Back to Blue Skies
It took less than twenty minutes to arrive at the Sea of Japan; where I was amazed at the vibrant blue and green waters that lay before me. I snapped a couple quick photos before claiming a spot on the beach to tan away the pasty white skin I developed living like a vampire in Osaka.
At first glance, beach culture here seemed identical to what I’ve seen across America. Families, couples and kids all gathered on blankets, under umbrellas and at the edge of the water to play with Frisbees and inflatable tubes. After a few minutes I noticed one major difference. A man swam past wearing sunglasses, a t-shirt and pants. As I began to look around it seemed that virtually everybody in the water except the Speedo clad lifeguards were fully clothed. It was an odd, contrasting sight but didn’t distract me for long. I got back to enjoying the warmth of the sun and sand and noticed that this is the first time in the last four months that I’ve felt like I was on vacation.
See all of my photos from Gyeongpo Beach
Once the slight sting of sunburn began to set in, I started my trip back to town. It took be a bit longer this time as I found more distractions off of the beaten path. On a small side road I found a collection of traditional buildings. A quick photo exploration led me to meet a group of elderly Korean women who showed me around and invited me in for coffee. One of them spoke only a few words of English, so communication was limited to pantomime and the smiles on our faces.
More exploration of the surrounding area found a free museum and a temple. Alas, the temple was closed and the museum was only in Korean. Although the buildings appear similar in structural design to many of the historical Japanese buildings I’ve seen so far, here they are much more colorful and decorated.
See all of my photos from the traditional buildings
I finished the day by biking back through the rice fields and sitting in on one of Melissa’s classes. The rest of the night was pretty much low key. We ate at a Chinese restaurant with Amy before heading back to her apartment to indulge in the oddities of Korean TV. Like much of the country that I’ve seen so far, it turned out to be a very westernized, so there wasn’t as much shock value as seeing the craziness of Japanese TV.
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Tags: - Photography, Asia, Beach, Gangneung, Gyeongpo, South Korea
Adam Shane
For some reason I haven’t been able to view your pictures since I’ve been in China. I can’t tell you how disappointing this is:-/ I hope you’re up to giving me a photography lesson or two in Zhengzhou:-)
Hey Adam, the beach pictures are fantastic! I’m sure you are comparing everything to Japan since you spent so much time there, I’ve done the same. Just give it time my friend.
See you in Kung Fu land!
– Greg