Week in #7 In Korea! Gangneung Weekend Trip

This weekend I went to Gangneung! While on the train ride, which was about two hours, I watched The Karate Kid (2010), my favorite movie. I was so excited because I knew where we were going was more of a local spot rather than touristy. Gangneung is on the far east coast of South Korea, with a population of about 200,000 people. This trip was especially special because we were in an area where there were almost no foreigners. It was extremely local, allowing me to better immerse myself in the culture. I remember there was a little girl walking with her parents and they pointed at us saying “look!” which Ii thought was so interesting, and made me think more about how there probably aren’t many foreigners that come across this area, or at least the part of town we were staying in. As a pescetarian, and my friend who is vegetarian, finding food in a very local environment was extremely difficult, especially since the diet in south korea includes a lot of meat or meat based dishes (such as broth, etc). Luckily, there was a convenience store right next to where we were staying, so we had to eat ramen and snacks for the weekend. I didn’t mind, because we were right next to the most beautiful ocean water I’ve ever seen in person! The beautiful atmosphere and fresh air made up for the lack of food arrangements. First, we took a late night walk on the rocks near the water, and the water seemed so aqua and clear. It made me think of vacation water! It was a truly healing experience. The next day, we took a long walk to the famous Gyeongpo beach and saw many farms along the way. Although it would have been faster to take a taxi, we felt that walking could help really catch the feeling and surroundings of Gangneung and all its beauty. The image of me below is from our long walk (which was about 45 minutes by the way). I also saw a persimmon tree on the walk which was so cool because they don’t have it anywhere I am from in San Diego. It was cool to just see it out in the open. It was so beautiful. I really want to go back again soon and visit the many preserved cultural sites and forests. I love history and wish to learn more about it by visiting more museums in the many cities I hope to visit.