On our last trip here in Korea, we explored Gangneung, the city in the province of Gangwon-do, on the east coast of South Korea. We have been living in Korea for almost two years now, and yet we never travelled by bus, so on this trip, we gave it a go.
Journey to Gangneung
Mike booked the bus ticket online from Kobus, and when we got to the bus station, we went up to the first floor, printed out the ticket from the Kiosk machine and got on the bus.
How to get to Dong Seoul Bus Terminal:
Take Subway Line 2 to Gangbyeon Station Exit 4, and cross the road.
Upon entering the bus, we scanned our tickets, and the information showed up on the screen. It was very convenient for the bus conductor, as he didn’t have to check on every passenger.
The seat could be seated comfortably for a long-legged person as it had plenty of legroom. There was also a USB slot for charging your phone in each seat. The whole ride was two hours and fifty-seven minutes including a fifteen-minute break. I loved watching the trees throughout the journey, the colour of the fresh new leaves intermittent with the much greener ones made a spectacular view.
Isabel Motel
We took a taxi from the taxi stand next to the Gangneung bus terminal to Isabel Motel. It’s about a fifteen-minute ride. The check-in was a breeze, Mike just showed her his ARC, and she gave us the room key without asking for any deposit or getting a copy of the ID.
Music BBQ – Camping Style
We went for a late lunch at Music BBQ. It’s a camping-style self-service BBQ place. They sell meats, kimchi, side dishes, sauce, drinks, noodles, rice, and others. Place whatever you need in the provided basket and pay at the counter. They will then ask your preference to BBQ inside or outside and help to start the fire.
We opted for a BBQ outside, overlooking the sea in a ready-made canopy that can accommodate up to eight people. There were chopped wood and pine cones neatly placed in a basket ready to be used in every canopy.
Some of the food pricing:
Garlic: 700won
Ssamjang – Dipping sauce: 500won
Kimchi: 2,000won
Pepsi: 1,500won
Fitz: 4,000won
Pork (5 small slices): 20,000won
Aus Beef (356g): 32,000won
Later that night, we went to a Chimaek place for dinner.
Gyeongpo Beach
The next day, we walked on the boardwalk along Gyeongpo Beach. We could see people picnicking, jet skiing, playing kites, dating, and paragliding.
This dog has been wandering around the beach. Not sure where the owner was, I hope he was not lost.
Beach scene filmed for the Korean Drama – Uncontrollably Fond 함부로 애틋하게 (Hamburo Aeteuthage) aired in 2016.
Gyeongpo Hanmmi Hoejip
We had an early lunch at one of the many seafood restaurants along the road – Gyeongpo Hanmmi Hoejip. This restaurant was open 24 hours during summer (Jun-Aug), and from 9 am – 12 am during the other season. We ordered spicy seafood stew, and though it’s written ‘small’ on the menu, it’s more than enough for two person.
Address: 491, Changhae-ro, Gangneung-si
Tel: 033-644-1045
Gyeongpo Hanmmi Hoejip Food Pricing: (S-Small / M-Medium / B-Big) Course Menu: A - Snow Crab + Raw Dishes (S: 170,000 / M: 250,000 / B: 300,000) B - Snow Crab + Roasted Clam or Steamed Assorted Clam (S: 170,000 / M: 230,000 / B: 250,000) C - Raw Dishes + Roasted Clam or Steamed Assorted Clam (S: 150,000 / M: 180,000 / B: 200,000) Hanmmi Special A - Snow Crab + Raw Dishes + Roasted Clam or Steamed Assorted Clam @ 350,000 B - Snow Crab + Raw Dishes + Abalone + Roasted Clam or Steamed Assorted Clam @ 450,000 Roasted Clam Roasted Clam or Steamed Assorted Clam (S: 50,000 / M: 60,000 / B: 70,000) Grilled Scallops (S: 60,000 / M: 70,000 / B: 80,000) Liquor Rasberry Wine @ 12,000 Matchsoon / Seoljungmae @ 10,000 Baekseju @ 7,000 Cheongha / Maehwasu @ 4,000 Soju @ 4,000
I like the plum wine it’s so refreshing and delicious.
Meal Black Rockfish Spicy Fish Stew (S: 50,000 / B: 70,000) Spicy Seafood Stew (S: 40,000 / B: 60,000) Spicy Blue Crab Soup (S: 40,000 / B: 60,000) Spicy Snow Crab @ 70,000 Cold Raw Fish Soup @ 15,000 - 1 person Abalone Cold Raw Fish Soup @ 20,000 - 1 person Rice with Sliced Raw Fish @ 15,000 - 1 person Abalone Rice Porridge @ 15,000 - 1 person A large brass bowl Cold Raw Fish soup (S: 50,000 / B: 70,000) Rockfish sea mustard soup @ 15,000 - 2 person or more A crab shell rice @ 2,000 A bowl of steamed rice @ 1,000 Noodles @ 1,000
Sliced Raw Fish Flounder (S: 130,000 / M: 150,000 / B: 180,000) Red Sea Bream (S: 130,000 / M: 150,000 / B: 180,000) Rock Trout (S: 130,000 / M: 150,000 / B: 180,000) Small Fish (S: 150,000 / M: 180,000 / B: 200,000) Sea-bass (S: 130,000 / M: 150,000 / B: 180,000) 광어 Flasfish (S: 80,000 / M: 100,000 / B: 130,000) Black Rockfish (S: 80,000 / M: 100,000 / B: 130,000) 광어 Flasfish + Black Rockfish (S: 90,000 / M: 120,000 / B: 140,000) Abalone @ 100,000 Sea Cucumber (M: 50,000 / B: 70,000) Sea Squirt (M: 30,000 / B: 50,000) Grilled ABalones with butter @ 50,000 Shrimp Tempura @ 30,000
Gangmun Beach
From Gyeongpo Beach, we strolled down to Gangmun beach. It took us about a fifteen-minute walk along with occasionally stopping by to admire the scenery and gawked at interesting things such as this one. It looked like an alien to me.
Gangmun Bridge & view of Gangmun’s bridge
Cucci Grill Bar & Burger
For a view over Gangmun Beach, we went to Cucci Grill Bar & Burger located on the fourth floor. The view was fantastic, and the burger that we had was lovely.
Address: 212-1, Gangmun-dong, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do
Tel: 010-8848-8711
Cucci Grill Bar & Burger menu prices:
Guinness (Bottle) @ 9,000
Carlsberg (Draft) @ 6,000
Corona Extra (Bottle) @ 5,000
Cafri (Bottle) @ 4,000
Hoegaarden (Bottle) @ 6,000
Heineken (Bottle) @ 6,000
Cass (Bottle) @ 3,000
Cass (Draft) @ 4,000
Chimaek
We had Chimaek for dinner. It’s 16,000 won for a half-half flavour. While having our meal, we often saw a taxi drive past advertising about Gangneung being a Pine city, and we agreed with it, we did see plenty of Pine trees there.
Gyeongpoho Lake / Gunjaho Lake
The name of this lake means “clear as a mirror”, and it’s a famous destination site for migratory birds.
Back to Seoul
The next morning, we walked about 500 metres away from the hotel to look for a taxi. It’s quite hard to get one. When we got to the terminal, we had our brunch in one of the Korean restaurants. The bus departed on time at 11:20 am and reached Dong Seoul terminal at 1:47 pm (15-minute break).
Notes:
Transport: Subway, Bus & Taxi @ 80,200won
Meals: 313,000won
Accommodation: 116,364won
Total spent: 509,564won
* Gangneung was famous for its sunrise view, however, during our three-day and two-night stay, it was cloudy, so no chance to see it.
Travel Date: 06th – 08th May 2018
