Weekend getaways for June

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It looks like summer will come earlier this year, with sweltering air outside forecasting a full-on heat wave soon to come.

For the month of June, which welcomes the summer season and the long-awaited vacations, the Korea Tourism Organization has announced its pick of five places for a weekend getaway, where you can enjoy outdoor activities by participating in diverse cultural experiences.

They include playing around with furry white Pungsan dogs in Anseong, trying your hand at pottery in Gangjin, walking among the traditional houses in Yecheon, going on different entertainment rides in Yangyang or learning to use "yongdurae" for water pumping by singling along with a folk song.



Anseong City, Gyeonggi Province

Pungsan dogs are actually a mixed breed with wolf and mainly found in North Korea. They were originally used for hunting large animals in mountain areas. But these white large dogs are also bred by South Koreans.

Although there are thousands of Pungsan dogs across the nation, Anseong is probably the only village with a large population of them.

Located in the southern most tip of Gyeonggi Province, it is abundant with high and low mountains.

The Pungsan dog village in Deoksan-ri operates many programs allowing visitors to befriend the particular kind of dog. They include walking them, riding on Pungsan dog sleds, as well as adoption offers.

The area is also filled with other hands-on experience programs such as picking agaric mushrooms, catching fresh water fish, or making tofu and rice cake covered with bean flour. There is also a large pear and medicinal herb farms as well as a cattle farm.

Another proud venue of the village is a 200-meter-long walking trail lined with metasequoia trees. Good dishes to eat here are duck galbi (marinating the meat in sweetened soy sauce) or chicken wrapped in paper and straw and baked inside a yellow earth pot.

For information, call Anseong City at (031) 678-2492.



Gangjin, South Jeolla Province

Bonghwa-myeon of Chiliyang located in Gangjin County of South Jeolla Province is the home to the famous Chiliyang potteries. Just a few decades back, each household here baked their potteries and sold them nationwide. Informed people say the reason for their fame was because the place was abundant with clay with strong impregnation of iron as well as an efficient sea route for delivery.

The tradition, however, dissipated with the nation`s rapid industrialization in the 1970s and only a few continue to maintain the techniques now.

Of them is Chiliyang Bonghwang Pottery, which has been passing down the tradition for generations. Visitors can try making their own here.

Bonghwa, now just a quiet fishing village, is also good for a nice serene walk along the coast, or a drive along the foreshore on 23rd national road.

For information, call Gangjin County at (061) 430-3174 or Chilryang Pottery at (061) 433-4943.

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Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province

Geumdangsil village in Yecheon is named for its shape, which reminds of a lotus flower floating on water. The village is said to be excellent in terms Feng Shui, and was even considered as one of the candidate areas for the capital city of Joseon Dynasty.

The village boasts lines of old houses and stone walls that has been well-preserved through time. There are about 10 old houses that remain, some of which have been designated as the national cultural assets. Stone walls are piled up in an orderly fashion using straw and yellow soil.

Walking along the curves that are created by the houses and the stone walls will surely take anyone back to the past and away from the bustle of the city.

For more information on Yecheon, call (054) 650-6395.



Yangyang, Gangwon Province

Haedam village of Yangyang offers a variety of rides and games, including amphibious and all-terrain vehicle rides, archery, riding on log rafts, making stone flowerpots and more.

Yangyang, surrounded by mountains and the sea, is also home to a herb farm and Osan-ri Prehistoric Museum for children.

For more information, call the Haedam village information center at (033) 673-2233.

Ganghwa, Incheon City

Hwangcheong-ri of Ganghwa boasts spreads of large fields. Most of the residents have consequently been involved in rice farming. The area, however, was always short of water, hence came the creation of "yongdurae," a large water peddle that pumps the water into the rice fields.

The village is also famous for its yongdurae folk song, sung by the farmers while pumping water to relieve boredom.

Visitors to the village can learn to sing the song and try using yongduraes.

They can also look around the village by riding on the cultivator.

The village is adjacent to Osang-ri dolmen site that is one of the five dolmen sites registered as world cultural heritage of UNESCO.

For more information on Ganghwa, call (032) 930-3520.

(angiely@heraldm.com)



By Lee Joo-hee