stumbling through south korea: Memoral Day all over Korea

For memorial day weekend, it wasn’t just going to be a 2 day weekend, or even a three day weekend! It was almost like a 6 day weekend! Coming back to school after such a great time was hard, but I survived somehow. Let me explain.

That Wednesday, all the students I teach went off on their respective spring field trips. That left me and a select few of teachers to sit around school all day and do nothing. Because no one told me I could leave, I was just sitting around my desk, doing whatever I could to entertain myself. Suddenly, a teacher told me to go home, and when that happens, I don’t question it….I run! I made a beeline for the door and spent the rest of the afternoon frolicking around in the great outdoors!

The crowded ferry port

The next morning was the beginning of our Spring Epik trip. A few excellent teachers had been selected to visit Uleongdo and Dokdo islands. This is a really big deal because of the conflict with Japan (Japan says Dokdo is theirs, Korea disagrees and says it’s theirs). We all met at the ferry terminal and headed across the ocean to the islands.

One of the many group pictures getting set up

I’ve wanted to go to Uleongdo ever since I first arrived in Korea, but I had heard about this trip and had been waiting to get accepted to go. It was worth the wait. The island was so beautiful, and we were able to experience so much – I can’t imagine I would have been able to see as much if I was traveling without the group. There is only one place on the entire island that isn’t flat, which is easy to believe with all the hills. In town, the streets are small and hard to maneuver with a car, and the roads outside of town are positively terrifying! I am so thankful I wasn’t driving. We stayed there for 3 days and 2 nights, sleeping in an amazing resort overlooking the water and spending the days hiking and sightseeing. Every meal was new and delicious, and the evenings were spent learning about the conflict of Dokdo island.

The main activity of the two days seemed to be hiking. No complaints there! The scenery was beautiful and the hikes themselves weren’t too bad! Of course, there were a lot of hills or stairs but the views were worth it. Some climbs were up a mountain to an overlook, some were a path built along the coast, and some were just exploring where the bus let us off.

Overlooking the Coastal Walk

Coastal Walk

Seafood dinner that night

One of the Korean Police officers stationed on the island.

Dokdo itself was an interesting experience. Though we heard all about it, the time we spent there was a little bit of a let down. The ferry to the island took about 2 hours there, then 2 hours back, but we were only permitted 20 minutes off the boat. Plus, we couldn’t hike around, only just stay on the ferry port. I understand the reasoning behind it (protect the island, protect the birds nesting – there is only so much space to walk around and there are tons of people to trample around on that space), but that doesn’t mean I like it! I made do…and took as many pictures as I could. I was just thankful that I actually got to be there, considering most Koreans haven’t!

Everyone enjoying their 20 minutes on Dokdo!

Me and a rock along the coast

The second day was more of a bus tour. Pretty terrifying really – the way the bus would go up these 85degree hills! I was really happy I wasn’t the one driving, and really happy the driver was a good driver! After driving all over, the bus let us out at a nice flat surface – pretty surprising after all the hill from the last 2 days. Turns out, it’s the inside of a volcano! The only volcano that is able to sustain life inside it – due to it’ access to a water source (at least that’s what the driver of the bus said). We had a delicious lunch, and spent the rest of the time looking around the area, taking pictures and enjoying the fresh air


A pier in Uleongdo

Group Shot

Second part of the Sea Walk

Another group shot

Center of the Volcano

What was for lunch!

Feeding the birds that were following the boat

A type of sea plant ,famous in Uleongdo, drying in the sun

The rest of the day was just as lovely, ending with a relaxing boat ride back to Pohang. But my weekend didn’t end there – it had just begun! Since it was still Saturday, and there was no school on Monday, I had 2 and a half days to make of the best of. I jumped right on a bus and headed south!

The plan was to meet a bunch of my friends down in Yeosu for the world expo. I had been there about a year ago, but this time I wanted to go for the expo! It was finally here. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take the next bus until the next morning, so I had to sleep in a jimjillbang for the night.

The next day I woke early and was able to meet everyone right in front of the expo center for a day of culture and excitement! Because the weekend was a 3 day weekend, we figured the Expo was going to be packed, but we didn’t count on how packed. There were people everywhere – laying on the floor, walking around, watching a show, looking at maps, playing in fountains, and most importantly – waiting in line. Waiting in the lines that I wanted to be in the front of!

Dancers and Musicians resting in between shows

Visitors resting in between looking at stuff

The Japan Exhibit - A movie

The girls get up and dance

Band and dancers performing to a crowed room

The expo's big screen TV

Repelling on a building...I guess just for the fun of it

After all that walking, people take a rest by the pond

Because the expo was so crowded, most of the main attractions were maxed out, and weren’t allowing any more visitors. We made due though, going through each of the countries exhibits. Some were educational, with different posters about what their country does concerning clean water. Some had cultural exhibits, like people carving ships, dancers, and bands. And then some were just a movie. After going through a few, I felt like I wasn’t there to learn, just to be convinced where to take my next vacation. Of course, nothing is wrong with that, but it’s not what I was expecting.

Resting on the grass after a long day

Train ride to Suncheon

The rest of the time spent at the expo we just relaxed on some grass, talking and just spending time together until the train left. We had found that the there was a free train to the neighboring city of Suncheon, so we were going to head there and stay at a jimjillbong.

A nice view of the bay!

The next day, the plan was to visit Suncheon Bay and see the marshes. I had been there with Sam last fall, but this time we took a different path. At one point, we saw a sign that said “Beach – 4km” and though “Wow! What a great idea!” We ended up walking for about 2 hours, only finding beaches of mud. No problem though – it was a beautiful day and a beautiful walk! Finally, when we had had enough, we washed the mud off, called a taxi to the bus terminal, and headed back to Pohang.