A winter wonderland comes alive in the fall: The natural beauty of Pyeongchang lures city dwellers looking for an adventurous retreat from urban life
Visitors stroll between fields of buckwheat flowers in Bongpyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang.[LIM HYUN-DONG]
As the next stage for the Winter Olympic Games, the image of Pyeongchang is that of a vibrant place with snowy mountains. The county in Gangwon province, however, sparks a different charm during the tranquil days of autumn. From relaxing walks and scenic drives up the mountains to endless outdoor activities, Pyeongchang offers a variety of fun for all visitors.
Many think of strolls through fields of flowers as a springtime activity, but Bongpyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang, invites visitors to enjoy their flower fields in the fall breeze. As visitors walk through the fields, a sea of buckwheat flowers welcome them, forming a breathtaking scene with its white flowers and green leaves. Like the famous author Lee Hyo-seok describes in his renowned novel “When Buckwheat Flowers Bloom” (1936), the flower field shines as if someone had just poured bags of fine salt on the ground.
Although the village’s annual Hyoseok Cultural Festival, which draws about 500,000 visitors each year, ended last week, the flowers are expected to be in bloom until at least the end of this month. After a peaceful stroll in the sea of flowers, visitors love to walk through the streets that made famous in Lee’s novel. The Lee Hyo-seok Culture Village, where the author’s birthplace used to stand, is also a popular destination. A four-minute drive from the village is the Forest of Literature, where wild flowers and colored leaves dance along the sound of wind.
Bongpyeong is also known for its noodles made from buckwheat. After a filling meal of buckwheat noodles, visitors are recommended to drop by Mooee Arts Center, which used to be an elementary school, but was renovated after it closed down. As visitors enter the center, they can easily spot an oil painting of buckwheat flowers, painted by the 62-year-old head of the arts center Jeong Yeon-seo.
“White and green are a combination that form the clearest and softest harmony,” said Jeong. “That’s why buckwheat flowers always catch your eyes no matter how long you stare at them.”
Flowers are not the only wild life that makes visitors of Pyeongchang gasp. A refreshing drive up the mountains through the trees is an unforgettable scene.
As one drives about 55 kilometers (34 miles) south from Bongpyeong, they enter Mitan-myeon, Pyeongchang, where the 2005 hit film “Welcome to Dongmakgol” was shot. Along with looking around where the film was shot, visitors are recommended to visit Mount Cheongok.
Up the mountain appears a colony of white birches. The charming look of the trees, as if they are wearing white coats, tempts drivers to take at least a short walk among them. Usually found amongst the white trees is a blanket of fog, forming a mystic atmosphere. The forest, built by the Korea Forest Service about 10 years ago, allows visitors to breathe in fresh air in an unusual environment.
The scene of windmills silently spinning is another typical sight people recall when reminded of the mountains of Gangwon. As one reaches the peak of the mountain, a handful of white wind generators stand out among the endless green fields.
On top of the mountain live farmers who diligently cultivate crops from the fields. Amid the sharp Baekdudaegan mountain range stands the hilly peak of Mount Cheongok, with its surface measuring up to 300,000 square meters (358,797 square yards). This area of the mountain is called Yookbaekmajigi, literally meaning land wide enough to sow 600 buckets of seeds. Villagers picked wild greens on Yookbaekmajigi and cultivated the land using the slash-and-burn technique for years.
“People started raising potatoes, cabbages, and radishes when American soldiers gave them seeds in the 1960s,” said Cha Yong-dam, 82, a villager of Yookbaekmajigi. “60 households were in the area at the time, and there even was an elementary school.” Cha started growing hydrangeas on Yookbaekmajigi with his son this year.
Only three households are found in Yookbaekmajigi the days, but farming is still the main activity, with farmers harvesting organic radishes, rye, spinach and more each year.
“With its fertile soil and cool air, Yookbaekmajigi provides ideal conditions to grow vegetables,” said Lee Hae-geuk, 65, a farmer in Yookbaekmajigi.
One may be surprised to hear that Pyeongchang is the perfect place to enjoy adventurous activities in autumn as well. Ski resorts, which get packed with skiers and snowboarders from December to February, transform themselves into perfect places to restfully enjoy outdoor activities.
For those who wish to take a refreshing stroll amid the colorful leaves, the Phoenix Park resort provides three courses of walking trails called the Wellness Forest Trail. Course 1, the most popular, is 2.6 kilometers long and takes about two hours to walk. Course 3 connects to the peak of the ski resort, Mont Blanc, and many hikers make their way to the top by taking gondolas and then follow the trail down the mountain.
“People don’t go to the Wellness Forest Trail just to hike,” said Choi Ho-kyu, 53, a tour guide. “They set foot on the trail to take therapeutic walks, in search of the harmony people form with forests.”
The autumn forest welcomes walkers with its fresh green scent coming from colonies of evergreen trees. Trails alongside the evergreens lead to horsetails, or evergreen grasses with distinct joints, and then to birches. The sound of streams trickling is in the air as walkers follow the trail, making the forest an ideal hideaway from the city.
Phoenix Park adds excitement to a relaxing getaway, with its all-terrain vehicle (ATV) tracks. After a quick training session of five practice laps around the track, a professional guide leads riders up the slopes, which are normally used as ski runs in winter. A race down the rugged hills, plowing through grasses that are as tall as a grown man, is a thrill that is quite different from a ski down the smooth snowy slopes. The ATV allows riders to climb up the steep hills and race through the rough terrain.
For those who seek extreme thrills, the resort has the Flying Zip, a speedy zip line high up in the trees. At a length of over 500 meters, riders fly through the air for a total of nearly 20 seconds, a time that rushes by as they race back towards the ground. Riders are safely equipped and trained before the ride.
Left: A colony of birches stands in Mount Cheongok, Mitan-myeon, Pyeongchang. Center: Riders enjoy all-terrain vehicles (ATV) on the grassy slopes of Phoenix Park, Bongpyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang. Right: Visitors walk around the Lee Hyo-seok Forest of Literature, decorated based on scenes from Lee Hyo-seok’s renowned novel “When Buckwheat Flowers Bloom” (1936). [LIM HYUN-DONG]
The entry fee to the Lee Hyo-seok Literature Forest is 2,000 won ($1.81) per person. Entry into the Mooee Arts Center is 3,000 won per person.
Migayeon, a Korean restaurant situated around five minutes away by car from Lee Hyo-seok Literautre Forest, serves buckwheat noodles for 6,000 won per bowl alongside other dishes made of buckwheat. For more details, call 033-335-8805.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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