Monday, November 23, 2015

Temples in South Korea | Temple Life & Temple Stay



This video was made for the "I Love Seoul, I Like Temple" video competition.  

And we won 1st place!!!!

This video was filmed at Bongeunsa Temple and Jogyesa Temple.


We hope that we were able to portray just a little glimpse of how immense an impact was made upon us through the history and culture of Korea.

Temple Life
Held on every Thursday from 2 to 4 pm, the temple life program is available for foreign visitors. The program includes a temple tour, lotus lantern making, tea drinking ceremonies, and a chance to talk with a monk. All activities are conducted in English and visitors can take part in this program without reservations. The fee is 10,000won and all participants receive a souvenir.

Temple Stay
You can experience the calm and serene everyday life in a temple and this stay includes traditional Buddhist culture and practices such as daily dawn services, Korean Zen meditation, tea drinking ceremonies and a Buddhist meal with traditional bowls. There are two programs available: an overnight program and a short program that lasts 2 to 5 hours.

For more information, you can contact (+82)02-3218-4895.

For more videos, CLICK HERE to check out our channel! 

To go to Bongeunsa Temple:
[Subway]
Bongeunsa Temple Station (Seoul Subway Line 9), Exit 1.
- Walk straight for 150 m.

3 ways to go to Jogyesa Temple:

1. Jonggak Subway Station Jonggak Station (Subway Line 1), Exit 2.
Go 70m forward, then cross the street.
Go 100m more to arrive at a path to Jogyesa Temple.

2. Anguk Subway Station Anguk Station (Subway Line 3), Exit 6.
Go 50m forward, then cross the street in front of Dongduk Gallery.
Go 50m more to arrive at a path to Jogyesa Temple.

3. Gwanghwamun Subway Station Gwanghwamun Station (Subway Line 5), Exit 2.
Go 150m forward to arrive at a path to Jogyesa Temple between
YTN Parking Tower and Hana Bank.

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Things to do in Gojaedo, Somaemuldo | 2015 Wow Korea Supporters ( Day 2)

So we started the day in Gojae Island. From there, we took a boat ride to Oedo, which is a private island owned by a Korean couple.
Oedo-Botania is a marine botanical garden located in Hallyeo Maritime National Park, which has a beautiful view of the crystal blue South Sea and surrounding landscape. It is 4 kilometers away from Geojedo Island. About 20 minutes by ship from Gujora Port, past Naedo Island lies the European-like Oedo Island.
 
We took a lot of pictures in the European-like botanic garden with the beautiful sea landscape. There are also a lot of sculptures and basically its a really nice place for tea!

However, there is an admission fee to enter the botanical garden, but for those who loves plants and enjoy nature, its definitely worth it to go there!!
Admission Fees

Adults 11,000 won / Military & Students (middle-high school students) 8,000 won / Children (25 months and up) 5,000 won

※ Group fare is not applicable for adults
※ Group of 30 or more middle-high school students: 6,000 won (20% discount)
※ Group of 30 or more children (25 months and up): 4,000 won (20% discount)
Here are some directions on how to get there!
Directions

From Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal, take an intercity bus bound for Geoje via Jangseungpo.
Get off at Jangseungpo Terminal.
Take a taxi or a local bus to the ferry dock.

* Ferry Dock Information
Jangseungpo: + 82-55-681-6565
Wahyeon: +82-55-681-2211  
Gujora: +82-55-681-1188
Hakdong: +82-55-636-7755
Dojangpo: +82-55-632-8787
Haegeumgang: +82-55-633-1352 

Next we went to the Windy hill which is a place where Koreans come and enjoy the breeze and take beautiful pictures with the wind mill. This place is extremely famous among Korean tourist worth to visit!
 
This place is also a filming site for 'Eve's Garden', 'Merry-Go-Round', '1 Night 2 Days'

Directions

From Express Bus Termina in Seoul, take an express bus bound for Gohyeon Bus Terminal.
Take a taxi to the venue (25.4 km/ around 45 min)

For more information, visit their website! http://tour.geoje.go.kr

And right after that, we went to Somaumuldo Island.
 
It is basically a really small island. However, if you climb up to the peak of the island, the scenery is definitely breath-taking! There's even a lighthouse there that makes the view even more amazing!
 
Right after reaching the island, we hike around the island and after that, we had an awesome BBQ party!!!
 
Here are some directions to get to this island for a quiet getaway!
Directions

From Express Bus Terminal, take an express bus bound for Gohyeon Bus Terminal.
Walk toward Geoje Children Hospital, take Bus 53-1 and get off at Maemuldo Passenger Terminal Bus Stop (54 bus stops).

Take a ferry to the Island (60 minutes).
  
This trip was really awesome as we had to take lots of boat rides (beware for those who get seasick like me!), I had a lot of fun during this trip and being a part of the 2015 Wow Korea Supporters definitely gave me an opportunity to open my eyes and learn so much more about Korea and its culture.

Things to do in Tongyong | 2015 Wow Korea Supporters (Day 1)

So for the final trip, we went to Tongyong, which is a small city located in the very south of the Korean Peninsula.
We first started the trip at the Hallyeo Cable Car. We were taken to the peak of Mireuk mountain. Unfortunately for us, the weather was really foggy so we couldn't see anything from the top of the mountain.
However, if the weather is nice, I strongly recommend you to visit there! Here's a blog post I wrote with all the details!

After that, we went to the Dongpirang village where we get to see lots of beautiful and cute mural paintings.
Its one of the must go places in Tongyong!
 
Here's how to get there!
Directions

From Seoul Express Bus Terminal, take an express bus bound for Tongyeong Bus Terminal.
Transfer to Bus 101 in front of the Bus Terminal and get off at Toseonggogae Pass Bus Stop.
Continue walking toward the four-way intersection and take a left to reach the venue.
Dongpirang Village will be on your left.

After that, we went to the Nammang Sculpture Park to look at the night view! The view was really breathtaking!
 

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Hallyeosudo Viewing Ropeway | A view that will take your breath away | 2015 Wow Korea Supporters

If you happened to be at Tong-Yeong, which is located at the very south of South Korea, Hallyeosudo Viewing Ropeway is definitely the place to be!

Located on Mireuksan Mountain, one of Korea's top 100 mountains, Hallyeosudo Viewing Ropeway is the only dual-cable automatic circulating gondola system in Korea. At 1,975 meters long, it is the longest tourist ropeway in the nation. The ropeway is made up of 47 gondolas and one freight unit. Traveling at an average of 4m/sec, it takes approximately 9 minutes to reach the summit station from the ground station.

From the top of Mireuksan Mountain, one can see the historical venue for the Great Battle of Hansan below and even see as far Hallyeohaesang National Park (from Hansando Island to Yeosu), Japan's Daemado Island, Jirisan National Park's Cheonwangbong Peak, and Dolsando Island.

Here are the details if you are just dying to know how to get there!

Individual
- Adults: round-trip 10,000 won / one-way 6,500 won
- Children: round-trip 6,000 won / one-way 4,000 won
- Seniors: round-trip 8,000 won / one-way 5,000 won

Group
- Adults: round-trip 9,000 won / one-way 6,000 won
- Children: round-trip 5,500 won / one-way 3,500 won

Directions

[Bus]
From Seoul Express Bus Terminal or Seoul Nambu Terminal, take a bus bound for Tongyeong Intercity Bus Terminal.
Take Bus 141 in front of Tongyeong Intercity Bus Terminal.
Get off at Tongyeong Cable Car of Ground Station Bus Stop.
(29 bus stops / approx 40 min)
From the bus stop, the venue is located within 140m on foot (approx. 2 min).

OR

Take a taxi to the venue from the bus terminal.
(Taxi fare: about 11,000 to 13,000 won / Travel time: 20 min

 
For more info, check out their website!
http://cablecar.ttdc.kr (available in Korean only)