Vivaldi Park and Yangdeokwon—August 29-30, 2020

Since no bus went directly from Seoul to Vivaldi Park, I would have to take an indirect route—farther east to Hongcheon and then another bus 25 kilometers back west; I retain fond memories of Hongcheon, having experienced its winter festival in 2010.

Having already seen the Alpensia and Phoenix ski resorts, I more or less knew what to expect. This one, however, has been the most visited in Korea for several years running. Since I have never been on skis or a snowboard and do not plan to start, I am not the ideal patron.

Vivaldi Park is situated on the slopes of Palbong Mountain. Packed with 20,000 visitors on busy winter days, it has 13 ski slopes. This warm Saturday, all were bright green grass—not a snowflake as far as the eye could see. They appeared to have been converted to golf putting greens and driving ranges, although not a golf course. Vivaldi Park does have its own country club, reputedly one of the top golf courses in the country. I walked around the sprawling facility and took note of the restaurants, the hotels, the shopping mall and a host of other ways young Koreans could spend their parents’ money and entertain themselves. The fatuous offerings include laser tag, an arcade, a virtual-reality room, something called “Ant World” and more, but this held no appeal. Perhaps I sound like a snob. If I had brought along some teenagers, we probably would have had a merry time.

I did not even take the gondola (built for skiers in winter) up to the top and check out the panorama. Would things be any different at Ocean World? I strolled on over and took a look. Its designers had chosen an Egyptian motif with sphinxes, obelisks, pyramids and pharaohs. This, according to the brochure, is the number 1 water park in Korea and number 2 in all of Asia, just behind Waterbom Bali. I would not gainsay such a claim, as it has wave pools, swimming pools, hot springs, water slides, a “Monster Blaster,” a “Super Boomerang,” a jimjilbang, a spa and other facilities for relaxation, comfort and fun.

After barely an hour at Vivaldi Park, I was leaving. My weekend excursion was not over, however. On the way there from Hongcheon, we had passed through a nice little town. I knew neither its name nor what it had to offer, but I was determined to find out. The bus terminal was, if you can believe it, the parking lot of a 7-11. I entered said convenience store, bought a large bottle of Pocari Sweat (an oddly named sports drink) and asked the lady where I might find a hotel. She pointed one out, and it proved wholly adequate—40,000 won, the air-conditioning worked well, the bed was OK and the shower head spouted abundant hot water. This would suffice.

The town, I later learned, is called Yangdeokwon. The name derives from the Joseon era when government emissaries or well-to-do citizens would travel eastward and stop for a rest or to change horses. Others like it are Jochiwon and Toegyewon. After the artificiality of Vivaldi Park, this place was quite refreshing. I walked in every direction, stopping at an old-style church with a sign out front stating that there would be no services the next day because of governmental COVID restrictions.

A few blocks away was a mountain known as Saebyeokdaegisan (“dawn mountain”) with trails laid out for trekkers. Up I went, along a fast-flowing creek and a series of ridges. But well before I got to the 664-meter-high peak, I heard thunder. It was speaking to me. It said, “Head down the mountain, you tenderfoot. Major rain is coming.”

The following morning, I took a 30-minute walk and saw how farmers in this part of southwestern Gangwon Province live. It was quite pleasant, except for one encounter with a barking and snarling little dog. I checked out of my hotel and prepared to catch the bus to Hongcheon and then on to Seoul, but not so fast! I walked to Rover House for the purpose of dropping off In-suk’s umbrella. To my surprise, she was just opening up. She gave me a cup of café latte to take on the bus.

How could I leave without getting a photo of me and Venedy? His sister did the honors. She had come from Seoul to Yangdeokwon with her baby to lessen the odds of a COVID infection. On the bus going west, I read that Seoul’s city government had declared August 30 to September 5 the “10-million citizen standstill week” in an effort to halt the spread of the virus.