Yecheon - A Side Trip from the KBS Hwangjinyi Trail

While I'm not likely to make the effort to look for the Byeongamjeong Pavilion which formed the evocative backdrop to the meeting and parting of the young lovers in the KBS period drama, Hwangjinyi, I wouldn't spend spending time in Yecheon, the county where the pavilion is located.
This county in Gyeongsangbuk-do tends to go under the tourist radar; no surprise with more well-publicised attractions in nearby Andong.

Yecheon's in Gyeongsangbuk-do

Still, the county with a charming name (Yecheon,  예천군, 醴泉郡, sweet liquor.stream/spring) has a few places worth highlighting for a different travel experience especially as I prefer the laid-back pace with the opportunity to sample the agrarian practices and the traditional lifestyle of the yangban.

1. First stop I'd make: Hoeryeong-po or Horyeong-po or Hoelyeongpo (회룡포). This place is a geography lesson on ox-bow lakes come alive.  Firmly in the embrace of the Naeseong-cheon, which is a tributary of the Nakdong-gang, this agrarian village in Yonggung-myeon is about 17 km west of Yecheon.  It used to have at least twenty households a decade ago but apparently "only nine households remain".  It would be interesting to count how many households there are now. BTW, how many households are needed to call a village a village?

For best views of Horyeong-po, I'll need to get out my hiking boots and head for Biryong-san. Check out this posting on a day trip with rewarding views.

The pavilion on Biryongsan for great views of Horyeongpo

I'll play a game of spot the  rice fields and try to  identify the squash and watermelons plants but at the same time see if any particular spots look familiar as outdoor locations for  "Autumn in My Heart or Gaeul Donghwa ( 2002), one of the earliest Hallyu K-dramas which became popular outside Korea.

Cast of Gaeul Donghwa - Won Bin, Song Hye-gyo, and what's his name?

I'd also see if I can join a group  of visitors participating in a 2-day village experience. Hopefully I can learn to make and sample Korean rosebay cakes, and  pretend to be a farmer for a few hours by seeding potatoes, corn and collecting mugwort and pickpurse  ( Spergula arvensis L. ) in the surrounding hills. Or I'd just call 011-802-9054 or contact Chairman Ju-Hee Ryu at 017-533-651 to see if they'd entertain individual requests.

◈ Hopefully I'd have the stamina to reach this site to get similar scenic shots of this picturesque village such as those on this website  and these great shots from The Marmot's Hole. Must also remember to read up beforehand on the Three Rivers Pub or the Samgang Jumak, the last of the traditional watering-holes in the country.

2. Geumdangsil Village meaning "Lotus Blossom Floating Over / On? The Water" sounds like another pleasant stopover.  It's 1 km from Byeongamjeong ( Local Road 982 towards Yongmunsa)  and the description of its "picturesque old homes and stacked stone wall-lined streets" sounds promising. It'd be fun to get happily lost in its maze of narrow lanes and alleys. I could also check out Park Yeon-i's home ( in the first alley past the village entrance near Bansonjae House) which was used in the movie "Please Teach Me English".  Not so keen to take up the villagers' offer to dress up in period costumes but I wouldn't mind  signing up for calligraphy lessons or tea ceremonies for a sampling of the yangban ( aristocratic) life.

Musr remember that free calligraphy lessons are available on Monday evenings 7 pm but must BMyO brushes, chinese ink, paper. Contact : Yongmun myun office 82-54-650-6612 Transportation : 20 m from Yechun eup(10km).

Yecheon Hot Spring

3.If there's a 24-hour jjimjilbang at theYecheon hot spring  (예천온천), then this is the place for me. Let's see if there's any basis to the claim from the KTO website: "The nutrients in the water also have anti-aging properties."

To get there, I'd have to board a  bus to Yecheon Intercity Bus Terminal (예천시외버스터미널) at Dong Seoul Terminal (Departure 11 times a day (06:40-20:00), 2 hour and 30 minute ride). Then I'd need to get on the bus to Beolbang / Punggi (Hot Spring) at Yecheon Bus Terminal (06:20-18:10, 20 minute ride)

Nailseong Observatory

4. Never been to an observatory before so a visit to the Yecheon Astronomical Science Park a.ka. Nailseong Observatory could be an enlightening experience but if there aren't many translated displays in English, then I doubt if I could make head or tail of the artefacts on display in Nailseong Planetarium.
Perhaps I'd be better off as an armchair traveller and surf its website at http://www.portsky.net/

Still, it might be fun trying out the high-powered telescope and the astronaut training simulations even though I can't read  about the history of astronomy etc if the explanations are all in Korean only. If I can master my nerves, I'd try out the " G-force Simulator, bounce around in the Moon Walk Chair, experience the vertigo of zero-gravity on the Multi-Axis Trainer, or float in space using the MMU (Manned Maneuvering Unit)".  But if my queasy and cowardly stomach protesteth too much, then I'll humbly retreat to the auditorium to find out what a 4D movie looks like. Wonder if the overnight stay facility here is as cheap as a jjimjilbang stay?

To get there, I'd have to take a bus bound for Gamcheon (감천), Oncheon (온천), Beolbang (벌방), or Punggi (풍기) from the Yecheon Intercity Bus Terminal ,  *Bus departs approx. every 90 min


Sources:


http://www.investkorea.org/InvestKoreaWar/work/ik/eng/bo/print_added.jsp?bno=704200006&sort_num=114
http://en.filmkorea.or.kr/search/search_viewer.asp?grp=101&dir=1826&gotopage=4
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=805822
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=805822
http://www.invil.org/english/village/daegu/contents.jsp?con_no=101565&page_no=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yecheon
http://wiki.galbijim.com/Yecheon
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=805928
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1127954
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1216638
http://san-shin.net/Yecheon-Biryongsan.html
http://en.ycg.kr/open_content/main/
http://211.114.21.20/alienspecies/eng/search/detail.jsp?id=16&page=10&code=
http://georgesuzuki.blogspot.com/2010/09/100911-mt-biryongsan-hwerongpo-yechon.html
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/program/program_tour_detail.htm?lang=e&current_page=7&No=1359

Byeongamjeong: In The Footsteps of KBS's Hwang jinyi, Part 2

Do I really want to spend precious time hunting down Byeongamjeong, a pavilion cum bridge which may no longer resemble the one featured in the KBS drama, Hwang-jinyi? Though I may admire the work of  Ha Ji-won ( BTW, check her recent interview with CNNGO Seoul here)  and think the younger Jang Geun-seuk even cuter than his present all-too-pretty incarnation, I'm not sure that I'd be so crazy as to visit this place simply because it served as romantic backdrop to a fictitious romance.



So here's the contrast between reel life and real life. Above, the music video of the heart-breaking tragic tale of yangban youth ( played by Jang Geun-seuk - all wide-eyed and bushy-tailed before he developed the brooding hippie look ) and the lowborn heroine ( played by the radiant Ms Ha Ji-won ) with a charming proposal scene shot at the pavilion. Below, the more prosaic reality, minus the lovely lighting, floral embellishments and editing out of modern day touches like a dull phone pole.

How To Get There:  

By car -  Take the Jungang Expressway. Exit at Nadeulmok of Yecheon.

Head toward Yongmun on Local Road 928.  About 8km down this road, you should be able to see Byeongamjeong.  It's the easternmost pavilion in a group of pavilions at Seonghyeon-ri in Yongmun-myeon.

By bus - From Dong Seoul Terminal, board a bus bound for Yecheon ( Services run 7 times daily between 6.40 and 18. 40; it's a 2 hour and 20 minute trip). From Yecheon, I'd probably ask around for local buses headed towards Yongmun or take a taxi.

According to one source, parts of the pavilion and stone bridge have been demolished for safety reasons. The rest of the structure is supposed to have been earmarked for similar treatment but this puzzles me as Byeongamjeong has been designated Cultural Property Material No 453. Then again, after looking through the website of CHA (Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea), I'm beginning to wonder if that's a false assumption ie. that such designations don't guarantee immunity from bulldozers.

So these pics may be the remaining record of the existence of this pavilion. Which may be a bit of a shame. Even if it hadn't featured in the KBS drama, it's quite a charming spot and one can only imagine how much prettier it would be with lotus flowers in full bloom in late July and August.

The trees around the pond seem rather photogenic as well, with or without leaves.

Although I'm not so keen to go all the way to Yecheon to look for this pavilion, I realise there are some other attractions that make this place worth visiting. Will cover these in the next posting.

Meantime,  for more on this pavilion which enjoyed its five minutes of fame in Hwangjinyi, check out The Scent of Spring from the Silver Screen: Yecheon ( dated 2007-04-20 )

Sources:
http://findallvideo.com/please-look-at-me-geu-dae-bo-se-yo-choi-hye-jin-engroman-sub/id/1989206191
http://gyeongbukhere.blogspot.com/2011/05/yecheon.html
http://www.investkorea.org/InvestKoreaWar/work/ik/eng/bo/print_added.jsp?bno=704200006&sort_num=114
http://en.filmkorea.or.kr/search/search_viewer.asp?grp=101&dir=1826&gotopage=4
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=805822