Chuncheon for Chuseok

---

Chuseok is Korean Thanksgiving. Although Koreans have a few major holidays, Chuseok is said to be the biggest of them all. It is when Koreans return to their hometowns to eat, drink & be merry for a few days. The female Koreans we know complain that it will be a few days of cooking and cleaning. The men seem to have the easier end - eating, drinking and talking. All in all though, it is somewhat similar to the American Thanksgiving in that you spend time with family, catch up on what has been going on and give thanks for what you have.

We had considered going to Chuncheon for a few months before we finally got the opportunity. We even got on the train one time thinking that it was only about 20 minutes away and finding out on the way there it was a little over an hour. This time we were going prepared. Jess passed out on the train while Fran continued reading about Jason Bourne. Outside the station in Chuncheon we were greeted by a massive queue for taxis. Fortunately the line moved quickly. Our driver didn't understand our English so we ended up asking to be taken to a general area near the hotel our friends had recommended. We never ended up finding that hotel, but we did come across another one of equal price in the main area. Sold!

We dropped our stuff and went out in search of the river. We had an idea of which direction we should be taking & we did end up seeing the river - from the top of a hill. As it was getting dark we figured our time would be better spent in finding some dinner. We thought we had found the right street but it ended up being one off from where we needed to be so we took an interesting detour down brightly lit shopping street called Myeong-dong (like the amazing shopping area in Seoul but smaller and less crowded).

Chicken Ribs Alley

Dak galbi was invented in Chuncheon (actually called Chuncheon dak galbi) and it is supposed to be the best place in the whole country to eat it. Dak means chicken in Korean and apparently dak galbi is actually boneless chicken ribs. (?!!) When we finally make it to the famous dak galbi street (known fondly as chicken ribs alley) we were at a loss as to which restaurant to choose. They all obviously serve the same dish with possibly some difference in sides but what would be best? So we walked down the whole street peering into places, being beckoned in & stared at (it wouldn't be Korea if they weren't staring!) We opted for a before-dinner drink at one of the places we had seen on the other street. Cancun, a mexican-themed cantina caught our attention. Unfortunately we were thinking we would be given some spectacular drink choices and we were sorely disappointed. (Fran had a Bud.)

Afterwards we went back for our dinner & chose what seemed to be the busiest restaurant on the street. The place was lively and full of interesting people to watch. It seems as though Koreans do what many Americans do the night before Thanksgiving; eat out instead of having to cook two nights in a row. The only downside to having so many people cooking around us was that we smelled as though we had bathed in dakgalbi afterwards & it emanated from our bags the next day! Fran says we smelled like a curry house - specifically, a milder form of chicken tikka.

The first thing we noticed about dak galbi is that the portions are massive! We ordered two, thinking 'there are two of us', and didn't come near finishing. Dak galbi consists of seasoned boneless chicken, rice sticks (they kind of have a rubbery texture and look like thick sticks of chalk), vegetables (mostly cabbage), sweet potatoes and chili paste. I did find one piece of garlic in the mixture. And you wrap it up like fajitas, using lettuce leaves instead of tortillas. We ordered noodles & Fran was a bit shocked when the woman brought them to the table on a tray and proceeded to dump them into the mixture. Apparently that's just how its done - and once we tried it we surely weren't arguing as it was delicious! Our only suggestion would be for them to take the skin OFF the chicken next time. (And it was a bit fatty). If we could get the sauce, etc. we would definitly make dakgalbi at home!

Another great thing about a lot of these galbi restaurants in Korea are the bibs. They give them especially to women but men wear them quite often if they have on white shirts or just anything nice. Fran could have used one of these at all times when he was first getting used to chopsticks... Although, there was that one lunch during our summer camp where, lacking a bib, Fran made great use of a large sheet of white paper (by ripping the middle and sticking his head through).

After dinner we explored the area a bit more, walking through a market and again heading in the direction of the water, but giving up before we found it. On our way back to the hotel we stopped at a cafe for a coffee. When ordering we were a bit shocked to hear the reply. Jess asked the man, "Are you English?" Apparently he misunderstood & responded with, "A little". We had a bit of a chat and Fran tried not to laugh when he discovered that although the man spoke pretty good English (he wasn't a native speaker) his work in a London hotel had led him to develop a Cockney accent. Bonus #2 was when he told us it was imperative that we choose a slice of free cake to go with each of our coffees...

Romantic Biking

We don't know why but for some reason everything in the Chuncheon guides describe all activities there as being romantic. Great for experiencing with your significant other... or... as a family.

The next morning the hunt was on for a bagel and coffee before biking around the river. We went to four places before coming managing both. The last place happened to be a Starbucks. Fran struck up a conversation with a Westerner we had passed quite a few times on the road (and one time in our hotel!) He ended up changing the course of our adventure.

Rob works for the university in Chuncheon. He was in Starbucks with a woman named Camilla who had just flown in the night before from Switzerland. The two were meeting for the first time after connecting via an internet dating service. Rob's attempt to help us find the direction of the (accessible) water led to one of his adult students picking the four of us up and driving us down to the place where you can rent bikes. (Thank goodness for nice Koreans & the fact that the country is probably the safest place we've ever been!) We probably never would have found this place on our own so it was quite the favor. After chatting over some snacks we finally rented the bikes and bid adieu to our helpful friends.

We spent the next 5 hours biking around the lakes of Chuncheon. It was gorgeous to say the least. Jess asked Fran if he'd ever been anywhere like it and he replied 'Switzerland'. Excellent! Our goal was to reach the Chuncheon dam and then turn around. We hit a few snags - like the sudden disappearance of the bike path... and then the road... So we backtracked and tried something else. After attempting to reach the dam from the other side of the lake, biking along the side of a really busy road (with crazy drivers on it), and the road becoming only one lane as they were doing lots of repairs, we reached a point where we could actually SEE the dam. But because of the possible dangers of the road ahead we decided to snap a few photos and turn back. All in all it was a great experience (even though Jess didn't think she was going to be able to walk for a while after!)

That night we took a taxi through Chuncheon and up into the hills surrounding it to eat at an Italian restaurant looking down over the city. Our new friends had given us the information about it earlier in the day. He raved about the Italian food & the beer selection as well as the view - we were excited! Well, the view was amazing. The food was less than & the beer was everything we were used to finding at every family mart in the country. But, the pizzas weren't terrible (we had even less choice that day because of the holiday), and the gelato we had for dessert was actually pretty fantastic!

We definitly plan to head back to Chuncheon sometime (probably once it gets a bit warmer again) as there seems to be so much more to see there and we had a really good time.


The rest of our Chuseok was spent in Seoul. On Saturday evening we went with friends to a restaurant in the Gangnam area called Brazilia. Brazilia is an all you can eat steakhouse. There are three types of steaks. They ask the temperature you prefer and then a few minutes later they bring around the steak. You are also given three types of salads as sides. Once you finish round one they bring the second type, then the third & then you are welcome to eat as much as you want ordering more of any. Quite a good deal. Go hungry.

That night after a soggy run from the restaurant to the subway and then a ride across the city we arrived in a part of Seoul we had never been to. It's called Shincheon. It is one stop over from Hongdae, famous for its clubs. We stayed the night there & in the morning woke up early to explore the area. It was a good day out and we had a lot of fun.

We wish there was a 'Chuseok' every month. The nights we spent in our own apartment were the quietest ones we've experienced since coming to Korea. The streets were virtually abandoned and many restaurants were shut. E-Mart was even closed one day!! (We've never seen that before, even on other Korean holidays.) It was a nice relaxing long weekend. We can't wait till Christmas - because that's the next break we get!

More to come....
xxxFran & Jess

---

Photos

Which one should we choose?
Walking through Chicken Ribs Alley :)