I’ve uploaded photos from my trip along the east coast and inland to Andong three weeks back. It was a great little trip and I really enjoyed traveling by myself via rail, bus and foot with no clear plans or itinerary on where to go next.
Andong‘s a cultural treasure somewhat overshadowed by the former Shilla capital, Gyeongju, but is most definitely worth a visit. Like Gyeongju, a lot of the cultural sites are outside the city centre and require wheels of some form or another to get to. Admirably, the local tourist centre has done a great job of producing English language maps and information on what buses and where to take them from to get to all the tourist sites. Andong takes a good two to three to really see, and having only tipped the iceberg in one day, I’ll be sure to get back there before my time is up in Korea.
The east coast is an absolutely beautiful and under-rated part of South Korea, I strongly recommend the train trip between Gangneung, on the east coast, and Andong, in the interior. The train gently glides down the largely desrted beaches of the east coast for about 100 kilometres and then winds into the mountains through rustic villages seemingly unchanged over the past few decades – it is rural Korea at its finest. Below are sample photos of my trip to Sokcho and Seoraksan, and Andong. The full albums are located here and here.
Sokcho and Seoraksan
Sokcho beach vista
Mountain vista inside Seoraksan National Park
Inside the woods of Seoraksan
Soldier on watch - guarding the east coast by potential North Korean incursions - the deserted, fenced off beaches of the east coast are potent reminder of a still fractured peninsula
Andong
Citizens' bell in downtown Andong
Along a winding path in Hahoe folk village
Traditional swings which are somewhat reminiscent of Biblical crufixes
Beautiful flowers blooming along mud brick wall
[www.365korea.com]
Let’s hike korean mountain!
Nice to meet you.
I’m very happy to know that You are intersted in Korean mountains.
We recently have opened the hiking agency for English-speaking customers.
And to celebrate our Grand Opening, We provide you a special offer!
Please visit http://www.365korea.com and Join Us!
Let’s go to experience the seasonal changes of Korean mountains:)
82)2-3415-4884
E-mail: info@365korea.com