By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Alfonso Delgado from the Philippines
Photos = Alfonso Delgado

Seven years ago, I wished Pyeongchang the best of luck in its bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Now, it has actually happened.

That year, way back in 2011, when Pyeongchang was finally awarded the right to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, I wasn't even sure if I'd still be here in Seoul. Now, they're here and so am I.

I was still in the Philippines when the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympics was held. I was able to watch figure skater Michael Martinez and alpine skier Asa Miller on the Philippine team enter the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium. I was finally able to fly to Seoul a few days after that and got to enjoy the Olympic atmosphere in Seoul, as well as in Gangneung, Gangwon-do Province, where some of the ice events were being held.

Free Ride to PyeongChang Games

My friend Gail was able to book free seats with a free breakfast and a van from Seoul to Gangneung early that week. The arenas for the Olympic sports held on ice, like curling, figure skating, speed skating, and hockey, were all in Gangneung.

The free ride was sponsored by generous Korean companies for people who wanted to visit the Olympic venues. Gangneung is the economic center of Gangwon-do Province, of which Pyeongchang County is a part.

Our ride left at 9 a.m. from Seoul Plaza and arrived at Gangneung Station at noon. We left Gangneung at 5 p.m. and arrived at Seoul Plaza at 8 p.m. with one stop each along the way. The van sat seven passengers. Our ride was smooth and fun, especially since we were traveling with friends. It seemed like we rented our own chauffeured van.



The Olympic Rings at Gangneung Station

You didn't need to go that far to have a memorable photo souvenir at the PyeongChang Olympics. Upon our arrival, we were welcomed by the Olympic Rings at Gangneung Station with its five colored rings representing Africa (black), Asia (yellow), Europe (Blue), the Americas (red) and Oceania (green).

In front of the rings, there were young, helpful, English-speaking volunteers who managed the queue and helped take photos for you.

Gangneung Olympic Park

Getting to the Gangneung Olympic Park was a short, free ride on board the No. TS22 shuttle bus. Organizers made sure visitors to the Olympics would have convenient transportation to and from the Olympic Park. Getting into the park itself was a challenge, as there could be very long lines just to buy tickets. So, it was recommended that you buy your entrance tickets for KRW 2,000 online before heading there. Otherwise, you would have had to resort to getting an entrance ticket at a more expensive price.

As we only had less than five hours in Gangneung, we simply moved around the Gangneung Olympic Park, visited the pavilions, posed outside the Olympic arenas, and soaked in the Olympic atmosphere. By the way, the food courts at the park only sold fast food and drinks.

If you wanted to buy some Olympic merchandise, you had to be prepared to queue, as the Super Store in the park limits the number of people inside.



Canada House

Just before the entrance to the Gangneung Olympic Park is Canada House, or the Olympique Maison du Canada in French. It's a hang-out place for Canadians and fans of the Canadian teams at the Olympics. Luckily, our friend Rosie was able to register us to enter Canada House. For a fee, we were able to enjoy the fun atmosphere inside the venue where they have a big screen, indoor bleachers and tables, where fans can enjoy the events over beer, burgers, poutine, salad and other delicious food items. You could also get Canadian Olympic merchandise inside.

For us, we made Canada House our comfortable lunch place where we were able to sit down outdoors. They had a fireplace if it got too cold. We enjoyed the Olympic experience, Canada-style.

I was able to enjoy a Canadian burger with Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir staring at me from the cover of a magazine. We also met the friendly Cam and Daniel Galindo, brothers from Stoney Creek, Ontario, who were there in Pyeongchang as volunteers.

As if the gods of Mount Olympus were watching us enjoy our Olympic trip, we got to meet an Olympic gold medalist, too!

Gabrielle Daleman, a Canadian figure skater, had already won gold in the figure skating team event. Daleman was also competing at the women's figure skating a couple of days later. I wished her all the luck in her event. I wondered if we had visited another day, we could have met Tessa Virtue or Scott Moir.

How we wished we could have stayed longer, but unfortunately that day, we had a free van ride to catch. We decided to traverse a small hill going back to Gangneung Station, as the bus line going back to Gangneung Station was long. It only took us 20 minutes on foot to get there.



Olympic Fun

If you didn't have a chance to go to the PyeongChang Olympics, you can always head to the PyeongChang Paralympics that start on March 9.

Some tourists who wanted to stay longer at the Pyeongchang Olympics booked hotels or slept at local public spas overnight, as it was a bit far from Seoul. This is what our Canadian friend Bruno did when he missed his high-speed KTX train back to Seoul.

It was indeed a fun day for us at the PyeongChang Olympics. Who knows? We may go back there again someday.

To all the Olympic medalists and Olympians, congratulations!

wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.