Ulsan- Daewangam Park...

It was the end of the first semester, so this means- Teacher's dinner. Because our vice principal was leaving we went on a little furthur of a journey than a local restaurant. We went to Ulsan.

I had never been to Ulsan before. We all boarded a coach bus at the school right after the kids went home after lunch to make our journey. I never really know what is happening on these trips/dinners, I just watch and go with the flow. Every once in a while, I get a bit of information. 

On this particular day, It was 100 days since the Sewol ferry and it just so happened that the man that many people held resposible for the tragedy- the shipping companies owner, was found dead. For months missing person and wanted posters hung in all of the buildings because people assumed he was in hiding in Korea. Apparently his head had been decapitated shortly after the ferry accident and he was only found months later. Anyway, I'm only mentioning this because as we drove to Ulsan, I was given the scoop on this because it was new information, and was being played on the large TV on the bus!

As we drove to Ulsan from Daegu we passed through the industrial side of Ulsan. When I first came to Korea, I was told that Ulsan was industrial, Busan had nice beaches, and Daegu was hot. So far all of those things have held up... In Ulsan many of the large companies from Korea have manufacturing plants. We saw massive car lots and factories, and it was obvious they were making tons of stuff. I admire how Korea keeps much of the business in Korea. There is an obvious push to take care of their own.

When we finally stopped we were at Daewangam Park on the coast. Daewangam Park is nice for taking walks and it's coast has fantastic rock cliffs. Ulgi Park is located at the end of the sharpest point on the southeastern part of the park towards the East Sea/Sea of Japan. Ulgi Lighthouse is located there and is famou for guiding light on the sea. Around the area are pine trees that are over 100 years old and lots of shade to enjoy. Past the pine tree path, is Daewangam Rock, which is an area that is full of huge boulders. The rock that you can see straight ahead is called Yongchaum because it looks like a dragon that is about to come out of the water. Legend says that Queen Munmu of the Silla Dynasty became a Guardian Dragon of the country after she did and was submerged under the water. With fascinating rock formations, a forest of some 15,000 pine trees, and a wide-open view of the East Sea, this area is considered the second most magnificient spot of the East Coast after Haegeumgang River. The park has a large rock island that looks like a dragon rising up into the sky and it's connected to the mainland with an iron bridge. All of us teachers were able to explore the area and walk on a wooded path along the coast. 

We went and saw another light house before we headed to our dinner spot. It was sunny- don't forget your sun umbrellas! :)

 

After our short hike and adventure, we went to eat Tteokglabi. Tteokgalbi is a delicious Korean dish made from beef ribs, where the meat is minced and pounded on the bone, then marinated in a sweet, salty, and savory sauce, and then grilled or barbecued over charcoal. It’s sweet, chewy, and juicy, and best of all, it’s very tender because the meat is already chopped into small pieces and softened. I had never had this before, and I really enjoyed it. I found it similar to seasoned hamburger meat. 

“Galbi” means ribs in Korean, and “tteok” means rice cake, and it was given this name because the process of cutting, marinating, and shaping the meat is similar to the process of making a rice cake. The final dish is also soft and tender, much like a rice cake in texture.

We still ate it similar to samgyeopsal, where we used a lettuce leaf and piles all the bits on it before eating it in one bite. This teachers dinner was delicious!