"I can fly, I believe that I can fly...”, I was so excited after making a booking to go paragliding.

I woke up at 5 am, got ready and took a 7 am bus from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Danyang. As soon as I got off the bus, I was impressed by the amazing view of the landscape in Danyang. In front of Danyang Terminal, there was a mountain range, reflecting its majesty on a river. The autumn sky was blue and trees had not yet completely lost the yellow foliage. How amazing that scene was! I could not wait to see that landscape from the sky.

Para Village, where I took off

A driver waited for me and drove me to Para Village, which is on a mountain. It is the most well-known place for paragliding in Danyang. Para Village prides itself with 20 years of history and it appeared in a variety program of KBS called “2 Days 1 Night” where Park Bo-Gum, a famous Korean actor, and other celebrities tried paragliding. There was a cozy café and a picturesque viewing deck, so I took a lot of photos when waiting for my turn.

Then, finally, it was my turn. A friendly pilot asked me to watch an instruction video before helping me wear flying-equipment. He shouted loudly "runnnnnn" and I started running until I felt my foot being not on the land anymore. "I'm flying", I shouted out loud. I looked down and admired the wonderful landscape of Danyang one more time. We took off and landed very smoothly. I wanted to give him a huge thank-you hug. That was such an unforgettable experience.

I was flying to the Danyang’s sky

When waiting for the shuttle car to go back to Danyang Terminal, it was fun to watch pilots and passengers launch in the air one after the other like happy missiles. Being around pilots, I was inspired by the nature of their career. Paragliding is not easy because it comes with manual labor and the risk of accidents. They have to learn how to understand the wind to know whether they can take off or not. However, they considered it not a job but a hobby, a passion. They fly every day, even in the cold winter. For me, if my office was in the sky and had amazing views like theirs, I also would like to go to work every day.

I arrived at Janghoenaru, Chungjuho Lake Excursion Boat Quay after 20 minutes from my guesthouse, Danchon Seowon Gotaek. As expected, the landscape of Danyang did not disappoint me. From the observation, I saw the water ripples of Chungjuho Lake shining and the splendid mountains along the water-ways creating a shadow over the water.

The fantastic beauty of mountain and water way of Chunjuho Lake

I paid 14.000KRW for a round trip cruise to Cheongpungnaru Boat Quay. The cruise ship starts speeding up along the water route, it unfolds the scenes of Gudambong Peak and Oksunbong Peak, two of Eight Scenic Beauties at Danyang, featuring uniquely-shaped rocks and peaks. The joyful outcry was all around with the fantastic views. While driving the boat, the caption did not forget to tell the passengers how scholars in the past enjoyed such a great scenery and selected Eight Scenic Beauties of Danyang.

The cruise trip took about 1 hour and it was as if 1 hour in a fantastic land.

The Chungjuho Lake tourist cruise

Chungjuho Lake

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I still couldn't imagine that there is a guesthouse there. Rather than locating it, in the center of Danyang, Danchon Seowon Gotaek was in a small village where there wasn't any tourist attractions in walking distance and there were only 8 rounds of buses per day from Danyang downtown passing the village.
However, when I pushed the heavy wooden gate door and came inside, I understood why the guesthouse is always fully booked every weekend.

Another corner of the Old Hanok

The Red Clay room

The old Hanok was quiet, peaceful and elegant, sitting in harmony with beautiful mountains, fields, and valleys of Danyang. A picturesque pavilion stands impressively next to the main building and there was a café in the corner of the yard with some tables and chairs on an outdoor patio.

My room was called Red Clay room which includes a private bathroom with a shower and a well-equipped kitchen with a fridge. The cozy room was well decorated by some Korean traditional furniture and ornaments.

The friendly host helped me turn on the floor heating system before taking me to the café where she proudly showed me her collection of vinyls and players. There were some board games and even a Cotton candy making machine. That was such a good place to listen to music, or to have a cup of coffee or tea and relax. Everything there made me feel nostalgic. At that moment, I thought I might prefer staying in Danchon Seowon Gotaek for the whole weekend rather than going out to some touristy and crowded spots.

The cafe with a collection of Vinyl

As I traveled there alone, my host offered me a walk with her around the village. I followed her walk-around, enjoying the fresh air before visiting a small carpentry workshop. The carpenter welcomed us with a cup of herbal tea and showed us his creations. People in the countryside were always friendly, honest and hospitable like that. Their warm hearts made me feel like being home.

The beautiful old Hanok was in a peaceful village and it was perfect place to forget about your worries and live serenely.