Go strait to day 1 (Buckwheat Festival), 2 (Gangneung) or 3 (Sokcho).

First things first, I grabbed a spot at the motel directly next to the northern express bus station for only 20,000 Won. I immediately headed out to get some of the famous squid sundae which turned out to be pretty good. I then took one of the last rides on the famous Gaedbae boat (from the drama “Autumn in my Heart”) over to Abai village, where many Koreans from the north came and settled down and now sell their local cuisine. All the shops were closed, so I just walked from there to Sokcho beach. I had heard about lights along the beach at night because of catching spies so I wanted to see it for myself. Because I made the little extra walk I got to see a beautiful sight with a bridge which you can see below. Once I got tired I just took a taxi back to my motel and hit the hay.

The next morning I headed towards an area where there was a lighthouse. I took some pictures and enjoyed the vista before going back to Abai village to try some famous Abai sundae. Just like the squid sundae, I was not disappointed. The Abai sundae was a lot more like Pyeongyang sundae than the South Korean version and very tasty. There are some other dishes that are also famous in the area, but one man can only eat so much! Anyways, like the previous night I just walked towards Sokcho beach. I stopped by a E-Mart to have a little inside fun. They had some pets for sale (including this really cute crabs with painted shells), tons of free samples, and slippers which actually wouldn’t hurt my feet (the only thing I bought). I was worried the whole weekend that I wouldn’t have a chance to swim because of the crappy weather. At Gangneung absolutely no one was getting an inch in the water so I didn’t want to swim down there. Well, in Sokcho it was a different story. In the main swimming area there were a few people getting in up to their knees. Sure it ain’t swimming but it’s something! I was motivated enough to change clothes and get wet! It turned out to be a great decision because the water was a good temperature and the waves were way high and water rough. I didn’t want to just wade though, so I actually swam out to enjoy the waves. Some people on the shore just watched me and took pictures and things lol. Actually, technically swimming isn’t allowed (seriously, I think a police officer would have made me get out of the water). They have signs posted that say ‘No Swimming.’ I thought that was very odd since I don’t think they have any policy like that anywhere in the states. When I used the bathroom to change clothes, I noticed a little sign which you can see below which tells people they’ll get a reward if they report spies from North Korea lol. Just another reminder that Korea is still in the middle of a real war. That pretty much sums everything up, I took an express bus back to Seoul after drying off. If anyone is looking for a fun two day weekend trip, I would highly recommend Sokcho and Gangneung.

Go strait to day 1 (Buckwheat Festival), 2 (Gangneung) or 3 (Sokcho).

You can see a picture below of the Jjimjilbang that I stayed in.  After waking up and cleaning up I headed out towards Gyeongpodae beach. I was a little surprised when I encountered a barbed wire fence along the beach, which I found out protected a section of a beach where people aren’t allowed in. I guess it’s all part of keeping out spies and such. You can see some pics I took there, along with a pill box which may be from the Korean war. After stopping off at some tourist places I had lunch, Soondooboo, at a 400 year-old house. Then I stopped by Seongyojang, a country house, and Ojukheon, birth place of Yulgok which is named after the black bamboo which you can find there. Once I was finished walking around, totally for at least 7k, I took an express bus up to Sokcho to stay for the night. I did walk around and take some picks but I’ll include those on the day three pics …