[김다이의 다이렉트] An autumn train trip for the whole family to Yecheon along the delicious road.

The view from the skyside observatory [사진=김다이 기자]

People gathered at Cheongnyangni Station from all over the country early in the morning for the fall train trip. They may be tired, but their faces are full of anticipation and excitement.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization launched the third ‘Here’ train trip this year. A total of 240 passengers were on the tourist train leaving Cheongnyangni for Andong on the 1st. 80 people in Andong, 80 people in Uiseong, 80 people in Yecheon. They are all selected after overcoming a competition rate of 10 to 1.

There are various types of travelers who travel by train. There are people who go on a train trip with three generations, including a grandmother, mother, and granddaughter, holding hands. People eat sandwiches on the train and participate in games to win gifts. The bright laughter of passengers fills the train heading to Andong.

Recreation takes place on the train. [사진=김다이 기자]

◆ ‘Hoeryongpo Village’, a small island village in the mainland

Moving from Andong Station to Yecheon, the first place we arrived at was Hoeryongpo. Hoeryongpo is a typical alluvial land created by the intrusion of Naeseong Stream, a waterway that joins the Nakdong River, and is a landform where Naeseong Stream curves at nearly 350 degrees.

This appearance gave the impression of a dragon embracing Biryongsan Mountain and swirling around the water as if flying, hence the name ‘Hoeryongpo’.

People entering Hoeryongpo Village through Pungppong Bridge. [사진=김다이 기자]

Hoeryongpo Village, a small island village on the mainland. When two 40-seat tour buses arrive in this quiet and sparsely populated village, the village begins to come to life.

To enter Hoeryongpo Village across Naeseongcheon Stream, you must cross a pedestrian bridge. It is a simple bridge called Arbang Bridge by the locals, but it has holes all over it. 80 tourists line up and narrowly pass over the Pungpung Bridge.

A family is taking pictures affectionately in Hoeryongpo Garden. [사진=김다이 기자]

Photo spot at Hoeryongpo Garden [사진=김다이 기자]

At the entrance to the village, General Cheonha and General Jihae guard the village like guardian gods. In this place, which is not even the sea, fine sand surrounds the village roads, so you can even experience walking barefoot. The Hoeryongpo White Sand Beach Barefoot Walking Course, which surrounds Hoeryongpo Village, is 1.2km long.

Tourists take pictures at the monument in front of the village and walk through the Hoeryongpo Garden to admire the flowers in full bloom. In this fairytale-like island village with green grass, majestic pine trees, and even a small lake, people lose track of time as they make their own memories.

Tourists are experiencing making red pepper paste in Geumdangsil Village. [사진=김다이 기자]

◆Gochujang and Injeolmi made directly in Geumdangsil Village

The theme of this fall’s train trip is ‘autumn table setting’ gourmet travel. Gochujang (red pepper paste) made using Yecheon peppers in Geumdangsil Village and chewy injeolmi (rice cakes) made by hand are one of the delicacies of this trip.

Yecheon Geumdangsil Village is a place where old houses and cultural assets from the late Joseon Dynasty are well preserved. The village’s name means ‘golden pond’, and the quiet stone wall surrounding the village is very beautiful. The village has a 7km restored stone wall road, and under the stone wall, you can see various flowers such as zinnias and wild roses.

To make soft red pepper paste, you need to stir it quickly with chopsticks. [사진=김다이 기자]

Geumdangsil Village’s first program is making glutinous rice red pepper paste made with peppers harvested in Yecheon, the country’s major pepper growing area.

First, add salt to the fermented glutinous rice syrup containing malt, non-glutinous rice, and glutinous rice, mix well, and then mix well the soybean meju powder and Yecheon clean red pepper powder. Stir well to prevent the powder from clumping and leave it for 2 weeks to create a delicious glutinous rice red pepper paste.

A child is pounding rice cake with all his might. [사진=김다이 기자]

Injeolmi is completed by coating the rice cake with soybean paste. [사진=김다이 기자]

After a simple experience of making red pepper paste, this time we set out to make injeolmi. Each person takes turns pounding rice cake with a wooden mortar. Everyone puts all their effort into making rice cake with the sole intention of eating chewy injeolmi. After pounding the rice cake so hard that the wooden desk splits, the rice cake is cut and coated with soybean paste. Injeolmi, eaten right away, is literally ‘honey-tasting’. Everyone enjoys the experience of making injeolmi, regardless of the bean paste stains all over their bodies.

Tourists traveling by train here taking commemorative photos in front of Yongmunsa Temple [사진=김다이 기자]

◆Yunjangdae seen at Yongmunsa Temple in autumn

Yongmunsa Temple in Yecheon is located in a quiet mountain after a long winding journey from the city to the mountains. This is a thousand-year-old temple located at the foot of Sobaeksan Mountain.

When you enter the entrance of Yongmunsa Temple, you will see a revolving door guarded by a huge statue of the Four Guardian Kings. If you go through the revolving door, Haeunru is located. This is a place where you can see the panoramic view of Yongmunsa Temple. The autumn scenery of Yongmunsa Temple can be seen at a glance between the red pillars and blue dancheong.

A tourist is looking at the ginkgo tree at Yongmunsa Temple. [사진=김다이 기자]

Yongmunsa Temple was a temple that protected the royal family’s fetal chambers from the Goryeo Dynasty to the Joseon Dynasty. The placenta chamber refers to a place where the womb that comes out when a child is born in the royal family is kept.

If you come to Yongmunsa Temple, you must stop by Yecheon’s only national treasures, ‘Daejangjeon’ and ‘Yunjangdae’. Daejangjeon and Yunjangdae were designated as national treasures on December 2, 2019.

Daejangjeon was built to store the Tripitaka Koreana. It was first built in 1173 (the 3rd year of King Myeongjong’s reign in Goryeo) during the Kim Bo-dang Rebellion, and has maintained its original appearance despite being rebuilt eight times.

The view from the top of Yongmunsa Temple [사진=김다이 기자]

Yecheon cultural tour guide explains Daejangjeon and Yunjangdae. [사진=김다이 기자]

To the left and right in front of the Buddhist altar in Daejangjeon is the rotating sutra ‘Yunjangdae’, which stores the Buddhist scriptures, National Treasure No. 328. It is said that turning the sutra on the Yunjangdae once will produce the same merit as reading the scriptures once, so it was used as a valuable tool for religious activities even by people who could not read.

Five Yunjangdae (Yunjangdae) were made during the Goryeo Dynasty, and the only one that remains is the Yongmunsa Temple. Between the Yunjangdae on the left and right, a wooden seated Amitabha Buddha Triad, Treasure No. 989, and a wooden carving tank stand proudly, showing off their splendid appearance.

The view from the top of Sky Ridge Observatory [사진=김다이 기자]

Sky’s Edge Observatory [사진=김다이 기자]

Head to the ‘Sky Edge Observatory’ to capture another view of Yecheon. If you go up the 23.5m high spiral staircase from the entrance to the Sky Edge Observatory, you can enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view of the scenery below the observatory.

In particular, the natural scenery of the foot of Sobaeksan Mountain seen from the top of Eorim Lake Observatory is truly spectacular. There is a walking trail and a rest area near the observatory, so even if you do not climb the observatory, you can enjoy nature by taking a leisurely walk in the forest.

A tourist is admiring the foot of Sobaeksan Mountain from the Sky Ridge Observatory. [사진=김다이 기자]

Tourists taking pictures at the top of the observatory [사진=김다이 기자]

◆’Here in the fall’ 11 themed trips

‘2024 Travel Fall’ is a campaign promoted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization from October to December, the off-season for travel. The fourth quarter is the off-season for travel, with the lowest number of national travel days of the year. The fall travel season was promoted to create a travel atmosphere by activating domestic travel during this off-season, and to promote demand for domestic travel and boost domestic consumption.

During this period, ‘railway discounts’ such as a 50% discount on fares for five regular tourist train routes and a flat 10,000 won discount on the Tomorrow Pass will be provided, as well as accommodation discounts and travel product discounts through the Accommodation Sale Festa.

Among them, the public event ‘Go Here’ is a travel product that selects 2,000 citizens and goes to 24 regions. The name ‘Here’ is derived from the first letters of ‘Autumn travel, local travel by train’. Here, Yellow Balloon participates as a partner.

Participants on a day train trip here in the fall [사진=김다이 기자]

You can enjoy a day trip in the fall by paying a participation fee of 49,000 won per person. The participation fee for minor children in multi-child households is 20,000 won per person.

This place, which selects 240 people per session, is operated at a low cost, so the competition rate is fierce. More than 20,000 people applied to participate in this fall trip. 5,378 people applied for the Sancheong, Hamyang, and Jangsu programs on the 24th, which recorded the highest competition rate. For the 24th episode with the theme of ‘Local Story’, 240 people were selected, overcoming a competition rate of 22.41:1.

Reporter Information Dai Kim dayi@ajunews.com