Vacation Part 1 - Gangneung

Trash and I left Friday, July 25th at 5pm on a train Eastbound for Gangneung. Gangneung is a town on the East Coast of Korea. It's famous for it's rocky beaches and sunrises. We didn't catch a sunrise, but did see the beauty of the beaches. We spent about 6 hours on the train. We were staying with Bang (the lead guitar player in Trash's band), his wife, son and father at their apartment. It was a nice little place. Bang didn't show up until Saturday night (he lives/works in Seoul) so we spent our first night/day with his family.

First of all, his son, Jee-oh (not sure how it's spelled when Romanized) is adorable. It took him about an hour to warm up to Trash and me, but geez he was fun. Hae-Seon, Bang's wife, was very hospitable, and after spending just a little time with Bang's dad, it was obvious why Bang is such a kind, giving person. He learned it from his father. After we got to their house, Hae-Seon ordered some food, and we just spent the night hanging out at the house. It was a little uncomfortable for me at first because Hae-Seon and Bang's father (like Bang) don't speak any English. You get used to that over here though. We just ate, watched tv and played with Jee-oh. It was a relaxing night.

We woke up Saturday morning to Hae-Seon making a big, Korean breakfast for us. It was pretty good. Then, Bang's father spent the day driving us around Gangneung. Our first stop was the Edison museum. That's right folks. The first stop on my first Korean vacation was a museum about an American inventor ;) It was a pretty cool placed. They have the world's biggest collection of gramophones, phonographs, and record players. They also have rooms full of Edison's inventions. It was pretty cool.

After that, we checked out the coast. It was beautiful. Amazingly, this area is famous as one of the only places where the Korean War did not travel. It's located closer to the DMZ than Seoul, only a few miles away. However, the General in charge of the North Korean military was from Gangneung. He ordered that the area not be touched. This order was followed so closely that in its three-year duration, the people of Gangneung never even knew there was a war.

The other thing Gangneung is famous for is it's pseudo-invasions in the 1990's. In 1996 and 1998 North Korean submarines were found off the coast of Gangneung. In 1996, a taxi driver was spending his early morning hours on the beach (cheating on his wife) and noticed the sub offshore. It had traveled for less that 30 mins from North Korea to South Korea and broken down just off the coast. The Korean military captured the sub and its crew. A little while later, the crew escaped and attempted to make their way back to the North. None made it, and only one crew member survived to be taken back into custody.

All that leads to part two of our day. We went to see a retired South Korean battleship and walk through the captured North Korean submarine. I know that submarines are not known for being roomy and luxurious, but the North Koreans do have a lot to learn about design. This sub was unbelievably small and cramped. I couldn't believe it.

The Famous North Korean Sub

Trash Captaining the Battleship

Just for Fun

After seeing the sub and battleship, we went to a small unification museum and then lunch. Bang's father bought us haebap. Basically, it was a bowl of rice, mixed vegetables, raw fish, sesame seeds and spicy sauce. It was delicious.

Haebap

By this time, it was late in the afternoon, and we went home to meet Bang. We went grocery shopping, and Hae-Seon made a great dinner at home. We watched Jaws and just hung out for a while.

Sunday morning, I made an American breakfast feast for everyone...farmer's omelet, bacon, hash browns, french toast and orange juice. It was delicious and felt good to do something nice, even if small, for Bang and his family. After breakfast, we drove around, checked out the beach, saw a small lighthouse and got coffee. Then we went to the bus station and said our farewells.

Overall, it was a relaxing and enjoyable start to vacation. Bang and his family treated us so well. It was a stress-free two days that Trash and I really appreciated.

Me, Trash, Jee-oh, Hae-Seon, Bang