Beyond Seoul: A Weekend in Gangneung

One of my favorite parts of studying abroad has been realizing that South Korea is so much more than just Seoul. As much as I love exploring the city, I was excited to get outside of Seoul and see a different part of the country. Luckily, IES Abroad Seoul organized a two-day trip to Gangneung, a coastal city on Korea's east coast. Over the course of two days, we made tofu, explored a modern art museum, cafe hopped along the coast, visited a cliffside temple, ate plenty of seafood, explored a traditional market, and somehow ended the trip with bus karaoke.

Day 1:

Our trip started with a KTX ride from Seoul to Gangneung. The train was incredibly fast, comfortable, and modern, making the trip surprisingly easy. After arriving, we headed to the Sogeumgang Eco Center, where we got the chance to make tofu ourselves. I had never really considered how tofu was made before, so learning the process was very interesting. We started by grinding soybeans using a large stone grinder. Then we put the ground beans into a cloth bag and squeezed out the liquid. What surprised me most was learning that tofu actually comes from this liquid rather than the ground soybean paste itself. Finally the liquid is slowly boiled with a consistent circular stir. After finishing, we got to try the tofu we had made in two forms. First the soft soupy form, and then the solid blocks made by tightly squeezing the soft tofu. Since we made it ourselves, naturally, the tofu was delicious. After lunch, we visited the ARTE Museum, a massive immersive art exhibition. Each room had its own atmosphere, with different lights, sounds, colors, and even scents. The entire museum felt incredibly relaxing. My favorite exhibit was a massive waterfall room, where mirrors covered the walls and huge LED waterfalls surround you. It was one of those places where you could easily lose track of time just standing around and taking it in. Later that afternoon, we headed toward the beach and Gangneung's famous coffee street. Unfortunately, the weather was rainy, so instead of spending the afternoon on the beach, my friends and I decided to cafe hop. As anyone would, we made it our goal to try a different dessert at every cafe and bakery we visited. One unique bakery had pastries shaped like the flavor they represented. Flavors spanned many fruits and vegetables, including bananas, peaches, apples, oranges, pumpkins, green onions, corn, and sweet potatoes. I tried the banana pastry because it looked incredibly realistic. Unfortunately, it tasted less like a banana and more like a banana-flavored Laffy Taffy. The other pastries were much better, though, and nearly every cafe had an amazing view of the ocean. After dinner, we headed back to our hotel, which was a highlight in itself. It had a rooftop pool, bar, and hot tub overlooking the city. With everyone from the program staying at the same hotel, it almost felt like we were on the set of a reality show rather than a school-sponsored field trip.

Day 2:

The next morning, we headed to Naksansa Temple, a beautiful Buddhist temple located right along the coast. The temple itself was impressive, but the views were what really stood out to me. It was surrounded by ocean and scenic seaside cliffs, and there was even a massive statue of Buddha overlooking the water. There was also a really cool cafe built right on the edge of one of the cliffs. Normally, I would have immediately gone inside to investigate, but after my dessert marathon the day before, I decided I probably didn't need another pastry. After another seafood lunch, we headed to Jungang Market. The market had a little bit of everything, including desserts, prepared foods, fresh produce, and plenty of seafood. One of the coolest, and slightly morbid, experiences was getting fresh sashimi. We watched as they selected our fish directly from a tank of live fish before preparing it for us. It was definitely a unique experience, but at least there was no question about how fresh it was. Eventually, it was time to head back to the train station. But before we got there, we somehow turned our bus ride into karaoke. A microphone made its way into the hands of the students, and suddenly people who had only met a few weeks earlier were singing Korean songs for the group. It was probably the most fitting way we could have ended the trip.

The Gangneung trip was an incredible experience and one of the highlights of my time in Korea so far. It was a great opportunity to see a completely different side of the country while experiencing it with the people I've met through the program. IES Abroad Seoul did an amazing job coordinating such a large group and packing so many different experiences into just two days. Having transportation, meals, and a great hotel all organized made it incredibly easy to simply enjoy the trip. And, of course, having everything paid for was an added bonus. Between making tofu, exploring museums, eating seafood, cafe hopping, visiting temples, and singing karaoke on a bus, I don't think we could have fit much more into two days. I'm already looking forward to wherever our next program trip takes us.