Andong citizens are not very 'breakfast people'. Retail shops and F&B, start operating only after 11am, with the exception of Lotteria and 24 hr convenience stores. Imagine our kopitiams don't open in the morning...No breakfast! T_T
By the time we came to this place, it was 10.45am. We gestured to the waitress we were very hungry and asked her what time can food be served. She pointed to his watch '11' and '3'. I "read" that aloud "她说十一点三个字" (She said 11.15) and the waitress immediately replied "你会说中国话 怎么不早说!" (You can speak Chinese why didn't you say so earlier!) Welcome to China babeh.
We were seated in a private room and the waitress explained the menu to us. Turned out that the price was slightly above our budget as we were just looking for a simple lunch. Since we were starving, we decided not to look for alternatives anymore. I miss the red date ginger tea here. It was damn shiok especially during cold weather!
All the dishes were refillable except
the grilled mackerel and barbequed pork
Tada! Our sumptuous lunch!
Day 7 was back to school! 1500's old school.
Yi Hwang (sometimes spelled as Lee Hwang) is featured on the 1,000W note and the ancient academy on the reverse. This shows how highly regarded he has been throughout the last five centuries.
The Neo-Confucian philosopher established Dosan Seodang (lecture hall) in 1561 to teach and pursue further studies after his retirement from politics. Dosan Seowon was completed four years after his death by his disciples to commemorate him. It's tucked away behind the hills, ideal for meditation and painting.
Within the compound lies Dosan Seodang (the lecture hall), shrine, dormitory, printing house, library and a small museum explaining Yi Hwang's past and contributions. The English explanations on the sign boards are not very detailed and I felt the meaning/significance behind the establishment of the school is not very well captured so visit the museum first before going around the various buildings.
The site appears to be a popular education / heritage trip for students and locals.
Tour groups here are quite creative in enhancing tourists' experience. Having an impostor here helps people remember and relate to the place better.
I wonder if the old man is doing this as a part-time. He kept his hands inside his sleeves all the time and looked very serious. Professional.
Maybe he lives across the river
Wild vegetation growing along the banks of the river
Opposite the academy is Sisadan. It used to be an examination venue but I don't think this tiny building is the actual place where the scholars took their exams cos it looks way too small.
Yi Hwang and his disciples were miniature in size. Maybe Sisadan is not too tiny after all.
Same colours as my muffler!
The ticket counter advised him to walk about 15 mins to the main road for more buses back to town. Thanks for the great advice. It was at least 2km and more than 30 mins...
We got to the bus stop alright but there was no sight of 67. We waited and waited, watched the sun set and the sky turned dark but still no sight of the bus. It was atrociously cold and difficult to keep an eye on the road. I was about to give up and go hitch a ride when we saw people walking towards us! When the bus finally came at 6pm, the four of us leaped up from the bench and waved furiously at it to make sure it stopped. Helluva wait in the cold for 1½ hours!
Since we didn't get the chance to try Suwon beef, we went into this restaurant with cows on its signboard.
Their premium Andong beef was too expensive for us so we ordered 100g of pork ribs and
bulgogi - thin slices of (normal) beef with glass noodles, mushrooms, toufu and vegetables.
Cooking...
Nice!
往安东·秋
Well-known for its preservation of folk culture, Andong sounds like the place to go for a better understanding and appreciation of Korea's past. However, I was hesitant as we don't have the luxury of time anymore unlike our undergraduate days. Travelling back and forth add up to 10 hours which is equivalent to 1 day wasted on the train! In the end, I decided to go with my interest and I'm glad we made the trip there in the end. The train ride was also a good rest for us to recover from yesterday's climb.
First we took a bus from Sokcho to Gangneung.
Upon arrival at Gangneung Intercity Bus Terminal, we went round asking where's the gicha station.
It was quite a distance away and since we got a train to catch, we took a taxi there.
Purchased our train tickets and asked the lady at the counter what's nice to eat in the vicinity.
She recommended this shop that is just across the road from the train station. We had absolutely no idea what they were selling. Menu is in Korean and there are no pictures. Win, lose or draw in the air didn't work. In the end we looked at what the man behind was eating and it turned out to be seafood bean sprout soup (5,000W/serving) served with great variety of side dishes! Cheap and good. Recommended.
We took the opportunity to rest our jelly legs during the 4 hr 20 min train ride. Look at the group of ajuma eating potato chips and watching the world pass by. Envious huh?
A section of the railway track was built along Jeongdongjin Beach, which runs parallel to the East Sea. Jeongdongjin Train Station, ladies and gentlemen, is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the train station situated closest to the sea. Take that!
Korea has an immobile cruise called Sun Cruise Resort located on top of the mountain.
Dinner was Andong specialty jjimdak that's only served in large size at 22,000W. We bargained 14,000W for a smaller portion and the ajuma kindly agreed! Jjimdak refers to hot simmered chicken with vegetables, potato, carrot, glass noodles and chilli. Taste like my parents cooking! Nice man! I had a great time watching the swimming finals (Guangzhou Asia Games) in the small cosy shop with the locals who thought we were from Andong University and was surprised to hear us go "Park Tae Hwan!" hoho.
If you're looking for bread or pastry in Andong, try the bakery located at the end of Jjimdak Street. Their donut and cake (right photo) are relatively cheaper and taste about the same as Mammoth.
Fruits are essential to prevent us from falling sick when travelling.
There are no hostels in Andong, only motels. Munhwa was recommended by the tourist info centre. It was cheaper than the others but I find it a little spooky. The corridors were poorly lit and there was a red spotlight on the ceiling in our room. What on earth was it doing there? To ward off evil spirits?? Gosh...
雪嶽山·入冬
