About ten years ago I visited Namdang Port on Anmyeondo, where the jumbo shrimp festival is held every autumn. Apart from enjoying some shrimp at a not-so-cheap price, I had no particular memories of it. I had no plans to go this year either, but a company workshop took me there. It took about three hours by car.
The atmosphere at Namdang Port
It has been more than ten years, so the place has changed so much that there is nothing left to compare. My old memories mean nothing now. It is an ordinary market atmosphere, and they were selling fried shrimp by the ton. Surprisingly, the parking lot inside the port is big, so even though I visited over a weekend, parking was easy.
Sunset
The sunset made a far deeper impression than the shrimp. The noisy surroundings and tacky buildings did get in the way, but for a view like this, it is worth putting up with.
Sunset 2
Sunset 3
Now I understand why Anmyeondo is famous as a date spot.
Fried shrimp
So much shrimp comes into the market, and the ones that are no longer fresh have to be fried and sold, so it is no wonder the fried shrimp piles up like a mountain. They cost 1,000 won apiece, but honestly it was a bit greasy. One is fine, but two would be too much.
Shrimp
We bought shrimp at the market and grilled it on a barbecue grill. Not cheap, but at this level it is worth paying for. We ate shrimp, grilled some crab, grilled some meat too, and were full in no time.
Dewar’s 12 Year Old
I grabbed this whisky when it was going cheap. It has a slight honey note, and mixed with soda it is really delicious. Good thing I stocked up on it, although half of it is already gone..
Bokbunja wine
I remembered enjoying bokbunja (Korean black raspberry) wine before, so I bought a few similar ones at the supermarket. The taste itself is similar to the Dolmen Gravier I had before, though the Dolmen one feels a bit smoother. That aside, I figured that once the bokbunja content is around 70%, any bokbunja wine is going to taste good.
Mulberry wine
This one is also 70% mulberry juice, but it is less sweet than the bokbunja wine, which makes it easier to drink. Among traditional Korean liquors, I would rank it near the top for satisfaction. By the way, I bought these because the liquor section at Homeplus had all sorts of things; other supermarkets are nowhere near as well stocked. Their imported beer selection is almost department-store level too. I wish the other places would step up a bit.
Sunrise
Unusually for the west coast, you can see the sunrise on Anmyeondo. The view is really spectacular, which is why the pension village is clustered around the spot with the best view.
Boats out for the sunrise
Quite a few small boats came out.
The calm sea
The magical mood of this hour is gone once the hour passes. But getting up at dawn after drinking heavily the night before is no easy thing. That day too, I was the only one strolling along the beach taking it in.
Sunrise
It was beautiful. The scenery of Anmyeondo is going to stay with me for a long time. Come to think of it, last time we left in the morning, ate shrimp and went straight home, so I had no idea a view this gorgeous was here. To enjoy it, an overnight stay at a pension is a must.
The pension’s stuffed cat
We stayed at a pension called Vintage Radio, which was cute and cozy. There were lots of pensions around, and they all had a similar concept.
The pension’s yard
As expected, there is not much to see during the day. Being a tourist spot, there are not many good restaurants and prices are high, so we had a quick lunch and headed back to Seoul.
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