A Series of Unfortunate Assumptions, SUNCHEON, Part 1

Here are some lessons learnt the hard way from my visit to Suncheon.

False Assumption No.1 - There are stacks of yeogwans or minbaks near express bus terminals all over South Korea.That may be true of a number of places outside Seoul but it apparently isn’t true of Suncheon. As a solo backpacker, I don’t usually like to reach an unfamiliar place in the dark but a change in my travel plans means that I reach Suncheon after sunset. Come out of the bus terminal, expecting to see signs which read “Yeogwan” or “Minbak” and to settle down quickly for the night.

But alas, no such luck and I’m desperate enough to startle a group of schoolgirls to ask them in my broken Korean for directions. In between their giggles, curious stares and their hesitant English ( probably the first time they’ve had to use it outside their classrooms!), I figure out it’s more prudent to hop into a cab instead of lugging my bag all over Suncheon town which turns out to be bigger than expected. To my relief, there is a cluster of motels etc. near the train station.

False Assumption No. 2 The Lonely Planet gives information about where to stay for all towns listed under its content pages.
Sorry, LP! You’re usually my trusty companion but you let me down when I turn to you for help on where to stay in Suncheon. So I ask someone in the TIC counter in the train station and he recommends the Bali Motel across the road. The 30,000 won rooms there strain my budget but am impressed by the panel on the wall beside the reception counter which displays photos of the rooms decked out in an amazing range of styles. I make the mistake of opting for a cheaper place a few doors away to save 5000 won.

Turns out the East Motel has very dated and gaudy interiors with a planetary theme for wallpaper and no remote control. Up early next morning and realise in the morning light there are other decent yeogwans so I switch to a 20,000 won place with the reassuring presence of an ajumma running the spotless joint.

False Assumption No.3 Reservations by email automatically mean you have a reservation.

Find out at the TIC counter outside the train station that they’ve not received my email reservation to join the City Tour bus. Or perhaps I shouldn’t have assumed that the Webmaster understood English. Anyway, I find myself appealing to the kind-hearted staff at the TIC and lucky for me, the free tour bus isn’t too crowded.

False Assumption No.4 All PCs in Korea are properly serviced and will work.
Have become so used to the Net being so easily available in South Korea that I am genuinely startled when the computers don’t behave themselves. One PC at the Suncheon Station swallows up my 500 won coins and hangs without so much as an Annyeong right while I’m earnestly typing out an email. GRRRR!

Sources:
http://www.suncheon.go.kr/
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=762729
http://encarta.msn.com/map_701516842/Suncheon.html
http://www.asia-planet.net/korea/suncheon-si.htm

Namhae - Part 3 Where to stay in Daraengi

My main destination in Namhae was Gacheon-ri or Daraengi village tucked away in one corner of the southern coastline of Namhae Island. The houses here hug the steep coastline and surprisingly for a village by the sea, there are no fishing boats to behold - only paddy and garlic fields carved into the sides of the foothills.

The paddy terraces of Daraengi recall Balinese landscapes

It was a little after noon when the local bus from the Namhae Bus Terminal pulled over at its last stop of its picturesque journey. There was no reply at the minbak nearest to the bus stop; presumably the ajumma was out tending crops.

It's a steep climb to your neighbour's home in Daraengi

There is a large signboard by the main road which highlights the different minbaks with contact numbers available but I found on my own the ideal place run by a very friendly ajumma who preferred to be known as Eun-hee’s mother.

Just a tiny village by the sea but what a pretty location!

By ideal, I mean not too far from the bus stop as it was quite a breathless task lugging a heavy backpack up and down the uneven and very steep lanes. For 20,000 won, I had my own ondol room and Eun-hee’s mom was prepared to serve up dinner also for another 5000 won. ( 2007 prices)

Small wonder the people here are so fit - their daily workout from house to field

That night, I was delighted to have a low table laden with rice, fried fish and different side dishes brought to my room so that I could feast in traditional Korean fashion, cross-legged on the delicious warmth of the heated floor. It may have been the fresh air of the island, or the especially tasty fresh fish caught somewhere in the surrounding waters but that night, I did something I don't usually do: I ate that fish clean to the bone.

 Eun Hee's mom serves a very satisfying dinner!

Most of the houses here face the sea so brace yourself for some strong sea breezes. These proved to be handy as I had a fair bit of laundry to dry. Eun-hee's mom observed my struggles and very expertly helped me hang my wet clothes on the lines just outside my room. They blocked the great views of the sea for a while but it was fun to sit on the verandah and "chat" in my limited Korean with the ajumma who ran the minbak.

                                      Watch your step - sometimes getting close to Nature can be perilous!

sources:

http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1051940
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=262191
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2874408

Seoraksan, Part 2: Beware - Traffic Jams on Mountain Roads

Autumn, 2004 – Heavy Traffic On Mountain Highway

Sometimes fortune favours the naïve traveller such as myself who had thought it wouldn’t be so hard to find a place to stay. It just so happened that in 2004, I had boarded and alighted from the same bus at Chuncheon as two ladies who ran a minbak in Anteo Homestay Village, a stone’s throw away from the bus stop in Osaek, a village in the southern part of Seoraksan. ( This was after I had changed from an express bus bound for Chuncheon, taken directly outside Incheon International Airport).

I had to pay 30,000 won per night for one basic room with no attached bathroom ( which was pretty steep, considering such rooms usually went for 20,000 won) but soon realised that room rates tended to balloon just ahead of the surging masses that made their way to Seoraksan during the weekends.

When I took another bus from Naksan into SEORAK –DONG, the traffic jam was even worse. Many passengers, including yours truly, got tired of being stuck on the road, and so opted to walk the last two kilometers. Incidentally, getting out of these places can be just as nerve-wracking and a test of one’s patience as the coaches and cars seem to choose the same hour for their exits from the national parks.