Gadeokdo Island

Last weekend, I took an impromptu trip to Gadeokdo Island, which is the largest island in Busan and about a 30-minute drive from my home.

My old Korean teacher friend learned of my pending departure from Korea, so he invited me out to lunch on Saturday for some Chinese food. I took the subway and met him, and to my surprise, he was with two middle school students who would be joining us for lunch. One student was a girl from his school who I had met previously. The other student was a boy from my current school who the Korean teacher also knows well.

Korean restaurants are still operating these days but there are protocols designed to keep people safe. We had a separate small room with a sliding door to ourselves. My Korean friend paid for a big meal that was tasty and filling. We all had jjajangmyeon which is noodles with a thick, dark sauce containing pork and vegetables. I only spilled a drop or two onto my shirt. Not bad.

After lunch, we piled into the teacher's car and he drove us through Busan, along a scenic ocean and mountain view road, to Gadeokdo Island. This island has a nice walking trail and interesting historical sites.

During the early 1900s, Russia and Japan were at war and Gadeokdo was used by the Japanese military as a based. The large flat circles carved into the ground, or launch pads, are still viewable on the island where the Japanese set up their artillery. There are other fortifications and military barracks to view as well.

 

We took a stroll around some of the sites and posed for a few pictures, then it was off to a nearby cafe with a great view of the sea for coffee. It seemed like the entire street was just one big row of cafes to take advantage of the sea view. 

One of the students had written me a nice note about me leaving Korea. Students are being so kind to me since they learned that I was leaving Korea. I guess they have many foreign teachers over the years and few stay with them for more than a year. It's very sad, but I'm glad they can connect with people from around the world. And the students certainly make a positive impression on the teachers. I'll miss them when I'm gone.