Samcheok? I'd never heard of it either, but it was yogi:
There are buses leaving from the Express Bus Toyminal (the way "terminal" is pronounced in Korean) near our apartment every half hour or so, so catching a bus wasn't too difficult. There were two classes of bus to choose from: general or excellent, and we went with "general" because it was 8,000 won cheaper, took just as long to get there, and the last time I looked a bus is a bus is a bus. There is no bathroom on the general bus, but the bus stopped after 2 hours at a very nice rest stop which featured the options of using either a "toilet bowl" stall or a "bidet" stall. Guess who chose bidet ;)
The drive was nice, and a lot of the places we passed through were very farmy and reminded me of home. No one was growing apples like good 'ol Aylesford, though. The crop of choice was rice, of course.
As we got closer to our destination our anxiety levels rose. It was dark now, well after 10pm and where were we going exactly? Would there even be any motels to stay at? Anything to eat? Of course there was. Samcheok is very tourist friendly, has lots of bilingual signs, and sufficient food, drink and lodging options. We were craving samgyupsal, and we spotted a restaurant that was still open in the downtown area and had some drinks and a great meal.
After eating, we set out to find a hotel. There are dozens and dozens of love motels in the blocks near the bus toyminal. Our choice was "Motel Very Six" and it is located on a side street opposite the bus toyminal. Just cross the road from the toyminal, walk three blocks to the right and you'll see a street with lots of neon. Walk for a minute or so, it's behind the sign that says "Bier". Anyway, for 60,000 won ($55 CAD) we slept in a VIP suite, the owner spoke English quite well and showed how to use all the high-tech functions of the room. Functions such as a vibrating bed! I've always wanted to stay in a place with a vibrating bed and here's my official opinion on them: ouch. It only vibrated in one spot, in a pounding motion that made it feel like the bed was sexing my back. The other features of the room were much better. First of all, the place was immaculate and very rich-looking. There was a PC with high speed internet, a flat screen TV and a jacuzzi tub. Can I just say that I love personal jacuzzi tubs? The owner even sprinkled some rose petals in the tub for us before he left. It's the little touches that count.In the morning we checked out and ate some doncassuh (pork cutlet) and bibimbap (rice+vegetables) for lunch before getting on the bus to the park. Haesindang is about 50 minutes away by bus, but Samcheok's size makes it the most convenient place to stay if you've planning to visit the park. You catch the bus (#24) at the bus stop behind the bus toyminal and it costs 1,600 won.
We knew we were close to the park because we could see a penis-shaped lighthouse in the distance.
Okay, so here is the story of the Penis Park. You don't just build a park like this for no reason, y'know! Legend has it that when a young virgin was swept away and died at sea, the fish became sad and went away. Not good for a fishing village! Her fiance exposed himself to the water by taking a leak in the sea, which pleased the fish and they returned. Hence, a million penis statues were erected by the shore to keep the fish happy and ensure many years of good fishing. Above you can see a shrine to the virgin where you can leave her some soju or something if you like.
The path was smooth but if there was always something to grip if you felt a little unsteady.
Aaaaaaand the statues begin!
A penis cannon.
The park was surprisingly filled with 90% ajummas (old ladies) laughing and pointing at the art. The other 10% were foreigners. We know what we like.
The detail was captivating.
There was one peen statue for each sign of the Zodiac. Here's Mel with the year of the cock, for no particular reason.
BFFs.OK, so there's obviously a million more pictures where those came from, but I'm not looking to have my blog shut down for indecency. We spent about an hour at the park, purchased some penis shot glasses on our way out, and then caught the bus back to Samcheok. The buses only run about once an hour, so get a schedule from tourist information in Samcheok before you leave.
Back in Samcheok, with at least 2 hours on a bathroom-less bus ahead of us, we decided the best idea would be to buy some alcohol. A pitcher of cherry soju, no less. And it came with some servic-uh iced coffee and water. Thankfully, there were no bathroom related emergencies like that one time after the booze cruise...Love Land= check!
Penis Park= check!
Anyone know of any vagina parks? This is just too much fun.
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