Greetings from Yangyang

Thursday, August 15, 2013

There are those moments that are so perfect that the picture practically takes itself. This was one of those moments.

I think every summer, I make at least one visit to Gangwon-Do (Gangwon Province). I'm not the only one: the rugged natural beauty makes the place a popular summer holiday destination for nature-lovers: mountain ranges and cliffs overlooking a sea teeming with life, supported by freezing nutrient-rich currents that come following the coast from the north.

When I go to Gangwon-Do, it's usually to trek Seollak-San with my college's Alpine Association. This summer, my destination was a little further south, the quiet coastal village of Yangyang. All photos are taken with my ipad.

Lighthouses at Mulchi-Hang (Harbor) shaped like the songi mushrooms Yangyang is famous for.

Yangyang Intercity Bus Terminal. I'd seen swallow nests under the eaves of houses before, but these swallows live inside the terminal itself.

Rows of styrofoam floaters marking off areas in the water have been put to good use by seagulls.

These guys attracted quite a lot of attention. The puppy was adorable, but it's not every day you see a cat on a leash and not minding it.

Shrimp shells simmering in chicken broth, for the barbecue shrimp I cooked on the first day. New Orleans style barbecue shrimp aren't actually barbecued shrimp, but shrimp stewed in butter and their own juices. Great with rice.

The house we were staying at had picnic tables, one of them under a grape arbor. We sat underneath it on a warm summer night and had a light dinner with a good pint of beer. Then the thunderstorms came and chased us back in, but it was good while it lasted.

A Deceit of Lapwings

All happy people are more or less dissimilar; all unhappy people are more or less alike.