Long Weekend in Gangneung (강릉)

Two weeks ago I was able to go on a weekend trip to Gangneung with my friends David and Mike. As Korea was about to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its liberation from Japan on Aug. 15th, the government decided to designate Friday, the 14th, as a national holiday. Surprise three day weekend for all!

We left Gwangju Thursday evening (because I still had work until 5) and I slept for the majority of the 4 1/2 hr trip. Once we arrived in Gangneung we got settled into Aark House, one of the best hostels I've ever stayed at (delicious breakfast in the morning). We woke up bright and early to catch an hour bus to Samcheok (삼척). We had heard that it was incredibly beautiful and a great place to go snorkeling. We had also heard that it was a popular destination to visit and we may have underestimated that. It was really, really crowded with families enjoying the long weekend. Initially we were overwhelmed by how crowded the main beach was and found a more secluded rocky area. After a quick swim in the crystal clear water, we made our way back to the beach for lunch and lazing in the sun. That night, we met others in our dorm room and all went out for dinner and drinks. 

Super crowded beach. Families, families everywhere..

Crystal clear water.

Everyone snorkeling and enjoying the beautiful water. 

So many life jackets and inner tubes.

BBQ with people from the hostel.

The following day we had plans to go to Ulleungdo, an island a few hours off the coast, for the day. Unfortunately, we were unaware about how expensive the ferry ride would be (around $65 one way) and decided to opt out. Instead we made our way to the nearby famous coffee street where we enjoyed a coffee before walking to Gyeongpo beach. The beach was absolutely beautiful and we spent hours playing in the water. It's one of the most famous beaches in Korea due to its beautiful 6km long beach and crystal clear water.

Although I didn't think there would be many culture differences between going to the beach in America vs. Korea, I should have known better. I always felt naked compared to everyone else because everyone was covered up from head-to-toe. Long sleeve shirts, long sleeve pants, jackets, hats, and just layers and layers of clothing. Paler skin is considered more beautiful and skin health is very important to most Koreans. It was pretty odd to see a Korean man showing his chest and it was even rarer to see a Korean women in a bikini. So...I stood out even more than usual. Additionally, no one seemed to be just swimming and playing around in the water. Instead everyone and their mother rented inner tubes from shops on the beach. It was so crowded in the water with bright yellow and red plastic tubes that I was dodging tubes rather than waves. 

Making our way to Gyeongpo beach. 

Pretty pretty Korean beach.

No bikini pictures here. We rented an umbrella and mat. David and Mike later gave into Korean peer pressure and rented inner tubes.

After two days in the sun we decided it was time to explore places other than the beach. We took a short bus ride to Jeongdonjin. The area is famous in Korea for its beautiful sunrise. People come from all over Korea to see the sunrise on New Years Day. The quant beach town also has a very nice train station thats right along the beach. Our first stop in Jeongdonjin was Hourglass park (모래시계공원). Its right off the beach and doesn't have much except the worlds largest Hourglass. It takes a full year for the sand to fall and, while not the most exciting thing, was pretty nice to look at. For the New Year, the area hosts a Sunrise Festival and there's a ceremonial 'turning of the hourglass' to signify the changing year. 

From the park we took a taxi to the nearby Unification Park. The park consists of two areas, one along the coast with a display of a North Korean submarine and warship, and the second displaying military planes. The second area was a bit of a distance away and we had heard underwhelming reviews so we decided to skip it. The 35m submarine and gigantic warship were absolutely fascinating to explore. We were able to climb throughout the warship and got a glimpse into South Korean Naval history. The warship was built in America in 1945, saw action in WWII and the Vietnam War, and was donated to South Korea in 1972. The submarine was being used by North Korea to spy on South Korean military operations when it ran aground off of Jeongdonjin in 1996. There were 26 N. Korean soldiers aboard and they escaped onto shore. It took 49 days for South Korea to capture or kill them (except for one who is still missing!). We were able to walk through the submarine and I can't fathom how 26 people fit in such a tiny space. 

Following Unification Park we took part in the ridiculous but fun rail bike ride along the beach. I say ridiculous because you barely needed to actually bike (we were disappointed) and they made us stop at one point at a cafe (unnecessary). It was still fun but I don't think I would do it again.

The largest hourglass in the world?

How did 26 people fit in this thing?!

The cutest friends.

We had planned to catch the last bus back to Gwangju that evening (yay work in the morning) but we missed it. We ended up having to catch a bus to Seoul (3 hrs turned into almost 5 hours thanks to traffic) and from there we caught a bus to Gwangju. I rocked into my apartment at 2am and felt pretty well rested in the morning thanks to be amazing ability to immediately fall asleep on buses. 

The beaches were absolutely beautiful. Really happy I was able to go on such an amazing trip in my last few weeks in Korea.

Peace!