Yongpyong Resort: Peak Island

 

This week's installment in my series of posts about Yongpyong resort is about Peak Island. Open year round, this water park/ jjimjilbang/ golf club could be fun to hit up after a long day on the slopes, after a round of golf or as a destination on it's own if you're in the area. 

 

As with most water parks in Korea, Koreans often choose to wear life vests. 

As it is mainly advertised as a water park, I will introduce this first. While I haven't gotten a chance to actually use the facilities here, we took a stroll around to check out what they had. As it is winter, some of the outdoor facilities are not running, of course (although, others, surprisingly are!). Besides one very large water slide that wraps around the outside of the building, I didn't see anything overly impressive here. As I said, this seems to be a fun side attraction, but I wouldn't come to Yongpyong specifically for the water park or you'll be sorely disappointed.

 

Lazy River 

Kiddie Pool 

 

 Wave pool?

But, as I said, we didn't really get into the water park, just walked around to check it out. Where we did go was the jjimjilbang on the top floor. You need to pay an additional fee to rent the tee shirt and shorts necessary to get into the jjimjilbang.

Common area of the jjimjilbang

As with all jjimjilbangs, there is a large common area where people lounge around. The only thing special that I found here was that you can borrow Changi and Baduk games to play for free. So, after we finished in the baths and saunas we played a few rounds. You may notice that the red side is missing two horses. The set we found was missing the red horses, but it was ok. The boyfriend still beat me both times even without them.

 

Changi (Chinese Chess)

Now, on to the saunas! While I didn't find anything here to be any more special than any other normal jjimjilbang, one fun thing was the outside sauna. While not nearly as hot as some other saunas like this that I've been in, it was just fun to walk to it outside. It was really refreshing to walk out from the piping hot room into the ice cold air. The other saunas available were the typical charcoal sauna, salt sauna and clay sauna. There's nothing really noteworthy here about it, so I'll spare you the descriptions. But, it's a nice time if you're at the water park anyway and want to take a rest after all your fun in the water park. 

Outdoor sauna

For current information on prices, see Peak Island's official website. They don't have an English verstion, unfortunately, but you can use a translator to figure it out if you can't read it.

Bossam at Won Halmoni Bonga

While, perhaps not as famous as some of Korea's other fine cuisines, bossam (보쌈) is a uniquely Korean dish that can be found in restaurants and markets around the city. It consists of boiled pork which is wrapped with other vegetables and sauces in lettuce, cabbage, radish or kimchi.  On Friday night, I finally made it to 원할머니본가 , the original restaurant of the famous chain of bossam restaurants in Korea which happens to be around the corner from my house.

Kongnamulguk, Bean sprout soup

As with most typical Korean meals, some broth and side dishes (반찬) are served.  Here we received a bean sprout soup and some onions and hot peppers in soy sauce. Every restaurant will have their own special side dishes for you to try.

Onion and hot pepper in soy sauce

Boiled pork to make the bossam

Then came out the main course, the bossam. As you can see, there are two kinds of pork here. One is a fattier meat, samgyopsal (in the back), and a less fatty meat (in the front).

Wraps and vegetables to add to the bossam

Here are various wraps to make the bossam. To the left is kimchi, of course, above that is thinly sliced preserved radish, at twelve o'clock you can see fresh lettuce and Chinese cabbage. To the right of that is thin slices of ddeok (rice  cake) and below that at three o'clock is radish kimchi. Finally, at the bottom is preserved Chinese cabbage. Not pictured here are the various sauces that you can add on top for extra flavor. It seems like a lot, but this was a basic set. There are more elaborate sets available for bigger groups or for people willing to spend more.

 Wrapping the bossam

Finally, when you are ready to get to work, choose a wrap and add whatever you like to it. The meat is standard, but you can be creative and make each wrap to your liking. Add extra kimchi if you like spice, add extra bean paste for a saltier taste, or add extra veggies to be healthy. Or, try a little of everything!

You can arrive here by taking line 2 or 6 to Sindang station. Go out exit 2, walk up to the four way intersection, turn left and walk through the next intersection (황학사거리). It is about 100 meters from the intersection on the right. You can also arrive here by coming to Sinseol-dong station on line 1 or 2 and going out exit 10. Walk to the 5-way intersection and take a left. Walk down and cross the cheonggyechon. Cross the street and it will be on the right after passing E-Mart. Bus 421 also makes a stop here, get off at the E-mart bus stop and look for the bright yellow sign for the restaurant. Click here for the chain's website and to read about their history. Korean and Japanese only.


View Larger Map

Yongpyong Resort: The Slopes

 At the bottom of Red Slope

This is the second post of a series to explain Yongpyong resort. As I'm one of few forigners to have a season pass, and possibly the only blogger among those, I thought I would be the best person to get some info out about the resort.

In today's post I will explain to you a little about some of the slopes of Yongpyong Resort. Yongpyong is great for skiers of all levels, but I think upper intermediate or advanced skiers will be happier here than on any other mountain in Korea. Yongpyong is home to what will hopefully become the Alpine Olympic ski course in 2018, providing they make the cut this year. Each slope and lift is named after a color.

 A snowy view of Rainbow II and III

I spend most of my days at Yongpyong on the Rainbow slopes. The Rainbow Summit, at a height of 1,435 m is nothing to sneeze at. It is only reached by a long gondola ride. There are four Rainbow slopes (I-IV) which are all black diamonds and double black diamonds. Skiers and boarders who aren't up for the challenge generally love Rainbow paradise, which is a long, gentle slope that brings you back to the base of the resort. 

 Lower side of Rainbow II

Rainbow II, the only place where I've seen moguls in this country. 

 Sometimes they set up mock racing areas for anyone to try.

Advanced skiers and boarders will also be happy on Red (my favorite after the Rainbow slopes), Blue or Silver (though the Silver lift is much too slow). 

A snowboarding competition going on two weeks ago in the park

While I don't make many visits to the park, I know a lot of people out there will be curious as to how it is. While I really know nothing about parks, my boarder friend (pictured below on the rail) was quite pleased after his first visit. 

Intermediate skiiers will be quite happy checking out the gold summit. It has various blue square and black diamond hills. Those who have been skiing in Korea before will know that when a hill says "black diamond" it generally is about equal to a challenging blue square if you're from anywhere in the US with large ski resorts. If you're used to skiing blue squares at home, check out the black diamonds and see if you can do them. They may not be as difficult as you expect!

For the beginner skiers and boarders, the Pink, Yellow and Green slopes are where you'll want to check out. They are nice and wide slopes which will be great for practicing and improving your skills!

For more information about the ski conditions, prices, lesson information etc, see Yongpyong's English website.

My New Ride

Check out my new ride. As soon as I signed up for the 사회통합프로그램 (Social integration class for the F-2 visa) I decided I needed a bike. It's only two subway stations away; a half hour walk then another 40-50 minute walk to work from there or an annoying ride on line 6 (line 6 is one of the slower lines, plus a 10 minute walk from my house).  So, I started browsing the used bike listings. I finally found one on a Korean site and went over to pick it up. 50,000 won later I was the proud owner of a collapsible city style bike. If it looks a little small to you, that's because it actually is small quite small. 

 I'm not sure if it's the size of the bike or the fact that I'm out of shape (I've been doing pilates and yoga for 2 months now, but it's not a cardio workout) but every time I ride even short distances I find myself completely exhausted.

On Tuesday, Independence Movement Day (a national holiday), my boyfriend and I decided we needed to get out of the house when we saw the sun come out from behind the clouds that had covered us for the past 3 days. "Let's ride the bike!" he said. Wait, what? No, no, it's way too small for two people. That thing on the back is not a seat, it's for carrying stuff around.... I tried to convince him, but he was not deterred. All of a sudden I found myself on the back of the bike (with a floor cushion for padding against the metal back "seat".  As we rode down to the Cheonggyechon, the best I could equate the situation to was riding in a clown car. This bike which was just barely big enough for one grown adult was now carrying two. Usually when people stare at us, I assume it's because I'm a foreigner, but yesterday, as we rode around,  I knew they were staring because we looked utterly ridiculous out there.

I tried my best to take a photo as we rode along, but I don't have the right perspective to show you what it really looked like. But, the whole ridiculousness of it made for a fun afternoon. His plan was to make it to the Hangang, but as we were riding at the approximate speed of 0.5 kph faster than the average walker but pushing twice the weight of the average walker, it was slow going. We had to change back and forth often because peddling was really exhausting.

Anyway, while we were down by the Chonggyechon, we found this fun place. It's a bike saftey training park for kids. 

Stay in the lines! 

Go Slow! 

Anyway, I keep hoping that I'll build up some endurance to riding if I ride several times a week. I rode to work again today and Friday is the first day of class, so I'll test it out. I also need to buy a helmet since even though I'm riding on the sidewalks (yup I'm one of those people), it's still a treacherous place. If anyone is selling a good helmet for cheap, let me know!!

Yongpyong Resort: Yongpyong Hostel

When looking for affordable options for your next Korean ski weekend away, your cheapest option will be Yongpyong Hostel. Located right at the base of the mountain, only a 3 minute walk from the snow it's a perfect location at budget prices. 

The price for a single bunk in the dorms is only 11,000 won per night. While not the most luxurious place on the planet, it's a downright bargain. 

But, for individuals looking for a bunk bed for the night, be sure to arrive early, as they are served on a first come first serve basis. For groups, there are reservations available for bunk bed rooms (large groups) and ondol rooms for groups of 5/12/14 people at very reasonable rates.

Bunk room, 11,000 per night.

The downside to this hostel is the lack of common areas, it's not really a hostel in the way that you imagine from your budget travels abroad. Yongpyong is not a place to socialize, but a place to sleep. This kitchen area is the only common room. It's only available at certain hours of the day and was uncomfortably cold. Though, if you want to cook, they have all the equipment you need. If you want to relax in a more comfortable setting, there are enough restaurants and bars in the Yongpyong resort area that you shouldn't be too bothered by the dull factor of this hostel.

For more info about Yongpyong hostel, check out their English website. While not the most fun place in the world, it sure beats the condo prices at Yongpyong's other accommodation. PS. Ladies, bring some sandals for the bathroom as the floor is very wet and you'll need to walk through some puddles to get to the showers ^^.

Club Espresso 클럽에스프레소, Buam-dong, Seoul

Half coffee shop, half school for making coffee, Club Espresso in Buam-dong was a pleasant surprise for me a few weeks ago. While I'm not a coffee drinker, I'm surrounded by them and it seems as though it's hard to get a good, quality cup of joe around in this country. Drip coffee is something of a rarity, only available in specialized shops and most people go for the americano option, which is espresso and water. I'm not a coffee expert and I can't tell you what the difference between all these things are, but I can tell you that if you want to try something new and different, Club Espresso is the place to go.

When you walk in, you'll be immediately impressed with the number of interesting options. Roasts from all over the world. Coffee snobs will be in heaven here.

We ordered a few drinks (I'm sorry, it's been a few weeks so I don't remember what they were). Mine is the chocolaty one on the right, since I can't drink strong coffee because it makes my stomach hurt. It was delicious, and no stomach pains as well! 

Close up!

 

Another fun part of visiting this place is checking out their upstairs area where I've been told they offer classes to people studying the art of coffee making. You can see in the glassed in room where tremendous bags of coffee beans line the walls and machinery all for making coffee is seen on all sides. They also have large bags of coffee beans available for sale here. Each bag you see here is from a different country in the world, and the label on the front explains the taste and aroma of each particular bean. 

If you ever find yourself in the area, make sure you make a stop by this coffee shop and enjoy some brews from around the world!

View Larger Map

자갈치시장 Jagalchi Fish Market in Busan

My last official stop before leaving Busan was to check out the fish market in Nampo-dong, Jung-gu, Busan. The fish market is known as Jagalchi market and is the biggest fish market in Korea. While there is a large, indoor market area, I found this rather tame in comparison to the outdoor market that lines the street along the harbor. It's exciting to watch the ajummas selling any ocean creature imaginable in any form imaginable right along the sidewalk. 

Restaurants like these were quite popular, especially with the men. I don't think I saw any women eating here. Strangely, though this is mainly a fish market, 감자탕 (pig backbone soup) was one of the most common dishes I saw here. But, that's not to say that there wasn't a plethora of seafood to be eaten here as well.

Shrimp! 

Blowfish! 

I came here around lunch time and I was quite hungry! But, as I'm not a big seafood eater, I wasn't sure what to get. I finally settled on fried fish because a) I knew what it was and b) because nearly anything fried tastes good. 

And I was right. 7,000 won later, I got my meal. I was satisfied and felt that I ate something that represented the market well. 

My fried fish! 

If you're able to catch one of the few openings out onto the docks, you can catch a view of all the fishing boats that line the port. 

Finally, here is a view from inside the indoor Jagalchi market. Mostly quite tame and a rather different feel than the outdoor market. The most exciting moment in here for me was when some rambunctious squid jumped out of their tank and nearly onto my feet.

To get to Jagalchi market, take line 1 to Jagalchi Station. Take exit 10 and take the first right and as you walk you'll start to see the market. You can also take any other exit on the east side of the station and just walk towards the waterfront. Near Jagalchi market, there are various other markets if you wonder around long enough. If you have the time, make sure you check out all the back alleys around the area!