Okpo/Busan to Jinhae

When you are in South Korea during the time of the Cherry Blossom Festival, you should not miss Jinhae. And yes, I took the opportunity to go to Jinhae, even alone, just to see the Festival. It was my first to go out of Okpo/Geoje Island via bus. It was hard to find information on how to go there via bus/train. I hope this will help you for your next adventure =)

How to go to Jinhae from Okpo/Busan:

Step 1:
Buy bus ticket at a shop near the bus stop in front of Foreign Mart. Bus stop is situated on the main highway of Okpo. Same street where McDonald's is. Sasang Station is the last stop of all the buses. There are buses that will stop at Gimhae Airport, there are some that stops at Sinpyeong Subway Station.

Inter-city Bus stop

how it looks like

Bus Schedule

Step 2:
Go down Sasang Station/Seobu Inter-city Bus Terminal (last stop).

TIP: I normally buy ticket going back to Okpo before going to my destination. Sometimes, tickets could be sold out especially during Sunday/Holiday for the afternoon schedules.

Bus schedule for Sasang Station to Okpo/Jangseungpo/Gohyeon

Step 3:
Buy ticket for Jinhae.

Jinhae Bus Schedule - What time starts and end

 

ticket for Jinhae - Platform 17

Step 4: 
Go to Departure area. When I was there during the Festival, you won't get lost because of the long line. During festival, they don't follow the bus schedule. As long as the bus is full, they will depart already. 

Departure Line

Platform 17

Step 5:
Final stop of the bus is a bus terminal as well in Jinhae. Like what I did at Seobu Bus Terminal, before starting my Jinhae adventure, I bought a bus ticket going back to Busan. 

Jinhae Bus Terminal

Jinhae to Busan Ticket Office

Step 6:
Going to the Jinhae town proper or where the Cherry Blossom Festival is the hardest part for me. I felt I was lost but since it's festival, there are other people walking as well. So I just followed the people. Sorry I wasn't able to document my way to the Festival but I think you won't get lose. If you have gps/map, it would really be helpful. When you found the white tents, just go straight and you will see an information booth for tourists. From there you can ask for a map. Some of the staff are English speaking so it won't be hard to ask for questions/directions. It is a 10-minute walk going to the white tents.

white tents

Enjoy your adventure =) I enjoyed mine!

anjcam

Hanyul White Chrysanthemum Sun Screen

I got this free sample sunscreen at Aritaum shop.

This sunscreen is good for dry skin since its on the oily side. I don't like the smell. It's very strong, amoy sampaguita.

anjcam

Reception: Greenmeadows Clubhouse

Before finalizing our church, naghanap kami within the vicinity na place na pwede ang kahit anong caterer. Good thing Greenmeadows Clubhouse became open for public.

 

Pros:

• No need for sponsorship.
• They accept any caterers
• Newly renovated (2011), newly painted and new aircon
• Free room for our dinner before our program and re-touch - I thought there will be additional fee for this
• Security guards visible during the event, for safety and parking purpose

Cons:

• We had problems dealing with them dahil ayaw nila ng early ingress even if willing kaming magbayad ng additional payment. At dahil makulit ako, nagmeet nalang kami halfway. Creepy kausap sa phone yung girl na nakausap ko. Yung kuya naman, in person at in phone, mabait kausap pero feeling ko wala siyang "say".
• Full payment agad sila. No downpayment. So you have to make sure pag magbabayad ka na kasi wala ng atrasan pa.

Style by Passion Cooks Catering

After the wedding, si Manang, kinausap kami about the ceiling kasi parang nasira dahil sa bigat ng drapes. Sabi samin, kung hindi maayos ng caterer during the egress, i-dededuct nalang daw nila sa security bond namin. Nag-agree naman kami. After one week, bumalik kami sa greenmeadows and they gave back our full security bond. =)

 

Address: Warbler St., Greenmeadows Village, Quezon City, Metro Manila

Number: +6326373311; +6326373399

Rating: 5

anjcam

Oedo-Botanica

I may not have been to most of the tourist spot here in Geoje Island, South Korea, but I know you should visit Oedo-Botania when you're in the area.

I have a previous post on the directions on how to go to Oedo from Okpo/Busan/Seoul.

From Jangseongpo Ferry Terminal, you will wait for your schedule. We got the 8:00 AM ferry ride (this is the first one). It will cost you ₩27,000 per person which includes ferry ride (round-trip), entrance to Oedo Island and a trip to Haegeumgang (Rock formation) before going back to the ferry terminal. We managed to get our tickets a day before our trip so that we could get the schedule we want.

Since this is the first trip of the ferry, the ferry terminal was not that crowded yet.

Jangseongpo Ferry Terminal

Our Ferry Ride

Inside the ferry

During the trip, someone will give a colored ID. The colored ID will idea you which group you are with.

Upon arrival at Oedo Island, you will be given 1 hour and 30 minutes to stay and go around so be aware of the time you arrive and the people that we are with. The time given is just enough. You can stop once in a while, rest a little bit, toilet breaks, take pictures but the time they gave you is just enough to see everything in the island. We just follow the path that was given. You can see signs (Path) around the island and you can follow the one on the brochure as well. Brochure will be given to you together with the ticket.

Brochure we got upon purchasing the tickets

inside the brochure which you can use as a guide

We went there spring time but not the blooming season I guess. It may not be the best time to be there but we think it is still beautiful.

empty because we were the first tour for the day

With people

Best view

After the walk, we were just in time for small snack (we brought some snacks and water with us) while waiting for our ferry back. I think this trip is better if there were English translation or there is a trip for foreigners because it seems that there are so many information that the captain was saying during the trip about the place. Before going back to the ferry, we stop by the Haegeumgang. The ferry went inside one of the rock formations. It was a nice experience.

Just went in then just turn around again

Rock formation

Tips:
- Bring snacks/water going there. There are small shops on the ferry terminal. There are shops as well in the Oedo Island for coffee, ice cream and some snacks. We prefer to bring our own :)
- Be aware of the time and the people with you on the ferry. It will help you to know if you are still on time for the ferry.
- It won't hurt to look back sometimes so that you won't miss a beautiful view =)
- If you can buy a ticket before the day of your trip, you might do so, so that you can pick the time of the trip that you want.
- First trip is better I think =)

Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip!

anjcam

Feta Feta

Since nag-crave ako for a middle eastern kind of food, we tried this not so new restaurant in Festival Mall named Feta Feta. It's a Mediterranean restaurant with pizza and pasta as well.

Menu

Their interiors don't feel like Mediterranean at all kaya we were hesitant to go inside. Akala kasi namin Italian restaurant. 

Interior

 


Couch Area

Normally, if its our first time to dine in a restaurant, we picked their best sellers according to their menu or according to the recommendation/s of the waiter/s. Here's what we ordered:

Tzatziki made of Yogurt, cucumber, dry mint - P125

Chicken Wings - P199

 Adana Kebab is not one of their best sellers but my husband is craving for one.

Adana Kebab Beef - P269

Tzatziki is ok. But I guess I'm still biased with Hummus. Maybe I will try their Hummus next time. I like the bread included with the Kebab compared to the thick bread. I like their chicken wings too. It's very tasty and the serving size is good for my appetite.
 
While waiting for our food, I'm enjoying reading their menu. Lookie, I didn't know that. :)

anjcam

Mango Farm

We used Mango Farm as our pre-nup venue last 2012. But I hope this will help couples who are planning to have their pre-nup there.

We called them 3months before the shoot to inquire. Sabi nila we can call 2 days before the shoot. I called them again to confirm my booking, sabi lang nila, we can just go straight there.

 

Cons:

• Easy to deal with.
• They reply to your emails and calls.
• No need for reservation fee.
• Assistance from the Mango Farm going to the changing room
• Air-conditioned changing room with toilet

Pros:

•  Pricey compared to other pre-nup venue

If kelangan niyo ng room for changing clothes, this is a better option. Also, safe yung mga gamit mo while you are all busy with the photoshoot.

Price: 1k/hour

Website: http://www.themangofarm.com/

Number: +6326456993

Email: info@themangofarm.com

View from the room

Space for your things

anjcam

Okpo to Oedo/Jangseongpo

One of the tourist spots that you need to see while you are here in Geoje is the Oedo-Botania. I will post separately about Oedo. For now, let me help you on how to go there.

From Seoul - Via KTX: Go down to Busan Station. Then follow "From Busan" directions below.

From Busan - Go to Sasang Station and purchase bus ticket going to Okpo-Jangseungpo. Get off at Okpo Museum Bus Stop (First stop) Wait for Bus no. 11/10. Most probably Bus 10/11 stops there. If not, follow "From Okpo" directions below. Okpo Museum Bus stop is 10 minutes walk to Admiral Hotel Bus Station. Just walk down the road (Same road).

From Okpo - From Admiral Hotel Bus Stop, ride Bus no. 11 or Bus no. 10. Get off at Geoje Art Center Bus Stop. Walk 5 minutes and you will see the Jangseongpo Ferry Terminal.

How did we go there:

Since we are living in Okpo, we just rode Bus no. 11 at Admiral Hotel Bus Stop. We already got a T-money which we purchased when we were in Seoul. T-money card works here well in Geoje buses as well (except inter-city buses). If you don't have T-money, you just need to pay before entering the bus (there is a machine near the driver). It will cost you around ₩1,200 or less.

Admiral Hotel Bus Stop - located in the main street of Okpo (Same street as McDonalds)

What you see in front of the bus stop (Foreign mart)

I don't remember how many bus stops we had before going down, but it won't be more than 10 for sure. It will pass through DSME gates.

Road will separate to three. Bus will go straight.

You will get off the bus after this 3-way road intersection or if you see the Geoje Art Center.

Geoje Art Center Bus Stop

Walk for around 5 minutes going down the road and you will see the Jangseongpo Terminal.

Geoje Art Center - you will pass by this while walking

Jangseongpo Ferry Terminal

Jangseongpo Ferry Terminal Ticket Office

Hope you reach your destination. Enjoy! =)

anjcam