Soul of Asia - Herb Island

First, let me take you to the land of kimchi - South Korea. In my opinion, the best time to visit Seoul would be in autumn to catch the marvelous colors of the fall foliage. The weather is cool and comfortable to walk around.

This is my trip to Seoul in October 2010. When you first arrive at Incheon Airport, do not be intimidated by the Korean language. Most of the customer service staff are able to speak English and if you are interested, you may pick up some basics here. Actually, it is very much like English with vowels and consonants too. Have fun!

Now, you need to get to downtown Seoul. The most convenient method will be taking the airport bus. You can buy your ticket from the bus counter located at the arrival hall (1st floor). Most people will head to Myeong-dong, the heart of Seoul. If you are heading for Myeong-dong, purchase tickets for bus 6015 and wait for the next bus at berth 5B or12A (1st floor). The journey cost KRW10,000 and takes about 70 mins depending on the traffic condition. (which can be very congested during peak hours)

But for us, we were not going to Myeong-dong but Yangjoo City-hall where my friend is waiting. Hence, we boarded bus 7100 and arrived at our destination in approximately 90 mins. My friend was already there and brought us for our first meal. Paris Baguette - this chain of bakeries is very popular and you can find them all over Seoul. This became our no.1 source of breakfast for the days to come. =)

After breakfast, my friend drove us to Herb Island - a small theme park that showcases a variety of herbs and flowers. This is an attraction for the locals and we were like the only tourists there. Everything is written in Korean but it was a very different experience. Everything is very pretty and colourful there with little houses filled with the lovely scent from lavender, rosemary, lemon...



Welcome to Herb Island



Herb Island - Little houses where you can stick your head in to smell the different scents.

The rest of the day was spend walking around the park. Here are more pictures for your viewing pleasure. 



Herb island Bakery - Long queue to the bakery



Herb Island - A very European architecture and foutain

There was a square in the middle of the park where everyone would gather. This area was surrounded by a little canal with gondolas - Venice in Korea. we even caught a belly dancing performance. It was pretty chilly and we were wondering how these ladies could be dancing in their outfits.

Herb Island - The square where performance are held



Herb Island - Venice in South Korea



Herb Island - Belly dancers gyrating to the music

For the benefit of those who would want to visit Herb Island, here are the directions:

* Take the bus (#57, departs every 50 - 60 min) towards Sinbuk Hot Spring (Sinbuk Oncheon) from Soyosan Station (Seoul Subway line 1) >> Get off at Samjeong-ri

* Take the bus towards Pocheon from Dong Seoul Terminal or Suyu Terminal >> Take the bus towards Herb Island ( departs every 2 hour)

* Take the bus #138 from Uijeongbu Station (Seoul Subway line 1)

Enjoy your trip to Herb island!!