road trip to Wando, etc

Just gonna get this out there first thing- I apologize there are no photos with this post. My computer will literally blow up if I add anything else to it. So until I can purchase an external hard drive, I can't post new pics.

Last weekend we had a Friday off due to it being Buddha's Birthday, so 6 of us decided we'd be the first foreigners in Korea to hire a van and create a roadtrip of our own (nearly every ferry/ train/ plane we looked into booking was unavaible, weeks even months before). Our van got dropped off in our neighborhood, and we immediately stocked up on waterguns (and water) at Homeplus (again- like a Walmart). The original plan was that we'd all take turns driving, as we knew we'd be leaving Daegu at around midnight to avoid traffic. Well, it became apparent almost instantly that the 2 boys would take the helm up front, and the girls would stay in the back. I rode backseat the entire time. Fine be me- I kind of hate being in charge on group outings. So I was content to let the masses make the driving decisions. There was a mini tray-table in the back seat, so Charlotte and I set it up, me allowing it to hold my midnight coffee. Not 20 minutes into the trip we broke it. OK- I broke it. For the duration of the weekend we rigged it up with a garbage bag so it wouldn't bash us in the shins. (Upon returning to Daegu I ghetto-rigged it back up with some superglue, for appearance-sake when the man we rented it from would do a cursory inspection).

Somehow once we got on the highway, we neglected to stop to pick up a ticket (like on American turnpikes- you collect a ticket, then pay once you exit the turnpike, based on how far you've driven). Anyway, stopping at what we though was the place to pick up a ticket, we were being ASKED for our ticket. Needless to say we didn't have one, and we had to slowly merge off to the left of the 8-lane ticket booths, make a "phonecall," then the problem was solved. Again- the guys took care of this, so I'm still not even sure how the problem was rectified. But it was funny being probably the only non-Koreans on the road- and we're the ones being "quarantined."

After driving all night, and every single person stayed awake the entire time (due mostly to playing question games such as "Would you rather have one giant nostril, or one eye?" and so on), we arrived at a weird man-made beach in Wando at sunrise. After a quick walk to the beach, we set up our tent and decided to pass out for a few hours. Our alarms were set for 11am, as not to waste too much of the day. Well, this was not problematic at all, as around 9am a bulldozer started digging (what I'm not sure) literally 20 feet from our tent, and a gaggle of visiting Koreans in giant sunhats and matching bright pink tee shirts stomped, laughed, and talked right by our tent. They were so close I think a few of them stepped on me. Not really... but they did totally wake us up.

Deciding that there was no way we could make this our campsite for a second night, we drove into the actual port city of Wando. It was a typical little town, and the people were incredibly friendly. Charlotte and I were enjoying sandwiches on a bench by the sea, when a middle-aged man walked up to us, presented us with gifts of some corn drink and some rice tea (?????) for seemingly no reason. Then he kept pointing at my sandwich, then to himself, then to the drinks he'd just given us, then back to the sandwich and himself again. Assuming that I was now supposed to give him a portion of my sandwich, I did. He ate it, chattering away in Korean the entire time, burped loudly in our faces (gratitude, I'm assuming) and walked away.

Then we checked out the ferry terminal because we wanted to just get on a boat. But this was not to happen. All of southern Korea had the same idea to board a ferry, so we got back in our 12-passenger van and just drove. We came to a beautiful beach that was once the site for a Korean film- the name is escaping me at this time- and it was GORGEOUS! We posed for pictures with cut-outs of famous Korean filmstars, played in the sand, and jumped off a pier into the water (though explicitly told we weren't allowed in the water). We all escaped with only minor injuries- the worst being some barnacle cuts from exiting the water. They left the movie set just as it was during filming, so none of the little huts were actually well-maintained or sanded down or anything, and it wasn't until after we'd climbed onto one for a photo-op that we'd all discovered we were covered in billions of little tiny splinters! It took awhile to get them all out. I can best compare it to the time I accidentally hit my elbow on a cactus I had in my windowsill.

Walking back to the van soaking wet, and being stared at like fools by everyone else, we decided to drive to our second campsite. We ate dinner by the sea and built the best campfire in the world. The entire world. Before the trip (literally minutes before) I popped into a hiking store and purchased a head torch- mostly for night peeing. I was so excited to have a lamp on my head (I've clearly never owned one) that I kept offering to light up anything and everything. "You guys need help? I've got a light!" Everyone but one of us had their own, so in the end I only ended up helping myself. The bonfire was so relaxing and so much fun. We were all exhausted, and by midnight we were in the tent, fast asleep. In the morning, we all heard severe rustling, wind, rain, etc. But I think we were too cold and tired to care or to do anything about it. Maybe a bit of denial that this day wouldn't turn out to be the sunny day we'd previously had? I'm not sure, but it was lousy weather. We had a quick breakfast in the tent (I've never eaten so much bread in my life as this weekend), and we just kind of drove north deciding it was useless to hang around the beach when we couldn't even enjoy being outside.

We ended up in a little dump of a town, in a pizza joint for 3+ hours because there was literally nothing else to do. Since we couldn't sleep in the tent due to the monsoon, we staked out a cheap hotel that had 2 large conjoining rooms, where we all passed out on the floor after watching about 37 episodes of the Simpsons. (Slept on the floor because there were no beds, just a cabinet full of bedding- that's Korea!) It was still downpouring in the morning. We drove north some more for a bit. Our aim this day, our last day, was to check out a green tea plantation, then maybe visit a traditional Korean village if we had time. The green tea plantation was gorgeous. Even though it was pouring rain and I was grumpy due to my leaky $1 poncho, it was still such a pleasure to visit. At the end of walking around it, we decided to warm up with some, well... TEA! I know we were probably extremely offensive in the faces we made, but I couldn't help it. The tea literally tasted like chicken fat.

After the plantation, we went to the traditional village. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't too keen on seeing either one, and before actually seeing them I was wondering why we were wasting our time. OH MY goodness. What a fool I was! The traditional village was amazing. It's not like in America where the history isn't very rich- and if you visit a historical site you get volunteer workers in period-dress, "churning butter" or "baking bread." No no no no no. In Korea, people still actually live in these villages, much like they would have 6 centuries ago when they were erected. The general rule is that if a gate is open, you're allowed to enter the home (at least the 'grounds'). If there is a branch or a post laying across the gate, you are not to enter. We saw a man standing outside of his "hut" and he looked overly eager to have us come closer, so we did. After snapping a few photos with him, grinning wildly, he gestured towards the front door of his home. He slid it open, and I swear I can't make this stuff up- a woman (who I assume was his mother- though she literally looked about 180) came crawling- not walking, not even hobbling- crawling into the doorway, showing us 3 teeth. Then she started chanting "DON! DON!" at us, which means money. Not knowing what else to do, I quickly snapped a photo right in her face, knowing I'd want it for future story-telling. She didn't like this. I think she might have even hissed after we all kind of quickly shuffled away. Her son was practically kicking her back inside, as if to say "I almost HAD them, Ma! You ruined it!"

We definitely got a good giggle over this for awhile. Then we just wandered around the village. I bought some original pottery for dirt cheap (it will most definitely make the journey back to America in my carry-on baggage). We saw an old prison, statues of beatings, and lots of history. From the brochure I picked up:

Within the fortress perimeter of 1,410m remain well-preserved Choson Dynasty government buildings, nine traditional residences designated as important folklore material, and other old houses, people residing in this folk village still carry on traditional custom and manners. With its relics and unique living heritage, Naganeupseong gives visitors a direct look at Korea's history and traditional ways of life, customs and manners, and folk events.

Population and households: 288 people in 120 households (82 within the fortress walls, 38 on the outside).


After traipsing around the village for a few hours, we were more than ready to drive back to Daegu. Making rounds and dropping everyone off and cleaning the van back to its original state, I finally walked in my door late Sunday night, nearly collapsing, but not before doing 2 loads of laundry because everything I took (including the comforter off my bed because I don't own a sleeping bag) smelled like dog. A hot shower and some light reading later, I definitely fell asleep tired and happy, calling the weekend and the roadtrip a definite success.