We just took our first family vacation in Korea and it was a lot of fun. Per usual form, I took WAY too many photos, which means I am having to post in installments. This is installment numero uno: the way there. Above, in the map of SK, you can see where we went. Seoul is closer to the west coast of Korea and is marked by that big red square towards the northern part of the ROK. We traveled to the eastern seaboard for our vacation. If you look on the map, you'll see the province in the north (and colored yellow) named Kangwon-do. We were east of Ch'unch'on (marked on the map, and where Dahin and I will be headed next week for a kugak--Korean traditional music--camp) on the coast; just west of the mountain range housing Seorak mountain--one of the highlights of our trip. The kids were so excited to go. The boys and Dahin packed their own bags the day before and placed them by the door. Oliver and Dahin did a fabulous job. Ronan, well, besides two shirts and pajamas, his backpack was filled with toys. After some careful bag-editing the day of the trip, we were on our way. We faced traffic the first part of the trip, which put SOME of us in a bad mood.
Dahin was NOT happy and laid down in the car in protest. We had to threaten her with abandonment (no kidding) so that she would actually get up and let her brothers sit safely in their seats. Are we having fun YET? Ah, good times. Relief came at the point when we realized that that long line of cars was actually headed somewhere else. So, after slow going for two hours, we had a clear road and found our way to a rest stop.
Rest stops in Korea are like combinations of cafeterias, snack food supply spots, and convenience marts (oh, and potties). We ordered mandu (dumplings), ramen, kimbap, seolleongtang (beef soup with clear noodles), and a bulgogi burger (for Dahin). We also got some jwipo (dried fish) and dried squid while waiting for the burger. The kids love jwipo--it is really good, but needs to be heated over a fire and makes one's home stinky. Ok while out and about, though. The dried squid (ojingeo) was not well cooked, however. Oliver used his squid to make funny faces and pose for photos. Most of it went to waste. What's that? Yes, my picky ("that's yu-cky") kids eat dried fish and squid with gusto (shocking, huh).
Finally, after 5.5 hours on the road, we made it to our little, overpriced room. Jack's idea was, we would just drive there and find a room. I envisioned full hotels and driving with grumpy kids ready to land and said N-O to that idea. So, we reserved a room on line for 70,000 won a night (about 70 dollars). After we arrived and when Jack went downstairs to get extra towels and bedding, he overheard the owner ask a guest how she liked her room. She said, "It's alright for 50,000 a night and a view of the ocean" (we had opted for the no-view room online because the charge was 30,000 won a night more). Yes, we got ripped off. But, hey, we didn't know and it was the height of the tourist season. Our room was alright. Minbak are little hotel-like places. You pay for basically a room with a sink, little fridge, tv, and bedding. We didn't need anything fancy because we didn't plan on staying inside much. Minbak lined the beach where we were staying. The ajuma and ajeossi who ran the place were really very nice, despite the fact that they ripped us off. Usual prices for minbak (off-peak season) range from 30,000-50,000 won a night.
And, our room did have a bit of a view. The boys discovered this as soon as we got to the room. It wasn't a full-on 'we're facing the beach' view, but it was still nice. And, smelling that salt air and hearing the waves was so, so nice. The kids had not seen a beach or the ocean in 7 months--an eternity when you consider that they lived most of their lives in the Bay Area and took regular trips to the beach to play.
A view of the rooftops and the beach and beachfront road. Next installment to be posted tomorrow: the beach, the fish markets, and fireworks (all in our first day/night!).
We just took our first family vacation in Korea and it was a lot of fun. Per usual form, I took WAY too many photos, which means I am having to post in installments. This is installment numero uno: the way there. Above, in the map of SK, you can see where we went. Seoul is closer to the west coast of Korea and is marked by that big red square towards the northern part of the ROK. We traveled to the eastern seaboard for our vacation. If you look on the map, you'll see the province in the north (and colored yellow) named Kangwon-do. We were east of Ch'unch'on (marked on the map, and where Dahin and I will be headed next week for a kugak--Korean traditional music--camp) on the coast; just west of the mountain range housing Seorak mountain--one of the highlights of our trip. The kids were so excited to go. The boys and Dahin packed their own bags the day before and placed them by the door. Oliver and Dahin did a fabulous job. Ronan, well, besides two shirts and pajamas, his backpack was filled with toys. After some careful bag-editing the day of the trip, we were on our way. We faced traffic the first part of the trip, which put SOME of us in a bad mood.
Dahin was NOT happy and laid down in the car in protest. We had to threaten her with abandonment (no kidding) so that she would actually get up and let her brothers sit safely in their seats. Are we having fun YET? Ah, good times. Relief came at the point when we realized that that long line of cars was actually headed somewhere else. So, after slow going for two hours, we had a clear road and found our way to a rest stop.
Rest stops in Korea are like combinations of cafeterias, snack food supply spots, and convenience marts (oh, and potties). We ordered mandu (dumplings), ramen, kimbap, seolleongtang (beef soup with clear noodles), and a bulgogi burger (for Dahin). We also got some jwipo (dried fish) and dried squid while waiting for the burger. The kids love jwipo--it is really good, but needs to be heated over a fire and makes one's home stinky. Ok while out and about, though. The dried squid (ojingeo) was not well cooked, however. Oliver used his squid to make funny faces and pose for photos. Most of it went to waste. What's that? Yes, my picky ("that's yu-cky") kids eat dried fish and squid with gusto (shocking, huh).
Finally, after 5.5 hours on the road, we made it to our little, overpriced room. Jack's idea was, we would just drive there and find a room. I envisioned full hotels and driving with grumpy kids ready to land and said N-O to that idea. So, we reserved a room on line for 70,000 won a night (about 70 dollars). After we arrived and when Jack went downstairs to get extra towels and bedding, he overheard the owner ask a guest how she liked her room. She said, "It's alright for 50,000 a night and a view of the ocean" (we had opted for the no-view room online because the charge was 30,000 won a night more). Yes, we got ripped off. But, hey, we didn't know and it was the height of the tourist season. Our room was alright. Minbak are little hotel-like places. You pay for basically a room with a sink, little fridge, tv, and bedding. We didn't need anything fancy because we didn't plan on staying inside much. Minbak lined the beach where we were staying. The ajuma and ajeossi who ran the place were really very nice, despite the fact that they ripped us off. Usual prices for minbak (off-peak season) range from 30,000-50,000 won a night.
And, our room did have a bit of a view. The boys discovered this as soon as we got to the room. It wasn't a full-on 'we're facing the beach' view, but it was still nice. And, smelling that salt air and hearing the waves was so, so nice. The kids had not seen a beach or the ocean in 7 months--an eternity when you consider that they lived most of their lives in the Bay Area and took regular trips to the beach to play.
A view of the rooftops and the beach and beachfront road. Next installment to be posted tomorrow: the beach, the fish markets, and fireworks (all in our first day/night!).
No comments:
Post a Comment