Yeongdeok trip
The Gyeongbuk children’s program is delightful. This is my first visit to Yeongdeok, and I will need to transfer trains at Gyeongju Station to reach Goraebul. Train tickets from Bujeon to Gangneung on the Donghae line sold out quickly; news reports indicated high demand for the Donghae line between Bujeon and Gangneung, and my train is nearly full. My destination is Goraebul Station, which I understand is a less-frequented stop.
Upon arriving at Goraebul Station, I am considering whether to take a bus or walk along the beach to the family camp. It would be preferable to take a bus due to the heat and limited shade, even for the short twenty-minute walk after getting off the bus—I was fortunate to catch the bus on time. I am pleased to have arrived promptly, and we should rest for a while after being in the sun.
After a brief welcome ceremony, the assembly hall will host a craft program with four different activities, each lasting thirty minutes and rotating. I am particularly looking forward to making Oranda snacks; I have tasted them and they were warm and delicious. It is my favorite of the four different hand crafts.
I enjoyed a delightful buffet dinner, followed by comfortable accommodations and a captivating paper airplane demonstration. The demonstration featured a world record and offered tips for optimal folding and flight, surprising me with the impressive distance and accuracy achievable with a simple paper airplane.
The event showcased expertly folded and modified paper airplanes, with a competition divided into children’s and adults’ categories to see whose plane flew the farthest. Most impressively, the instructor’s airplane even flew straight into a watermelon. The entire paper airplane demonstration was quite impressive, offering a delightful opportunity for active movement for children and parents, a welcome contrast to the more sedentary aspects of the program.
The room was quite pleasant, although the noise from upstairs was a minor inconvenience. This was understandable, considering the number of children staying in the building. I understand some parents expressed concerns about the noise level on KakaoTalk, even late at night, and I saw their messages the following day. The accommodations were suitable for a one-night stay, but unfortunately, we lacked sufficient time to fully appreciate them.
Additional free time or outdoor activities would have been enjoyable. Similarly, the schedule limited our opportunities to socialize with other participants. While there weren’t many nearby amenities, such as a convenience store, the staff’s thoughtful provision of packed meals was greatly appreciated. My initial concern about providing snacks for guests was thankfully addressed.
We decided to explore the area on foot. We had some time to look around between waking up and breakfast at 8 o’clock. A beach was about a 15-minute walk away, so we went there. The beach was lovely, but the path wasn’t easy, and there was little shade. Interestingly, there weren’t many ways to leave the beach once we arrived. There were some buildings that appeared to be government research centers, and a forest that also seemed to be part of a government research facility. These two areas were located along the beach and enclosed by walls and trees.
However, the beach was very peaceful and uncrowded. Perhaps these drawbacks led people to choose the nearby beach instead. I saw people walking along the beach, but not playing there. Still, it was conveniently close to our accommodation. After breakfast, which consisted of lunchboxes (separate ones for adults and children, though I’m unsure of the differences), we rested in our room for over an hour before returning the key and heading back to the main hall.
Upon entering the hall, we were divided into four groups. The culminating activity involved creating books that the children decorated with colorful pens and stickers. Before the program, the staff kindly requested photographs related to the program, which were printed and shared with the participants via KakaoTalk. These printed pictures were added to the books as decorations and displayed for all to see. As this was the final session, we departed after lunch.
A small lottery was held in the dining room for those who had finished their meal; we won kitchen towels as prizes, but unfortunately, we had to leave them behind because we wished to take a walk along the beach for about an hour. That walk ended up being longer than expected.
The check-in time for our private accommodation is 3 PM. We need some time to fill before then, so a walk along the beach seemed like a good idea. However, it proved to be somewhat challenging. There weren’t many shaded areas to rest, and the hot sun was quite intense. Despite this, the children enjoyed playing in the sand with their toys. It was hot and we were carrying many bags, but the children remained energetic, playing in the sand and water. The walk took much longer than anticipated; even after an hour, we had covered less than half the distance.
We eventually reached Goraebul Beach, which is near the train station. Our walk to the private room took over three hours, and the children were still eager to play on the beach. Looking back, I had remarkable stamina, but now I feel the need to rest and am unsure what previously gave me such boundless energy. We need to have dinner, but there aren’t many nearby restaurants; perhaps takeout would be best. It’s quite late, and we should get ready for bed.
I’ve been hearing a strange sound behind the wall at night; it seems to move around, and it sounds like a small rodent. Regardless of the source of the noise, I should get some rest for tomorrow. We need to go directly home by train. It’s wonderful that we can reach Yeondcheon Station without needing to transfer. We were fortunate to catch that infrequent train, but we did make it. This was our first trip to Yeongdeck, a beautiful and easily accessible location for us using public transportation.
