Finally Getting Out of Seoul (and going to Gangneung)
Written by Kyle on Sunday, June 07, 2009 in Korea, Republic of
Feelin' happy
Truthfully, even though we had been in Korea for 2 months, we hadn't gone anywhere outside the Seoul metropolitan area. Granted, that area is huge and would take you every day of one year to explore it, but it's still a little chunk of the whole country. So, feeling the itch of hitting the open road (or in Korea, the heavily trafficked road) we decided to go to Gangneung on the East coast of the country for a beachy good time.Feelin' happy
On the boardwalk in Gangneung
Just as most traveling adventures start, we started ours in a bus terminal in Seoul. Even though we can recognize some of it, we still haven't learned how to read all of the Korean letters, so trying to find the right place to buy tickets and getting on the right bus was a little more challenging than usual. Fortunately at the bus ticket stand, there was a booth just for ignorant foreigners like us, labeled "Foreigners".
Ummm...where?
The buses themselves are pretty nice, equipped with TV screens showing live TV and chairs that lean back and have adjustable foot rests. We also found out on the way back that there is also a cooler on the bus that gives passengers free drinking water. I wonder if there is one stocked with beer...
Unfortunately for us, when we arrived in Gangneung, the weather was a bit chilly and cloudy. It's not the ideal beach weather, but the fresh air and lack of people bumping into you is a nice change from Seoul. In fact, compared to Seoul, Gangneung is downright sleepy even though it is the 5th largest city in South Korea. But, everyone needs sleep now and then, so it's a welcome change.
Speaking of sleep, the hotel that we found was awesomely decorated. And by awesome, I mean it must have been decorated by a pre-teen girl. A pre-teen girl in the 70's, that is. It was only missing a poster of Danny Partridge to complete the 70s teeny bopper feel.
So, what is there to really do in Gangneung? Foremost there is the beach. It is a pretty decent white sand beach that must be super crowded when the weather is nicer outside. Judging by some of the pictures of the town, it might be one of the most crowded beaches in South Korea on those days. We didn't have to deal with the fair weather folks, so we had much of the beach to ourselves.
There is also no shortage of seafood restaurants along the beach. And they're not your "Salmon Filet with a Side of Rice" restaurant, either. They are more of a "We Killed This Fish 5 Minutes Ago and Didn't Cook It" kind of places. You know, manly seafood. So, as they say, "When in Rome..."; here is our own seafood platter. More to come on this in a later post...
For the culturally minded folks, Gangneung offers some traditional Korean buildings. There wasn't much history explained, but I'm assuming that they were basically residences by some high ranking Confucian officials back in the day. They sure do know how to pick the scenic spots.
Lastly, there is the Edison Gramophone Museum which we are told is world famous. I'm guessing it has to be because how many gramophone museums are there in the world? We didn't go it as we couldn't stomach the 7 bucks to get in (we're cheap) but I'm sure some hours looking at old gramophones is compelling. In fact, I'm thinking of opening a Ballpoint Pen museum next door. That one could be world famous, too!
The "World Famous" Gramophone Museum
All in all, it was a pleasant trip and it was nice to see what the world looks like outside of a cosmopolitan city. We're going to try to make this a monthly habit of ours, so stay tuned, and we'll try to fill you in on some other parts of this world known as Korea.
A sleepy shop in Gangneung
Comments on "Finally Getting Out of Seoul (and going to Gangneung)"
Ummm...I think you stayed in one of the ubiquitous "love motels" here. They are quite common and can be nice if you get the right one. In fact, our apartment is a stone's throw away from a couple of them!
This seems to have been a wonderful adventure. I'm proud of your use of public transportation and getting to your destination on the correct bus! The exterior of the Gramophone Museum is similar to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio. The admission is expensive to help pay the cost of constructing the beautiful building, staffing it and collecting the display contents. Maybe next visit you will bite the bullet and pay the admission! Each admission ticket comes with a free six pack of beer......... NOT! ........... Peace and Love.......
Oh my.
Never have seen decor like that. Wonder of wonders!
I think you could probably design some picture frames around this decor. You would surely have the whole market to yourself!
we know just how to find the gems. :)
Kyle....you gave me a great laugh for the day......what a hoot! The decor in the hotel...how did you sleep through the vibrations of color emitting from the wallpaper and bedspreads?! The description of seafood restaurants was hysterical. Are you finding, as you travel, that enough English is commonly spoken so that you can ask questions in transportation centers, restaurants, stores, etc.? Obviously, relying totally on reading signs might prove challenging!
Ya, it was pretty bright. We had to wear sunglasses inside the room.
Kyle actually asked me to recreate the flower decor in our apartment he liked it so much. :)
Kyle, I can't stop laughing at the room decor. I haven't seen decor like that since I was a teenager in the early 70's. My friend decorated her room similar to that. It was called "sycadellic" in those days. The luxuriou seats on the train you were on look finer than the first class train seats we have here in Toronto. Very impressive. Enjoy!
The bus was about $15/ person for the 3.5 hours bus ride (a tad pricier than we got used to in Latin America), but definitely worth it. :) I sort of forget what it feels like to be in a car sometimes...
It great to find there are still hotel room designers who kow had to design! Your posts are really fun.
I loved it. The motel is awesome. I just checked my spelling of awesome in the dictionary and found the meaning is "causing, or expressive of, awe or terror". Interesting! We stayed in a Korean motel once for just a few hours. That is how it is rented. The name was "The Good Time Inn". The decor was similar. Such fun! I loved the colors in the gramophone place. Much concern in your life with people about North Korea getting aggressive toward you? Have fun.
by Susan at June 10, 2009 11:55 AM