Just imagine how powerful Korean wave is. I didn’t have much interest in Korea until 2005 when I first had a taste of Hallyu. That time I was being exposed gradually to Korean pop culture with the birth of Save the last Dance, Stained Glass and Full House. I became deeply drawn to these Korean soaps that I eventually dragged myself (and my fiance) to its filming locations 4 years after.
It took us a whole load of sweat in the middle of spring season to reach the famous house. The place is in Si-do, an island located several kilometers from Incheon International Airport.
We left downtown Seoul around 10am on Tuesday. From Namyeong Station (which is a walk-distance from our Hotel), we took 3 connecting subways. First was to Singil station, then to Gimpo Airport station and lastly to Incheon International Airport station. From there we took a black cab to Sam Mok Port. It’s not that we wanted a luxurious ride but we didn’t have a choice. All regular taxis are bound only to Seoul proper. Also, the ajussi driver seemed to know Full House so we hopped in. We paid him a standard rate of W12000 for the entire journey. From Sam Mok, we saw several passengers waiting for the ferryboat, we thought all of them were going to the same destination, but unfortunately some were off to another Island and some to the Beach. Passengers and vehicles alike were taken onto the barge. It was rather scary to think that such as small ferry could hold tens of cars & trucks and remain afloat.
When we arrived in Si-do, we saw an office that looked like a terminal station so we asked the Ajumma sitting behind the counter if she could sell us tickets. (Really, my Korean became so poor I’d forgotten everything I learned from Uncle Sejong, kk^^). The Ajumma must have understood only the word Full House because she pointed us the bus parked outside while saying (in Korean): the bus is leaving, palli!
While in the bus, we enjoyed the sceneries. Most of them are eye-catching so we took dozens of pictures. In fact, one would feel the atmosphere of a province with its green fields, clear water and quite mood. After a 5-minute ride, the driver dropped us off and pointed us to another direction. He was to go further straight while our destination was to the right. We thought it was only a couple of paces away though I doubted for a while because many houses were evident in the vicinity. (Anyone who has seen the series would know it’s in a secluded area beside a beach).
So off we went…
We’re walking down the road when a Harabeoji spotted us and offered his rental bicycles for W5000 each. The sign indicated 1.3 km from where we stood, so without further hesitation we took the deal. It’s been decades since I last rode a 2-wheeler so the moment I pedaled, my wheels wiggled and made me laugh so hard I almost fell off the pond (lol^^).
It was already past 1pm when we reached the house… Tickets are sold at the gate for W5000.
The house looked a bit worn out from outside with some obvious stains and spots on the wall (It was constructed especially for the series). But the inside is still well maintained. I was too ecstatic to see the interior because it was so identical to the one on TV. Everything from the arrangement to the furniture down to the appliances was exactly the same! We checked both first and second floors as well as the garden and the beach. The house was converted almost into a museum with all those pictures, memorabilias and life-sized replicas of Rain and Hye Kyo on display.
We spent over an hour wandering around the house before we decided to leave. That same day we’re supposed to visit the 63 Observatory and Olympic Park but due to time constraint, we decided to postpone them for next day.
On our way back, we took the exact same course (via bike, bus, ferry etc.). However, since there was no available taxi from the port to Incheon Airport and we happened to see some locals waiting at the bus stop, we decided to go along (If you don’t know where to go, go with the flow….kk).
It took us another hour to reach nowhere. Unfortunately the bus was headed to Incheon proper and not to Incheon Airport where we’re supposed to take a cab back to Gimpo. In short, we’re lost! The moment we realized that we hopped off the bus and took the first taxi we spotted. It must have been our luck because (for the 2nd time) we’ve been charged a hefty amount (W30000) for such a short distance!
It’s already dark when we reached our hotel. The journey left no time for us to go beyond Yongsan. To end the tiring day, we just ate at a nearby restaurant and grabbed something from the grocery (including Soju) and some street foods. ;)
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