By Honorary Reporter Lewis Hooper from U.K.
Photos = Lewis Hooper, Korea.net 

From Oct. 17-19, I was lucky enough to join a Korea.net FAM (familiarization) tour of beautiful Gangwon-do Province. Due to restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, this was the first such tour in over a year.

First, we had an informative tour guide who explained our trip in great detail on the way to our first stop, Yangyang International Airport, in Yangyang-gun County. 

From the airport, we headed toward our second stop, Surfyy Beach, Korea's first beach exclusively for surfing with three main zones for swimming, beanbags and hammocks. 

Taking an inter-city bus from Seoul Express Bus Terminal to the country takes about three hours. From Yangyang-gun's bus terminal, it takes about 20 minutes by taxi to get to Surfyy Beach.

Afterwards we rode the cable car in Samcheok, seeing great views of the unspoiled bay and clear water.  

We later headed to our lodging for the night, O Seak Green Yard Hotel, on the outskirts of Seoraksan National Park. After a great night's sleep, I headed down the road to the start of the hiking trail, which is around 550 m from the hotel, to check out the stunning natural views of the mountain and river and visit street vendors on the way.

On the second day, we saw a spot where the BTS hit "Butter" was shot. Next to the spot was a small island just recently opened to the public after serving as a military occupation base for attacks from North Korea. 

After leaving the market and having dinner at a nearby restaurant, we were taken to our next accommodation. This was the first time I slept on the floor, but my feelings of uncertainty quickly dissipated thanks to the warmed floor and comfortable bedding.

Though a modern take on traditional accommodation, the place we stayed at retained its classic architectural style and historical value, making it a unique lodging option.

After visiting a museum and getting our morning coffee fix, we went to a spot where the hit K-drama "Guardian: the Lonely and Great God" was filmed in the town of Jumunjin-eup. 

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.