Winter at Wolmido

Shiny blinking lights of all colors, steam pouring out of food vendor stands, carnival rides and their jingles polluting the atmosphere in a boardwalk-like setting. This is Wolmido. It is an “island” at the port of Incheon that has become a bit of a tourist attraction. I put “island” in quotes because even though it's name labels it as an island, a road has been built connecting it to the mainland and closing off the port of Incheon. This carnival/boardwalk type atmosphere is alive and crowded as it was designed to be in the summer months. In winter, however, the sounds, sights and smells of the boardwalk are present but missing a key ingredient, the people.

Our purpose for this cold visit to a summer hangout spot was to catch a sunset that we had yet seen. It was a beautiful Saturday that we didn't want to waste indoors, yet we were also not so inspired as to make the trek all the way to Seoul to find some entertainment. Instead, we relaxed through the morning, made a trip to the open-air market at noonish, and began our Wolmido adventure at around 3:30. We hopped on the 6-1 bus out to Dongincheon Station where we picked up another bus taking us directly to Wolmido park where we got off. The total one-way travel time was a little over one hour.

At Wolmido park we circled the traditional Korean household where we had relaxed with a beer last summer. From there, we took a trail facing directly up hill. Walking the wooden staircase we quickly made it to the top where we found a small road and a couple of different paths leading up to different peaks of the hill. Climbing the path with the stone wall at its peak, a view of the surrounding area opened up. Looking East we saw planes coming in for landing at airport Island. To the Southeast we spotted boats floating under and around Incheon bridge. To the South, off in the distance, the skyscrapers of Songdo. Just below the hill to the East we could see ships parked in Incheon port. To the East on the mainland was Chinatown, Jayu Park, and the statue of McCarthy.

Wolmido, may be known in military circles as the location of the Incheon Landing Operation, the major turning point in the Korean War. On this island, and on the mainland nearby, US forces penetrated deep into enemy territory, cutting off their supply lines and leaving North Korean forces stranded in South Korea. From here the McCarthy-led forces drove North to the border with China before being driven back to what is today referred to as the DMZ. For this reason, the statue of US General McCarthy stands high on a hill just across the port from Wolmido.

Though we could see much from atop that stone wall, an observation tower stood high and open to visitors so we relocated to watch the sunset. The tower's staircase perched at that southern most peak of the hill rose four levels, at one point passing through a cafe. Decals on the windows indicated the direction and number of kilometers to various well-know places throughout the world. The staircase ended at a glass door opening up to the cold, windy deck. The tower was clearly quite new and modern, outfitted with large stationary binoculars in every direction and plaques at each one indicating main features in view. I really enjoyed looking at each plaque as it gave me a good visual of the arrangement of Incheon and where things were. What's nice about Incheon is that, looking across the city, you can find your bearings by looking at the various mountains that burst up out of the concrete landscape.

The sun became larger and easier to observe directly as it quickly approached the horizon. The combination of darker skies and strong winds made for a frigid experience. Mihai pulled out the thermos for a cup of hot cocoa but eventually took shelter in the cafe one floor down to watch the sunset from inside the heated glass tower. With the nation's largest airport on an island in our view, airplanes continuously passed in front of the large sun as it descended. Finally, the sun was down along with the temperatures, and the bright lights of the Ferris wheel at the base of the hill were switched on changing in both color and pattern. I didn't realize how cold it had actually gotten until I entered the cafe and took my jacket off to sit down for a coffee. I placed my hand on the inside of my jacket and it was quite chilly even after being inside for some time. I was somewhat dreading putting it back on to go outside.

Next, we walked down a straight road and path to arrive at one end of the boardwalk-like area of Wolmido. The amusement parks was up and running. We wandered into the park to see what was going on. There, we looked up to see the high Ferris wheel slowly rotating. Around us were lights and rides, some operating and some not. However, there were only a handful of people. Out on the walkway by the sea there were lights but again, hardly any people. We continued along on our walk and I picked up a corn-dog to satisfy my appetite. Mihai had already decided that we hold off on dinner until we got back to Yeonsu where we would sit down to her favorite Korean food, sundubu.

Before catching the bus back, we stopped by another amusement park. It may have been the other end of the previously mentioned park. In this area there were more people. For some reason there were three pirate ship rides. One of them was switched on and working with only a few participants braving the cold for some exhilaration. We stopped by one ride that was almost full with the announcer badgering the crowed to come join the rest. We stayed put and watched as the people spun faster, the ride spinning, tilting, and bouncing at the operators will, with intent to knock people out of their seats.

We had had enough of the cold. I was surprised that these rides were still open in the winter and that people actually come to Womido for the rides this time of year. After about an hour between two buses we were back in Yeonsu sitting down to a nice hot bowl of sundubu. There's nothing like a hot bowl of stew after an evening in the cold.