Touring Andong

To develop their tours, tour companies in Korea sometimes conduct test tours for people who have experience in judging the quality of tour itineraries. Toward the end of April, I was lucky enough to be contacted by ModeTour http://www.modetour.com/ which is one of the biggest tour companies in Korea. They had developed a new tour which focused on hands-on-experiences in a rural environment in Andong and its outskirts. Together with Korean prominent bloggers and various tour company employees we set out on a 2 day 1 night trip which I will not soon forget.

Rural touring seems to be the new trend in town, with the Rural 20-project http://www.rural20.kr/en/ attracting tourists from Korea and abroad to visit rural towns all over the country. People seek to escape the daily routine but also desire something other than the regular take-a-photo-and-go type of sightseeing. Therefore these type of new tours come as a refreshing wind with all kinds of activities to try on, such as harvesting crops, pottery, glassblowing and whatnot.

The name of the tour was “Green farm produce experience tour” and it stayed true to its name. Starting at 7.30AM outside Mode Tour’s office near City Hall, it was an early morning indeed. The bus provided a comfortable three hour ride to Andong where we visited the Andong fruit wholesale market where live auctions on fruit pass by by the second and subsequently delivered to Seoul or other areas to be sold on. The auction leader’s pace of negotiating would leave even rapper Eminem in awe. The buyers can also follow the auctions on a screen which gets updated live. At the auction place, mainly apples and red chili peppers were on sale - two products that are the pride of Andong. The tour then took us to the Andong Agriculture Technology Center which boasts the world’s largest grasshopper as seen in the picture. They also have more than 50 different species of chicken with some resembling raggy dogs more than birds. The center finally hosts a botanical garden which greenhouses to let various tropical flowers and fruit trees bloom and thrive. Except for things to see, research on agriculture technology is also conducted here. 

 

The lunch offered was bibimbap with the unique feature of including Chrysanthemum. I am still not accommodated to eating flowers, but since the Chrysanthemum had been soaked or even pickled for a while, the scent was not very strong. Right after lunch we visited the Bongjeongsa temple on the slopes of Mount Cheondeung. This is the largest temple in Andong and also the site of the oldest wooden building, Geuknakjeon, in Korea. The temple is believed to first have been established in 672 by monk Uisang or a disciple of the monk. Just as we got to eat Chrysanthemum in the bibimbap for lunch, we got to drink it after the temple visit. While drinking the tea, we were taught the etiquette of tea drinking and the importance of clearing your mind and letting the flavor of the flower flow through the body.

Before arriving at our lodging for the night, namely a Korean style traditional hanok house, we got to try our hands on mug painting. As you can witness the results varied and applying the thick paint was harder than it might seem at first glimpse. At times I was questioning whether I was doing a better job at painting than the two kindergarten kids that were sitting close to me… Foodwise, I believe the dinner was the culinary climax of the trip. Succulent meat barbequed on oak tree with Korean condiments rounded up an eventful day. Since the travelers were from all kinds of age and nationality groups coming from totally different backgrounds, it made for a very special gathering. In particular, one Korean lady who was not even a staff member kept on providing us with meat fresh off the grill, which barely left her time to eat herself. Korean hospitality at its best!

The homemade, buffet style breakfast was also a sight even Jamie Oliver would be proud of. We could even go into the kitchen and see the ladies at work, using lots of local produce in their cooking, one of which is the red pepper paste made in Andong. Straight after breakfast we actually got to visit one such factory where the paste is made from red chillies. Soon it was time again for food, this time Hanwoo meat boiled in a bean paste soup. Hanwoo meat refers to a Korean native breed of cattle and is preferred by Koreans to cheaper imported beef. The Andong bean paste is fermented for a long time in urns similar to the ones used for fermenting kimchi. The long fermentation time gives the bean paste a strong smell and flavor which might be hard to stomach for the first-timers.

The afternoon was brimful with events and activities. First we became calligraphy artisans for an hour and drew a flower with calligraphy brush. Just outside that same building there was a small archery range where we tried our hands on Korean archery. The shooting pose, breathing, aim and power are all of utmost importance and archery surely requires much more skill and training than one might expect before trying. Sadly we had no time to visit the Hahoe Folk Village which is listed with UNESCO as a World Heritage site and perhaps the most notable folk village in Korea. Preserved here are the Joseon period-style architecture, traditions, books and the old tradition of clan-based villages. The village takes the shape of a peninsula almost completely covered by water. We went up a small mountain to at least get a good bird’s eye view and scenic pictures of the folk village. At the same time, when I go sightseeing I like to leave the place not fully discovered so I have a valid reason to visit the place again in the future.

Before riding the bus back home we got to pick and eat fresh strawberries grown inside greenhouses. Thanks to Mode Tour I got some new insights into the history of Korea and tried different handicrafts that would be hard to try elsewhere. Next time I will make sure to devote more time for Hahoe Folk Village and perhaps I will see you there? :)