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| Seoul Tower |
Last Day Itinerary:
Day 7, 9/15 (Fri): Pyeongchang - Gangreung - Yangyang - Seoul (B,L) After breakfast, visit Jumunjin Seafood Market, exploring the variety of fresh seafood caught just off the country's East Coast. For the next stop, transfer to Yangyang for a short hike at Jujeongol of Mt. Seorak, where you can enjoy the area's nature. Transfer back to Seoul and check in at Center Mark Hotel. Spend the rest of the day free. Accommodation: Center Mark Hotel or Similar (4-Star)
Pyeonchange - Host of the 2018 Winter Olympics
We are staying in the Alpenisa village where the winter olympics will be hosted in 2018. The weather is turning in Pyeongchang, and construction workers are putting on the finishing touches before the first snow and the Olympics. After breakfast we stroll around our immediate surroundings in the village. The air is brisk and windy through the downslope streets of Alpinesia.
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| Intercontinental - Our Hotel |
We have prepared for the day with long pants, jackets, and hiking boots.
When we leave the hotel, we take a bus tour through the Olympic sports complex. It is a beautiful venue for the upcoming games.
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| Bobsled Run |
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| Ski Jumping Venue |
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| Main Stadium for Opening and Closing Ceremonies |
Gangreung-Fish Market
We travel down from the mountains to the sea. The doors open and a fresh sea breeze meets us we step down from the bus.
The fish market is filled with live and freshly killed fish. Some of the fish is shipped from around the world, like the Norwegian Mackerel.
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| Norwegian Mackerel |
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| Octopus alive and bagged ready for sale |
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| Squirt Fish |
Beyond the fresh fish, there is store after store of dehydrated fish of all kinds. With both live and dehydrated fish, there is little need for massive amounts of refrigeration.
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| This is a sting ray's mouth |
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| Entrance to another Fish Area - mostly dried |
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| Dried anchovies |
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| Dried shrimpThe Koreans love their rice, pork bellies, and fish. We like two out of three. Fish is our least favorite. Fun to photograph but not to eat. |
Yangyang
We climb back into the mountains as we head west towards Seoul. It's time for our hike. Our bus driver drops us midway up the mountain where do some mountain stretches.
Our hike. takes us downhill through a river valley, where torrents of water have smoothed and carved out the rock. It's a lovely hike and a great way to end our tour, getting back to nature.
We have been very impressed with Korean appreciation for nature, environment, and ecology.
Our hike. takes us downhill through a river valley, where torrents of water have smoothed and carved out the rock. It's a lovely hike and a great way to end our tour, getting back to nature.
Seoul
As we head back to Seoul, we travel through the longest under mountain tunnel of 11 kilometers long, A real time video tv shows the inside of the tunnel as we travel through it.
and marvel at all the apartment buildings. Sixty-five percent Seoul residents live in apartments.
One building 112 stories towers over all of the rest.
Our hotel stop is the last of the hotels. Stop 1 we bid goodbye to the first of our group. Stop 2 we bid goodbye to second group. Stop 3 is our stop and the rest of the group collects their belongings, gives our sincere appreciation to our driver and guide who have been kind, knowledgeable, humorous, and patient, and say our goodbyes.
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| Mark explains the people on the Korean money |
and marvel at all the apartment buildings. Sixty-five percent Seoul residents live in apartments.
One building 112 stories towers over all of the rest.
Our hotel stop is the last of the hotels. Stop 1 we bid goodbye to the first of our group. Stop 2 we bid goodbye to second group. Stop 3 is our stop and the rest of the group collects their belongings, gives our sincere appreciation to our driver and guide who have been kind, knowledgeable, humorous, and patient, and say our goodbyes.
This evening Russ and I, Victoria, and Gary\took a taxi about 8$USD to the cable car that took us up to the top of the mountain where the television tower is.
Photos from the tower's observation deck.
This area is a huge tourist and local attraction, and with good reason; the view of night lights is spectacular.
Photos from the tower's observation deck.
This area is a huge tourist and local attraction, and with good reason; the view of night lights is spectacular.
We had hamburgers at one of the restaurants, giving traditional Korean food a rest for the night. After dinner we tried to get a taxi going back, and no one would take us back for less than $20.00 per night. Now $20.00 split 4 ways isn't that much but it seemed like a tourist trap - twice the amount than coming. So we enjoyed a nice long walk back through the busy city streets and Friday night to the hotel.
