Night Excursion In Ilsan Lake Park (일산호수공원)

It's currently the middle of October which means midterms are quickly approaching us college students in Korea. Unlike in my home university, during midterm week, there are no scheduled classes (unless otherwise stated by professors). Most of the cafés in and near the campuses are jam packed with Korean students and a handful of foreigners busily studying for their exams. Being an exchange student, we don't necessarily have as much to study for, and if you've kept up with your lecture notes and readings, you can actually take this week off and explore a little bit more of Seoul! (Not that I'm saying to never study for your midterms, but everyone needs a break, right?)

This past weekend, the weekend before my midterms, my friends and I took a trip to Ilsan (일산), a large area in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do (경기도 고양시 ), which is just northwest of Seoul. (A little fun fact for you, Goyang and Maui (my hometown) are actually sister cities since this past February!) We visited the Ilsan Lake Park (일산호수공원) which is the largest manmade lake in Asia. For the month of October, the park has a special event every weekend night at the Musical Fountain (노래하는 분수대). These events happen during other months as well so check the links I provided (both in Korean) for more information.

Although I have only seen a handful of sights/sites in Korea, I can already tell that the 노래하는 분수대 is going to be one of my favorites! Though it was a lot chilly, just being out in the fresh air watching a spectacular show was just so refreshing. Definitely needed a break from all the studying and city life I've grow accustomed to.

Because of different morning/afternoon schedules and also because of the long subway ride from 신촌 to 일산, we went during the night so I couldn't take many photos of the park itself. But please do enjoy some of the photos I took of the show! The photo's aren't that great and a little blurry because I was also trying to enjoy the show. :)

At the entrance, there was another event/festival going on.

MBC building close to the park!

I definitely want to go visit the park again before I have to go back to Hawai'i. A very good place to go on a date with a significant other or a picnic + bike ride day with friends. When I visit again during the day, I'll post more photos of the rest of the park!