By Honorary Reporter Marianne Chang from Trinidad and Tobago

Photos = Marianne Chang

I recently went on a three-day FAM (familiarization) tour of Gangwon-do Province with members of the Honorary Reporters family of Korea.net. 

Previous tours gave Honorary Reporters from around the world the opportunity to visit Korea for events like the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, we could only meet those based in Korea this time, but still had a blast on the beautiful coast of the eastern province.

Honorary Reporters arrive at Yangyang International Airport in Yangyang-gun County, Gangwon-do Province.

Yangyang-gun County
Our first stop took us to the most aesthetically appealing beach in Korea: Surfyy Beach. Once a military zone, it is now a paradise for surfers with a cute beach-type bar and restaurant serving dishes like pizza, burgers, chicken and fries with beer. Few other establishments are close by. 

I noticed other additions like cabanas and a small skating ramp at the beach to give a California beach vibe. A designated camping ground was also filled with cozy-looking trailers at the parking lot next door, perfect for a glamping trip. 

From left to right, Surfyy Beach has a bar and grill, cool entrance and peaceful cabanas.

Surfyy Beach is great for surfing or just relaxing by the beach.

Samcheok
The next day, we were saw spectacular beach landscapes from the marine cable car in Samcheok. Be aware of long lines for the car as it is an extremely popular coastal destination even on weekdays. So we opted for the one-way ride.

Samcheok's marine cable car is an extremely popular tourism activity.

Our next destination in Samcheok took to us Maenbang Beach, which gained popularity and droves of visitors after being featured on the jacket of a BTS album. Next was a quick visit to the traditional market in Gangneung, where I failed to find dalgona (honeycomb candy). I later discovered a bridge next to Wolhwa Street with a great night view of Gangneung featuring moonlight glistening on the water.

From left to right: Beautiful coastal views of Samcheok's port, descent from Deokbongsan Mountain and the bridge to the mountain

Honorary Reporters relax at Jumunjin Beach, which is featured on a BTS album jacket.

The end of the second day brought us to Gangneung Ojuk Hanok Village, which felt so new that it almost felt like we were christening it. But this was far from the truth as this accommodation is quite popular and requires booking well in advance. 

The village is not too big or small, so its atmosphere is warm and inviting as I took a night stroll before going to bed. The beauty of sleeping in this Hanok village is the peaceful environment and basic amenities typically not found at Hanok like TVs and Wi-Fi. In the morning, I opened the windows and was greeted by the gentle caress of the warm sun on my face amid a chilly breeze in fall. 

Gangneung Ojuk Hanok Village

Gangneung
After breakfast, we first went to Ojukheon House and Gangneung Municipal Museum. Ojuheon was the residence of the famous artist, writer and poet Shin Saimdang and her philosopher son Yulgok Yi I, whose faces grace the KRW 50,000 and KRW 5,000 bills, respectively. 

The previous two days had perfect weather but it started drizzling this day at the famous BTS bus stop. The drops quickly subsided and we enjoyed lots of free time at Jumunjin Beach, taking tons of pictures at the many photo zones, the most popular being the bus stop.

The famous BTS bus stop is at Jumunjin Beach in Gangneung.

I had a great three days on this tour and look forward to more of these trips soon.

enny0611@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.