In April, I went to Asia for a couple of weeks. We flew into Tokyo (so that we could fly out of Newark instead of schlepping it to Queens) and then immediately flew over to Seoul. My aunt and uncle picked us up and drove us to their newly built countryside home in Yangpyeong. We settled in and showered and then ate sullungtang (bone broth) with kimchi before tucking into bed.
Yangpyeong is in Gyeonggi Province, but is towards the eastern side close to the border of Gangwon Province. Gangwon is known for its adventurous activities and we took full advantage of our time in the area by packing our week with fun sights and hikes and food. We were in Korea for a week, but the first few days were spent hanging out with family and the last day was spent in Seoul (which I'll have a separate post for). So this post will concentrate on everything we did in Gangwon Do (and a little bit of Yangpyeong).
On our first full day in Yangpyeong, my aunt threw us a garden party to welcome us and so we could spend time with family. It was a really gorgeous and joyful event.
Even though we ate an extensive buffet for lunch, we obviously still had to have some dinner. We went to Hongdaebag to have a spicy braised monkfish (called agu jjim). It was super delicious. J said it was probably his favorite meal of the trip.
The next morning, my sis and I woke up early to go for a run. After a simple breakfast of pastries and Jeju mandarins, we hit the road, heading north. Once we were near Nami Island, we ate breakfast at Nami Bapsang. They boast about the sheer number of banchan and though not all of them were winners, the kimchi pancake was so good, it didn't even matter.
My aunt and B decided to take the ferry while my sister, J, and I took the zipline. I was pretty terrified but it was so much fun.
We spent a few hours walking around the island, taking loads of photos, admiring the views and flowers and random sculptures and bridges and animal encounteres.
For dinner, we went and got some dak kalbi, a spicy chicken stir fry with loads of mix-ins, including rice cake, udon noodles, cabbage, and sweet potato. This area, Chuncheon, is known for this dish. We went to Chuncheon Tongnamujip Dakgalbi and enjoyed their Dakgalbeer.
The next morning, it was rainy so we spent a few hours at the bathhouse local to my aunt's neighborhood.
For lunch, we wanted something cozy to eat to complement the dreary weather so we headed to Ara Haemul Kalguksu
We had a seafood pancake to start while we waited for our seafood to cook. Once the seafood was bubbling, we started eating. Once the seafood was mostly finished, the staff came over to cook some knife cut noodles in the broth and we slurped those down happily too.
After lunch, the rain had stopped so we went to Yongmunsan to do a little hike and visit a Buddhist temple.
It was a gorgeous park with a 1,100 year old gingko tree.
For dinner, we decided to get Korean barbecue. I had never had hanwoo before, which is the type of cow native to Korea with gorgeous marbling and really rich flavor, so we went to a place known for this type of beef. It was called Woori Hanwoo. This particular spot was extra fun because you go to a meat fridge and pick out the cuts you want and then get seated to cook and eat your pickings.
The following morning was our busiest day. We woke up super early to hit the road because we were heading all the way to the east coast and had a lot to squeeze in. We arrived in Gangneung around 8 and got breakfast at Chodang Maetdol Soontofu which totally hit the spot. I love having super savory Korean food for breakfast!
After breakfast, we headed to the shoreline of Gangneung
J is a coffee lover, so we walked around Anmok Coffee Street and got him some kind of fancy pink salt coffee.
This area is known for its silken tofu so we also stopped by a silken tofu gelato spot: Soontofu Gelato. The gelato was so good; it was super smooth and the flavors were so bold.
And then we hopped in the car again to go to Sun Cruise Hotel, which is designed to look like a cruise ship. At the top, you get some awesome views of where the mountains meet the shore; it's stunning.
For lunch, we picked up a few snack foods from the Sokcho Tourist Fish Market. We packed everything to go because we wanted to enjoy our meal inside Seoraksan National Park.
Seoraksan was the highlight of the trip for me. It's just a gorgeous place, the mountains are unreal, the plants and flowers and trees were mesmerizing, the air was so fresh, it was just perfection. We rode a cable car to the top of one of the mountains and then did a short hike to Jibseonbong. After that, we attempted to go see a tiny temple carved into the mountainside but unfortunately the stairs were closed off.
After taking the cable car back down, we stopped by Sinheungsa Temple.
Then, my aunt dragged us to the Biseondae hike, which we did as quickly as possible to make sure we could leave the park at a reasonable hour.
My uncle graciously paid for us to stay at a super lovely hotel, the Lotte Resort in Sokcho. So after checking in and relaxing a bit, we went to grab some dinner. Since we were close to the water, we decided that seafood was the most appropriate meal to eat. We went to Daepoli where we enjoyed hwae (a.k.a. Korean sashimi) and maeoontang (a spicy fish stew).
The next morning, my aunt, sister, and I got up early to watch the sunrise. It was so beautiful.
For breakfast, we enjoyed some abalone rice porridge (which the restaurant from the night before provided us with) before hitting the road.
We headed back towards Yangpyeong, but stopped in Wonju before heading home. For lunch, we went to Jeonju Restaurant and had jeyuk bokkeum, which is a spicy pork stir fry.
And then, we walked into Sogeumsan Park to do the hike and suspension bridges.
The bridge was pretty nuts. First of all, it took quite an elevation climb to get to it, and then once we were there, my fear of heights became way more palpable. But, the views from the bridge were so gorgeous and it was so much fun to power through and feel like I accomplished something.
After our adventures, we headed home and cooked dinner to enjoy with my family for one more night. The next morning, we got up early and finished packing before hopping in the car to head to Seoul. I love my family so much and I can't wait to visit them again!
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