Spent the second last night of my 2007 trip to Korea in a small seaside town called Gyeokpo. It was easy enough to board the bus from Naeso-sa on the southern side of Byeonsanbando on the west coast of Korea and only slightly more challenging to find a yeogwan that suited my taste ( sea view, of course!) and budget ( under 30,000 won).
photo credit: Kim Byung-joon
The weather was good for a leisurely stroll around the small port-town which has a small supermarket, a small amusement park which has been better days, and many small seafood restaurants. It was more interesting walking down to the small lighthouse and back again, passing a long line of pojang-macha lookalikes except these were plying all kinds of fresh seafood.
photo credit: Kim Byung-joon
Actually I'd come here out of curiosity about Chaeseokgang, the cliff with slabs of rock that resembled a pile of books. Have to admit my curiosity was satisfied too quickly within five minutes. But I did spend more time in the seafood stalls, poring over the variety of sea creatures available for one's gustatory pleasure or adventure. Click here for a video on autumn in Buan ( production of KBS World Radio); the video has some footage of Chaeseokgang amongst other things.
Getting to Gyeokpo: You can take an express bus to Buan from the Seoul Express Bus Terminal ( bus service available 15 times a day; approximately 3 & 1/2 hours). There're also the same number of buses from Jeonju Bus Terminal. From Buan Bus Terminal, you can board regular or deluxe buses to reach Gyeokpo.
Grave of Yi Hyang-geum a.k.a Mae-chang
Footnote: Came across a poet who's a local of Buan, the main town that connects Byeonsanbando with Seoul. Yi Hyang-geum or Maechang ( 1573- 1610) was a well-known ginyeo. That's a highly-educated female entertainer from the lower classes who performed for the nobility. Here's one of her poems:
All the world loves to fish yet I choose the harp,
Only today do I realise the hardships of life
Three times ashamed for missing my chance with two feet severed
In Hyeongsan I weep with jade rock in my arms.
The missing feet suggest the traditional punishment for a criminal while the story of the jade rock refers to a real person who, unfortunately, received such a sentence when the king refused to believe his claim that he was carrying a piece of jade. What I find interesting is the ambiguous tone of the poem - does the poet regret her choices in life or is she patting herself on the back for her noble values?
sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_Maechang
http://www.seoulselection.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=1549&category_id=66&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53
http://books.google.com.my/books?id=K17mLqrKA40C&dq=Yi+Maechang&source=gbs_navlinks_s
http://www.ocp.go.kr:9000/ne_pro_search/content_view.cgi?AC=00007128&mode=1&v_db=2&v_disp_type=4
http://www.ocp.go.kr:9000/ne_dasencgi/full.cgi?v_kw_str=&v_db_query=A4%3A35&v_db=2&v_doc_no=00007128&v_dblist=2&v_start_num=451&v_disp_type=4saeng
http://www.ocp.go.kr:9000/ne_dasencgi/full.cgi?v_kw_str=&v_db_query=A4%3A35&v_db=2&v_doc_no=00007128&v_dblist=2&v_start_num=451&v_disp_type=4
http://wiki.galbijim.com/Ki
The Poetic World of Classic Korean Women Writers by Lee Hai-soon ( Ewha Womens University Press, 2005)
4 comments:
Just returned from a trip of my own to this region over the Buddha's b-day weekend, actually. Gyeokpo was absolutely packed with folks on holiday and, truth be told, wasn't terribly pleasant (except for the delicious seafood). But goodness, the inland areas between Byeonsanbando and Seonansan were magnificent. The heavy rain clouds hanging between the green hills only added to the beauty.
I was curious about that large ROK Navy landing ship that sits down by the harbor, as part of a mini War Memorial. It seems to have been there for a while, yet it hasn't, by all appearances, been decommissioned. Rather an eerie sight.
Dear Aaron,
Many thanks for sharing your visit to Gyeokpo. What ROK landing ship? Don't recall seeing any during my visit but then, don't take my word for it because I probably couldn't identify a landing ship to save my life. I was more intrigued by the sea creatures waiting their doom in basins of water in the various pojangmacha stalls along the breakwater.
Thanks once again for your comment!
Regards,
ajumma
I lived there in 2008, Aaron, it is decommissioned, its actually a museum of sorts, albeit one that you can't go inside. Next to the boat they also have several old jets which are also decommissioned. If you go exploring the cliffs around the area there are several places which have tanks and artillery guns covered in camouflage netting, and surrounded by rusting barbed wire. There are also several military outposts around the area, and its a bit jarring to jog down the beach and suddenly come up on a military outpost with soldiers in combat gear looking at you run by,
Dear Isak,
Thanks for dropping by and posting your comment. A museum or relic which doesn't admit visitors? That section with the decommissioned boat and jets sounds like a graveyard for military vehicles.
What was it like living in Gyeokpo?
Regards,
ajumma
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