Student Spotlight - Nicolas "A trip to Nami Island"

At 8:45am on Saturday, June 25th, everyone in the Seoul E-sports group gathered at the hotel lobby for an important excursion: Nami Island. To get there, we took the subway down to a train station, then took the train for around an hour to Gapyeong Station, where we got on another bus down to the ferry. Once we boarded the ferry, it took around another 8 minutes to ferry down to Nami Island. Once we made it onto land at around 11:20, we were greeted by many tall trees and grand gates. Before this trip, I had looked up what Nami Island was like and saw a few pictures, but the images alone on google could not do justice to what I saw with my own eyes there. Rows of long luscious trees, rivers and ponds brimming with life, and snowmen-looking statues created an almost paradise for our eyes. We then wasted no time going to get lunch at a restaurant, where we ate Korean ssambap (rice cakes, chicken and other fillings rolled into leaves of lettuce) and then some fried rice.

After eating our fill, we got two hours of free time to ourselves to explore what the island had to offer! Me and my friends decided to rent bikes to bike around the island for an hour. Me and a friend rented a double bike to use, which I was a bit nervous about as I have never ridden a double bike before. However, the bike handled surprisingly smoothly and the bike ride around the island was a blast! We circled around the island and got to see the river in all of its glory, as well as an ostrich farm where the gigantic birds looked almost unreal. After an hour of biking and exploring, we settled down into a cozy cafe and hung out until it was time to meet back up at the entrance at 3:30.

From there we took the ferry back to the other side of the river and took the many buses and trains back to the hotel. By the end of it, my feet were so sore that I didn’t think I’d be able to go out for dinner. Overall, I felt that the excursion to Nami Island was a worthwhile trip, with many beautiful sights you could never see anywhere else in the world. I would highly recommend visiting the island to anyone who likes simple biking, exploring, nature, food, and just about anything in general!