By Korea.net Honorary Reporters Ma. Lilia Pedellume from the Philippines and Vince Grindle from the U.S.
Photos = Ma. Lilia Pedellume and Vince Grindle

Uljin, a coastal town in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, may not be a place about which tourists often talk, but it doesn't mean it offers any less. In fact, it has a lot to offer. Luxurious spas, scenic valleys, beautiful sunrises and sunsets and, of course, delicious snow crabs. Uljin is believed to be the home of snow crabs in Korea. Gourmet travelers and connoisseurs head to Uljin every winter to find the freshest and tastiest snow crabs of the season.

A couple of weeks ago, we headed to Uljin for the Uljin Snow Crab and Red Crab Festival. We took an intercity bus from Dongdaegu Bus Terminal to Hupo Bus Terminal. The bus ride took about 2 hours and 30 minutes.

At the festival, we were able to try the famed Uljin snow crab. It was one of the best crabs that I've had in a long time.

After lunch, we continued exploring the place and we found that we could get on a Coast Guard ship for free. They usually don’t allow this, but it was part of the festival. The ship is equipped with two rescue boats, a gun and a few other state-of-the-art tools. It was a cool experience. The coast guards were nice and accommodating, too.



Later that afternoon, we watched a traditional dance by the visiting Jinju Sutdaejaengi Nori performers. Jinju Sutdaejaengi Nori is a type of traditional dance that originated in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do Province. It resembles the Namsadang Nori from Anseong, Gyeonggi-do Province.

The performance was very enjoyable and was definitely worth watching.

When the performance ended, we decided to check out the Hupo Lighthouse, which is situated on the side of Deunggisan Mountain. On the way up, we accidentally discovered the newly built Deunggisan Mountain Sky Walk. It was temporarily opened for free for nine days, from Feb. 26 to March 6 due to the Snow Crab and Red Crab Festival. We were lucky to have been able to have found it.



The Deunggisan Mountain Sky Walk is a 135-m offshore walkway that extends from Gatbawi Park out over the water. In order to get to the walkway, visitors need to hike up to Deunggisan Mountain Park and then cross the suspension bridge that connects Deunggisan Mountain Park and Gatbawi Park. After crossing the suspension bridge, visitors will see the ticket booth. They will then eventually reach the entrance to the sky walk.

At the entrance, a pair of plastic shoe covers are given to visitors. That's to keep the glass clean. Also, the number of people allowed on the glass walkway at any one time is limited for safety purposes.

Walking on the glass walkway was a bit terrifying, especially when looking down and seeing the water below, but at the same time, it was fun.



From the walkway, visitors can enjoy a beautiful view of the ocean in front and Deunggisan Mountain Park behind them. Arriving just before sunset allowed us to enjoy the stunning golden site from the glass walkway. The Deunggisan Mountain Sky Walk will officially open to the public at the end of April 2018, just in time for summer.



As we were heading back to the bus terminal, we passed through the Hupo-ri Mural Village. The walls and houses there are painted in beautiful, colorful murals. It reminded of the Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan because of the colorful murals, the layered arrangement of the houses and the steep stairways.

Of all the traditional houses in the neighborhood, there was one that caught our eye. It was a house with a red-orange roof. It looked empty, but well-maintained. I knew there was something special about it. As it turned out, the soap opera "You and I" (그대 그리고 나) was filmed here more than 20 years ago.

Though we only spent a day in Uljin, we felt that we experienced and discovered a lot. There’s a lot to see and do in this beautiful coastal town. It's worth visiting and discovering.





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.