Escaping the Summer Heat: A Day Trip to Eobi Valley
Summer is in full swing, and while a trip to the beach felt like a bit too much, we decided to head to a valley instead.
If you don't have teeth, use your gums. If there's no potato pizza, have potato pancakes. If you don't have Fucidin, use Madecassol. And if you can't go to the beach, why not visit a valley?
We drove along the Yangyang Expressway and exited at Seorak IC, which isn't far from Seoul.
It has nothing to do with Seoraksan Mountain; it's called Seorak because this area is Seorak-myeon in Gapyeong-gun.
Not far from here, near the famous Yumyungsan Recreational Forest, lies Eobisan Mountain and Eobi Valley.
As you can find through a quick search, Eobi Valley is quite long, with many spots where you can enjoy playing in the water.
We debated where to play, and while there seemed to be some free parking spots nearby, we decided to go with a well-maintained parking lot to save time and relax.
We followed the directions on Tmap (a Korean navigation app) to 'Eobi Valley Parking Lot' and found a spot.
The local senior citizens association collects the parking fee.
An elderly woman slowly emerged from a container box, saying, '5,000 won~ 5,000 won~'
I asked, 'Do you take cards?' She replied, 'Cards... we don't have anything like that... hmm...'
I handed her the crumpled 5,000 won bill I had in my pocket. She said, 'Oh my, you're giving up your small change!'
I replied, 'Oh no, it's my entire fortune!' To which she responded, 'Oh, your entire fortune, I see...'
We headed towards the blue bridge visible from the parking lot.
A lively scene of people enjoying the water unfolded before us.
Most visitors were families, and I found out that there are many campsites and pensions along the valley.
There were also people on the lower reaches of the valley.
We quickly found a spot and jumped into the valley!
Ooh, it's cold!
Just dipping our feet in was enough to cool down and make the sweat on our backs disappear.
It's not deep, so it's perfect for kids to play in.
Right next to the valley, there's a restaurant that serves Dak-bokkeumtang (braised spicy chicken stew) cooked on a cauldron lid.
We had Dak-maeuntang (spicy chicken stew) cooked on a cauldron lid nearby earlier, so it seems like Gapyeong is the city of cauldron lids.
The water is really clear.
Apparently, Eobi Valley got its name because the fish leaping above the water look like they're flying.
If you watch closely, you can even see small fish, and although I tried to catch them with my hands, it was impossible.
There's a small weir...
...and a huge waterfall.
Someone even built a cute little dam.
It's cute and zen-like, but it lacks brutal charm.
The kids were having a blast.
After playing in the water for a while, we felt refreshed but a little peckish.
We went to the nearby Emart24 convenience store, bought a bunch of snacks, and took a cool-down break.
Then, our daughter, the 'Ddal-raem Monster,' started doing something.
I went closer and saw her quietly moving stones.
I joined in.
While Mom enjoyed some reading, Dad and daughter built a dam, looking on with satisfaction. (Picture this!)
But something felt missing.
When the kids from the dam next to us went home, we stole their stones and started expanding our dam.
We stole them all!
After working hard for a long time, my back started to hurt, and when I looked up, it felt like 10 years had passed.
Where did everyone go?
As it approached 6 PM, all the families with children left, leaving only two chairs resting.
Regardless, the punishment of Sisyphus continued...
...and the ultimate monster dam was completed!
Despite rising material costs, we spared no expense on high-quality materials to create an impenetrable security system.
Our daughter wanted to name the dam because she had grown attached to it, so I named it.
This dam is no different from one created by God.
Therefore,
I christen it 'God Dam' (갓댐).
Thankfully, we finished construction just before sunset, so I'm feeling proud.
See You Again (CU Again - referencing the convenience store).
Time to go home.
Let's go, shall we?
Come on, let's go...
We were finally able to leave when the light and darkness precisely divided the world in half.
The parking lot grandma had disappeared after 6 PM.
Even on the way home, and a week later, and then two weeks later, our daughter kept saying:
'Dad, I miss God Dam... I want to see God Dam.'
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