Saturday Oct 17, 2026
Hi Folks! We made it to South Korea! Today we were docked in the port of Sokcho in South Korea. We did an excursion stopping at three different places which were the Abai Village, the Naksansa Temple, and the Fish Market.
Our first stop was Abai Village which is home to North Korean refugees who fled during the Korean War. Since that was over 70 years ago, many of the original refugees have since passed on. My Dad actually served in the Korean War over here and I had this warm vibe the whole time knowing he was watching over us as we ventured thru areas that he may have been to. Thanks Dad!
Our next stop was to Naksansa Temple which was founded in 671 by a monk named Uidang. The grounds are huge and very hilly but when you get to the top, there is a very tall Buddha statue and amazing views looking over both the Pacific Ocean and the mountains.
Our final stop was at the fish market. It had tons of fresh fish and dried fish delicacies. But it stank! And while it was interesting, there was nothing there to buy the grandkids! Lol
Both leaving the ship this morning and coming back to the ship in the late afternoon we had to go thru immigration. It wasn’t too painful but it just took a little longer to go thru.
We decided to change up our dinner routine and try eating in the Lido buffet restaurant. One of the reasons was we wanted to see the fireworks they were setting off at 8 PM. It was a pretty good show but if you’re from Pittsburgh, it ain’t no Zambelli fireworks! And as to eating at the buffet, they pretty much have most of the same things as the dining room has. You just serve your self. Which means you can get as much as you want which can be deadly!
After dinner and the fireworks, we went to the show which was called “Curtain Up”. It was the HAL singers and dancers doing various musical theater numbers. They are really talented and put on a great show!
After the show we got back to our normal end of night routine which is listening to the piano player. She is really good and draws a huge crowd. It’s hard getting a seat!
Tomorrow we have a sea day as we sail back to Japan. It will be nice to sleep in and relax! Hope everyone had a great day!
