Anmyeon-do

We (and millions of Koreans) had our summer vacation last week. Vacation season in Korea usually starts on the last week of July until mid-August. Airfare doubles during this period and this year is no exception. Thousands are spending their vacations abroad, while people like us either head to the local beaches, valleys, or any place where there is water. In our case, we spent our vacation in my parents-in-law’s house in Jecheon. I really wanted to go to the beach particularly in Anmyeon-do but most, if not all, lodging places have been fully booked since the start of the summer.
Well, two years ago I had the chance to visit Anmyeon-do on our way to Byeonsanban-do (more about this later). “-do” is a Korean suffix which means island or province.Anmyeon-do ( 36°30’27.07″N latitude; 126°20’28.73″E) is located in the province of Chungchungnam-do and is the 6th largest island in Korea. It is connected to the mainland by a viaduct. The island is famous for its swimming beaches, pine tree forest and fresh seafood. I’ve been to beaches in the east coast but I really prefer the ones in Anmyeon-do, probably because the ones in the east are too commercialized.
It was late spring when we went to the island. The water was a bit cold, but that didn’t stop us from getting our feet wet. We also tried to find some seashells but gave up at the last moment and just bought from the local merchants. The size of the sea creatures available is just amazing. I’ve never seen mussels as big as the ones in Anmyeon-do before. There are also some “funny”-looking seafood being sold in the market. I don’t know their names and I never tried them. Check out the pictures I took!