Hanagae Beach

Going to Hanagae Beach with Angela was quite the adventure but more than anything, the two day/one night venture took my comfort level and run with it. My point will be quite evident when you see the pictures.

This was our new friend trying to explain to Angela where we were...or where he was going...it was difficult communicating with others.

This was a man we met back at the Incheon Airport. He saw the two of us flustered and in need of our bus. He approached us and offered to help. At first, I was bit nervous talking with him...he asked about our ages and where we were going so Angela did most of the talking. Later I discovered from Angela that asking about age and things was just customary. He asked to establish rank or hierarchy so that he could show respect accordingly. Lesson learned!

When I learned that he was a nice man, I took a picture of him so I could remember his kindness. Here, he is carrying his fishing rods, cooler and pack for a four day/three night fishing trip. We learned this information about him when our bus broke down.

View from the ferry

Photo of the bus driver radioing for help from another bus.



While we were waiting for the another bus to pick us up, the man we met offered us his cooler drinks! He was so kind so I told him we would only share a coke (his water was frozen, Mom). We took one only so we wouldn't put a dent into his food supply for his trip...so kind and generous! Later, he helped Angela with her pack, too.

While we were waiting, he also tried to communicate with us by writing in the sand. He told us that the tide would lower more than usual at 23.25 on Saturday. We had to tell him we were leaving that Saturday and he look sad because we would miss it :(

Regardless, the tide was low the entire time we were there. You will see for yourself.

Here, we go again...on a better bus!




A rice field


A farm house: Can you believe somebody lives in that?! CRAZY!

Vacation apartments under construction.


This summer vacation house reminded me of Janine's cottage. It has a similar colour and size even though the deck is on the wrong side and it isn't on a lake...but on the side of a mountain...yeah...


Arriving at Hanagae Beach: you have to pay 1,000 won to enter the beach gates. We later had to pay 50,000 wons for our accommodations.


This was our accommodation.
It's called a hut.
I thought I stretched my comfort level by coming to Seoul...let's just say my comfort level went
KABLAMO!!!!!!!
at Hanage Beach.

Heidi in her hut.
I must add though, that Angela and I were lucky.
There were groups of 5 or more staying in these huts.
(And yes...people can see into your huts if you don't close the window. But if you do close them, you will suffocate and die. So we chose to change in the cover of darkness with the lights off haha)

Sunset at Hanagae Beach.
Family and friends come to the beach at dawn to set up their tents. At sunset, most people pack up and go home for the night.

On our way to see what everyone else is looking at...

Low tide at sunset

A view of the huts from the shoreline.

Heidi is waving to you.

Heidi looks for crabs.

I can see why people would think that I am Korean in THIS picture...but I also know why they would think I look weird hahaha

The sunset, the breeze and the company were amazing!

The thing about Hanagae Beach is that it's a tourist trap. Everything is expensive and none of the locals were stupid enough to be caught in these restaurants. We were not as clever and were forced to eat in one of them. The lady must have thought we left our brains in Canada because she pointed to one of the most expensive meals on the menu. We did not leave our brains in Canada and ordered the famous clam udon meal. When the woman told the chef our orders, she looked thoroughly disappointed. It's not our fault we don't have money. It's sad really, because you can tell that it's a family restaurant and they depend on tourist for income...

Heidi: in the hut.

After our venture out to Hanagae Beach, we picked up the guide book and decided to pamper ourselves at the sauna. We traveled back to Itaewon for three hours only to discover that the sauna place no longer exists...you can imagine the rage that ensued, but by then I was too tired to have a normal conversation. We went home and swore to never go back to Itaewon ever again. More on why in another entry...just thinking about it gives me the chills...


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ON THE WEATHER: It's been raining consistently throughout the day. Considering how I've been out most of the week, I decided to stay in and catch up on my sleep. Work starts again this Monday and a good night sleep is unlikely to occur...

APARTMENT HEADACHE: My air-conditioning machine is dripping!!! It dripped so much that it soaked my covers, my sheets and the mattress! I opened the cover to find that the filters were clogged with dust and disgusting whatevers...I will have to look for new filters to line the machine. Maybe that will stop the dripping. For now, I've had to move my bed toward the centre of my room and use a plastic bowl to catch the drips...it's a very ghetto way to fix leaks...