Today’s first destination is one of the places that I look forward to the most, and that is the strawberry farm! Wasn’t quite sure how much time I required so left my Airbnb at around 7:30am. Took the subway to Yangsu Station, and from there, a short bus ride, 3 stops (you will see Paris Baguette), and then a 800m walk to the farm. Reached the farm at around 10am, so it took me about 2hrs to reach the farm. The first strawberry picking session is at 11am, so I was an hour earlier. Went to play with their dog for a while, and then sat down for breakfast, which I bought in the morning at GS25. Around 10:30am, I started my jam making. Cooking frozen strawberries in a pot over fire! When it has all defrosted and turned soft, add in raw sugar - 40% the weight of berries used. Which means, if you use 1kg of berries, you should add in 400g of raw sugar. Keep stirring, and when the sugar has dissolved, start to mash the berries. And slowly, the mixture will turn into a deep red sticky jam! Now you can try making your own strawberry jam at home too! The farm owner brought up some plain crackers for me to try the jam, and some jars to store the remaining jam. Due to the size of the pot, I had to pay and make 2 portions of jam. It was really good, though a little too sweet for me. Winter berries tend to be sweeter than spring berries, as they take a longer time to mature. I was surprised that the jam, without any preservatives, could keep up to a year! Once opened, within a month. After I am done with the jam making, it was time to pick the strawberries, so excited! The berries were SO HUGE! Some farmers do allow you to consume the berries while you pick them, but not for this farm. You will be given a plastic strawberry container, either 500g or 1kg, depending on what you opt for, and fill it up as many berries as you can, and it should not be overflowing such that the lid couldn’t close up. When you are done, the farmer will give you some berries to try. They were so juicy and sweet, and because of the weather, they tasted icy cold, super good!
今天的第一站就是我这次旅程非常期待去的之一，就是草莓农场！不确定行程需要花费多少时间，所以早上7:30就离开住宿。先搭了捷运到 Yangsu 捷运站，然后转搭小巴，3个站后下车（会看到 Paris Baguette）。下车后，走大概800米到农场。大概10点到了农场，所以花了大约2小时。第一轮摘草莓是在11点，早到了1小时。先跑出和农场主的狗狗玩一玩，然后吃一下早上在 GS25 买的早餐。大概10:30时，开始制作草莓果酱。在锅里放入冷冻草莓，煮至解冻变软后，加入生糖 - 所需的糖量是草莓重量的40％。也就是，如果用了1公斤的草莓，需要的糖量是400克。不停地搅拌至糖溶化后，开始把草莓压碎。慢慢的，草莓就会变成深红色的粘稠果酱！学会了吗？自己也可以在家自制草莓果酱！农场主端上了一些饼干，让我配果酱试试，剩余的可以倒入提供的玻璃罐里。因为使用的锅的尺寸不小，所以我必须制作两份果酱。真的好好吃！不过对我来说，有点太甜。因为冷天气的关系，冬天的草莓生长时间比春天的慢平均20天。也因为生长速度比较慢，所以冬天的草莓比较甜。很惊讶，没有放任何防腐剂的果酱竟然可以收1年！开过后，就1个月。果酱完成后，就可以开始摘草莓了，好兴奋！草莓都好大颗！有些农场是可以让你边摘边吃，不过我去的这家不行。农场主会提供塑料草莓盒子，500克或1公斤，看你是要哪一个。到了农场，要摘多少就摘多少，只要能把盒子盖起来就行。摘完后，农场主会给你一些草莓试吃。超甜，超多汁！因为冷天气的关系，草莓吃起来有点冰冷，好好吃！
Young Farmer Strawberry Experience Farm 어린농부 딸기체험농장
802-1 Yangsu-ri, Yangseo-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Available every Dec-June only, Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays (please check website)
Call 010-7293-7786 or Email chi8sum@naver.com to make a reservation
* Owner can speak English
Strawberry Picking (1kg): KRW15,000 (about 30pcs regular-sized berries)
Jam Making: KRW8,000
Yangsu Station Exit 1
Take a short bus ride (3 stops), then walk about 800m to farm
Travelling time from Seoul: about 2hrs on public transport
#1: After you alight near Paris Baguette, keep walking straight according to the indicated direction. Turn right when you see this sign.
#2: Walk straight again till you reach this sign, turn right.
#3: Keep going till the end, then turn left, and you will reach the farm.
#4: Strawberry Tents.
#5: Their dog is so cute!
#6: Owner's dog.
#7: Owner's dog.
#8: The start of jam making!
#9: Sugar is added after berries have defrosted.
#10: Keep stirring, and mash the berries into smaller pieces.
#11: Berries will break down into liquid, and start to thicken and dry up a little. It will turn from bright red to deep red.
#12: All done! It was so good!
#13: Strawberry picking time!
#14: Look at all these glorious berries!
#15: Strawberries.
#16: Strawberries.
#17: Strawberries.
#18: Strawberries.
#19: Strawberries.
#20: Strawberries.
#21: These berries look too pretty! ❤️❤️❤️
#22: Aren't they huge?
#23: Free berries to try after picking, they were so good! Super sweet and juicy!
#24: Yummy!
Next, took the subway to Cheongpyeong Station, and then the Gapyeong City tour bus to my next destination, Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park. Had my lunch while I wait for the bus. Gapyeong City tour bus goes around the attractions in Gapyeong, and allows you to hop on and off the bus for unlimited times at KRW6,000. Many will be familiar with Petite France, a French theme little village that many tourists visit every year. Edelweiss is similar, but is Swiss theme instead. Upon arrival, I was probably the only non-Korean. There were many Korean couples and families with little kids. There are a few museums, but everything was in Korean. It wasn’t really tourist-friendly, probably that’s the reason why it is not loved by tourists despite having better views of the mountains. Nonetheless, it was still a great place for photo taking, especially its scenic views! They have a small farm of sheep as well!
接着，搭了捷运到 Cheongpyeong 捷运站，然后改搭加平村旅游巴士到下一个地点，雪绒花瑞士小村。在等待巴士的当儿，吃了午餐。加平村旅游巴士（Gapyeong City tour bus）可以带你到加平区里的不同景点。只要付一次韩币6,000，就能无限量搭这个巴士。很多应该对小法国村（Petite France）不陌生，每年都很多旅客光顾的法国主题小村。雪绒花瑞士小村是一样的概念，就瑞士主题。抵达时，我是唯一一个不是韩国人。这里都好多韩国情侣和带着小孩的家庭。这里有许多小博物馆，不过说明都只有韩文。可能也因为这样，尽管这里的风景比小法国村棒许多，都不受旅客欢迎。尽管如此，这里真的很好拍照，尤其是风景！区内也有个小羊场！
Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park 에델바이스 스위스 테마파크
226-57 Darakjae-ro, Seorak-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do
1000-1800hrs (Mon-Fri), 0900-1800hrs (Sat-Sun)
Admission: KRW9,000
Cheongpyeong Station
Take Gapyeong City Tour Bus to Attraction
Bus Fare: KRW6,000 - unlimited times
#25: Gapyeong City tour bus timetable.
#26: Bus timetable.
#27: Bus timetable.
#28: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park entrance.
#29: Check out this glorious view!
#30: Admission ticket.
#31: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#32: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#33: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#34: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#35: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#36: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#37: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#38: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#39: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#40: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#41: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#42: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#43: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#44: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#45: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#46: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#47: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#48: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#49: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#50: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#51: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#52: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#53: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#54: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#55: Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park.
#56: They have some sheep too. On this quiet mountain top, all you can hear is the "meh meh" of the sheep! Super cool!
#57: Sheep.
#58: Sheep.
#59: Sheep.
#60: Sheep.
Wanted to take the bus back to Cheongpyeong Station, but I was so tired that I fall asleep! Arrived at The Garden of Morning Calm instead, and decided to alight to take a look. The Garden of Morning Calm is pretty similar to Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay. It has different themes for each season and for winter, it is a light festival! Aiming to finish the whole garden in 45mins to catch the 6:45pm bus back to Cheongpyeong Station, as the next bus will be at 8pm! It takes another about 2hrs to reach back Seoul. And yes, I did it! The garden wasn’t actually that big and many lights weren’t really that nice to take photos of.
原本是想搭巴士回 Cheongpyeong 捷运站，不过因为太累，睡过站了！结果到了 The Garden of Morning Calm，所以决定下车看看。The Garden of Morning Calm 和新加坡的滨海湾花园（Gardens by the Bay）大概一样，根据季节，有不同的主题。因为现在是冬天，也没有什么花可看，所以是漂亮的灯节！打算在45分钟内走完全花园，赶搭6:45的巴士回 Cheongpyeong 捷运站，因为下一辆是8点！从加平回首尔需要大概2小时。其实花园面积没有很大，许多灯饰也不好拍，真的刚好在45分钟内走完！
The Garden of Morning Calm 아침고요수목원
432 Sumogwon-ro, Sang-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do
Spring-Autumn: 0830-1900hrs (daily)
Winter: 1100-2100hrs (Sun-Fri), 1100-2300hrs (Sat, PH)
Admission: KRW9,500
Cheongpyeong Station
Take Gapyeong City Tour Bus to Attraction
Bus Fare: KRW6,000 - unlimited times
#61: Light festival at The Garden of Morning Calm.
#62: Way too many people! Tried my best to take shots without humans, but almost impossible!
#63: The Garden of Morning Calm.
#64: The Garden of Morning Calm.
#65: The Garden of Morning Calm.
#66: The Garden of Morning Calm.
#67: The Garden of Morning Calm.
#68: The Garden of Morning Calm.
#69: The Garden of Morning Calm.
Finally back in Seoul, and back at Hongdae! So, so tired and so, so hungry!!! Got some manjoo (tiny custard-filled pancakes) while transferring trains and went to Kyochon Chicken for dinner, in fact, maybe I should call it supper? It was pretty crowded at Kyochon and when the fried chicken finally arrived, I was so tired to enjoy it. It didn’t taste as good as how I had it 2yrs back. Not sure if it is because I was tired, or the standard has really dropped.
终于终于回到了首尔，回到了弘大！好累，好饿！在转捷运线时，买了些类似像鸡蛋糕的小饼，内陷是卡仕达酱，来吃。超饿，5-10分钟就把12颗吃完！终于抵达 Kyochon Chicken 用晚餐，那个时间算是吃宵夜吧。虽然已经快10点，不过还是好多好多人！等了大约30分钟，炸鸡终于来了，不过已经累得无法好好享受，也觉得没有两年前试时那么好吃。是因为我太累了吗？还是水准真的掉了许多？
Kyochon Chicken 교촌 치킨
Google Maps: 371-3 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Kakao Map: 8 Yanghwa-ro 16-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
1200-0000hrs (daily)
Hongik University Station Exit 9
#70: Soy Garlic Whole Chicken, KRW16,000.
Exchange Rate: S$1 = KRW825
Expenses for Day 7
Bulgogi Kimbap: KRW2,000
Idol Sandwich: KRW2,200
Banana Milk: KRW1,400
T-money Card Top-up: KRW20,000
Strawberry Picking (1kg): KRW15,000
Jam Making: KRW8,000/pax x2 (min. 2pax)
Gapyeong City Tour Bus: KRW6,000
Edelweiss:
- Admission KRW9,000
- Cheesecake KRW5,000
Garden of Morning Calm: KRW9,500
Manjoo (12pcs): KRW3,000
Kyochon Chicken: Soy Garlic Whole Chicken 교촌오리지날 KRW16,000
Total Expenses for Day 7: KRW105,100 = S$127.40
Previous Expenses: S$2,039.98
Current Total Expenses: S$2,167.38