Chuncheon is the capital of Gangwon Province (강원도) and is also known as the city of lakes, dalkgalbi (닭갈비 - spicy! chicken with vegetables), makguksu (막국수 - buckwheat noodles with spicy sauce) and in the last 10 years, of Winter Sonata. It's an hour train-ride (technically a subway, so it runs multiple times an hour) from Sangbong Station (상봉역 - sang bong yeok) in Seoul. If you are interested in visiting the sites where Winter Sonata was filmed or trying dalkgalbi, allow yourself some time in the city proper. You can also plan an overnight getaway with a stop at nearby Namiseom (남이섬 - Nami Island) on the way to Chuncheon from Seoul and make it a more relaxing trip. At any rate, Chuncheon is worth an easy day trip from Seoul.
My goal was to visit Chuncheon's open market (오일장 - o il jang) and Cheongpyoung Temple (청평사 - cheong pyoung sa) in a day. I wasn't planning an ambitious trip by any means with a late start of leaving home around 11 in the morning. After all, it was my vacation.
Chuncheon o-il-jang (오일장 - literally meaning traditional market that is set up every 5 days) happens every 2nd and 7th (2nd, 7th, 12th, 17th, 22nd and 27th) near South Chuncheon Station (남춘천역 - nam chun cheon yeok), one stop before the final stop Chuncheon Station (춘천역 - chun cheon yeok). You'll see seasonal ingredients reflecting its proximity to the valleys and beaches, ranging from dried fish hangers, early spring vegetables to a wide range of seafood pickles popular as banchan. Also, take a look at all kinds of snacks and try a few, including buckwheat crepe (very spicy filling) and roasted chestnuts over briquettes. I sampled on small portions of a few things, bought snacks for the road and ran to the bus station in front of South Chuncheon Station, where I caught the bus #11 (12-1 also runs to Soyang-gang Dam). It takes just short of an hour to Soyang-gang Dam, the last stop of the bus route.
Soyang-gang Dam (소양강 댐) or Soyang Dam is the largest sand-gravel dam in East Asia, as Wikipedia tells me so. The dam construction was completed in 1973, and I vaguely remember taking a bus ride here for a school field trip and thinking that it's a big thing out there with lots of water. Well, this time it's a little different because I can appreciate the view that opened my mind and the manpower that must have taken to build the dam with sand and gravel.
After a short walk from here, you can take a 5-minute boat ride that runs every hour to the other side of Soyang River, from where you can walk to Cheongpyoungsa (청평사).
Once I got off the boat, it was a pleasant, slow 30 minute walk to Cheongpyoungsa. Above is Guseong Waterfall (구성 폭포) on the way to the temple, frozen as you can see. Yes it was freezing cold that day, all day, especially in Chuncheon. Yet with (emphasis) frozen (emphasis) streams and trees all around me, I was glad in a way. They must be prettier in the summer time but that also means a lot more people and less view to take in.
I walked around this cozy temple donned with colorful lanterns hanging everywhere. Cheongpyoungsa sits just snug and quiet with the backdrop of the scenic mountain Obongsan (오봉산) and streams running in front. I'm learning to take in the whole view with the surrounding environment when looking at old constructions in Korea, as they were intended to be an element fitting in with nature.
For those who are interested, there is a path up to the top of the mountain, but I had to catch the last boat back to Soyang-gang Dam at 5:30PM.
Back at Soyang-gang Dam, I was taking pictures and waiting for my bus (11 or 12-1) to take me to Cheonjeon 3(sam)-ri (천전 3리) stop, in front of Saembat Makguksu (샘밭 막국수).
I found Saembat Makguksu from my Internet search, supposedly the oldest restaurant specializing in makguksu and one of the three most famous places for makguksu, another speciailty dish of Chuncheon. I also learned from the Internet search to eat the noodles just mixed with the spicy sauce, toasted laver flakes, sesame seeds as presented to me for the first half. Then pour the chilled broth from the pot for the rest to enjoy two ways of this buckwheat noodle dish. Why two pots? The other one holds hot buckwheat tea, which was much appreciated after a day in the cold.
Although it looks very much like bibim naengmyeon (비빔 냉면), the noodles are not so chewy. The sauce is on the milder, nuttier side with laver flakes and sesame oil despite the red color. It was tasty and I really enjoyed it. Besides, I was tired and hungry so I basically enhaled the whole bowl.
After my satisfying dinner, I hurried back to South Chuncheon Station and caught a train back to Seoul just before 8 o'clock. By 10PM, I was telling my 'war stories' of fighting against the cold weather back at home and relishing my new memories from this twelve-hour trip. How often do you allow 12 hours for yourself?
Before I go, I want to show off my treasures from Chuncheon. Of course I didn't leave the market empty-handed. Above were what I carried to Cheongpyongsa and back to Seoul. I wouldn't have carried anything, especially tofu, if it was even a bit mild day. Lucky me, the only thing that could have happened that day was they'd just all freeze with me out in the cold.
I'm also listing the expense of this day trip for your reference. I used T-Money Card, a transportation card that allows small discounts and transfers. The card works in Seoul and in Chuncheon, which makes it very convenient to travel with. The public transportation rate went up just after my trip, so take that into consideration. Um, I ate a lot and so should you. I didn't have dakgalbi, which every tourist is expected to have, and that will add another 10,000 won per person.
* A portion of each vegetable is bigger and more expensive, around 5,000 won. I went to a nice grandma stand on the side and asked her very nicely for smaller portions.
As usual, the rough exchange rate of US$ 1 = 1,000 Korean Won would give you an idea.
| Transportation/Entrance Fees | |||
| Seoul - Chuncheon Roundtrip | 2,400 | *2 | 4,800 |
| Chuncheon -> Soyang River Dam -> Cheonjeon 3(sam)-ri @Sambat Makguksu -> Chuncheon | 1,050 | *3 | 3,150 |
| Soyang River Dam - Cheongpyeongsa Roundtrip boat | 6,000 | ||
| Entrance fee to Cheongpyeongsa area | 2,000 | ||
| Total Transport/Entrance Fees | 15,950 | ||
| Cost of My Gluttony | |||
| Steamed bun (찐빵 - jjin bbang) | 700 | ||
| Sweet pancake with brown sugar filling (호떡 - ho ddeok) | 700 | ||
| Buckwheat crepe (메밀전병) | 1,000 | ||
| Mugwort rice cake (쑥떡) | 3,000 | ||
| Roasted chestnuts (군밤) | 3,000 | ||
| Bottled tea | 1,500 | ||
| Canned shikhye (식혜) | 1,000 | ||
| Buckwheat noodles (막국수 - makguksu) | 6,000 | ||
| Sweet potato latte | 3,500 | ||
| Total Cost of My Glottuny | 20,400 | ||
| Shopping* | |||
| dallae (달래) | 3,000 | ||
| godeul bbaegi (고들빼기) | 3,000 | ||
| seawater tofu (바닷물로 만든 두부) | 2,000 | ||
| naeng yi (냉이) | 2,000 | ||
| Total Shopping | 10,000 | ||
| Total Expense for the day trip | 46,350 | ||
Up next is what I did with the treasures from Chuncheon when I got home. Come back soon~
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