Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Yeongjong-do

After months of five day weeks with little time to rest and re-lax, we have finally been able to enjoy some long weekends! Two weeks ago we had a long weekend for Children's Day, and this past weekend was, of course, Buddha's birthday, so we definitely tried to pack as much fun into these weekends as possible. On the Saturday of the Children's Day long weekend, Patrick and I made our way to Yeongjong-do (Yeongjong Island) off the coast of Incheon City to check out a beach we had heard good things about. We were supposed to go withTracy and Tara, but there was a Fozzie emergency (remember Fozzie?) and they weren't able to accompany us in the end. But we had a pretty good time!

To get to Yeongjong-do from Suwon, you need to take the subway to Dongincheon Station (about an hour and a half with one transfer) and from there make your way to Wolmido Ferry Terminal. For about 2500 won (less than $2.50 Canadian) you can hop on a ferry and 20 minutes later you're on the island! It may seem familiar to you. That's because it is! Yeongjong-do, home to many nice beaches, resorts, and golf courses is also home to Incheon International Airport and was most likely your first Korean destination, like, ever. However, rest assured the peacefulness of the beaches are not periodically shattered by planes flying overhead. You'd never even guess there was an airport close by.

That being said, the peacefulness is generally shattered constantly by the crowds of Koreans, fully clothed, drinking and smoking and wreaking havoc on the otherwise beautiful scenery. The restaurant owners will drag you off the street if they sense any kind of weakness in you to eat in their "freah seafood" restaurants. The sand is not white, nor is it fine (more rough in texture than smooth), and if you want to make use of the beach umbrellas be sure you have 5000 won on you to pay the crazy adjima that sneaks up on you. Seriously, I'm still trying to figure out where she came from!

Did we enjoy ourselves? Sure! Exploring a new area is always a good time. Will we go back? Nah... there are so many other islands around Incheon that I hear are nicer than Yeongjong-do. We couldn't swim in the ocean because I was too ashamed to be wearing a bikini in front of the fully clothed Koreans. But I would still recommend going to see it for yourself! Afterwards we made our way back to Incheon for some galbi and a trip to see my favourite bartender, a funny middle-aged Korean man with the largest vinyl collection I have ever seen. if you're ever in Incheon, check out the Music Cafe- it's totally worth it.

The smile is fake! Patrick is sick of me taking his picture. He actually took the camera away from me after this one.



Eulwahangi Beach. I'm not sure about the spellling...


Crowds of Koreans after fresh seafood and a change of scenery.



Rusty, old fishin' boats.

Igneous rocks?


Taking a rest...


Kids (both old and young) searching for the odd sea creature.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Janine,
I really enjoyed reading your blog. I am looking to become an ESL teacher in Suwon also...but I have had trouble finding reputable schools. You seem to really enjoy your school, where do you teach?

A Deal Or No Deal said...

You can ride the subway for 90 minutes in one direction? That sounds almost as exciting as the beach.