Autumn Trip Day 2 - Abai Village, Sokcho

Assalamualaikum. 안녕.

Seoul to Sokcho (here).

Aku sempat bentang map Sokcho dalam bilik, mau kenalpasti pekan ni dengan mendalam kaedahnya. And aku decide untuk berwalkertapaki jak petang tu. Kasi exercise sikit kaki aku yang lemah gemalai, over manja! The next day kan plan mau panjat Soraksan; walau halfway tu akan bakal naik cable car. Ahaks. So untuk elak kaki terkejut beruk, betterlah bagi hint dulu. 

Sarung boots, maka mari kita mula misi. Semangat waja ni walau sebenarnya betis aku sudah start berdenyut. Masa ni aku guna kuasa veto minda untuk kawal 'perasaan' kaki yang terdera. Rasakan!

Hilly terrain berpisah tiada with South Korea. Bertabahlah kalau ada yang sewa guesthouse atas tu.

Aku ndak pandang Setabak di Korea ni. Coffee shops diorang jak sudah berjenis² brand, lagi bagus aku lepak kedai yang bukan franchise. Barulah fefeeling local. 

Because Sokcho is located near Donghae (oppa?), back in the days this place is also known as a fishing village. 

Finally! Inilah New York yang dimaksudkan si Jea tu. 

"Bie, kalau ko jumpa New York...meaning dah dekat area gatbae boat tu." 

She repeated this for umpteenth times! Pasal tu nampak jak lembu ni, terus aku senyum lebar. 

Motif sangat kan minah tu panggil New York.

Considering still banyak masa lagi before layan sunset di San Francisco bridge, aku pun melangkah masuk Caffe Bene. Paling ngam untuk lepak ngeteh di kala cuaca sejuk & angin sepoi² bahasa. 

Motif utama adalah untuk try wide lens. Sambil percubaan untuk snap gambar that man at the corner. Failed! Boleh kan time tu dia khusyuk menghadap pc. Walhal before tu dia senyum sama aku. Fine! Kedekut muka. Taulah separa handsome + segak.

Lepas membasahkan tekak & frust Oppa Bene ndak mau masuk gambar, aku patah balik pi area si New York ni. And jalan pi kanan. 

In less than a minute...tadaaaa! Jumpa sudah the Blue San Francisco bridge! Motif ntah apa lah semua nama pun State-related.

One of the SF bridges. Aku lepak area facing this bridge for a while. Sambil layan hirup hot drink aku hangkut dari CB tadi. 

Tarik nafas dalam², hembus lambat². My most precious me-time. Aku observed pergerakan manusia, bot, air tasik yang terbentang depan aku. Alhamdulillah, Dia bagi keizinan untuk aku jejak tempat lain selain 'rumah'. Bila jalan sendiri ni, aku memang banyak buat aktiviti timbang-tara diri sendiri. Trip kali ni memang langsung ndak da details itinerary. Aku just list down places to go, mana sempat aku jejak. Ndak sempat, boleh try jejak next trip.

Sedang layan perasaan, datang penyakit mengada. Mau gambar full frame untuk tunjuk sama Bunda kununnya. Betapa anak dia berperangai parah during this trip. Minta lah tolong sama sorang minah ni. Kongkengkong speaking...sekali dapat tau she is from Seremban. Dang!! Whathehantu betul kan!

Lepas sesi ramah mesra suam-suam kuku, so tiba masa untuk naik gatbae boat menuju ke seberang. 

Para cyclist waiting for the gatbae boat to cross over the Cheongcho Lake.

Fare is 200 KRW one way.  The Boat Ahjussi asked me to give it a try. I did pulled the rope using that thing but I forgot to ask him to take my pic. Yang sibuk ambil gambar aku, orang² atas bot tu juga. Macam lah kita akan ber-Kakao untuk share gambar tu kan. Sobs.

The gatbae boat moves by pulling that iron rope.

Mission to trace Autumn in My Heart filming location; accomplished! This is one of the first few movies that introduced me to Korea. It's one of my favorite! 

Eun Seo Nae Jib. This is the shop that was used as Eun Seo's mother's restaurant. Penangan drama, it is still in business up to this day. K-variety show 2Days1Night pun pernah buat filming di kedai ni.

The Abai Village

"Abai" means "parent" or "aged person" in the dialect of Hamgyeong-do. Many of the people living in Abai are older North Koreans who fled to this area of Cheongho-dongvduring the civil war and never were able to go back home. Originally 3000 people came to Abai Village from North Korea, and now 200 are still here. Only 8 have applied for family reunification to resume residency in North Korea. source google

I walked from the blue bridge towards the other bridge; the pink one. 

View of the entire village from up here is magnificent! I could see the lighthouse & sunrise pavilion that are located merely 2km away. 

Would really love to walk to the pavilion but I don't think my legs could endure. Hence I cancelled the plan to enjoy Sokcho view at night. Tengok dari kejauhan jak lah.

Replicas of daily items of the North Korean refugees at the time of their arrival to Sokcho were displayed under the SF bridge.

Apart from fishing, the refugees also practiced farming. 

I didn't explore farther into the village because I didn't know I could do so. Rugi gila! I thought orang yang melepak dekat area lighthouse tu semua orang di Abai ni. When I saw a bunch of Chinese tourist coming out from the village, it was already dusk. No point lah mau jalan masuk kampung orang di waktu senja kan. So aku naik gatbae boat to return to where I came. 

Layan sunset depan tasik. Not that great as it was a bit hazy that evening. Matahari memancar for only a good 10 minutes. Sendu.

There are many choices of seafood restaurants near the gatbae boat jetty. 

Of course lepas berjalan for more than 2 hours, perut pun mula main lagu rock & roll. Lapaq baq hang! Masalah juga kalau spoil with too many choices ni, aku jadi bingai memilih. Mula mau masuk resto yang 2D1N buat filming dulu tapi kena buka kasut lah pula. Part ni lah paling aku menyampah sekali. 

Then I saw this restaurant. Ok ada kerusi, meaning boleh masuk & terjah makan without having to take off my shoes. Kita serbu.

Boleh juga buat acara duduk bersila, tapi idea tu aku tolak tepi. It would be great kalau pi in group. Baru feeling Korean, makan atas lantai ondol.

I wanted to try the famous dish in Sokcho; the Abai soondae. Sedap! Although ada alergic sama seafood, demi mau try aku sumbat lah juga few potong. Sedap! Eh sudah cakap tadi, But seriously, sedap! Yang ni memang ndak habis, so Ahjumma tapaukan untuk aku.

Selalu kalau di Seoul, soondae ni adalah usus oink² sumbat dengan daging. But in Sokcho, they use squid instead. Sumbat sama either daging or nasi. Masa order tu aku sudah bagitau Ahjumma yang aku ndak makan sebarang daging. Jeoneun goki anmeokeoyo (I don't eat meat). So she recommended the Abai soondae. 

My dinner! Ini bukan alas perut, ni more to mentekedarah. Semua tu aku balun sorang. My dinner cost me 22,000KRW. 

Seriously automatically aku kebulur bila terbau ikan bakar super sedap, maka aku pun tambah order. Ahjumma was a bit surprised. Mesti pelik jak Ahjumma tu. Apa kes sorang tapi makan macam ada 2 perut? Dari pagi cuma sempat makan bubur Ahjumma oiii, pastu berjalan sikit punya banyak km. Jadi berbaloi lah mentekedarah, ganti balik kalori yang terbakar. Kalau ada yang terbakar lah kan.

Entrance to Sokcho Jungang Market.

Pas makan, sambung berjalan. Kali ni aku sengaja jalan corner sana corner sini. Mau turunkan makanan, biar digest betul before aku balik bilik. Sebab nanti sampai bilik sure aku akan mandi & terus tidur. Not good for the perut kata ku! Nanti jadi kerbau.

Sorak Fried chicken.

Malam tu memang nampak ramai local & even tourist angkut kotak ni. Snack malam paling ideal di Sokcho, lagi masyuk kalau dijadikan peneman soju. Nampak sedap tapi takat tu jaklah aku mampu jamu mata. 

View I saw on the way back to the guesthouse.

Ingatkan mau posing sama si New York tapi malam tu he was a bit famous pula. Ramai gila orang mau bergambar sama dia juga. Forgo jaklah idea asal. Cuci mata jaklah tengok kedai sepanjang jalan balik guesthouse. Banyak buat sales, jacket & coat murah².tapi aku berfikiran macamana mau hangkut semua. Backpack rasa macam full gila. Cukuplah membeli terbelah Bie oii, gitu getus minda sama hati.

Sampai guesthouse, masa on the way masuk bilik aku limpas kitchen. Suddenly nampak 2 orang yang familiar. Choi sangat! Rupanya minah Seremban & her friend yang aku jumpa di jeti petang tadi. Yang aku goreng speaking sebab mau minta tolong ambil gambar tu. Bergegar ketawa kami bila masing like "Eh, kenal!" Ndak sangka lah kami stay tempat yang sama. Kecil betul kah Sokcho ni kan. They offered me to join them to hike Soraksan the next morning. Aku risau jak nanti diorang kelambatan mendaki sebab terpaksa tunggu aku si Kaki Lemah ni. Gagah ok, walhal baru 2 hari diorang sampai dari Jeju. And di sana pun diorang daki Hallasan tu.

I told them, kalau terjumpa di Sorak I will join them insha Allah IF masa tu kaki aku sudah ok. If not, cable car jak lah medium aku untuk sampai atas. Malam tu tidur dengan sangat best sebab kaki aku stop meragam, cramp pun ndak da sudah. Berusaha aku tuam guna ice pack I bought that morning. Tilam adalah empuk, selesa...maka si Err tidur sambil tripping sleeping beauty. Kena rest secukupnya, the next day mau berkinja tengok autumn foliage.

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