This time, due to the small number of participants, there were only five of us, a group of friends. The travel agency initially asked if we wanted to switch to another Chinese tour, but we felt an English tour would be fine. So, the travel agency directly arranged for a Korean driver who spoke simple English to pick us up from the hotel in a private car, allowing all five of us to participate in the activities. The entire travel experience was simply joyful and unforgettable.
It's important to highlight that the driver was incredibly friendly and thoughtful. Our luggage was a bit heavy, and he proactively helped us carry it. He recommended local snacks to us 😋. Knowing we didn't speak Korean, he meticulously asked staff at each attraction for directions and guided us to the correct entrance. For example, when playing luge, he accompanied us up the mountain, led us through putting on safety gear, and guided us on how to choose which path to take for the luge ride. Additionally, during meal times, the driver carefully asked the restaurant owner about the barbecue steps and even cooked for us himself, allowing us to savor authentic local delicacies. Therefore, I sincerely want to thank the driver for making our trip so enriching 🫶🏻🫶🏻🥹.
Furthermore, we were extremely satisfied with the itinerary and activity arrangements. It felt like a local tour that transitioned from a Seoul city walk to exploring mountains and rivers. The Hwagae Garden was incredibly beautiful. In the early stages, there were no other visitors, so we had the entire place to ourselves and could take photos everywhere. Although there was an additional charge to take the monorail up to the Hwagae Mountain Skywalk, the scenery was breathtaking. With blue skies and white clouds, walking on the skywalk offered panoramic views of the entire countryside, with a distant glimpse of the North Korean border. The locals were also very friendly; even with language barriers, they actively tried to communicate with us. The monorail ride was also worthwhile, like a slow roller coaster, with butterflies fluttering around (this is true, there were really many butterflies 🦋) and beautiful scenery along the way.
The Gyodong Yongri Market is just a small market with a few shops selling traditional local snacks that are hard to find in Seoul. They offer samples to visitors and don't pressure you to buy. The Jeju yuzu rice puffs recommended by the driver were absolutely delicious – highly recommended!
Regarding the food, although the quality was just average, being able to personally experience the local barbecue culture and taste the preparation of authentic local dishes was still worth it. The driver's cooking skills were excellent; it was my first time tasting such delicious instant noodles 🥹😋. I really want to ask him for his cooking tips.
The luge was really thrilling and fun, but unfortunately, the itinerary only included one ride. You need to pay extra to ride 2 or 3 times.
It was clear that the entire trip was a local tour, with only locals and no other foreign tourists. I really liked this aspect, as it allowed us to truly experience the local culture and the simple, rural way of life. The luge also had very few people, so there was no need to queue, and we could quickly ride twice.
Finally, I once again sincerely thank the driver. His thoughtfulness and dedication created an unforgettable memory for our group of five. I truly thank the driver (I hope he sees this review); he silently but diligently took care of us. Driver, thank you so much! 🫶🏻