Deep Sea Fishing Trip – Darangee Village (2006-08-26 ~ 2006-08-27)
by Shannon Svisdahl
Seokjin and the Adventure Korea team did it again; they took us on a journey that all of us would remember forever. We ate, went hiking, and hung out on the beach and more.
Our journey of course began with a bus ride from Seoul to Namhae Island, which is attached to the mainland by a bridge. Upon our arrival on the island, we found ourselves winding around the outer part of the island on a skinny little road. One side was the hill above while on the other side you saw a small lane for oncoming or passing traffic followed by a drop through some greenery to the water below. Our driver, Mr. Kim, did an amazing job once again, navigating us around the corners, allowing us to reach our destination, Darangee Village.
We rounded our final corner and there it was, below the road, just a few more little turns to go; Darangee Village, a quaint little town/village nestled into the side of the hill/mountain. We arrived at our destination and as we gathered our things and exited the bus several smiling people who were very warm and welcoming greeted us. After being assigned our groups and homes for the night, we set off on a brief walk (ride for some) into the village.
Once we got settled in, it was fun time! We had two options, hike up the hill with Seungjin or head to the rocky beach with SeokJin and Jun. Most of us chose the beach, it was quite the hot day, and we were all looking forward to the water. At the beach, we paddled around in a raft, some people went fishing, some people went swimming, and others just chilled on the beach. Once the hikers made their way, in record time I might add, down the hill to the beach, we all had the opportunity to taste some raw seafood, like live octopus, which was suprisingly delicious.
After the beach, it was back to our homestay’s for a little dinner. Once dinner was finished we all headed down to the community hall to meet with the villagers, eat some food, and make some rice reed shoes. Not sure what the real name is, but that will do. Everyone seemed to do really well, and had a great time. Later, when we had completed the shoes, we all got the chance to sing…noraebang style but with a larger crowd.
In the morning, we all woke up to some very intense rainfall. I have never seen it rain and stop and rain again so hard and intermittently. It was unfortunate but we all did our best to enjoy our last day. Later on, we headed off to meet a boat. It was deep sea fishing time! This was very fun, we boarded the boat and did our best to not be seasick, one or two people did not succeed but the rest of us weathered that storm. We watched as two men brought in the net, there were quite a few fish and a squid caught in our net. It was our lucky day! The men immediately began to slice up the squid so that everyone could have a taste. Right there, on the boat we enjoyed tasty beverages and raw seafood. Some took the no seafood option, but still enjoyed watching the others.
After the deep sea fishing it was time to head back to the village for lunch and then our journey home. We all said good bye to our Namhae family and walked up to the bus for our journey back to Seoul. Seokjin and his staff did a great job, yet again. I have been on many trips and this was one of my favorites. Thank you to Seokjin and the Adventure Korea staff for another weekend filled with adventure, fun and some new friends.
