Korea celebrated Buddha's Birthday on Monday, May 28th. So myself and several other "about to lose our mind" teachers were fortunate enough to have a 3-day weekend. I joined Erin, Gillian, Wassim and a little over 150 other foreigners and headed down South for Namhae. A weekend that was supposed to be full of adventure and relaxtion, turned out to be a weekend of headache and poor planning. Korea is generally pretty amazing when it comes to offering reliable travel groups; however, for anyone already in Korea or who is planning to come here I do not suggest using When in Korea (WinK). I'll explain why...
We left Seoul around midnight on Friday to get to our destination. The plan was to arrive at a jimjilbang close to the harbor and sleep for a few hours before we were able to ride the ferry to our next destination. As we arrived we found out that the jimjilbang was booked and no one could get in. By this time it was 4:30am and we were forced to sleep on a cramped bus for about two hours. Gillian and I felt daring so we decided to venture out around the creepy harbor and find a restroom. (FYI - the buses in Korea don't have restrooms) We conveniently found a little restaurant where an old woman lead us to her apartment above and allowed us to use her own restroom. I mean only in Korea would that EVER happen!
After napping, it was finally time to board the ferry and head over to So Mae Moor Do Island. The 1.5 hour ferry ride was absolutely beautiful! It reminded me so much of Thailand.
Finally, we arrived to So Mae Moor Do. So blissful!
We were told we could walk around, drink, and eat for a few hours. Well WinK neglected to inform us that by walking they really meant hiking and there was nothing but crackers and junk food to eat on this island. So while Gillian and I had on flip flops and dresses, we certainly hiked in style and rocked that island.
The hike was definitely worth the view. It was simply breath taking!
On our way back to the harbor most of us were exhausted from lack of sleep. The ferry was equipped with floors that one would find in a jimjilbang, so most of us literally just crashed on the floor next to each other and passed out. Again, that would only happen in Korea!
That evening we had a pork bbq and hung out around the beach. Although the beach wasn't amazing, it was still a beach and I was extremely happy.
Sunday all 150 of us got up and went to the Garlic Festival. Yes, that's a right! The Namhae area is one of the largest producers of garlic in Korea. Here we were able to try black garlic, along with drinks made of garlic. It was all very interesting! Oh and not to mention, I got to pick some.
After stuffing our bellies full of garlic and smelling absolutely wonderful, we headed over to another island where we were to go sea kayaking. Of course with our luck, the kayak company over booked. So unfortunately for myself and several others, we didn't get to go kayaking. Instead, we walked over to the beach and hung out for a few hours until everyone finished.
To end our weekend vaca, everyone went out on the beach and shot off fireworks. So much fun!
Despite the organizational issues that occurred, I had a great weekend getaway. I went with 3 other fabulous people who helped make the trip amazing. It was also so nice to meet new people and be by the beach. This warmer weather is really making me miss home. And by home, I mean Norfolk/Virginia Beach. Only three more months to goooo! Can't wait!
Jenn xoxo
We left Seoul around midnight on Friday to get to our destination. The plan was to arrive at a jimjilbang close to the harbor and sleep for a few hours before we were able to ride the ferry to our next destination. As we arrived we found out that the jimjilbang was booked and no one could get in. By this time it was 4:30am and we were forced to sleep on a cramped bus for about two hours. Gillian and I felt daring so we decided to venture out around the creepy harbor and find a restroom. (FYI - the buses in Korea don't have restrooms) We conveniently found a little restaurant where an old woman lead us to her apartment above and allowed us to use her own restroom. I mean only in Korea would that EVER happen!
After napping, it was finally time to board the ferry and head over to So Mae Moor Do Island. The 1.5 hour ferry ride was absolutely beautiful! It reminded me so much of Thailand.
Finally, we arrived to So Mae Moor Do. So blissful!
We were told we could walk around, drink, and eat for a few hours. Well WinK neglected to inform us that by walking they really meant hiking and there was nothing but crackers and junk food to eat on this island. So while Gillian and I had on flip flops and dresses, we certainly hiked in style and rocked that island.
The hike was definitely worth the view. It was simply breath taking!
On our way back to the harbor most of us were exhausted from lack of sleep. The ferry was equipped with floors that one would find in a jimjilbang, so most of us literally just crashed on the floor next to each other and passed out. Again, that would only happen in Korea!
That evening we had a pork bbq and hung out around the beach. Although the beach wasn't amazing, it was still a beach and I was extremely happy.
Sunday all 150 of us got up and went to the Garlic Festival. Yes, that's a right! The Namhae area is one of the largest producers of garlic in Korea. Here we were able to try black garlic, along with drinks made of garlic. It was all very interesting! Oh and not to mention, I got to pick some.
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| photo creds to Erin |
After stuffing our bellies full of garlic and smelling absolutely wonderful, we headed over to another island where we were to go sea kayaking. Of course with our luck, the kayak company over booked. So unfortunately for myself and several others, we didn't get to go kayaking. Instead, we walked over to the beach and hung out for a few hours until everyone finished.
To end our weekend vaca, everyone went out on the beach and shot off fireworks. So much fun!
Despite the organizational issues that occurred, I had a great weekend getaway. I went with 3 other fabulous people who helped make the trip amazing. It was also so nice to meet new people and be by the beach. This warmer weather is really making me miss home. And by home, I mean Norfolk/Virginia Beach. Only three more months to goooo! Can't wait!
Jenn xoxo
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