Wow Korea 2016 4th Trip [YangPyeong]

Due to an unexpected event, I wasn't able to join the WowKorea 4th trip on the very first day so I headed over at night. Got some projects done and then headed to bed. The first area we went to when we woke up was the Wild Flower Arboretum. Sorry for the big word, but an arboretum basically means a garden. This was a huge "park" of sorts, a garden which was home to many different types of plants and wildflowers. They had a bug museum, a pond and many different species of plants, especially in the greenhouse. The first area in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do.

Wild Flower Arboretum (양평 들꽃수목원)

April - October: 09:00 - 18:00

November - March: 09:00 - 17:00

Adults: 7,000won

Youth: 5,000won

16 Sumogwon-gil, Yangpyeong-eup, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do

The bug museum was pretty cool, but then when you think about the many bugs that had to sacrifice their lives just to be part of an exhibition to teach humans about the different species that live is just a tad too cruel and gross for me. Headed back out into the cold after we warmed up in the museum to take more photos of the lovely place. 

It was pretty amazing that the entire place was deserted, because nobody comes to places such as these in winter, and we were the only ones there. Which was good for me since I don't really like to photograph places with many people. Anyway, after wandering outside for a bit, we finally found the huge greenhouse and went in to seek refuge from the cold. 

This place is also equipped with a herb restaurant where they serve many dishes that include home-grown herbs. They also have a regular restaurant and a herb gift shop. They were closed since it was winter so it would be better to come in the other seasons. 

There were many different types of plants inside and ecosystems as well. It's pretty amazing to see how people could have developed structures such as these to host living things to make it seem like they were in their own natural habitat. Definitely one of the places that you should check out of you're a botanist or plant lover. 

The next place we headed to was a location that grew famous due to a few dramas being shot here. I'm not a big fan of Korean dramas so I can't really remember the name of it, but the cafe located here kept playing the same scene over and over on their huge screen. The place was really serene and beautiful. It's called The Greem. 

The Greem (더그림)

http://www.thegreem.com/

564-7, Yongcheon-ri, Okcheon-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do

Got a hot beverage and took a tour around the entire location snapping away happily... until the time when we were about to leave. THE FIRST SNOW OF 2016 happened! It rarely snows in the Seoul/Gyeonggi region, and it was pretty amazing to finally see snow here. The thing is, when it snows in Seoul, it melts away really quickly but because Gyeonggi has less lights (and probably less heat) the snow sticks even longer. I was really fortunate to have been on this trip when the first snow came so I could capture really beautiful shots.

Headed off next for lunch. at Yangpyeong Honam Mugeunji, where we had a really nice hot broth with chicken. It was a really healthy dish and it made me feel so much better and warmed up. It was a really nice place and it was even better being there with good friends who we could share food and have conversations with. 

Went outside to take some photos, and wander in the snow for a little bit. (the first photo of this post as well). Thereafter, we got back on the bus to head to this place called Dumulmeori, which literally means the head of two waters. This is a place where many people come to take photos due to the amazing scenery where the waters of North Korea and the waters of South Korea meet to form... the Han River. (Yes the same one that you people would see at Yeouido Station where the Han River park flows). Compared to the time when I went before last year in Spring/Summer, this place has an entirely different feel when it's covered in white. 

After admiring the beauty of the place and freezing my butt off, we headed to the Semiwon bridge which is made of boats. There's actually a very interesting story behind it and why it was built but it was so cold and snowing so heavily that I did not want to stand there long enough to read it. Ran past the bridge and into shelter to get away from the heavy snowfall. 

After we were done touring the grounds and snapping photos, we headed back onto the bus where we headed to the next location: SUWON! Suwon's one of the places in Gyeonggi that people consider as Seoul since it's so near. It holds a lot of stories of history and many places of interest too. Stay tuned for the next post!