winter harbor

After a long time, padyatri visited Gampo 감포 Port on the East Sea coast near Gyeongju 경주 with a senior. The weather was chilly, with temperatures dropping below freezing, but under a cloudless, clear sky, the sunshine felt warmly comforting. We arrived around lunchtime, and the restaurant district was crowded with visitors. 

In cold weather, fish don’t bite very well, so most fishing boats were moored at the pier. Even the hagfish in the restaurant aquariums were curled into tight circles, huddled up, and gazing outward. 

Gampo was developed into a fishing port during the Japanese colonial period, when many Japanese people moved there. Even today, Japanese-style houses are preserved near the market.

For lunch, they had Mulhoe 물회, usually translated into English as “cold raw fish soup,” at a fish restaurant near the breakwater. However, considering the price of 25,000 won per person, the food was rather disappointing. The restaurant owners seemed to view customers as one-time passersby, so the food felt overly commercial and profit-driven. Of course, not all restaurants were like that, but even the senior—who is a gourmet—was visiting after a long time and tried to jog his memory; unfortunately, he couldn’t find the restaurant. 

Despite the bitter cold, people were fishing at the pier. Some of them were women. They say that the fresh taste of fish caught in clear, cold water, along with the calm and quiet fishing environment, makes winter fishing so appealing.

winter suburbs

padyatri went out of the city to the outskirts over the weekend. It was a place he had visited before by bicycle, but this time he took a city bus. If you take a bus north, you will reach a village called Joya 조야 in a small valley.. 

Joya is the final stop of the bus route. It felt like the terminal and its surrounding area had changed a bit since he last visited. If you go further into the village alleys, a mountain trail appears soon, and if you keep going up, you reach the mountain ridge. 

 

Following the ridge eastward, you eventually descend to another small village called Nogok 노곡. The Seoul–Busan Expressway runs in front of Nogok and Joya, which are densely packed within a small area, featuring residential housing, small-scale factories, restaurants, and shops.

To the south of Nogok flows the Geumho 금호 River, and since River Island Park (Hajungdo 하중도 Park) opened a few years ago, this village has become somewhat crowded with visitors. In the past, the island, formed from layers of sediment deposited over many years, was covered with plastic greenhouses. After being newly developed into a park, it is now filled with flowers throughout the year—starting with rapeseed blossoms in spring and continuing in every season except winter. The photo on the right shows a view from the air of rapeseed flowers in full bloom in spring.

Don't Stop Me Now(Queen Cover)

A band composed of Korean female musicians performed a cover of Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now, which was featured on a YouTube channel called “초면에 합해보자, Hello, Let’s Rock.” The name was chosen to emphasize the original concept of bringing together female musicians who were truly meeting for the first time to play together, and it has been kept even after they became acquainted.

Each member practices individually for a week, then meets the others to rehearse together for the first time. Among several takes, the best one is released without editing.

They are currently considering an official band name for future formal activities, such as releasing original songs. The jam sessions take place in a music production studio, which is run by the audio engineer who produces the channel.