Gyeongju to Chungju Lake
Travel to Danyang is a stark contrast from the more hi-tech amenities of Seoul, Yeosu and Gyeongju. Near the way to Chungju Lake, the setting is very rural. There are a few houses. The road is more winding here. In some ways, it reminds me of travelling to Bicol via Camarines Norte but comparably less winding.
We first stop at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Kind of like stopping at the restaurant at Sariaia if you were going to Bicol. The restroom is worse than Sariaia. The restaurant has considerable diners. There’s a vending machine just outside that serves hot coffee or what seems to be a very popular drink, Pokari Sweat. There is a stall where local, mostly dried, produce are sold. Wish we made some shots. Hahah..
15 minutes and we are off to Chungju Lake. The stop is at a higher point. To get to the dock, you have to climb down steps. At the middle is a souvenir stall with some kinky items which we’ll go back to later. There are two ferryboats. We all board on one of them. At the same time there’s a big group of old ladies who seem to be in a very fun mood. They board both boats. They have a CD player playing a very lively Korean song. The women are dancing. The boat starts moving. Yeah, lively music. One of the women brought fresh mushroom with gochujang (hot pepper paste). She shares it to everyone, including us! The mushroom is raw, very wet, and cold. Dipped in gochujang, it had a intersting flavor. Popcorns are also served. Some of our members also bought popcorn. We go outside the room. And there is a loudspeaker describing the natural geographic formations you can see while travelling the lake. The recorded speaker speaks in Korean, then in English. We have a hard time following the speaker. We even wonder if it’s in sync with what we see. Eventually, we just admire the natural wonder on our own. Some of the mountains naturally resemble something such as human faces. There are bridges along the way. Those bridges are sometimes used for bungee jumping. Ryneth’s mom, who is not one to walk around a lot, got to dancing with the women. We later learn, they are Red Cross workers from Busan. This is their way to have fun and beat the stress.
At a certain point, the ferry turns around and we eventually are back to dock. We stop by the souvenir stall. We saw a mechanical doll stand. Turn this doll on, and you have Janet (the name of the doll) flashing her boobs. Ryneth bought several Janets, one for her boyfriend.
We go back to the bus, and proceed first to lunch at a restaurant which is just a stone’s throw to Gosu (or Kosu) Cave. Lunch served is pork and cuttlefish bulgogi. The standouts for our lunch were the homemade kim wraps (seaweed wraps), and fish cake. There’s two kimchis in the banchan, the cabbage and radish.
Now that we are filled, it’s time to have some exercise and experience Kosu Cave…
