escaping the city
Finals is over! With only days left in the country, my friends and I decided to make the most of our remaining time. Collectively, we booked a full day tour via Trazy to Gangwon-do province, which is about 60 kilometers from Seoul. After being cooped up in busy Seoul since our Jeju trip, we decided that it would be refreshing to spend some time away from the city and in the surrounding provinces. This day was packed with activities, and we visited the following places that marked quite a fun day: Petite France, Gangchon Rail Park, Nami Island, and The Garden of Morning Calm. And I’ll save you some time - I’ll write briefly on the location, but feel free to scroll through the many photos in the galleries!
Finals is over! With only days left in the country, my friends and I decided to make the most of our remaining time. Collectively, we booked a full day tour via Trazy to Gangwon-do province, which is about 60 kilometers from Seoul. After being cooped up in busy Seoul since our Jeju trip, we decided that it would be refreshing to spend some time away from the city and in the surrounding provinces. This day was packed with activities, and we visited the following places that marked quite a fun day: Petite France, Gangchon Rail Park, Nami Island, and The Garden of Morning Calm. And I’ll save you some time - I’ll write briefly on the location, but feel free to scroll through the many photos in the galleries!
Petite France
This was a very small amusement park built to imitate the architecture of styles of villages in France. We didn’t do much here due to lack of activities, but it was still quite an interesting sight to be at.
Gangchon Rail Park
Here, my friends hopped on a rail car and pedaled our way across rivers and through forests. It was such a fun way to get in some light exercise and to experience the surrounding mountainous scenery!
Nami Island
One of the largest tourist attractions in all of Korea. Getting to the island requires hopping on a 5-minute ferry ride. Once on the island, it feels as if you are totally away from Seoul. See the pictures for yourself to see what I mean!
The Garden of Morning Calm
In the summertime, this garden attracts many nature enthusiasts due to its beautiful scenery of plants and trees. However, during the wintertime, garden workers decorate everything with lights, resulting in a brilliant and exciting array of Christmas lights and decorations during the dark hours.
This was a very small amusement park built to imitate the architecture of styles of villages in France. We didn’t do much here due to lack of activities, but it was still quite an interesting sight to be at.
Gangchon Rail Park
Here, my friends hopped on a rail car and pedaled our way across rivers and through forests. It was such a fun way to get in some light exercise and to experience the surrounding mountainous scenery!
Nami Island
One of the largest tourist attractions in all of Korea. Getting to the island requires hopping on a 5-minute ferry ride. Once on the island, it feels as if you are totally away from Seoul. See the pictures for yourself to see what I mean!
The Garden of Morning Calm
In the summertime, this garden attracts many nature enthusiasts due to its beautiful scenery of plants and trees. However, during the wintertime, garden workers decorate everything with lights, resulting in a brilliant and exciting array of Christmas lights and decorations during the dark hours.
christmas day
For the first time in my life, I’ve spent Christmas Day away from home and family. While I was briefly sad that I’m breaking the tradition of being with family for Christmas, I reassured myself knowing well that I won’t be able to spend Christmas in a foreign country anytime soon. Nonetheless, I did spend Christmas with family after all: my friends whom I’ve gotten to grow so close to over the course of the semester.
I started Christmas right at midnight, spending time with friends Dakota, Elise, and Celia where we all exchanged each others’ gifts. It was a small yet warm gathering, and I felt truly grateful to have friends to spend Christmas with. That morning, I flocked to Myeongdong Cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul to attend Christmas Day Mass (in English). Traditionally, my family would always attend the Christmas Midnight Mass back home, but because the cathedral would be packed at that service (and it would be freezing cold at night), I deviated from personal tradition for once.
Christmas wrapped up with a few more friends and a simple chicken and beer get-together. Though the day was chilly, I felt the warmth of comfort in the presence of my friends. Truly, what a unique Christmas experience in Korea!
For the first time in my life, I’ve spent Christmas Day away from home and family. While I was briefly sad that I’m breaking the tradition of being with family for Christmas, I reassured myself knowing well that I won’t be able to spend Christmas in a foreign country anytime soon. Nonetheless, I did spend Christmas with family after all: my friends whom I’ve gotten to grow so close to over the course of the semester.
I started Christmas right at midnight, spending time with friends Dakota, Elise, and Celia where we all exchanged each others’ gifts. It was a small yet warm gathering, and I felt truly grateful to have friends to spend Christmas with. That morning, I flocked to Myeongdong Cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul to attend Christmas Day Mass (in English). Traditionally, my family would always attend the Christmas Midnight Mass back home, but because the cathedral would be packed at that service (and it would be freezing cold at night), I deviated from personal tradition for once.
Christmas wrapped up with a few more friends and a simple chicken and beer get-together. Though the day was chilly, I felt the warmth of comfort in the presence of my friends. Truly, what a unique Christmas experience in Korea!
vivaldi ski park
The day after Christmas, my friends and I spent the day at Vivaldi Ski Park in Gangwon-do, one of the many famous and popular ski resorts just outside of Seoul. From Seoul to the resort, we took an hour-long bus ride with the bus departing from our neighborhood at 7 AM sharp. While my friends caught up on sleep while getting to the resort, I opted to stay awake to catch some views during the trek. However, because of the freezing cold weather at the time, all of the windows on the bus iced up and became basically impossible to see through. I did spend much of my time using my jacket to wipe the ice off the catch at least a small glimpse of where I was going. When we arrived at the park, I was simply amazed at the sheer size of the park. Thousands of other Korean people were also flocking towards the parks’ entrance and I didn’t realize how big of a deal skiing can really be. We spent the first hour getting situated and gearing up, which I didn’t realize would be so tedious. From finding the right size of my skiing equipment to actually attempting to put on the ski equipment, I found myself exhausted before I even had the chance to roll down the hill. That day, it was very apparent that a Hawaii boy was in the house. I could barely walk with the ski gear and once I reached the top of the ski hill (the beginner one of course), I failed to learn how to stop myself from gliding uncontrollably. After many instances of attempting to learn, I decided to opt for a snowboard instead and paid an extra fee to rent out a snowboard. Round 2 - I’m at the top of the hill again with my snowboard and my friend is teaching me the basics of what to do and not what to do. Having skateboarded myself, I thought that snowboarding wouldn’t be too different. However, I was indeed very wrong and have learned my lesson in a very harsh manner. As I started to glide down the hill, my speed began to pick up rather quickly. In an attempt to slow down, I veered a little to the right - next thing I know is that the board is perpendicular to the hill’s slope and I am now looking up towards the top of the hill. I then fell backwards and used my two hands to catch myself. Once getting back up, I looked back up towards my friend and threw him two thumbs up signaling that I was okay. Within the next hour or so, I decided to just relax at the bottom of the hills and watch everyone else have fun skiing. I even enjoyed a Korean style hot dog as I observed everything going on at the park: little children skiing with their parents, couples bonding with each other as they drift down slopes, and resort workers excitedly greeting guests as they trek up towards the hill. After finishing my corndog, I began to realize that my right wrist began to hurt. Thinking it was a minor sprain, I ignored it and carried on with my day. |
Fast forward to being back on the bus back to Seoul, my right hand began to swell and my right wrist began to hurt like nothing I’ve experienced. Long story short, I ended up bearing a small fracture on my wrist - definitely not an ideal way to end my ski trip, and my journey in Seoul altogether. While I was extremely disappointed to have borne an injury so close to departure, I was still glad to at least say that I have experienced skiing. What I laugh about now is that the corndog I ate that day was the best moment in all of that skiing experience.
So lesson learned: skiing and snowboarding aren’t that easy. Will I do them ever again? Probably not anytime soon. I’m looking forward to having more of those delicious Korean corndogs though!
So lesson learned: skiing and snowboarding aren’t that easy. Will I do them ever again? Probably not anytime soon. I’m looking forward to having more of those delicious Korean corndogs though!
a hui hou, korea!
December 29, 2021. I had that date in my mind for a long time as it was the last day that I would spend in Korea. It turned out to be a very long day though. Travelling internationally is already difficult, and mixing that with additional regulations because of the omicron variant and an injured wrist, it definitely was a tiring day. However, due to the extreme generosity of my friends, I was able to experience a seamless departure from Korea. My friend Dakota helped me pack all of my belongings, and ensured none of them exceeded the weight limit. My Korean friend Sam rented a vehicle and, along with friends Elise and Celia, escorted me all the way to Incheon Airport. I decided to stay at the airport for a long time, being that a negative PCR test result 24 hours before departure was an entry requirement into the United States. My departing flight was scheduled at 9 PM that day, so I opted to get tested at the airport at 9 AM. Thank goodness for same-day results! After a very emotional goodbye to my friends, I made my way through security and towards my gate. While waiting for the boarding call, I glimpsed towards the aircraft in front of me and could not realize that I was already departing one of the best life experiences I’ve ever endured. I sat at my window seat, gazing at the city lights of Seoul as I flew higher and higher into the sky. “Thanks for everything, Korea” I repeatedly said in my mind. Indeed, I left Korea with a very thankful heart. |