For the rest of their time in South Korea, I wanted to show my parents the areas outside of Seoul. Now obviously we could not cover everything, but in the Fall there are some definite places to highlight.
We took a nice scenic drive to Namiseom otherwise known as Nami Island. This is located in Chuncheon, in the Gangwon province. The island's name originates from General Nami, who died at 28 after being falsely accused of treason during the reign of King Sejo, the seventh king of the Joseon Dynasty. His grave was never discovered, but there were a pile of stones where his body was supposed to be buried. It was believed that if someone took even one stone, it would bring misfortune to their house. Namiseom was developed into an amusement park by a tour company who arranged the grave with soil.
The tour company over the years added many different tree species and plants that turned the island into a scenic nature resort destination. It has been featured on several K-dramas.
We took a ferry to take in all the nature and get our photography game going strong, but you can also zip-line to the island as well. It's a wonderful walk, and they also have gift shops, convenience stores, an ostrich enclosure, bicycle rentals, etc. In my opinion, the best times to go are spring or fall for the cherry blossoms or the fall foliage, but it's open during all seasons.
After our island tour, we had lunch in Chuncheon, which is known for its Chicken Dakgalbi. Dakgalbi is spicy, stir-fried chicken with cabbage, other vegetables, and rice cakes. It's followed by stir-fried rice, with cheese melted on top. Needless to say, we were stuffed.
The rest of the afternoon was spent driving to Sol Beach Yangyang on the East Coast. We must have gone through over 20 tunnels as we weaved through the South Korean mountainside. After checking in to the resort, we ended the night with some yummy Korean Fried Chicken.
That Monday we woke up bright and early to journey to the DMZ Observatory. The Goseong Unification Observation Tower was just North of our resort. The drive was along the beach highway, and had beautiful views of the beach on one side, and mountains on the other. The observatory features different levels with digital binoculars, a video on the history of the area, gift vendors, and a museum. It's fascinating to see straight across into the North Korean mountains.
After the observatory, we stopped at Seoraksan National Park on the way back to the resort. It is listed by UNESCO as a tentative World Heritage site. The government designated the area as a nature reserve in 1965 and UNESCO designated it as a biosphere reserve in 1982. It is also the first Korean national park to be named under the National Park Law in 1970.
The park features several restaurants (where we enjoyed some delicious local bibimbap), temples, hiking trails, memorials, and a cable car that transports your to a viewing point about 700+ meters above sea level. The fall foliage there is unreal, and in my opinion some of the most picturesque you will see in all of South Korea.
After spending a wonderful day outside, we decided to treat ourselves to dinner. We feasted on South Korean King Crabs, fresh sashimi, and so many delicious side dishes. This was made complete with glasses of somaek aka beer and soju.
For our final day on the East Coast, was explored Naksansa Temple Complex. It is a Korean Buddhist Temple in the Jogye order of Korean Buddhism that stands on the slopes of Naksan Mountain (also called "Obongsan Mountain"). It is one of the few temples in South Korea to overlook the Sea of Japan.
In 2005, most of the original temple was destroyed by a fired that began in the surrounding forrest. The Naksansa bronze bell, a national treasure dated 15th century, was also melted and destroyed in the fire. The temple has been reconstructed completely since the fire, and the bell amongst other items are on display in their museum.
After exploring the temple grounds, and enjoying some tea with the temple cats, we began our drive back to Seoul. It takes a few hours with traffic, and we enjoyed a rest stop along the way (if you get to drive while in South Korea, these are worth a visit...SO FUN). Once back in Seoul, we had some Korean style Shabu Shabu for dinner, This is a hot pot with thinly-sliced wagyu beef, tofu, and fresh vegetables cooked quickly in simmering soup broth. They also typically have a buffet filled with side dishes, chicken, salads, etc.
Our last two days together were spent back in Seoul. On Wednesday, we relaxed a little from the travel and then met my friend Sunyoung and her daughter Gia for lunch at Gwangjang Food Alley downtown. You can spend a whole afternoon trying local dishes like Korean pancakes, tteokbokki, gimbap, yugtang (live octopus and raw beef tartare), etc. We then went antique hunting for Debbie in Insadong, which was successful. I ended our day in Haebangchon (HBC) at my favorite pub, The Workshop and the Hidden Cellar. We enjoyed some food and shot some pool with my friends Nika and John.
The final day consisted mainly of packing bag, but we took a lunch break for some bulgogi hot pots, and then sampled some local craft beer in Itaewon. My friends from work met us for a lovely Korean BBQ dinner, that was made complete by a stop at the Noraebang aka a karaoke room.
I drove Dad and Debbie to the airport early the next morning, and though I was sad to see them go, I knew I'd be home for holidays soon. I also got another pleasant surprise around Christmas season, that I too would return to the states to begin a new adventure in the spring. So with more places to travel, and people to meet, I hope to bring my family along for the ride as much as possible. I was beyond thankful to have an opportunity to introduce them to South Korea.
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