In the afternoon of Thursday, February 15th, 2007, I decided to take a bike ride around the empty rice fields in the vicinity of my apartment complex. It was a beautiful day, so I ventured away on the little roads criss-crossing the flat lands stretching along the south bank of the river running nearby. I just rode my bike until I inadvertently came across the little harbor-town of Gaejin, a community of some 500 people.

I had been to Gaejin once before in September of 2006, just a couple of days after I arrived in Gansung, but I had never imagined that that harbor would be just a few minutes bike-ride away from my place. You see, the big deal about Gajin Harbor is that it actually has an OPEN beach. The thought of having an open beach available to me made my discovery a very, very happy event.

If you have seen the photo page showing the pictures I took on the 24th and the 25th of December, 2006, you will know that most beaches in the northernmost part of Kangwon Province are off limits to the public. You will also know how disappointing it has been for me to live in an apartment with such an outstanding view of the ocean and yet be totally unable to go walk on the beach because of those shameful fences.

Well, my disappointment is over. Now I have Gaejin Harbor just a 15 to 20-minute bike ride away from home.

The photos shown below were taken on Monday, February 26, 2007. Please notice that even though the houses in Gaejin are clearly not of the luxurious kind, some of their doors are pretty fancy by western standards. 

Please click on the thumbnails to see a larger image