Naksan Beach Trip

So, after missing a train, getting stuck in traffic, to only take a later train, and spend way too much on a cab ride, I finally arrived in Naksan.

Lee, my good Korean friend, happens to be the Sacagawea of navigation, so I owe my whole trip to his skills. Eleven of us met up to spend the weekend on the beach, minimizing our tan lines, and rejoicing in our ability to drink outside on the streets. There isn't an open container law here, so booze is cheap (maybe a dollar a beer) and the bars don't close. Really.

We stayed at a hotel just a short walk from the beach. To stay on the cheap side, we rented just the room. No beds, just mattress pads. Was it comfortable? My God, no. But we didn't spend too much time in there anyways. We spent our first night drinking on the beach, but by the time everyone arrived it was really late, so we just packed ourselves in like sardines on the floor and went to bed.

The next day, we grabbed our towels and went to soak in the sun. My favorite part about the beach are the vendors. Ice cream sundaes, fried chicken, fruit on a stick, cold drinks...all conveniently walking by you every 5 minutes. The chicken guy just walks the beach for hours yelling "FRIED CHICKEN!" like his life depends on it. When you do stop to purchase some chicken, or fruit or whatever, they will let you know, with confidence, that you are about to eat the best chicken/fruit/stewed squid on this side of the hemisphere. It's quite touching.

My least favorite part about the beach? Jellyfish. I think most of the ones I saw were dead, but either way, they can still sting you. We went swimming and I spent a good amount of that time praying I wouldn't get stung. The water was cool, but felt really good. There were lots of beautiful shells and the weather couldn't have been better. Not a bad way to start the trip.

Then we went to dinner. This is where things got interesting. We sat at a Last Supper'ish table and ordered up some sashimi and seafood soup. The seafood is as fresh as it gets. Most of what we order is grabbed out of a tank in the front of the restaurant, then prepared to your liking. It's amazing. What's not amazing is the surprises that can be found in one's bowl of seafood soup. Quote of the night became "there was a mouth, in my mouth". Delicious....

It's kind of hard to see, but that's the squids mouth, a fang really, that was in my mouth. Now, honestly, that's disgusting. I also found brains and an eye complete with socket. Talk about some good soup! It was a like a treasure hunt and the only treasure was grim and beckoning me towards vegetarianism.

All in all, it was a really good trip. Lots of beaching, lots of swimming, lots of not sleeping and drinking more than I should. We did take a trip to a Buddhist temple, but I'm going to make a different post out of that one. Loving the everyday surprises.

Oh Korea...I might be falling in love with your charms :)