Catatan Perjalanan

Pulau ini memang kalah pamor dibandingkan Pulau Jeju ataupun Nami, yang seringkali digunakan untuk syuting drama Korea. Setidaknya terbukti kalau saya sebut Geoje bahkan di Korea sendiri, mereka akan terkesima bahwa saya tinggal di sana plus bilang kalau tempat itu jauh. Terkesan dusun terpencil gitu. *hiperbola* Geoje tidak pernah masuk dalam jualan wisata Korea yang premium di Indonesia dan tidak pernah jadi cita-cita tujuan wisata para sahabat yang biasa melancong. Sejujurnya, kalau bukan karena pekerjaan, mungkin kamipun tidak akan 'nyasar' kemari.  Dan kami sujud syukur terdampar di sini. Super cakep tempatnya! Asal mula pulau ini berkembang dan ramai oleh pendatang adalah keberadaan 2 pabrik kapal (shipyard) besar yaitu milik Daewoo dan Samsung. DSME (Daewoo Shipyard and Marine Engineering) serta SHI (Samsung Heavy Industries) merupakan shipyard ke-2 dan ke-3 terbesar di dunia. Shipyard terbesar juga masih dipegang oleh Korea Selatan, yaitu milik Hyundai namun bera

Beberapa kali saya bertemu teman maupun kenalan yang baru pertama kali bepergian ke luar negeri dan sempat takut tersesat di bandara. Begitupun teman-teman yang mengundang kerabat maupun orangtua merasa deg-degan karena membayangkan tamu mereka bingung atas proses di bandara nantinya. Kebetulan saja saya baru kembali dari mudik lebaran ke Jakarta. Di perjalanan saya bertemu satu rombongan besar TKI yang baru pertama kali berangkat ke luar negeri dengan tujuan yang sama dengan saya, Seoul Korea Selatan. Pada beberapa titik terlihat mereka bergerombol untuk memastikan apa yang harus dilakukan selanjutnya. Di perjalanan sebelumnya saya juga pernah menemani sekelompok TKI menuju Taiwan yang tersesat di bandara Hong Kong. Entah mengapa mereka tidak memiliki petunjuk berangkat maupun transit. Saya sendiri sering juga mengundang ibu dan kerabat saya untuk mengunjungi kami di luar negeri. Urutan 'perjalanan' di bandara harus saya terangkan kembali sebagai reminder. Tapi tidak

Kalau di part 1 saya nulis tentang proses keberangkatan (departure) sekarang kita bahas proses kedatangan (arrival). Sekali lagi saya tekankan bahwa di semua bandara prosesnya sama secara umum. yang membuat semua terasa ribet hanya karena bandaranya besar atau negara tersebut punya tingkat 'parno' lebih atas sesuatu. Misalnya di Korea sedang ada wabah virus, maka semua pendatang harus mengisi pernyataan kesehatan saat tiba. Atau di Perth yang parno dengan barang bawaan pendatang, maka pemeriksaan bagasi bisa lebih mendetail. Hal lain yang membuat banyak orang takut saat tiba di bandara luar negeri (selain takut tersesat) adalah pengisian aneka formulir. Apalagi jika merasa kemampuan bahasa Inggris 'nol' atau pas-pasan. Untuk itu sebenarnya tidak perlu kursus bahasa Inggris khusus, tapi diingat saja istilah-istilahnya. Karena akan mirip di semua negara. Pada dasarnya proses Arrival (kedatangan) di bandara Internasional adalah :  Periksa Paspor ---> Ambil bar

Last night we had dinner at the newly opened Daemyung Resort Geoje. They have few selection of places for a meal. Two of them are quite fancy, this Columbus Kitchen for buffet style and the other is Monterosso Italian Resto. This Columbus is good option for anyone who likes to eat more. Like other star hotel's buffet dinner they have several live kitchen for main course, salad bar, canapes section, big feast section (rice, stir fried.. etc) and surely kimchi section. entree of bakeries and cheese also available. plus dessert section with variety of cakes, ice cream, fruits, juices and coffee-tea. Price is 46,200 tax included for one pax. They have selection of alcoholic drinks and wines at extra cost. Seating arrangement is varied and few vip rooms with several size for different capacities is available for reservation. They also have few english speaking staffs. open from 6-9pm daily

Its more than a half year now we're living in Geoje Island and this place still amusing us. The best part of living here is because we are so lucky to get a house instead of apartment. Our house quite close to one of Geoje's sand beach with a spacious garden, good for the children. But the most part we love about living in Geoje is all the fresh scenery we find every time we look around us. Wherever we drive around the island, the view never fail us to feel blessed of staying in this beautiful island. Not many people realized about Geoje when we mention it. South Korea is identical with Seoul, Ski Resort or Jeju. We don't mind. Less tourist would be best cos we are selfish. hahaha. but despite that fact, this place is still packed with tourists coming in big buses in weekend, and expect no spot in the beach on summer days. Here are some picture my husband took around the island for your eyes refreshment :

At one cold weekend, when the winter almost ends, I met Gyeongju on my way back from Seoul. Why met, instead of went? because I've heard many people mentioned this city (if not raving about it) since I arrived in Geoje. Maybe because its historical background, or resort, or relatively easy access (from Geoje). So when I arrived I said, "hello Gyeongju, finally we meet'. :)) So, I told you why people keep mentioning this place for weekend getaway or short trip destination. First, because its background. Here's what the official Korea Travel Guide book said about it : Gyeongju was the capital of the Silla Kingdom for 1,000 years and the valley in which it is situated as a great concentration of historical buildings, temples and artifacts. After Silla unified the peninsula in year 676, the city developed into one of the world's major cultural centers. The area is truly a museum without walls due to the wealth of historical buildings and treasures.  My imaginatio

After tried to Seoul with plane and express bus, now its time for me to try another way to reach Seoul from Geoje : by train. But, since we live in an island without railway system, we need to have a bus/car ride to the nearest train station. My dear husband said I was crazy to try public transport during Seollal, where most Korean will be travelling to their parent's home. But, since it was long weekend and he's not working, I can do the trial on my own without risking the children getting annoyed (yes.. 3 tots under dad's supervision for whole weekend.. haha). First leg of the the journey was taking a bus ride from Jangseungpo Bus Terminal.  Based on  this  , I decided to take bus for Shinpyeong train station because it is the same line to Busan Station, where KTX departs. It cost 6,400KRW for one way.  Jangseungpo Bus Terminal I'd recommend to take bus from bus terminal rather than bus stop (not only from Jangseungpo, but from anywhere). Although most bus