warm clothes, a good camera

BUS, SUBWAY, TRAIN, WALK

I recently had the pleasure of participating in a unique New Year's Eve tour. The adventure began on the evening of December 31, when we gathered at Seoul Station to board the E-Train, a special "education train" (교육열차) that had been refurbished for educational tours. Although this train is usually used for children's trips, our group used it to travel to Donghae (동해시) on the east coast in Gangwon province this time. While the journey was long, there was plenty to keep us entertained and time to relax. Upon arrival, we transferred to a bus and headed to Jangho Port (장호항), where we watched the first sunrise of the year. The scenery was absolutely stunning - I loved the port with the surrounding mountains and beach. I don't usually enjoy New Year's Eve because I'm not a fan of parties or large crowds, but this was exactly my kind of celebration. It felt peaceful and rejuvenating, and I didn't feel cold at all on the beach. In fact, I even took off my jacket and had fun playing at the beach while taking beautiful pictures of the moment. After the sunrise, we gathered again to enjoy a traditional New Year's dish - rice cake soup (떡국), which is eaten to celebrate the first day of the year and to promote good health. Afterwards, we followed another Korean tradition of starting the New Year fresh with a trip to the sauna. We visited a hot spring (온천) where we cleansed ourselves, symbolically washing away the negative energy of the past year. It was the perfect way to refresh both physically and mentally. Our last stop was the fish market at Mukhohang Port (묵호항) where we enjoyed lunch and explored the various sea creatures on display. There were vendors preparing fresh fish, dried fish, snails, crabs and more. Some of the fish were still alive, swimming in buckets, while others were freshly prepared. While I personally don't like this treatment of animals, I believe it's important to be aware of where our food comes from and how animals are treated before they reach our plates. This experience is a good opportunity to reflect on the food choices we make and the ethical considerations behind them. The only downside to the tour was that although we were asked in advance about allergies and dietary restrictions, only one type of food was prepared for us. Those with special dietary requests were told that they would have to purchase their own food, which was a bit disappointing since they had asked about dietary restrictions beforehand. Overall, I would highly recommend this tour to anyone looking to start the year with a refreshing and meaningful experience. Thank you KORAIL (코레일) for making this wonderful opportunity possible! The memories and experiences I gained will stay with me for a long time.