tried to look for Whoo Spa already.
When we asked mom and dad which of the things we did was the most memorable during our Korea trip, dad instantly replied, "DMZ". Mom nodded and agreed.
"Suspense e! Exciting!" - Dad
"Nakakakaba, lalo na yun may pipirmahan!" - Mom
(It's nerve wracking, most especially when they asked us to sign a waiver!)
I was surprised because during the whole
JSA (Joint Security Area) Panmunjom Tour they were just silent. Mom even had her nervous face the whole time, I was kind of regretting we went for it! 😂 But after hearing this now that we are back home and just reminiscing, I am glad my Ate and I continuously searched for open slots for this tour because they are always fully booked. We were able to still get in via
Trazy.com.
Finally found some time to write again! I missed blogging after weeks of traveling and post-travel workload. I have to say now, on my blog's birth month (blogging since 2005!), that for me writing after my travels is very essential. It gives me a chance to process what happened during the trip, and also keeps bits and pieces of memories that I can easily look back to in the future. 💖
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So on that Sunday, my last full day in Korea, my friend Marj announced that it's the first day of Spring! 🌸 The thought of ticking one item from
my 2017 travel bucket list (to experience the four seasons) felt really really good and exciting.
We went out together for brunch in a nearby 24-hour resto.
On that afternoon in Seoul, while walking around the Hangang Park to look for Eland Cruise's port, I kept on repeating to myself that I might have done something good to be there and then at that moment. The weather, sunny and not that cold. The walk, long but with beautiful view. Everything felt nice and right.
I have been to most of Korea's main tourist attractions during my last two trips in the country, but never in this area. In a way, riding a cruise is a way to see Seoul from a different light.
