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Published: February 9th 2012
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Namwon is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea – about five or six hours away from my home town Chuncheon. The teachers organized a big trip away for all staff to celebrate the end of the teaching year, and Adnan (a fellow teacher/waygook) at my school and I were ready for the break. The teachers were excited as it had been a LONG year…and it was time to unwind and relax. What exactly we were up for, well that was anybody's guess, but we were ready for a Korean adventure.
We filtered onto a bus specially commissioned for the trip. We took a few pictures with the ever present, typical, and popular Korean ‘V’ (peace) sign and then we were off! About a hundred Korean snacks later, we arrived in Namwon around 6pm for a night of delicious food (famous and popular Korean dish Samgapsal 삼곂살 aka
pork belly strips was on the menu
), followed by a trip to a noreabong with all the teachers, followed by drinks and a rather dangerous game of ‘have you ever?’ to end the night.
So let’s begin with the Samgapsal restaurant shall we? First things first, this dish is a staple in Korea. It's very popular due to the availability of pork, as well as the affordability of this meat. It is a barbecue dish that you cook yourself on little barbecues. It is served with an array of side dishes, including kimchi (fermented cabbage), salad, broccoli, kimchi pancakes, EVEN MORE types of kimchi (I've been told there is over 200 varietes), egg, and to be honest – a host of other dishes depending on what restaurant you are at! NOW...the thing about Samgapsal, as well as the fact that it was a special occasion, often comes along with free flowing soju, and let me tell you, it is not unusual to see families, men and women alike, and university students enjoying their pork belly with a bottle or two of soju – just taking shot after shot as they enjoy their meal. Soju is like cordial to us back home when it comes to meal time and everyone has a drink with their meal! Of course the principal ( I was blessed to have a lovely principal who is warm and inviting) came over, and without hesitation filled up my glass ( it is VERY rude
in Korea to refuse a drink from your principal), I drank that, than filled his glass up, and next thing you know, we are toasting each other and saying the famous Korean line “Combi” which is the Korean way of saying “cheers”. I also devoured my pork belly, wrapping each delectable pork strip in a piece of lettuce, with some dipping sauce, salt, garlic, and of course onion. It is a meal I adore, and one that is best shared with a group of people.
Next thing you know….our bellies were bursting and it was time for 3-cha! NB: In Korea it is common practice to do things in THREE stages. The first is 1-cha which is food; 2-cha which is drinking (both of which can be easily accomplished at dinner time!) and then 3-cha - perhaps the most important of the three and this is the entertainment aka a noreabong or karaoke room.
So there we were, beers in hand, dancing and singing away as the teachers let loose in the noreabong. There was something so delightful about watching the teachers – some who spoke little English and who I had not had a chance to talk too much this year – letting their hair down, prancing around, throwing themselves on the ground as they sang their favourite parts of songs. Adnan and I also did a song (Queen if my memory serves me correctly!) ….and despite many of the teachers not knowing a word it, that didn't stop them grabbing a tambourine, or throwing their arms up in celebration. One of my best friends at school – a lovely Korean lady called Han – turned out to be a bit of a singer, and belted out a tune like a professional singer.
The next day we were up early to take in Namwon and find out some interesting information about the city. Turns out it is called the"the City of Love" because of the famous love story of
Chunhyang (known all over Korea by most Korean people). The story goes…Chunhyang, the daughter of a
kisaeng entertainer, and Yi Mongryong, the son of a magistrate fell in love in Namwon. After the two are illegally married, Mongryong goes to Seoul and a corrupt local magistrate attempts to force Chunhyang to be his concubine. She refuses and is faced with death, but is
rescued at the last minute by Mongryong returning in his new role as a secret royal inspector.
We the tale of eternal love fresh in our brains, we ventured to the
Gwanghalluwon Garden to check out some historical things in Namwon, and get a view of the city – which is small enough for those who do not like the bright lights of the big city to feel at home, but still showcases a country town surrounded by mountain ranges. Here we checked out some old traditional homes, as well as some traditional sports Koreans used to play – one involving a tin wheel and a stick that is particularly entertaining to watch.
Then it was hiking time! And what Korean trip away would be complete without a splash of the outdoors. So we hiked around Jirisan National Park. It was quite a walk, but the scenery was beautiful. And I distinctly remember hundreds upon hundreds of bronzed flower stalks sticking up from the ground. They all looked a little worse for wear, as the autumn and winter months had battered them down. We hiked for a few hours, many twists and turns before arriving at our
destination – with slightly aching knees and legs from the cold to indulge in some celebratory rice wine “Combi!” and ground mud fish soup. The latter being no where near as enjoyable as the wine.
All in all, Namwon is a quaint little town with a country feel – it’s cold, but not as cold as Chuncheon, and provided Adnan and I with yet another unique Korean experience. The hiking was fun – although we were one of the last groups to make it to the restaurant – I blame that on the ice. It was then back on the bus in the early afternoon – after a quick stop over at a country market to pick up a huge bunch of bananas for no more than $3NZ, and then all aboard for Chuncheon.
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